Month: January 2020

The Lord, our Rock

The Lord, our Rock

The Lord Jesus, is our Rock and our salvation.  The Bible refers to the Rock, our Savior, in several passages.  Here are just a handful.

The LORD lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be my God, the Rock, my Savior!  (2 Sam 22:47)

The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted.  (Ps 18:46)

Blessed be the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle—  (Ps 144:1)

. . . and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.  (1 Cor 10:4)

 And “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.  (1 Pet 2:8)

When the Israelites were in the wilderness, the Lord gave them water from a rock to quench their thirst and to meet their needs.  (Neh 9:15; Isa 48:21)  The Lord proved Himself more than once to His people as their Provider and their Deliverer.

As the Bible passage shown above demonstrate, Christ is called the Rock, our Savior.

In this day and age, many are offended at the gospel of Jesus Christ.  That is why He is also prophesied to be “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”  There are so many religions and ideologies being espoused around the world, that the true path to salvation can be obscured and undermined.  Present-day Christianity is under attack.

Jesus was considered a criminal and a blasphemer—so as His followers, we can’t expect much better treatment than what our Lord received.  His sentence, unjust though it clearly was, was death.  Pilate was so disturbed by it that he washed his hands of all responsibility for it. 

However, the Lord lives!  Hallelujah!  We drink in His glory, holiness, and goodness.  We are made righteous by the sacrifices that Jesus made on our behalf.  We are reconciled to our Father God, and have a multitude of reasons to exalt and to praise the Lord!

Remember that the Rock is our foundation for faith and for eternal life!

Glorify the Lord

Glorify the Lord

One of our assignments, as believers in Christ, is to glorify the Lord.  Let’s look at what the Scripture says.

My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior . . .  (Lk 1:46-47 NIV)

I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember Your wonders of old. 12 I will also meditate on all Your work, and talk of Your deeds.  (Ps 77:11-12)

I will praise You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, and I will glorify Your name forevermore.  (Ps 86:12)

Let them give glory to the Lord, and declare His praise in the coastlands.  (Isa 42:12)

Glorifying God means to acknowledge His impressiveness and to give Him respect by praising and worshiping Him.  We do this mainly because He alone deserves to be praised, honored and worshiped.

God’s glory is the core of His nature, and we give glory to Him by recognizing it.  In glorifying God, we exalt Him; we recognize and honor His deity; and we elevate Him above all else in our lives and in our thoughts.

Adoration [devotion, high regard, esteem] is also a component of glorifying God.  When we have this type of respect for God, our reverence is shown in ways that we can’t even perceive.  However, other people do notice it, and hopefully it will lead them to ask us for the reasons that we have for the hope that lies within us!

Holy Boldness

Holy Boldness

Spending time in the presence of the Lord Jesus will impart holy boldness!  What a beautiful sign of how God sanctifies and prepares us for ministry.  The Bible informs us of this blessed benefit in several passages.

Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.  (Acts 4:13)  Notice how other people observe and remark upon the impact of Jesus upon His followers.  God calls and anoints ordinary people to serve Him.

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.  (Acts 4:31)  Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ courageously with other people is a sign of Jesus’ influence upon us.

Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech—  (2 Cor 3:12)  Hope imparts boldness!

. . . in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.  (Eph 3:12)  In Jesus Christ, we have both holy boldness and assurance of our salvation through faith in Christ.   We have access to the throne of God through faith in Jesus.

Why do I call this article “Holy Boldness”?  I do so because the unique boldness imparted to us through our relationship with Jesus is a consecration and sanctification of our very persons. 

We are set apart for service unto our Lord and King.  We are destined to bring glory to God, our Savior, as the verses quoted above confirm.  So, brothers and sisters, share your testimony with holy boldness.  It is within you; it’s available to you through Jesus who lives within every believer.  God bless you.

God’s Standard Against the Enemy

God’s Standard Against the Enemy

So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun; when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.  (Isa 59:19 NKJV)

In the New King James Version, the word STANDARD represents a force, like a narrow flood, that flows with great speed and force, and carries away everything before it.  By the word of the Lord and by His power, the attack of the enemy shall be broken.

Here’s the same Scripture from two other versions of the Bible. 

From the west, people will fear the name of the Lord, and from the rising of the sun, they will revere his glory.  (Isa 59:19 NIV)

So they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the Lord drives.  (Isa 59:19 ESV)

The Lord’s power shall come like a rushing stream driven along by the wind of the Lord.  The WIND OF THE LORD signifies the power and might of the Holy Spirit. This word image allows us to image the majestic power and authority of our God.  He is worthy of all praise!

How appropriate is the passage in Jeremiah:

There is none like you, O Lord; you are great, and your name is great in might. 7 Who would not fear you, O King of the nations?  For this is your due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like you.  (Jer 10:6-7 ESV)

Whenever the Lord drives the enemy to flight as described in the verses above, it will trigger a wave of humanity glorifying God and giving Him thanks, praise and honor.

If your church, community or family comes under an unprecedented campaign against you, meditate upon Isaiah 59:19 and ask the Lord to bring it to pass in your situation.

Song in the Night

Song in the Night

I call to remembrance my song in the night; I meditate within my heart, and my spirit makes diligent search.  (Ps 77:6)

The psalmist ransacked his knowledge, his memory, his intelligence—his whole nature, and his entire soul, either to find comfort or to recall the songs of praise that he remembered singing in past times unto the Lord.  He was recalling his songs of praise, making a diligent search for them in his heart.

The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me—a prayer to the God of my life.  (Ps 42:8) 

The psalmist is trusting in the mercy of God.  His song in the night is a song of praise to God for His salvation and goodness.  It’s a remembrance of all the good things that God has done for him.

You shall have a song as in the night when a holy festival is kept, and gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the Mighty One of Israel. (Isa 30:29)

In this Bible verse, the prophet reminds the people that the song in the night arises due to gladness of heart, such as the joyous sound of a flute, when praising God and approaching Him in worship.  A wakeful, unsettled night may be relieved with a heartfelt song in the night.

At such times, it’s good for us to remember the Lord, and to know that we need Him.  When troubles, trials, or pains assail us in the night, keeping us awake and in anguish, it is the time to allow the Holy Spirit to instruct us.  It’s a time to feed upon and meditate upon the Word of God—which has the power to comfort us and to teach us. 

This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.  (Ps 119:50, emphasis added)

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.  (Rom 15:4, emphasis added)

Permit a song in the night and the comfort of God’s Word to minister to your heart when illness, turmoil, or anxieties assail you and attack your sleep.  God’s loving plan for you is that you have peaceful sleep.

I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.  (Ps 4:8)

. . . For so He gives His beloved sleep.  (Ps 127:2)

Make a Joyful Noise!

Make a Joyful Noise!

Have you ever been in a restaurant where a group of people were clearly having a party, and they were very excited, happy, and noisy?  At first, you might smile at such a group but perhaps after forty or more minutes of the noise, it got annoying.  This is a moment for us to use our self-control and to keep ours emotions in check. 

This is the very same kind of joyful noise that God loves to hear!

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!  Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Ps 95:1-2)

God appreciates our joyous thanks and our boisterous, full-bodied praise according to Psalm 95.  When we engage our bodies as well as our voices in praise by dancing or clapping our hands, the reverberation of us expressing our joy in the Lord is heard and echoed in heaven.

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!  (Ps 98:4)

When we erupt into joyful singing and praising God, I believe it makes the Lord smile.

With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!  (Ps 98:6)

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!  (Ps 100:1)

The Word of God instructs us to add musical instruments (trumpets, horns) to our praise and that this sound should occur all over the earth.  Wow!  What an image.

. . . addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart . . .  (Eph 5:19)

Let us occupy ourselves in obedience to this instruction from the Word of God.  When we greet one another with songs and hymns, we are producing a treasured melody from our hearts to the Lord. 

The Resurrection & the Life

The Resurrection & the Life

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

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus claims to be the Resurrection and the Life.  The reason for this is that without Christ, there is no resurrection.  Without Christ, there is no eternal life.  Because Jesus IS life, death has no power over Him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.  (Joh 5:24)  All who accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord, pass from death into eternal life.

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.  (Joh 6:44)  Jesus, the Resurrection, will raise up His followers at the end of time.

This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”  (Joh 6:50-51)  In the ceremony of Communion, which remembers and honors Jesus’ sacrifice, we symbolically eat the Bread of Heaven, Jesus’ flesh.  (Represented by bread or a small cracker.)

Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death.  (Joh 8:51)  Jesus powerful atoning blood covering each obedient believer will usher us into eternal life; we shall not see death.

And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.  (Joh 10:28)  Jesus says that we are safe in His hand, and no one has the power to take us out of His hand.

. . . and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.  (Act 3:15 ESV)  In this verse, Jesus is called the “Author of life.”

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  (Col 3:3-4)  Upon accepting Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we become hidden with Christ in God; and immediately, we enter into life.   This passage says that Christ is our life.

Let us appreciate and honor the quality and characteristics of the life that Jesus gives to us.  Glory to God!

Accumulate Treasure in Heaven

Accumulate Treasure in Heaven

Do you like to be a good steward?  If so, this topic should appeal to you. 

(This is Part 2 of the article titled Treasure posted to this blog on 08-08-2019.)

. . . but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  (Mt 6:20)

Of course, this verse is talking about spiritual treasures.  What are spiritual treasures and how are they earned?

Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  (Mt 19:21)

So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  (Lk 18:22)

Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 19 storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.  (1 Tim 6:18-19)

The three verses above are saying that such treasure will accumulate from believers performing kind and generous, God-glorifying acts.  We must not hoard wealth and riches. We should be ready to give, willing to share.  Spiritual treasures will also come through obediently following Jesus and bringing glory to the Kingdom of God.

There is another way to think about Matthew 6:20 and that is in light of the story of the prodigal son.  The prodigal son went to his wealthy father and asked for his inheritance.  After the son received his portion, he left home and went to live far away.  He spent all of his wealth on sinful, degenerate living.  When he was hungry and destitute, he thought of his father and his father’s household.  He determined that he’d rather be a slave for his father than to spend any more time looking for food along with pigs in a sty. 

When the father saw his son on the road near home, the father ran to the son and threw his arms around him.  With joy and celebration, the happy father bestowed gifts upon his son and held a party for him.  This depicts the fact that this son was his father’s treasure.  And the father rejoiced over the return of his beloved son, his treasure.

Does the Bible support this concept?  I think it does.  The Word reminds us that we are highly valued and cherished by God.        

“They will be mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “in the day when I make up my treasured possession.”  (Mal 3:17 NIV)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  (Gal 3:26)

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people . . .  (1 Pet 2:9)

We are God’s treasure! When God the Father looked throughout the universe for something to give His only Son in reward for what He had accomplished on earth, the Father handpicked you!  You are the Father’s treasure—His priceless gift of love to the Son!      ~ Anne Graham Lotz
(Source:  https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/joy-of-my-heart-with-anne-graham-lotz/joy-of-my-heart-with-anne-graham-lotz-january-11.html)

The Lord has chosen each one of us for Himself as His special treasure.  (Ps 135:4)

We, the children of God, are the treasure that God accumulates in heaven!  We are a gift of love cherished in the heart of God.

Come, You Burdened Ones

Come, You Burdened Ones

Jesus is calling ALL those who are weary and burdened to Himself, and He promises to give us rest.  Glory to God!  He doesn’t limit His invitation in any way—all are welcome to turn to Him.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.   (Mt 11:28-29 NIV)

Jesus’ ways are gentle because He is humble in heart, and He promises to give us rest.  Imagine it!  How much would you like to put your burdens, cares, and anxieties down?  How longingly would each one of us like to experience genuine, de-stressing rest?

For I have satiated the weary soul, and I have replenished every sorrowful soul.  (Jer 31:25 NKJV) 

In this verse, the Lord says that He has filled to satisfaction the weary one, and He has re-filled the sorrowful soul.  This is language that conveys giving the weary and the sorrowful everything that they need so that they feel contented, comforted and relaxed.  Glory to God!

All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.  (Joh 6:37 NIV)  Jesus says that anyone who comes to Him will NEVER be rejected.  Never means not once.

What has burdened you?  What has hurt you or worried you for such a long time?  How can you find genuine, lasting relief?  The Scriptures point us to Jesus, the Redeemer and Deliverer.  He has promised to deliver us from evil.   (Gal 1:4; 2 Tim 4:18) 

God says that He restores our souls.  (Ps 23:3)  Restore means to rebuild.  He will rebuild our souls—the core of who we are!  Our souls are the seat of our mind, will, and emotions.  He is the miracle-working God and He is the only One who can restore souls.

In the first Bible verse shown above, Jesus says that He will give rest to our souls.  He is saying that He will give each one of us a peace-filled rest to the depths of our very consciousness.  Praise God!  Now that’s a miracle, indeed!