A Greater Need

And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. Mark 2:4

Those persons in law enforcement might call this a crime. Others might call it rude. The homeowner might interject a word or two. But those carrying the paralytic had a greater need and knew by faith that Jesus held the solution to their friend's problem. The scripture story does not tell us whether the four remained behind to repair the roof or not. The paralytic walked away with his bed as Jesus told him to do. The scribes and Pharisees present? Well, they griped and complained about Jesus, and of course refused to believe even as they marveled at what they had seen with their own eyes. Some people will not be saved no matter what they observe. We can only pray that their greater need will one day become known to them. For the greatest need we all share is to be redeemed by the sacrifice of Jesus the Christ.

Bucky

A Prayer For Action

Though our iniquities testify against us,
act, O LORD, for your name’s sake;
for our backslidings are many;
we have sinned against you.
  -- Jeremiah 14:7

Oh, here we go again, another wanna-be preacher calling us to the door knocking thing. Nope, this call to action by way of prayer came from the prophet Jeremiah to the Lord God. And with three lines of sin confession to one request for action, Jeremiah admits that it isn't for anything righteous he or his people have done. Our calls to the Lord for His action must be of similar format since we are by no means any more deserving than Judah was back in Jeremiah's day. While we are quite proficient in prayers for the Lord's action, perhaps we have come up a wee bit short on the confession parts? Let us confess our sin to the Lord, and then we can enjoy the mercy of Christ Jesus and live!

Bucky

A Reminder

In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  John 14:2

Jesus is on a mission, and it is to our benefit! We have passed this way before. Our verse for today is both famous and sometimes debated. But this morning I asked of the Lord and He sent this reminder to us. His Son is on an important mission to prepare something great for you and me. Yes, this very morning someone will likely remind you of some rule of the law or prophets that you have failed. I didn't include myself because I have already failed even before getting to the morning writing. It's that easy to fail and sin before the law. That is why we are saved by the One who has gone to prepare a place for us, and not by our efforts at law keeping. So, believe in Jesus and prepare to see a grand new place in God's house one day!

Bucky

Do You Believe This?

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”   John 11:25-26

Lazarus lay dead in the tomb, and Jesus asked Martha this question. But first she had to show off her knowledge of the last day. Jesus took her a step further, do you believe this now? In other words, do you believe Me? Do you believe that Jesus, the man standing before you, has authority over life, death, and everything? The question is not just for Martha, but has come down to each of us through the Word of God. Do you believe this? Would it help your belief if someone dead four days was raised up from his tomb? Martha was asked to believe before Jesus raised Lazarus. And credit to her for answering with a positive 'Yes!' We also face that same test. Before you, me, or any of our beloved are raised from the dead, we must believe this. 

We must believe Him!

Bucky

Autumn of Reconciliation

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. Colossians 1:21-22

A loved one may have passed on before you or I had a chance to reconcile with him. We hold faithfully to a hope in Christ that we will have our chance in Heaven. However, do we have a time, perhaps a brief time, to reconcile with someone here on the earth? Yes, as long as we are alive here and the earth keeps on turning, we have time. We have one superpower that Christ our Lord grants to all who believe in Him, forgiveness. But reconciliation requires both sides of the conflict to do their part. The transgressor must sorrow over the sin and express that sorrow to the victim. That may not always happen, and then reconciliation may have to wait. Our forgiveness can start a reconciliation, but cannot force it to completion. So then we pray.

Please start a prayer with me for a season of reconciliation in our land,

Bucky

Pete's Contradiction

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 1 Peter 3:15-16

Explanation time for the apparent contradiction? Nope! Today we have the Jesus Rules Party on one side and the party For Pete's Sake on the other. In place of asking for an explanation from Peter, seeking wisdom from Jesus in prayer, or knocking on Paul's door to get some teaching, the two parties have squared off on social media. One might expect that with such rapid communication available to them, the two parties would seek further understanding of one another. But no! They like holding opposing positions. The Jesus Rules party is no longer interested in following Jesus nearly so much as they are in ruling. The election of Peter to First Pope has inflamed the For Pete's Sake party to new levels of political rhetoric. With this latest writing the Jesus Rules party is certain beyond any reason that the so-called First Pope should be excommunicated forthwith!

That all sounds so ridiculous, dear Bucky. Why didn't you just try to explain the apparent contradiction? You might ask.

Yes it does, but you can also see how I simply took events from the past few years and stirred them into a rough story that never happened. Sadly, our current story has become inflamed to the point of murder. And commentary on the murder has become a sort of backlash culture that has organizations terminating jobs left and right...uh, oops, sorry about that. (Left and right pun, good grief, the guy never stops!) However, the nation whose constitution guarantees freedom of speech is once again perilously close to ending that right, and not so long after a thing called cancel culture threatened it so severely.

Prayer for our nation is in order!

Bucky

Fantasy Call

Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say. Luke 12:11-12

This morning as I dillied and dallied, I saw myself rising up, as another ceded the pulpit, and speaking words that were received as wise and good. Yes, it is the older feller's version of the boy's fantasy about that touchdown in the big game. If a person thinks that his own words are wise and good, that is not a call to the ministry but a temptation to start a cult. So important is the teaching of the Holy Spirit to us that we read of Jesus telling those who were to be grabbed and brought before the authorities to not rehearse what they might say in the moment. It would seem that if given the chance to speak to the official inquisitor, Jesus did not want either His disciples or us to get in the way of His word.

But wait, contradiction time! Did not Peter tell us to always be ready to give a defense? Yes, he did, in 1 Peter 3:15. It seems we have a subject for another day!

Go with God this day,

Bucky

Did He Say Reward?

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. Revelation 22:12-13

Reward, He said? Is this where the meek inherit the earth? No, an inheritance is not a reward for work. We have seen some get an inheritance in this life who deserved nothing but a kick in the backside. The final paycheck maybe? If it were payment for work performed, then we don't usually call that a reward. Also, one would have to wonder where such payment would be spent with the world as we know it gone and fled away. The reward of our Lord's Christ also does not bring to mind bags of gold or gift cards to our favorite big box stores. Even lands and property won't work as an answer because of the meek inheritance thing. So what could this reward be? Salvation? No, much was said earlier in the New Testament regarding salvation by faith and not of works. Plus the apostle mentioned the boasting thing, and surely the Lord would not want an eternity with a bunch of boasters. So, what could this reward be that the Lord brings with Him?

Some may have answers they hold dear, but as for me, I'm not too proud to say that I do not know. By faith in Jesus though, I know that it will be something awesome!

Bucky

Dealing Before The Disaster

So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Genesis 19:17

Tuesday? Yes, I'm sneaking one in on you. Usually our Bible study group meets early this morning, but this year for the first time since I joined in 2013 our group has struggled to gather for the past couple of months. It is a season of vacations, illness (mine), internet outages, and some goofing off that has prevented our study at times. This sort of thing is not unusual except in the concentration of the challenges we have faced as a group. Now, as we are going about our usual life, imagine that two angels show up and issue the words shown in our verse for today.

Escape? From what? If one believes the words, then he will hot foot toward the nearest mountains as commanded. If one happens to be named Lot, then he might try to cut a deal even as angels are warning of impending destruction. And Lot did. Lot claims in his dealing that he cannot escape to the mountains lest some evil overtake him and he dies. Which is a bit humorous in that just a few verses later, Lot leaves Zoar, because he was afraid to stay there, and goes up into the mountains to live. From the story it is easy to see that Lot dealt in fear, the same way many of us live today.

Trust in the Lord Jesus, let His love drive out your fear,

Bucky

There Is Hope

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  Genesis 6:5

A casual glance at the news might make it appear that the world is in the same state as our verse for today, but not so fast there! It is hard for us to imagine a world where every intent and thought was only evil...continually. Even for one of us to pause and wonder about it means that one thought is not given over to evil for that moment. Even this morning many people are going to work determined to do a good job for their employer, which we should do according to the scriptures. Others are hoping to simply endure another Monday. That's a lot of not-so-evil thoughts going on there. Of course there can be more than just enduring a day, and more than doing a good job, we can embrace a higher calling in loving our neighbors as ourselves. 

Jesus confirmed that the loving of the person next to us was indeed the second greatest of commandments and like the first, which was to love God with our all. There is hope for us when even one of us will keep that love alive. 

Love to you in Christ our Lord,

Bucky

Waiting On Him

And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4

It is no easy walk to live life waiting on this verse to come to pass. And yet, yesterday evening came and the prayers of thanksgiving and sorrow were prayed to God our Father. Somehow Jesus walked each of us through another day of mourning while we also worked, learned, taught, and performed many other daily tasks. And it still bothers me that I am writing another message much like so many that have come before. This is not a day to give up though. While social media makes it apparent that the love of some has grown ice cold in this age, keeping the love of Christ active in the heart remains a primary concern for those who believe in Him. 

To love, and Jesus who makes loving possible!

Bucky

Comfort Them

Blessed are those who mourn,
For they shall be comforted.
  -- Matthew 5:4

Before yesterday I was not familiar with Charlie Kirk and his work. Before yesterday I might have hoped for a time to mourn for those closest to the man after his death. Social media put my naivety to rest rather quickly on that! What do I learn from this? That Jesus gave to us a potential response to the bereaved in His great sermon, those mourning shall be comforted and we have a great opportunity to be among the comforters. Some will choose something else, especially on social media, but we are only responsible to the Lord Jesus for our response. And that is to love and comfort those hurt by the actions of evil in this world. 

May the Lord Jesus Christ comfort us all,

Bucky

Then You Will Know

Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.  John 8:28

Wait, what? After Jesus was lifted up on the cross and rose again from the dead, the Pharisees still did not know or admit that Jesus was the Son of Man. Even as Peter, James, and the other apostles spread the Gospel of Jesus, the Pharisees threw them in prison, killed them, and refused to know. So, when does this knowing take place? It may be one of those things where one, Nicodemus, began to know, then another, Joseph, and still another in Paul some years later came to know that Jesus was who He said. It may be that in the final years of this age the Pharisees become the largest force of our Lord's evangelists the world has ever seen, when they lift Him up as the Son of God and the Son of Man all at once. It happened with Paul, it could come once more. 

Rejoice in the Lord Jesus, He has this!

Bucky

Casting Doubt

I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1:9

These days it is popular to cast doubt at any group other than your own. If you do not feel this in your life, run for public office and you will soon have all the doubt you can wish for cast right at your door and yourself. John wrote a letter to the seven churches which are in Asia, and from the get-go doubt has been cast. Some doubt the revelation happened, others doubt that it will have any literal fulfillment, and one book I began last week even cast doubt on poor John himself. Why all this doubt? Well, it is right there in our verse for today, "for the testimony of Jesus Christ." Yes, state your testimony of Jesus and you too will have doubt cast at you. It might even come more quickly and with more force than any political position one may take.

Who knew that your testimony of Jesus or mine could be so divisive? Well, Jesus did of course. Even His people voted Him out before the Roman governor.

Bucky

The Prince Of Division?

Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. Luke 12:51

This morning with but a few words I can become to some a flaming liberal Christian, while with those same words become an intolerant fundamentalist Christian to others. I will not attempt to write those words lest I break apart from the strain of conflicting opinion this morning! It may seem a little funny that some of us may have thought that these words of Jesus in our verse today would somehow pass over the Church, maybe even our particular little church. Division, we don't want no stinking division; the Lord Jesus is supposed to be the Prince of Peace, not division! And yet, from what may be the most recent writing of the Bible, if AD 95 can be called recent, John wrote to seven churches in Asia Minor, and they were all different. What! Already? Ha, Mary Magdalene met the risen Jesus outside the tomb that first morning, and the disciples did not believe her story. Yes, division came that quickly.

And still, the Lord will bring us all back together in Him, and He will be the Prince of Peace, Isaiah foretold it! (9:6)

Bucky

Not In Despair

We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair.  2 Corinthians 4:8

Despair is an easy thing to slide into, but entirely inappropriate for those who believe in Jesus our Lord! Paul reported being hard-pressed, in that proverbial space between the rock and a hard place, and yet he was not in despair. He confessed to being perplexed, but still not in despair. I don't have to guess that at some point in your life, you have been perplexed and hard-pressed just as Paul was in his time. But did you despair? That may have happened, Paul may not have succeeded in remaining despair free his first time either. In fact this may have been the 76th time he faced a tough test before he remembered the Lord Jesus and did not fall to despair. We sometimes think that Paul always got it right the first time out, but that is likely not the case. 

I pray that none of these are in despair now, dear Lord Jesus. And if they are, please rescue them quickly!

Bucky

The Easy Part

This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him. John 2:11

Heyo! The disciples have believed and the journey begins. So, why did the disciples have so much trouble with belief later on? Well, ya know friends this miracle may seem tame or easy to our fledgling belief. As for the disciples, they may not have seen the water, or they may have enjoyed a bit too much of the really good wine. If belief in Jesus came easily to them at the first, it would also depart easily later when challenged by His words and other actions. Wine could be left behind, walked away from, even eliminated from the body. "You must be born again," challenges the faith to remain faithful to the One who does the rebirthing. And as adults, like Nicodemus, they had reason to doubt that to be born again was even possible. However, this rebirth must be faced and decided on, to believe in Jesus or not. And the disciples had not even heard the drinking His blood and eating His flesh part yet, the old vampire-cannibal thing that would strain their new faith to the max!

The beginning of His signs was the easy part, and then He kept going on about dying and rising up again.

Bucky