As we look at the new fallen snow this first few minutes of 2022 in the love, grace, and peace of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, my brothers and sisters in Christ pray dear Father for Your Good News to reach the lost sheep of every nation, people, tribe and tongue in this world. Happy New Year! To You our God and Father. Amen.
Your children on Earth by the grace of Christ Jesus
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:20-21
2021 ends in yet another disaster and one not far away from us in this little corner of Colorado. Our love is called upon and our faith tested once more. Hundreds of people lost their homes yesterday as the front winds of a winter storm brought a fast-moving fire to southwest Boulder County. About the time they have the fires under control, all may be covered in snow tonight...and cold. Prayers for mercy, comfort, and restoration are needed from those of faith in our Lord Jesus. None of us of course wanted to end this year on such a note as this.
Jude said to keep yourselves in the love of God. Some of the comments I've read online this morning certainly remind me of why Jude would need to say this. Let us pray in love for those who have suffered loss this year.
In Christ our Savior,
BuckyAnd you shall sow in the eighth year, and eat old produce until the ninth year; until its produce comes in, you shall eat of the old harvest. Leviticus 25:22
As 2021 begins to slink away into history, we might just feel as though we are enduring the old produce from 2020. Much of the news seemed similar with slightly different names. We had Mr. Delta and then Ms. Omicron, but both of them still brought that COVID thing to us. More lockdowns came to some places and more violence to others. We expect some stumbling from a new president, but this one appears to have reversed a surging economy and brought in inflation at the same time. We might just look around and see that we are in a sort of ninth year where we are partaking of the old produce until a new harvest comes in. And then to vax or not to vax, that is the question. Sorry, Will! Yes, another year is going away, but sheesh!
If things continue downhill toward complete lawlessness in 2022, then we know that our Lord returns soon!
Rejoice in the Christ!
BuckyThen He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. Luke 2:51-52
There is this passage in Luke when Jesus was twelve and it can be a stumbling stone even for us. We might even wonder why they didn't turn around and place the young scholar in the hands of the priesthood for His training. And then there is this bit about our Lord Jesus increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. It all comes down to: Why did the Lord Jesus need to grow up?
The answer likely has something to do with our benefit. It shows us something about Him or about our condition. We can learn too that timing was important, and His time had not yet come as He would say later in His life. Also, we might easily protest the unfairness if the Lord got to skip over those years that caused many of us such difficulty. Strange though it may seem to us as we admire the perfection of our Lord Jesus, part of His mission was in growing up and into His lordship. How remarkable!
Truly we are still working to understand the wonder of our Lord Jesus,
BuckySo when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” Luke 2:48
And that, my friends, was the last mention of Joseph, our Lord's earthly and adoptive father. You might say that Joseph was part of the 'them' in v51 of course, but by his name or position as father, this was it for that man of many angel dreams, dear Joseph. The man who believed the angel messengers is gone from our Lord's story with no explanation or incident on record. At some point between our Lord's twelfth year and His baptism by John, Joseph left the story. And we wonder down through the years, where did Joseph go? John the Baptist said that he must become less and less, but Joseph simply vanishes. As with all of those who we cannot place our earthly hands upon right now, we have faith that our Lord has gathered them unto Himself.
Let us journey on to meet our Lord Jesus soon,
BuckyAnd suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
"Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
-- Luke 2:13-14
The dawn comes on Christmas Eve! Merry Christmas to you on this day before the celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus.
A dark night in the fields of Judea near Bethlehem, an angel had appeared suddenly before the shepherds with glad tidings of great joy, the Son of God was born! The glory of the Lord had shone around them and fear had overwhelmed their senses. Then, a multitude of the heavenly host appears! The awesomeness from God ending the drought of the word the shepherds had lived through for generations.
Truly we live in a similar time, having endured in our families the centuries since our Lord Jesus ascended to Heaven and waiting for His return. Just as suddenly this period will end for us. The shepherds had zero warning that their night would be any different from the multitude of nights before that one. Yet it was. Live for the day.
Merry Christmas Eve to you!
BuckyNow there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8
When writing each year about the story of Christ's birth, it seems so easy to stomp on what another has already done, even myself as I study and write down notes for next week's Bible study. As this event took place more than 2,000 years ago, I am not likely to come up with anything another writer or minister has not pondered before. So, the word today is...stomp away! And here we have that classic peaceful, pastoral setting of shepherds abiding in the fields at night keeping watch over their flocks of sheep. As the song goes, all is calm, all is bright, you are about to feel a terrible fright! What? You've never heard the horror movie version of Silent Night? The shepherds were us, now, waiting for the return of Jesus. The appearance when least expected of the angel of the Lord happens in just the way Jesus told us to be ready for His sudden, instant, and even immediate return. All will be calm, all will be as usual, and then it happens. We will not have time to be frightened though, we'll leave that to those left behind. May they get over the shock and come swiftly to believe in Jesus our Lord!
Have a beautiful Christmas celebration in honor of our Lord Jesus!
BuckyThen an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Luke 1:11
The understated way of the Bible is often a delight to my eye. This was not a common occurrence in the priest's day as he did not expect when his lot was drawn to be facing a messenger of the Lord. His reaction was one of fear, because well...yeah, that is the usual when an angel appears. Beside the altar was a place no one should be, startle reaction. But then Zacharias could tell this was not a stray priest or curious traveler right away, fear of the uncanny. And then comes that famous first line, "Do not be afraid." To which Zach may have thought, as we might in his place, "Too late, already got there!" This visit from Gabriel was not exactly an isolated incident at this time though. A period of intense angelic activity seems to have kicked off here with Gabriel also visiting Mary, an angel appearing to Joseph in a dream, and then the angel and a multitude of the heavenly host appearing to some rather frightened shepherds out in a field near Bethlehem. This sudden increase in visible visitations was of course part of that great event, the birth of our Lord Jesus.
Peace and joy from God our Father to you this Christmas!
Bucky“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23
From our biology classes and parental instruction way back in the day we learned how human conception works. So also did the ancients know from teachers and parents that there was this enjoyable hobby that brought about babies. And then one day God said through Isaiah, quoted here in Matthew, that He would do it another way. When the time came, Mary heard it again from Gabriel, and she too had a bit of trouble understanding it. God told us it was coming and Gabriel announced to Mary that the time had come. Our only explanation is that the Holy Spirit would take care of it. Praise God!
And so it goes with our salvation. We cannot explain it, but we know the Holy Spirit will take care of all the changes needed in the heart of the sinner. Jesus paid the price, the Spirit of God works the magic in us, and we are saved! Get ready, here it comes!
Have a blessed Christmas in Jesus our Lord,
BuckyAnd it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Luke 2:1-3
We just had a census last year, or sort of last year; there were some delays it seems. However, one thing we did not have to do was travel to our family's hometown or region to be registered. Each year this bit of Luke reminds us that God does at times work through things we might not want to do. Joseph and Mary may not have wanted to take an extended trip to Bethlehem at this time. All those folks filling up the inn at Bethlehem may not have been too pleased to have uprooted their normal lives either. Sometimes though, we forget that Mary and Joseph did know who they carried with them, they probably knew from the scriptures quite well that He needed to be born in Bethlehem, and all that census hubbub just made it that much more difficult. However, all that Caesar, the governor, and everyone else did was bring Jesus our Lord right to the place He would be born, at just the right time, and in a way that was perfectly humble. Whether those young parents of our Lord were already on the way to Bethlehem or had to do something they would rather not, God's will was done!
One week to the Eve of Christmas! Have a wonderful weekend in Christ the Lord!
BuckyAnd she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
When we think on God's perfect ways and come to the story of His Son's birth, we might see what we think are imperfections. No reservation at the inn for our Lord's birth? A feed bunk for animals as a cradle? However, for all those who have endured that question, "Were you born in a barn?" Jesus is our hero. We do not believe ourselves worthy of that honor, as our Lord was, having been born in hospitals, houses, and other less honorable places. Our Lord's birth less than perfect? Say not so! It is rather our definition of what is perfect that needs perfecting. And may our Lord Jesus work in us to fix that!
Have a wonderful Christmas season!
BuckyFor unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -- Isaiah 9:6
Yesterday some old feller thought that some big day was coming next week and I had the pleasure of gently reminding him of a holiday we know as Christmas. As the 25th is on a Saturday this year, it may seem kind of a 'long before', but it is next week. However, when Isaiah wrote down the prophecy from the Lord about a Child to be born, it was not a next week thing but a hundreds of years down the calendar sort of thing. You probably do not have a calendar sitting in a drawer for oh, 2535 AD? 2600 AD? Not even published yet, you say? Should the appointed date for our Lord's return be that far out, you and I will likely not be alive on this earth at that time. While one or two might ask why the BC numbers counting down each year toward zero didn't give them an idea that something was coming, we think that the whole BC to AD thing was invented sometime after the big event in Bethlehem.
So, to us the birth of Jesus seems so long ago, but Isaiah wrote the prophecy long before that, and then we learn that God knew that His Way was the only way to save us long before even Isaiah's time and our little mind gets lost in the long ago-long before-eternal past sort of thing, and we stop and say,
Merry Christmas!
BuckyBehold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 1 Corinthians 15:51
We shall all be changed... Before this pandemic thing that began almost 2 years ago, this might have been just a skoosh harder to believe. Now we can see that even in this world all of us have been moved a little or a lot in various directions. Our faith may be stronger or there may be doubts in some. How much trust we put in governments may be changed from what it was at Christmas time in 2019; an innocent time just before the news reports of a new virus began popping up in the media. Over the past couple of years, you may have found out things about friends and relatives that you did not know before this thing moved across the world. Therefore, it is not at all difficult to believe now that God shall change us all when this time comes that Paul writes of back in his day.
The good news of this great change is that our Lord Jesus is on it! So, no worries my brothers and sisters in Christ!
BuckyAnd He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
Most of us in reading this verse from Paul to the Corinthian church note that we have much to offer our Lord in making perfect His strength! Excellent, we must be right where He wants us!
Have a beautiful day in Christ our Lord!
BuckyDo you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. 1 Corinthians 9:24
We have to win a race to get the prize? Well that leaves me out. I guess opposite week continues as I have never been complimented on my racing speed on foot. When it came time to think about career choices, NFL wide receiver was not on my list. In fact, I think the guidance counselor crossed out anything involving running before she gave me the form. This verse always reminds me that our Lord Jesus does not choose in the way that we picked teams back in the day. Those who believe in Jesus may or may not include the swiftest of feet, strongest of body, fattest of wealth, or prettiest of face. On our Lord's team we may find those of us who are a little below average in some respects. In this race we are also making sure that our brothers and sisters in Christ are finishing too. We invite others to join the race and are not worried over whether they are fast or slow. It is the Lord's race to win and we believe in Him!
Have a good race in the Lord!
Bucky
O God, You know my foolishness;
And my sins are not hidden from You.
-- Psalm 69:5
Talk about a weak offering! This week seems to be an opposite title sort of week thus far. The verse from the psalm says it best for most of us. Sin and foolishness showed strongly in life before we gave it to our Lord Jesus. Much of the wisdom we had in those days came from hard lessons experienced, often of the won't-do-that-again variety that is more like self-preservation. While we may still have some leanings toward foolishness (Yes, and sin as well.), we can ask the Lord for wisdom and rejoice in His generous giving.
Thank You, dear Lord, for wisdom in this life in Christ!
BuckyThe Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.
For the director of music. On my stringed instruments. Habakkuk 3:19
Preacher and prophet are mentioned in the Bible at least a couple of times as jobs we might have in our service to the Lord, but director of music occurs 54 times too. All of these are in the Psalms plus a 55th in little Habakkuk. No one, that I can recall in my lifetime, has asked me to be their director of music. Other than that I have no music education or experience beyond high school, and even that involved no practice on my part, I just cannot understand why they would leave me out. Hmm, yes, there might be that little problem with Christmas music. While even the grinchiest might allow one Christmas carol into the church program about this time of the year, I on the other hand feel that even a moderately cool day in August is cause enough to bring out the Christmas tunes. And I have done this many times! So, for those of us excluded from high position over our affection for Christmas music, we say with the prophet:
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
If ever I had cause to doubt scripture comes the next bit: That would be one clumsy deer and I'm terrified of heights. Of course much of scripture requires faith of us and speaks to a time yet to come. One day, we will leap on the heights together as surefooted as the deer... and sing our Christmas carols to the Lord!
Merry Christmas!
BuckyThen Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Mark 1:41
The question was: If You are willing, You can make me clean. Often we have a similar attitude as though there is something that would make our Lord Jesus unwilling to cleanse us from that thing that makes us outcast. Yes, I am thinking of the end times, even the end of the Bible where those cast out are in the outer darkness. It doesn't get more outcast than that! And those choices that place them out there are the things that Jesus is willing to cleanse us from by His atoning sacrifice. And, no, you and I do not have time to cleanse ourselves from this unrighteousness. Like ol' grain bin guy in Luke 12, our soul may well be required of us this night. The parable warned those trying to save themselves that Jesus our Savior is the only answer to our sinful condition. The question of our Lord's willingness was fully answered at the cross. The question now is whether we are willing to come to Him and let Him cleanse us of sin and anything else that grieves us this day.
Have no doubt; He is willing, be cleansed!
BuckyBehold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Matthew 10:16
This is one from our Lord that almost seems wrong to us. Be wise as serpents? How much wisdom is in a snake? As a critter prone to being stomped on by huge beasts, maybe more than one might think at first. And how about those doves? It may seem easier to us to understand their innocence, but do we? Again, maybe more than we think. If the body of a dead squirrel lies in the local park this morning, people will likely not level any accusations against the local dove gang. They are likely innocent to our knowledge without us calling in Sherlock Holmes. And then there is the whole sheep and wolves thing. Wouldn't the message spread faster by sending the wolves out to preach to the herds of sheep? Sheep are after all a bit wayward and according to those who have worked with them, quite the dumb animal. So, likened to sheep, snakes, and doves, we are sent out among wolves? Help! Which is what our Lord would have us to do, I'm sure. Call upon Him every step of the way in our journey.
Walking with the Lord this day,
BuckyI am one mocked by his friends,
Who called on God, and He answered him,
The just and blameless who is ridiculed.
-- Job 12:4
Some things are not shared with me, and my prayers are therefore somewhat vague as I trust in God to know what the issues are in that relationship. As a prayer bystander I have no information to act upon, and yet I am mocked by many for not doing something to solve the problem. Other times I may know more about the problem, but be distant and unable to physically solve anything. Once again, I am a prayer bystander and mocked by some. There are the problems of a financial nature that are too big for me alone, and so I enter into prayer with the Lord as a bystander. Our government has become so large as to be a force for change or to prevent change in the world, and my vote seems so miniscule in the election, but my prayer is heard by God.
Yes, those who would look down on the prayer bystander do not know or believe in the One to whom I pray. For those of us who believe in our Lord, prayer is the action we love to perform and prayer is action. For those who refuse to believe, prayer is easy to mock. I believe in Jesus the Christ and in the power of God in response to prayer. I am that weak prayer bystander, but the Lord is the Almighty who hears my prayer!
BuckyNow therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Genesis 27:3-4
The story of Jacob and Esau is so full of lessons that we could teach and preach on this for days. Lots of cooking and eating seems to be involved though, and swirling around in the stew are Esau's birthright and finally his paternal blessing, both of which he lost in the kitchen so to speak. One Esau esteemed too lightly for the sake of his hunger pains, and the other he was tricked out of by his mother and younger twin brother. The story is such a full one from the Bible that we find it easy to pass a judgment on any of the four main characters. Foolishness, falsehoods, fraternal fakery, favoritism, and God didn't step in to halt any of it? Do we judge God too? Paul reminds us in Romans that, no, that would not be a good idea. Paul even said that God had favored Jacob over Esau. Wow, who knew that so much drama would surround poor old Isaac's last meal.
Yes, I just looked up and saw that title too. Rejoice! That is a fruit off the tree of my fumble-headedness. No need to judge there, simply inspect the fruit and know that I am capable of mistakes like any other writer. And may I add, "Oopsie!"
Love to you in Christ Jesus,
BuckySo Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his authority. Genesis 39:4
There are those times when we pick out a favorite among a group with no good reason to support the choice. Here in our verse for today, we see that Joseph found favor and served someone. Shouldn't that be the other way around? Do we not first earn the favor by working hard at the service? The preceding verses in this part of Joseph's story do not quite put it that way though. Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph. So how did Potiphar see so well in this case and so poorly in the later one? Whoops, bunny trail. That is a subject for another day. What we are talking about today is favor and service. Certainly good service should earn favor, but in Joseph's service the master of the house saw something more than just the work Joseph did. Potiphar saw success brought about by the hand of the Lord on Joseph. Now, young Joseph was not just sitting there like a big ol' lazy good luck charm, he had to do the work and no doubt did it well. However, Potiphar saw something more that comes from the Lord's favor resting on Joseph. And, in the sequence of the verses in this story, the Lord was with Joseph first and not after the Lord or Potiphar saw how well or hard or smart Joseph worked.
The Lord is our enabler first in all our work, give the glory to Him!
BuckyAfter these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Alleluia! Salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God! Revelation 19:1
A great many things come to mind this day for thanksgiving, but one stands out to me above the rest: our salvation. In this verse towards the end of the Revelation there is a clear attribution of our salvation to the Lord our God. Exactly where the honor and glory belongs even from my earthbound and down point of view. This is one case wherein joining the great multitude with early gratitude for all that God has done for us just seems right and proper. The Lord our God saved us through His Son and today we give thanks to God.
Thank You, dear Lord our God, for saving a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and tongue. Amen. Come Lord Jesus!
BuckySing to the LORD with grateful praise; make music to our God on the harp. Psalm 147:7 NIV
Tomorrow we celebrate a holiday of grateful praise to God our Father. And, you have music lessons ahead of you on the harp. Hey, no resistance now, this is a command straight out of the Bible. Oh, you only use the authorized version of the Bible. No problem:
Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God. Psalm 147:7 KJV!
Now you can learn to sing on the harp in those lessons. At times we may wonder why those who insist upon absolute obedience to the Bible are not more accomplished harpists. The command seems simple enough as we read it in our verse for today: Sing and make music to God on the harp. And yet few churches can boast of a harp on the stage. And men, from my observation of orchestras and other music groups, we are behind in harpist count to the women at about 99 of them to every one of us. The harp symphony of the Pharisees in our Lord's time must have been quite the sound! No mention of that anywhere in the Bible though, Were they disobedient too?
Ah, the day before a big holiday, and one to feel a little gentle humor in the soul as we celebrate with thanksgiving to God. It is verses such as this one that remind us of God's mercy and grace to us through His Son Jesus. Try as I might in my might to obey every word of the Lord, it is a verse like this that will bring me up short every time. Noise I could make on a harp, but music? Even my singing tends to wander about the keys and notes a bit, much like a puppy checking out every tree and bush. Thanksgiving though? Yes, now there I can do some good with you as we give thanks to our Lord for His grace, love, goodness, faithfulness, and joy!
Love to you as we go giving praise and thanks to our Lord,
BuckyOh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever. -- 1 Chronicles 16:34
Thanksgiving week! Woohoo! The week of a major holiday is often cause for celebration. Please make sure that you allow yourself some of that celebrating. Sometimes we think everything must be perfect for us to be joyful, have happiness, and celebrate. With that attitude, we will wait a long time for a celebration. Other times we might think that to allow in some happiness is to set us up for a fall to come afterward. And so we again fail to drink fully of the cup of celebration the Lord has given us. Oh, wait for the time when we judge that happiness is deserved? Again, probably a long wait.
Thank You, our dear Lord, for this week when we are reminded that a grateful attitude will bring us to the place of joy, happiness, and celebration in You!
BuckyYou came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the LORD show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” 2 Samuel 15:20
Above the Israelites of old stands David, their second king but perhaps foremost among the kings for the ups and downs of his reign. And it was all his fault as this current crisis in our verse for today came down through the years from the king's scandal with Uriah's wife. At this moment in history, David is going into exile away from the Lord's city of Jerusalem, and he stops this guy, Ittai, and tells him that he does not have to go. You may read the entire story at your leisure, but Ittai chose faithfulness. We often see the negative examples in the Bible for our education, but this is one of choosing faithfulness.
May the Lord bless you today with His steadfast love and faithfulness!
BuckyFor the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations. - Psalm 100:5
Psalm 100 is a short little ditty, just five verses in length, but it is a psalm of thanksgiving. A holiday that, by the way, is but one week from today. I hope you were able to get all the pieces and parts for your Thanksgiving feast! But, back to that title question. Do we sometimes look at the Lord as only judge and executioner? Have we fallen for that Old Testament oppression theory that says God is the mean one? That would be odd when reading this verse from a psalm in that same part of the Bible. Or perhaps it is not that, but we think that maybe His truth didn't quite make it to the current generation of youths. Thoughts such as that are equally at odds with this verse from the psalm of thanksgiving. In case any of that has crept in on us, we'll just have a little prayer.
Thank You, dear Lord, for Your goodness and everlasting mercy. Thank You also Lord God that Your truth has come to this generation and all the generations past, present, and future. Amen.
Love in Christ,
BuckyBut Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62
It's a work review, isn't it? Before we can even get started becoming that super-Christian ideal, we are already unfit by way of His review? The world would have us believe so. By now in life we have received so many work reviews, both formal and otherwise, that we may well think of Jesus as the most perfect of job reviewers who we can never hope to satisfy. No, no, no, little sheep! Jesus Himself did the satisfying at the cross for us. We are now the beloved sheep of His pasture. Not that His love was absent before, but our knowing of it was missing in action. When we took up the plow, the new life in Christ, we were given this mission of leaving behind the past. Forgetting might be nice, but conscience and those darts of the enemy will throw the shame of our past at us time and again. However, the guilt and shame of our past sins and trespasses must be plowed under each time they rise like weeds in this new field of our Lord's.
Nope, not easy, but that is why we live this new life in Christ our Lord!
BuckyDo not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32
In the years of kings and kingdoms, one child might inherit the kingdom but not all of them. What often trips us though is that bit at the start that says, "Do not fear, little flock." One fear we can lay to rest is that of being a second or third child and ending up with nothing at the end. Jesus states that it is our Father's good pleasure to do this, and who can stop God from doing His good pleasure? Right, no one or our definition of 'the Almighty' is flawed somewhere. The Almighty gets to do what He wants and a good pleasure seems like something He would want to do! So, do not fear, little flock, God has sent His good pleasure through His Son, our Lord Jesus, and we have good reason to not fear.
Have a fearless day in Christ our Lord!
BuckyHe who observes the wind will not sow,
And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
-- Ecclesiates 11:4
By golly, we do observe the weather a bit out in these parts. Those parts of course being pretty much wherever humans are this morning. In my defense, I would tell King Solomon that it is more the exceptions that I observe than the normals. This verse is one of those pastoral sorts of images that tell each of us to quit gawping at the sky and get back to work. Certainly it is okay to notice the weather, but if talking about and gazing at the sky is all we do then the seeds don't get planted and the watering isn't done and we end up with a field of weeds that does no one any good. Dreams are okay too if we take them to God in prayer and set about the plan of action He lays out for us, though He may only let us see one step at a time. However, dreaming all the time results in no action in any direction and the dream will remain only a sort of floaty wish out there in the ether of the dreamer's mind.
Solomon is of course not telling us to be so blind to the weather that we walk into the side of a tornado and get sucked up to our destruction like a bug in a Shop-Vac®.
Love the Lord your God, and love one another,
BuckyThe elder and honorable, he is the head; The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail. - Isaiah 9:15
Well it's Veterans Day and I'm up, mostly, and noticing that I left the crackers open last night. Oops, guess it's old and senile veterans day too. Some of my elder veteran readers will be saying, "You ain't seen nothin' yet, sonny," or something like that. Which does bring back reminders of those times past when I arrived at Camp Lejeune and began hearing similar lines from the Marines who had seen a thing or two. As new experiences piled up, one day I would be the one greeting the new arrivals with that 'just you wait' sort of news. Is it news to you?
Surely not, for every organization, church, company, or group we join will have its elder members greeting the new ones with their tales of the days of yore back when they were in the fight of their lives long before 'yew' was born. Here in our verse today, Isaiah passes along the word from God that it is not simply many years that gets the job as head, but honor too. The false prophet obviously does not act honorably with his lies, and an old fool wouldn't be of much help to the new folks in a group either. However, a guide, benefactor, patron, in other words, an elder with experience who uses it with honor, such persons do help the younger ones along. This is why we like to turn to the word from the one the prophet Daniel saw seated on the throne who was called the Ancient of Days.
To all who are veterans of life on this earth, let us read together the word of life who is Jesus our Lord!
BuckyAnd besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us. Luke 16:26
The Greek word chasma: a gaping opening, a chasm or gulf. That is what stands between that rich man in Hades and the place Lazarus rests with Abraham. The word is for a space that none can cross, and Abraham says as much in the tale Jesus told in Luke 16. If a person wanted a tale to frighten him or her into coming to Jesus, this one does the trick quite well. Ending up in burning pain with complete awareness of the situation and the ability to see a place within shouting distance that is so opposite of that, and yet have no way to cross the gap between or to send a message to your siblings to prevent their ending up in the same place is so not cool, and so hard to find an appropriately horrible phrase to describe it! Then we read Abraham state, "so that those who want to pass from here (where it's nice!) to you cannot." Who in their right mind would want to do that? Love might want to cross over and rescue those in such pain and misery, to bring light to such awful hopelessness. Yes, a person of love and goodness might want to save the lost even in the depths of Hades. And a person in the scriptures did indeed call Himself the way, the truth, and the life.
Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus!
BuckyProclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
It's part of a verse today and I didn't give the reference to you. However, one can easily see this must be one of Peter's or Paul's commands or even one line of those famous benedictions. Some of you Bible scholars are already thinking, "No, I think that is from somewhere else..." Right you are! A thousand years before our Lord was born in Bethlehem, even before Micah had indicated by the word of the Lord that little baby Jesus would be born there, David said this in the Psalms and in 1 Chronicles 16:23. The news of our Lord's salvation was already some old timey good news when Jesus was born; the people of David's time just had to wait a bit before the good news would come to the Earth. We also celebrate the old time good news of the Bible, and we too are in a waiting period for His return.
How long will it be? I do not know! Not knowing the date and hour of His return is fine by me. Every preacher and charlatan who has claimed to know the day has turned out to be a quack, or worse a murderous false prophet. Like our spiritual ancestors in David's time, we can wait in the Lord!
Happy Monday in Christ!
Bucky... fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Philippians 2:2
In the NKJV, Paul has a lot of commas in his writing, even sentences spanning several verses. Picking just one verse may be a challenge at times with this translation of Paul's writing. However, this morning I was given this verse, and this verse we will use. Already I can see some problems with our current state, four of them actually: like-minded, same love, one accord, and one mind. If I can find just one brother or sister in Christ that agrees with me on everything, then one or both of us is holding back something. For us all to be those four things Paul hoped for, I'm thinking that it will have to come from one source, and that one won't be any of us. It is of critical importance to us that God sent His one begotten Son, who said that He was the one way for us to come to the Father our God.
Praise God that His one Spirit is bringing us together in Him!
BuckyThus says the LORD: “What injustice have your fathers found in Me, That they have gone far from Me, Have followed idols, And have become idolaters? Jeremiah 2:5
It seems to be a part of our history from near the beginning. God gives something and the humans wander far from Him. The Garden of Eden was given to Adam and Eve, and they grabbed the first sin. Noah and family were given a washed Earth, later there was more sin. Israel was given a promised land, and they too went far away from the Lord as we read in our verse today. Finally, God sent His Son, Jesus, and through Him we may have eternal life just for believing in Him. But still many wander far from Him. Jesus will return here and reign for a thousand years, but what happens at the end of that period? Yes, some will go off with the Accuser and wander away one more time. So, the Word establishes that this has happened and will again. What is the point to remember? That all along the way, many do not wander off and some still seek Him out, including you and me!
Have a wonderful Thursday in Him who is named Wonderful!
BuckyOne day King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah and had him brought to the third entrance of the LORD's Temple. “I want to ask you something,” the king said. “And don't try to hide the truth.” Jeremiah 38:14
Hide the truth? Is this where Jeremiah the prophet pulled out that line we hear so much, "You can't handle the truth!" No, that was a movie, but reading the next verse we see that, well, yes he did say that in a longer form.
Jeremiah said, “If I tell you the truth, you will kill me. And if I give you advice, you won’t listen to me anyway.” (v15)
At the first we are a bit taken aback that the king would even think that Jeremiah would hide the truth as it came to him from God. However, we know from the scriptures that the king also had a much larger contingent of false prophets close at hand. You might say that the king was accustomed to hearing lies from his prophets. The one voice of truth therefore had to contend with the king's doubts.
How many of us, I wonder, get up and read the Word of God only to later work out a way to hide the truth from ourselves? Never? Do you recall a verse about the heart and its desperate wickedness? Jeremiah wrote down that one too, check out chapter 17, verse 9.
Love to you in Christ our Lord,
BuckyNow this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 1 Corinthians 15:50
For a moment today let us imagine we are a party in that old role playing game. One character, Morty, just happens to have acquired in his dungeon travels a Cloak of Perfection. Our party encounters an overwhelming force of baddies in our adventure today and doom is certain, except for ol' Morty.
"Morty!" the leader yells, "put on your Cloak of Perfection!"
Morty does as commanded and with perfect form and perfect execution slays the entire force of evil baddies all by himself. Morty begins to turn...
"Stop!" the wise old magi exclaims, "take off that cloak before you see us Morty!"
Why would this magi do that? Well, the magi explains to the party, if Morty wearing his Cloak of Perfection looks at his party, he is not going to see perfection. He might even see just another party of evil baddies, and what do you suppose perfect Morty might do to that party?
During this time of waiting on our Lord to return, while many have yet the same chance we did to choose to believe in Jesus, we are being reborn from the inside out by our Lord's Holy Spirit. Putting on a cloak of perfection over our imperfection, or as Paul calls it, corruption, would leave a hidden problem of epic proportions.
Let us with patience and love wait on the Lord.
BuckyFor everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope. Romans 15:4
We are an odd lot, these ones who believe in Jesus and His word. In a time of bad news, we turn to the good news. When things get tough and news of separations come, we are encouraged in Christ and in our endurance taught by His word. We are lifted up when we should be down for all time. The more difficulties we face, the more God hears His scriptures being spoken in the heart of those who believe. Paul from a prison cell wrote: Rejoice in the Lord always, again I will say, 'Rejoice!' What an odd duck! And yet, as we grow in Christ, we come to understand how Paul could endure and be encouraged in the hope we have in Jesus Christ.
And in what you have endured this week, be encouraged in Christ Jesus!
Bucky“The LORD will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14
The command comes from the Lord, and sitting down reading this verse, it might seem the easy way to go. Hold my peace? Not a problem. Imagine that this command comes to us while the mob rages in front of us. We know that to hold our peace will suddenly become much more difficult, because this mob is going to say the worst things and do things we don't want to see. It would be easier if the insults and injustices were hurled at us personally, but no, it will be any way they can get to us. Injustice will be thrown at those we love and respect. False witness will come forth against innocent ones. Now try to hold your peace. Already the arguments are marshalled inside you about whether the Lord meant our peace to be silent or not. Yes, not so easy now, is it?
Another time of difficulty is in those battles of the mind. In place of winning the contest that takes place only in our imagination, the Lord calls us to hold our peace and He will fight for us. A little disappointment may leak into our feelings as we realize that in holding our peace there will be no more easy victories in the imaginary war to help us feel good. And what is the Lord doing there? He isn't fighting the way we would or would have Him to fight. The greatest difficulty in obedience of this command might be holding our peace while the Lord does in His perfect wisdom what we do not expect of Him. This very thing caused the Judeans of our Lord's day to reject Him as the Anointed One even as His love spoke a request to the Father to forgive them from the cross of His salvation.
Amazing and wonderful is our Lord.
BuckyTrust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. - Proverbs 3:5-6
NASA announces the discovery of a planet 23 million light years away. We might do well to ask many questions about this and how it helps us. Is it even a real discovery? Those who financed this big ol' x-ray telescope, the taxpayers, certainly hope the observers aren't being fooled by space ghosts or something like that. It is a good exercise for all those who think we know a thing or two to occasionally ask if we actually know what we think we know. The warning from Proverbs today is to not lean on our own understanding. Things we think we know may not be so! However, this verse is not, I think, a call to simply doubt everything we have been taught in schools or in books. It would be easy to become a science denier of everything, but doubting everything pretty much leaves us with nothing.
It is that first line of our scripture this morning that leads us to understanding: trust in the LORD with all your heart.
BuckyNow Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until the late rains poured on them from heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night. 2 Samuel 21:10
Obviously Rizpah had to contend with cats, because laying out a cloth is just a cat invitation as all cats know. However, other than that, this verse cries out for the rest of the story. As harvest takes some days to complete, it would seem that this is some sort of vigil, but what?
I think that I would rather not have read the rest of the story. The sackcloth was for mourning and something was missing from it. The bones of Rizpah's two sons were missing from it. Two kings were involved and a broken vow from the first. A famine for three years came from that broken vow and atonement was needed. Rizpah was a concubine of Saul and her two sons by him were part of the atonement agreement. They were hung with five others. The atonement offering was accepted though, and God healed the land.
God gave us a good ending from a tough story.
BuckyNow the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might kill Him, for they feared the people. Luke 22:1-2
It was the strangest irony, the people stood between the evil plans of the authorities and the intended victim. But Jesus was there to allow the murderous intentions of those authorities to take place and He did it willingly. The chief priests and Judas carried out the worst treachery in history, and yet it was our Lord's intention to lay down His life to save us from our sin. They hold the Passover observance in the same chapter of Luke, but when Jesus points out His betrayer no one gets it. Peter states that he will follow Jesus to prison and death, but Jesus knows what the man will do in his own strength. Between the priests, soldiers, betrayers, and even the disciples, we as humans do not come out looking good in Luke 22. Oh yes, that mob of people the authorities feared, they too would turn on Jesus later and allow His death even to the point of taking the blame on them and their children. We look at Judas and say, "treachery!" but would any of us have done better than Peter, or the other disciples, or the priests, or even Judas? And yet, there is our Savior in this same chapter in complete control following His Father's plan from start to finish.
Everything in our time may seem upside down and backwards, but our Lord is in control.
BuckyI will bless the LORD who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. Psalm 16:7
My heart tells me things in the night seasons, but it may not be what David would call instruction. The prophet Jeremiah seems to hit closer to the mark when he writes of desperate wickedness and deceitfulness of the heart. (Jer. 17:9). Is this one of those conflicts in the Bible that make the atheists jump with glee?
The Bible speaks to me in two ways in regard to my heart. One is the condemnation of the Law in which it shows how my heart has been and still is in part while I walk this earth. The other portion is made of those words of my Lord that tell me how this heart is going to be when He is done working it over. This second part holds the promises of the Lord and His method of opening the way from Himself to me through Jesus the Christ. I'm not going to count verses to see which part is larger, but I know the one that is greater. I guess you might say that I know the One who is greater!
Rejoice in the greatness of Christ Jesus!
BuckyThe jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. He escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved? ” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved — you and your household.” Acts 16:29-31 CSB
You will have heard of the kidnapping and ransom demand for a group of missionaries in Haiti. As a veteran of a branch of the United States Armed Forces known for charging on to enemy-held beaches, I have a suggestion for dealing with this circumstance. However, God's plan in this might be somewhat different, or maybe not. He has not yet told me His plans. One possibility though is that God may have our brothers and sisters in Christ right where He would have them. Paul and Silas did not do what their jailer expected of them when the doors and chains of the prison were opened by a violent shaking, and from that the man was suddenly ready to listen to the good news of Christ. May our Lord Jesus overthrow the hearts of this gang of kidnappers by His good news!
Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving today,
BuckyAnd when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” So she persuaded us. Acts 16:15
We often feel as this woman did that a little agreement from those we deem the Lord's champions will confirm our faith. If I'm judged okay by Paul or Luke or Peter, then I am good with the Lord. Of course the apostle Paul could no more see into my head than I can see into yours. When it comes to salvation, we need to trust the Lord for that. Yes, there are those times of doubt when it would be nice to see a Certificate of Salvation on the door of those who believe. We would in that case immediately disbelieve it because God does not issue those from His heavenly printworks. Faith is a thing that gets by without a lot of written proof. Which is kind of ironic since our main instruction on faith is the printed Word of God. We even desire to see each other's faith in action, and are often rewarded in that since... "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1) You're thinking that perhaps I used something wrong in there somewhere.
The woman did do one thing that we can and should do to show the Church our salvation and that is to be baptized. The woman asked the apostles if they thought her statement of salvation was genuine, and they did. This is not a bad question since the baptism we do is just a dunking in some water with some words and is something that could be done unfaithfully.
May your salvation and faith shine forth to the glory of our Lord Jesus!
BuckyMark 10:18 - So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God.
Romans 3:12 - They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.
The urge to read something about a super anything will often cause us to turn quickly to see if we might fit the description. You may have noticed the temptation within yourself to see if I might be talking directly to you this morning. I am, but not in the way of calling anyone out as a super Christian. The three gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all have this response of our Lord Jesus to being called 'good'. Jesus also told us that John the Baptist was the greatest down here, but everyone in the kingdom of Heaven was greater than John. To bookend our Lord's words, we have Paul in his epistle to the Romans quoting King David from the Psalms, and putting us in our not super place. Goodness would certainly be a super quality of a Christian man or woman, but we do not bring it to the table ourselves. Good thing our Lord's Spirit is growing a bunch of super fruits in us. One day we will see such a harvest!
Have faith in God this day,
Bucky“Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Matthew 24:41
No, sorry, not drug and alcohol dependency, I'll leave that to the professionals, but Internet dependency. Is it possible at this point to overcome this dependency? In my days of information technology support, I have on occasion had the ornery urge to suggest to a person that he or she might read a book while their pc or Internet connection is down. Oh dear! You may not need to imagine the reaction having experienced a similar episode yourself. That I am still here with you awaiting the return of our Lord Jesus shows that I have not done this very often. It is not an idle thought either, people have died on their Internet device and not from natural causes so powerful can the dependency be to some. It is not a stretch to think that a smart aleck computer geek might be slain over the wrong words to the wrong person. And of course the Internet is such a wonderful tool for spreading the good news of Jesus too! As with many things in this world, it may be that only Jesus can overcome a dependency. We can update our verse for today:
Two people were on the Internet when one was taken... and the other did not notice for several hours.
The Rapture, for those left behind in this age, may not be so immediately noticed as we once thought!
Have a great day in the Lord!
BuckyAnd it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. Luke 2:1-3
Some among us may have noted the taxing authority's recent increase in power by data grab. I'm trying to be discreet as some of them might spew their Froot Loops onto the table if I state it bluntly. In times such as these, it might help us to remember what came next in our Lord's time. Oops, I gave it away there, what came next was our Lord's time! No doubt the decree from Caesar was not welcomed everywhere as many would need to travel to be registered. But that wasn't what came to mind first, they would, like us, have resented this new intrusion by the government into their daily lives. It was an exercise in governing control, not unlike what we face in our day. What excites those who believe in our Lord Jesus is what came next after this imperial decree. Are we the ones who will see the great events of the end times? It may well be!
Have another hopeful day in the Lord!
BuckyYou have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy. Revelation 3:4
Smyrna, in its more modern version, I have visited, but Sardis was not among the places I have seen. From this I can say that I am not among those white-robed elite our Lord pointed out with John. Hmm, one must pause for a moment, is that what our Lord Jesus wanted us to do? To understand that there was an elite group among the church that He would promote to walk with Him? I see in this short section of the Revelation that our Lord forgot to include the list of the names so that the others might get back on track by emulation. Certainly this message was going to cause some looking around at one another in the church at Sardis! Is that what our Lord had in mind?
Often we are left with questions when our Lord sends His word to us. One thing we know by faith, there is one person to get a white robe from, and one person who forgives our sin, and that same person saved us on the cross by His sacrifice. Worried that we don't have that white robe, we come to Him in repentance.
Have a forgiven Monday in Christ the Lord!
BuckyBut now that Timothy has come to us from you, and brought us good news of your faith and love, and that you always have good remembrance of us, greatly desiring to see us, as we also to see you. 1 Thessalonians 3:6
For all of the good news of Jesus that is in the New Testament, it is interesting that only one verse in all of that good news says 'good news' as I search in the New King James version of the Word. Don't despair though, the word 'gospel' means good news and that occurs many times. The days come to us when we need some good news from the Word of God. A look in the spiritual mirror does not bring to us a vision of the self arrayed as a knight in the bright shining full armor of God that we would like to see. Often that vision looks more like the black dragon of sin blocking the way to the bridge across the great divide. But as Paul told his readers, we see quite poorly from this side of things. This is when we need the Good News of our Lord Jesus, and the reminder to not despair in what we think we see in that poor looking glass.
No worries, the Lord looking down sees that knight in full armor.
BuckyPreach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2
Yes, the days are in the 80's this week, but guilty am I this morning: Christmas tunes on the stereo. "October?" some might ask, "Why are you so late this year?" This is not the first day of course, I claim in my defense, but a better defense might be a biblical one. And so, I searched for 'out of season' and there it was! Be ready in season and out of season, Paul states to his friend Timothy. So, this letter is not to me? Yes and no. You or I may have our time of preaching the word, but when Brother Timothy was following Paul's letter, we would be listening to the word. Paul might write to us the congregation in this manner:
Listen to the word! Be ready to hear the word in season or out of season. Be convinced of the truth of the word, accept its rebuke and learn from it, be encouraged in the word, and listen with patient endurance and learning.
Have an encouraging experience in the Word!
BuckySow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12
In the days the prophet Daniel foretold when people would rush about and to and fro, it seems that we often do not have time to do all that we would like to do. Your life might even be one in which you would say never in place of often. The days are hectic for most people and news reports of tragedies come to us like shells from far away batteries. Even in times such as these though, this gem from Hosea shows us what to do in our distress: It is time to seek the Lord! Till He comes is exactly what we look for in this age, so what better time to sow righteousness and reap mercy?
Rejoice always in the Lord!
BuckySing to the LORD, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. Psalm 96:2
Yes, this verse is a good reminder of bearing witness to others, but first thing in the morning or at any time of the day, the words are also a reminder to you and me. Wait, proclaim it to myself? Certainly, for how will we witness to the world if we do not proclaim it day to day to ourselves with singing and blessing? It goes back to that second most important commandment in which our Lord taught us to love our neighbors. Yes, sounds good to me, sounds like what we were taught back in the day... sounds incomplete to those who study the Word of God! The part we may forget in our zeal to pray for others is those two words on the end of the commandment: as yourself. In Mark 12:31 of the NIV, our Lord answers: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Therefore, when it comes time, early or late, proclaim the good news of His salvation to yourself also, from day to day because you and I need it.
Blessing and glory to His name!
BuckyYou shall rise before the gray headed and honor the presence of an old man, and fear your God: I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:32
The mornings have taken on the feeling of autumn around here, even if some daytimes haven't quite got the message yet. This has become normal around here for the late September and early October timeframe as we might set a heat record on one day and then be 30° or 40° cooler within a day or two. The forty degree change on a single day seems to come more in the late fall of November now; like an old person, the season takes a bit more time to get going maybe.
So, is there some message from the Gospel in this, or are you just going to natter on about the weather and seasons?
Hey, I'm on the downhill side of life now. Gotta practice for old age and some nattering. Next I'll be repeating stories to you that I've told a few dozen times before and digressing down bunny trails that have nothing to do with the subject at hand. What was the subject for today anyway?
All those things an old man may do and here comes this old law from Leviticus. Honoring an old man can be difficult at times, some more than others we might say, and yet it was the law. This is one of those old time laws though that is easy to obey when we follow that second and equally great commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself, plus it takes care of honoring the old women too!
Question: Since I began turning gray a good decade or so past, do I still have to rise before the gray headed?
Love in Christ this Friday!
Bucky“And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:26
It seems almost disrespectful if asked of a pastor of a church, a televangelist, or even neighbor Bob who goes to that church down the street. However, perhaps we should be asking. Jesus did. Jesus asked Nathanael, and then promised that he would see greater things. Jesus asked of some blind men and then healed them. Jesus asked of another healed blind man after the Jews had cast him out. And finally our Lord asked His friend Martha in our verse for today. Do you believe?
It was a big thing to ask. Martha's brother, Lazarus, lay dead in the tomb. All the words we want to use for the former Lazarus were there: cold, stiff, corpse, expired, kaput... maybe some of those slang words hadn't come into common usage quite yet, but you get the point. And here Jesus asked Martha if she believed what He said. Lazarus was no more. Jesus contradicted all that we think we know about the passing of a person, and then asked, "Do you believe this?" And later on, we know what happened in the story of Lazarus.
As Jesus might say: Blessed are those who believe in Him without seeing Lazarus stumble out of the tomb bound up in his graveclothes.
BuckyAnd the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth... Exodus 34:6
The past several weeks on Tuesday mornings we have studied the word 'abomination' and its plural through the scriptures. And what a scriptural beatdown we have experienced in this study. The same may be said of the students in the class, I suspect, but I for one am ready to move on to the good news of Jesus Christ! For today, we go way back in the story of Exodus, the place where all those laws about abominations began, and we see the Lord, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Wait, didn't that stuff begin with Jesus in the New Testament? Wasn't God, like, really mean back in the day? Ask Moses, he saw the Lord and heard the Lord's proclamation in this verse and the next one. Do you believe the Lord? Read what the Lord says about Himself as He comes before Moses. Longsuffering in the Lord's proclamation of course meant patience with the Israelites and their inclination toward lawlessness; a thing we might have some familiarity with in our age.
Therefore, the good news for us today is that the Lord was and is our hope in His mercy, grace, patience, goodness, and truth! Have a great day in Christ,
BuckyAnd the children of Israel ate manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan. Exodus 16:35
It seems...no, it seems like a long time ago even now. Forty years ago, graduation from high school was months behind me and the first semester of college was in progress. It was that time in life when a person thinks he or she knows so much but the older folks tolerate them until a little struggle in life teaches us how little we actually know. Now, think of all that time eating manna bread, manna pancakes, manna mash, manna-meal, or maybe manna could only be made into little loaves of bread and that was the food for forty long years. Manna muffins anyone? We might think of the wide variety of meals we have tried in the past forty years and compare that to eating one thing, morning and night, for all of those years. It is a bit easier when several life milestones happened those forty years ago.
Each day on the journey brings us one day closer to meeting Jesus!
BuckyTherefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. Joshua 23:11
Read about the word 'careful' in the law and one will find many commands to be careful to observe and be careful to do. The law appears to be a place to be careful. Yes, it is, and easily we are weary of being careful all of the time. We have a nature born to sin and a tempter pointing the way to that abominable destination. Being careful to do and to observe the many laws, it becomes easy to see how the Pharisees stumbled in their way. How could one see the Savior when carefully observing all the laws and the days and then the hundreds of traditions added to the law?
"Picking the tithe from my herb garden one morning, I tripped over a man healing the blind. Who could He be? Why was He in my way?" the Pharisee said to the scribe.
Yes, my friends, I would rather be saved in Christ than to carefully observe every law and tradition. Joshua in his farewell address to Israel gave them a final 'careful', and it is in our verse for today. Jesus gave us the law and the prophets in two greatest commands to love, and the first says the same as Joshua's final careful heed: Love the Lord your God!
Amen! Have a great Friday in Christ!
BuckyBut let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.
Have you ever been asked to do this thing, and been asked if you know how? Of course you have. And responding with a hearty, "Yes!" you attempt to go out the door. However, the world, it seems, does not like to let your yes be yes, and a lengthy instructional lecture on how to do this thing is soon endured. Didn't you just affirm that you understood the thing? Why the instructional lecture? Will the world not let your 'yes' be 'yes'?
Yes, you or I may be full of understanding in our estimation of that thing, and then we may run into one of the most humiliating of circumstances, the request for instruction because the thing we thought was so well understood turns out to not be quite like that thing we vowed we understood so well. Vow, what vow, we might ask? Oh, the one where, frustrated with the glacial pace of the lecture of knowledge we think we knew already, we blurt out something like, "As God is my witness, I know everything about this thing, and will do it as soon as you stop lecturing me!"
Uh, oh, might have just called God to witness my great humiliation... Jesus said don't do that.
You may have a different history to call upon, but in my case a lot of embarrassing moments might have been avoided if I had just not done what my Lord Jesus said for me not to have done!
Love in Christ!
BuckyFor I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me. Psalm 51:3
This psalm comes out of the story of King David and Bathsheba, a famous royal scandal during the golden age of Israel. David, it appears, tried the old 'just ignore it, and it will go away' trick for the great sin hanging over him. However, Nathan the prophet received a word from the Lord and he presented that sin to the king in a story about a little lamb. Not only was the sin not going away, but the consequences would soon visit the king's family.
Yes, a story about a little lamb. The Lord does like to remind us of His answer to our great sin!
As we know in our journey with the Lord, we cannot 'just ignore it' when it comes to our transgressions. Forgiveness is needed and, as it was with King David, forgiveness is also swift from our Lord when we confess. The psalm would come in time, but after Nathan laid out the sin to the king, he had but one thing to say, "I have sinned against the Lord." (2 Samuel 12:13) The consequences would come through the years for David, but one thing the Lord said that stands out to us: "The Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die."
How does the Lord do this? Well, it's that little Lamb who takes away the sin of the world!
BuckyThen I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Revelation 13:1
In a little over a month is the celebration of Halloween. No Halloween horror show can compete with Revelation 13 though as not one but two beasts come up on the earth, one from the sea and one from the earth itself. The beast from the sea will be given great authority, but not over one particular group. This beast and its minions will also defeat the military power of the saints, and indeed this may be those who will fulfill the number of saints under the altar in the fifth seal revelation. However far this beast is allowed to conquer, there are those written in the Book of Life of the Lamb. Though these may be defeated in war and made martyrs for the Lord, they are not taken away from the Lamb who keeps them forever.
The second beast will be a charlatan showing signs and wonders to the world, and deception is its game. Once again those whose names are written in the Lamb's book need not fear this beast. Though both beasts together are a scary thing, we have but to look to the Lamb. Yes, when we read in this chapter the descriptions of the beasts and think about a lamb...well, faith is a marvelous thing! We know by faith that this lamb is not just any old sheep's offspring set against the two horrible beasts. We know something about this particular Lamb!
We know by faith!
BuckyYou have wearied the LORD with your words; Yet you say, “In what way have we wearied Him?” In that you say, “Everyone who does evil Is good in the sight of the LORD, And He delights in them,” Or, “Where is the God of justice?” Malachi 2:17
The final book in the Old Testament gives Israel a call to return to God before the drought of the word came upon them. And a nation far gone in so many ways from the Lord gets the word of repentance right in the heart. The outward ways of offering, weeping over the altar, atonement sacrifices, and others, are all negated by hardened hearts and proud spirits. Good thing that age has passed, eh?
It would be easy in this age to learn that the sacrifice of Jesus satisfied the demands of God's justice, fulfilled the law, set the sinners free, and then fall to the temptation of lust, or greed, or hatred, or any other thing the flesh of the once-born desires seeing that it now has some sort of pass to commit iniquity. Down with the devious and deceptive heart of the old sinner! Up with the love our Lord gave to us by way of those two commandments that He said were the law and the prophets. We are free in Christ to obey Him out of love. The redemption of the cross frees us to love Him and one another.
Have a loving day in Christ!
Bucky“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18
It's Thursday morning, and you didn't see a message from me yesterday. It was not a memory lapse or even a technical issue; it was a failure on my part. It was not that I didn't work at the message with a Bible passage or verse, edit the prose by eliminating what was not needed, or come to a final conclusion. The conclusion did not logically flow from the earlier arguments. As an example, the first two paragraphs might be about how to prepare breakfast at home, and then I conclude with a nice point about how great supper is at a restaurant. You may see a bit of confusion on the part of the reader when such a thing hits the digital presses. Running out of time, I did the necessary tasks to get ready for work, and then still had no inspiration how to save the mess I had made of yesterday's devotional message. Why should I even worry over such a thing? The first part of the verse for today is my reason.
When God invites each of us to come together and reason with Him, it first shows to me that God is certainly not afraid of human reasoning. Secondly, it tells me that God gave to us reasoning minds and that He wants us to use them. And then the verse goes on to show us that God will save those who will come and reason with Him whether our reasoning comes to a correct conclusion or throws a curveball that ends up in the stands. And, heyo, when my 2+2 reasoning throws up a 12 one morning, it's okay to keep quiet too and try again another day.
God has sent His Son to save all those who believe in Him, and no fumble of mine will stop the grand slam from falling into the basket! Amen!
Bucky“But love your enemies and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people. Luke 6:35 NASB20
Our Lord...kind to the ungrateful and evil people. Now that is not the impression we typically get from the Old Testament. Behave and be good, and the Lord will reward you greatly, we tend to see in the scriptures, and thus those who are healthy and wealthy are doing it right, we think. There are proverbs and other scriptures to support this for those who would see only this thing, certainly Job's friends would be among those who support this view. Job, for his part, couldn't figure where he had gone wrong to deserve his punishment, so he too saw this view of things in the world. So what happens when Jesus says what He did in our verse for today?
Our Lord...kind to the ungrateful and evil people. Astounding! Totally flying in the face of all religion where the kindness and rewards go to those who toe the line and follow the script. It had to be though, for the greatest of kindnesses is the redemption bought by our Lord Jesus on the cross. And not one deserved it by deed or thought or behavior. Indeed our Father God in His - what is that word we like? - lovingkindness - yes! that word- gave to all the ungrateful and evil people (that's us!) a Savior in Christ the Lord.
May we lead the saved ungrateful and redeemed evil people to rejoicing in our Lord Jesus!
BuckyAnd when he went out the second day, behold, two Hebrew men were fighting, and he said to the one who did the wrong, “Why are you striking your companion?” Exodus 2:13
Why? Wasn't Monday a good enough reason? Oh, wait, that doesn't quite work, does it? As we have come to celebrate the Sabbath on Sundays, the first day of the work week is therefore on Monday, but for the Hebrews of back in the day it was not so. With my point ruined, I guess we'll just have to call it a day.
It is muggy this morning in spite of the cooler early temps near the autumnal equinox, but that also is no excuse to be striking one another. We worship our Lord every day, and His command to love one another does not stop on Monday morning. Yes, in some jobs, companies, or other work positions it may be a severe temptation to start a Monday that way. Perhaps it is a specific person that is the greatest temptation to strike a person on a Monday? Sorry, not a good enough reason to stop loving one another. As I like to remind myself often, Jesus did not give us a list of exceptions right after His command to love one another.
May God lead us into peace and love, one with another!
BuckyHear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again.” 1 Kings 18:37
The Law stated the penalty for anyone using false gods to prophecy, and Elijah carried it out with the help of the people of Israel. First, of course, we have that great story of the Lord doing as we would like to see. Yes, in 1 Kings 18 is the story of the sign those scribes and Pharisees wanted to see Jesus perform for them and the miracle that those who believe in God want to see done before the scoffers. God burnt up the water-logged sacrifice completely with no human hand helping Him at all. Elijah prayed and God did the sign on Mt. Carmel. Then Elijah and the suddenly willing people of Israel did the noise suppression on the false prophets we read of yesterday. No question, the people returned to the Lord in this case in stark terror of His fire. Over-awed, amazed, and in fear for their lives, they turned back to the Lord. Obviously it worked, but did this sign and miracle last and make Israel that shining city on a hill with hearts turned permanently to the Lord?
From the histories and prophets in the Bible, we know that Israel remained divided and king after king failed to turn to the Lord and do right. So when some years later they demanded a sign from Jesus, He did not perform for them on demand. Fear only works for a brief time, though it does cause many to repent and believe in the Savior. We see in the new covenant that while Jesus saves us from our fear, shame, regret and other negative emotions that may initially bring us to Him, it is a whole different set of fruit that He would raise up in us.
So, friends of our Lord Jesus, rejoice today in love, peace, gentleness, and many other fruits of the Spirit growing from the True Vine!
BuckyNow therefore, send and gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 1 Kings 18:19
We sometimes wonder how it is that Israel could be so slow when it came to recognizing the message God sent through His prophets. Of course in studying the word we come to verses where we understand there was this noise going on in the land, a noise of 850 false prophets in this case. There were prophets of the Lord to be sure, but the queen, Jezebel, had silenced them through intimidation and murder, and those left alive were hidden in caves by Obadiah, an undercover operative for the Lord. Another wonder we may have in reading these stories comes in the form of a 'why not', as in why not silence the false prophets so the people can hear the true message? Well, the Lord tried that and He sent a big noise suppressor in the person of Elijah.
It is a big story, and if our Lord is willing, we will look at it tomorrow. The question to ponder is: did it work? Did Israel return to the Lord forever by this noise suppression?
Love to you in Christ our Lord,
BuckyThen he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12
A way to Heaven! And I don't even feel the first rungs yet. As this came from Jacob's dream, there is likely as much chance of finding the bottom rungs of that ladder as there is of finding that pot of gold at the end of God's bow. Many would like to climb Jacob's dream ladder rather than face the judgment.
Those who have achieved a certain proficiency in handling money would like a ladder with giving levels to climb. Those skilled in politics could see a ladder of more powerful positions until they attain the topmost levels. A builder might want a ladder of projects to complete and a preacher might want a standard with a number of sermons to preach. Any of us might look for a ladder to heaven that plays to our strengths. While there is a certain efficiency to climbing a ladder that also provides a person with a job, a man told His disciples that He was the way, and the truth, and the life. Was that the sound of a zillion imaginary ladders collapsing? Why yes, I think it was just that.
Grateful am I that the way to Heaven is in Jesus and His almighty strength, and not dependent on a list of to-do's that I would never be sure were done well enough or in sufficient quantity when the time came to meet my Lord.
BuckyHow much better to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver. Proverbs 16:16
Have we ever set that desire for silver and gold aside in our need to pray instead for wisdom and understanding? The proverb tells us the better things to pray for. Understanding was on my mind this morning, and not understanding of myself so much, though that is a need, but understanding of that other person. Most of the time, I already have access to my thoughts and there is no mystery there. (The least of the time is when I'm wondering, "Now where did that strange thought come from?) However, the other person's thinking is a mystery to me unless their thoughts should spill out in speech, which I admit does happen perhaps more often than we would like to hear. Asking the Lord for understanding does not always occur to me, not even when I need it. And yet, how much better than lots of loot would it be to gain an understanding of why this person has done what he did or how it can be that person feels the way she does about the issue. Understanding the other person, a prayer for today!
May God grant us understanding and wisdom this day!
BuckyAnd Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! Genesis 4:13
For many of us merely the thought of dangling a small platform over the side of a skyscraper and lowering it down to wash windows all day is enough to make the muscles tense up and the blood run cold in our veins. Pondering a moment on an eternal punishment in the outer darkness with torment causes a similar reaction and the use of Cain's exclamation in our verse for today. It should lead everyone to grasp at that one straw of hope presented throughout the scriptures, Messiah, or as we know Him by the Greek word, Christ.
We are all guilty. Born into sin, we have but one hope to change our fate away from punishment that we cannot bear and into a hope we do not deserve. The hope has a name, and His name is Jesus. All we must do to obtain this hope is to believe in Him. It seems so simple, perhaps too simple. To be born again, I just believe in Jesus? To make it easier, we might recall that none of us had anything to do with starting our first birth. The privilege of choosing to believe in Jesus to begin our second birth is quite the honor!
Praise to God our Father!
BuckyYour hands have made me and fashioned me, An intricate unity; Yet You would destroy me. Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? Did You not pour me out like milk, And curdle me like cheese... Job 10:8-10
Clay and dust we understand by the scriptures, and milk is how we start out in life, but cheese? Did Job feel well-aged by this point in his misery? We have an abiding respect for Job as he was righteous according to God and yet suffered terrible losses and pain for a time. Job brought all of his misery to the Lord in prayer and wondered, as we often do, "Why me?" On the other hand, Job also had such confidence in his life that he invited the Lord to prove any crime or sin of Job's before a court of law.
We already know in our case who would be on the losing side of that trial. Paul made it clear in his letters that none of us are guiltless before the law and all have sinned. It is our transgression of the Law that brings us to Jesus for salvation.
Praise the Lord, our Redeemer!
BuckyHer noise shall go like a serpent, For they shall march with an army And come against her with axes, Like those who chop wood. Jeremiah 46:22
In our verse selected for this morning, you have...a need for the story behind it because the verse alone raises far more questions than it answers. John 3:16 is a story in itself, but for many Bible verses the story is essential. Who is this 'her' for example, and is that one of those 'they's' that crop up in conversation with the conspiracy theorists? Axes? Does that mean this army is assaulting a forest for firewood? If we read further into the prophecy in Jeremiah, we learn that this foretelling is against a specified pharaoh of Egypt during the time of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. No worries over looking for signs of the end time then, this took place more than two thousand years ago. It is one of those interesting prophecies the Lord sent though. One in which it would appear to be a potential advantage to that pharaoh if he were paying attention through his intelligence network to Jeremiah's words. The pharaoh could tell his army quartermaster to take steps to blunt those axes by a type of shield or armor and gain an advantage in combat. However, we who read the prophecies in the Word also know that the word of God is sure. And if one should like to blunt the axes foretold of the Lord, then repentance and prayer are the ways to go. Pretty well sums up the methods any should use to blunt the fear of the apocalypse as seen in the Revelation.
Turn to the Christ!
BuckyIt is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD Than to put confidence in princes. --Psalm 118:8-9
To place one's confidence in man is to place a heavy burden on a poor creature who is born in weakness and sin. It isn't that most of mankind intends to be untrustworthy, but often we answer to more than one boss in the earthly matters. And even without a boss involved, we have those physical and mental needs that might get in the way. We might also run into that weakness we are to boast of and fail for that reason. And there might be that streak of unwillingness that rises up from time to time. It relates to the message from yesterday: Save myself in my weakness? Ha, it is to laugh! And now you want me to save you as well? It does seem that we need a powerful savior. I think God's Son will do just fine; trust in Him!
Princes will have to answer for themselves. I haven't been a prince yet.
Have a happy Friday as we rejoice in Jesus!
BuckyTake heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:16
On Tuesday evening I opened several boxes and managed to slice open my finger on the last one. It had not happened for quite some time, but there was the reminder in that moment of bleeding. Yes, I am often amused that the temptation to save myself comes at times, and I cannot even save my finger from a knife that I am wielding with my other hand. Letting my right hand cut my left hand did not occur to me when Jesus told us to give without letting one hand know what the other is doing. Then Paul wrote our verse for today.
At first glance it seems that Paul wrote to Timothy of a way to save both himself and others who hear him. Whoa! Major doctrine difficulty it would seem. Wait, it is with the instruction to continue in 'them'. What is this 'them'? Reading further in the story both before and after the verse, we find that the self Paul wrote of had a particular gift given to him. Though not specifically named, we can gather from the story that this gift was none other than the Spirit of God who comes to us at salvation. In bearing witness with the Spirit in him, Timothy could save both himself and those who heard him. There is no major doctrine shift to worry over, in fact the doctrine we use is mentioned just after Timothy's self where the gift of the Spirit resided.
Let us continue in the Spirit in us and the doctrine we have been given!
BuckySo the LORD spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. And he would return to the camp, but his servant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the tabernacle. Exodus 33:11
To be a servant of the Lord is indeed a high calling and worthy to pursue, but here in this verse today we see a higher calling that Jesus gave to His disciples in John 15:15. Joshua, the servant, did not depart the tabernacle. Moses got to meet the Lord face to face. It may be that at that time in his journey with the Lord, Joshua was not capable of a face to face meeting or of being a friend to the Lord. We may go through a time or season of life with Jesus where servant is the more appropriate calling and job title for us. However, I think our Lord Jesus longs for each of us to become friends with Him as soon as possible for each of us. He will not, in any case, force anyone to walk with Him as friend before we are ready. Fear not! The Lord will make your growth in Him match exactly the pace and timing you need to meet His perfect standard.
Praise to God for that day when all who believe shall meet the Son as friends in the clouds of His glory!
BuckyAnd He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:2
We're set, the whole world is saved! Out of context, many think that this statement covers everyone for all time, and from that no one needs to do any of that repentance stuff or ask after salvation. In the verse preceding this one, John speaks of our advocate. If we need an advocate, it is likely that someone wants to bring us to trial. If anyone should refuse the advocate, how will he or she stand at trial before the Holy One? On his or her record of right and wrong? Better have the satisfaction of the Law ready before it rolls over that record. And that is of course what a propitiation is, an appeasement of what God's justice demands of our sin; a satisfaction of the penalty the Law demands. Both are embodied in the Advocate, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him, it is like that game where the avatar cannot go through the door without the key in hand.
Don't wait, have the Advocate on your case before the trial begins!
BuckyTherefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36
Jesus pointed out to the sons of Abraham before our verse for today that they were enslaved to sin. However, by way of solution, Jesus did not say that when they quit sinning they would be free. In reading the scripture story, one would think the obvious solution to sin would be to not sin. Yet the setting free of the enslaved ones was given to the Son instead. And the Son takes such authority upon Himself in making us free that we who recognize authority, as the centurion did when he caused the Son to marvel, almost gasp with the audaciousness of it. However, to the One who has been given all authority this is not audacious at all but part of His place and person. Do we begin to see a difference between us and the Son? And yet, the Son comes to us not as conqueror to enslave us to a different master but as Savior to set us free to be free. By the Son, we are now free to look at sin and say to it, "I don't need you!"
Great is the Son of our Lord God!
BuckySo he asked Pharaoh’s officers who were with him in the custody of his lord’s house, saying, “Why do you look so sad today?” Genesis 40:7
If it were the first day of their imprisonment, Joseph would have no reason to ask after their sadness. However, verse 4 tells us that they had been in jail for a while. And therefore Joseph in looking after the butler and baker wonders why today they are so downcast in spirit. It would seem that mere incarceration under Joseph's care was not enough reason to be sad all the time. We know this story from our youth in many cases as it is a popular one for Sunday School. The two officers of the ruler had some rough dreams in the night and they were troubled by them in the morning. As it turns out, one would have good reason to be sad.
Today, this verse pointed out to me the position some are put in over us and we ourselves have at other times . No, not the pharaoh, but Joseph, who was given the task for a time of looking after these two men from Pharaoh's household. In a few months or years, Joseph would be placed in charge of an entire kingdom, but looking after just two men was enough for today. Any of us today might be the administrator of the kingdom, the caretaker of two persons, or the one being looked after. Paul reminds us that from whatever position we are in this day to do it as unto the Lord. For the one being looked after, that might be the tough job of being forthcoming for the reason behind our sadness. Some of us know that is not always an easy thing to do.
Have a great day in the Lord!
BuckyAn unjust man is an abomination to the righteous,
And he who is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked. Proverbs 29:27
The proverb for today's verse might explain why you are at odds with someone. My prayer for us is that we are found on the righteous and upright side of the proverb, and not among those others. What am I saying? Would there be any doubt? If I may take us back in time just a little bit, some a little bit more than others, each of us were born into the wicked and unjust side of things. It wasn't your fault or mine, it simply came as an inheritance with our human birth. Along came Jesus and He told Nicodemus in John 3 that each of us must be born again. That was the only solution to the little problem we were born into, and it confused Nicodemus mightily. Without the Bible and discipleship, it would confuse us quite as thoroughly. Born again? Was the man trying to be funny? Praise God that His Son Jesus knew exactly what He was saying and exactly what the born wicked needed for salvation. And He did it too!
Rejoice in our Lord Jesus!
BuckyWe give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father. 1 Thessalonians 1: 2-3
In a world where the news for today seems rather bad, we look to God in gratitude for each other. Jesus our Lord basically told the disciples on Mount Olivet that the things they heard, and now we hear, in the news are going to happen many times. Wars, rumors of war, earthquakes in various places...yup, sounds quite like the news for this morning. This tells me that God the Father knows exactly what is going on today and we continue to wait on Him. We can take the bad news because of the Good News of Jesus Christ! We are the manservants and maidservants of our Lord Jesus awaiting His return at the time God our Father has set for this great event. Perhaps it looks a bit darker outside because our Lord is about to do the unveiling for us.
Have faith in our Lord Jesus, and give thanks to Him for each other this morning!
BuckyFor what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 1 Thessalonians 2:19
Golly, it seems that my writing has been a bit dark and down on things as of late. Today is Friday, and it just does not seem well to continue down that dark path this early morning. Aha! Sneeze attack, and you know what that means. Yes, when the powers of darkness want to stop my writing, I must be on the right track! It's a sort of opposite encouragement, but they do it over and over again.
Our verse for today speaks to a reunion Paul, Silas, and Timothy looked ahead to with delight. Jesus, the brothers and sisters in Christ, and you and me, all reunited in the time our Lord will bring us to His home. What a joy! Even one who is more inclined toward solitude (to put it mildly) such as myself, does not want to meet Christ all alone. We want that holy communion one with another and our Lord Jesus and going on forevermore. What rejoicing! To some of us, a great crowd and the noise of it here on earth is a terrible burden, but we have faith that will not be the case when so many, as in a multitude too great to count, are gathered together with our Lord in that great day of His reunion. So, our word of the Lord for today is to look ahead a bit with Paul, Silas, Timothy, and one another to that great day of our reunion in Christ!
Amen.
BuckySo Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks. Judges 8:21
The secret from yesterday's message is out now, the 'he' who ordered young Jether to kill was none other than Gideon. And we also have a lesson from the two men standing trial before the judge: Don't issue proud 'you do it' commands to the judge, because the judge just might take you up on that offer. Gideon did. One might imagine other proud rulers standing before the judgment of the Lord on that last day, and perhaps they will use similar proud words to gamble eternity before the Lord. It may be one of our brothers and sisters in Christ who cannot consign the proud one to the flames of the outer darkness even with the memory of his or her beheading in mind. And the proud earthly ruler may turn to the King of kings and say something like these two did, "You do it yourself!" Too easily would they confuse the loving patience of our Lord with weakness.
Great is the name of our Lord! Jether was too young and too afraid, but Gideon and his 300 had been with the Lord God of Israel as He defeated tens of thousands of Midianites. With a few last words available in this life, why not inquire of this God who so easily defeated an army so large (about 135,000) with so few (300)?
The King of kings returns to us soon!
Bucky