Monday, March 18, 2024

Securely Prepared

In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:2-3

Our place of dwelling is not secure here. A host of reasons for this from the physical to the financial and political may present themselves to your imagination for inspection. In other words, anxious worries will easily occur to us. When we came to believe in Jesus, we knew then that our earthly homes were only for temporary use. In place of that we have this heavenly treasure promised by our Lord Jesus, a dwelling place with Him. So, as opposed to those anxious worries about our home here, we can dwell on the promise of the securely prepared dwelling place we will have with our Lord Jesus. How do we know it is securely prepared? Easy, there is no greater security than the promise of our Lord Jesus.

Rest in His promise!

Bucky

Friday, March 15, 2024

A Call To Strengthen

Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. Revelation 3:2

Ah, Friday, a day to ease on into the weekend... or is it? There are those times just before the end of something that we may feel the urge to relax and cruise on to the finish line. A quick search on social media will bring up videos of athletes who did just that, only to lose the race! In our verse for today, a call to strengthen the things that remain goes out to the church at Sardis. They have not finished and yet have gone sleepy and the flames of their faith are but a few glowing embers about to go out. The Lord by way of John sends a message that their deeds are not complete in the sight of God. Yesterday we had the temptation to show up with a resume. Today we see a resume that is incomplete, a bunch of deeds that were not finished. Imagine trying to apply for a job with a listing of partial projects that you did not see through to the end! So, while we are not saved by works, there is a place for our deeds and doings in the sight of God. And finishing does seem important too. Gulp, what deeds need completion for me?

Obey the call, and seek help in prayer to finish the race well!

Bucky

Thursday, March 14, 2024

No You Can't

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  John 15:5

It is a temptation to think that we will arrive in God's courtroom with a lengthy resume of good work achievements to present to the court. We know by the word of God that there is no deserving on our part of entry into God's Heaven by our works. We will never have enough good works to set against even one sin. When it comes to perfection before the law, we just weren't born with it. So, regarding justification for each of us by effort, the word is "No, you can't." Not only are we unable, but it has already been purchased and paid for long before our birth in this world. 

How deliciously frustrating! Jesus finished what I long to accomplish before I even knew the need for it. Praise to God for His wonderful Son!

Bucky

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Careful To Keep That Love

For if you are careful to keep this entire commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love Yahweh your God, to walk in all His ways, and to cling to Him, then Yahweh will dispossess all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you. Deuteronomy 11:22-23

Canaan, the land of conflict, the land promised by God to Abraham. In between Abraham and this moment in our verses today came centuries of adventures for Israel including famines, slavery in Egypt, and some wilderness. Now the time had come for them to enter the promised land, but some nations had settled there in that land of Canaan. The Lord stood ready to give them good help, but there was just one thing He wanted from them: to keep His entire commandment. Woof! Sounds like a big task right there in and of itself! The Lord in His mercy gave to them that starting point though, love the Lord your God. It seems to us many years later that the walking in His ways will follow quite well if Israel, and we also, can get that first one down. Jesus named it the greatest commandment with another like it, and both were to be careful to keep that love.

Does the path of the Way seem daunting? Remember to carefully keep the love of God first!

Bucky

Monday, March 11, 2024

The Resurrection Season

Has a nation changed gods
Though they were not gods?
But My people have changed their glory
For that which does not profit.
  -- Jeremiah 2:11

Although the start of spring reminds us of it, that is not the primary reason for what is called Easter. We mourn the cross and the death of our Lord Jesus, but mourning is not to be our perpetual state. Years ago, we were given a great gift in a living Savior. Because He lives we have the greatest of hope and a new life awaiting. However, there are indications that some do not want to hold onto this hope we have in Jesus. 

In our verse for today, God brought a complaint against Israel, His chosen nation. It seems that they had changed gods for 'that which does not profit'. All the world faces that same trial today. Peter warned us of this time in his letters to the exiles. To some it seems like Jesus will not return, and there is backlash against any faith in the Rapture. But for us, it is what Jesus said to His church in Smyrna: 

Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.  Revelation 2:10 

Faithful in Christ!

Bucky

Friday, March 08, 2024

Starting Up The Praise

Praise the LORD!
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
  -- Psalm 106:1

We enjoyed such a wonderful snowfall of wet snow yesterday that a "Praise the Lord!" seems quite the thing to say this morning. So, my inquiring mind wanted to know when this little phrase began in the Bible. In the NKJV, it seems to have begun with Leah, the first wife of Jacob. Leah had a little problem of going unloved in her marriage. As it is in these days, love and marriage were not always a matched set. However, sexual activities were a part of this marriage, and the scripture reports that God opened Leah's womb and the sons came. At the first son, Leah says that her husband will now love her. That does not seem to have happened, as with the arrival of the second son, Leah reports that the Lord saw that she was still unloved. By the third son she is just going for 'attached to me', love it seems has no hope. And by the fourth son, Judah, Leah has changed to something quite different: she will praise the Lord!

Love, as we see by Leah's testimony, cannot be forced, not even with sex and babies. However, we must give the woman credit for deciding to praise the Lord God, even as an unloved wife.

For all those feeling a bit unloved today, Praise the Lord! If you feel loved, then say it twice.

Bucky

Thursday, March 07, 2024

The Balaam Negotiation Method 101

And Balaam replied to the servants of Balak, “Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything, either small or great, to trespass the command of Yahweh my God.   Numbers 22:18

It seems noble on the surface. However, we recognize from other deals made in the scriptures that Balaam has begun a negotiation to determine at what price the prophet will indeed sell out to trespass the command of God! The king was supposed to reply by his servants something like: I know that Balaam would never accept such a great amount of loot from me, but perhaps he would trespass the command of Yahweh for this chest of gold. We don't do it that way now, but if we are not careful one might find us gazing at a new car across the street and thinking of a statement not too far from Balaam's, all the while singing a song about grace. I use this example because... well, yeah, that happened to me this morning. The Spirit showed to me the incongruity of thinking greed while singing grace. And there, my beloved, is the environment of the waiting season we have until our Lord returns. The flesh greedily wants while the spirit sings of grace! Now faith tells us that God's grace will see us through this fight, and one day there will be no more of that greed!

Whew! Praise God for that!

Bucky