A Deeply Held Unknown Prejudice

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Acts 10:44-46

"Wait, what?" the Israelites with Peter said, "that Spirit of God belongs to us!" Okay, so I made up a few words for them, but they may have thought that they had an exclusive right from God and this brought on some astonishment when the Spirit was given to a bunch of Gentiles. Dogs were closer to the kingdom of Heaven than Gentiles to the Jewish way of thinking, how could this happen? The new converts from Peter's home nation had some learning to do about that promise that ALL would be saved who call upon the name of the Lord.

We too may have grown up with some preconceptions about who can be saved. We may not know those prejudices are there until the Holy Spirit is given to someone we - yes we must admit it now - didn't think could be saved. It is shocking; it is surprising; how could we, God's saved children, have anything against a fellow sinner? Those with Peter may not have realized their deeply held unknown prejudice until astonishment came upon them at the salvation of that bunch o' Gentiles. As the new believers in Christ magnified God, a bunch of people who should have been celebrating stood by with their jaws agape.

Praise God that His dear Holy Spirit is available to all who will believe!

Bucky

Deeply Divided

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand." Matthew 12:25

One might well wonder how long the United States can remain united with such (apparently) deep divisions as we see in the news each day. Indeed, if such divisions are shared throughout the land, then by the promise of our Lord the nation cannot stand and will be brought to desolation. However, as we have seen, the media we watch does seem to delight in presenting the opposite poles while ignoring the center. Are we so divided as some would have us believe?

Our division has a cure, but everyone must accept Him. And there is the problem we face. Some, on one side or the other, do not want to come home like the prodigal son and find a restored relationship with the Father. Dare we face the horrible fact that some of our fellow citizens actually enjoy prying at the divisions in our nation, and that they will use the largest pry bar they can find? Sadly it is true, but no one can show that evil intent so well as the One who came to bring the sword. (Matt. 10:34). Wait, what? Do you mean that all this division, outrage, and strife might be a part of His plan for the age? Does this mean that the One who teaches us to love one another also divides the sheep from the goats? Absolutely!

In the end, Jesus will say to all, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.” Revelation 22:11

And He divided them, the sheep from the goats,
Bucky

God Can't Speak To Me

And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel. Genesis 35:15

A man says that God spoke to him through a note left in the frost of his windshield, and we say, "Crackpot!" Another says that God spoke to her by a voice she heard in the shower, and we say, "Crazy!" A man riding his donkey claims that it spoke to him when he tried to make it ride down an angel of the Lord, and we say, "Oh, wait, that's from the Bible!" Another man says that a burning bush was not consumed and when he went over to get a closer look the Lord spoke to him, and we say, "Uh, that's Moses, it's a famous story from the Bible and he is a hero of the faith!"

If I say that God cannot speak to me, then He probably won't. If I limit God to only the words contained within His word that we call the Bible, then He may speak no further. But God may have some specific instructions for me that I'm holding back by my stubborn refusal to hear Him. What's worse is that by throwing derogatory labels around, we may cause a neighbor to stop hearing from the Lord and we might miss a message of love and comfort that we need. It's tragic and comic how some will lean into every red-letter word from the Word of God, and yet tell a neighbor that God is done speaking to us and further words from Him are impossible.

Impossible, said of God, really... surely by now we know better than to say that.

May our Lord speak to you personally today,
Bucky

Good News From A Far Country

​As cold water to a weary soul,
​​So is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25

This morning, I cannot think of a country farther away than God's Heaven. (Though it is likely much closer than we think.) A quick glance at the news this morning, and Heaven seems quite far away from here. Even my imagination comes up short when trying to guess at what the Lord's home must be like. Do they have a transmitter of some sort there to send us some good news? As the parable of our Lord Jesus goes, God sent His prophets and finally His most special messenger, His Son.

The good news from a far country that we seek has already come down and delivered Himself. Indeed, Isaiah tells us that those living in darkness have seen a great light. Today we can stare into the darkness of a seemingly inexhaustible supply of bad news from the world, or we can look toward a far country and receive the good news of Jesus Christ. However, I have it on good authority from the very word of God that He is not staying there!

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last." a message from Jesus in Revelation 22:12-13

Yes, we can look toward the light of His good news for He is coming quickly, and His good news is so needed in this dark place!

The good news from a far country is coming quickly!
Bucky

Calling Him 'Enemy'

Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Matthew 12:24

It is one thing to fail to recognize the Lord Jesus, but here in Matthew the Pharisees called Him 'enemy' and by the name of an enemy at that. They said that the Son of God had power only by the ruler of the those who opposed God. Those guys really go for that old 'in for a penny' thing. Could anyone so opposed to the Lord Jesus be saved? For with God nothing is impossible!

We have only to look at Saul of Tarsus, or Paul as we know him in the Greek version of his name, to see the saving grace of Jesus our Lord. One meeting on the road to Damascus and Paul was turned around from the opposition of the Pharisees to a champion of the Christian faith. It was a big meeting and its effects were dramatic, but Paul's opposition was thoroughly educated and deeply ingrained. Yet, the saving power of Jesus is the greater power and Paul's story became a blessing to all those who believe.

What about your story or my story would be a blessing to all those who will believe if we just share it with them? Who might be turned to the Lord by a good story? Let us endeavor in Christ the Lord to find out!

Bucky

Created, Claimed, Redeemed

You in Your mercy have led forth
The people whom You have redeemed;
You have guided them in Your strength
To Your holy habitation. Exodus 15:13

The first point of the enemy's attack must be upon Creation. To believe in God is to believe in His word, and that word begins with God's creation of the heavens and the Earth. If the enemy can get the created to turn away from their Creator, then his work is accomplished. However, even after the turning away of Adam and Eve, God claimed them as His own. It was not the enemy who made skins for them after their nakedness was revealed by their disobedience. Provision, care, and love were poured out upon the disobedient children of the Lord even as they took their first opportunity to rebel against Him. Then, there was a redemption.

Jesus came down from on high to accomplish what sinful man could not, He redeemed God's creation. The way back to the Father is through the Son. Redemption was needed before we could go to God's Heaven. How strange it must be to the enemy to look back and see those he turned away being loved and cared for by the Father. Stranger to the enemy was the Son who came and redeemed us from that sin. So afraid of that outcome was he that the enemy attacked the Son with all he had by way of temptation and opposition, but it did not work. Our Lord Jesus stands triumphant having redeemed all.

We want to climb up to Heaven in our strength, note how we are guided home in our verse today.

Christ the Lord!
Bucky

Worn Out

He shall speak words against the Most High,
and shall wear out the saints of the Most High,
and shall think to change the times and the law;
and they shall be given into his hand
for a time, times, and half a time. Daniel 7:25 ESV

Another mass shooting, do you feel worn out yet? The only reason I do not is a higher power, for it is not in myself to have the strength to stand before so many news stories of this type. Jesus, the Son of the Most High God, is the reason I can go on and even write about this thing. I place my faith in the One who has made me a saint of the Most High. My Lord Jesus is the only way I can see to rejoice in the Lord always while I see once again the story of another murder of children in school. My brothers and sisters in Christ will face similar feelings on this day.

A spirit of murder stalks our land. I do not know if the time, times and half a time has begun yet, but it surely does seem that so many have been given into the hand of this evil power. Some would blame the existence of firearms, but they and other weapons are only tools of this spirit, and tools can be used for other purposes. Willing servants of this evil power abound in our land and they are already past any wall we can build. (Whether a wall might stop other persons of evil intent who are outside our borders is not our subject for today.) The servants we might stop at times, but the ones who get through are doing great harm to our nation. What we need is a savior, someone with the power to know what is going on inside the mind of those who would plot to murder and then carry out their evil schemes. What we have is a direct communication channel to the Most High God that is called prayer.

...and the world cried, "Useless!" among other derogatory and faithless words concerning our mental state and intelligence.

Yes, stopping to pray to God for salvation from this thing will set us at odds with the powers of this world. To those who do not believe in our Lord Jesus we will appear foolish and weak. I'm okay with that, as long as they begin to understand that the One I pray to is neither of those things. And when enough of us believe and ask of Him in humility and love, I believe He will act. Let us mourn the fallen and come to our Lord in prayer.

Bucky

Love One Another

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. John 13:34

Happy Valentine's Day! As I read the verse for today, I was glad of the list of exceptions that immediately follows it. No, no, no, there is no such list. How many times have we applied an exception to the Lord's new command when none exists? Verse 35 of this chapter in John reads: "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” Oh... but reading some Christian comments and statements one must surely be led to read further for that list of exceptions to our Lord's command.

All of us have seen the apparent exceptions such as the bully who picked on another for years and even after the school years had long since passed by. Surely we can grant an exception for that? How about that ex? Surely the one who lied in court and took away your kids deserves an exception to the command to love. We know of course that our Lord granted no authority to us to make exceptions to His command to love one another. Yet, we are tempted daily to do just that.

On this annual observance of love that we call St. Valentine's Day or just Valentine's Day, let us make every effort to remove any old exceptions we may have created to that new command our Lord gave to us. Maybe that boss who contrived to terminate that position we thought was our path to retirement? Nope, sorry, we must love him or her too. I'm glad our Lord did not make exceptions to His rule. After all, like poor Scrooge in the story, I might find that in the eyes of Heaven I was the one most deserving of an exception!

Praise God for His great love!
Bucky

The Weakened Recovery

At that time Merodach-Baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah, for he heard that he had been sick and had recovered. Isaiah 39:1

The rest of the story is that King Hezekiah would invite the envoys who brought the letter and present into his house and showed them the lot - treasures, works of art, his favorite pipe or whatever else the king had to show off. Isaiah would then bring a message from the Lord saying that all of that would be taken away and hauled off to Babylon.

It may well be that King Hezekiah suffered that weakened moment we may get as the recovery from sickness brings on a feeling of relief. The person feels better, perhaps for the first time in many days, and that giddy happiness can leave us open to an attack by the enemy, political or spiritual. Yes, it does seem unfair; we should be able to enjoy the moment at least. I guess the enemy likes a happy meal too.

As the devil stalks about seeking whom he may devour, those in a weakened state are easy prey. A celebration, whether large or small, may be a distraction that allows the enemy to slip in a blaming bolt past our defenses. Sometimes that bolt comes right through the open mouth as like King Hezekiah we may open it to show off instead of praising our Lord. A blaming bolt is where we cast blame and get into trouble that way. Of course, I meant to type flaming bolt, but my fingers had a different idea in mind it seems. Either way we end up in trouble right in the midst of the celebration of our recovery. In this world, it seems that a celebration must have in it that measure of caution and watchful vigilance that we are called to in the Lord's service. One day, that great day, we look forward in joy and anticipation to the wedding feast of the Lamb - I think then we can let our guard down and celebrate with Him forever!

To God be the glory!
Bucky

God Works In The Misery Too

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8

It's a miserable runny Friday in the land of mountain-less Colorado. For weeks now persons of low repute have come into the office sneezing, hacking, sniffling, and coughing; and I have resisted their onslaught of germ-laden air successfully...until yesterday. Now like most big boys who endure sickness poorly and with much whining, I'm going to wail like a little boy too. Actually, this makes a really spiffy example of how we must walk with our Lord each and every day!

We read Peter's admonition to be sober and vigilant, but we tend to take it as advice for this one time. Like that time we walked along the edge of a bad neighborhood. As we made it past and back home, we let our guard down. However, we cannot just resist for an evening or even several weeks, we are to BE sober and vigilant. That speaks of remaining in Christ, fully armored in the full armor of God, holding up that shield of faith at all times, and learning to use that sword of the Spirit, the word of God.

When we don't remain in that posture of spiritual war, we fall to the weapons of the evil one. If we successfully resist in the one time, the enemy goes away for a time for the fruit of the Spirit, patience and endurance, is not in him. However, as he or his minions stalk about, our turn will come again, and just like with my little virus adventure that began yesterday, if the resistance fails for but a moment the fall will come. But the shield of faith has something to say: God works in the misery too!

Praise God for His saving grace in the storm!

Bucky

A Tough Step

And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will.” Mark 14:36

Want to be more like Jesus? Here in this verse are three good steps, tough steps, that we might take to become more like our Lord. Abba - the modern equivalent might be 'daddy', and here we see our Lord calling the sovereign creator of all things by that name. I think that even now after years of association with our Lord God that I feel more inclined toward hiding in the bushes like Adam and calling out a lengthy list of the Lord's titles than to walk with Him asking, "Daddy?" The flesh in me still feels that distance of sin which He abolished at the cross. That is my fault of course for listening to the accusations of the Accuser and hearing the desire of the flesh to bridge the great divide by my effort at religion.

The second is admitting and believing that all things are possible for God. The accusations of the enemy are not baseless; I was born a sinner and it shows still. However, I was born again a saint in Christ Jesus, and His work shows in me too. His work. What is more impossible for us than to save ourselves? It is His seemingly impossible salvation that brings us in a lifetime journey at long last to that bridge across the immeasurable chasm that Adam's sin made between us and our God. That bridge we cross with our Lord and Savior to come at last to the Father and call Him, Abba, Father!

Finally, we must have help with this one too, and that is to give up our will and live in the will of the Father. This is the one time in our Lord's life that we see Him not wanting to do all that the Father gave Him to do. Yet, "nevertheless," He says, "not what I will, but what You will." Giving up the will of the self and what we want is also a tough step. We grow and become smart in the ways of the world, and we think we know what we need and want. However, what we need and want is for His will to be done, and only then can we know the joy of life as our Abba would have it.

All of that reminds me that I am wholly inadequate and that His way, by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, is the way to go!

In the love of Christ,
Bucky

Dependent Upon The Lord

Yet we urge you, brothers and sisters, to do so more and more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thessalonians 4:10-12.

Growing up we are dependent upon our parents, and they answer to the Lord. This is an enjoyable time in life where we get to ask Mom, 'What's for dinner?' about 10,000 times. As we grow past that stage and into adults, we become dependent upon no one... or so we think. Yes, part of growing up and away from home is the independent attitude that often characterizes young adults in their late teens and twenties. It is a mistake of course and one that most people will grow out of in time as realization comes that no one is so alone that he or she is not interdependent on all that is around them. What sets those who believe in Jesus apart from the world is our growing and wonderful knowledge that we are and always have been dependent upon our Lord God.

The first is that dependence upon Him for our salvation as we come to know that there is no other way to the Father except through the Son. (John 14:6). We also come to know that it is His provision that allows us to work and make a living in this world. As many are finding out at this time of the year, a little flu and there is no working. It is God who provides us with health and strength to work. And therein is the difference that sets us apart: Believe and enjoy the provision of our Lord with gratitude, or don't believe in Him and refuse to admit His provision.

So, what was that bit Paul said about living not dependent on anybody? Paul realized his dependence on the Lord as much as anyone. What he didn't want us or his Thessalonian brothers and sisters to do was to live on another person's work. This is not to say that we should refuse to accept help when we need it from our brothers and sisters. Many a faithful believer in Christ suffered through a deep valley in this recent recession we endured just a few years ago, and not all have recovered yet. Trials and tribulations will come in this world, but if we have the provision of strength and health from God, we must put it to work!

It is a good day to glorify God with some work!
Bucky

How Important Is The Word?

The wise men are ashamed,
They are dismayed and taken.
Behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD;
So what wisdom do they have? Jeremiah 8:9

Every nation has some group of wise men/women serving as advisers or senators or whatever title they have in the moment. In some few states they may simply take dictation, but they are there for however long their time lasts. Those of us down, way down, on the national ladder hope that those serving on the upper rungs have a measure of wisdom from God. The question in our current time is: Do they have any wisdom at all?

In the time of Jeremiah the prophet, the wise men found themselves ashamed, dismayed and taken. This is not the end result we are hoping for from wise men. Certainly those wise men who sought out the young Christ did not end up this way. Of course they are called wise for seeking out the Lord Jesus; while the wise men Jeremiah writes of had rejected the word of God. So what wisdom do they have? Well, none at all it would seem, and in later verses they also lose their wives and lands. There would appear to be a strong connection between rejecting the word of God and losing everything.

How important is the Word of God? With it we have life in Jesus Christ. Without it...loss of all. Who will save if the Savior is rejected by the shunning of His good news? Who will redeem if the Redeemer is not taken at His word? Believe, and take the Word of God as the truth of God. For it is the word of life and light in this present darkness. I am so glad that you have accepted the Word of God in your life!

In Christ Jesus,
Bucky

The Plentiful Rain

You, O God, sent a plentiful rain,
Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance,
When it was weary.  Psalm 68:9

The weary times come way more often than we like in this age. Although we should see it coming - there was the toil and sweat thing told to Adam in Genesis 3 - we of course prefer the times of rejoicing and rest. However, in many a time and place our toil and sweat seems to accomplish nothing and we grow weary of a world that seems dead set against us and our efforts. And it was in one of those moments that our Lord sent a plentiful rain which David recorded in a psalm for us to remember in those tough times. Great and good is the Lord our God who sends the plentiful rain in the time of drought.

Now if I could just get the Lord to provide when I want...

That would be just the worst thing that could happen to me. The Lord responds in His wisdom and sends His provision in His love and goodness. My timing, though it may seem just right to me, is not often just right at all from the Lord's omniscient view. My idea of what amount and where it is needed is based on a small (really tiny) view, while the Lord's view is from His complete and perfect knowledge of all things and times. His way is, as it has always been, the best way.

Thank You, our dear Lord Jesus, for Your plentiful rain in Your perfect time!

Bucky

Discouraged

“For when they went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, so that they did not go into the land which the LORD had given them." Numbers 32:9

Discouragement, that powerful weapon of the evil one, has prevented projects from starting, halted construction halfway through, and left many a Christian washed up and alone. Why does the evil one like it so much? Because it works. That which we call depression begins with discouragement and ends when the flower of courage blooms once more. If what we call anxiety is but fear by another name, then depression is the discouraged child of the Lord paralyzed by despair. It is an enemy worth fighting for the love of our brothers and sisters in Christ!

The story of the Israelites arriving just across the river from the land promised to them by God is the great illustration of discouragement. Ten scouts spoke discouragement and took the heart of faith out of Israel. The people heard the reports, sifted out the faith of Joshua and Caleb, took stock of themselves, forgot all that God had done for them, accepted discouragement, and turned away from the land flowing with milk and honey. Not one of the men over 20, with the exception of faithful Joshua and Caleb, would see the promised land. And the Lord in His anger turned His beloved Israel around to wander the wilderness for 40 years.

What wilderness have you or I decided to wander because of discouragement? Where would the Lord lead us in faith, if we would take courage from Him and believe? Tough questions to look at the self and answer, but Israel did come to its promised land after the discouragement was worked out. Trust in Him!

Bucky

Just Over There

“I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

So, how close is Heaven anyway? Apparently close enough to keep an eye out for repentant sinners. I am glad for their joy, and hope to have a hand in providing more of it!

Some might think of Heaven as too far away to know what is going on here on the Earth. Perhaps they are more comfortable with the thought of a nice dark distance between their deeds and the light of Heaven. Others don't mind if Heaven is physically close as long as no one there can see into the dark caverns of the mind of the sinner. Might as well get used to it folks, God and Heaven are very much linked and the Lord who created the heavens and the Earth can see all things, even those secret thoughts of sin. Whatever the distance might be, the Lord is close enough to see all.

Now that might seem like something meant to frighten us into constant good behavior, but much better is a cleansing of the heart and the closeness of the Spirit of God who is working that cleansing even now. And how often do we get to begin and end a sentence with the same word? Heaven and Earth began with the same Creator and both will be ended and renewed by the same Holy One. Heaven is, I believe, and it is so very close that the saints see the repentant sinner and rejoice with God. Heaven is just over there, and yet we cannot walk there or see that great rejoicing. Just over there.

Just over there is a new saint. He was the father of a friend of mine. He was my father. He was your father, brother, husband, friend, and brother in Christ. Just over there, a sister in Christ greets our Lord Jesus in person for the first time. She didn't see Him quite so well as she thought in her Bible study, but now she sees Him clearly and perfectly. Just over there, they wait for us. Just over there they might tell us to quit worrying over perfection; we cannot do it anyway and Jesus will take care of it just over there.

Have a blessed day in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Bucky

The Word of God

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. Revelation 19:13

The flesh does not like to be cut up by the point of the sword. This could be taken a couple of different ways, but we are looking at the metaphorical one this time. The one that will in time be shown more real than the steel and skin version common to this world. We are looking at this one:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

While our Lord Jesus works on us, cutting away the old sinful flesh, what can we do to help out in that which does us so much good? We can read the Book and follow the instructions of course. The Book we must read is His word, the Bible. All the instructions we need to follow are contained therein. We do not have to wait for Sunday morning to read His word, and we can wield this word of God in our defense. Paul passes along one instruction to do so in Ephesians 6:17 when he tells us to take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. Ah, yes, that which our Lord uses to cut away the dying flesh of this world is also the sword we can wield against the forces of the evil one. A powerful and useful sword it seems. Indeed, so powerful is it that near the end, about the time the saints are gathered to be with Him, it is His name that comes to be known and called The Word of God.

Great and mighty is the Word of God, our Lord Jesus the Christ,

Bucky

Always Come Back

“In the distant future, when you are suffering all these things, you will finally return to the LORD your God and listen to what he tells you." Deuteronomy 4:30 NLT

Here is a prophecy for Israel from the distant past, and if we read back a bit in that same chapter we can see listed the very history of Israel after they did just what the Lord had told them not to do. Israel is back, the nation is set to fulfill this prophecy. They will, probably are even as we read this, return to the LORD as they have already suffered these things. What an awesome God that He never forgets His promises though for us thousands of years have passed.

Always come back to His mercy and grace. Temptations are successful at times when shot at us from the enemy and sin does follow. We are still inclined like the thirsty man crossing the desert to take whatever water is offered to us. We have no discipline in ourselves to refuse the toxic water and wait for the springs of living water. However, we can always come back to find the Lord's mercy if we will ask and repent of the ways of the flesh. We can take up the word of God and listen to what He tells us just like those Israelites returning to Him after so long. Always come back to our Lord Jesus Christ!

May the love and goodness of our Lord Jesus wash over you this day,

Bucky

Heaven Needs No Polishing

Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald. Revelation 4:2-3

If I see a bit of tarnished brass, I want to polish it. This is not unusual as many people feel the urge to polish those tarnished things that meet their eye. Husbands have felt this 'eye' many a time when leaving the house in that favorite old sweatshirt and jeans. Some have even reported it burning the old clothes right off of them. However, for my case, I must beware of creating an idol. To polish a thing to a brilliant shine and admire it for the shine and the effort required might be fine. But should I find myself admiring it overmuch, perhaps talking to it, or making a request of the lifeless thing would be going too far. God is very much against idolatry.

That could not happen today, we like to say, we are much too rational for such primitive beliefs. Ever see a man cleaning and polishing his gun collection? Is he talking to them as he works? Have you ever met a person who encouraged her money to go forth and reproduce? I may be going over the top a bit, but I am also convinced that we have all been tempted by idolatry and the most effective times were those when we didn't realize that was the temptation.

Some of the things we might enjoy here on the earth probably won't happen in Heaven. God doesn't need me to polish things in Heaven because Heaven needs no polishing. The accounts we have of visits to Heaven from John, Ezekiel, and Isaiah show clearly that tarnishing is not a problem. Will we have to wash dishes in Heaven? That's one we will just have to wait to find out.

Praise God for the purity of His Heaven!
Bucky

Rocks Are So Glum

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split. Matthew 27:51

Ouch! Poor rocks, no wonder they turned glum. In Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac this morning, we find out that Alice is driven crazy by rocks because they are so glum, so she paints smileys on them. Good solution, I'm sure the rocks appreciate it, just look at their happy little faces. Alice sure is nice to rocks. Why then is our Lord so mean to them?

Of course we know that it wasn't like that; Jesus in His death cry tore the temple veil, quaked the earth, split rocks, opened graves, and raised the dead saints. Our Lord had nothing against the rocks He had created, but He got the attention of those nearby and in the city (Jerusalem). Such was the passing of the Son of God that even the Roman centurion acknowledged it to his men. The rocks at that moment had reason to be glum: Jesus was dead.

I wonder if the rocks knew that something big was on the way? Their cousin, the tomb stone rolled across a certain tomb, might have been the first to know that something stupendous happened early one morning just after the Sabbath. It's too bad someone wasn't there to paint a big smiley on that tomb stone; it seems rather appropriate. Jesus got up, neatly folded His head cloth, and walked out of the tomb, passing a big ol' tomb stone that certainly would have grinned if it could. I'm thinking the rocks were not so glum on that day!

Smile, He is risen!
Bucky

A Bit o' Moses

For I proclaim the name of the LORD:
​​Ascribe greatness to our God.
He is the Rock, His work is perfect;
​​For all His ways are justice,
​​A God of truth and without injustice;
​​Righteous and upright is He. Deuteronomy 32:3-4

In writing a sermon or devotional, or a song, novel, short story, or anything else for that matter, a bit of the self comes through. Circumscribed by style and usage, college writing allows the least of the self through, while a personal journal or diary allows the most as it is not expected to be made public. Internet commentary allows some personal opinions to come through that would be best left in a sealed box and buried, but that is the world we live in now. So, where does the writing in the Bible fit in? A mixture of everything from personal to public, dry reporting to awestruck wonder, and of course all the words of the Lord. What did the long association of Moses with God have to offer us in his writing?

Moses came to a firm conclusion about the Lord our God: His work is perfect.

That alone makes the Lord quite different from me, but there is much more from our brother Moses. Greatness, truth, justice, righteousness and if we were to continue in the Song of Moses, the story of our Lord's unfailing provision until at verse 43 we find: "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people!" What, Moses cared about us too? That is what comes from a long journey with the Lord, we learn more about Him and proclaim it to all, and we learn to love neighbors we don't even know.

His work is perfect!
Bucky

Solitaire For The Soul

"Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
​​Among this people,
​​A marvelous work and a wonder;
​​For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
​​And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.” Isaiah 29:14

If you must, admit it, you have played the solitaire game, perhaps more than one, on your computer. The draw piles in a game of solitaire behave much like man in his quest to do without God. "If I just get this one card, I can complete the game in record time," he says, as he draws almost inevitably it seems, another of the cards he does not need. The great time waster does not often give up the card the man wants when he wants it. Then the man turns to blaming God for it!

I, of course, only use a game or two of solitaire while I am thinking of what to write, wink, wink...ow, I think my winker just broke.

We need some rest once in a while, but sometimes it gets out of hand. What a great analogy for those plans we make without God though, and sometimes the wrong reaction that follows. Jonah was a great example of this too with his big plant.

As opposed to the outcome of the many vain things we try to accomplish in this life, God still lays out promises like the one in our verse for today. The Lord also makes it clear that it is not because of what man thinks is wise and what he boasts is understood by him. The marvelous works of the Lord are done by the Lord, sometimes in spite of our efforts in those vain things that accomplish so little. I like those marvelous works in which our Lord lets me help out in my small way too. One day I believe we will be surprised at what the Lord accomplished with our little offerings... given here and there between the games of solitaire.

I jest! Remember to let your nose back away from that grindstone now and then. Trust in the Lord to lead you in resting too!

Bucky

I Know, But Do I Know Him?

The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” John 4:25

A bit later Jesus introduces Himself as Messiah to the woman. She knew about Messiah, but she couldn't know Him until He revealed Himself to her. How often I wonder have I known much about Jesus by study and yet not known Him until His Spirit gave me a revelation? Many in this world know about Messiah, but not so many know that Jesus is Messiah. Others have studied the life of Jesus, but Messiah or the Christ is not in any way personal to their knowing. A relationship has not been formed and the gift of salvation remains unknown and unaccepted. How many, one might ask, might stand before the judgment throne reciting memorized facts about Jesus but not recognize Him even as He judges them? Many a sad tale may come to be written in that way.

Praise God there have been enough in every age who have seen the revelation of Jesus the Christ in their soul that one day a great multitude will gather in Heaven to sing His praises! One day He will be revealed as He comes in the clouds of glory. With Him or awaiting Him, we too will see this coming and we await it even now as the woman in John 4. That day, though, no doubt will prevent the knowledge that the Lord comes. This appearing will not be a man of the Jews who, for some reason, stopped to speak with a woman at a well in Samaria, but the second coming of the King of kings! We will know Him.

The Spirit of God reveals our Lord Jesus to us even now, let us praise Him!

Bucky

This Morning's News

Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. 1 Samuel 11:6

If it should seem to you that the news of the day has become especially adept at arousing your anger, you are not the only one! Way back in the day, more than a thousand years before our Lord Jesus was born, Saul received some news that made him angry. However, this was not the sort of frustrating news we get today but something that made the Lord Himself angry.

The verse for today speaks of the Spirit of God coming upon Saul to arouse anger in him. Most of us in this age look to the Spirit for a calming influence with all of the anger that is thrown at us in the news. What was it that aroused the anger of the Lord so? It seems that the Ammonites had made a threat toward a city of Israel that was to be for a humiliation of God's chosen people. Think that God does not defend those He calls His own? The remainder of this story in 1 Samuel 11 might change your mind.

So aroused was Saul, that he gathered the fighting men of Israel and came down on the Ammonites with the wrath of the Lord, as the Word says, and slew so many that those Ammonites who survived were scattered so that no two of them were left together.

What was Saul up to when this news came? He was not yet king, he was coming in from the field following the herd. Kind of makes us wonder what is happening in this morning's news that might cause the Lord to arouse an emotion in us to act in His will, eh?

Righteous is the Lord in all His ways!
Bucky

The Lord's Fasting

​“Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
​​To loose the bonds of wickedness,
​​To undo the heavy burdens,
​​To let the oppressed go free,
​​And that you break every yoke?" Isaiah 58:6

Breakfast was on my mind this morning, as it often is in the morning, so I searched for break and fast in the Bible and came up with this verse only in all of the Bible.

We have this tendency, a desire of the flesh perhaps, to present to the Lord a resume of our good deeds done religiously. We bring tales of our fasting to the Lord hoping for a trophy maybe, Fasting Champion 2018. He tells us instead to look to our neighbors. Jesus our Lord was asked why He did not fast as He was living the list of loving actions we see in the verse from Isaiah. We have His good example to follow.

In place of trying to impress the Lord with our self-righteous and religious deeds, we might do as He says and look to our neighbors. What burdens do they bear that I have overlooked in my efforts to make myself into a better man? How much of my self-improvement program would be better handled by the Lord's Holy Spirit as I take the time to look at the needs and burdens borne in suffering all around me? What help can selflessness lend where selfishness now rules?

What a reward to relieve a neighbor of a burden!

Your brother in Christ,
Bucky

What Comes Tomorrow?

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea. Matthew 3:1

John is a New Testament sort of name. It does not appear in the O.T. at all. But unlike most of us, John does appear in Isaiah. How did he do that?

The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
​​“Prepare the way of the LORD;
​​Make straight in the desert
​​A highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3

John refused to be called the Christ, but he did admit to being the voice of one crying in the wilderness. That is some serious brass if he is in fact a false prophet. To have the religious authorities come out from Jerusalem and to claim a verse from Isaiah for yourself would be to risk a charge of blasphemy and that sudden, instant, and even immediate death the religious Jews were famous for handing out. The Messiah had better be along right soon or John the Baptist would quickly be John the Former.

However, we do know from the scriptures that Jesus soon arrived claiming many more verses from the prophets to Himself and confirming John in his office. So, why did they not believe Jesus? Well, that was prophesied too. It seems that our Lord knows all that is to come. What does tomorrow have in store for His faithful followers? The prophets in both Testaments have much to say about that!

Rejoice, for He returns for us soon!

Bucky

Comfort Ye My People

“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

One of the oratorical hymns of Messiah by George Frideric Handel is titled Comfort Ye My People from the 40th chapter of Isaiah. It is well used as a command to God's ministers to give comfort to all those troubled souls in this age of spiritual warfare. One of the great comforting verses is given in Deuteronomy with the promise that our Lord God will not leave or forsake us.

Us? Is not this verse directed specifically to Israel? Yes, it does seem to be that way. Are we then grabbing comfort that does not belong to us?

Throughout the ministry of Jesus our Lord, Gentiles came in faith to the Lord to get the great hope He brought first to Israel. Those Gentiles were our spiritual ancestors and we continue to reach for Messiah who came first to His nation of Israel. There came a time though when Jesus was rejected by Israel and went instead to the Gentiles. Paul came to that same point and his ministry among the Gentiles brought forth much fruit for the kingdom of God. You and I were born Gentiles and like those of us who reached out for Jesus and were healed, saved, and restored to life in His time, we too reach out in faith for those things first promised to Israel. This too was promised in the prophecies.

Be glad that we are that nation who recognized our Lord Jesus and joined in His salvation. Be comforted by Jesus our Lord on this new day.

Bucky

Warily Watching the World

By his lips doth a hater dissemble, 
And in his heart he placeth deceit,

When his voice is gracious trust not in him, 
For seven abominations are in his heart.  Proverbs 26:24-25 (Young's Literal Translation)

I searched for 'dissemble' in the Bible and foundeth one in the YLT which soundeth not unlike the King James doth soundeth!

To dissemble is to play with words so as to deceive your neighbor. The child playing in the tub states that he has a washcloth, but the mother not being born nearly yesterday asks, "But did you use it?" Having a thing is of course not the same as using the thing. Years later as a county official the child may use the same sort of dissembling as he claims the county has this piece of equipment when questioned by the media. The zealous investigative reporter may indeed find said equipment in the back of the county yard enjoying a good rusting and standing on flat tires. Dissembling has been used by many a public servant. Sometimes they are caught at it, other times it works and is then likely to be brought out as a tool later on.

We were told by the Lord to be wary, like a serpent is wary of the boot descending toward it or the sharp-eyed hawk floating on the wind currents above. The world is going to dissemble, and obfuscate, and just plain lie to us. This place is at the moment still the princedom of the great deceiver, and at some point you and I will face that deception. Be wary!

For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Matthew 24:24 (NKJV)

If possible? Yes, if it is just me alone, it is quite possible to deceive me. We must of course depend upon God's dear Holy Spirit within us to warn of that deception, for it is already at work as Paul said, and will soon become the new normal as we approach the finale of this world.

Even if you do fall to deception, depend on His grace!

Bucky

A Tale of Two Waiters

Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD! Psalm 27:14

Jesus went to an inn on the outskirts of a town one day to see how his people were doing in this age. Taking a seat in the middle booth, the Lord looked out at the passing traffic.

One waiter noticed his new customer and knew who the Lord was. This waiter was a doer, and he looked down on those who didn't. "Leave reflection to mud puddles!" he would say often to those who paused to think things through. This waiter wanted very much to please the Lord and proceeded to show Jesus every plate the inn offered for the noon meal, plus a few others he tried on the spot. In his zeal to show the Lord how good he had become, this waiter only slipped once, spilling just a little tomato soup on the Lord's spotless robes of white.

Another waiter, who shared the lunchtime assignment of that particular middle booth, also noticed the Lord sitting in his booth, for he was not sure whose turn it was to serve at that moment. This waiter was one of those thinkers despised by the other. He began to reflect on what he might be called upon to serve the Master. Anxiety crept into his thinking and as he sat back observing the Lord, waiting for a sign of which dish to bring out in order to best serve his Lord, he began to ruminate on all of his past mistakes, including that time he had spilled a quantity of tomato soup on the Lord's robes.

The Lord Jesus opened his mouth to speak, and both waiters paused - one his rushing feet and the other his rushing thoughts.

"What I would like," the Lord said, "is for the both of you to come and dine with me."

Bucky

From No Hope To Greatest Hope

"that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world." Ephesians 2:12

Many a disappointment in this life has taught us the futility of placing our hope in the institutions of this world. Paul to the church at Ephesus wrote of a people having no hope at all. Some of those he wrote to were likely what the world would call successful before they came to believe in Christ. Like us, they understood what Paul meant by 'having no hope', and yet they also could recall that time and how they placed their hope in the things of this world. Many a person in that former condition, that we too might recall from our experience, would be baffled by Paul's assertion; they would list their job, income, possessions, health, and in some cases their youth, as proof that they had great hope in themselves and in this world.

Praise God that He has shown us the better way! And quite often that showing has involved loss. We have lost homes. We have lost jobs. We have lost income. We have lost businesses. We have lost our health. We have lost a great many things that appeared to the worldly eyes to offer some hope of security in this world. Praise God that we do not have to place our hope in such fickle things anymore!

For a time we mourn the loss of these worldly things because we still see with the eyes we first opened in this world. We have felt the pain of trying to pay bills without money in the account. We have felt the sick pain of maintaining a job or business when suffering an illness or lack of that perfect health illusion. Sometimes it very much seems to us that this world is out to prove unequivocally to us that Christ is the only hope we can count on. If that is indeed the case, then let us with all due speed learn that lesson!

Praise God that our hope is now in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

A Pretty Bible

But the word of God grew and multiplied. Acts 12:24

So here in the 1st century as the disciples grew in number, we read that they took to printing lots of Bibles. No, if our history is correct that wouldn't happen until the printing press was invented centuries later. Even those places where monks would gather to laboriously hand write new Bibles would not be formed for many years. So what is this word of God that grew and multiplied?

On the bookshelves of many homes one might easily find a pretty Bible, sometimes covered in a layer of dust, but still with its gold gilt edges and fancy leather cover it is a fine book to look at and perhaps even wish for one like it. But many other books have been printed and decorated in much the same way, why are they not special like the Bible is to us? In any case, the early apostles had no ability to produce such a pretty Bible as we can easily purchase today. That cannot be the thing which made the word of God grow and multiply here in the Acts.

If numbers of copies and the pretty attractiveness of the book are not what grew and multiplied here, what is it about this thing? If the 1st century homeowner could not run to his or her bookshelf and grab a beautifully bound and printed copy of the Bible, what made this word of God grow and multiply? Why do I switch so easily between the Bible and the word of God, are they one and the same?

Of course it is about faith. I believe in Jesus and the word of God comes alive in me, and in doing so it begins to grow and multiply within the heart of the new believer. The Bible, the word of God, is forever linked to God's own Holy Spirit, the One given to us by Jesus and who will never leave nor forsake us. As He reminds us of scripture, the Spirit grows the word of God in us. But, there is more to it than that. John the disciple and one beloved of Christ, realized through the Lord's revelation that the word of God was personified in Jesus the Christ. He lives! is a statement of more than we know. The very word of God lives in us, and that is how we know that a pretty Bible on a dusty shelf does not grow and multiply. It is the Son of God, the Word, who grows and multiplies in us through His dear Spirit who is God in us.

Immanuel forevermore!
Bucky

Finding It In The Heart

"For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You." 2 Samuel 7:27

Prayer as a word does not occur until this verse in the King James version of the Bible. However, we know that prayer as in talking to God occurred many times before this. A big point is that the Lord is establishing the house of David, and just after Christmas we know why that house was important. What came to me though was David's statement of finding it in his heart to pray this prayer.

David probably did not do a treasure hunt sort of search through the fields of his heart and exclaim, "Well, lookee here at what I found!" We know from our own experience that what God places in our hearts to pray for may come at any time, even 3:00 am. Sometimes that early morning/dead of night call to prayer is the best time for the Lord to gain our attention during our busy lives. What surprises me are those times when I am called to pray for persons I don't even know. Of course God knows all and though I may not see an answer to prayers for someone far away, I trust in Him to respond in His goodness and love. We tend to seek out the big revelation like John received on the island of Patmos, but more often we are called to a prayer that is more our size.

Praise God for His provision of prayer to us.
Bucky

Unclean Falling Lizards

‘These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard after its kind; the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon. Leviticus 11:29-30

An unusual weather event brings with it unusual news reports, such as the report of falling iguanas in Florida from the cold temperatures there. (Cold being relative to the location as usual.) Around here last week the poor lizards would have been frozen solid and unlikely to survive, as opposed to the 'frozen' news headline I read which is an exaggeration.

Reading a bit of the Law of Moses, we see that there were no survivalists among the Israelites as many of the things a person might use for food in a pinch were banned by the law. Unclean! simply to touch them; obviously eating an unclean thing would be problematic. As I was about to run out onto the streets yelling a warning about unclean falling lizards, along came Jesus saying, “Are you thus without understanding also? Do you not perceive that whatever enters a man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not enter his heart but his stomach, and is eliminated, thus purifying all foods?” (Mark 7:18-19)

The Lord also went on to tell His disciples about all those terrible and defiling things that come out of the heart of man. We are defiled from within. While we look around at the world, fearful of defilement by an outside source, we spew forth from an unclean heart the defilement we fear. That is of course the very thing that Jesus came to save us from! Praise God for the cleansing of the heart by the blood of the Lamb that goes on in us even today. And if you should need to travel way down south today, watch out for those falling lizards!

Bucky

Work, But Rest Too

For He has spoken in a certain place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works” Hebrews 4:4

The first Friday of 2018 is here! The holidays have passed for another year and it may seem a relief to get back to plain ol' work. We also have a duty to rest. That may be a difficult proposition for some.

A day of rest for the body and soul. A day of doing nothing at all. Just lost some folks right there. Nothing?! I can't do that! They say with a shudder. For a day each week the Israelites were to do no work, not even cooking. There were not to leave their tents. No guard duty.

Wait, you mean that the entire point was not to rest? I'm working out some faith here, but perhaps the point of the Sabbath rest was to trust. The rest observed was only the outward, obvious thing that was going on while in the heart the Israelites were learning to trust God and let things rest with Him. For a day each week, they had to leave their security completely in God's hands. No guards with spears circling the resting camp, for that would defile the Sabbath and the guards. A sea of tents without apparent human activity. Ripe pickings for any enemy who happens along, or so it would seem from an earthly view. Our Lord is always who He is though, do we trust Him enough to leave our endeavors with Him for one whole day this week?

A day of rest does our body good. How much good might come to us from resting our anxious thoughts for a day? I work at that anxious toil way too much; I'm sure a day off each week would do me much good!

Let us all resolve to rest in our Lord one day each week, and may God bless us in this,

Bucky

Looking Ahead!

For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus. Romans 3:25-26 NLT

A Christian may easily look at himself and see that perfection as measured by the Law has not yet come. However, by Paul's testimony we see that God looks at Himself and sees that it has been purchased for us by His Son. No one must ask God if that is His final answer, for the Lord does not give answers as men do in their ignorance.

Therefore, looking ahead let us see the perfected creature we shall become in Christ Jesus. Want to keep a resolution to do better in some way? Look to the Lord and look ahead as He does to the righteous saint that God has made by His Son.

Is this the Christian fantasy world the scoffers would accuse us of living in? Only if we think that God lives in a fantasy world. Paul did not seem to think that was the case as he wrote down for us a testimony of what God has done in His Son, our Lord Jesus the Christ.

Amen, come Lord Jesus!
Bucky

Ministry In Peace

Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to hurt you; for I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-10

What was this city Paul was so afraid to speak in? Corinth. Yes, the church of two known letters from Paul and more that are lost to history. He stayed there a year and a half to minister in peace. But the great apostle Paul needed the words of God to comfort and correct him. What great words might have been lost to us from the Bible had Paul been left to give in to his fear. And what was that great comfort of the Lord?

That the Lord was with him was certainly foremost, but there is that one about many people in this city. Apparently Paul had not met these people yet, or at least not the many the Lord spoke of to His apostle trembling by night. Like a certain group of frightened shepherds, the Lord Jesus had a message He wanted Paul to deliver, and He didn't want Paul to take off just yet.

We too live in a land where we can minister in peace. Some would have us keep it inside the walls of churches or houses. Others would rather that all churches be banned. But for now we are protected by the law of the land. However, I also believe that God would say the same of the United States of America as He did of Corinth. You and I have likely met only a few of the many people who belong to God in this nation, but our brothers and sisters in Christ are out there. Are they saved yet?

It is likely that many of God's many people in Corinth had not yet become found sheep. That would happen as Paul spoke and kept not silent while ministering the good news of Jesus the Christ. Indeed Paul's letters to the church in Corinth speak to us even today as the apostle did not keep silent in writing after he departed for other pastures. Praise God for His words of comfort to us!

Bucky

Starting The New Year

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. Genesis 7:11

Our cold snap is ending today, but that does not mean that it has ended this morning for it is very cold out there! We are not looking to start this year with quite the same change that Noah faced on his day in the verse for today. Noah got up and observed the world changing forever. Usually our new year begins with a more mild observance: it's cold, the first super moon of the year, things like that. Noah began a new phase of human history as the Great Deluge began on that day. I kind of like the mild changes of the new years of this time.

However, one day, perhaps on a January 1st, we have this prophecy of a great change:

So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. Revelation 9:15

A quick sentence, soon finished, but such biblical understatement. Actually it is not understated at all, we are just accustomed to many superlatives attached to something like that. A third of mankind. Four angels. What would a dozen angels do? And this is not the hand of God Himself.

For the moment we live in a time of mild changes and let us thank the Lord for that. Certain days to come hold quite dramatic changes even if they are stated in a straightforward way in the Word of God. These days will come just as Noah's day did. A good reason for all to cling to Jesus in prayer all the time!

Have a great new year!
Bucky

That Elite Group At The Very Top

God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. 1 Peter 1:2

The tap on the shoulder, an invitation given grudgingly. "You are invited," the member says, "to that elite group at the very top of your profession, that thin air on the mountain's peak that few achieve. It is a very great honor, one that no one in her or his right mind would ever refuse." The world has several of these exclusive clubs typically marked by a few who get to vote on allowing new members to join. "Only the best of the best," they say, "are allowed in with us!" Then, a strange man came among us, choosing not the best of the best, but the worst of the worst.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' But wisdom is justified by her children.” Matthew 11:19

A friend of sinners, eh? Good, because when He chose me that is the description that fit me like a custom glove tailored to my hand with careful measurements taken with the utmost attention to detail. Jesus invited me to join His group, and from what I could see His group at the time of their invitation could hardly be called the elite of anything. Excellent! I fit right in with y'all! It is almost like Jesus went out to chose the worst in order to make us the best. How? And why do we not look like the best to our crooked and worldly eyes... oh, maybe that is the reason.

Yes, this world has many elite groups and standards that we did not meet. You and I may not be judged by the world to be the best of the rest at a profession, education, hobby, physical beauty, athletic prowess, or couch potato endurance and channel surfing, but for some reason He chose us. The one requirement for membership in His group we had to meet was His law, and not one of us could do it, so He set out to bring us into His group by Himself. Talk about an elite group, no one met His standard! Yet, all who believe in our Lord Jesus are brought into this special group who are given eternal life. Wow, that is some prize for a bunch of initiates who are undeserving and unworthy! How does He do it? Better question: Why does He do it?

It must be love that gives us His grace. It seems strange to us, but the one requirement we can meet in Christ is to be loved by Him, and He loves us everlastingly!

Happy Old Year!
Bucky

The Word of God

He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. Revelation 19:13

His name IS called The Word of God, not was or will be but is! In Revelation 19, John sees something awesome. Not a baby in a manger this time but The Word of God ready to judge and make war. His eyes like a flame of fire and out of His mouth came a sharp sword. This is not a harmless baby swaddled up and laying in a manger of the town stable. This is The Word of God as He will return to claim for His own the earth that belongs to Him. This is the unstoppable Word of God going forth to do battle on His white horse. This is our Savior!

As the problems of the world weigh heavily upon us, we must turn our eyes to this word picture of The Word of God. Many things we deal with every day can bring us down, for we are quite weak - easy prey for the powers and principalities of this present darkness. John caught up to the heavens saw a power far beyond anything this world hosts; he saw the One in His glory ready to come to our salvation for all time. John was privileged to see The Word of God, and soon you and I will also for the world becomes gloriously dark. The Light that shines in the darkness comes quickly!

Get ready to behold the brightness of His coming!

Bucky

The Discovery of Sin

And the LORD said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave..." Genesis 18:20

Recently it seems that our mass media has discovered sin once more. Targets are selected, triggers pulled, and the outcry becomes great as, lo and behold, we have a popular sin to grind on the millstone of public outrage. What surprises is the thought that it might be new. There was an outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah thousands of years ago; says so right in God's word. The sins likely involved sex just as today's reports of sin contain the sexual immorality that Paul urged us to avoid. It may seem to some that sexual sin was discovered just in time for the last elections, but alas, no, sin is almost as old as man and woman.

In this world when you point at a male and say, "man", you might as well point and say, "guilty of sexual sin." What we have on Sodom and Gomorrah is our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. There are many men we can point to and add, "Forgiven!" in place of sin. This does not excuse the sin or the consequences, and it does not mean that we are not sorry for that sexual sin, but it does remove it from God as far as the east is from the west. Something to think about before we join in the finger pointing the world so enjoys.

Yes, well might we say that not only were we born into sin but we also grew up and took to it like a fish to water when it comes to sexual temptations. However, believing in Jesus opens the door to the great physician who heals, cleanses, and removes the infection of sin from us. Deeply guilty we are in this world, but His blood paid for that sin and His grace removes the stain from all who believe in Him! Truly the wold will not understand this and will want more blood, but let us support our brothers and sisters in Christ in prayer and fellowship. In Christ the ugliest sinner becomes the most beautiful of saints. Praise and honor to God our King!

Bucky

Good News Of Each Other

But 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— therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 3:6-8

Christmas is often a time that we share good news of each other, usually in the form of a letter enclosed in a Christmas card. Like Paul and his friends in Thessalonica, we may not be able to see each other in person due to circumstances beyond our control, but we earnestly look forward to that good news. But this was not news of babies born or weddings attended, this was news of faith and love - and the desire to see each other. Paul was so caught up in the love of his fellow believers that he said, "For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord." Paul was joined in the Spirit to his saints in a far place.

Indeed we laugh at the world and its six degrees of separation. For in Christ all who believe are joined together by His Holy Spirit and connected by our relationship with God, a bond which cannot be broken and is immediate and personal.

In Christ together forever,
Bucky

His First Duty

And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. Luke 2:21

The marvelous events of the birth of Christ were over and His first duty began, and may I say, "Ouch!" The requirements of the Law of Moses had to be met and our Lord Jesus was not exempted. What? Nope, no exemptions for the King of kings and Lord of lords.

In our suffering, we sometimes hear that temptation to think that Jesus somehow, somewhere got a pass on some amount of suffering. We know better, but that small whisper comes anyway. From the His birth in Bethlehem in a stable to the ritual circumcision and on to His crucifixion and death, we read and know He suffered greatly. Yet, there is still that temptation that hits like a dart from the bush.

Of course the Enemy would love to have God's children writhing in the clutches of doubt and those darts are difficult to fight because the flesh which we bear likes to believe such awful things. When we suffer a little, it is easy to believe that not only does our Lord not understand but that our brothers and sisters in Christ do not suffer as we do. We could hardly have two greater wrong thoughts in one sentence! Jesus knows our suffering because He suffered much greater sufferings and He is here with us even now. Our siblings in Christ also suffer because they share the same Savior and the same Enemy.

A brother or sister in Christ may hide the pain better than others, but we who believe in Him will endure some suffering in this world. Praise God we are all counted worthy to share our small amount of His suffering.

Bucky

Goodwill Toward Men

And 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

No one has come up to me and introduced himself as a member of the heavenly host. This is hardly surprising given that most of the time the heavenly realm and host is not visible to fallen men on this earth. However, the shepherds, still abiding in the fields and perhaps frozen in shock, saw a multitude of the heavenly host. I don't think any shepherd had any trouble remembering this event in his later years of this life.

What was the angel and a multitude of the heavenly host up to on this night in the fields of Judea where sheeps and shepherds abode? They were praising God of course. Given that the Christ had just been born over the hill in Bethlehem, I wonder if that punctuation should be more like: "Glory to God in the highest and on Earth. Peace! Goodwill toward men!"

Before you castigate me for arguing with God's Holy Word, the invention of English punctuation came along much later and it is not always obvious to the manuscript scholars and translators where it should go.

I hope you enjoyed your peach yesterday, as I wished you one. For those of you who shouted peace at me in all caps, I rejoiced with you as, until this morning, I was unaware of the sabotage my typing fingers had perpetrated upon me. H and E are not even typed on the same hand, how did that happen? I suppose I may never know. I like to wear a hat around that states, "Christians ain't perfect, but Jesus is." I stand by that statement. I can testify to it in typing and speaking, just watch me long enough!

REJOICE! in the peace and peaches of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ!

Bucky

Something So Unusual

And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12

A sign to you, the angel said. That was all the shepherds had to go on was a town, a baby in swaddling clothes, and a manger. We have the modern temptation to look upon the 1st century as a sort of barbarian-infested madness wherein people somehow lived without cell phones and iPods. "How could those dirty shepherds find the Christ Child among the dozens of babies born in animal feeding troughs that night?" the modern reader is tempted to ask, and with no GPS to guide them to the stables at that.

A sign is something so unusual that it cannot be missed. I'm not completely sure what a swaddle is or even how to do it, but I'm thinking that swaddling clothes was not so unusual. However, placing a newborn in a manger was so unusual that the shepherds had only to go to the stables. Of course the people in Mary and Joseph's time didn't place something so precious in animal feeding bunkers unless there was no other choice. Surely most babies born in that time received the same tender, loving care that we lavish on our newborns even now. That there was no room for them in the inn was known to Luke because Mary remembered it years later as another unusual thing. Of course young mothers were not sent out to the stables to have their babies then just as they wouldn't be now. Something so unusual happened and the shepherds were directed to it with that very sign.

A seemingly simple sign to the shepherds from an unusual source brought them to a wonder: the Son of God born in a lowly place; a Savior to save the fallen sons of Adam and daughters of Eve.

Peach on Earth as we begin the Christmas weekend!

Bucky

And Behold!

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Luke 2:9

It wasn't a dark and stormy night as Snoopy would write. The storm, if we can call it that, may have taken place when the parental guardians of God's Holy One found that the birth of the Christ child would take place in a smelly animal shelter; thus imparting to any affirmative response to, "Were you born in a barn?" an honor we are not worthy to receive. For the shepherds, who were simply abiding in the fields that night, it was quite likely a very normal night with the usual comforts and discomforts that sleeping with a bunch of sheep might bring.

And behold...

The expression is about as strong as Luke gets in his report of those things done in Judea at about the time the calendar changed from B.C. to A.D. Like the visitor Zacharias had by the incense altar, we get the impression that the angel was not there, then he was there. It was a surprising and fear-inducing appearance; an uncanny occurrence in an unexpected place. The admonition to learn to expect the unexpected is put to shame as the unexpected intrudes on the usual in a marvelous way, and says, "Do not be afraid!"

The Lord gets the attention of those He wants to impart a message to in a rather memorable way. Sometimes a good startle, it seems, is the way to break through the usual we are caught up in and make us to understand that something rather remarkable has happened in the world. The shepherds knew it, and in this age from their account, so do we.

Have a wonderful Christmas with the One we call Wonderful!

Bucky

Just Regular Working Folks

Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Luke 2:8

Around these parts, the title for today might be 'winter is coming' but that one seems overused nowadays. This year, it would seem that winter will begin exactly on time after a quite mild autumn for us. Back around the year in which Jesus our Lord was born, some people were doing what most of us will do today: going to work that is. Whether we are retired from one long-term job and just going out to the shop behind the house to work on something, going to a business owned and operated, or employed by another, we will do just what a bunch of shepherds did back in the day. We don't know for sure what season it was, but those folks may have sensed a coming change in the weather too. What they didn't sense was an outburst of angels.

We look at the heavens and ask the weather prognosticators what will happen today and tomorrow. Those shepherds probably looked at the heavens and admired God's handiwork in the stars. Neither of us typically look toward Heaven to see if angels have anything to announce. That night, the shepherds would have been a bit less frightened out of their wits had they done so! We too look forward to a particular night when an announcement will come from Heaven and our Lord Jesus will return for us. The shepherds and us are just regular working folks, but we may be well advised to pay more attention toward God's Heaven as on just any regular working day or evening, we too might find ourselves bathed in the light of God's glory as an important announcement is made.

Grace is here and Christmas is coming once more!

Bucky

Enjoy The Wait

Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matthew 24:30-31

One week until Christmas Day! As a child the waiting can be tremendously difficult. We are in a similar period in our waiting for Jesus to return. We long to see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and yet we must wait. So, might as well enjoy the wait!

Enjoy the wait? When in this life has waiting ever been enjoyable? Fallen and broken humans that we are, we don't do waiting very well. Whether it is the anxious waiting for something we dread or the childlike near certainty that the big celebration day will never come, we don't do waiting very well and to enjoy the wait seems an impossible task. However, when Paul calls us to rejoice in all things, that is his command to us - enjoy the wait.

Just like salvation, what is impossible for us is possible with God. Looking around at the world, we cannot fathom how anyone could possibly enjoy this period of waiting for our Lord to return. As always, we look in the wrong direction when we do that. Look to God and learn from Him how to endure and enjoy the wait for His Son's glorious return.

One week to Christmas, aagh! I can't take the waiting! What if it were only five days until the Rapture of His bride, the Church? Could we stand the waiting then?

Have a Merry Christmas this week,
Bucky

Peace, A Gift of God

But the meek shall inherit the earth,
And shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Psalm 37:11

Easily might one of us lament that we cannot buy up land and properties as some do, but in the great sermon Jesus gave and in the psalm our Lord gave us the key to inheriting more land than we may know what to do with. Perhaps you also labor under the blessing of not having enough loot to buy up the earth. No problemo! Seek meekness instead.

We have not yet known an abundance of peace. Although no one may be assaulting your residence at this moment, we have read and heard about those wars and rumors of war all of our lives. And then there is the war for your soul and mind. We do not know an abundance of peace in this world. Yet, we also know that God's promises and gifts are true, as He is the Truth.

Therefore, we have not yet inherited the earth through our meekness under the Father, and we have not yet known an abundance of peace as we are still under the tribulation of this world. But, God has promised that we shall and Jesus has given us His peace.

The Roman world wasn't any better when our Lord was born, but the angels gave God's message of peace on earth and goodwill toward men. So, do we believe what we see all around us or what God has promised? Of course we know from Hebrews 11:1 that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. That means the elders lived in faith just as we can now. It is still about faith. God's promises will be fulfilled in His time. David chose faith when he wrote our verse for today as he too did not enjoy an abundance of peace in his lifetime. Then Paul had an answer for us as well since we through Christ live at peace with God. His gift of peace is already at work within; let us rejoice in the coming fulfillment!

Grace and peace to you in this Christmas season!

Bucky

Joy It Is

But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You;
Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them;
Let those also who love Your name
Be joyful in You. Psalm 5:11

In this age it is easy to write about the darkness of sin, for it is often reported to us and is indeed all around us. And we too are tempted toward it daily by the old nature of our flesh and the desire of the enemy to see us fall. The Lord gave me joy today as the subject when I was tempted toward writing about darkness.

When it comes to darkness and tribulation in this life there is no lack of material to write about. When it comes to rejoicing and joy, then it becomes a real struggle to find some good news to report. Good news... something about that seems to ring a bell deep in my Christian discipleship, if only I could put a name to it.

Of course in this Christmas season we have many reminders of the good news named Jesus and Immanuel. From the very first moments of His birth, good news came to us. “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people," said the angel to the shepherds abiding in the darkness of the Judean fields. The shepherds up to that moment may have struggled to find good news to pass along just as we do in this day. After they had visited a certain manger in Bethlehem though, they had some glad tidings to report, some good news for all to hear. They had a testimony of Jesus the Christ, and that is all the good news we need.

A light has shined in the darkness, have a merry and joyful Christmas in Christ Jesus!

Bucky

The Royal Line

Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David. Luke 2:4

The story in fantasy land starts with a hidden king, queen, prince, princess, etc. There is a prophecy that a child from the royal line of the great ancient ruler who lived in a time when everything in the kingdom was right and just and altogether peachy will return to set everything right. In our fantasy story Joseph should stand up and be that king, but he didn't. Joseph had to work for a living and the company he worked for kept telling him in the middle of the night to get up and move his family. Is it Mary then? Was Israel due for a queen? Nope, she raised several children but did not rule the land or boot out the Romans.

Ah, it's the firstborn son! Of course, we should have known in our fantasy story that the background must be set up first. A humble beginning, a family that is somehow repressed or disadvantaged from partaking in their royal position (and the imagined benefits thereof), and of course the danger from the forces of the world's evil government. Now we're getting somewhere! The wise guys will of course know this king and the evil usurping ruler will attempt to do something really dirty and underhanded to murder our hero king before he can grow up to be our conquering savior. All set now!

And then the child grew up and died as a many a criminal did under the occupying evil power from a foreign land at the strong urging of the oppressed people? What happened here? Our fantasy story of right and good rising up to win the day went way off track. Evil was not defeated, no king took his throne in the capital city, and the hero of the story lay cold in the tomb.

You will easily recognize that we came in the middle of that story and have not reached the end yet. Jesus did not take up the throne of Jerusalem in the 1st century because the world was not ready for Him to be king. Quite a few priests, rulers, and others thought this story ended one Passover Sabbath back in the day as Jesus lay in the tomb outside Jerusalem, but we know better. Isaiah passed along to us many prophecies about the first appearing of our Lord, but he also wrote down many more that have not yet come to pass. Jesus himself promised to return and bring us with Him to our eternal home, and that has not yet happened. The triumphant end to this story where the King of kings comes to vanquish evil and reign in righteousness is still to come for us. Because of all the stories of that good and true king returning from a humble birth after many hidden generations, this one is no fantasy. The darkness is deep in our time, but the light still shines from Bethlehem and our King is coming soon!

Have a Merry Christmas on this day!
Bucky

Walking In Darkness

​The people who walked in darkness
​​Have seen a great light;
​​Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
​​Upon them a light has shined. Isaiah 9:2

Why do we celebrate the birth of Christ so much? No one but God even knows the exact date of our Lord's birthday, yet we have this big celebration leading up to December the 25th. Certainly the season of giving lends itself to commercialization, but much of that is simply people struggling to survive another year and wanting to give their loved ones valuable gifts as well. The commercials may get tiresome, but let us not deny another the benefits of a season when gift giving opens up the tight wallets just a bit. But, other holidays open up the bank vaults to spending too, so that cannot be the only reason to celebrate Christ's birth.

We don't know the date and we can spend at any time of the year, so why the big celebration? I think that even those who do not yet believe see the light shining in the darkness. Hope is a word which does not occur often enough in the news reports we read each day. Yet, one night in Bethlehem of Judea, a child was born with some special announcements. Shepherds saw the hosts of Heaven singing glory to God in the highest. A betrothed virgin received an angelic visitor who came with a remarkable message. An older married couple conceived late in life a messenger who would announce the coming of the Child's ministry. A man about to be married had a dream wherein an angel informed him of his betrothed's complete faithfulness to God. Wonders surrounded this birth in fulfillment of centuries old prophecy. And this birth gave us hope for a healing light that could remove from us the burden of our sin.

The Christ came and He did all that God's justice demanded to pay for the sin of all God's children. Our hope is in Him, and the celebration of His birth is our gratitude for that great gift God gave to us these many years ago. Walking through life in darkness, we have seen a great light and His name is Jesus!

Bucky

Starting The Season 0-1

As it is written: ​​“There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:10

It is not a question of fairness, though we feel it unfair, but each and every one of us began this season called life with a record of 0-1. Before we even knew to play in the game or what contest we were engaged in, we had a loss on our record. And, since God in His perfect holiness cannot allow any 'teams' with a loss on their record into His eternal kingdom, we were lost before we had a chance to gain a winning record.

Of course, a quick read through the law with an honest look at our deepest thoughts would reveal not only that one loss we began life with, but many, many more besides. With a few selfless good deeds on my record, I would estimate mine at something like 45-1,075,624,212 or something like that. And that is giving myself more credit than I deserve I suspect. In other words, there is no chance at all for me to redeem my 'team' by a winning record of truly selfless good deeds in my later years. Place dear old me on the scales of justice at the end and surely I will fall below the mark.

Thank the Lord on High that it is not dependent upon my good record!

No, there is a much greater weight on the good side of that dreaded scale - the weight of a Savior who died for me on the cross quite near where He was born. Every loss my 'team' suffered in this life is paid for by the Lord Jesus. Had the Huskers and Broncos had such an overwhelming victor on the winning side of their records this year both would have been champions. Whoa, that was a real stretch of fantasy there! Actually, Paul's comparison would be more like a team that had never won a game being given the championship trophy. So it is with all of us who are saved by Jesus - we have nothing to offer Him in the way of a victory over sin and death: all of the victory comes from Christ alone!

Merry Christmas to you on this sunny weekend!
Bucky

It Began With Prayer

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. Luke 1:13

Both divine command and prophecy, the angel informed the priest that he would have a son and what to name him. Which is a good thing because Bubba the Baptist doesn't quite have the same ring to it. Where did this rather startling announcement come from though?

Luke lets us know that Elizabeth and Zacharias were middle aged or greater and that they had been given no children to bless their lives. For however long he had done it, Zacharias had prayed for a child but the time had not come until later in life. So, what was it about this prayer that brought the angel running to tell Zac the good news? Perhaps just the timing of the thing? Certainly God is in charge of the timing of all things, but we might know at least one thing that Zac's prayer was not - selfish.

Say Zac went into his closet and prayed something like this:

"Lord, grant me a son that I might show those no good bumpkins at the city gate that I still got it!"

Probably not a prayer that would be rising up before God like a sweet incense. However, what if Zac got down for 40 or 50 years and prayed that his wife might be blessed with a child for her comfort? Or maybe a conversation with God of how much Elizabeth had been hurt by the talk of the other old ladies who were now grandmas and great grandmas, and how they looked down on her in so many ways? Zacharias had perhaps learned over many years to pray selflessly and generously, and those prayers are a sweet incense before God.

The birth of John, who would go before the Lord Jesus like Elijah, came about with a prayer. What prayer might you and I speak in our closet that would go before the return of our great Lord?

Have a prayerful Christmas!
Bucky

Jerusalem

To declare the name of the LORD in Zion,
​​And His praise in Jerusalem,
​​When the peoples are gathered together,
​​And the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.  Psalm 102:21-22

The world changes a bit right before our eyes: Jerusalem has been declared the capital of Israel...by our president. Does this mean anything? Yes, many nations still recognize the word of the US president as having far-reaching consequences in the world. What might it mean for the return of our Lord? ('Cuz, that's what we really want to know, ain't it?)

This event reminds me of what Jesus said to John the Baptist of how they had to do things properly. John did not want to baptize Jesus but be baptized by Him. "But Jesus answered and said to him, 'Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he allowed Him." (Matthew 3:15) It might seem to us that Jerusalem should be named capital after Jesus returns there, but perhaps this is another of those proper order things that are done to get us ready for the return of our Lord.

Might there be other consequences from this announcement by our governmental leader? Sure, and some may be difficult to bear as the world reacts to this news. Let us not let fear keep us from fulfilling anything that must be done prior to the coming of our Lord Jesus. Such as? Such as celebrating another annual celebration of our Lord's birth!

Have a merry Christmas in Christ our Lord!
Bucky

Evil Causing Pain

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested. 1 Chronicles 4:10

His mother saddled Jabez with a tough burden in life. The name Jabez means 'he will cause pain', and his mother named him that because she bore him in pain. Jabez had to live with the burden of his name until he brought it in prayer to the Lord God. And just like that, the burden was lifted from him!

We have prayed for blessings, an enlarging of territory in various ways, and that the hand of the Lord would be with us. We have even prayed at our Lord's advice that the Father keep us from the evil one. Jabez, perhaps feeling the burden of his name, prayed to be kept from doing evil so that he would not cause pain to others. This is certainly an obedience to our Lord's command that we love our neighbor as ourselves!

What a great relief Jabez must have felt to have that burden lifted away. We too can have long-held burdens lifted from our weak and quaking shoulders by the Lord our Father. Whether the pain was caused to us or we caused the pain to others, the Lord works swiftly to remove that which is crushing us to the ground. Not swiftly enough for you? One day we will see how swiftly the Lord worked in our behalf, but for now some burdens do seem long and terrible to each of us. Bear up faithfully and patiently, dear one, the Lord has not forgotten any of His suffering sheep!

A merry and grateful Christmas to you!
Bucky

A Unique Event

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

A search in the New King James version of the Bible shows that 'overshadow' is found exactly one time in the word of God. The honor of this overshadowing is bestowed upon Mary, but it is the power of the Highest that does the overshadowing. What a unique event this was!

Of course this does tend to bring up a few questions. Did the Lord use one of Mary's eggs? How far along was baby Jesus created in Mary's womb? You may think of others, but what we need to know is told to us through the holy scriptures. God's Son came down to Earth in a unique way. Unique, but well-publicized - there was no secret here. Isaiah was given the advance notice about 700 years earlier of the virgin birth, Micah was given the birth location, and many other prophets were given additional news about this very special birth. Then, at the time of the event, kings or wise men from far away were notified, shepherds in the field were told, and of course the happy parents knew that this special birth was from God. So, when the power of the Highest overshadows you, be ready for a unique event!

And indeed, each of us does enjoy a unique event when we come to believe in Jesus the Christ. For it is the power of the Highest that grants a rebirth in the Spirit to those who believe in Him. As Nicodemus found out, we will not come out of the womb again, that overshadowing is unique to our Lord Jesus, but we do enjoy the fruits of the Spirit from this rebirth.

From the rebirth in Christ made possible by the unique birth of Christ, Merry Christmas to you!

Bucky

A Horror Story of the Bible

And it came to pass in those days, when there was no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. Judges 19:1

Judah, Bethlehem, no king in Israel, a young virgin, later there is a donkey and a journey involved, but this is not the Christmas story, not by a long ways. Reading the story in Judges 19 involves delving into so much iniquity that we get a picture of what it will be like when the Comforter takes a step back and man is left on the Earth without God. Sin piles upon sin and there is death in horrible ways, destruction, disloyalty, disregard for human life and dignity, debauchery, so that it becomes hard to list all the sin in this story.

The Lord is not mentioned at all in this horrid chapter, the children of Israel are not in Jerusalem, and women are offered to the sons of Belial, and that is only part of the grotesque morass of sin in this anti-Christmas story. Those who want God out of all things should take a moment to read what it will be like here when God does as they desire. Think anyone will be empowered by God's departure? Best think again, for this horrible chapter shows exactly what will come when the spirit of restraint God has given to the world is removed and His church is taken up from this place.

God's word shows us in several places what happens when we are left to our own devices as a group and as individuals. The Christmas story, on the other hand, is what happens when God comes down to us and makes a way for us to live in Him!

Have a merry Christmas!
Bucky