The Left Door

After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son.  And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.  Genesis 25:11

I’ve done some funerals in my time.  The first was as a layman for a lady who attended a Bible study I taught.  It was an especially heart wrenching service for me as it was for her baby granddaughter who died of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).  The child was only four months old.

I believe we all feel at a loss to say the right thing to the hurting.  We want to bring comfort and hope but many words fail in that regard.  In today’s verse, it seems God was Isaac’s comfort and hope when he had none. 

I read an interesting story from Jewish sources respecting comforting the hurting. It said that in the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, the faithful would enter by a door on the right side.  Those who were bereaved would, for one year, enter at the left door.  Those exiting would know those coming in were in the distress of grief and could show compassion, understanding or even assistance to them.

I could not verify the Jewish source. But if it is not true it certainly serves as a good illustration of how we’re called to comfort just not the bereaved, but the hurting. If a person is breathing, they’re hurting, or have been hurt, in some way.

As Christ followers we are consistently called on to show grace, understanding, kindness, and to be ready to offer comfort and support instead of judgment and a critical spirit.  Our Lord Jesus calls us to a higher commissioning in His name.  Even as He was Isaac’s peace, His compassion reaches out through us.

So, when you become aware of the next person you meet who draws breath, ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment and wisdom about the bruising life might be giving them.  Be compassionate.  Who knows but they may have just entered into your left door. 

Ken

The Honor of Being Last

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.  Even so, Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:7-8

I believe many of us can painfully remember recess games when team captains would choose players for their teams.  There was embarrassment and feelings of disgrace when we would grudgingly be accepted on a team.  I can still recall more than once, hearing, “Awww, we don’t want Kenny. You take him.” There was no honor in being last.

Many still feel that way, and that’s how rejection works-unless you’re the Best.  The Best always outlasts the most.  Jesus Christ, God come to Earth in a human body, witnessed and attested to (John 1:1-2, 14, 1^st John 1:1-4, Acts 2:32), has proven that there is great honor in being the Last.

Jesus is the First and the Last in all Eternity and in all Eternity He has existed.  That means He is the A to Z and everything in between. He became a human being, being born, living, and dying, and even raising Himself from the dead ( John 2:19-22, 10:17-18).  All power and authority have been given to Him by His Heavenly Father (Matthew 28:18). There is none like Him, nor will there ever be.  There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12, John 14:6).  He is certainly the First and without a doubt, the period at the end of the Eternal sentence.

Is there another person or thing you trust in as your salvation?  Can you be sure where your conscious soul will live throughout the eternal ages?  With Him, or away?  You can know right now by believing He is who He says He is-God’s Perfect and only way-to Him.  Just believe and become His follower.  He will lead you into an amazing and satisfying life, now and in ages to come.  I used to believe always being last was the worst.  That is until I came face to face with the Alpha and Omega.  I found He’s the Living End.

Ken

Wishing You a Happy New Year

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39

I received a nice Christmas greeting from friends in CA with a verse from Psalms 33:20-22 that’s appropriate for 2021. ‘We put our hope in the LORD.  He is our help and our shield.  In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name.  Let Your unfailing love surround us, LORD, for our hope is in You alone.’  No matter on which side of the aisle you stand, please join me in making this our prayer and priority for the new year.  Christ in you, the Hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Best wishes.

Ken

Predawn Deception

“It is the LORD who goes before you; he will not leave you or forsake you.  Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:8

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.  Hebrews 13:8

There’s a phrase seldom used today, “Not one iota.”    It means ‘Not one bit.’ So it is with the Triune God. He’s as good as His Word, and there's not one iota of proof He's not.  In passing out of one of the roughest years in American history (and believe it or not there have been worse), that is good news indeed. We are in need of a happy new year.

The nation is divided and politically polarized.  Corruption in government, and society as a whole, is epidemic.  Totalitarian agendas are open with threats to destroy our constitutional republic and our First Four Freedoms, people are beaten and murdered in our streets while local governments hobble law enforcement, and the national economy has been crippled by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Things for the average Joe and Jill on the street aren’t looking good.

If you’ve ever driven east all night, predawn can be deceptive.  It comes ever so slightly, at different moments causing one to wonder is it getting lighter or is it wishful thinking?  Where is the promise of the sunrise?  But as you drive on, the sky suddenly begins to lighten, growing ever brighter until the sun crests the horizon. 

So, it is with the promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will sort all this out in His timing (John 14:2, Revelation 19:11-16, 21:1-2). It’s His promise.  Another seldom used phrase is “It’s always darkest before the dawn.” Or so it seems anyway.  But the qualifier is the promise of a dawn.  God’s promises are many, and many have already proven true with more to be so.  Let this be our anchor.  Words from the One whose Voice spoke creation into existence out of nothing. He will not leave us as orphans. It’s not a predawn deception, but very soon He will be the Son that rises with the light of Grace and Truth in the Brightness of His Coming.  And there’s not one iota of proof that He won’t. The darker the dawn, the greater the Light.  That’s His promise and He’ll stay true to it.

Ken

The Tower of the Flock

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  Luke 2:8

This being the Christmas season it is a time to consider the true meaning of why we celebrate it.  At the beginning Christ the Word became flesh and lived among us.  He was called the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).

He was God’s sacrificial Lamb who would be the ultimate approval of God in His judgment of sin.  Rabbinic tradition tells of how the flock of sacrificial lambs were kept in the field of David, outside of Bethlehem.  This field is where the angelic hosts appeared to the shepherds the night of Christ's birth. A priest would come to the field every day to inspect the lamb to ensure it was not disfigured in any way.

This job was so important that the shepherds built towers to give them an overall view of the flock, guarding it against harm.  The chosen lamb would be inspected by the priest, and when it was found acceptable it was wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger.  It would not walk to the temple as something harmful might happen, and heaven forbid it would squirm out of the arms of the priest. 

A remedy to God’s hatred of sin was needed to satisfy His wrath against it.  His ideal remedy was not to clear the slate of mankind’s rebellion, but to give Himself as the perfect atonement for it.

He instituted the sacrificial program of animal sacrifice showing that the punishment of sin was so serious that the payment of shedding blood and death would be the ultimate payment for the human race.  While the sacrifice was only a temporary covering, it was a picture of a future permanent salvation and an open door to reestablishing fellowship with God. In the First Covenant, the Old Testament, His high tower were the Jewish prophets, who gave an overall view of Messiah, His message, and death (Daniel 9:26).

This Lamb of God is the perfect answer to a weary world and to a weary year that has seen little reason to rejoice.  Yet we have the Chosen Child, born of Mary, wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger, God in the flesh becoming a ransom to satisfy His own wrath.  Amazing grace.  If you want to receive Him you simply need to believe on Him and rejoice that your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.  If you know Him, rejoice that He ever intercedes for you to our Father God.  Either way this weary world still has reason to rejoice.  The Lamb of God is His Perfect Gift who takes away the sin of the world. Let us rejoice!  Merry Christmas.

Ken

Remember the former age, for I am God, and there is no God beside, neither is there like to Me: Who shew [show] from the beginning the things that shall be at last, and from ancient times the things that are yet not done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and all MY will shall be done: Isaiah 46:9,10

 

Too Amazing to be True

Prophecy is telling the future before it happens. Did you know 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic with over 300 prophecies regarding the Jewish Messiah? Jesus fulfilled 356 Old Testament prophecies in His lifetime on earth.

It is sad that only about 2% of churches today teach biblical prophecy. Prophecy was so important to Jesus He took time to explain to His curious disciples things that were to come (Matthew 24-25, Luke 21). When He prophesied He said, “I have told you in advance that you may believe when it shall come to pass (Matthew 24:25, John 14:29). The hundreds of prophecies fulfilled by Yeshua (Jesus) corroborate Him to be the Jewish Messiah of Israel.

God has told us in advance so we have hope in Him. If He didn't want us to know He wouldn't have told us, so shouldn't we want to investigate these words of the LORD? He tells us in advance not to scare us, but prepare us that we might know His works.

All prophecies are God-breathed (2^nd Timothy 3:16, 2^nd Peter 1:21). He reveals the beginning and the end with total accuracy, so we will know when it comes to pass. His promises are spoken beforehand and are as sure as the sunrise. Take hope in that, Beloved. It sounds too amazing to be true. But there it is. the Sure Word of God.

Ken

 

 

Wonder of Wonders

remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, Isaiah 46:9

In today's devotional thoughts let's take time to consider who God really is. Who He is. Not is He? 

God is a Spirit, not made or existing by anyone's will or creation. He declared of Himself, “I AM, that I AM.” The eternally self-existent One who exists of and by Himself.  He who spoke Creation into existence out of nothing!

I want you to scrap any thoughts or views of God you may have carried, great or small, and let your mind wonder about Who He is. Whatever you can conjure up will never come close to the reality of such a Powerful and Perfect Sentient Being.

This ought to thrill us beyond belief. Whatever you think of Him He certainly is, but even if you amp it up billions of times you'll only catch perhaps His glow but never His fire. Thinking of what that Fullness is can confound our fascination and wonderment of His Being. His reality is seen in everything about us. Whatever you need He can supply. Take note that all things may not be good, but He will bring good out of all things.

Whatever we may build in our imagination concerning His Reality, when it comes down to it, it will only be a God of our imagination. He far exceeds all we can think or ask. Amazing Reality. Amazing Truth. A God above all gods made flesh as the impetus of our Redemption through His shed blood (Hebrews 9:12). Who is like God? No one. He far exceeds our imaginings. He says of Himself, I am God and there is none like me.” Wonder of Wonders. That says it all.

Ken