You Can Go Back

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10 (New American Standard Bible)

I’m pretty sure if I took the Gospel message to a group of people and they abused me I would more than likely shake the dust off my sandals and say “Tough luck, guys. You had your chance. I’m out of here.”  The history of the Christian faith has many folk who have chosen to go back. In 1956 Christian and Missionary Alliance light bearer, Jim Elliot, and 4 fellow missionaries were brutally slain in the jungles of Ecuador by members of the Auca Indian tribe as they tried to share the message of God’s love. While Jim Elliot couldn’t go back his wife, Elisabeth, did. She returned and spent 2 years ministering to the people who were responsible for shattering her life. Several of the Auca men who had participated in the murder of her husband became Christians as a result.

The Apostle Paul was stoned at Lystra and his body dumped outside the city. He miraculously stood up and returned to the city which had almost ended his life (Acts 14:10). British missionary Hudson Taylor’s first endeavors to bring the gospel to China seemed to bring defeat. In 1855, 18 preaching tours to Shanghai were poorly received by the Chinese people and his medical supplies were lost to fire. In 1856 he was robbed of nearly all he owned. The year 1858 brought the death of his child. Taylor remained in China for another 51 years. In that time he was able to bring 800 missionaries over and establish 125 schools while learning 4 Chinese dialects. At last count the underground Christian church in China numbered 245 million.

How could they do it? The world believes the message of the cross is foolishness while we who are being saved know it is the power of God (1st Corinthians 1:18). No man or woman born of Adam’s seed can do it on their own. Those who do are endowed with the same Spirit of our loving Heavenly Father that came back to Adam’s lost race to redeem it; the same human race who murdered His Only Begotten Son. The thought of it is glorious in its theme. No other belief system unveils such a Divine Being or offers such hope to those who feel so hopeless. The example serves me well. I can say to those who abuse me “Hey, I’m back. How can I be of service?” This is the Christmas season where we celebrate the birth of He who became flesh and dwelt among us bringing light into our darkness, opening the eyes of the blind, healing the broken hearted and proclaiming the acceptable year of our Redeemer God. You have loved us with an everlasting love Jesus. I'm so grateful You came back for me.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Gobbling up God's Blessing

O come; let us sing for joy to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms. Psalms 95: 1,2 (New American Standard Bible)

My three-year-old granddaughter, Elizabeth, was recently in my office checking out a calendar which was turned to the month of November. She pointed to the last Thursday and asked why the number was in red. “That means that day is Thanksgiving. Do you know what Thanksgiving Day means?” Without a beat she threw her arms up and said, “We eat turkey!”

I believe that is one of the many things we have to be thankful for. In America we are surely blessed even with all the evil that is apparent within our society. I was sitting on my front porch a couple of days ago and was thankful for the peace and relative safety of not having to worry about having a mortar round dropped on my house or being shot at or kidnapped by thugs or martyred for my faith in Christ. Then I thought of the smaller of blessing like being able to draw my next breath. That set me to thinking of the little capillaries of thanksgiving that I tend to take for granted like my sight, my hearing and even my sense of touch.

Even with all our woes we are still the recipients of great blessing in so many ways. Looking over the rough spots of life and at the positive aspects of what we have can bring us to be in awe of what God has given us. When we stop to consider what we do have there’s a whole boatload of things, both physical and spiritual, for which we can raise our voices of Thanks. Thanks be to God who gives us bread instead of stone and fish instead of scorpions and serpents. Giving thanks to Him for the many large and small blessings we experience every day can be so easy-as easy as our next breath.

Thank you Jesus for the many things you do for me and for the blessings you bestow both in my physical world and what You have done and continue to do for me in spiritual places. You hold all things together and all I am is only because of your grace.

Ken

All in the Open

But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence, since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice; for this has not been done in a corner.” Acts 26:25, 26 (New American Standard Bible)

Lee Patrick Strobel, who was a veteran reporter for the “Chicago Tribune,” was an avowed atheist who in 1980 set out to prove the accounts of Jesus Christ were untrue. His careful quest became nearly a two year investigation into all the historical data concerning Jesus of Nazareth. At the end of his search he was amazed that the evidence, instead of cementing his atheistic viewpoint, brought him face-to-face with God’s Only Begotten Son. At that time he knew he needed to make a choice as to what to do with the Living Christ. The atheist became a believer and one of His most ardent champions. The disciple John said of his experience with Jesus that He had witnessed Christ in human form and physically interacted with him in a real space/time sense (John 1:14, 1st John 1:1-3). The disciple Peter also said that the story of Jesus wasn’t some clever story that was created by some crafty liars but that Jesus was actually witnessed in His power and glory (2nd Peter 1:16). All of Jesus’ disciples but John died martyrs deaths, their witness being written in their own blood. This thing surely was not done in some corner.

No other person of antiquity has been so fully documented by eye witness accounts as Jesus of Nazareth. Even His enemies admitted He was the doer of miraculous things (John 11:47, Acts 3:1-10, 4:10, 14-16). Why is it so easy to admit Caesar and his Roman legions crossed the Rubicon in 49 BC but stumble at the overwhelming evidence that Jesus of Nazareth really lived and did the things He did? He never left it so we would wonder that all he was was some great teacher. I like what C.S. Lewis said concerning Jesus;

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus]: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” – Mere Christianity, p 52.

Blessings,

Ken

What This Country Needs

For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us. 2nd Corinthians 1:20 (New American Standard Bible)

I voted today and as I did I thought about all the promises that are made by candidates to their constituents and how 90% or more of those promises are never fulfilled either through the elected altering them through self interest or by cunning design. As I checked my candidates of choice I thought of today’s verse and I’m so happy God makes promises He keeps. His yes remains yes.

At the core of this message is Jesus Christ who affirms the security of God’s word to us. God is always faithful to fulfill His promises even if the final end comes far in the future. Consider Abraham who waited for Isaac to be born to him; Joseph who waited in prison for years and was finally vindicated; the followers of Jesus who completely broken after His death found Him fulfilling God’s promise that first Easter morning.

To all of God’s promises we can simply say “faithful” (yes) and “let it be so (Amen).” These promises result in our good and bring glory to God. And as sure as the sun rises every day so are the promises God makes to us and establishes to us with surety through Christ. We vote for people who promise us happy days never sure of what we’ll get. With the surety of God’s promises happy days have always been with us.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

Picture Perfect

And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as a dead man. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades. Revelation 1:17, 18 (New American Standard Bible)

The name of Jesus is blasphemed more than any other name in history. One never hears the name Buddha, Gandhi or Swedenborg used in vain. Hollywood is particularly accountable of profaning the Only Begotten Son’s holy name. But do those who misuse His name and title truly understand of whom they speak? The apostle John was given a personal glimpse of Christ as He is now. I believe if people took the time to see the reality of the Glory of Jesus they would think twice about uttering His name in vain. Revelation 1:12-18 gives the most specific and beautifully stunning picture of the physical Jesus we’ve ever had.

The long robe and golden sash He wears were part of the priestly attire of the high priests God instructed Moses to make in the wilderness (Exodus 28:4). Jesus is our High Priest who is constantly interceding for us to our heavenly Father. His whiter than white hair corresponds to the complete holiness and eternity of the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13, John 17:5). His eyes blazing like fire indicate His piecing judgment of sin. His feet glowing like brass in a furnace speak of sacrifice for sin and the heavenly pronouncement against it. His voice as rushing waters speaks of His great power. Holding the seven stars (churches) in His hand show His sovereign possession. The sword coming out of His mouth, based on a weapon of that day, speaks of His role as Judge. The gladius was a doubled edged sword used by the Romans in a slicing/stabbing action designed to kill. He is no longer the helpless babe of Bethlehem but the mightiest King and Sovereign Lord of the entire universe. Shining like the sun expresses the highest glory.

It is understandable that John was so overcome with fear he fell down and couldn’t move. The surprise is this Mighty King who holds all this power and authority laid His right hand on him and said “Don’t be afraid.” In this day and age when the name and person of Jesus Christ is mocked, maligned and slandered it does good to revisit the account of who He really is and will be for eternity. Surely His mighty power astonishes yet His love and touch is tender, affecting and emotionally stirring. He is so much more than the world gives Him credit for. Jesus, seen in all His glory is a sight that awes. Truly one picture is worth a thousand words.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

The Oldest and Biggest

And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does he prospers. Psalms 1:3 (New American Standard Bible)

In the Bible trees usually represent strength and beauty. There are a couple of good representations that exist in our world today. Two trees are the Bristlecone Pine Tree and the Giant Sequoia Redwood. The Bristlecone Pine lives primarily in the White-Inyo Mountains of California. It has been reckoned to be the oldest living thing on earth at an estimated age of 4,767 years. It has existed all those years in a high and harsh environment. The Giant Sequoia is the second of the mighty trees. Redwood trees can live well over 2000 years and are the largest trees on the planet with heights of nearly 300 feet weighing in at an amazing 5,511,500 pounds (2500 metric tons).

The Psalmist says that those whose meditation is on the Lord are influenced by the Word of God. Such meditation involves study, practice of what they learn and times of solitary time alone and like a tree, abiding in the Word of Life. This is possible only if a person desires to do so. David calls doing this a ‘delight.’ As we do that we are like trees firmly rooted. What we do will prosper and we will be like fruitful trees. This prosperity is fruit ‘in its season’ and not necessarily immediately. But it will come around as surely as apples in springtime. What the godly person does will be influenced and controlled by the Law of God.

Firm roots make it difficult to walk off the righteous path. Christ delights in feeling ourselves take root in Him and growing down into the clean, rich soil of His righteousness. The Lord Jesus isn’t concerned if we own the title of oldest or biggest. He wants us to be the deepest.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com

How Sweet the Sound

God be gracious to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us- [Selah. That thy way may be known on the earth, Thy salvation among all nations. Psalms 67:1,2

The song Amazing Grace has lost some of its luster for me over the years. I’ve been disappointed for a long time with how this beautiful hymn has become a canned “standard” for the world that is played in movies, the media and at various worldly gatherings. It feels to me as if it has become a “feel good” salve for the secular conscience. It's an attempt at piety in which people try to meet with the Living God without having to be in the same room with Him. This kind of use of the hymn has many times soured me on hearing it but the message remains as strong and vibrant as when it was first penned by John Newton in 1779.

The grace and life changing power of Jesus Christ is still a tremendous catalyst for change over the years. Many skeptics and even those hostile to the gospel have been radically changed for the better upon truthfully coming face-to-face with its message. People like the English journalist Frank Morrison, the agnostic C. S. Lewis, New York gang leader Nicky Cruz, former White House aide Chuck Colson, author Eugenia Price, and former U.S. senator Mark Hatfield to name a few. Many continue to come out of the nations; Zaire, Japan, Hong Kong, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Canada, Vietnam and every other realm on earth. Surely every nation, ethnic group and language contains a remnant that loves and praises the bringer of that grace.

Even if the message of grace has been watered down by the world the power of it has never diminished. In a world of 7 billion humans there are conceivably hundreds of thousands every single day who hear the message of amazing grace and believe in the Chosen One who brought it. That is an encouragement to those of us who believe and a blessed hope to those yet to discover how amazing God’s grace really is. It is a daily blessing that is also an eternal hope. The Church of God continues and the gates of hell are not prevailing against it. All praise to God.

Ken

www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com