Oh Dear! Proof of Him

But Saul became more and more capable, and was causing consternation among the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ. Acts 9:22 NET

It seems we had some intense discussion in our little town board meeting on Monday evening. I was not there having worn myself out doing a trash-out on yet another foreclosed house, although by 6:30 that evening when I finished I certainly could have raised the stink level at the town meeting. Yes, a great consternation might have engulfed the meeting well before the fireworks began. But that isn't how Paul did it.

The word, consternation, is not used in the New King James version of the Bible, so I had to stretch out a bit. However that may be, Saul, the same we know as Paul, caused consternation in a group of folks by proving that Jesus is the Christ! Now that is the way to cause some consternation. For our education purposes: Consternation is feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected. While the sheriff and the mayor going at it in a public meeting is certainly unexpected, I think what Paul did trumps anything we might see in a town board meeting.

To a group of Jews, Paul proved that Jesus is the Christ. Had this come from a Gentile, it would have been quite remarkable, but Saul, as he was known by his Hebrew name, was one of them, a champion of Pharisee University, a former persecutor extraordinaire of those who followed the Way. Yet, here was the man with a changed life proving that Jesus is the Christ. May we also show our changed lives to the world through God's amazing Way.

Praise to God for old Saul!
Bucky

Rejoicing in Hope

... rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; Romans 12:12

This verse is but a piece of a sentence from Paul, but oh what wonderful exhortations to us! Rejoice in how valuable the word of the Lord may be to us with just one verse. Notice the weight of teaching with just three little groups of words. We need much context with this lesson, but the Holy Spirit responds to the word with the riches of grace and faith.

Rejoicing in hope: Yes, we live in a fallen world struggling to pull a living out of a cursed soil. Whatever our job or profession there seldom seems to be enough for us to harvest. Yet, we have a great hope in Jesus, who has gone to prepare a place for us in Heaven. And it is this hope that allows us to be...

Patient in tribulation: The Lord said we would have it in this world (John 16:33) but to be of good cheer. Patience during the testing when suffering seems to be the only thing going for us is a tough road to walk. When pain comes, I think enviously of those Jesus healed with a touch, completely and in a moment. Healing that quickly has not happened yet for me, Peter's shadow has not fallen over me nor has the Master's touch been felt in my infirmity with an instant reprieve, but I do look forward to those healing leaves of Heaven. We have faith, and quite likely more help than we know in our Lord Jesus. We find our help and solace in...

Continuing steadfastly in prayer: It is our way to the Father's throne room, a small part of the sweet incense rising up before the Lord, our prayers are ever before Him. Steadfast prayer often comes to mind faster when the pain is more intense and longer lasting. However, Paul did not give us this advice for just those rough days but for everyday. Through steadfast prayer we can rejoice in hope on the good days too. Be of good cheer for one day we will no longer need patience in tribulation, and the rejoicing will begin for good!

Have a great week, winter is here!
Bucky

Searching For Joy

So there was great joy in Jerusalem, for since the time of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, there had been nothing like this in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 30:26

Happiness runs and hides from tough circumstances but joy is a more constant companion. I eagerly await my showers of joy from the Lord!

Hmm, I don't feel any showering. Maybe that is my problem. It may be that I have fallen into the trap of this generation in expecting everything to be handed to them with no work involved? In Turning Point today, Pastor David Jeremiah wrote about a man's search through the scriptures for all instances of joy (and cheer, gladness, happiness, blessed, and hopeful). Of course I rejoiced that all that he found would be quickly and easily handed to me. Uh, no, it was the search that caught my eye. A quest may be what the Lord desires of me for my development in His kingdom.

A word search is simple thanks to the Blue Letter Bible web site, or for the old-fashioned folks a copy of Strong's concordance, but what about the context of these instances of joy? That is where Bible study will come in with prayer to align myself with God's guiding Holy Spirit. A quest for joy in the Bible is a noble effort, one sure to produce rich rewards and a changed life. And we could surely use some joy in this dark age.

For example in the verse for today we find a joy that had not happened in quite some time. So long that the writer made note of it for future generations to read and study. If the joy of the Lord has left you and me for a long time, perhaps it is time for us to quest for His words of joy in the Bible and find something that hasn't happened since way back in the day.

May God work in us to work in Him on this great day!

Bucky

A Rapturous Self-Interest? You Bet!

Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” Revelation 6:1

It goes downhill fast from there. Scholars and ministers of the Word are not quite sure when the Rapture of the Church will take place. Before is the preferred timing because the judgments revealed in the Revelation are downright frightening. I will admit to a certain rapturous self-interest in the premillennial point of view on the Rapture. Sign me up! I don't want to be here when those judgments go from revealed in God's word to actually entering the stage of world events.

Three out of four people alive at the breaking of that first seal will not live to see the completion of the Apocalypse and the return of our Lord Jesus. Those are not great odds, and the one of four that makes it will endure all manner of suffering and deprivation for those seven long years. It is estimated that the odds of becoming involved in a deadly auto accident are one in three in a lifetime. That means two out three will not have to endure one - and I couldn't even beat those far better odds. How in the world could one such as me expect to survive the Tribulation? Yes, there is a bit of self-interest in the premillennial hope of the Rapture, and I wholeheartedly admit it!

The good news is that I want everyone else to go with us in this escaping of the terrible Tribulation. If the Rapture is the ejection seat that rockets us out of here before that first seal is broken, we should be pulling on that handle. I tried this morning, but Jesus hasn't pulled the safety pin to arm my ejection seat yet. Like all of you I will have to wait on His timing. While we are waiting though, we have this Good New of Jesus Christ to spread around, and a life lived in faith and His love is a great way to do it!

Here's to all of us going home before that terrible Tribulation!

Bucky

The News We Need Today

How beautiful upon the mountains
Are the feet of him who brings good news,
Who proclaims peace,
Who brings glad tidings of good things,
Who proclaims salvation,
Who says to Zion,
“Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7

There is too much bad news in the world right now. We need to be watchful and stay aware of it, but it can be a temptation to stare into the darkness too much. Indeed those living in darkness have seen a great light, and He brought us the good news of eternal salvation. Far better for us to stare lovingly at the Light and the Life than to spend much time mulling over the darkness in the world. That darkness can seep into our souls and bring the most cheerful of God's children into despair over the state of this world. Prayer is our answer when all seems dark around us!

Prayer is our lifeline to the Lord Jesus Christ. Prayer takes the mind from darkness and into the light, and indeed is our connection to that great Light who shined in the darkness of Judea way back in the day. Let the darkness remind us of how much we and the world need our Lord Jesus. We need some good news today, and Jesus is the good news!

May the good news of our Lord come to one and all this day,

Bucky

What Was Far Away

I was sad, as though they were my friends or family,
as if I were grieving for my own mother. Psalm 35:14

What was far away comes closer as the stories emerge of persons we knew nothing about on Sunday morning.

Death capriciously danced through a concert on Sunday evening in Las Vegas. A husband was taken, the wife left. A mother taken, the husband and children left. One friend is gone, the others are left to wonder why. Soldiers for generations have known that there is no accounting for who death will choose in a particular battle. Why leave one spouse to grieve and not take both? Of course marriages have been broken by death for as long as we can remember; it's even in the marriage vows spoken at the ceremony. And then, there was that grief from far away that came closer as we learned their stories.

David stated this so well in his psalm.

First it was just the names, but then the stories began to arrive. Unknown victims become persons with names, faces, families, and stories. We grieve over them though we have never met. Why? I believe that the Spirit of God grieves in us. Some will not admit to any such thing, I'm sure, but something connects us that we cannot explain. Someone grieves who is greater than us and we feel some of His pain. What was far away comes closer with this connection through our Lord God.

Bucky

A Dangerous Anger

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:2-3

The news headlines will have it in bold print this morning, I don't have to tell you anything. Another person with something against people he or she does not even know has shattered any illusion of safety in this land. It is a sad thing.

The Apostle Paul when writing his letter to the Thessalonians was not writing of someone who sets out to kill as many people as he or she possibly can. Murder whether of one or of many is against God's law and always has been. What Paul wrote was by way of warning. None of those Thessalonians lived to see the day of the Lord, and none of us living now may see it in this lifetime either. On the other hand, Paul was convinced that the signs pointed to soon, and we feel the same way in this age nearly 2,000 years later. The point is to be ready to be with our Lord on any day.

Could today be the day that someone is so angry at something entirely unrelated to me that he runs me over with a cement truck? Any of us might ask ourselves that question and come up with that ever present 'maybe'. For a day or two, I'll be extra careful when crossing the street! It is a dangerous anger that diminishes the life of another to where it can be ended so callously. There is only one answer for us when that anger is so far away: prayer. It seems like a powerless answer to many, and they are correct, I am powerless in this, but my Lord is not! Why didn't He stop it? Ask Him! My Lord is not afraid of us asking, in fact He calls for us to do so. See Isaiah 1:18 for your personal invitation to reason with our Lord God.

Have a prayerful day in Christ Jesus,
Bucky

Not At My Table

And they tested God in their heart
​​By asking for the food of their fancy.
Yes, they spoke against God:
​​They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness? Psalm 78:18-19

A classic passage about what we want vs. what we need in life. However, it was tables that entered my mind this morning, as in letting that stinkin' thinking pollute my breakfast table. Back in the day someone might have referred to a bee in the bonnet for something that bothered a person so much that he or she could think of nothing else. Such a test has come into our lives recently here in this little town, and I couldn't help but think that the perpetrator does not deserve a place at my table. This was followed quickly by the admission that when I am doing this sort of thinking, I don't deserve a place at God's table.

Noshing on dark emotions, mulling over things, chewing on my own bile, and other ungodly activities in my mind would not make me suitable at anyone's dinner table much less the sovereign Lord who has been so good to me. Gratitude, praise, worship, and love are far more appropriate attitudes to bring to my Lord's table. The fruits of the Spirit are a better offering to my Lord our host than to disgrace His table with that whirlwind of stinking thinking that has beset my mind recently. Of course in all of this we need our Lord Jesus to strengthen the mind to resist that sort of grumbly hateful mental activity. Time to turn it around to humbly grateful thinking by thinking on my Lord and all He has done and who He is!

It is a tough task as the toxin spread by this man who tests us so seeps deeply into the mind in a breathtakingly short time. Time to well remember the words of John: You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4)

Prayer in place of pernicious pondering! May God be praised on this His day,

Bucky

Do Entertainers Lead Us?

“Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” Matthew 15:14

In this age it seems that too often the voices of entertainers are heard to lead the people. Decide now; will actors, athletes, and singers be our leaders? It seems unworthy of a great people that we should follow those paid to entertain us. I will follow Christ Jesus and let them alone.

Too late, you made that decision long ago and I am glad for us. Those who have experienced the influence of God's own Spirit have seen the evils of blindly following the celebrity culture. We have our idols in this time, and they aren't shy about calling themselves 'idols' or 'stars' any longer. For us stars are those things God created and set in the sky, and the morning stars sang together when God laid the foundation of the Earth. (Job 38:7). I'm sure it is quite flattering for a person to be recognized from that popular show on the television, but we don't need to blindly follow them. It is an honor among men to be selected as a member of an NFL team, but they don't lead us.

I am weary of being caught up in a vain argument. I believe that the United States is blessed enough by our Lord Jesus to survive some people kneeling for our national anthem. We can even get by without an anthem when we have our Lord God first in mind and in life. I have chosen to honor the anthem of my country by standing. When others refuse to stand, it does not make the nation I served any less in my sight. No, the freedom we enjoy in this strong nation blessed by our Lord can be used in both good ways and bad.

Thank You, dear Lord for Your blessings on this nation,

Bucky

P.S. By the way, that kneeling protest thing is so effective that I still do not know why they are doing it.

All You Who Hope In The Lord

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24

Hope begins way back in the book of Ruth where we find our heroine Naomi being, uh, kind of hopeless. I was hoping for a better example to start off with. It seems though that her hope was for a husband in her old age. Hmm, you just never want to give up hope when it comes to old age, the Lord seems to have made a specialty of reviving the elderly back in the day, and He certainly hasn't changed since then.

As a child of the King, you and I are also a part of the Church, the Bride of Christ, and in this we have hope for a husband too. The Church has been around for a while, but we must never think that we are too old. Jesus in His faithfulness will never look aside to choose another. He died to save us, what more could He offer for another?

In our Lord Jesus is our hope. If you cannot understand hope, then perhaps you have none and need to believe in Him. Hebrews eleventy-one tells us that faith is the substance of things hoped for, therefore the first step to having hope is to have faith in Him. Since our hope is for something we do not yet have, it makes sense to grab the substance of it by faith.

And then, in the midst of a shaking and quaking world, God gave us a promise of courage and strength to all of us who hope in the Lord. Courage in the face of a fear-mongering world is something we could all use today. Strength of heart overcomes a great many fears, and the source is Him: the Holy One of God.

Grace and mercy to you who hope in the Lord!
Bucky

Let Us Kneel

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. Psalm 95:6

The 95th psalm is a call to worship that is worship. I love the word of the Lord!

Since kneeling is sure to be a hotly debated and much discussed topic this morning, I thought that I would do a search for it in the Word of God. It is not surprising then that to kneel before the Lord is not a gesture of protest or rebellion, but one of submission and worship. The psalm calls for joy and thanksgiving and tells us to avoid that rebellion against the Lord that came so easily to the people of Israel.

So, the question that comes to mind is: What is your kneeling? Is it a sign of submission to God, or is it calling attention to yourself? When the Pharisees prayed on the street corners, Jesus said that they had their reward; a good indication that they were praying there to draw attention to themselves. What is your cause? Is it righteous or merely sensational? Are you a peacemaker or a conflict enabler?

One thing that has come of this is that we are suddenly paying much more attention to what people are doing during our national anthem. We might also turn to look at what is going on in us during prayer. Are we submitting to the Lord or just firing a list of I-wants up toward Him? What respect should we give to the One who died that we might live? And in honoring Him, what respect is due our nation and those who served that we might enjoy a Sunday of peace? The national stage is always a tempting place to make a personal statement, but is this one the right one? Well might the psalmist say this morning:

Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

Amen, let us bow down and kneel before Him!

Bucky

When It's Over

Now God had brought Daniel into the favor and goodwill of the chief of the eunuchs. Daniel 1:9

Among some fine examples in the Bible are two who had every reason to resist and whine for a better life from God. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers; Daniel was captured by the enemy and given to the chief of the eunuchs. Both had good reason to ask, "What did I do wrong to deserve this fate?" Yet, both chose to serve right where they were, and serve well they did! Both men also found (found?) additional opportunities to fall down and die, but Daniel walked out of the lion's den and Joseph came out of prison, only to once again take up good service to what were to them Gentile rulers.

This comes to mind because this weekend some 'foreign rulers' will close the deal on what to many of us was our lifetime employer. The corporate buyout of Cabela's Inc. - lock, stock, and any empty barrels they find - is due to complete on this coming Monday. Although the lifetime employment of mine was ended earlier than I thought, I and many of my fellow long-serving friends are going to struggle with the feeling that we played for the team that lost the championship in front of the home crowd, bringing them deep disappointment. It may not be an accurate feeling and some may not see that at all, but at least with me that feeling persists. No doubt Joseph and Daniel also faced a weekend when they suffered a similar feeling and may indeed have wondered, "Where were you, God?"

Yet we know from these two fine stories, which anyone can read in Genesis and Daniel, that the two men of God stood up to serve well the foreign rulers they lived under. Joseph and Daniel did not lead a rebellion or fail to give their best as though they served God Himself. (Which they were!) Some of the best stories of God's glorious work in this world come from and within the stories of Daniel and Joseph.

So, Cabela's as we knew it and built it is coming to a close. What service can we offer to others right where we are now, as they say, right where God has planted us? How can we with our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, write a new and inspiring story of service for others to marvel over in coming times? For one thing, we can trust that He never left us and never will leave us. Whether you were tossed out, left on your own, retired, are still there and fear the ax, or have no worries what e'er may come, we belong to the Lord Jesus, and He is writing that inspiring story right now. When it's over, let it be over and we will continue serving Him!

All to God's glory, amen.
Bucky

The Greed Scale

Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness. Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? Luke 11:39-40

What is greed or greedy? I have seen people of all income levels want more than they receive in their paycheck; so it would seem that greed is not solved by having a bigger paycheck, if simply wanting more is greed. One thing I do know is that greed is not the other person refusing to give me whatever I want. There may be a host of reasons for the refusal, my greed perhaps being one of them, but how does that help us narrow down what this greed thing is?

Is greed wanting more than we each need? If that is the case then we have narrowed down the greedy to pretty much all of us; probably not very helpful. Scrooge was described as greedy and we all seem to know what Charles Dickens meant by that. So, is it a desire to always want more at the expense of others and a refusal to help in their plight? Maybe we are getting closer here. Scrooge at the first before his redemption was indeed hardened to the suffering of others.

Pigs are sometimes used as a comparison, but that is hardly fair given that pigs are what they are. Perhaps the comparison is to those who act like pigs at the trough but do not have to be that way? 'Hogging' all of something or attempting to do so when there is no need for such behavior may be another way to get a handle on what greed is. So, we have a disregard for our neighbor as the greedy grabs up all for himself and cares for the other fellow only in striving against him to beat him to all the chow.

The dictionary states: an intense and selfish desire for something, esp. wealth, power, or food. Ah, selfishness is involved is it? That can't be good. We are called to love the Lord and our neighbors, and selfishness does not allow for that. It does not surprise us then that greed and selfishness walk hand in hand. One thing remains though, greed is not relative. When negotiating with Bubba, and he refuses to give in to everything I want, I don't get to call Bubba greedy. That is nothing but selfish pride at work in me. There may be a greed scale out there somewhere and maybe it displays in tons of selfishness, but I don't get to place my selfishness on the scale and say, "Look how much you have weighed me down, Bubba, you greedy thing you!"

That may seem comical now, but I think we have all seen it happen. Lord, please cleanse the inside of this cup so that the greedy one is not me.

Bucky

The Time To Not Worry...Is Now!

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Matthew 6:34

We like to worry about a great many things and we like to know the timing of things too. To an alien observer it might even seem like we listen to weather reports so that we can learn when to worry the most and how to best risk our lives with that quick dash to the store as the tornado warning sounds. Humans have quite the capacity to both worry and to cause themselves more reason to worry. Yet, in His great sermon, Jesus our Lord told us to not worry about today by way of what we should eat, drink or wear, and not to worry about tomorrow.

So, with today and tomorrow off the worry table, I guess the time to not worry is now.

All righty then, enough about that subject!

Indeed, when Jesus made His commands on that subject, He fully expected us to walk away from worry and right into trusting Him completely. And so we should do, and oh boy do I have problems with giving up worry and living in complete faith. The flesh is such a frightened, cringing and detestable little creature, and it does love to paralyze me with worry. Jesus our Lord says to step forth in faith: when will we answer Him, "Yes, Lord!" Yes indeed, the time to not worry is now!

Have faith! The love of our Lord does not fade or grow dim in this present darkness.

Bucky

A Purty Good Idea

Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams,
​​Ten thousand rivers of oil?
​​Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
​​The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
​
He has shown you, O man, what is good;
​​And what does the LORD require of you
​​But to do justly,
​​To love mercy,
​​And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:7-8

Walking in the knowledge of the flesh, we think we have a purty good idea what will please the Lord. This pleasing is remarkably similar to what would please us, if we were to say win the lottery or somethin'.

The story goes something like: if I could just win that big prize, or garner that big bonus, or whatever that big windfall is floating out there in the imagination, then I would give God a big portion of it and He would be so pleased with me. I could hold my head up in church and walk the streets with the knowledge of how good I had been to the Lord. Yup, seems like a purty good idea there.

Then the prophet Micah received a bit of knowledge from the Lord that just shot down my plans for pleasing God with the strength and mightiness of my imaginary generosity. Do justly, love mercy, walk humbly? These things are rather alien to my flesh. I cannot imagine how I might fill a bank account with justice and then give back a chunk to the Lord. And doesn't love have something to do with taking clothing off and wrestling around in bed? (The movies seem to make that point.) No, when it comes to pleasing God the flesh is pretty dumb. No wonder someone invented idols to make offerings to and expect favor; it's easy for the flesh to understand investing in the Great ATM. Humbly? The flesh doesn't get that either; isn't humility for folks who have nothing to offer?

Praise God for the Spirit in me who understands doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our Lord. It is interesting that I cannot please the Lord without the Lord. The flesh I was born with is just too dumb to please God. I needed a rebirth in His Son to begin to understand what pleasing the Lord is all about.

Great is His name in all the Earth!
Bucky

My Mission: His Show

“But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth. Exodus 9:16

Why are we so weak? I guess as Hobbes pointed out once, 15 billion years of evolution probably wasn't enough. Yes, it is easy to mock a theory that hasn't yet made me into a super-genius Wonderman. Life would be just so comfortable and easy with a few superpowers to play with. Instead, we wander through the Bible and the most accurate comparison we get is that of helpless sheep dependent on the shepherd.

Of course, in the end the Son of God is known as the Lamb of God. He is the one found worthy to open the seven seals of the Apocalypse. Out of all the might and strength of Heaven, a Lamb? A Lamb, the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Hmm, maybe it isn't so bad to be known as a sheep. Could it be that sheephood is my highest mission in this life as I serve the Lamb of God?

My mission: His show. We feel so weak and dependent on Him, and yet He has raised up His people, His sheep, to show His power and to declare His name. The sheep tend to run around trying to make a name for themselves, but their purpose is to declare the name of Jesus, to honor the name of the Father, and to make sure that all the world knows the name of the Lord.

Weak, falling apart, and growing old, this sheep is proud to belong to the Lord Jesus. The Lamb of God is our Good Shepherd! Praise His name.

Bucky

Share the Gospel

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. 2 Timothy 1:8-11

I thought that I would share with you one sentence from Paul. One sentence and he took up my whole devotional!

I did a search on 'share the gospel' and this was the only verse in the New King James version that it retrieved for me, a one paragraph sentence. And it doesn't quite have the phrase down either. It says something about sharing in the sufferings. No! Not that again, no more suffering please! Mellow has left me to elope with drama, and now I'm suffering from melodrama.

Praise the Lord, our friend and fellow apostle Paul added 'according to the power of God' for I am quite sure that I cannot do this suffering thing alone. If a friend calls on me to share in the sufferings in my strength alone, I will have to inform him that I have none to offer. My strength to stand up to suffering ended some ways back. Now, according to the power of God, well that is a different story! He has strength and to spare for me. In fact it is through His strength that I live at all.

Suffering is tough, but His strength is wonderful for me!

Bucky

He Shall Stand

 ​​“And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse,
​​Who shall stand as a banner to the people;
​​For the Gentiles shall seek Him,
​​And His resting place shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10

When the Earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord, then a Root of Jesse shall stand as a banner to the people. It sounds like the prophetic part of a good story, and it is! But this is no fantasy novel set in some imaginary land, this is the very promise of the Lord for us.

As Gentiles, we can testify that they are seeking Him. We are seeking Him! And so shall the remainder of His prophecy come to us as we enter into His glorious resting place in that day. Glorious indeed! If you should read more of this story, you will recall the verses that promise peace once more with and among the animal kingdom. Wolves laying down with the lamb, children playing near snake dens, and other wonderful matches that would be dire peril for one of them in this age. Furthermore, a regathering of Israel shall take place.

As we look at the world of today, we can see that God has much work to do in order for His glorious day to happen. Of course, He can do it, and do it much faster than we might think possible. Speed, however, is not always the Lord's main concern. We shall have to wait for that day, and sticking a hand into a venomous snake's den to check is quite likely to be a bad idea today. As our certainty is based on the faithfulness of our Lord, we can know without doubt - yes, in complete faith - that His day will come.

Have a great Friday in our wonderful Lord!
Bucky

The News Blues

And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Matthew 27:2

You might well imagine the headlines of the day when Jesus our Lord was taken in restraints to stand before the Roman governor. It looked like a dark day for those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah. Surely, He would soon break out, stop taking the world's persecution, and do as many expected from their version of Messiah. It did not happen.

We too may have some expectations of our Lord's return that are just a bit off, or maybe even flat out wrong. The news each day may serve up a goodly dose of the news blues, but Jesus may not return today. Indeed the saints of the Most High God are being worn out, but the end may not be quite yet. The harvest is ripe and we have prayed for the harvesters, but that's been going on for almost 2,000 years. So, how close is He really?

We don't know the day of His return any more than they did back in the day when Jesus said that no man can know the hour and date of His return save the Father only. We know it is close; we want to be ready, but just how close we cannot know. Yet, each time the news blues gets you down, know that just as Pilate was a part of the sovereign plan of our Lord, so is this time and its circumstance all a part of God's plan for His Son's returning. Lift up your head, believer in Christ, our redemption draws near!

So soon!
Bucky

Put Me Down For Half

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:37-39

The message from Adrian Rogers this morning asked, "Wholehearted or halfhearted?" My apologies to all those church cheerleaders this morning, but put me down for half. While my heart is in the Lord's keeping and wholly devoted to Him, on those days when I wake up with a sinus headache and other associated complaints sometimes known as the 24-hour virus or the creeping crud or other clever nicknames, my heart just isn't up to encouraging others to shout out their praises to the Lord.

In thinking of those who believe in Jesus, but also have a chronic condition that is hidden, you know the ones where everyone sums up their symptoms with, "You look fine!", one cannot help but wonder if God's love every leaves them even for just a moment. Did they get left out when the Christian blessings were handed around? Like Job's friends are we tempted to tell them, "Just confess what you did wrong, and God will let up on you."

Good news for us in this, whether our suffering is short term or lifelong, Paul reminds us that God's love does not go away, not even for a moment. Any other created thing, as Paul concludes his list, since God created all things, leaves no room for some thing to show up and separate us from God's love. I am glad that whether I feel fully and wholly up to praising the Lord, or when I feel only halfway up for it, neither circumstance separates me from God's love. I am a created thing too, and neither myself nor my weakness can separate me from God's love.

God's love to you on this day,
Bucky

Looking For Sand Castles

“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:26-27

This morning down in Florida, you might imagine looking for all those sand castles I built. Being of the rather dull and predictable sort, I named mine: health, wealth, strength, intellect, and youth. If a person were to earn a doctorate, she might also have one named 'education'. Another person may have become famous in this world and could well have a rather ornate sand castle named, 'fame'. A paragon in this world might this way build up quite a collection of sand castles. Each of us must now go down to the beach where Irma has passed and look for those sand castles, for the judgment has arrived and we must all present what we have done to the Lord.

What? You say a hurricane has nothing to do with the judgment? Well, if our sand castles cannot even stand up to a big storm in this world, what good will it do us in the final judgment?

We know it, but still we build up those sand castles. Youth is the one that requires no storm for its fall. Most of us by now have realized that the sand castle of youth is one of those that melts away a bit each day as the tide comes in and rolls out. Suddenly, or maybe not so suddenly, it seems that we are in our middle ages and that sand castle is looking not quite so strong. Why the tide has eaten away nearly half of it and the remaining rooms are looking a bit saggy too. Most of us will also face an overthrowing of health, wealth, intellect, strength, and the many other sand castles we try to build up in this world. A good tribulation such as Job had in his story can pretty much wipe them all out in one swoop, messenger after messenger, until the wife is telling us to do a terrible thing and get it all over with.

As Jesus told us, we just can't count on those sand castles. Just imagine people driving back down to south Florida this morning looking for a house made of sand they had built on the beach last week. We might think them quite foolish. Well, that is the word Jesus used for those who will not build on Him.

Have a new day in Christ, and a prayer for those all over the world facing disaster and hardship today,

Bucky

A Few Minutes With My Tens of Millions

“He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. Genesis 17:12

Money comes up relatively quickly in the Bible; already at chapter 17 in the Word we are talking money as a word, and look what comes right along with it - slavery, purchasing a human with money. Of course that money could be used to free a person from bondage too; bought for money from a foreigner does not mean the person must remain a slave.

Friday was once a more relaxed sort of day in this devotional message, so I thought I might return there for a bit. Money is a big subject in our current world situation. Nations never seen to have enough of it; banks may be tight or free with it; corporations try to hoard it, avoid taxes on it, and put it to work generating more of it; and we have us individual people who like to buy things with it. Money: can't seem to live without it, and shooting it just leaves a hole in it, which is illegal.

Money is useful for dividing people one from another. That one has more of it, therefore he must be rich. That other one has less of it, therefore she must be what is called 'poor'. But, oh, that Christian minister, he has so much it is a shameful act of plundering of someone, even if they did buy his book voluntarily and give to his church without coercion. In fact, no one can recall him even preaching on tithing which is a common activity in the poorer churches. Money: the great divider.

So, I decided to go up the money scale, and here is where the fictional part of our devotion begins this morning, began increasing my congregation. I managed to write a book that sold well. I mean, really well, as in life-changing well. I did the talk shows, spoke on the radio, toured the country, and began preaching in the stadiums. My book did so well that a salary from my new church was not even needed. Ten percent, ha!, I was giving 100% of my salary, look at the rank I will have in glory! The publisher of that first bestseller sent no less than a senior vice president to present me with an advance check with many zeros on it to ask when I could have the sequel ready. I was sure to give 10% back to the Lord, because it wouldn't do to set a poor example; poor as in like the poor people who can't afford the 10% we say is our Christian duty in order to cash in from the Lord's bounty like I did. People began to ask a common question: How can you just keep all that money?

I don't of course, I spend a lot of it too; in fact, I'm really good at spending it, just look at that house I live in! God has blessed me so well, and He can bless you too! I so convinced myself of it that I now base much of my ministry on it. Good news indeed! Just give me a few minutes alone with my tens of millions, (millions won't work anymore, inflation you know) and I will rationalize how I should enjoy this blessing from God and keep using it for His glory on myself.

What? You say someone just paid Money to redeem me from slavery? Now I belong to Him? But I'm not enslaved, look at how rich I am! Walk away from it? But, but, I can't do that; think of all those who depend on me...

Hmm, that cat has a few more claws on it than I intended this morning. Lesson for today, depend on God; He is not enslaved by money as we so easily are in this world. And praise God for your poverty - riches are a great temptation to turn away from Him.

Bucky

It's All Him

​For unto us a Child is born,
​​Unto us a Son is given;
​​And the government will be upon His shoulder.
​​And His name will be called
​​Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
​​Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

Is it Wonderful and Counselor, or is it Wonderful Counselor? I find that either works, for it is all Him! The original text may have not included punctuation the way we know it, but it gets its message across just the same. I can call His name wonderful, and I can call Him counselor. I am also privileged to call my Lord, Wonderful Counselor. It's all Him!

I could take up an argument with a brother in Christ over whether there should be a comma between those two big titles for our Lord Jesus. Or, he and I could be the first to say, "Brother, our argument is silly; it's all Him!"

I'm borrowing a bit from my Bible study lesson for next week, but I just couldn't resist. For whether we call Him Wonderful today or wait for the next church service or Bible study, it's all Him. We might call Him Counselor today because our need for His counsel is great, or we may use Mighty God today and save His other titles for next week, but it's all Him. Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace, it is all our Lord Jesus; it's all Him!

Son of God, Messiah, the Christ, it's all Him! Rejoice in Him this day,

Bucky

P.S. Our prayers are with those facing the peril and damage of hurricanes and wildfires on this day.

Do Not Diminish A Word

"Perhaps everyone will listen and turn from his evil way, that I may relent concerning the calamity which I purpose to bring on them because of the evil of their doings." Jeremiah 26:3

In the days of the Law, the prophet Jeremiah was sent with a word from the Lord. In our verse for today the Lord expresses His hope for repentance from His chosen people. To make His point, the Lord issued a command to Jeremiah just before this verse: "Do not diminish a word."

When bringing a warning to the people, we are going to feel compassion from the fruit of the Holy Spirit. There is a similar command at the end of the Revelation. What it means is that we are not to water down or go easy with God's Word. If you are given a prophecy to proclaim to the nations, or a nation, it is your job to proclaim accurately and with the full force of the Lord's Word. Compassion is a good fruit, unless we yield to the temptation to soften the blow the Lord intends. To give a softened warning to the person reaching for the live electrical cable is to show a lack of love. Of course you and I would yell with all our might for the person to stop.

Jeremiah was given some tough words from the Lord to deliver up to a people who were not going to want to hear them. Such were the words of prophecy from the Lord that Jeremiah was going to face the temptation to ease up on his people, but the Lord commanded him: "Do not diminish a word!" In this age, actually today as in right now, we seem to have multiple calamities ongoing and headed our way. The effects of one hurricane are barely diminished and another is headed our way. Fires are burning all over the West and Northwest of our nation. And who can tell what that fellow in North Korea wants or is going to do?

Perhaps God's people can start the healing of our land by turning to the Lord in prayer. And don't diminish a word of the fear we feel in the face of calamities. Pour out in prayer the compassion for those caught directly in the storm's path. But, if the word of the Lord is for repentance lest more calamity come our way, then let us stand up boldly and give the Word to the people. It's a tough job, and Jeremiah did it in the strength of the Lord.

The darkness gathers; Jesus is coming soon!

Bucky

Sliding Further Away...Not!

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

In the midst of terrible prophecy comes a hope. Jesus has told us previously that no one but God knows the time of the Son's return. However, someone knew the hour, day, month, and year that a certain group of angels will be released to kill a third of mankind. We know it as the second woe in Revelation or the sixth trumpet judgment. One third of mankind killed is a terrible woe, but with that comes that assurance - there is a time and date already prepared for this. That means for us that the return of Jesus is not something that is sliding further away as this or that event doesn't happen when we think it might.

Yes, this is a terrible dark way to recall such a great event, and we are not immune to the judgment ending the lives of 1/3 of mankind. If this were to take place today more than 2 billion people would lose their lives. All the more reason to warn those who still refuse to believe - this event is on a schedule! And God's schedule cannot be changed. The more folks we can get ready for the Rapture, the less people there will be to face death on that terrible hour, day, month, and year when 1/3 of mankind will be slain by the judgment. Maybe we could get so many people believing in Jesus before the Rapture that only the Antichrist, the Beast, and the false prophet would be left for the sixth trumpet. Take 1/3 of that group! Yeah, if only they will believe our testimony before it is too late.

It may seem unlikely, but we must try as we hurtle day by day toward that terrible hour, day, month and year.

Have faith in Jesus!
Bucky

No Support

​They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
​​But the LORD was my support. 2 Samuel 22:9

Work or no work, it is likely that age will come anyway and some part or parts of the body will fail. There have been those who seem to have enjoyed an easy life without stress to the limbs and joints sit in the doctor's chamber o' horrors right beside the working man and woman with a similar complaint. Office job or working stiff, it is likely that you and I will suffer repetitive motion injuries from something. Folks who work hard into their 50's and beyond look with envy on the person at the desk who is looking right back at them with an opposite sort of envy. Their age-related injuries might be different, but it is quite likely that both will suffer. We are going to grow old and things are going to hurt. Ouch.

I don't want to hurt! Can I get a pass, Lord? Thus far I do not seem to have my get-out-of-aging-free card. Those who can keep moving do, and then tell those who are hurting that they must keep moving. The hurting look with envy on the...and here we go again. I have seen all manner of methods and means in this life, and I haven't even been here that long. We mock that old Spanish guy over his search for the fountain of youth, but he probably woke up hurting one day and realized that old age was gaining on him. His search is neither more nor less comical than the fellow who eats nothing but pills or the lady who had all those plastic surgeries. There is no support for all the methods of man to stop our growing into old men and old ladies. David found something in the day of his calamity that might do for us too!

Whatever and whoever confronted him in the midst of calamity, David always took up his faith and ran to the Lord. There is our answer...and yet, David grew old and died, probably with something or many things hurting him, too. Paul likely felt all of his scars and old injuries as he begged for his cloak in his final letter. John was exiled to a penal colony in his elder years. Why should someone such as I get a pass? Better by far to suffer along with my brothers and sisters in Christ than to roam about carefree making everyone envious.

Great is the name of our Lord Jesus!
Bucky

God With Us

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23

It being the 1st of September, we are well on our way to the great Christmas celebration of our Lord's birth. Matthew perhaps more than the other gospels points out fulfilled prophecies from the Old Testament that came to us by way of Immanuel. In our verse today, the disciple reached back to Isaiah 7:14 for that rather startling prophecy of the virgin birth. How is that for setting a woman and her son apart from everyone else? We all strive at times to be unique in the world and that would certainly do it!

Aside from the uniqueness of His birth is that name, a name that 'they' shall call Him, and that has not caught on quite so much as you would think it might from the prophecy. Of course not all the prophecies of Jesus have been fulfilled thus far. There is that one in the Revelation about God making His home with us. (21:3) That would certainly be cause to use 'God with us' or Immanuel much more often. And, then there is the Spirit of God sent to dwell in all those who believe in Him. What better reason to fulfill prophecy than to remember daily that God is with us in His Spirit, or perhaps more closely - for each of us to remember at all times: God with me!

Hallelujah! Immanuel!
Bucky

Truly He Says

“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life. John 5:24

In the King James version we get the verily, verily's, but here in the NKJV we read 'most assuredly'. I'm not sure which gives the most emphasis, but surely we are to listen and receive the words of Jesus in this. Truly He says that for the price of hearing His words and believing in God we have everlasting life, and no judgment!

That great verse, John 3:16, said much the same thing. How is it that work, effort, toil, and all the other hallmarks of religious drudgery are left out of this? Where is the peak to scale? When do we get to claim a personal victory? Notice how He speaks as though it's all done already.

For simply hearing the Word and believing in Him, I have passed from death into life. You heard Jesus and you believed in Him, welcome to life eternal. Why didn't we have to pay an entrance fee to get here?

It had to be all Him, for fallen imperfection cannot perfect another fallen imperfection or worse, itself. If a crooked building with no knowledge of how to make a straight building tried to erect another building, it too would come out crooked and both would fall. Imagine a wild animal trying to raise tame offspring. Ah, but place the wild kittens with the tame mother cat, and though the wild birth of the kittens will show, they will not be the wild animals they might have become.

We too, once saved and instructed by the Lord's Spirit, can teach and train one another. Our 'wild' sinful birth does show at times, but we are becoming daily more meek before the Lord. Great is His name in all the Earth!

Bucky

Conflict With Brothers

Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth.
But Paul said to him, “God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?” Acts 23:2&3

At first we might say that Paul was no Jesus standing quietly as a sheep before the slaughter. But just a moment there, Jesus spoke to the soldier who struck Him, and it wasn't to say 'thanks, I needed that'. (See John 18:22-23) And, wasn't there a high priest involved in that one too? This is Jesus and then Paul, what happened to turning the other cheek?

It may well be that in simply repeating a bit of scripture in 'turn the other cheek', we have missed something in the context. Perhaps we are not to be the helpless victims that phrase appears to require?

Reading both incidents, we can see that in both cases the initial slap or blow was wrong. Jesus and Paul His servant could in no way participate in turning the other cheek to receive another wrong slap for that would be to encourage lawbreaking. Paul even points out to the corrupt hypocrite the breaking of the law. Jesus asks the soldier, "If I have spoken evil...then bear witness, but if well...then why?" We can see the gentle remonstrance of the real authority in the room in that question.

So, where do we use the 'turn the other cheek' rule? Well, for one thing, I do not believe that our Lord Jesus came to publish a new set of rules. The Pharisees of His time had plenty and to spare if rules were the game of the ages. In all things, in all situations and circumstances, we can count on the leading of His Holy Spirit. There may come a time when to save a brother we must turn the other cheek. And there may be those times when we need to stand up in the strength and authority of our Lord Jesus, and ask, "Why do you strike me, brother?"

Another thing we can take away from these two stories is that in neither case did our Lord or our brother in Christ take the opportunity to return the smack. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Bucky

School's Out For Summer! Nope, It's Over.

For the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
And its place remembers it no more. Psalm 103:16

Yes, the cyclical nature of events that Solomon noted in Ecclesiastes has come 'round again and the schools are open this morning to receive those who just finished enjoying a long summer vacation. I always feel a bit of the sadness in the air, and I don't even have to go! Well, I must not be looking toward those mothers who are jumping for joy and looking forward to a little time to themselves and a break from the summer noise.

The wind has passed over the summer school break, and it is gone.

It is no more.

It is a dead parrot.

Some of you will get that reference.

We can mourn over what has passed, or we can look to the joy that is in the day. In this time, it will always be easier for some than others. When Job was afflicted, his servants and children suffered too, but for the raiders who had stolen Job's herds it was probably a time for celebration. Often it is that way in this world. Some few raiders celebrate the consummation of a large deal and enjoy their bonus, while for others far away they are consumed with fear and worry by the loss of their jobs.

What we look forward to is that day when all of us will celebrate the return of our Lord Jesus, and no one has to lose anything! Anyone who wants to believe in Him can come; all have received an express invitation from the Spirit and the Bride. Alas, on that day too some will refuse the invitation and be left out of the banquet.

Accept His invitation and come to the wedding!

Bucky

In This World

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.1 John 4:17

As He is, so are we in this world. That is a bit of a shock, because it sure seems like I am not at all where I saw the Lord as He walks through the gospels. So, I declare John a crackpot and my judgment is the one to listen to.

Even to me that seems the wrong way to go about it. Something is wrong if the fallen judgment of one is taken over the holy scriptures. And does this not seem much like what God told Paul about His strength and Paul's weakness? And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) Ah, there it is, grace.

How can just reborn and hardly grown up followers of Christ Jesus be like him in this world? He declares it so in His love. We are so weak, yet His perfect love is shown by the perfection of His strength in our weakness. Grace is simply us taking His word for it that we are made like Him right now, in this world. If today is our judgment day, then we have boldness in His perfect love, and not in what we see of our meager strength which does not amount to nearly enough to save even the one of us much less all mankind. Thus we see the reason for depending upon our Lord's judgment and not our own. For, John the Baptist bore this witness: "The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand." (John 3:35) I am glad to be one of those all things, for I would be lost without Him!

Walk in grace, the grace of Christ Jesus our Lord! His grace is sufficient for us all.

Bucky

Slinging The Stumbling Block

So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way. Romans 14:12-13

Paul included himself in a bit of slapstick going on in the Roman church - they were tripping each other up. Yes, probably a bit more serious than that. Paul asked for a resolution from the church that all of us avoid slinging a stumbling block into each other's path. Paul also addressed judging one another. No, Paul didn't include himself, did he? Does not our Lord only send us writers and ministers who have perfected their walk in Christ already?

Since Jesus ascended, I would venture out on a very short and stout limb to say: there has not been one perfect or perfected writer or minister sent to us. All of us who have taken up the pen (or keyboard), all who have stood in the pulpit, and any Christian with a kind word on the street has given cause in the secret places of the mind to be judged guilty. Yet, Jesus and then Paul said to us: don't judge others. How very odd.

Sorry, but if I had to write from perfection or wait until Christ has perfected me before His Father God, not one devotional writing would have passed my little fingers thus far. I'm not special in that; every minister, singer, preacher, and writer who has been saved by the blood of the Lamb will not claim perfection in themselves. Oh, but what about the Lord? Does He not inspire, remind us of scripture, and strengthen us to the task? Well, yes, every one of us who believe in Christ Jesus depends upon His Holy Spirit to send a message of good news out to the corners of the world. Those messages may not be spoken or written purrfectley, but our Lord uses them to spread the good news of His kingdom.

Thank You, Dear Lord, for using such fallen, reborn, hurting, healing, sinful, justified, imperfect, crippled up, shut in, stumbling, bumbling and fumbling folks such as we are to share Your gospel!

Bucky

I Said: Woe Is Me!

So I said:
​
​​“Woe is me, for I am undone!
​​Because I am a man of unclean lips,
... And he touched my mouth with it, and said:
​
​​“Behold, this has touched your lips;
​​Your iniquity is taken away,
​​And your sin purged.”  Isaiah 6:5&7 

In our scripture for this morning, we have a comparison of what a man, Isaiah, said and what the messenger of God said. Isaiah is acknowledged as perhaps the greatest of the Old Testament prophets. Yet, at his calling, he says, "Woe is me." After the Lord's seraph torches his lips with a hot coal, Isaiah does not disagree with the message he is given. We, on the other hand, might have a tendency from the flesh to say that coal thing was too easy; that somehow Isaiah didn't earn his salvation enough.

Many of us have struggled throughout this life with a feeling of unworthiness. This is a problem of the flesh and this world. Yes, we are born sinners and in need of salvation, but once we believe then we need to reach out and grab up all of those things God says about us. One of the big ones is that unworthiness thing. Jesus, the Son of God, went to the cross and died in our place. That alone puts a worthy seal on us that cannot be removed by any amount of moping about over our supposed unworthiness. Don't insult God that way! When He says that we are made righteous by that most precious blood of His Son, then righteous we are, and there is great worth in righteousness.

In the world, you and I have this problem of saying, "Woe is me!" In Christ, we have this good news: "Your iniquity is taken away and your sin purged!" Great is His name who can make such unworthy sinners into such worthy saints.

Have a saintly day in Jesus,
Bucky

Room For Learning?

“But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Matthew 23:8

We've been eclipsed; Sidney is now more than 150 years old, and our navy is beginning to look like the worst driver in the parking lot. In more earth-rumbling news, this is my first day cooking on cast iron, and my eggs got a bit mussed up; might be some room for learning in some of that news for today.

I see from our verse today that I no longer need worry about adding 'sisteren' to be politically correct. Jesus my Lord stated quite plainly to all gathered there to learn from Him that we are all brethren. One Lord, one Teacher, and all of us students in the faith equal one to another. Paul may not have allowed the women to instruct the men, but he made allowance for the time and place. We, who live now, have room for learning that men do not need to cast women down to be men. We can, in Christ, submit one to another - man to woman and woman to man - as students and disciples of our Lord Jesus.

Have I ever had trouble with a woman teacher of the word of God? Sure I have! There was the one who had such a physical attraction to my manly eyes that I couldn't keep my mind in the right place. Not her fault, I had to leave that one behind to avoid sin. Then there was the one with the voice that grated in mine ears until I doth screecheth in pain. Again, not her fault and nothing wrong with her ministry, also I have heard men with a similar effect in their voices to my ears. We are all fallen, and some of us lost sheep are saved through the Christ, but there is no reason for any of us to put down another. A quick look through the Bible and we see men and women of staggering faults and sins. Since each of us gathered here is chosen and saved by the Lord, we have joined a group of people with, sorry to be the one to tell it, staggering faults and sins. I guess we all fit right in. Yup, guess I do too, Lord. Thank You for choosing me as one of Your found sheeps!

Love in Christ Jesus,
Bucky

Eclipsed

He must increase, but I must decrease. He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. John 3:30-31

Today is the day of the eclipse of the Sun, and we are starting the day foggy. Any day that brings to mind an eclipse will also bring a couple of scriptures to mind. One is the darkening of the day at the death of our Lord on the cross, but the other is that great humility of John the Baptist.

For a brief time in the wilderness of Judea, John the Baptist shone as a light unto the world. But he knew that he was just that small moon coming in between the light of the Lord and His people for a brief time. As John passed, he knew that the Light of the World was about to shine forth and the Baptizer did not want to get in the way of the Son! To act as a herald for the coming of the Lord was a great privilege, but John well knew that he was not worthy to do more than his brief mission. "He must increase, but I must decrease," John said to his disciples in a wonderful display of personal humility.

In the same way, each of us must come to know in this life that we are not the Lord. Belief in Jesus is a vacating by us of the throne of life. Where once we called ourselves king and captain, we give up all to Him who died on the cross to save us. We step back that He might step forward. We learn to quit proclaiming ourselves and we bear witness to the Lord, just as John did in closing John 3:

"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (v36).

John the Baptist was indeed eclipsed by the Lord Jesus, and that is the way he would have it. We too must learn to give place to the Lord, and become less while He becomes greater.

Get eclipsed today!
Bucky

A Bad Law

And they went before the king, and spoke concerning the king's decree: “Have you not signed a decree that every man who petitions any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?” The king answered and said, “The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not alter.” Daniel 6:12

Idolatrous at its very heart, the law was made worse by its immutability. And what were they thinking anyway? A 30-day holiday to put the king above God, really? Say it isn't so! Yet, we know the story best from its consequence. The plot behind the bad law was to catch up Daniel, the king's adviser and prophet of the Most High God. As it would hardly do to get the top adviser's advice on a law intended to cause his death, Daniel wasn't there to point out to the king the obvious pitfalls in the new law that could never be changed.

Well, as we like to say, where man rules, God overrules.

Daniel was indeed caught up in the net of this law and fed to the lions.

There it is, end of story.

Except that the lions of the king were subject to a higher law and God's messenger prevented them from feasting on the Lord's prophet. All night long and no law of the Medes and Persians could make the lions disobey God's messenger. However scheming plotters were good eating and pre-approved for the lion's menu. The scriptures tell that before the bodies could reach the pavement every bone was broken. It is a great story of victory in the Lord's service. That's why we like it so much.

What great stories await us in the Lord's service?

Bucky

A Great Privilege

But to the Son He says:

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. Hebrews 1:8

Your boss and perhaps your boss's boss and so on up to the CEO of the company may claim an open door policy. Do you often see the serfs and peasants of the company hanging out in there? Is the door open but conversation actually discouraged? Which of us could long keep a job if we monopolized the boss's time with constant speech in his ear? Yet which CEO in this world is so enduring that he or she could keep that position more than a lifetime?

In the first chapter of Hebrews, quoted from Psalm 45:6, the Bible uses 'forever and ever' to describe the permanence of God's throne. I cannot grasp forever and ever, it is too long for my human mind to understand. Obviously the position of CEO cannot begin to compare with our Lord. And yet, Paul often writes of constant prayer. How did he keep his position while taking up so much of the Lord's time? Worse, the apostle exhorts us to continue steadfastly in prayer. What is he trying to do, get us in trouble?

No doubt you have noticed the great privilege we have in prayer. We are not only allowed but encouraged to attempt to weary God's majestic ears with prayer all the time and in every circumstance. We are allowed and even wanted before the throne of God with our petty requests and bothersome pleas for help. In fact, God reminds us of His great love, His infinite mercies, and a grace that does not fail. The One who raises up kings and CEOs wants such lowly creatures as you and me to come to Him in prayer. Isn't that awesome? In the world, you or I may hold the lowest job in the company, the one job that all others aspire to leave behind as quickly as possible, but in Christ we are children of the King of kings with constant access to the throne that is above all others. All we have to do to go there is to exercise the great privilege of prayer.

Have a prayerful day in Christ!
Bucky

Our Ration of Ridicule

He said to them, “Make room, for the girl is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him. Matthew 9:24

No can about it, it did happen to the best of us. Jesus our Lord gave His word, and they ridiculed Him!

A man of some repute, a ruler of some sort, came to Jesus begging for the Master's help. Jesus came to help and was ridiculed when He said the girl was not dead but sleeping. A man worships Jesus and begs a favor, his guests mock the Lord. How embarrassing for this ruler of mockers. We believe in Jesus too, what is our ration of ridicule?

Most of the time our ration is a collective portion. Those who believe in Jesus are mocked as a group in various ways through the mass media and in talk on the street. We feel this ridicule, sometimes more than others, and it does not go by painlessly. However, at some point every follower of our Lord may receive a portion of his or her ridicule in a more direct way, and in a personal way. That's when it really hurts.

Of course there are those times when my personal ridicule is well deserved. I believe in Jesus but that has not yet set me free of doing the occasional silly, bubble-headed, goofy, or downright dumb thing at times. I fully accept those times and even come to laugh along with the mockers, eventually. But ridicule for doing the right thing hurts deeply, and it is quite the right thing to believe in Jesus the Christ. We'll just have to live for His day; it is coming soon!

No ridicule in Heaven, just lots of good laughs with our Lord,

Bucky

Eclipse: Wrath, Warning, or Wonder?

Behold, the day of the LORD comes,
​​Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger,
​​To lay the land desolate;
​​And He will destroy its sinners from it.
For the stars of heaven and their constellations
​​Will not give their light;
​​The sun will be darkened in its going forth,
​​And the moon will not cause its light to shine. Isaiah 13:9-10

One week from today we anticipate celebrating a total eclipse across America. Should we instead be preparing for the arrival of the Tribulation as some are predicting?

Eclipses (eclipsi?) of the Sun and Moon have long taken place and are quite predictable. I don't think that Jesus would make a prophecy about something we can forecast with great accuracy, and then say that no man can know the date and time of His return. Another problem with using an eclipse as a prediction of the Apocalypse or Armageddon, whichever term they are abusing today, is that it follows a relatively narrow pathway across the land. It just seems to me that when our Lord gives a sign, especially a warning He said to watch for, it will be for all people and seen by all people.

So, we certainly have reason to think that God's wrath might be upon us. The millions of babies killed in the womb since 1973 would be reason enough for the wrath of the Lord to be hot against us. But, there is also great repentance and faith in the land. Many of us will stand up to say that we believe in the Lord's Christ and that He most certainly has not forsaken us or our nation just yet. And as we believe in Him, we also know that He will never forsake us. So, unless the Rapture is scheduled sometime in the next week - and wouldn't that be a great and joyful reunion with our Lord! - I cannot say that this celestial event is a sign of wrath.

I apologize to all my Christian brothers who want to usher in the end times, but I'm going to go with wonder on this one. While any event such as this, or even any day of the week for that matter, is a good time to remind the unsaved that time is short, we can also take a little time to enjoy the wonder of God's creation. Let us give Him the glory on this one.

Bucky

Who Is The Greatest?

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Matthew 18:1

We seem to have this indefatigable urge to rank ourselves from the greatest to the least. Lists abound ranking teams, players, people of influence, wealthy folks, rich companies, strongest men and most beautiful women. Yes, there does seem to be a limit there somewhere. No one wants to know who is the homeliest living garbage can washer, at least I didn't find a list of the candidates although Google did produce a bunch of images of garbage cans, which is very strange. Yeah, anyway, we always seem to want to know the best of the best. I suppose it all came to a peak when the 12 disciples, already a select group to be sure, approached the Master with that question: Who is the greatest?

Jesus would go on to give a couple of measures by which we can know the greatest: whoever humbles himself as this little child, and whoever is the servant of all. How well are we doing at attaining and maintaining those two lofty goals? I don't know about you, but if I were to ever see myself as say the servant of all, I would probably brag about it and immediately fall to the sin of pride. How are we to become the greatest without tumbling right down to the leastest?

That must be why the salvation of 'me' requires surrender to Him! I in my strength can neither attain nor maintain the humble state of the child nor become the servant of all without some self-serving motive behind it; that motivation would be to both save myself and become the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven by some sort of personal merit. It just won't work for poor fallen me; fallen imperfection just cannot reach out and grab perfection.

The One who saved me is the same one who humbled Himself from the throne in Heaven to be born as a little child. That same One died on the cross at Calvary as the servant of all. Hmm, guess I now have a couple of clues as to who is the greatest. He is!

Jesus is the greatest, and I am content to be chosen by Him,
Bucky

Lightin' the Fuse

Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus. Matthew 15:1

Stopping right here with just this verse, it almost sounds hopeful. Coming to Jesus is of course the moment we all await when that great rapture takes place and we are called to Him. The scribes and Pharisees though? That in the gospels does not usually introduce a moment of levity. One at a time, such as Nicodemus, and we receive some beautiful truth from the Master, but when the group comes as a gang, well...

Indeed that was the case this time, as some scribe or Pharisee asked, "Why don't you guys wash your hands before eating?" (There may be a bit of paraphrasing there.) They lit the fuse on the ol' powder keg again.

Jesus takes a moment to chastise these teachers and recorders of the Law over a tradition they had adopted, not the one about hand washing before meals, that conflicted with the commandment to honor their father and mother. Then, just to make His point go deep, the Master spoke to all of those gathered there and to us in this age: “Hear and understand: Not what goes into the mouth defiles a man; but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.” (15:10-11)

We have plenty to worry about in regards to eating, just take a quick look at the mass media at any time, but the Master instructs us to worry about what we say. The words that come from an idle tongue will defile us. The opinions based on little or no fact, the rumors passed from one wagging tongue to another, the snap judgments arising from a desire to appear smart, these will get us defiled right quick, and they may light a fuse too when the person spoken about hears them repeated. But worst of all is to light the fuse of the Master and be called 'Hypocrites!'

A prayer to my Lord to guard my tongue and to make it a loving one when I must speak,

Bucky

Forcing the Law on 'Em

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

That boss of mine is not one to sit still for very long, and sometimes that frustrates his clients and colleagues. Well, I received a new hot glue gun yesterday, heh, heh. We can fix this problem! That wouldn't work for long though; I can just see him running out of the office with the chair glued to his butt, so great is his desire to keep moving.

We face a temptation in a Christian religion to force the law on 'em. Other religions face the same problem and some take up the gun to enforce it. Even when there is no forcing, we may lament that everyone doesn't obey the same rules. Or, when enforcement is present we may cry that it is not enforced evenly for all. And we're headed south from where I wanted to go with this.

God, it seems, has a different method of getting us to obey His law, the heart transplant. Ezekiel 36:26 promises a new heart and a new spirit. An obedient heart and a spirit given to the Law. Of course not all prophecies are fulfilled as quickly as we might expect or desire, which should remind us to be wary of our expectations and desires. We may need to wait on the Lord and be of good courage. Strengthening of the heart may come in God's good time and may take years and even decades. In fact, Jesus may complete the work when we see Him in a different place than this one we labor in now. We may find the strengthening coming from a relationship with the Risen Savior and not out of a religion at all! And that, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, is why we no longer claim a religion but rejoice in a relationship with our Lord Jesus.

Religion likes rules; relationship likes love and life. Have a great day in Christ!

Bucky

Where Are We?

Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.” ’ Deuteronomy 1:28

Our brethren have discouraged our hearts... Does that stick out from that verse or what? How often have good ideas died because the voice of discouragement raised itself to be heard? How many times have you felt the anointing presence of the Holy Spirit on the pathway to blessing only to get knocked right off the way by a discouraging blow? We are so easily prone to being discouraged and it bloody well doesn't help when it is our brethren doing the discouraging! Where are we?

We don't want to be left discouraged on the shores of despair. Worse than that is to be that discouraging brother or sister who prevents the success of the effort. How terrible to be among those who stopped the children of Israel from entering the Promised Land. It is easy to point out the challenges, much more difficult to be like Joshua and Caleb who among the 12 scouts stood up to say, "We can do this thing!" Of course, they didn't say it without mentioning the One who gives us the strength of faith to get it done.

Paul said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Discouragement is going to come at us in underhanded ways by the whispering of the worldly ones, or in very overhanded ways by that challenge that knocks us right off the path. Praise God for the strength to get up again. Yes, in this discouraging world that good idea cannot be done, but we are not of this world when we live in Christ and He in us. So, like Paul we stand up and say, "In Christ, I can do this thing!"

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus, 'cuz that's where we are!

Bucky

No Cause For Alarm

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
​​And sound an alarm in My holy mountain!
​​Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble;
​​For the day of the LORD is coming,
​​For it is at hand. Joel 2:1

It is an almost weekly event; something so strange happens that an alarming news report comes out. In the report, someone, usually a scientist or government spokesman, will be quoted saying, "There's no cause for alarm." In other words, or I guess the same words, we have this event odd enough to have an alarming news report, but there is no cause for alarm. So we get this odd alarm - no cause for alarm thing going on. Is it any wonder there is so much anxiety in the world today?

Some little chicken just ran through yelling, "The sky is falling, but there's no cause for alarm!"

The prophet Joel, writing in the Lord's Word, reminds us today that there is indeed cause for alarm. The great and awesome day of the Lord is coming. Isaiah tells us the proud will be knocked down on that day. John in the Revelation tells of multitude horrors visited on the Earth on and before that day. Sounding the alarm of salvation would seem to be a loving action we can take for our neighbors, especially those that we deem unsaved.

Oh, we cast no judgments here, but the fruit of the tree does reveal what is in the heart. A lifestyle can speak to the lack of God's Spirit dwelling within, just as the Holy Spirit in the heart of the believer will produce fruit of His kind. A trumpet sounding in Zion is cause for alarm to those who await the coming of our Lord.

Rejoice in the Lord always!
Bucky

God is Near

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Psalm 34:18

Anyone proud of his or her pride, and strange as that may seem it certainly happens, will never know the presence of God like the repentant soul. David writes to tell us the key to salvation is the Lord, but the conditions wherein the Lord does His saving work are brokenness and contrition. That is of course the work of our dear Lord's Holy Spirit preparing that hardened spiritual ground for the planting of the seed of salvation. It is an earthy sort of metaphor, but from the dust we came and years of spiritual drought, likely brought on by that pride, produces some hard, tough soil in the heart of the human spirit.

When does the Lord draw near to us? When the heart is prepared to receive Him of course. No sense knocking on a door that is barred within and without, and the hinges are rusted in place from a lack of use. Yes, the Lord in His almighty power could break the door down, but that is not like Him. Love does not blast down doors. Love waits patiently for the door to be opened. Pride is not conducive to door opening; a broken heart is those bars laying splintered off to the side, and a contrite spirit is one that will oil the hinges and make sure the door swings freely.

The Lord is near because a broken heart and contrite spirit are ready for Him. Salvation is of the Lord, and, after that,

Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
​​But the LORD delivers him out of them all. (v19)

Love in the Lord!
Bucky

God Is...

​​Trust in Him at all times, you people;
​​Pour out your heart before Him;
​​God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:8

A thunderstorm is booming on in this morning. Imagine for a moment that this storm was attacking us instead of doing its thing as thunderstorms do. The booming would be quite a bit more frightening if this big unstoppable thing was out to get us. We might run to God as a refuge from the storm. And David may have been inspired by something like this when he wrote Psalm 62.

David called upon 'you people', that would mean all of us I'm sure, to trust in God at all times. There are times when due to a sudden and sharp change in things for better or for worse that I don't remember to trust in God right away. It takes practice to remember prayer first over all the other things we might think of doing in a moment of stress, and prayer to our Lord is the way to find the strength to trust in Him.

"Pour out your heart before Him", the man wrote so long ago. The heart is the seat of our feelings, and whether it be anger, fear, joy, sorrow, peace, or love, we should pour it out before the Lord. Telling God what we feel gives Him the chance to help us with it. Emotion can be overwhelming, and who better to help us with those strong feelings than the Almighty?

Then we come to a portion of that answer we seek to "Who is God?". God is a refuge for us, right now when the thunderstorm is directly overhead, and from that strong feeling of animal fear that comes when the thunder breaks right on top of the house (at least it sounds like that!) Any storm, physical or emotional, is good reason to pour out some feelings to the Lord, for as David knew and teaches us now: God is a refuge for us.

Have a great day in Christ Jesus!
Bucky

Who Is God?

​​Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
​​Mercy and truth go before Your face. Psalm 89:14

Three little words and a question mark, and we could spend the remainder of our lives trying to answer it. Fortunately, the Lord provided a manual to help us get to know Him better. In Psalm 89, a person who went by the name of Ethan gave some answers to help us out.

If righteousness and justice were present without His mercy and truth, we might well be done for. The Bible also has verses that proclaim that there is none righteous, no not one. (Romans 3:10 for example). We could not face God's justice depending upon our righteousness alone. We need His mercy and His truth. Of course, Jesus our Lord said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. So we also know who His truth is. I am glad that God's throne is founded on righteousness and justice, but even more glad that mercy and truth are right in front of His face.

When we are shown the example of God seeing us through the light of Jesus, that is because Jesus earned God's mercy for us and by His own admission is God's truth. We owe a lot to our Lord Jesus, in fact we owe everything to Him. So, who is God? Well, the question is still too big to answer completely today, but we also know that He is Jesus because who could be His mercy and truth except the very embodiment of those qualities that are before His face?

But, but... so, did God make Jesus then? Well, Revelation tells us that Jesus is, and was, and always shall be. So, no. He was not made like we were made. And as you can see, a good place to answer our question for today is to read and study the entire Bible, which is God's word about Himself. And that is why we can spend a lifetime learning who God is!

Bucky

Where Is The Contentment?

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

It is difficult to form a loving relationship with money when it fails to stay around for long. As a couple, we just don't see each other often enough to really get to know one another. Me and money are a doomed and star-crossed thing it seems, never destined to be an item. So inconstant is money in my life that I don't have enough to buy it a ring. Ebenezer Scrooge, on the other hand, formed such a bond with his money that he refused to let it go anywhere without the prospect of it bringing more back to him.

Through the grace of God, I am making my way now and paying those bills, but the love of money is a present temptation. One can be like Scrooge and love the pile of money in a vault, or one can not have enough and pine away in unrequited money love. As Dickens pointed out, the world seems to hate both the rich and the poor with equal fervor. So, where is that contented place where one is neither rich nor poor, but able to fulfill obligations and put aside some for that proverbial rainy day?

In Luke 3:14: Jesus was asked by some soldiers what they should do and our Lord told them to be content with their pay. Note that these were not officers or even sergeants, but just soldiers, and as anyone who has served knows, the grunts don't make much. Tax collectors were considerably better off, at the expense of the people of course, and Jesus at that same time gave them the same advice: "Collect no more than what is appointed for you." (v13). Both speak of contentment, but where is the contentment found? I would say that it is in faith.

Faith tells us the Lord will provide what we need, whether it is more to the owner of several businesses who needs more to make his obligations or to the soldier who has less obligations and thus needs less. Faith says that we can be content through belief and trust in our great Lord. Faith is rather talkative on this subject because in the world we are so very tempted to be 'dis', as in discontented and disbelieving. Where is the contentment? It arrives on the wings of firm faith in our faithful Lord Jesus!

Now, firm up that faith with prayer and have a faithful week in Christ!

Bucky

The Backward Perspective of the Unbeliever

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
​​You shall have no other gods before Me." Exodus 20:2-3

We have read them before, and we knew right then that the Ten Commandments began with a restriction, a bounding of our liberty. Actually, as we can read now from the quickening of the Spirit within us, the Ten Commandments begins with an introduction, "I am the Lord your God..." and continues next with what the Lord has done for us. I use 'us' because we can see our former condition in the bondage of the ancient Israelites whom God brought out of Egypt as He said.

The unbeliever sees the commandments of our Lord as a bunch of restrictions to what he/she wants to do in the flesh. The believer gains a new perspective, one of the love and goodness of God. What do I see in a jealous God? One who does not want anyone or anything else to have me. Think on that for a moment!

Where there was restriction, now we have promise. Whenever the testing came the unbeliever was found to be a thief and a liar, but the one reborn in Christ will be set free of the bondage of sin completely when Jesus brings him or her home forever. So strong is God's word on this that the promises start with, "You shall not". It is so beautiful to me that the Ten Commandments are the law when facing unbelief, but a new promise when the salvation of Christ Jesus enters in to a believing heart.

Thank You, dear Lord, for the salvation that leaves behind us the backward perspective of the unbeliever through the saving grace of Jesus.

Bucky

Was There Any Doubt?

And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” John 11:41b-42.

No doubt in Jesus, He was 100% in faith and in communication with His Father. Most of us fall a bit short of that. We might hit 99% on a good day, but there are those doubts that flap around our heads like little vampire bats. We rather like to have an acknowledgement from the other end of our prayer, but we don't always get it, and a doubt settles in for a quick 'bite o' the vampyre'.

God desires that all believe in Him and in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Doubts about the Lord, His providence, protection, and salvation are all rooted in moments of unbelief. Those vampire bats of doubt are sucking away at our faith as we entertain that short moment of unbelief. Adam and Eve failed to believe the Lord for just a moment and believed the Serpent instead; sin blew up in God's creation and death followed. Which, was just what the Lord said would happen had that first man and woman just believed Him. What a price Jesus paid for that moment or two of unbelief!

Fortunately for us, the price Jesus paid at Calvary bought for us some armor, including a Helmet of Salvation, good for protecting the mind where the vampire bats of doubt like to settle first. They may be some sneaky bats, but we are also given the Sword of God's Word, and that can cleave a vampire bat of doubt right in twain.

"But, but, I'm no swordsman," the doubter says with trembling lips. No, none of us are at the start, for our rebirth in Christ makes an infant Christ-one and we need His protection. However, in Christ we learn quickly and a few swings with such a powerful weapon can make a professional sword-swinger out of the most doubtful former unbeliever. This is one case where the power is truly in the sword!

Rejoice in the day with Jesus!
Bucky

He Was Obedient To The Word

“Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus." Acts 1:16

Reading the story of the betrayal and arrest of our Lord Jesus, one might well wonder why the Lord did not simply fire Judas and get another disciple. However, the reason we do not wonder over that is the very word of God, which as Peter states in our verse today, had to be fulfilled.

When it comes to those prophecies that are not yet fulfilled, 'when' is the only question left. We may not know the method of the fulfillment, but we know that God will take care of it in His all mighty power. Why is because God has His purpose for doing it. We may even debate literal fulfillment versus figurative, but we know that the time is near. When these things will happen we don't know, but we do know they will happen. The prophecy of God is an unstoppable force; a juggernaut standing firm in the river of time. We will meet it at the appointed time.

Jesus was the One who knew what was to come, including everything Judas would do to Him. Yet, He did not avoid the will of His Father, God, who gave the word centuries before. Our Lord Jesus, He was obedient to the Word.

Thank You, dear God, for Your obedient Son who died to save us from our sin,

Bucky

The New Thing: Grace

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. Genesis 6:8

Grace is a New Testament thing, right? We may tend to think so, but Noah somehow found grace, and so did Moses. Jesus brought us grace, but He did not mention it. Yet as the Bible reaches its grand finale, grace is written more and more until that final verse of the Bible when John blesses us with the grace of Jesus Christ.

Grace tells me that Noah was not chosen for his sinless perfection. The same goes for Moses, and everyone else in both Testaments who found grace through our Lord Jesus. Those who stand with John at the very end of this age will not be there to celebrate their own success at sin avoidance. They too will find grace, but how is this thing found? I suppose Noah found it the same way we all found it: He believed.

Grace does not speak of perfection from those who found it, but from Him who gives it. Jesus didn't mention grace because He didn't need it. He was, you might say, the very embodiment of God's grace toward us. We can know that we have found grace in God's sight by the fact that He sent His Son to save us. Like Noah, we must believe, for how can one receive something from the One he or she does not believe in?

God's grace, enabled because Jesus satisfied God's judgment, and the thing we sinners need for salvation. Have a grace-filled Monday!

Bucky

The Hot Days of July

For my days disappear like smoke, and my bones burn like red-hot coals. Psalm 102:3

Look! The Bible tells of the hot days of July! If you run to your scripture, as you should in this case, to look up Psalm 102, you will find that using this verse out of its context is to change the subject entirely. Although it may seem a spot on description of the effects our weather is having on us lately, this verse is part of a psalm that sings of one calling out to the Lord in a time of great trouble. (Sorry, a hot day may be tough, but it isn't usually 'great' trouble.) For all we know the weather may have been just fine outside as the psalmist wrote down the agony of his or her heart to the Lord.

Heading into the Bible with an agenda of my own, I can probably pick and pluck verses out of context to support about any point I can come up with; the Devil did when he tried to get Jesus to fall in the wilderness. The great thing about the Lord's word is that if any will read the story, the context of that plucked out verse, then great things will be revealed. One great thing will be the revelation of God's point in place our your own. What does God say about you and me in the hot days of July?

I invite you to read the Word of God and behold the wonder. Some verses can stand alone, but all have a context that goes further. Even the great ones like John 3:16 have a wonderful story with them, and how the mind does like a good story. Speaking of John 3, what better place to search for the key to eternal life! That's quite a treasure, and it sure beats stomping through the hot and steamy swamps of Florida like that Spanish explorer did. We can read the Word in the air-conditioned luxury of a home or office instead.

Enjoy one of the hot days of July, rejoice in the Lord Jesus!

Bucky

The Valuable Bits

To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. Psalm 25:1

We talk a lot about the parts that will return to dust in the cold, cold ground. Okay, sorry, the ground lately has been anything but cold. Yesterday was one of the wettest and hottest days I've seen around here for a while. There I go again talking about the dusty bits. Has my soul been affected by the heat at all? That's a tough one, for I am created as God made me; I am not only a body, and neither am I only a soul in some fleshy container. God desires all of me to return to Him.

David, in the first verse of his 25th psalm offered up that part of him that is eternal right now. The soul does not return to dust, only the body. Am I moving into things that I can scarcely know? Yes, thank you for noticing!

Throughout my days I have learned of the world through the window of my senses. Anything spiritual was a lot hard to grasp, and much was ignored because of that. Upon my rebirth in Christ, the spiritual began to grab a hold of my attention. What is this soul he speaks of? How does he know he has one? These revelations can only come from the Lord. I cannot believe some guy from 3,000 years ago just because he wrote it down in a psalm. Yet, as an infant and growing new creation, something in me says, "Yes, your soul is valuable." Where will this soul go when the body returns to dust? How did it get here?

The soul of our Lord Jesus was so valuable to Him that He gave its keeping into the hands of the greatest and safest person He knew: His Father, God. Like Jesus and David, I too give my soul into the hands of my Father God. It is my most valuable bits, and there is none better for safekeeping than the Almighty.

Somehow in the resurrection He is going to bring it all back together, the soul and the dusty bits will become an incorruptible one. God's grace to you on this fine day!

Bucky