And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." Matthew 27:39-40
Jesus, on the cross, fulfilling His sentence. No, my dear head-wagging Israelites of long ago, He was fulfilling my sentence and yours.
Praise God for the Son!
BuckyMy heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath. Hosea 11:8b-9
Do we dare talk about the cold today? Should we remind our brothers and sisters of warmer times and places? In Hosea, God lamented the people, His people, turning away from Him, and yet, undeserving as they were, His compassion grew warm and tender. And then, God wills not! The goodness of God comes upon a wicked Israel again, and destruction does not come upon Ephraim. Why? God states that He is God and not a man. As humans, we have known this kind of anger and wished on occasion to see it poured out - on someone else usually.
Imagine for a moment God's righteous anger coming toward us, and suddenly the warmth of compassion grows in our Lord as He sees our weaknesses and tendency toward the sin of unbelief. How easily we doubt; how quickly we fail Him. And as that storm of anger thunders and flashes around the holy throne, God wills and we are saved from His burning anger! What relief, what joy in the Lord's compassion! But, then the next time comes around because we are still unchanged deep within.
In this time, we know of someone working from inside to change us. We know why our Lord's just anger was satisfied and set aside from us. His Son stood in our place. God's justice wins and so does His love, compassion and goodness. We owe everything to Jesus, and we pray that all will come to know His mercy. Show the world the warmth of Jesus we hold in the heart today.
BuckyFor behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth— The LORD God of hosts is His name. Amos 4:13
Mountains, wind, thoughts, morning darkness - all big, unknowable, or scary things to us from our little windblown cottage on the plains. And this weekend it has been easy to be reminded of the wind for sure. In this verse from Amos we see God in charge of the creation of these big things; we see God in charge of these unknowable things. In this world of today where the hot winds sweep across seas of angry people, we need the Lord and to be reminded that He is not taken by surprise in this latest thing that flashes across the news.
This present darkness is indeed the darkness of morning, that darkness right before the dawn when the warrior is most likely to despair of living to the next day. The heated winds blowing across this land have their day, but the breath of the great red dragon will soon be stilled. He who treads the high places will soon come down to take us home. The LORD God of hosts is His name.
Rejoice in the Lord today, BuckyI fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 1 Corinthians 3:2-3
In this note from Paul we gain some knowledge of the enemy's tactics in this world. Indeed envy, strife, and divisions are exactly what is planted among us and in the thoughts of the flesh when we do not keep our eyes trained toward the Master.
How easy it is to sit down in a group and pass rumors about another! And men do it too; in this we have no inequality between the sexes. For a brief moment the seduction of sin gives us a feeling of superiority over that other one, that neighbor we have quite failed to love in the moment. From this another may be envious of the rumor victim or look to strive against him based on that evil knowledge he should not have gained from us. Therefore, we shall all withdraw from each other to be alone with the Lord.
Yes, seems like the simple and straightforward solution, and it even obeys our Lord's command to pray in secret with the door shut behind us. Wait, how are we to love our neighbors and one another as the Lord also commanded, and placed top importance on by the way, if we withdraw to a lonely place all the time? And if you have ever spent some serious alone time as I have, you will know by experience that is no cure to those attacks by the enemy which sow envy, division, and strife. Envy and strife will turn to bitterness when the darts of the enemy sink deep down into the flesh and soon hatred - exactly the opposite of what our Lord commanded - will have the victory over us.
There is a time for prayer alone with God; we are never left alone without the presence of our Lord's dear Holy Spirit, and there are times to draw together with the Master to learn His love for all.
May the love of Christ speak volumes to you today!
BuckyFor though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Colossians 2:5
Faith is under a severe test in this world we live in today. You have by now seen reports of what happened in New York yesterday. Have we truly fallen that far? I don't need to answer that, you know it already. We might think that Paul only faced a little distance problem in going to Colosse but he faced similar attitudes and immorality in the Roman Empire as we face today in our world and nation. A few years ago, our vice president spoke of the United States being the new Rome. It does look like that is quite to the mark.
So, how did Paul manage to encourage those believers in Colosse, Rome, Corinth, and other places where the Roman Empire did not place a high value on every child or even every adult? Did Paul exclaim to Luke one day, "You want me to encourage them, today?!" He may have when seeing the immorality of Rome. However, Paul looked to God and His Son in the Holy Spirit, just as we can do, and he looked at the steadfast faith of those who lived in Christ as they walked the pathways of this immoral world.
Thank you, for your steadfast faith that encourages me in this dark world. I am grateful to God for your faith in Jesus the Christ!
BuckyNow when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, and after getting into a boat, they started to cross the sea to Capernaum. It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. John 6:16-17 NASB
There are some mornings when I have no idea what to write to you. In those days it is up to me to start with a prayer and to do those things which get this thing started, like opening the e-mail program, hitting the compose button, and so on. There are other times when I'm hoping the Lord will give me a push, or those times when I'm hoping for an excuse for a day off, and the mornings where an idea is so insistent I can hardly get to the PC in time. Contrary to popular belief, mornings are not so much the same as one might think!
Getting started on those slow mornings is a lot like the disciples sitting in that boat. Jesus had not yet come, and so one disciple might have said, "should we wait all night?" Another might have worried that the Lord had already left without them. In the preceding scripture, Jesus had come upon one of those times when the crowd wanted to force Him into the kingship and He exited the area. The disciples might not have known where their Teacher was at that time. Of course all their doubts were going to serve to get them in the right place for the Lord to work a wonder right out on the cold, dark Sea of Galilee.
The Lord had not left the disciples behind, and they had not waited on Him, but a big sea with its miles of water was no impediment to the Son of God. The Lord Jesus caught up to them as they rowed across the Sea of Galilee and the disciple's doubts grew into big fears. Yet, when the Lord spoke to them, they were willing to receive Him into the boat, and great was their rejoicing in Christ!
There are days when it seems that we have waited enough and must therefore begin the task or journey without our Lord Jesus. And it is on those days when He will catch up to us and calm our worries and fears, which we would not have had to endure had we only waited on Him just a little more or trusted Him more or believed that little bit more, or whatever shortcoming in our faith He wants to address in that day and time. Always He comes to us in our distress!
Fear not! The Lord comes across the dark sea of our troubles and fears,
BuckySay to the king and to the queen mother, “Humble yourselves; Sit down, For your rule shall collapse, the crown of your glory.” Jeremiah 13:18
One can see that Jeremiah likely did not feel an overwhelming joy of anticipation in having to deliver this message to the king. And to the queen mother? Look out for her for sure! Of course the first problem is obvious. If the prophet of the Lord must tell you to humble yourself, then your pride is likely one of the big problems. These days the prophet of the Lord might have to tell you to put away the smart phone, or the tablet, or maybe the PC, or etc, etc.
Imagine Jeremiah walking up to the throne with a message from the Lord, but lo and behold, the king of Israel has his head down looking through the instant messages of state, throwing out tweets to his subjects, and the queen mother is on her tablet while at the same time looking over the king's shoulder at his smart phone. They have a kingdom to run in all of its complexity! What is this noise coming from that man down there? Does he have an appointment?
Sometimes it seems as though God needs an appointment to meet with us in this increasingly complex world of noisy devices. I say this with all the accompanying irony on a digital message to you typed on my PC this morning. These devices can be very useful, but let us hope that it never becomes so much of our lives that God must send an e-mail in order to say something to us. Bible study with an actual book, prayer in the silence of a room, meditation with God, these things are still essential for us.
Have a great new week in Christ Jesus!When you reap your harvest in your field, and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be for the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. Deuteronomy 24:19
Wait, I thought there was no mercy in the law, but wait again, is this a tax? The law here says 'forget', not, 'you must leave one'. It is amazing to see God's mercy at work on both sides. For there is no demand to leave any amount, and if none were forgotten then that is okay too. However, if greed steps in and the farmer were to make extra effort to return to fetch that forgotten sheaf then violation of the law abounds. It is what happens in the heart that condemns one before the law.
There are several more verses to read concerning the harvest and all were about faith in God. That is, faith in not trying to retrieve for yourself every last bit of the harvest, from not beating the olive trees a second time to not gleaning the grapes until every last one is found. Those who had nothing or no way to make a living could go out into the fields and gather for themselves under the law. And by showing mercy, the farmer gained a blessing from the Lord.
Having the Lord's blessing on the work of our hands is so important in this life that, should we lose it to greed or selfishness, we would sorely miss it.
Rejoice in a generous day in Christ the Lord!So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. Esther 8:15
It may at times seem to us that we have lived a part of the long loss. Martyrs abound, the stories of persecution are many, and even in a quiet life here in the Midwest of the USA we sicken, grow old, and die while awaiting the return of our Lord Jesus. Yet, in the Bible stories it is not always so.
Mordecai and Esther had a tough go of it for a time, but then victory in the Lord! In this age we too endure a tough time while we wait, but we wait on the Lord. And, like Mordecai did of old, we will one day step forth in royal apparel, a robe of fine linen for those saved by the Lord. All of the church awaits that great day of her wedding to the Lord Jesus. Day by day as we wait our Lord's return and victory grows ever closer. And that date was set long ago, we have only to steadfastly walk the journey in faith with our Lord. A journey of ever increasing faith, no matter that it may seem long.
Have a faithful day in Christ Jesus!
BuckyThen the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has walked naked and barefoot three years for a sign and a wonder against Egypt and Ethiopia, so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians as prisoners and the Ethiopians as captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt. Isaiah 20:3-4
My main chair is making new noises this morning, this cannot be a good sign. The Lord gave a sign to some back in the day, and Isaiah had to perform it for the people. The life of a prophet was not without its uncomfortable moments, 3-year long moments that is. Perhaps it is just the weirdness of me, but I cannot help but wonder what that first day was like for Isaiah, the prince of prophets as he is known in our day. Did Isaiah speak 'prince of prophets' in a less than enthusiastic manner as he strolled out of his house buttocks flapping in the breeze and wee willy wiggling in the wind? We don't know what he may have said or thought, but one day Isaiah heard the command of the Lord and walked out of his house into that fresh breeze and the great prophet didn't get to cover up for 3 years.
Shocking? Surely it must have been for the Israelites raised under the strictness of the Law of Moses, including those laws about keeping that nakedness covered up. But the Lord had a strong message and He wanted their attention. The message was not to depend upon foreign armies in place of God, which is what Israel was doing at that time. We are told a similar thing in this age, even if a naked prophet has not strolled past your door this morning. Trust in God is our number one priority when seeking help, provision, an end to pain and suffering, and those many other needs we have in this world. There are signs that the end of the world is near: trust in God. There may be signs that your end is near: trust in God. It may be a great day to be alive and things are going your way at this time: amen, hallelujah! and trust in God.
Thank You, dear Lord, for Your everlasting faithfulness!
BuckyNehemiah Built A Wall...
Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.” Nehemiah 2:17
This verse may have been used a few times since this latest contest began in our government and society. It does appear to be useful on one side of the contest, perhaps even one to quote. However, if we seek out individual verses simply to do what one side or another wants to do already in a debate, what about those other times?
...And Joshua Knocked a Wall Down
So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. Joshua 6:20
And both Joshua and Nehemiah were doing according to the will of God. It would seem that grabbing examples from the histories of the Bible might give us counsel both ways if we lack one thing: a knowledge of the will of God. Perhaps the question to be asking in the many contests seen in Washington D.C. is, what does God want us to do? Ah, yes, but that does not seem to be popular anymore in our government. And there may be the reason we appear so often to change back and forth with each election in the electorate too. Have God's people, those who believe in His Son, ever asked as one what God's will is in this nation?
Just a thought this morning,For this is what the LORD says: “Suddenly, I will fling out all you who live in this land. I will pour great troubles upon you, and at last you will feel my anger.” Jeremiah 10:18
"Pack your bags and prepare to leave," the Lord says in verse 17 in the modern idiom of the New Living Translation. Do you suppose there might be someone in Jerusalem at that time who believed in the Lord and honored Him? Quite likely there was, as even in Elijah's time there were many who did not bow down to idols and remained faithful to the Lord God. Do you suppose that we who believe in Jesus will escape the destruction of our nation, if such is decreed by the Lord for the many sins in this land? Actually, yes, there is a strong possibility of an escape.
We may not realize what a privilege it will be for us to be taken up in the Rapture of the church as the end times of the world begin. There was no escape for Israel back in the day of idolatry, and we are no less guilty of the same sin in this age. Yet, there is this promise of a snatching up much like a raptor might do to a fish in the sea, only faster and with less getting et' involved. In the twinkling of an eye, the Lord Jesus will remove His bride from the land of sin and death. This is not some idle wish from Paul to the Corinthians and Thessalonians, but a revelation of something great to come for us. One good thing in this snatching up for us - no bag packing! Leave it all behind, we're going home!
Love in Christ,The human spirit can endure a sick body,
but who can bear a crushed spirit? Proverbs 18:14
Has your grateful attitude gone to Maui and left you behind? Does the Bible seem like a long-winded list of all you have done wrong? Maybe your prayer of late seems like a pitiable poem of poor words and above all you just don't seem to have the joy that was supposed to be present at all times. You might have something like an influenza of the soul going right now. You know the Devil certainly likes you in this state, but there does not seem to be a solution available right now.
Oh, ask the friends and they will have plenty of solutions to offer. Ask of the church and more will come. Bored to tears of reading the word of God? You just need to read it some more they will say with self-righteous congratulations to their own piety. But that's the problem you mutter to God in prayer, I don't want to go there right now.
Walk with Jesus long enough and you will suffer this passing influenza of the soul that comes unexpectedly and lingers longer than we wish. It may be a season of serious assault like Job suffered done in only a spiritual manner, or it may be a stage in our development as a child of the King of kings, or maybe even both at the same time. The world does not know efficiency like our Lord knows efficiency!
What is the solution to this tough time we will run into along the way of Jesus? Maybe, in place of all the do this and do that we will hear suggested or even commanded by those who think they know, we might be in the perfect position to let go and let God handle this thing. After all, we know better than to tell someone suffering the usual kind of flu that they just need to get up and run a few miles. As to the others, well meaning though they may be, perhaps they can back off and just pray. That is something we can all do in the name of our Lord Jesus!
BuckySo they said to him: “From a very far country your servants have come, because of the name of the LORD your God; for we have heard of His fame, and all that He did in Egypt, Joshua 9:9
The fame of what the Lord had done for Israel and to Egypt had spread, but perhaps not quite so far yet as the deceptive ambassadors would have the Israelite rulers believe. This verse comes from a story of deception.
Some people in the path of Israel decided to try deception in place of attempting a military defense or moving their people out of the way. And these men made a successful deception. They dressed up in costumes and took some false provision, and then played to the heart feelings of the Israelite rulers. The key to the entire deception though was not their costumes, their lying words or their moldy bread. The key comes in verse 14, and the action that made the deception possible was done by the Israelite rulers, including Joshua: "...but they did not ask counsel of the LORD." And that was all it took to make possible a real dilemma for Israel.
The very same action, or perhaps lack of action, on their part made it possible for the Serpent to deceive Adam and Eve too. It is a strong lesson for us in this age these many centuries later. Pride says that we may decide for ourselves the rightness or wrongness of a thing. Pride states, "I don't need the counsel of the Lord because I am so smart." Pride allows deception to prosper. Humility before the Lord causes us to ask of Him. The Lord knows the thoughts of every heart and the Lord cannot be deceived. Why not ask of Him when we need counsel?
We do that often, but every once in while it seems that pride may get in our way too. May God grant us humility in our dealings with the deceptive ambassadors of this world.
BuckyBrethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14
Oops, spilled something on the burner, he said with some regret as the stream of smoke rose toward the ceiling. Yes, I have been on this ground before, even to the point of using these same verses from Paul's letter to the church at Philippi. Why come back to cover old ground, other than the humor of not forgetting a past devotional about forgetting the past of course? It must be because I keep doing it! Ow, quit it!
An attack of the regrets comes often to the follower of Christ. This sort of thing seems to be one of the enemy's favorite weapons against us. In among those many darts launched against our shield of faith are the ones with memories on them. They are not lies of course, we did the things and we regret the doing. The lie comes in the thought that it is God who can never forget them when we know very well from scripture that He does place them from Himself as far as the east is from the west. So, if God forgets our sins, why did Paul need to remind us to forget the past?
Same reason no doubt. Paul had more to forget than most of us from his past as the chief persecutor of the followers of Jesus. The apostle was likely attacked with the regrets everywhere he went and spoke the word of God. Reminders of those he had persecuted, especially those who had fled what they thought was far away from his presence, probably presented themselves quite often on his mission journeys. It is from this experience that Paul tells us to put that stuff aside and to not live in regret, and if Paul can do it in Christ, we all can.
Have a bold new day in Christ Jesus! Bucky“Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the LORD, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh's presence. Exodus 10:11
Some are described as driven in this world and we tend to look up them when they are successful, without of course looking into what is driving them. At this time of the year, many of us have fought the diet battle, and lost after overdoing the starvation bit and being driven to overeat. That is one kind of driving force. Fear can be another driving force and many are driven to what the world calls success through a fear of failure. Sometimes a combination of circumstances might drive a person to a thing. The condition of the world we are in drives us to trust in the Lord and His prophetic promises. Okay, not the best of reasons to go there, love of the Lord would be better, but it does get us going in the right direction.
The Lord uses the state of lawlessness growing in this world to bring many of us to Himself. We didn't begin this journey under the best of circumstances, a driving force for good brought us to the realization that sin had been up to the point of our salvation the main driver in the life we had lived. A different way of saying the Holy Spirit convicted us of our sin and we came to Christ for mercy and to be reborn in Him.
Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh's presence, probably at the point of a spear or sword. Not a fun way to be driven, but that too has been used by our Lord to bring people to be saved by the Christ. Some, knowing that their earthly life was soon to end by the sword have come to confess their sins at the final moments and been saved through calling on the name of Jesus. Surely they might rather have presented the Lord with a life of love and selfless goodness, but like me and maybe you as well, none of us had that available to present as a sacrifice.
The Lord Jesus accepts all who believe without condition. Praise God for that!
BuckyBut fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. Ephesians 5:3&4
What no coarse jesting? What, Paul, more rules? This must be from his days as a junior Pharisee. Didn't Paul say all things are lawful now? Yes and yes, but Paul also wrote much about love, and love is where the apostle's command comes from. Not every believer has toughened their faith through trial and recovery as some older brothers and sisters have in these later days. As our Lord Jesus will not break the tender shoot then neither should we, and love is the reason behind that.
In my days, oh about 30 years ago and more, I learned the Marine enlisted idiom all too well. Ministers say that a brother should not speak like a sailor but that is the mild version. Our siblings in Christ definitely should not speak like enlisted Marines! Paul did not give the command to avoid rough talk out of his Pharisee training, he gave it out of love for those who might stumble in their faith hearing a brother or sister in Christ speak that sort of rough idiom that I for one struggle with to this day. Is it against the law? No, not any longer, but that is only because love, in those two great commandments our Lord quoted, takes care of how we must speak and act to all of our neighbors and the Lord our God. Lawful obedience cannot save us, but it surely does show His work in us!
Have a great day in Christ Jesus, BuckyElisha just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable. Then the prophet started crying. 2 Kings 8:11
The story around this verse is amazing and filled with God's revelation; feel free to take a quick excursion there when you have time. This is the big stare-down, one you don't want to get into with Elisha, because he might just burst into tears? That isn't usually the result of winning the stare-down by making the other person uncomfortable. In the story we learn the reason for Elisha's sudden emotional breakdown. The prophet sees while this other fellow is standing there a vision of what will come. It would be sort of like a person getting one of those bluetooth calls while you are trying to hold a conversation with him and the call is so stunning that he loses track of what his eyes are doing and stares you down without saying anything, like, "Excuse me, important call," or something like that.
The revelation God gives to Elisha in that moment is much like the revelation our Lord gave to us concerning what will happen leading up to the very end of this age. It is stunning, fantastic, and frightening all at once. The seals, the trumpets, the vials poured out on the earth are such that we might rather not know of the suffering and carnage these produce. So it is with Elisha as he sees a vision of such suffering that he bursts into tears while staring at this man Hazael. We might be in the same condition one day should God give us a meeting with the Antichrist and we suddenly see what he will do in his time.
The knowledge in our Lord's Revelation is tough knowledge, but we must endure to the end, the very end where our Lord returns in His glory!
BuckyThus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses. Exodus 14:31
At 0558 this morning, I came to realize that the holidays were over for another year. Yes, it is time to get back to work or school or whatever you call normal and to put the holidays aside until the next time. There is a bit of a let down in that, a bid of sadness like saying goodbye to an old friend. There is relief too, because for many the holidays involve a lot of work. It is at this time of the year that I also look back into Genesis and see that work was not supposed to be a bad thing; a four-letter word we may try to avoid at times.
After Adam and Eve reached out and took of the forbidden tree, to work was added toil as to the ground was added thorns and to exertion was added sweat. Work was given to Adam as a good thing but without God work is just toil. You have probably noted by now through bitter experience, that, metaphorically speaking, when we walk without God there are more thorns in our path. There are plenty to step on when we walk with Him, but when we try to go off on our own then the thorns seem to multiply until we are left hurt and wondering why God left us alone. That is of course part of the fall too, as God never leaves us or forsakes us, it is that little excursion we take to the side of the narrow path that gets us into thorny trouble.
Now, as the new year begins, let us walk with God this year in His path. In constant prayer let us ask Him to lead us where He would have us to go. Amen.
BuckyLet no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
After last night, I believe this revelation is imminent. About 2 hours after midnight, this old man dreamed a dream, and he was frightened by it. In this dream, a man did frightening things and received mortal wounds, but he was not killed and spoke normally. This man with the terrible wounds said that he was the second savior. And that is what frightened me the most!
We know from prophecy that the Antichrist, the Beast, the False Prophet, and the Dragon are all coming. Some of these titles overlap and there is an indwelling thing that goes on late in the game, but bottom line is that we don't want to meet any of them. By our Lord's revelation we know of them, but I don't think there are any believers out there who have any desire to come face to face and hold a meet and greet sort of thing with this gang.
This dream was my first wake up of the new year. And I have to share it with you. I went back to bed after a bit of fervent prayer with much mention of the name of our Lord, and then slept with the light on. What a beginning to this new year! But, there should be rejoicing; the closer this little revelation is, the closer our Lord's second coming is, and HE is the Savior I want to see!
May our Lord Jesus be praised forevermore! Bucky
