Trust And Rely On The Lord

Who among you fears the LORD?
Who obeys the voice of His Servant?
Who walks in darkness
And has no light?
Let him trust in the name of the LORD
And rely upon his God.  Isaiah 50:10

More often we read or hear 'trust and obey', but this morning we end our verse for today with trust and rely. Obedience has its place earlier in the verse, but for those who feel out in the dark this morning we have the letting of trust in the name of the Lord for their comfort. And then we get to rely upon God. To rely is to depend on with full trust and confidence. We also call it faith. Belief, trust, faith, confidence, and now reliance are all interrelated in Christ our Lord as each of those actions are centered in Jesus. And yes, these are not passive, but active between us and our Lord Jesus. 

Trust and rely,

Bucky

Walls Of Water

So the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.  Exodus 14:22

Dry land ahead of them, the army of Pharaoh behind them, and those walls of water to the right and to the left, talk about having only one way to go! Imagine the terror of the briny deep staring back at them from either side, and probably a few curious fishes too. We often pray to the Lord in a difficult situation, "Lord, show me the way!" Well, there it was for the Israelites, are sure you want the Lord to show you the way? His one way out might be frightening to the max! What a metaphor for the way through life we have in this story. Death by diseases and health failures on the one hand, death by terrorists, thugs, and accidents on the other, and an army of regrets and mistakes chasing us from behind. Yet, we have that one Way through to a blessed and promised land straight ahead, but just far enough away that we cannot quite see it. 

Walk on little frightened sheep to the home the Lord Jesus has gone to prepare for you!

Bucky

Lazarus, The Public Spectacle

Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. John 12:9

Four days in the tomb and a short mummy walk later, Lazarus the friend of Jesus has now become a public attraction. The man likely had dreamed of a bit of fame now and again as most of us have done. However, the way to fame in his dreams probably didn't include the way he got it. We do not then have to wonder why it seems that Lazarus had nothing to say after rising from the grave at His Lord's command. We can imagine the questions spoken or shouted at the man for the remainder of his life. Wait, what remainder, he was dead, he already had his remainder? Did Lazarus the new celebrity now have to face death again? Well so much for celebrity immortality.

Rejoice in Jesus, and trust Him for life!

Bucky

We Do Not Forgive?

But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.  Matthew 6:15

It might sound a bit tough for a character in a movie to state that he or she does not forgive, but gets even, or some line like that. The character does not have to go through this life bearing such a terrible burden. Jesus treated forgiveness seriously in His great sermon both in the positive and, as we read in the verse above, in the negative as well. Forgiveness is for your benefit and mine, but it works best in the reverse direction. That is to say, that when a person sins against you, your forgiveness may help the repentant one a lot, but letting go of that sin by forgiveness helps you so much more than we can know. Not the least of which is what our verse for today refers to, God's forgiveness of you and me as we forgive those who have trespassed against each of us. 

Not one of us, I think, wants to live without our dear Father's forgiveness! 

Bucky

A Story To Tell

Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. John 12:17

Sitting quietly in chapter 12 of John's gospel is our verse for today. One of those sort of read-over verses that may not get noticed as often as others. And yet there was a mortal danger in bearing witness of this type as the religious authorities in Judea under Rome wanted to put to death both Jesus and Lazarus. Could this story be kept quiet by those who had been there outside that tomb? A man they knew had raised his friend from a fourth day of decomposing in a dark tomb. Bearing witness of great and amazing works may not be so easily withheld. Each of us has been in a place where we had something ready to burst out of the gates of our lips but for those darn blabbers who wouldn't shut up for just a bloomin' second or two. I don't know about you, but I have never had any news quite so jaw-dropping as those folks there who had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the grave. However, I do understand how much they would want to tell that story.

Bearing witness: a desire to tell of our great Lord Jesus.

Bucky

That's A Big If

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.  Romans 4:2

Indeed if we take that big 'if' and run with it, it changes everything in this life and reduces our hope of eternal life. For the first, our life becomes one of chasing good works for the purpose of justifying ourselves alone and refusing to accept the salvation of Christ. Sounds a lot like what they had under the old covenant. Second, without that salvation, we only have a hope based on each one's strength to do those good works. As most of us know by now, strength fades with age, patience can be harder to come by, and love a little colder as the difficulties of life accumulate. It would be a great shame to come to the end of this life with no strength left for the good works that we had hoped to use as justification. However, we know that Paul goes on from this verse to show that salvation and justification are in Christ alone, by faith and not by works. Our hope of eternal life remains safely in the Lord's Christ.

No big if, just faith in Jesus!

Bucky

Doing It Perfectly

And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!” John 2:10

This miracle brings out many a sermon for the seeming carnal nature of it. For us these many years later it becomes easy to judge this turning of water into wine as unnecessary, almost sinful even, if you come from one of those no-drinky Pentecostal churches of the 70's. I'm not going to argue the alcohol thing today, instead let us see the perfection in quality and quantity that came from that miracle of our Lord Jesus.

In our verse for today, the master of the feast had to comment on the unexpected quality of this wine. And being for a wedding feast, this does not mean that the former wine was bad or of terrible quality itself, only that the wine Jesus made was so far superior. Then there were six waterpots of up to 30 gallons in volume. Did they really need 180 gallons of wine after having already drunk all that they had? Perhaps that does not matter so much as that the Son of God provided more than enough and of far greater quality than was normal for such an event.

In His great love, perhaps our Lord cannot just provide a little thing of normal quality, but must instead do it perfectly, greatly, and magnificently. What is your need today? Praise and glory to our Lord Jesus Christ!

Bucky

P.S. Internet service here was restored yesterday afternoon (4/17) after going down last Friday morning. It was a strange time.

A Very Great Forgiveness

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. Matthew 6:14

Last night in my reading, I came to the story of an incident of very great forgiveness. This forgiveness did not come easily to the woman, as she bore the weight of years of extreme hardship caused by an entire nation. It also did not come easily as there were others of her kind who endured that same period of distress and deprivation. As this woman forgave one of the chief perpetrators of the indignity, those other sufferers turned on her.

A very great forgiveness can come after a very great trespass by the hand of the Spirit of God within us. However, this forgiveness may alienate us from those who suffered with us and who want to maintain their lust for vengeance. In the act of a very great forgiveness, one may be left standing alone with the Savior, who also did a very great forgiveness.

Let us forgive one another,

Bucky

An Admission Of The Fisherman

...as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 2 Peter 3:16

Have you ever come to a place in the Bible where, oh... to put it bluntly, ya just felt kinda stupid? If not, then you should read a bit more of God's word! Even that fisherman selected among the first of our Lord's disciples had to admit that Paul's epistles had some tough parts. There seem to be a myriad of prophecies that we don't get even in this age of knowledge. Solomon collected and wrote proverbs that may seem backwards and upside down to us. While the good news of our Lord's salvation was meant for the simple, the entire Bible presents a bounty of intellectual challenges for the sharpest minds. Why is there so much difficulty? I think for the simple reason of asking, as in come to the Lord in prayer and ask for understanding!

It is our great privilege to come to the Lord in prayer.

Bucky

Stumbling With Determination?

Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

At my age and condition 'run with endurance' seems rather a strong term for my performance in this race. I wonder if the marshal of the race will take someone stumbling with determination? If the race they mention in Hebrews has only one winner, then I lost a long ways back. If there is a rule in this race that all must finish head up, legs pumping, and a smile on the face, then I'm not going to pass the finish line in quite the way they hope. Of course, all of that comes when I look at my strength and endurance. If it were only up to any and each of us, we would all have lost before this particular race began. When it comes to salvation, none of us have what it takes to be allowed to start this race. However, saved by the blood of the Lamb, we started the race and then found that we were not alone. In the strength of Christ Jesus and in the love and support of one another, we will run with endurance the race set before us.

Heads up, take another step together and with our Lord! The smile comes at the end.

Bucky

Without Hope?

The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
  -- Jeremiah 17:9

To read our verse for today, and many others in the Bible, might be the cause of us giving up all hope to ever be found righteous. And without righteousness there is no hope in us for a place in God's Heaven. With the heart deceiving us from within, and the enemy of our Lord deceiving us from without, what hope indeed would any of us have? God came down. Those living in darkness have seen a great light. God Himself sent His only begotten Son to give hope to the hopeless. The answer to the hopelessness of our deceitful heart and the world's deceitful prince is in the Son of God; Who is the way, the truth, and the life. Our way back to the Father comes through the Son.

And ceaselessly we say: My hope is in Him!

Bucky

Some Friday Comfort

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  John 14:1-2

Some days a little comfort written to you or me helps us through a tough patch. The world news presents difficulties and challenges to us. Our ministers may seem to pick up the scripture as a lash and beat on us with it. Friends appear to have failed to invite us to the meeting where it was decided that hard criticism of you or me in particular was the way to go. And if all of that fails, maybe a legal authority or the boss feels better after a little game of kicking the donkey, and we just happen to feel a good 'hee-haw' coming on. Life can be tough at times, could be it even seems like all the time to us. 

Ever since Jesus returned to His Father in Heaven, there have been no shortage of ministers telling us we aren't good enough or doing enough for the kingdom of God. Take a break on this fine Friday and read some words of comfort in the word of God. Find those words of assurance that tell of a better place being prepared for us by none other than Jesus Himself. 

Lift your head, downtrodden one, God loves us and we love one another!

Bucky

Peter Was A Crackpot

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 1 Peter 2:18

The old flesh of the worldly birth does not want to submit to anyone, but maybe it can make an exception for a master perceived as good and gentle. However, Peter, disciple and apostle of the Lord Jesus, goes a step further and calls for submission to harsh masters. Obviously the man was a total crackpot, his ministry went completely off the rails somewhere along the line. Ah yes, the whining and selfish opinion of the old flesh. Go back with me for just a bit to the empire of Rome, where much of the population lived in slavery, owned not in the social media sense but literally. This epistle would have been read to them and their reaction may well have cast Peter in a less than flattering light. Good news? Where is the good news in submitting to a harsh master? No doubt followed by those opinions of Peter's mental health and well being, probably stated in terms that make 'crackpot' look complementary and tame by comparison. None of that makes Peter's statement wrong in the Lord's sight.

I think that every person who has ever believed in Jesus, the Son of God, would need a great outpouring of the Spirit to be submissive to a harsh master.

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus our Lord,

Bucky

Well Guided

I will lead the blind by a way they do not know,
In paths they do not know I will guide them.
I will make darkness into light before them
And rugged places into plains.
These are the things I will do,
And I will not forsake them.”
  -- Isaiah 42:16

Those living in darkness saw a great light, and the light did not leave them to stand there blinking in surprised awe. As words and actions are parts of our faith, we need guidance before we stumble headlong in this unaccustomed brightness of the new life in Christ. A torrent of words may break the wall of discretion without the guidance of the Lord's Spirit. Perhaps not every secret sin of the former life needs to be confessed to the congregation. The newly won sword of the Word of God can cut in any direction; some training in its use by discipleship will prevent collateral damage. In all ways the Lord's Spirit guides us well in this new life in Christ. 

Christian by rebirth: I'm not pretty or perfect, but the Lord Jesus said I'll do!

Bucky

It Is Finished

Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30

And there comes a perfect opportunity to believe in Him or to refuse to believe. For those of us who believe, we have that moment when the world changed. Sacrifices of animals were no longer required for atonement; all of our sins have been paid for by the blood of the Lamb. For those who not only refused to believe Him, but wanted Him gone, this is that moment when His ministry was done, the followers would fade away back into the crowds, and all could return to the system they liked, er, except for that little Roman problem.

Their hope that the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth was finished became crumbly almost immediately. The Sabbath was due to begin at sundown, and somehow the veil curtain had been torn completely apart! And the people would want an explanation for that darkness, where had that come from? And on the first day of the week, things really began to fall apart as the tomb guards breathlessly made their report of an extraordinary event.

Praise God for the annual celebration of our Lord's resurrection, He lives!

Bucky

We Believe!

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between. John 19:17-18

He didn't overthrow an empire from that cross, and yet, we believe He did. He acknowledged His title before the governor, but few among His nation believed it. The governor wrote it on a sign over His dying head. He died that day on that cross. Had His testimony stopped right there, we probably wouldn't be celebrating this holiday or talking about Jesus of Nazareth at all. He had already told of His coming death, but He also said something extraordinary to His disciples. "You will see Me again." On the day of His passing, they may have struggled to believe such a strange thing. He had done all the raising of the dead before this time, who was going to raise Him up? And then He did rise up on that morning. And we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ!

Have a glorious Easter weekend in Jesus!

Bucky

A Tale Of Two Persons

...as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet behold, we live; as punished and yet not put to death, as sorrowful but always rejoicing, as poor but making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things. 2 Corinthians 6:9-10

These two verses for today are but part of one of those Paul-ins, those sentences that span many verses with phrases and clauses, until you the reader pause to wonder where it all began. Way back in the latter part of verse 2 is the answer for this one. What we appear to have here today is the tale of two persons. One dying and yet living. Punished, or disciplined, yet not put to death. Sorrowful but rejoicing always. That last one describes the separations we endure at funerals quite well. We love that person, we know from his or her testimony of Jesus, that if anyone has gone to Heaven it will be that beloved one, and yet we also sorrow over that separation. Then that one gets me - dying and yet behold, we live. Truly the old son of Adam or daughter of Eve is dying, day by day, (there's nothing quite like a spring cold to make one think of death and dying!), marching to the grave. And yet, in Christ we live, forever, with Him!

The Easter Celebration of our Lord's death and resurrection is upon us! Praise God all weekend long!

Bucky

If Anyone Was

And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.  Revelation 20:15

It's the great white throne judgment and the final verse of that judgment slams the book, so to speak, on anyone not found written there. I see one of those little notes that states that the literal translation is just 'anyone was'. So, not just the name, but all about the person?  It may be from other scriptures that the translators of the LSB added 'name' and the possessive of anyone, or perhaps it is from their accustomed use of books here on Earth, but the original seems more appropriate to me. If all of the one in question is written in the book of life, then life eternal follows in Christ our Lord. Sure, a name is important, but to me that is only the label on the file. 

Is this a meaningless quibble on my part? Could be, could be, I have been known to chase a meaningless quibble now and again like a kitten chasing a leaf blowing by on a gusty wind. However, I would rather chase a quibble or two in the Bible than do a great many of the distractions this world offers to us.

Have a great day in the Word of the Lord!

Bucky

While You Have The Light

"While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light.” These things Jesus spoke, and He went away and hid Himself from them. John 12:36

Before Jesus came there was the prophecy that those living in darkness would see a great light. While He walked with the people after the triumphal entry, He said what we read in our verse for today. Then He hid Himself from them. Boop! Lights out. Wait, does that mean we live in darkness again? After His resurrection, there was another promise, one that spoke of being with us until the end of the age. Anyone may read it in Matthew 28:20. We still have the Light while we believe in the Light. But the verse does speak of a time, an opportunity, or chance to believe. While you have the Light does warn all that a time comes when there won't be that Light.

Take the time, believe in the Light!

Bucky

Lowly

And this took place in order that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,

“SAY TO THE DAUGHTER OF ZION,
‘BEHOLD YOUR KING IS COMING TO YOU,
LOWLY, AND MOUNTED ON A DONKEY,
AND ON A COLT, THE FOAL OF A PACK ANIMAL.’”
  -- Matthew 21:4-5

The prophets were at times commanded to shout the word of the Lord at the gates of the city, and it seems the new Legacy Standard Bible has taken that as a literal command as well. So, Zechariah shouts to us this morning from the gospel of Matthew.

So, their king comes to them just as foretold. He did not lead a procession of conquered prisoners of war, nor did he bring mounds of gold and heaps of silver. Behind him did not march tens of thousands of soldiers in gleaming armor. Instead a few disciples came after, and they probably looked a little rough around the edges from a portion 3 years on the road following their rabbi. In place of a few thousand camp followers bringing up the rear, there were just a few women He had saved from various troubles. In fact it was known about town that these were the ones supporting this little ministry. Lowly, this king fulfilled everything about the prophecy.

Indeed He did!

Bucky