Pondering God's promises

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 2:19-33

TO CHEW ON: "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:19

From the day the angel came to Mary with the almost incomprehensible message, "The Lord is with you; blessed are you among women .... You shall bring forth a Son .... and of His kingdom there will be no end," her life was changed (Luke 1:28-33).

When she went to visit her relative Elizabeth, she was greeted with more unusual words: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" - Luke 1:42.

The strangenesses continue when shepherds find the new parents in their cowshed accommodation and tell them that an angel has announced their baby's birth, identified Him by His manger bed and swaddling clothes, and proclaimed Him "A Savior who is Christ the Lord."


Mary's response: "She kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." And at least three more times in Luke we find Mary puzzled and pondering things that are playing out in the life of her child Jesus - Luke 2:33,50,51.

Though our experience will never mirror Mary's we too may have promises and dreams that set us pondering. They may be dreams God has put in our hearts for our own futures. They may be things people have spoken over us. They may be the destiny we see for our kids. They may be the role we envision our church will play in the community, or our country will have on the world stage.

Joyce Meyer had such a dream. Early in her Christian life she caught a vision of a ministry she believed God had for her. In her book Battlefield of the Mind, she describes how that vision was challenged. But claiming Romans 8:26 for the things she did not understand, she confronted naysaying thoughts with a determination to believe, not doubt, God's promises. She says:

"As Christians, we need to learn to decide to believe. God often gives us faith (a product of the Spirit) for things our minds just can't always seem to come into agreement with. The mind wants to understand everything—the why, the when, and the how of it all...


I had decided long before to believe what the Word says, and to believe the rhema (the revealed Word) that God gave me (the things He spoke to me or the promises He gave me personally), even if I didn't understand why, when, or how it would come to pass in my life" - Joyce Meyer, Battlefield of the Mind, p. 51.

As we ponder the promises God has given us, let us too study them in the light of faith. Mary obviously did. Why else would she have told the servants, troubled at running out of wine during the wedding in Cana, "Whatever He (Jesus) says to you, do it" (John 2:5)?

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to ponder Your promises to me with faith, knowing that You can do "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). Amen.

MORE: Mary, Did you Know? - Gaither Vocal Band



  ***************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Seeing God

God questions Job - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 39:19-40:6


TO CHEW ON: "Then Job answered the Lord and said, 'Behold I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.'" Job 40:3-4

Here we see a Job quite unlike the cocky self-assured man who said, "I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him" - Job 31:37. What made the difference? Hearing God speak and being in His presence.

This reaction of Job's made me curious about how God's presence affected others. Here is a quick survey of how God's presence affected some people in the Bible:

• For Hagar, fleeing from abusive Sarai after conceiving Ishmael by Abraham the "Angel of the Lord" was comfort and hope - Genesis 16:13.

• For Jacob, after wrestling all night with a mysterious "Man" it was a physical disability and a blessing - Genesis 32:30.

• For Aaron and Miriam it was a humbling rebuke at challenging the leadership of their brother Moses, who was intimate with God - Numbers 12:8.

• For Israel it was the reputation of God living among them, striking terror in the soldiers of the surrounding nations - Numbers 14:14. (David calls the sight of God His refuge Psalm 141:8.)

• For the elders of Israel and David it was an inexpressibly beautiful place and experience - Exodus 24:10; Psalm 27:4.

• For Manoah and his wife it was the announcement of a baby and a new responsibility of raising Israel's leader Samson - Judges 13:1-23.

• For Isaiah and Job it was a sense of unworthy sinfulness and self-loathing - Isaiah 6:5; Job 42:5 (along with our focus verses today).

Can we hope to see God face to face? Jesus said "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" - Matthew 5:8. One day in discussion with Jesus, Philip said, "'Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us.'" Jesus replied: "'He who has seen Me has seen the Father'" - John 14:9.

What does this say to us? My sense is that, like the earlier Job, we often don't have a clue about what an awesome, fearful, holy place God's presence really is judging by how blasé and casual we are about invoking and entering it. At the same time we have a clue in that we have Jesus. We can view His life in the Bible record and see the Father. And through His gift of salvation, we can be pure in heart.

PRAYER: Dear God, I struggle to put my mind around what I read about Your encounters with us humans in the Bible. Please give me a realistic, experiential understanding and awe about who You are and what it means to be in Your presence.  Amen. 


************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Jesus' descent

Golgotha - from The Children's Friend - Part 5

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ephesians 4:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all heavens, that He might fill all things." Ephesians 4:10

Where was Jesus in the hours between His death and resurrection?

Paul suggests one possibility here as he explains a quote from Psalm 68:28, applying it to the ascended Christ:  "Now this, 'He ascended'—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? ..."(verse 9).

What that descent meant has been a source of discussion. Peter, preaching in Acts 2 from the text of Psalm 16:8-11 says:

"…he (David, the writer of the psalm) foreseeing this (the resurrection) spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption" (Acts 2:31). 

Isn't Peter implying that Christ visited Hades? Was that what we call hell? It was some aspect of the underworld in any case.  Peter refers to this again in 1 Peter 3:19-20.

Another view is that Jesus' descent refers to His coming to earth from heaven. Paul describes the extent of that lowering beautifully in Philippians 2:5-11:

"… Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross..." - Philippians 2:5-8.

Still another view is that Jesus suffered in hell. Of that view the writer of my Bible's notes on Ephesians says, "… there is no biblical support for the notion that Jesus suffered in hell, only that He descended to hell to release the righteous dead into eternal glory, proclaiming the adequacy of the Atonement and validating the testimony of the prophets" - Jack W. Hayford, notes on Ephesians,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1650.

Surely He was enjoying Paradise, for at least part of the time. After all, He said to the believing thief on the cross, "Today you will be with Me in Paradise" - Luke 23:43.

Whatever, wherever, it was enough! No part of earth or hell has been unaffected by His death and resurrection. As Paul says it in our focus verse:

"He who descended is the [very] same as He who also has ascended high above all the heavens, that He [His presence] might fill all things—the whole universe, from the lowest to the highest" - Ephesians 3:10 (Amplified Bible).

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Jesus and Your plan for my atonement, which was enough. Amen.

MORE: It Is Finished - Gaither Vocal Band

***********

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Amplified Bible (AMP) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation - Used with permission.

Faithfulness test

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 16:1-18

 TO CHEW ON:"'He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?'" Luke 16:10-11

Has it ever occurred to you that your current material plenty may be a test? Jesus' teaching here indicates that how we handle "unrighteous mammon" may set the stage for how much of the "true riches" we become responsible.

["Unrighteous mammon" is translated: deceitful riches, money, possessions [Amplified], worldly wealth [NIV & NLT], unrighteous wealth [NASB].

"True riches" - is translated true riches in each version I checked. It comes from the Greek word "Alethinos" - Strong's #228:

"1. that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name, in every respect corresponding to the idea signified by the name, real, true genuine

2. true, veracious, sincere.]

The goal for such stewardship is "faithfulness" [Pistos - one who keeps his plighted faith, worthy of trust, someone who can be relied on].

It is interesting to look up some of the Bible passages that use this word.
- Paul describes God as faithful. We get our standard and resources for faithfulness from Him.
- Paul also describes Timothy as faithful.
- Faithfulness precedes promotion.
- It is our goal as servants of Christ.

So, what does faithfulness in the area of material wealth consist of? Does it mean we give everything away? Or lavish our extra on what we considered to be "true riches" projects and causes? What about going into debt? (Verse 12 might be considered an indirect reference to it: "And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?")

A sidebar article in my Bible suggests a simple formula for faithful stewardship:

"Pay God (give), pay yourself (save), pay your bills. Being trustworthy in these matters opens the door to greater spiritual wealth." Clark Whitten "Stewardship and Debt," New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1420.

PRAYER: Dear God, I have so much compared to people in many parts of the world. Help me to see my wealth in terms of eternity — and as a means of proving myself worthy to administer "true wealth" of which my money, house and car are only blurry shadows. Amen.

MORE: "Find Us Faithful" by Steve Green and the Gaither Vocal Band

Rejoicing fields and clapping trees

"Let the field be joyful and all that is in it" - Psalm 96:12

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 96:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Let the field be joyful and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord" - Psalm 96:12

I have a photo-blog and in it I try to join two of my favorite things: my love of nature with my admiration of the Creator. I have been on the lookout for quotes and Bible verses that will direct the attention of my readers to God the creator of earth's beauty. When I saw the verse above, I immediately matched it to the photo of 'rejoicing' tulips that I happened to catch when the light seemed to illuminate them from within.

The Bible shows nature giving praise in many places and for various reasons.

• The vastness of sky and earth inspire the writer of 1 Chronicles to exclaim "The Lord reigns" - 1 Chronicles 16:31.

• The praise bounty of field and flock direct the psalmist's attention to God in Psalm 65:13 and 96:12 (our focus verse).

• The sound from rivers and trees—like applause perhaps—inspires the writers of Psalm 98:8; 96:12 and Isaiah 55:12.

• In another place the psalmist refers to "everything that moves" in the heavens, earth, and seas as praising God - Psalm 69:34.

• Praise also comes from the sun, moon and stars - Psalm 148:3.

• The creation of humankind and God's dealings with us are more reason for nature to erupt in song and shouts - Isaiah 55:12 and Luke 19:40.

• Nature also praises because of the people of the covenant and God's plan of redemption through their race - Isaiah 44:23; 49:13.

Do we see God in nature and view all of creation as offering praise to God in this biblical way? Or have we been indoctrinated with the theories of our day to the extent that we view the created world as more of a natural / scientific / evolutionary phenomenon than a work of our creator God?

Let's let these ancient poets and seers once again direct our attention Godward as they interpret the heavenly bodies and the earth with all its land and sea life as the handiwork and praise vessels of the God who also formed us and loves us.

PRAYER: Dear God, Your ingenuity and creativity is beyond my comprehension. Help me to view nature as Your work and join in its praise to You. Amen.

MORE: "Trees of the Field" sung by the Gaithers

***********

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Our authority through Jesus

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Revelation 1:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace … from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." - Revelation 1:4-6

What a lot of information about Jesus and what His life, death, and resurrection have accomplished for us is crammed into this greeting from John to his readers.

John begins by calling Jesus a witness [martus - our word martyr comes from martus. It means one who testifies to the truth he has experienced.] Though martus doesn't in itself imply death, many first-century  witnesses gave their lives for what they had witnessed. May some of us be called to do the same?

John calls Jesus "the firstborn from the dead" reminding his readers of how Christ defeated death at the resurrection. "Firstborn" tells us that He was only the first and that others will also be triumphant over death.

Now Jesus is exalted the "rulers offer the kings of the earth." We recall the martyr Stephen's view of him: "'Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God'" - Acts 7:56.

The next line of John's greeting brings Jesus close and personal to each one of us who accepts Him: "To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood." We are clean and accepted!

But our life with Him doesn't stop there. John addresses our future (or is it also our present?): "Jesus Christ … has made us kings and priests to His God and Father." Jack Hayford sums it up well in my Bible's sidebar article:

"In prefacing the broad arenas of prophecy about to be unfolded, John addresses two very important present truths: 1] We, Christ's redeemed, are loved and are washed from our sins—a present state. 2] We, through His glorious dominion have been designated 'kings and priests' to God—also a present calling. Thus these dual offers give perspective on our authority and duty and how we most effectively may advance the kingdom of God" - Jack Hayford, "Worship and the Kingdom" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1816, 1817).

I don't know about you, but on most days I don't feel like a king or priest. By faith I want to believe and live in this fact, praying that Jesus' life in mine will give it such kingly, priestly authority.

From a book I've been reading:

"The Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk; it is a matter of power. This is not arrogance, as though you and I did something to deserve this authority. It is about Jesus, for Jesus and with Jesus …. Praying with authority is not about being cocky, it is about exercising His power. The authority to do so is cultivated through deep and consistent intimacy with Him" - Chad Norris, Signs and Wonders and a Baptist Preacher, Kindle Locations 1195, 1247.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for these reminders that I am a witness, that I am clean, and that I now have authority. Help me to exercise that authority in my day-to-day life. Amen.

MORE: "On the Authority" - Gaither Vocal Band

***********

The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. - Used with permission.

Muddy vision

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 8:1-26

TO CHEW ON: "'Having eyes do you not see? And having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember?' .... Then He came to Bethsaida; and they brought a blind man to Him, and begged Him to touch him." Mark 8:18, 22

Have you noticed how in several stories of Jesus, what He was trying to teach His disciples and the miracles he did went hand-in-hand? Here for example, he was troubled that they didn't get it when He said "watch out for the leaven of the Pharisees" and called them blind. Then a little later He healed a blind man.

What was Jesus calling leaven, and what did He want them to understand?

He had just performed a miraculous feeding of 4000 people, then crossed Galilee. No sooner had he touched land than He was met by a group of argumentative Pharisees asking for a sign. Jesus refused. I can think of several reasons why:

• His miracles weren't crowd-wowing magic tricks, but divine interventions to fulfill real needs.

• It appeared the Pharisees were suspect of anything that they hadn't experienced or seen themselves. Surely the news of Jesus' miracle feeding had reached them but the word of others about Jesus' signs wasn't enough.

• Jesus knew their hearts, which were determined to doubt Him no matter what. They inevitably twisted His miracles into something bad (e.g. Matthew 12:24).

I believe it was this skeptical, rigid view of life that refused to see God breaking through that was the leaven Jesus was warning the disciples about. For it was in the setting of them worrying about their own lack of bread that He said, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees."

And then a few verses further on, He healed the blind man—though in stages. Does this tell us anything about the healing of our spiritual blindness? Two lessons come to mind: 
1. Jesus needs to touch our eyes. We can ask / beg Him to do that like the blind man's friends implored Jesus for their friend.

2. Sometimes sight / insight is gradual. It took several washings for the blind man's vision to clear up completely and so with us it might take repeated washings of the mud of naturalism, skepticism, and our rigid explanations of how God works before we see.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to wash away the debris of skepticism and doubt that continues to cloud my vision. Amen.


MORE: He Touched Me (an oldie but a goodie)

Jesus: the One with authority to make things happen

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 1:21-28


TO CHEW ON: "... for He taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes .... 'What is this? What new doctrine is this?For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey Him.'" Mark 1:22,27

We know that in order to get action on an issue—from better service in a store to a change in the laws of the land—we need to appeal to the people who have the authority to make or implement the changes we desire [authority = the right to command and to enforce obedience; the delegated right or power, authorization; the official or group having administrative control in a specific area"].

In our reading today, Mark uses the word authority twice in telling about how the people of Jesus' time described His ministry.

• He taught with authority - Mark 1:2.

• He commanded evil spirits with authority - Mark 1:27.

[The Greek word for authority used here is exousia.  It means: 1) power of choice, liberty; 2) physical and mental power; 3) the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege); and 4) the power of rule or government—the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed.]

As we look at more of the stories of Jesus' time on earth, we see His authority in evidence all over the place.

• He took authority over crowds - Mark 14:9.

• He took authority over activities in the temple - Matthew 21:12.

• He took authority over nature by stilling storms (Mark 4:37-39), multiplying food (Matthew 14:19-21), healing people from sickness (Mark 2:8-12), even raising them from the dead (Luke 7:11-15).

• He was aware of and declared His authority (Matthew 28:18), as did God the Father (Mark 9:7).

• The exciting part in all this is that we are implicated in Jesus' authority. On the basis of His authority, He sends us out to fulfill His great and final assignment (Matthew 28:18-20).

Two questions come to mind:

1. Do you and I recognize His authority over all the areas in which He demonstrated and declared that He had/has it? Do we really believe He has authority over nature, sickness, death? Do we claim His authority over sin and dark spiritual forces?

2. Do we let His authority operate in and through us? Do we speak, pray, and minister with authority?


PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You have all authority in heaven and earth. Help me to live every day under Your authority and as an agent of Your authority. Amen.


More: Gaither Vocal Band - On the Authority




(Written with help from the archives.)

A new song

(OOPS! This post published by mistake on Oct. 6th...that's why some of you are seeing it again. Sorry!)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 96:1-13


TO CHEW ON: "Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!

Sing to the Lord all the earth." - Psalm 96:1

My husband—an eight-year-old at the time—tells of a surprising scene the morning after his father asked Jesus into his life. His dad was at work in the barn, determinedly chewing gum (he had tossed out his cigarettes) and singing! This man who claimed he couldn't carry a tune was unable to suppress the joy of new life that bubbled up inside him. He had a new song.

Why do we, who put our faith in God, sing? The Psalms refer to singing more than seventy times.* It also plays a part in New Testament worship.

• For the Israelites it was sometimes linked to victory in battle - Psalm 27:6.

• It was an expression of gratefulness for salvation - Psalm 95:1.

• Song was a natural outflow of praise on remembering God's past work in individual lives and nationally - Psalm 126:2.

• Of course it was part of formal worship as well - Isaiah 39:29.

In the New Testament and for us:

• It is linked with prayer - 1 Corinthians 14:15.

• It is a way to encourage and build others up - Ephesians 5:19.

• And it is a way to build ourselves up - Colossians 3:16.

A "new song" is another facet of singing in general. It suggests we have found new reasons to praise. It proves we are not in a singing rut, doing it by rote or because that's what Christians do, but because there is something alive in us that needs the expression a new song brings. The new songs of Revelation imply that new melodies and lyrics will accompany the unveiling of God's plan at the culmination of history - Revelation 5:9, Revelation 14:3.

I love how a commentary article in my Bible encourages us to sing:

"Singing is a dynamic and vital part of our devotional life with God.... Even if you feel that you do not sing well, know that your heavenly Father loves the sound of your voice (Song of Solomon 2:14). It is not important how well you sing but simply that you sing. Praise is a pathway to joy" - Leslyn Musch, "Truth-In-Action Through Psalms 90-106," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, pp. 770-1.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the inner witness of Your Spirit's presence through song. Please stir up a new song in me today. Amen.


MORE: "Bein Happy" -  by Lori and Russ Taff, sung by Mark Lowry and the Gaither Vocal Band.

* Leslyn Musch, "Truth-In-Action Through Psalms 90-106," New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 770.

"The Lord is with you"

"Study for 'Ecce ancilla Domini!'
by Dante Gabriel Rossetti - 1849

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 1:26-38

TO CHEW ON: "And having come in the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favoured one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women.'" Luke 1:28

I wonder what the angel found Mary busy at when he came into her Nazareth house. Perhaps she was sweeping or preparing food, sewing or tending the fire, daydreaming or folding clothes. Whatever she was doing, the angel's pronouncement, "The Lord is with you" tells us God had watched and was there, present with her in her everyday living.

God is no less involved in the day-to-day of our lives. And we can be aware of Him by inviting Him into the mundane. I am reminded of Brother Lawrence, that 17th century man, of whom it is said in the preface to his recorded conversations and letter The Practice of the Presence of God:

"No conceited scholar was Brother Lawrence: theological and doctrinal debates bored him, if he noticed them at all. His one desire was for communion with God, We find him worshiping more in his kitchen than in his cathedral: he could pray with another


Lord of all pots and pans and things...
Make me a saint by getting meals
And washing up the plates!


And he could say, "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God n as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees" -  p. 8 (in my 1976 edition).

Of course God is with us too, whether we acknowledge His presence or not. But why not? Here are some little things we might do to help us in this:

• Play praise music while we work, instead of listening to talk radio or TV.

• Review memorized scripture.

• Pray for family members, friends, and the world situation as these things come to mind, even as our hands are busy dusting or setting the table.

• Lay before Him the problems that come up as they occur to us.

• Use our imaginations to see those around us as if Jesus were right beside us (because He is).

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to practice Your presence by consciously inviting You into every setting, gathering, and activity. Amen.

MORE: "He is Here" - Gaither vocal band



Today the church celebrates "The Feast of the Annunciation." The liturgy for the day begins with this collect:

"Pour your grace into our hearts, O Lord, that we who have known the incarnation of your Son Jesus Christ, announced by an angel to the Virgin Mary, may by his cross and passion be brought to the glory of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen."