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



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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.

Humiliation

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 2:11-17

TO CHEW ON: "'For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find the Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.*'" Luke 2:11,12

*"Feed trough" is how my Bible footnotes "manger." It's a bassinet painted with animal drool, and decorated with cobwebs. What a contrast - Savior, Lord — lying in a manger! This is a sign indeed.

But it is consistent. For throughout His life, Jesus' trademark association was with  humble things:

• He spoke easily and graciously with women, even socially despised ones (John 4:5-7; John 8:2-11).

• He ate with tax collectors and sinners (Mark 2:13-17).

• He taught the dignity and worth of the poor, humble, needy state (Matthew 5:2-12, 11:29; Luke 9:58)

• He welcomed and blessed children (Mark 10:13-16).

• He washed His disciples feet (John 13:5).

• He was "numbered with the transgressors" (Luke 22:37) when He was "crucified..." and, as if that way of death was not bad enough, "between two robbers" (Matthew 27:38).

I have two reactions:

1. Amazement, that the exalted, all-powerful, all-knowing Creator of heaven and earth chose to identify with us in this way. The contrast is almost inconceivable.

2. Gratitude. Paul expresses that the reasons for our thankfulness so eloquently in 2 Corinthians 8:9.

"You are familiar with the generosity of our Master, Jesus Christ. Rich as he was, he gave it all away for us—in one stroke he became poor and we became rich" MSG.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming to earth and in such a  humble way. No one of us needs to feel You can't identify with our lowness, for You came into the poorest situation. Help me reflect the value You modeled, of looking past the outer appearances to the inner worth of every person. Amen.


MORE: "Who is He in Yonder Stall?" - sung by the Collingsworth Family



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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.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Joseph's Dilemma

 

"The Anxiety of Saint Joseph" by James Tissot (1836-1902)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 1:18-25

TO CHEW ON: "Then Joseph her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly." Matthew 1:19

Joseph has always intrigued me. I think of him as thoughtful and deep, the strong, silent type. Here he faced the dilemma of his life: his beautiful fiancee was pregnant.

My Bible's study notes explain about Jewish betrothals:

"In Jewish law, betrothal involved a formal binding contract before witnesses but the betrothal abstained from sexual relations and the woman remained at her father's house until the actual wedding ceremony. The betrothed referenced each other as husband and wife (vs. 19,20), and the contract could be terminated only by death or a formal divorce decree" - J. Lyle Story, New Spirit Filled Life Bible, p. 1290.

Did the culture allow private conversations between engaged young people? If it did, I can imagine Mary's explanation, probably tearful (how could you not be emotional when the love of your life, the man who had your future in his hands, was looking at you with utter shock, disbelief and...revulsion?) even though this was a holy, joyful thing that had happened to her.

What to do? Joseph was considering putting her away secretly—divorcing her—the solution described in Deuteronomy 24:1. But just in time, "while he thought about these things" an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream to confirm Mary's claim that this baby was indeed what she had said and not the fruit of a sinful union. So Joseph married her and the rest of the story played out.

Have you noticed how God showing up here just in the nick of time, just as He often comes to us in our emergencies. It never feels soon enough for our likes, but neither is it too late for the situation. God could have alerted Joseph to what was about to happen before any of it transpired, saving him the stress, worry, and crisis. But He didn't. Why? I believe it was because God was developing Joseph's faith at the same time He was working out His plans for the earth in sending Jesus.

God's response to Joseph reminds me of some paragraphs I came across in J. I. Packer's Knowing God. Packer, speaking of another Joseph and his reaction to his brothers in Genesis 45:4-8 says:

"Once again we are confronted with the wisdom of God ordering the events of a human life for a double purpose: the man's own personal sanctification and the fulfilling of his appointed ministry and service in the life of the people of God....


These things are written for our learning: for the same wisdom which ordered the paths which God's saints trod in Bible times orders the Christian's life today. We should not therefore be too taken aback when unexpected and upsetting and discouraging things happen to us now. What do they mean? Why, simply that God in His wisdom means to make something of us which we have not attained yet, and is dealing with us accordingly....


But how are we to meet these baffling and trying situations if we cannot for the moment see God's purpose in them? First by taking them as from God, and asking ourselves what reactions to them, and in them, the gospel of God requires of us; second by seeking God's face specifically about them" J. I. Packer, Knowing God, pages 103-105, 1975 edition (emphasis mine).

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to go to You when life is puzzling and full of questions. Then help me to, in faith, obey what you reveal, as Joseph did. Amen.

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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.

The most profound miracle and mystery of the universe

"The Child Jesus" - Alexandre Bida

For the next week, we're going to take a Christmas break from our Bible reading schedule to focus on Christmas and the Christmas story.

(We'll still make it reading through the Bible this year, as the schedule we're following has one week of grace built into it!)


TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 85:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "Mercy and truth have met together,
Righteousness and peace have kissed." Psalm 85:10


This meeting of mercy and truth, righteousness and peace playing out in the incarnation has fascinated philosophers and theologians ever since there have been such people. They have tried to understand how it works, argued over its fine points, and parted ways over differences of belief. It is really the point of the whole Bible—the Gospel, good news.  I love how Wayne Grudem sums it up at the end of the chapter "The Person of Christ" in his Systematic Theology:

"It (the incarnation) is by far the most amazing miracle of the entire Bible—far more amazing than the resurrection and more amazing even than the creation of the universe. The fact that the infinite, omnipotent, eternal Son of God could become man and join himself to a human  nature forever, so that infinite God became one person with finite man, will remain for eternity the most profound miracle and the most profound mystery in all the universe" - p. 563.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this mystery and miracle and what it means for me: I have Your mercy, I have peace with You. Thank You!

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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.

He put Himself in our hands

Judas guides the soldiers - A. Bida

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 16-18; Psalm 110

TO CHEW ON: "Now when He said to them, 'I am He,' they drew back and fell to the ground." - John 18:5

Even in this darkest of moments, when one of Jesus' friends is in the act of betraying Him and another is about to deny Him, flashes of His God-essence come through. Otherwise what was it that caused these soldiers to "fall to the ground"?

"Man was not made to handle the electricity of God" someone once said (or words to that effect; I can't find the exact quote). Which makes what Jesus did when He surrendered Himself up to die for us all the more amazing. He could have immobilized that whole detachment long enough to get away. But instead, a little later when Peter did some damage with his sword in Jesus' defense, Jesus rebuked: "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" - John 18:11.

In a few months we'll again celebrate Christmas and Jesus' birth. It's more evidence of how intentionally the God of the universe put Himself in human hands as He took on human flesh and surrendered Himself to the human condition. Let's let the enormity of what He did give depth and breadth to our praise, worship, and thanksgiving.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Your life was not taken from You; You laid it down, and for me. Help me to comprehend just how amazing and wonderful this is. I thank You. Love, V. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 110

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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.

Review your Christmas story

Christmas tableau at my church. (Photo © V. Nesdoly)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 2:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "And it came to pass in those days …" - Luke 2:2

One of the things I love to do as a writer is read and review books. So it's no surprise, I guess, when my reviewer persona kicks in as I'm reading stories from the Bible. Today I find myself reading the Christmas story—the story of how Christ came to earth, to Mary and Joseph—in that way. There is:

Setting: Author Luke is specific. This tale takes place within a certain time-frame, during Caesar Agustus's census, while Quirinius was governor of Syria. This story happens in a small corner of the Roman Empire—Galilee (Nazareth), then we move to Judea (Bethlehem) and a stable.

Characters: There are Joseph, Mary, a Baby, shepherds, angels.

Plot: Luke would be a master of flash fiction—telling a big story in a few words. We have the couple. She's pregnant. There is complication when they're forced to make a trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem right near the time she's due. We read between the lines—the labor pains starting, Joseph's desperate search for a place to stay in this census-crowded town. Yes! they'll take anything, even a stable. Just get Mary settled. The birth.

And then those unnamed shepherds, an angel appearance in multitude and glory, a special message and somehow they find that Bethlehem stable, that couple, that baby to deliver the angel's special words.

Point of view: Through whose eyes are we seeing all this? It looks like an omniscient narrator until we come to verse 19. There we find a hint of personal reaction and inner thoughts. It's Mary behind this story! I can just see her sitting with Luke, perhaps years from the event, telling him her memories, saying something like: I didn't know what it meant but it was amazing. "Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself" - Luke 2:19 MSG.

Fast forward to now—your life and mine. We also have stories of Jesus coming to us. Emmanuel. As the carol prays it: "Be born in us today"  ("O Little Town of Bethlehem").

What is the story of Jesus entering your life? What are the parts—the setting, the characters, the plot, the inner thoughts and wonder of God coming to you, touching you? This Christmas day, review it for yourself, tell it to someone else. Relive it and worship: "And it came to pass in those days…"

PRAYER: "O holy child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us we pray;
Cast out our sin and enter in
Be born in us today …
O come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel" - Phillips Brooks, "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

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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.

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Jesus--is He your King?

"Adoration of the Magi" 
attributed to Joseph Christophe (c. 1690-1700)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 1 Chronicles 17:16-27

TO CHEW ON: "'And now O Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as you have said.'" - 1 Chronicles 17:23


After hearing the prophecy about his kingly line, David went to God and poured out his heart in thanks and agreement: "... let it be established... So let it be established ... let the house of Your servant David be established before You" - 1 Chronicles 17:23-24.

[Establish means to make secure, stable or permanent, to fix firmly, to set up, to found or institute on a firm or lasting basis, to cause to be widely or unquestionably recognized and accepted. Two Hebrew words for 'established' are used here. 'Aman' (vs. 23, 24) means to support, confirm, be faithful to, uphold, and nourish. Kuwn  (vs. 24 second occurrence) means to be firm, stable, secure, enduring.]

If Jesus was indeed the descendant of David through whom this kingly line was established, we would expect to find evidence of that. Let's take a brief look through the Bible for signs of Jesus' kingship.

1. Other prophetic writings thought to refer to Jesus speak of Him as a king (Isaiah 9:7 and Jeremiah 23:5 are two).

2. The angel Gabriel's words to Mary spoke of Jesus' kingly destiny (Luke 1:32-33).

3. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, of which the prophet Micah said, "...out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel" - Micah 5:2.

4. Jesus' lineage connects Him to King David - Matthew 1:1-16.

5. Wise men from the east, guided by a supernatural star came seeking a "King of the Jews" and presented the baby Jesus with gifts associated with royalty - Matthew 2:1-12.

6. Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey shortly before His death was an unmistakeable dramatization of who He was - Matthew 21:1-9.

7. Jesus Himself admitted He was a king, and Herod announced it to the world with an "accusation" nailed to the cross - Matthew 27:11,37.

8. The disciples believed Jesus was a king. They were persecuted and accused because of that belief - Acts 17:5-9. In another place Paul invoked Jesus' kingly power in a prayer - 1 Timothy 6:15.

9. John's visions of Jesus' reveal Him as King - Revelation 14:14; 19:15.

It seems abundantly clear that David's kingly line was established and fulfilled in Jesus. Perhaps all that's left to ponder is, what have we done with King Jesus? Have I established Him as King in my heart? Have you?

PRAYER: Dear King Jesus, please be the ruler supreme in my heart and life. Amen.

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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.

The birth of Laughter

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 21:1-21

TO CHEW ON: "And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah bore to him — Isaac....And Sarah said, 'God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.'" Genesis 21:3,6
Have you noticed how many times laughter bubbles up in the story of Isaac?

Abraham's reaction to God's reassurance that he would have a child by Sarah — a child that would be the first in a line of descendants that would one day become a nation— was: "Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed..." (Genesis 17:17).

When the angel visitor reiterated that message to Abraham, Sarah, who "...had passed the age of childbearing" overheard their conversation and "...laughed within herself" (Genesis 18:11-12).

After Isaac was born, Sarah said, "God has made me laugh and all who hear with laugh with me" (Genesis 21:6).

Is it any wonder they called the baby Isaac, which means laughter?

My dictionary's first definition of laugh not only describes the physical act of laughing but also names some of the reasons we laugh: "To produce the characteristic explosive or inarticulate sounds, facial expression and other physical manifestations expressive of merriment, elation, derision, discomposure etc."

Robert Hemley on the topic of what makes something laughable says:

"Unpredictability. We laugh at what surprises us...we laugh because we have been shaken out of our normal perceptions" - Robert Hemley in "Relaxing the Rules of Reason" from How to Write Funny, p. 15.

"Shaken out of normal perceptions" — that would describe Abraham and Sarah. Who would blame 100-year-old Abraham or menopausal Sarah for laughing when God told them they would parent a son? However, their initial laughter of skepticism, cynicism, even derision turned to that of sheer joy when this most unlikely thing happened.

Isaac was the beginning of the nation from which Jesus was born--a birth that was also full of unpredictability. That the creator of the universe would shrink Himself to embryo size to be born in a barn?! Our incredulous laughter at the unlikelihood of such a thing turns to the laughter of elation as we ponder why He did it (John 3:16).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming as a baby, born to humble parents, in the lowliest place. Thank You for what Your coming means to me. It is beyond laughing incredible! Amen.

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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.
 

God—inhearted, enmeated, immarrowed

WISHING ALL WHO READ HERE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS! 

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Hebrews 2:1-18

TO CHEW ON: “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same…” Hebrews 2:14


Today we celebrate the incarnation—God taking on human flesh, a human body and mind in Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible we find footprints leading to and from this event.

Isaiah prophesied it:

“… Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son…” - Isaiah 7:14.  

“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given…” Isaiah 9:6 

“The LORD has called Me from the womb,
From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name” - Isaiah 49:1.

He would be born of David's kingly line:

"There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse,
And a Branch shall grow out of his roots" - Isaiah 11:1

Mary was the Hebrew girl God chose to be Jesus’ mother:

" And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus" Luke 1:31.

"And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" Luke 2:7.

The New Testament writers understand and communicate this incarnation in a variety of ways.

Paul draws our attention to the humbling plunge of this event:

“…but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men” - Philippians 2:7.

In another place He calls it a “mystery”:

“…great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh…” 2 Timothy 3:17.

John adds a layer of significance by calling Him the "Word":

“… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” - John 1:14.

Paul affirms that He is from David’s line:

“Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh” - Romans 1:3.

Paul and the writer of Hebrews also tell us the purpose of His coming—to deal once and for all with all of mankind’s sin, exposed by our inability to keep the law:

“For what the law could not do … God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" - Romans 8:3.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil” - Hebrews 2:14.

And this belief in the incarnation is a pillar of the Christian faith:

“For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” - 2 John 1:7.

It’s really mind-bending—God, creator of all there is, humbling Himself to become a person… I have found in a book of Advent readings a wonderful poetic expression of it. Here is a snippet:

Incarnation

I
Inheart yourself, immensity. Immarrow,
Embone, enrib yourself….
… Enmeat
Yourself so we can rise onto our feet
And meet. For eyes, just take two suns and shrink them.
Make all your thoughts as small as you can think them...

- by Amit Majmudar (read entire)

PRAYER: Thank You, Jesus for inhearting, immarrowing, emboning, enmeating Yourself for us—for me. May I never lose my awe of and gratitude for this. Amen.

MORE: The Feast of Christmas

Today the church celebrates the Feast of Christmas.
The Christmas day liturgy has a choice of beginning prayers. I leave you with this (third) collect:

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

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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.

Weak, small things

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 2:1-14

TO CHEW ON: “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. … Joseph also went to be registered, everyone to his own city … to be registered with Mary his betrothed wife, who was with child.” - Luke 2:1,4,5

How often God used weak things to accomplish what He wanted to get done.

• He empowered Moses’ rod to do amazing signs - Exodus 4:2.

• He had Gideon pare his army down to a mere 300 men to defeat the Midianites - Judges 7:1-21.

• Samson took a lot of lives with the jawbone of a donkey - Judges 15:15.

• David felled Goliath with five stones - 1 Samuel 17:40.

• God kept Elijah, a widow, and her son alive for a long time on a handful of flour and a little oil - 1 Kings 17:12-16.

• The end of Israel’s three-year drought began with a cloud the size of a man’s hand - 1 Kings 18:44.

• In our story Jesus was born to a young woman who was just a common citizen. At the beck-and-call of Caesar, she and her betrothed Joseph had to make a trip to Bethlehem at the worst time, with baby due any day. When they got to Bethlehem, they took the only available place—a stable, and that’s where Baby Jesus was born.

The angels announced Jesus’ birth to shepherds, rough, uncouth, despised members of society.

Today, on the threshold of Christmas day, let’s not despise the small things in our lives:
- The opportunity to give a smile or show a kindness to a child, a neighbor, a stranger.
- The prompting to say a prayer for the one who crosses our mind.
- The grace to let someone proceed ahead of us in traffic, a parking lot, a store lineup.
- The lyrics of a song that lift our spirits in praise.

“For who has despised the day of small things?” - Zechariah 4:10.

“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things that are mighty” - 1 Corinthians 1:27.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that my weakness and inability are not impediments to You. Please be present and active in the smallness of my life today. Amen.

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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.

A Christmas psalm

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Psalm 98:1-9

TO CHEW ON: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.” Psalm 98:3


When a Bible passage is assigned near Christmas, we look for aspects of the incarnation story in it. They are easy to find in Psalm 98.

There is singing:

“O sing to the LORD a new song!  … Break forth in song, rejoice and sing praises. Sing to the LORD with the harp” - Psalm 98:1,4,5.

There is wonder:

“For He has done marvelous things” - Psalm 98:1.

There is victory:

“His right hand and His holy arm have gained for Him the victory” - Psalm 98:1.

There is mercy:

“He has remembered His mercy” - Psalm 98:3.

There is joy:

“Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth … Shout joyfully before the LORD the King” - Psalm 98:4,6.

There is a band:

“Sing … with the harp and the sound of a song. With trumpets and the sound of a horn” - Psalm 98:5,6.

Even nature celebrates:

“Let the sea roar and all its fullness. … Let the rivers clap their hands; Let the hills be joyful together before the LORD” - Psalm 98:8,9.

For...

There is righteous judgment and fairness for all:

“His (the LORD’s) righteousness He has revealed in the sight of the nations … For He is coming to judge the earth, With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity” - Psalm 98:2,9.

And there is salvation:

“The LORD has made known His salvation; …All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God” - Psalm 98:2,3.

This Psalm reminds us that though things weren’t right with the world, the LORD had a remedy. It’s what we celebrate at Christmas.
 
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for this song of praise foreshadowing Your solution to the world’s need for a Saviour.

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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.

Weak faith—no obstacle to God

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 7:1-16

TO CHEW ON: “‘Ask a sign for yourself from the LORD your God, ask it either in the depth or in the height above.’
But Ahaz said, ‘I will not ask, nor will I test the LORD.’” Isaiah 7:11,12

We have weak-faith Ahaz to thank for one of the Bible’s most often quoted messianic prophecies. Ahaz demurred when Isaiah asked him to name a sign confirming his faith that God would come through for Judah at this time of war with Syria and Israel (Isaiah 7:1,2).

Because Ahaz wouldn’t name a sign, Isaiah the prophet did. We have it recorded in the inspired words of Isaiah 7:14:

“‘Therefore the LORD Himself will give you a sign. Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.’”

The writer of my Bible’s study notes points out that the Hebrew word for virgin used here (‘almah) can mean either a “virgin” or a “young woman.” Given the dual meaning of “virgin,” the prophecy’s fulfillment during Ahaz’s time was quite feasible.

Scholars suggest that in the immediate this sign may have been fulfilled in the birth of Ahaz’s son Hezekiah. A real baby’s birth was the sign to Ahaz and Judah of Immanuel—“God with us” in their fight with the Syrian-Israeli coalition.

However, when these words are repeated in the New Testament (Matthew 1:23) we see that they also have a long-range prophetic aspect.

In Matthew and Luke (Luke 1:27) the Greek word for “virgin” (parthenos) means virgin. And so the meaning of Immanuel broadens, fulfilled in Jesus’ birth through the Virgin Mary. “Immanuel” comes to mean God with us—all of us—in the flesh of Jesus.

And we see that God uses human weakness, like Ahaz’s wimpy faith, to advance His plans and purposes.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that Your will is not stymied by our weak faith. Amen.

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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.

Twice Son of God

Family Tree (Image: Pixabay.com)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 3:23-38

TO CHEW ON: “Now Jesus Himself ... being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph … the son of Adam, the son of God.” Luke 3:23,28.

What strikes me as I read this genealogy of Jesus, tracing His line from His “supposed” earthly father Joseph to Adam, is the last phrase: “the son of God.” Talk about a double-edged conclusion!

As a descendant of Adam He was the son of God as the created human being is the descendant of its creator. But He was also the Son of God in the sense of being part of the trinity and a direct Son of God (John 3:16).

There are two genealogies of Jesus. If we compare this one to the one in Matthew (Matthew 1:1-16) we find many differences. Bible scholars have suggested several possible solutions to this (these below found in the IVP Testament Commentary, accessed through Bible Gateway):

1. Matthew traces Joseph’s line while Luke traces Mary’s.

2. There are different ways of tracing Joseph’s line. Matthew’s is the natural line, Luke’s the royal line (and some think it’s the other way around). This assumes some Levirate marriages (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

3. Mary had no natural brother so was an heiress  to Heli (or Eli), who adopted Joseph as a son.

The bottom line is, the Bible doesn’t tell us or give real evidence for any of the above explanations. But the IVP Commentary does state beautifully the intent of this Luke genealogy:

“Jesus has a claim to the throne through David and is related to all humankind through Adam. He has the proper roots to be God's promised one. He has the right heritage to inherit this ministry of deliverance. His roots extend to David, Abraham and Adam. God has carefully designed his plan. There are no historical surprises in Jesus. Ultimately all humanity is a unit, and Jesus is concerned with more than deliverance of the tiny, elect nation of Israel. With him comes realization of the Old Testament hope for that nation, but bound up in him also is the fate of all people” - IVP Testament Commentary on Luke 3:23-38 (emphasis added).

Jesus’ double sonship gives verses like the ones below context and clout:

“When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son’” - Matthew 2:14,15.

“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” - Matthew 3:17.

“‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God’” - John 3:16-18.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You are the Son of God in two ways and for that, and Your death in my stead, this human daughter of God is forever grateful! Amen.

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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.

The glorious themes of Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

"Let all the angels of God worship Him..." Hebrews 1:6

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Hebrews 1:1-14


TO CHEW ON: God, who at various times ad in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds." Hebrews 1:1,2

One gets shivers reading the grand words that begin Hebrews. Like the strains of an orchestral overture, they give us glimmerings of the motifs that will follow. Of course we recognize these themes so readily because we have heard them before.

For example, our focus verses take us back to John 1:

Hebrews 1:1,2: "God... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..."
John 1:1,14: "In the beginning was the Word ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

Hebrews 1:2: "... through whom He also made the worlds."
John 1:3: "All things were made through Him and without Him nothing was made that was made."

The writer continues by quoting prophecy after prophecy to show us the preeminence of Jesus over every other created being. His praise montage contains snippets of Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 97:7; 104:4; 45: 6,7; Isaiah 61:1,3; Psalm 102:25-27; Isaiah 34:4; 50:9; 51:6; Psalm 110:1; 103:20.

They tell us:

• Jesus is God's Son. 
• The angels worship Him. 
• His throne and scepter are eternal. 
• His perfect just rule is a reason for joy. 
• Though the earth He created will someday wear out, He is unchanging and triumphant.

This is the Jesus whose birth we celebrate today. It makes one want to sing with the carolers:

"O come let us adore Him...
For He alone is worthy
Christ, the Lord." -  from "O Come All Ye Faithful" 

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You that You laid aside Your brightness, made Yourself small enough to fit into a womb, and endured human limitations for me. Help me to recognize in the humble scenes of Christmas, the grand themes of Your majesty and glory. Amen.

MORE: Christmas Day

Today the church celebrates Christmas Day. The Nativity Day liturgy begins with this prayer (Collect):

 Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

 

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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.

Immanuel

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Isaiah 7:10-8:10

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14

The familiar words in our focus verse today were first a prophecy to Ahaz. This king of Judah apparently didn't have a strong faith in God because when Syria and Israel came to fight him, he was terrified ("his heart and the heart of his people moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind." vs 2).

God told Isaiah to bring him a message of hope: that the Israeli-Syrian initiative would fail. "Ask a sign for yourself to prove this is so," Isaiah invited the king.

"Oh, I couldn't test God that way!" Ahaz replied.

That's when Isaiah spoke the promise of the virgin bearing a son, named Immanuel. My Bible's footnote explains how this would have sounded, and perhaps played out, to the people at that time:

"A son to Isaiah's readers would have been an unidentified heir from Ahaz's house, perhaps his son Hezekiah. Immanuel (God-with-us) was the title given to assure God's participation in bringing about deliverance from the Syrian and Israelite coalition." - Nathaniel M. Van Cleave, commentary on Isaiah..." New Spirit Filled Life Bible p. 882.

Of course we are familiar with the messianic fulfillment of this prophecy through Mary and Joseph: "...messianically it [Immanuel] became a key name marking Christ's incarnation" - Van Cleave, op. cit). The words of Isaiah 7 are the words the angel quoted to Joseph in his dream when he was told to take pregnant Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:23).

Let's concentrate for a minute on what a grand and incredible thing "Immanuel" represents. This name signifies that Jesus—the One by whom all things were created (Colossians 1:15-17), who is before all things and in whom all things consist, became flesh, a human person (John 1:1-3,14). He "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:5-7). More than that, He comes even closer, living in us by His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).

Let's let the grandeur of this soak in. God, who made us, lowered Himself to live with us, even in us.  May this inspire our faith, thanksgiving, praise and worship today!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your amazing plan which included the obedient teenager Mary to mother Jesus in a human body. May I let You be Immanuel to me. Amen.

MORE: Handel's Messiah text

Part of today's reading, Isaiah 7:14, appears in Handel's Messiah as a short alto solo that comes just before the chorus "O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion." Here it is sung by Allison Browner in a 1991 performance in Dublin, Ireland.

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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.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Waiting... waiting...

Micah - Gustave Dore

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Micah 7:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "Therefore I will look to the Lord;
I will wait for the God of my salvation;
My God will hear me." Micah 7:7

Micah (in the light of what he has seen and proclaimed:
- that his people continue callously on their course, its rulers thumbing their noses at righteousness and justice - Micah 7:1-4
- that spiritual rot has penetrated the most intimate relationships—friends, lovers, sons and daughters, the members of one's own household - Micah 7:5-6) takes a stand.

What will he do? "I will look to the Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation."

My Bible's footnote calls these statements "Micah's creed for crisis times. They make specific what the vision, attitude and faith of a believer should be" - W. S. Elijahson, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1211.

This two-pronged response is one we too can make when trouble comes.

• We can look to God instead of focusing on the distressing circumstance, the bad state of the nation, our ill health, our family hurts and dysfunctions.

• We can wait for God, though this might not be as easy as it sounds.

[Wait - yachal means to wait, tarry, hope, trust, expect, be patient, remain in anticipation. Yachal is often translated 'hope' - (Psalm 31:24; 33:18; 130:5,7; 147:11). The correct way to hope and wait for the Lord is to steadfastly expect His mercy, His salvation, and His rescue and while waiting not take matters into one's own hands (cf. Genesis 15:1-17:22 - the story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar & Ishmael) - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Bible, p.  1211- ] Emphasis added.

Isn't that the rub—resisting the temptation to take matters into one's own hands? But the very near Christmas celebration reminds us that God does come through when the time is right.

"But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons" Galatians 4:4-5.

Hallelujah!

PRAYER: Dear God, waiting is one of the hardest things for me to do. Help me to wait for You in matters where I'd like to see action, movement, and results, knowing Your timing is always the best. Amen.

MORE: Fourth Sunday of Advent
Today is the fourth Sunday of Advent. The liturgy for the day begins with this prayer:

Purify our conscience, Almighty God, by your daily visitation, that your Son Jesus Christ, at his coming, may find in us a mansion prepared for himself; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

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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.

God came down

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John 1:14 

(photo © 2015 by V. Nesdoly)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Micah 1:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "For behold the Lord is coming out of His place;
He will come down
And tread on the high places of the earth." Micah 1:3

During this season when we prepare to celebrate the incarnation—Christ coming down as God in flesh—Micah's mention of the LORD also coming down grabs our attention. But as we read all of Micah 1, we see that this descent is altogether different from His coming to that Bethlehem stable as a newborn.

Here His appearance is fearful and powerful. He descends to Israel's and Judah's "high places"—elevated sites where idols were worshiped. And He comes with white hot heat:  

"The mountains will melt under Him /And the valleys will split /Like water soured down a steep place" Micah 1:4

Why the fearful coming down? Why the anger? This is a side of God we don't like to see. As Joseph Scheumann says in the introduction to his article "Five Truths about the Wrath of God:"*

"The doctrine of the wrath of God has fallen on hard times. In today's world, any concept of God's wrath upsets our modern sentiments. … We live in a day where we have set ourselves as the judge and God's character is on trial…"

In the article Scheumann makes (and elaborates on) five points about God's wrath: 

God's wrath is just.
God's wrath is to be feared.
God's wrath is consistent in both Old and New Testament.
God's wrath is his love in action against sin.
God's wrath is satisfied in Christ.

It is the last point that makes the story of God's incarnation in Jesus so incredible. For Jesus was born so that someday He would become the object of God's white-hot anger against sin, for us. He would take the punishment our sins deserved: John 3:16; Romans 5:8-10, 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 1:15.

We must never apologize for God's wrath against sin (all that is twisted, bad, hurtful…). For it is this wrath combined with His righteousness and love in perfect balance that invented the way for us to be saved from our own sinful nature—through Jesus.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to never take lightly Your abhorrence of sin. Thank You for making a way for sinful me to be right with You. Amen. 

*Read all of "Five Truths About the Wrath of God."

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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.

Beloved Son

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 12:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "'Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them at last, saying, 'They will respect my son.'"  Mark 12:6


It's hard not to feel a pang when we read this story.

The phrase "beloved son" snags my attention. Who of us who have children can't relate to the word beloved describing our offspring? We make great sacrifices to ensure their well-being. We go great distances to help them when they're in trouble. We do everything in our power to defend them and fight for them. When they're sick or in trouble we hurt for them...

God, who knew the whole story, knew that when He would send Jesus, this story would have a middle chapter of unbelievable agony and then death for His beloved Son, summed up in Mark 12:7-8:

"But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours.'

So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.'"

But God also knew that tough middle was worth the glorious end:

"But God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through might be saved'" John 3:16-17.

As we meditate on the incarnation and all it signifies, let's not forget to thank God for sending and then sacrificing His beloved Son for you and me!

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus, Your beloved Son, with the purpose of having Him die in my stead. Help me to never take this lightly. Amen.

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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.

When God feels far away

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 35:1-16

TO CHEW ON: "For you say, 'What advantage will it be to you? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?' " Job 35:3

In this third speech of Elihu's, he answers two questions he has heard Job ask:
1] What is the value of virtue (Job 35:2-8)?
2] Why doesn't God answer the prayers of the afflicted (Job 35:9-16)?

I'm going to focus on Elihu's response to the first question.: "What is the value of virtue?" See Job's own phrasing of it in Job 21:15.

Elihu answers by establishing God's remoteness. He is distant, says Elihu, and thus untouched by human actions. But, Elihu has himself said earlier that God does interact with people (Job 33:10-11, 24-26).

The commentary writer elaborates on Elihu's mixed messages:

"By stressing God's transcendence, he has protected God from the actions of people. But the reasoning here contradicts his earlier claim that God reacts to the sins by punishment and discipline and to righteousness by reward. ... By suggesting that God is indifferent, Elihu comes close to Job's position of challenging his justice" - Asbury Bible Commentary - accessed via "Study This" on BibleGateway.

We too may sometimes side with Elihua here, feeling that what we do makes no difference to God; that He is above and beyond our puny existence. I love how Wayne Grudem tackles this issue in his Systematic Theology:

"The term often used to say that God is much greater than creation is the word transcendent. Very simply, this means that God is far "above" the creation in the sense that he is greater than the creation and he is independent of it. 

God is also very much involved in creation … The technical term used to speak of God's involvement in creation is the word immanent, meaning "remaining in" creation. The God of the Bible is no abstract deity removed from and uninterested in his creation. The Bible is the story of God's involvement with his creation and particularly the people in it" - Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 267.

God sending Jesus is evidence of that involvement—His literal skin in the game (John 1:14). Through Jesus we are intimately connected to Him, despite what our feelings say:

• " 'Lo I am with you always…' " - Matthew 28:29.

• " 'Neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand' " - John  10:28.

• " 'Abide in Me and I in you' " - John 15:4.

• "For I am persuaded that neither death nor life (nor angels, principalities powers etc.) shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" - Romans 8:38.

PRAYER: Dear God, I know the facts about Your presence. Help me to apply them to my life when my feelings say otherwise. Amen.

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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.

Mind-bending Incarnation

Merry Christmas!

"The worship of the Shepherds - Henri Lerolle - Bible Artwork Vol. 9

TODAY'S SPECIAL: John 1:1-14

TO CHEW ON: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

I love how, on Christmas day—today—our reading pulls us back, way back, to the beginning of time: "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" - John 1:1. There, in those moments at the birth of time, we see Word, creating life and light - John 1:3-5.

In the next verses we zoom forward and see a God-sent messenger—John (the Baptist)—with a message about that Light. It's about Light who has become a Person already on earth: "In the world…"  - John 1:10.

Our "Aha"s begin to click here as we grasp John's mysterious words. It sounds like he is talking about the Creator Word we just met in verses 1-3. But how sad: "… He came to His own and and His own did not receive Him."

Then, if there's any doubt left, John dispels it: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." John 1:14.

And that is why Christmas is a really big deal: because Creator Word became Baby Word so that we could again be friends with (reconciled to) God. You will recall that humankind's friendship with God was broken when Adam and Eve sinned (Romans 5:12), but repaired by Jesus' (Word's) death, making this reconciliation possible (Romans 5:10,11).

This friendship repair—reconciliation—comes to each of us individually through a spiritual birth. John talks about that here too: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man but of God" - John 1:12,13.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this good news—the gospel in fourteen verses. Words fail to express my incredulity, wonder, and thanks at your mind-bending incarnation.

MORE: Christmas Day

Today the church celebrates Christmas Day. The Christmas liturgy begins with this prayer:

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

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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.