April 30, 2007

Good morning, it’s time to begin another work week. I didn’t hear any “huzzahs” just then. Is work something to be patiently endured? Perhaps just endured? I am trying the self talk, or the affirmations. You have heard the cheerleaders, “when you first wake up; tell yourself it will be a wonderful and productive day!” You will notice the addition of “productive” in there. After all it’s the employers who are paying these people to give their speeches. In the Bible, we are commanded to work hard at whatever we do. This is not always easy, actually it is very seldom easy; we can usually think of several things we would rather be doing than working. However, we also realize that all of those activities would be unimportant if we chose to do no work and began the slow process of starving. I don’t think that God will feed those who can work but would rather not. Human governments may feed them for a time, but eventually no work will equal no eating.
Now, that is not to say that we should not endeavor to find work that we enjoy. It would be wonderful to look forward to both work and going home each day. If someone is glad to see you at work and another is glad to see you at home that can be the first step in enjoying both places. I realize that many folks work alone and will not have someone to greet them at work, perhaps a dog that likes to get out can help with that. I like to start first with prayer, talking to the Lord. “It’s going to be a great day! I am going to get a lot done today!” Cheer yourself up to start the day. I am not saying that it will work immediately for everyone; it takes time to change those thinking patterns. Trust in God and praise him today.

Yours in Christ!

Bucky

April 28, 2007

Good morning. As I see a jet passing in the sky overhead, I once again feel sad for those who must go somewhere on a fine Saturday morning. However, of those aboard there may be some who are flying somewhere on vacation, going to see loved ones, or taking that once in a lifetime trip, for those I feel happy and wish them the best. I wonder if there are any in the plane looking down and wondering who lives in all those little towns in western Nebraska. We could all run outside and wave, but they wouldn’t be able to see us from up there. Sometimes we may be tempted to think that a prayer for someone far away does good only for our self. That we know is not true, but the though may occur just the same. Prayers for soldiers in far away lands, for missionaries, or for our brothers and sisters in Christ all over the world, may seem to be going up into the sky. Jesus commanded us to pray for each other through following his own example of praying for his sheep. While we pray for someone far away, there is another Christ-one praying for us. Perhaps not by name, but God knows the needs of each of us; no matter how far away from each other we may be on the earth or above the earth, God is with each of us. God has an omniscient view from above and a personal, intimate view from our hearts at the same time. That boggles my mind, but the Bible assures us of the truth of God’s infinite knowing. As always with a difficult concept, I am reminded of what Jesus told us: what is impossible for man is possible for God. What a friend we have in Jesus!

Amen,

Bucky

April 27, 2007

Good morning. It is quite disturbing to read the account of the killings at Virginia Tech. Yes, I have finally found the courage to read some of the news reports. It is not easy and I feel sadness for all involved. What are we to do with the terrible events that seem to come much too often in this world? Death it seems is just around the corner for any or all of us. We are ready to go home, but I don’t think that any of us do not feel the grief and confusion that such events instill. It seems just a short time ago that Columbine took place in Denver and we asked the same questions.
The one question that will occur will run something like; why does God allow such things to happen? The answer lies in the freedom we have to choose between sin and God. He does not stop someone who chooses a path of destruction, no matter how terrible it may seem to us. What about the victims and their right to choose? That should remind us that we may not have 120 years of life in which to choose our savior. It has been said that there are no atheists in the foxhole; this reminds us that our foxhole is right here where we live and work each day. Jesus did not ask us to come to him whenever we can get around to it, but stressed that we must come immediately and not delay our decision. I pray that everyone would come to know Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life today. Please don’t wait for the Lord to save you from some trauma; I can tell you as part of my own witness that it is not worth it! Know the joy of Jesus while you still have your health; when it seems that you can handle anything on your own. We come to Jesus broken in spirit, but we don’t have to wait until we are broken in body as well.

Sing a song of praise to the Lord today!

Bucky

April 26, 2007

Good morning. It looks like the outdoor biking season will soon start. It just needs to warm up a bit. Last year I found that trying to ride in 30º weather could be quite difficult, especially with any exposed skin!
Last night we concluded our Bible study for this school year. It makes me a bit sad each time to break up for the summer, but there are many things that go on in May that would interfere. Graduations are probably the number one event in May. Each of you probably knows several kids who will soon graduate from high school or college and move on into life. I have my collection of Bibles ready for the grads, a tradition I started a couple of years ago. Many of the Proverbs speak of training children in the right way or to take the right path. I don’t think that it is too late to give out Bibles for graduation, but if the parents have failed to introduce a child to the Lord, it will certainly be difficult to get them to open their new Bible. Training a child to read the Bible early in their life gives them a much better chance of returning to it when they need it most. Some may never stop their daily reading, but most will wander at some point. I did and you probably did too back in our younger days. However, we all knew where to turn when the Holy Spirit finally broke through and let us know that we were lost sinners. The Word of God is one of the most valuable gifts any person can receive for it leads us to Jesus; the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Hallelujah for the Word!

Bucky

April 25, 2007

Good morning, as we welcome a lot of rain for this area. The Lord has shown his bounty to us in sending the wonderful rain. Today I woke up thinking of heaven. What a way to start a day! There is so much room to speculate on heaven; beautiful pine woods covered in snow, cold but not harmful; spring time woods with fish jumping and waterfalls; or quiet, rolling meadows of grass with furry animals to pet. Your visions of heaven may be totally different from mine and that would not make them more or less likely. Heaven may have solitude or communion from moment to moment; none of us knows yet all of the details, if we even need worry about details, of heaven and our time to come. We know that God is there and that his son sits at his right hand in the place of honor. Heavenly choirs sing God’s praises constantly and there is no fear or fatigue. Jesus told us that in his father’s house are many mansions and that he has gone to prepare a place for us. John had a vision of a huge city of the most beautiful stones and metals. However, like all truly wonderful things that are beyond our experience, the reality far exceeds our imagination. Praise God for that occasional vision of heaven!

God loves us all!

Bucky

April 24, 2007

Good morning and welcome to another day in Christ Jesus! We enjoyed a lot of rain last night; it will surely get the grass to growing…and probably the dandelions as well. There is a vacant lot about a block away that shows hardly a speck of green; I think they treated it with Agent Orange or something last fall. I have new neighbors and as usual in suburbia, I don’t know their names. That happens so very often in the world today. We are very mobile and in place of the neighborhood of old, we have the group of friends from a wide area. In some ways this mobility is good and in some ways not so good. However, it is growing better or worse, depending upon your take on the problem, as the Internet takes over and we have our group of friends internationally. Any of us may sit down one evening and converse with persons worldwide and have absolutely no idea how the people in the house next door are doing either physically or spiritually. Oh, if an ambulance pulls up with lights flashing then we will want to know. Most of the time, it may take us a year or more before we even know the name of our neighbors. Television is another bane to neighborhood gatherings; it is far easier to join a “family” on the TV screen each night than to interact with one personally. Look out, here it comes! Yes, we need to get that action item on our lists, visit the neighbors and find out who they are. What better opportunity to spread the Good News!
Yours in Christ Jesus!
Bucky

April 23, 2007

Good morning! The experiment with getting up a little later is finished. I felt too rushed when trying to get in a short workout and writing the devotional, and so it’s back to 0430 this week. How precious time is to us each and every day. The rain is nice to see this morning; it should help my crop of dandelions remain vigorous and strong. They certainly showed that Scott’s fertilizer/herbicide which of them has the staying power. I suppose one more try before throwing my hands up and putting Astroturf on the whole lawn. J This is one area that I am just not spending enough time, and it ain’t gonna change soon! Spending time with the Word, prayer, work, school, and other things take precedence over lawn care. Time for this, time for that, aaaieee! How does one get to everything?
My priority is Jesus; the rest will just have to fall into line. My time on this earth is limited and spreading the Good News is more important than anything else. I may have to write while gazing at the dandelions in my lawn, but the joy of Christ doesn’t fade or grow dim in this world of darkness.

Praise the King of kings!

Bucky

April 22, 2007

Good morning. Happy Earth Day! Not sure where “Earth Day” came from and why we need a day to celebrate the globe we live on, but there it is. I would think that, short of getting the call from Jesus to come home, we would celebrate the earth we stand on every day. We do live in a very narrow envelope of conditions that allow us to live as humans. God has created many creatures which can endure extremes of heat and cold much better than us. In the ocean we are but food for sharks and in the air we have the approximate aerodynamic characteristics of falling bricks. In space all sorts of unpleasant things happen to our bodies and on the sun we would last but a moment. There may be other planets with habitable conditions but at our maximum speed we would perish long before arriving there.
Einstein once posed the question of determining whether the universe is hostile toward us or not. Some would look around and say that it is in fact hostile, perhaps citing the conditions I mention above. However, I will have to disagree with Dr. Kennedy on this one and say that at best the universe is indifferent toward us. If the universe had a consciousness and it decided to be hostile toward us then we would have long since been destroyed. What I observe is an indifference, the universe does not care whether we live or die and will continue to function long after we are gone as individuals. Stained with sin the universe moves on, paying not the least attention to our activities.
Someone does care about us though, enough to send his son to die in our place. God created the universe and his is sovereign. We need not worry over the indifference of the universe when the creator loves us that much. Creation may be impersonal due to sin, the Creator is very personal. Praise God for his love given to us and his love of us. Give glory to his name forever!

Bucky

April 21, 2007

Good morning, the cat has been attended to and the day is dawning brightly. I love the Lord Jesus and he loved me first. The day lies before us, what can we accomplish? Without our Abba, we can accomplish nothing. It is God who gives us life, strength, and whatever is needed to accomplish even the smallest of tasks. Early in the morning, we awaken to a new day. “Early” is a relative term for some of you, but awaken we do and set out to accomplish a lot or a little in pursuit of seizing the day. This weekend holds all the promise of any other, but God grants us new energy to spread the Good News and to shine his light into the dark corners of the world.
The bush outside my window is about to burst forth into blooms once again; our mornings should feel just like that as we being each new day. How much easier that seems to be in the springtime, when the sun rises earlier and the temperature is much more welcoming outside. I see the bugs are busy already and I am glad for them… as long as they stay outside where they belong. God bless and keep you this day!

Bucky

April 20, 2007

Good morning! The light of our lives shines upon us today. The latest issue of Whistleblower magazine addresses the theory of global warming. You may want to read this one to get a different view from the one embraced by Hollywood and the mainstream media. As I have said before, the other side is just now beginning to say “hold everything, what about our view?” It was but 30 years ago that “ice age” was heard in the media discussions as several tough winters would solidify the possibility in our minds. I can remember ranchers losing cattle every year to blizzards, usually in the spring, and delivering papers in the snow. We have endured drought conditions for several years amid relatively mild winters and so the warming theory is easy to jump at. However, we must always remember who is in control of all events, God.
If our country were to end the mass murder known as abortion tomorrow, I would not be surprised to see years of the most wonderful weather. Does that mean we should expect immediate rewards every time we do as God commands? No, but Jesus does assure us that every good deed will be rewarded in the fullness of time. Indeed we have faith that God sees every good thing that we do and will give us an overflowing cup in the day of Jesus’ return. Let the joy of knowing that Christ will come soon overflow from your lips and heart today. He gives unquenchable joy to our hearts.

Rest in the peace and joy of Christ Jesus this day!

Bucky

April 19, 2007

Good morning. It is cloudy today; the wind seems to have blown something to us over night. Some rain would certainly be wonderful for the plants and lawns. God has been and always will be gracious and merciful to us all; today I pray that each of you will know the love of our Lord. Let the joy flow through you and out into a dark world. Learn to love everyone and seek the wisdom of God daily.

God bless you!

Bucky

April 18, 2007

Good morning. God is still in charge and the Comforter is still in our hearts today. I once reported a fan not working in a room at work. The maintenance person asked me how I could know that. I felt a particular oppression in the room, which felt as though something was missing. There has been some debate for years about whether Christ will rapture the church before or after the one Great Tribulation. It would seem to me that if the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, is withdrawn that we would know immediately that something felt wrong. However, we need not worry or fear for Jesus has promised that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Never is too long for me to comprehend, but when the Son of God says “never”, I can rest in that assurance for longer than I can imagine. Praise God!
Today we know the face and name of the murderer in Virginia. Does he look deeply disturbed or possessed of evil? No, he looks like a kid who is perhaps a bit unhappy in the photo, but not that different from many other kids who don’t smile for a photo. The question today is: can we as Christians grow to love all persons, even those who commit heinous acts of murder? Jesus did, he loved Judas Iscariot knowing full well that he had already plotted with the Jewish leaders to betray the Son. This man, Cho Seung-Hui, has a family somewhere who will be in need of prayer, along with the families of those who lost loved ones through his actions. What visions or thoughts went through the mind before and during this terrible act? We don’t know, but some of those same thoughts and visions might have gone through our minds at some time; careful with that first stone! There is only one standing between us and falling victim to or acting out something like this, the Son of God. Let us be thankful today for Jesus in our hearts and pray for each other.

God bless you,

Bucky

April 17, 2007

Good morning and enjoy another great day in the Lord! We have another great prayer need today; I am sure that you will have heard the news of another campus shooting and yes, this one is worse than all the previous ones. We still have the power of prayer for the children and their families; our Redeemer lives and he is not blind to these tragedies.
As long as our schools continue to teach evolution and humanism in place of creation and Jesus, we will continue to read of violent acts. I realize the reasoning of the world would find fault with what I just wrote. The connection between a school’s curriculum and one man’s choosing to commit mass murder may seem illogical to the secular world. However, consider that evolution says that we are accidents in a long chain of accidents which led to our current state and that there is nothing beyond this short life. Humanism says that all humans are basically good and they simply must be trained in logic and reason to become productive members of society, and guess what, that’s all there is to this life.
Once we come to know the saving grace of Jesus and the joy he gives, the depression of humanism and evolution becomes obvious. I would much rather be the unique creation of a loving God than the result of some strange, accidental combination of electricity and chemicals some millions of years ago. If a person truly believes in evolution, then they become free to take life from others. That person may even believe that they are an agent of relief, ending the suffering of those caught up in the struggle to survive. I don’t have all the answers to why someone would commit an act of this type, but from the other side I can see the hopelessness of the world. Take a look at the world and consider the rather bleak outlook that our only hope lies in perpetuating the species. Does that give you reason for joy? No, my hope lies in Jesus, and I will trust in him alone.

God loves you and so do I,

Bucky

April 16, 2007

Good morning! The day dawns with some pink and orange wisps of cloud, and a beautiful light blue sky. The weekend showed us some nice spring weather out here and I did get outside to take advantage of it. I heard a commercial where a major bank has claimed to have committed 20 billion dollars to an environmental cause. Some of that is no doubt in the form of loans to build things, but if you hold one of this bank’s credit cards some of that will come from you! I hope they asked you before committing all that money. The response to the theory of Global Warming is on the way from Dr. D. James Kennedy; it would seem there is some doubt to the causes and potential effects of global warming. I don’t think that will surprise anyone; there are usually two sides to every debate. I did my part! I planted six trees yesterday. Today I need to mark them so that they do not fall victim to the lawn mower. I do believe that God would have us to care for our planet as part of our duties, but he also commanded Adam to till the Garden, which speaks of using the land or planet. It does not seem right to have hydroelectric dams all over our nation and then protest when an African nation would do the same thing. Yet that does happen and it is usually that same crowd who has already endorsed the gloom and doom prophecies of global warming. Of course, all this may be moot; Christ may return tonight or tomorrow and render the debate useless. All the world’s precious ideologies undone in a moment, what a great day that will be!

God bless you this day,

Bucky

April 15, 2007

Good Sunday morning! May we all have a close relationship with God the Father and know the unquenchable love of his Son Jesus Christ. Some mornings the sun shines so brightly that even a reflection off a polished surface is too intense to look at. In the northern latitudes you can tell that summer is near by the brightness of the sun. In all latitudes you can see the how near the Son is by the brightness of his people and the darkness of the world. As the contrast grows ever greater, I believe that the age of prophecy will begin once more. We are going to see great things done in the name of Jesus very soon; they may be happening even as I write! The media outlets tend to ignore the great revivals happening throughout world; there is no murder or mayhem involved in people coming to walk with our Lord.
Easter and the start of spring always bring back to mind the return of our Lord. As life blooms among the plants, so my thoughts turn to his saving grace and the coming of Christ’s kingdom to this earth. Our great hope approaches and we can see the darkness of the world growing in opposition to the imminent arrival of Jesus. Along with the rise of prophecy, an opposing rise in demonic activity will occur. Satan will not simply walk off the field until Jesus returns to banish him. We may see more “Jim Jones” type saviors, more miraculous healings – some from God and some from other powers - and we may see the Anti-Christ in our lifetime. However, in the Bible prophecies we are reminded that a demon or Satan himself can only do what God allows them to do! Frightened? Don’t be, remember to whom you belong and that Abba, our Father in heaven, is sovereign.

Praise God, the almighty creator of all.

Bucky

April 13, 2007

Good morning, me typing fingers is stumbling a bit today, hopefully this will be legible. We had some late night installation fun last night and that doesn’t help the old brain and digits function at a top level. Praise God, our Father in heaven for his grace! When you look back on your life, does the patience and kindness of God show through as much as it does for me? I know that you can’t really answer that and I cannot answer for you. However, the patience of God is shown in how long some of us took to start knowing him better each day. He wants to have a relationship with us, not a religion. That is so at odds with the world, an omnipotent, omniscient God, wanting to have an intimate relationship with a bunch of sinners. Yet here he is, knocking at the doors of our hearts. Praise God for the love of the Lord Jesus and the saving grace of his sacrifice on the cross.

Hallelujah!

Bucky

April 12, 2007

Good morning! What a wonderful Bible study we had last night. The Psalms are truly a blessing to us all. There are entire Psalms, including the famous 23rd, which we should memorize for help in times of stress or anxiety. I am not saying that you should try to tackle the 119th just yet, but some great passages are found in the Psalms. The pastor pointed out that Jesus often quoted the Psalms and so did Paul in his writings. Today we have wonderful Psalms from modern Christian song writers to sing both in our hearts and in worship services. For that is what the Psalms were to the people of Israel, songs of praise to God. Is it not interesting that we find comfort in songs of praise to our God just as our spiritual ancestors did in the time of David? Some things never change and it is good that they do not. Today you might think of your favorite Psalm, old or new, and sing it in your heart throughout the day.

What a wonderful Lord we have in Jesus!

Bucky

April 11, 2007

Good morning. The sky is just beginning to lighten from the dark of night. I have seen many dawns in my life and I still enjoy each one. It is against the intellect of the world that I should then look forward to a day in which there will be no dawn. No one will dim the lights of heaven; there won’t be any artificial lights. On that day we will not see the reflected glory of our Lord; we will see the chosen Lamb of God in his own glory. Praise the Lord Jesus!

God bless you!

Bucky

April 10, 2007

Good morning, it’s Tuesday and that means back to work for me. It also ends another class, just 8 more to go! However, the next one will not start for six weeks and quite frankly, I can use the break. This past week can hardly be called a “best effort” in my class work. I think the break may have arrived a couple of weeks too late. Does a bad day, a bad week, or even a bad life to this point make anyone unacceptable to God? No, it does not. We may know that intellectually, but it is time to know it in our hearts. All of us have sinned; none of us can earn salvation. Salvation and acceptance grow from Jesus’ death on the cross, for he is the true vine. A closer walk with Jesus is our request today. To know the Father through the Son and to experience the grace and peace that comes from abiding in Him. Pray for each other and pray for revival in America.

God bless you,

Bucky

April 9, 2007

Good morning! Well our commemoration of Easter has past once again for the year, what’s next? At this time about 2,000 years ago, Jesus began appearing to larger groups of believers. Often they were meeting in secret and behind locked doors from fear of the Roman government and the eager squeelers and snitches among their own people. If you have never been the target of an authority figure and had the remainder of a group turn on you out of fear, then praise God for sparing you that! In the midst of this fear and doubt, Jesus appeared to them. Paul and Luke record that several hundred people saw him, touched him, and spoke with him over the course of forty days after his resurrection. Historically, we know from other sources that many “messiahs” had appeared to the Jews. However, upon execution by the Jews or the Romans, the sects dried up or selected another “messiah”. That didn’t happen in the case of the early Christ-ones, the followers of the Way. They never selected or elected another to take the place of Jesus. They did not recant their testimony; in fact it became far more dynamic and powerful. This behavior points to Jesus, who was something very different from those other false prophets and messiahs of the time. The early Christians became a world changing force in the name of Jesus. Filled with the Holy Spirit they went forth, pursued by their deadliest enemy in human form, Saul of Tarsus.
In all of the first century there existed no one less likely to become a Christian. A young Saul held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, the first martyr (and there are those who should note that he didn’t blow anyone one up during his martyrdom, he asked his father in heaven to forgive them!). Saul continued to persecute Christians, pursuing them to towns and cities far from Jerusalem. From his own testimony, Saul was one of the foremost Pharisees, well-educated, and strict in his observance of the Law. He believed in what he was doing, and went about it with a religious zeal. Then one day he met Jesus; not someone told him about Jesus, not he heard about Jesus; no, he met Jesus in person. Saul, now renamed Paul, became the foremost missionary of Jesus to the Gentiles, and in case you don’t appreciate that quite enough… the Gentiles were our ancestors. Somewhere in the history of each of our families, one of our ancestors met a Christian missionary or read the writings of Paul and the Gospels. To this day we treasure the Word, both in our hearts and through the reading of the New Testament; that new covenant that God promised us through the prophets. Read in Acts of the exciting times that came after the resurrection of our Lord. Set aside the suffering of our Lord and look at his victory!

To God be the Glory!

Bucky

In memory of Johnny Hart, creator of the BC comic strip. He is now with our Lord Jesus.

April 8, 2007 - Easter Sunday

He is Risen! The past few days we have talked about the suffering of Jesus on the cross, but today that is past. Today we look to the glory of the risen Son of God. We glorify our risen Savior, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of lords. On this day so many years ago, Mary Magdalene met an angel beside the tomb and received the news that Jesus was no longer there. Like many of us, Mary asked where they had put him. She didn’t quite understand the Good News at that time. Caught up in this world, we often fail to understand just how much God loves us. Today let us live for the joy of the Lord; let us rest in his peace, and praise him for his victory! “Oh death where is thy sting, grave where is thy victory?” Gone and gone, Jesus now holds the keys to death and the grave. The Son of God loves each and every one of us in a special and all-encompassing way.

Bucky

April 7, 2007

Good afternoon! It’s late in the afternoon on Saturday and I really have been goofing off on this vacation. Praise the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Resurrection Day is tomorrow, a great celebration of our faith. We have enjoyed, if you’ll pardon the word, a fair amount of snow over the past 2-3 days. The ground is warm enough that it is gone each day, but we have awakened to a white world each morning. Cold though it was last night, we did not set a record. According to my usual weather web site, the record low is -9º F for April. Although it is very light, it is in fact still snowing here.
This weekend, probably tomorrow, I need to watch The Passion of the Christ once more. Easter weekend is a good weekend to really work at remembering what Jesus has done for me. Sorrow comes when I think of what he endured in my place, but gratitude is where I like to arrive at the end of my commemoration. Jesus gave himself and he gave us the Last Supper to remember him in gratitude and joy. While I don’t want to forget his suffering, I want to remember it for the right reason, his victory over death and the grave. He suffered much, but it was in victory not defeat. The glory of the Lord shone forth on the Earth on the third day.

Let the glory of the Lord shine through you today!

Bucky

April 6, 2007

Good morning! You may have noticed a couple of days off for me recently. Sunday and Thursday I took off from writing and working. Today is the day traditionally known as Good Friday. On this day we remember the death of our Lord Jesus on the cross at Calvary. On this day many years ago, Jesus was abandoned by his disciples, the Jerusalem crowd had turned violently against him, and for a moment even his father in heaven had to turn from the sin that lay so heavily upon him. We know this story has a victorious ending, and we will get to that on Sunday. For this day, we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for the redemption of our sin; he paid the price so that we might live.
He died for us so that we can live with him forever, whether we are dead or alive at the time of his return. 11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. (1 Thes. 5:10-11)
We do need to encourage each other in our walk with the Lord. This life is difficult and we yearn for the day of Jesus’ return.

Remember the Cross!

Bucky

April 4, 2007

Good morning! Tomorrow it begins. What is known as Maundy Thursday, at least I hope that I spelled that correctly. The day when Jesus shared the Last Supper with his disciples, prayed earnestly in the Garden for the cup to be taken away, and then submitted himself to God’s will. Later that night, he was betrayed by Judas and taken to the show trials at the high priest’s place. Evidently, some plot had been carried out, for there were scribes and Pharisees gathered at times where they would normally be at home asleep. Witnesses were found and dragooned into service and soldiers of the temple police were no where near the temple. It is interesting that Ciaiphas and Jesus agreed that it would be better for one man to die than the entire nation. Actually, Jesus had already said that he had more sheep than the Jews, and that he was going to get them. Those sheep would be us, the Gentiles, and we are glad that the Word came to us!
Jesus courageously walked into Jerusalem that day knowing well that his time was up. I do not believe any secret plot existed between him and Judas, only the knowledge that the time of betrayal had arrived. Jesus turned at the Last Supper and gave Judas the word; Judas then went out to do what he had devised in his heart. We would never celebrate a treacherous act, but we can celebrate the victory that began with the Last Supper.
Praise Jesus for his resurrection!

Bucky

April 3, 2007

Good morning! Sometimes the wording in the King James Version of the Bible can be difficult to understand, but the phrase “King of kings, and Lord of lords” seems pretty clear. I think all of us can understand that phrase sets Jesus above all who have ever held the title of king or lord on the earth. Even the glories of Solomon have faded with time; not many of us can imagine what his reign must have been like. Yesterday, I mentioned how disappointed the Jews were that Jesus did not set up his earthly kingdom at that time. They expected Messiah to set up a kingdom even greater than Solomon and David right then, or to us, right now! The glorious kingdom of our Lord will arrive, but not on our schedule. In Revelation, John attempts to describe this kingdom to us and it is hard for me to grasp or imagine things like transparent gold. I am still here in this world and my mental vision has a difficult time with things that far beyond my experience. Is it not grand though? We can expect to see things in God’s kingdom that are indescribably beautiful. We will get to see this one day; hold fast to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bucky

April 2, 2007

Good morning! Just short of 2,000 years ago by our reckoning, Jesus made his final trip to Jerusalem during his human life. He had told the disciples several times that this time would come, and yet they still had trouble understanding. Yesterday we celebrated Palm Sunday, the anniversary of our Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt in fulfillment of prophecy. At that time the Jews thought that their earthly king had arrived and would chase the Romans away to usher in a new age. However, Jesus plan was even more ambitious than that! He would suffer and die on the cross to chase away death and the grave. By Thursday of that week, perhaps even sooner, great disappointment had set in among the people. The new kingdom did not arrive when they expected, and Jesus showed no sign of taking up the Jewish crown of David. How quickly they turned on Him! Jesus knew that all of this would come and still he went forward in obedience, healing, giving soft and truthful answers, to his false trial and execution. This is a great week in Christianity as what looked like our greatest defeat became our greatest victory. Christ arose and everything changed from that moment forward.

I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Bucky