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.

Lessons for the comforter

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 34:16-37

TO CHEW ON: " ' If you have understanding, hear this;
Listen to the sound of my words: … ' " Job 34:16

Some wise person has said, "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." Elihu doesn't seem to be aware of the principle behind that saying. He continues speaking to suffering Job like a lawyer building up to a "guilty" verdict.

In his defense of God he makes many claims we would call true. In yesterday's reading we considered his defense of God's justice. Today he upholds God's omniscience (Job 34:21,22,25) and omnipotence (Job 34:24,25).

The writer of the Asbury Bible Commentary puts a finger on the disconnect  we feel between young Elihu's often accurate words and how they must sound to the ill patriarch:

"While Elihu has the luxury of being theoretical and general (which he is) in his comments, Job, by virtue of his sufferings, is personal and existential in his. At issue in the book is not the justice of God in general, but his justice as it pertains to Job's suffering" - Asbury Bible Commentary, accessed via "Study This" on BibleGateway.

Also, Elihu's arguments lead him to a wrong conclusion (Job 34:34-37):  "Elihu is forced to picture Job as a wicked person if his theological assumptions are to stand" - Asbury Bible Commentary. Elihu's conclusion isn't accurate, as we know from our glimpse behind the scenes - see Job 1:8; 2:3.

I see two lessons for myself and perhaps all of us in this installment:

1. When we talk to someone who is suffering, our knowledge and certainties need to be delivered with empathy. How much easier Elihu's speech would have been for Job to hear if Elihu had acknowledged Job's condition, spoken with less stridency, softened his tone even a little.

2. We need to be careful of being too either/or in our theology so we avoid being forced into a false-conclusion corner because of our incomplete human knowledge. Elihu knew nothing of the extraterrestrial dialogue that preceded Job's trouble. His tight system brought him to the same wrong conclusion (that Job had brought this trial on himself: "…for he adds rebellion to his sin…  Job. 34:37) that Job's other friends came to.  It's way better to hold our peace in matters of divine cause and effect—things about which we have limited knowledge.

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to learn the lessons of empathy and humility as I seek to understand life's difficulties and comfort my suffering friends. 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 mystery of pain

"Job and his False Friends" - Jean Fouquet (1420-1477/81)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 33:1-30

TO CHEW ON: " ' Behold God works all these things.' " - Job 33:29

It's fascinating to note that in this book that may date back to the time of Abraham (its date and authorship are uncertain), Job and his friends are wrestling with the question "Why does bad stuff happen to us?" in much the same way we do today.

In our reading Elihu, a young man, speaks up after Job's three older friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar have had their say and Job has answered them. Elihu gives his thoughts on why we suffer. Some of his points:

• We may never know. God isn't obliged to tell us - Job 33:13.

• "God may speak in one way or in another …. In order to turn man from his deed..." - Job 33:14-17. Elihu mentions some means God may use, like dreams and visions, to deliver His message.

• These divine communications are meant, in the end, to discipline and humble us. Sometimes, unbeknownst to us, they keep us out of harm's way - Job 33:17-18.

• Pain and illness chasten us and drive us to God - Job 33:19-24.

• God heals in response to prayer - Job 33:24-26.

•  Confession of sin is part of returning to God, in order that we may be saved from an even greater disaster - Job 33:26-28.

All these many years later, we, like Job and his peers, continue to question and seek for answers to pain, sickness, natural disasters, accidents, etc. And like these ancients, we still come to the conclusion that these things are a mystery; we don't understand.

But we can content ourselves with one thing: "God works all these things." Let that fact about the God, who has said about His people: "Behold I have loved you with an everlasting love…" (Jeremiah 31:3), be enough.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to trust Your love and good intentions toward me when I think I understand what You are allowing in my life, and when I don't. 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.

Elihu—a good conversationalist

"Job In His Adversity" by Arthur Ackland Hunt

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Job 32:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "But there is a spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." Job 32:8

As we begin today's reading of Job 32, does it feel as if we're walking in on the middle of a conversation? Well we are.

You have probably heard or read the story of Job, how in the heavenlies Satan and God's attention become focused on him. Satan gets God's permission to trouble him and so in one day he loses practically everything and is eventually left with only his pessimistic wife and his unhealthy life (Job 1:1-2:10).

One by one his friends "comfort" him. But the comfort of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar is cold. They urge him to examine his life for the cause of his misfortune because in their experience (Eliphaz) and by their tradition (Bildad) such bad fortune is always a consequence of some sin. Job answers them, justifying himself. Zophar condemns him for being verbose, presumptuous and sinful, and concludes that Job is actually getting less than he deserves (Job 11:6). We come on the scene after Job has defended himself against this variety of accusations.

The speaker in our reading is Elihu, a younger man who has respectfully kept silent while the others talked. Now he steps forward. Today's reading is his preamble to his reasons for Job's suffering and what he says underlines the specialness of the human species (that we talked about a few days ago):

"There is a spirit in man.
And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding."

Elihu elaborates as to why he has the nerve to speak up and contradict his elders. His reasons (in my words):

• Just because you're a great man or have lived a long time doesn't mean you're wise  - Job 32:9.

• I've listened closely to everything you've all said but you haven't convinced Job or me - Job 32:12-13, 18-19.

• I have an opinion and I need to express it - Job 32:18,19.

• What I have to say is, before God, the unvarnished truth and contains no flattery - Job 32:21-22.

I see in this passage a practical example of good human interaction—some things we can learn from young Elihu:

Elihu waited respectfully to have his say. 

But he finally asks to be heard despite his youth because of the spirit within him, breathed by God, which gives him insight.

In our interactions, do we view others, no matter what their age, race, status, or education, as worth respect and attention simply because they are created in God's "image and likeness," endowed by God's "breath" with understanding?

Elihu listened to the conversation before asking for the floor.

Do we listen first before we talk?

He spoke courageously out of conviction and integrity.

Do we speak just to hear ourselves give an opinion, or does our talk come from deeply held beliefs? If our beliefs contradict current wisdom, do we have the courage to speak them anyway? Is our talk sincere, or mixed with flattery to make it more palatable to those who may disagree with us?


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to interact respectfully with others, honouring Your image and likeness within them. 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.

He identifies with us

"Baptism of Jesus" by Isabella Colette

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Mark 1:1-13

TO CHEW ON: "And it came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan." Mark 1:9

Mark makes it clear that people were coming to John for baptism to confess their sins and for the remission of their sins. So why did Jesus (who was sinless—2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 7:26—ask to be baptized?

I would submit that one purpose for His baptism was to identify with us. How so?

He would become sin for us. Paul says that God "...made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.." Though Jesus never committed sin, in His baptism He foreshadowed those awful / wonderful hours on the cross when He bore all the sins of all the people that had ever lived and would ever live (including yours and mine).

We can trust Him because He understands the human experience. Hebrews 2 talks more about what His identifying with us means:

• He was subject to physical death (Hebrews 2:14). But His death was loaded with significance in that He would, by dying, satisfy God's wrath against sin ("make propitiation for the sins of the people" - Hebrews 2:17).

• By taking on human existence, He understood/understands our temptation and is able to help us when we are tempted (Hebrews 2:18; 1 Corinthians 10:13).

• When He limited Himself to a human body, He became subject to our weaknesses and so has compassion (deals gently) with us in them (Hebrews 2:5).

I love the aspect of Holy Spirit 's involvement in Jesus' baptism that unfolded when Jesus came up from the water and "He saw the heavens parting (torn open) and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove" accompanied by the message of Father God's approval: "You are My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" - Mark 1:11.

This scene pictures the trinity—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It reminds us of the source and energy of spiritual life following repentance: the Holy Spirit.

Let's thank God for Jesus, our older brother (Hebrews 2:17) who was there first and who understands and sympathizes with our human struggles.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Jesus's humility and obedience to subject Himself to a human body and go through with the act of baptism. Help me to live the post-baptism Holy Spirit-empowered life. Amen.

MORE: More on Jesus' identity with us

"All through the Bible it is revealed that Our Lord bore the sin of the world by identification, not by sympathy. He deliberately took upon His own shoulders, and bore in His own Person, the whole massed sin of the human race - "He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin," and by so doing He put the whole human race on the basis of Redemption. Jesus Christ rehabilitated the human race; He put it back to where God designed it to be, and anyone can enter into union with God on the ground of what Our Lord has done on the Cross" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, October 7 reading.

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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.

Busy angels

"The Dream of St. Joseph"
by Rembrandt - 1645

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 2:13-23

TO CHEW ON: "Now when they had departed behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.'" Matthew 2:13

The angels were busy during the time of Christ's birth. That busyness started with an appearance to Zacharias to tell of John the Baptist's birth. Six or so months later the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her that she was the chosen mother of God's Son.

When Mary's pregnancy became obvious, an angel appeared to Joseph reassuring him that the conceived child was of the Holy Spirit and he could go ahead and marry her.

At Jesus' birth angels announced the news to shepherds.

After the wise men visit we have the incidents we read of today where an angel warned Joseph to flee with his family to Egypt (Matthew 2:13). He got another angel visit when it was time to return home after the danger was past (Matthew 2:20). A divine visit even confirmed his fearful feelings about settling in Judea (Matthew 2:22).

Angels make a fascinating study. They get whole chapters in theology textbooks and rightly so, for they populate the Bible from cover to cover. My systematic theology book has a section called "The Work of Good Angels in General." Their duties and responsibilities:

1. They stand before God and worship Him (Matthew 18:10; Revelation 5:11).

2. They protect and deliver God's people (Genesis 19:1, 10-11; Acts 5:19).

3. They guide and encourage God's servants (Matthew 28:5-7; Acts 27:23-24).

4. They interpret God's will to men (Job 33:23; Daniel 7:16).

5. They execute judgment toward individuals and nations (Acts 12:23; Genesis 19:12-13).

6. They carry the saved home when they fall asleep in Jesus (Luke 16:22). — H. C. Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 205-207.

Have you ever seen or been helped by an angel? I have been surprised when the topic of angels comes up, how many people tell of angelic visitations. (More O.F. devos about angels, with an angel story or two, HERE)

How comforting it is to know that God has an army of helpers at the ready to inspire, aid, shield, and guide us, to interpret God's will to us, and to help bring it to pass.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for all the ways You minister Your providence, including assigning angels to work on my behalf. Amen.

MORE: Angelology

In the introduction to the section on angels, Thiessen writes:

"The doctrine of angels follows logically the doctrine of God, for the angels are primarily the ministers of God's providence. Although the Scriptures have much to say about angels, there is today a very general disregard, often amounting to a rejection of the doctrine. Various things have contributed to this attitude. There is first the Gnostic worship of angels (Colossians 2:18); then there are the often foolish speculations of the Scholasticism of the Middle Ages; and then, finally, there is the exaggerated belief in witchcraft in more recent times. Yet there are many reasons for believing in angels (his points abbreviated):


1. Taught in Scripture.
2. Evident in the demon possession and demon worship in heathen lands.
3. Practice of Spiritualism.
4. The work of Satan and the evil spirits in hindering the progress of grace in our own hearts and the work of God in the world (Ephesians 6:12).


— H. C. Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, page 190.

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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.

Image-bearers

Detail from Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam"

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 1:20-2:4

TO CHEW ON: "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them." Genesis 1:27

As we read this passage, particularly the part about our (man's) creation, the question that comes to mind is, what does it mean to be created in the image of God?

I certainly struggled with how to answer that when I wrote my children's devotions (Bible Drive-Thru). Eventually I came up with this list:

The image of God in people sets them apart form the rest of creation in that they have creativity, are self-conscious, have personality, can think about more than what they see, hear, and feel (think abstractly), have soul and spirit as well as body, can make decisions and choices that lead to feelings.

Wayne Grudem, in his Systematic Theology simplifies—and complicates—the concept when he says:

"When God says, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness' (Genesis 1:26), the meaning is that God plans to make a creature similar to Himself. Both the Hebrew words for 'image' (tselem) and the Hebrew word for 'likeness' (demut) refer to something that is similar but not identical to the thing it represents or is an 'image' of. The word 'image' can also be used of something that represents something else" Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 442,3.

He goes on to explain how this definition steers us away from defining the image of God in man in too narrow terms, list-like, as I have done, for example "… because no such list could do justice to the subject. … In fact as we read the rest of scripture, we realize that a full understanding of man's likeness to God would  require a full knowledge of who God is in his being and in his actions and a full understanding of who man is and what he does" - Op. Cit., p. 443,4.

(Then Grudem does go on to give list of specific examples of what the image of God means.)

Practically, the fact that we humans are created in God's image should fill us with gratitude and respect—self-respect and respect for other humans. Grudem again:

"Every single human being, no matter how much the image of God is marred by sin, or illness, or weakness, or age, or any other disability, still has the status of being in God's image and therefore must be treated with the dignity and respect that is due to God's image-bearer" - Op. Cit., p. 450.

He lists those that might typically need to be kept in mind here—people of every race, the elderly, the seriously ill, the mentally retarded, children yet unborn and concludes:

"If we ever deny our unique status in creation as God's only image-bearers, we will soon begin to depreciate the value of human life, will tend to see humans as merely a higher form of animal, and will begin to treat others as such. We will also lose much of our sense of meaning in life" - Ibid.

Developments in current Canadian thought and practice—e.g. abortion on demand, the animal rights movement, and the push to legalize doctor-assisted suicide—illustrate that we are well down that road of human deprecation.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for how I am made. Help me to get to know You and thus myself. Help me to view all fellow humans as Your image-bearers and to treat them as such. 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 history of LIGHT

Creation of Light - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 1:1-19

TO CHEW ON: "Then God said, 'Let there be light'; and there was light." Genesis 1:3

After reading this first chapter of Genesis tens of times, it finally sunk in, recently, that God created light before He created the light-givers: sun, moon, and stars. In fact, light was the first created thing. Perhaps it should not surprise us, then, to see that God is frequently associated with LIGHT.

He is the creator of the physical light-makers in our sky (Genesis 1:17) from whose properties and activities, I think we could argue (though I'm no scientist) come all the other light sources—lightning, electricity, lightning bugs…

Light often characterizes God-generated supernatural activities.

• When the Israelites were pursued by the Egyptians, the cloud by which God led them was a light to them, to help them across the Red Sea (Exodus 14:20).

• Angel visits were sometimes accompanied by light. The "glory of the Lord" shone around the shepherds when they angels told them of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:9). Peter was sprung from prison by an angel whose presence was a "bright light" (Acts 12:7).

The writers of the Bible's psalms and praise songs often referred to God in relation to light.

• "The Lord is my light and my salvation" - Psalm 27:1.

• "In Your light we see light" - Psalm 36:9.

• "For the Lord God is a sun and shield" - Psalm 84:11.

• "You cover Yourself with light as with a garment" - Psalm 104:2.

Light surrounds the life and ministry of Jesus.

• Old Testament prophecies we believe were fulfilled by His coming make many references to light - Numbers 24:17; Isaiah 9:2; 60:3; Malachi 4:2.

• John the Baptist referring to One coming after Him, talked of  "witnessing to the Light" - John 1:7-9.

• Jesus, referring to Himself said, "I am the light of the world..." - John 8:12; 12:35, 46.

Now we, as believers in Jesus, His disciples, followers, children, are possessors of that light - John 8:12.

• We inherit that light - Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15.

• We distribute that light - Matthew 5:14.

In this season of short days and long dark nights (at least where I live), let's thank God for light of all kinds—the physical and the spiritual—which will culminate, one day, in a place where there is no more need for the sun, moon and stars, but God will be our sole source of light - Revelation 22:5; 1 John 1:3.


PRAYER: Dear God,  thank You for physical light, the light of mental understanding, but most of all for the spiritual light that overcomes sin and all the darkness that descended on the world and in us as a result. 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.

Fall down and worship

"Adoration of the Magi" - Eugenio CAJÉS (1620s)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 2:1-12

TO CHEW ON: "And when they had come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him." Matthew 2:11

"Worship"—proskuneo—is a fanatical word. It means literally to kiss toward (pros = toward, kuneo = kiss). [Proskuneo is translated to prostrate oneself, bow down, do obeisance, show reverence, do homage, worship, adore. Among Orientals, especially the Persians it means to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence.]

With this definition of worship in mind, imagine the scene of today's reading. Watch these exotic foreigners with their camel train, kingly wardrobe, regal bearing, and lavish packages, entering a humble Bethlehem house and falling face-down before—a child!

I love the contrast of these worldly-wise men abandoning themselves in adoration and reverence before this baby they believed was a divinely-born king. Much is implied by postures of worship (kneeling, lying face down, standing with hands raised): assuming a lower position than the one worshiped, abandoning pride, laying aside all personal dignity, and expressing helplessness. It brings me to the question, is my worship that complete and unselfconscious that I assume such postures?

A "Word Wealth" article on worship in my Bible says: "All believers have a one-dimensional worship, to the only Lord and Savior. We do not worship angels, saints, shrines, relics, or religious personages" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1824.

We might also add, believers do not (or should not) worship money, success, fame, a relationship or person, possessions etc. For aren't we tempted to pay homage (perhaps not physically, but with our actions) to these things? I ask myself, do I truly worship Jesus, or something else?


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for the story of these wise worshipers. Help me to worship You with abandonment of a surrendered life. Amen.


MORE: Epiphany

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

"O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and 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.

Playing catch with God

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ephesians 3:1-21

TO CHEW ON: "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height—to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge..." - Ephesians 3:17-19


In her book Theology in Aisle Seven, Carolyn Arends tells of the time in a pre-concert prayer meeting when she prayed something like, "'God, we invite you here among us.'" The next person to pray—the church's minister—contradicted her theology when he prayed, "'We know we do not have to request your presence because there is nowhere you are not. So we celebrate the fact you are already here with us now'" - Theology in Aisle Seven, Kindle Location 141.

In a way Paul's prayer for the Ephesians when he requests that God make them able to comprehend Christ's love for them, is his subtler request for his readers of what Carolyn desired. We all want to feel God is with us, to sense His presence, to know He wraps us in a loving hug.

Paul gives us the key to how that begins when he says "...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith..."

But what about those times God feels distant, or even absent?

Though Carolyn was a little miffed at having her theology so publicly corrected, the minister's words set her to search out these things and brought her to some life-altering realizations. Attending to the words of Jesus when He talked about the Kingdom of God coming near (Matthew 4:17), she discovered:

"...for the biblical writers, heaven is close. In fact the 'first heavens' is a term used to describe the earth's atmosphere. So when Jesus describes the invisible (but very real) realm that God inhabits, he lets us know it's not only out there, but also as near as the atmosphere surrounding our bodies and the air we breathe" - Arends, Theology, KL 161.

She found another piece of the puzzle when a colleague shared an article about a father and son playing catch and related such an activity with fathering and being a child. "They do not call it a game of throw," her friend said, "but catch."

Arends concludes:

"God is the initiator. We love because he first loved us. We're here because he thought of us and welcomed us into his world. Yes, he stands at the doors to our hearts and knocks, but we need only let him in" - Arends, Theology, K.L. 174.

Doesn't all that help us comprehend His love and presence a little better?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for being here, all around me, as present as the air I breathe. Help me to catch the signals of Your nearness in the blessings that flow through my day, the prickly lessons, and the sadnesses that keep my heart soft. May I affirm Your presence by throwing my thankfulness back to you. Amen.

MORE:  But don't we need to catch God's attention?

More Arends: "I suspect I have sometimes unconsciously used spiritual disciplines as smoke signals to get God's attention. Now I am learning that they are simply ways of letting him capture mine" - Carolyn Arends, Theology, K.L. 16.

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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.

Your destiny—planned from eternity

"The Calling of St. Matthew" by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ephesians 2:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

Os Guinness begins the introduction to his book The Call:

"Are you looking for purpose in life? For a purpose big enough to absorb every ounce of your attention, deep enough to plumb every mystery of your passions, and lasting enough to inspire you to your last breath?"

He goes on to outline the three main answers to the search for purpose we moderns consider:

• The Eastern answer: "If the final reality is an impersonal ground of being (the so-called 'undifferentiated impersonal') what is the purpose of life for each of us individuals? ... Forget it and forget yourself."

• The secularist answer: "If the final reality is chance and there is no God (or gods or the supernatural) to consider, then purpose is up to each of us to decide and achieve for ourselves by ourselves. We don't discover it—we decide it."

• The biblical answer: "From this perspective the final reality is neither chance nor an impersonal ground of being but an infinite personal God who has created us in his image and calls us into relationship with himself. Our life purpose therefore comes from two sources at once—who we are created to be and who we are called to be" - Os Guinness, The Call, pp. vii-ix (emphasis added).

This is what Paul is writing about to the Christians in Ephesus—this purposeful life. He tells them that God's specific purpose for each individual was planned in the mind of God "beforehand"—before we ever came to be. God formed us with it in mind. We are his "workmanship."

["Workmanship - poeima: The word suggests that which is manufactured, a product, a design produced by an artisan. Poiema emphasizes God as the Master Designer, the universe as His creation (Romans 1:20) and the redeemed believer as His new creation. (Ephesians 2:10). Before conversion our lives had no rhyme or reason. Conversion brought us balance, symmetry and order. We are God's poem, His work of art" - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1647.]

I believe this intentionality on God's part not only encompasses who He formed us to be physically but when and where we were born, the family to which we belong, our strengths and weakness, the experiences we've gone through. They all work and are working to form us into the people that fit into a foreordained place in God's eternal plan and purpose for earth and the universe.

Let's embrace who God has made us and seek to put ourselves more and more at His disposal to perform those "good works" He prepared for us from eternity past (raise those kids, teach that class, work in that food bank, visit those sick, write that book, compose that song, build that house...).


PRAYER: Dear God, thank You that there are no accidents, no "Oops" moments with You. Help me to discover and live the destiny for which You have formed me. Amen.

MORE: "Follow Me"

"Are you open to the possibility that there is one who created you to be who you are and calls you to be who he alone knows you can be? Then listen to Jesus of Nazareth and his two words that changed the world—'Follow me'" - Os Guinness, The Call, p. ix (emphasis added).

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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.

Prayer list: revelation, wisdom

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ephesians 1:1-23

TO CHEW ON: "I … do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him..." - Ephesians 1:16,17

Studying Paul's prayer here gives us clues about what to pray for ourselves and others. Paul tells the Ephesians his prayers for them include a request that God would give them  the "spirit of wisdom and revelation."

The writer of my Bible's notes on Ephesians says, "Wisdom and revelation are not to be interpreted as mystical. 'Wisdom' concerns practical, workable principles, 'revelation' refers to clear perception and applicable understanding" - Jack W. Hayford, notes on Ephesians, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1645.

I take that to mean, in plain language, revelation is a clear understanding what God's word says and means; wisdom is how to put it into practice in our lives.

What a great prayer to pray for ourselves, each other, pastors and members of our local church, and the Christian church all over the world. It's just as apropos today as it was in Paul's time as we struggle to live what the Bible teaches in the midst of our generation that lives (in North America at least) increasingly by the principles of relativism.*

PRAYER:  Dear God, I need this spirit of revelation and wisdom as I grapple with my society's redefinition of marriage and its general enforcement of political correctness that would pressure me to compromise living by the principles in Your word. Amen.

MORE: The best way to hear from the Spirit

"Eastern religions, and even some teachers of the Christian faith, propose that the best way to hear from God's Spirit ... is to empty your mind, accompanied by various breathing exercises. … Rather, the Scriptures affirm the best way to hear from the Spirit is to fill the mind with the Word of God, accompanied by careful reading and meditation on the sacred text. That's the best way to receive what the Spirit is speaking clearly" - Daniel Henderson, Transforming Prayer, p. 118.

*Relativism in the religious realm is also sometimes called pluralism. Tim Keller explains what this is and describes its impact on western society in the article "Religious and Philosophical Pluralism."

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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.

Realistic resolutions

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 147:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In this who hope in His mercy." Psalm 147:10-11

If we're resolution-makers we are in our glory right about now, composing hopeful lists of what to do more and less of this year. The beginning of a new year is, typically, a time to take stock, evaluate where we are in achieving the plans we made in previous years, and set new targets for the year ahead.

To keep us from getting too caught up in our self-made ways, too confident that we can direct the course of life, today's focus verses add a pinch of realism to the resolution-making process.

The "strength of the horse…legs of a man" that God doesn't delight in suggest not only personal self-determination but national. The psalmist may well have introduced these images to plant the idea of an army and war (compare Psalm 33:16,17). He is saying that the outcomes of even nations are not self-determined.

So what, or who, determines success—personal or national? Psalm 147:11 tells us that God is the basis of it all. His mercy, not our cunning and intelligence and strength, foundation successful hopes and plans for the future.

Does that mean we shouldn't plan ahead, make goals, write down what we plan to do more of and less of in the days ahead?

I don't think so. Jesus recommended "counting the cost" of building a tower, going to war, and discipleship (Luke 14:26-33). In His parable of the minas, the man who refused to think ahead to when His master would return but buried His investment capital in the ground as if there would never be a day of reckoning, was punished for not being a good steward of what he had been given (Luke 19:20-26).

However, I believe we need to make our plans in pencil, acknowledging that we are not, finally, the masters of our fate. It is all His mercy, not our strong horses and well-toned selves.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your mercy that underlies all predictable life. I give my plans for 2015 to You, acknowledging that Your providence and will determine their ultimate achievement, and not me at all. Amen.

MORE: Are we in danger of worshiping our work?

"Beware of any work for God which enables you to evade concentration on Him. A great many Christian workers worship their work. The one concern of a worker should be concentration on God and this will mean that all the other margins of life, mental, moral and spiritual, are free with the freedom of a child, a worshiping child, not a wayward child" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest  (April 23rd reading).

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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 battle of 2015

Happy New Year! 

Spiritual Warfare - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Colossians 1:1-20

TO CHEW ON: "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love." - Colossians 1:13


Kristine McGuire grew up in a Christian home and gave her heart to Jesus at an early age. However, a combination of things including an interest in horror movies and scary books, a series of life events that frustrated and angered her, and the performance-based legalism of the church she attended, fueled an attraction to the occult.

And so for eight years as an adult she gave herself to ghost hunting and activities as a psychic, medium, and witch, rationalizing that she could be involved in these things as a Christian, even calling herself a Christian ghost hunter.

Her story, told in An Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare, shines a light on one area where many in our society and even some professing Christians are living under the power of darkness, that is, through involvement in the occult. McGuire writes:

"People are hungry for a spiritual connection with God …. Satan counterfeits the power and good gifts of God, twisting them into what we see being done by mediums, psychics, diviners, energy healers, and those who practice forms of magick and spellcraft" - p. 160.

But we don't have to stay in this dark place of fear, deception, and confusion. For as our focus verse reminds us:

He has delivered [rescued, drawn to Himself] us to Himself from the power [authority, right to act, ability, privilege] of darkness [darkened eyesight or blindness, ignorance respecting divine things and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality] and conveyed [transferred, removed and relocated, "… refers to the deportation or transference of captured armies or populations from one country to another" - New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 1671] us into the kingdom [royal power, dominion rule] of the Son of His love [agape love].

Recognizing and getting free from the power of the occult is only one aspect of spiritual warfare. As we enter this year, let's prepare to fight in all areas as captives-who-have-become-warriors of the kingdom of light. McGuire ends her book with this challenge:

"Spiritual warfare:
It is in the prayers we say or forget to say.
It is in the choice to be kind or hurtful.
It is in our work ethic or lack thereof.
It is in the people and relationships in whom we choose to invest or not to invest.
It is in the experiences, mundane or supernatural, we accept or deny.
It is in the causes we take up or reject.
Every day the battle wages.
You are a spiritual warrior.
The time has come. Take up spiritual arms.
And with God's help, make your stand" - Kristine McGuire, An Insider's Guide to Spiritual Warfare, p. 226.

PRAYER: Dear God, please alert me to areas where I am playing with and living in darkness. Help me to live completely in the Your kingdom of love and light. Amen.

MORE: Feast of the Holy Name

Today the church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Name. The liturgy for today begins with this Collect:

Eternal Father, you gave to your incarnate Son the holy name of Jesus to be the sign of our salvation: Plant in every heart, we pray, the love of him who is the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 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.

Bitter weeping

"Slaughter of the Innocents"
by Carl Heinrich Bloch

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 31:15-34


TO CHEW ON: "A voice was heard in Ramah,

Lamentation and bitter weeping

Rachel weeping for her children,

Refusing to be comforted for her children

Because they are no more." Jeremiah 31:15

The incarnation story has its dark chapters. One of them is the account of King Herod and his actions after the wise men gave him the slip and "departed for their own country another way."

He was as sneaky as the Herod of Jesus' adult years (who Jesus  called a fox). For on his first encounter with the Magi, after hearing from the chief priests and scribes about the part Bethlehem was to play in the prediction of a king, he had met the Magi secretly to determine when that star had first appeared.

When he realized that the wise men weren't coming back, he put all his information together and sent out his soldiers on a mission that makes our blood run cold: "He sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men" - Matthew 2:16.

At this point in his telling, Matthew inserts a little author comment: "Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet saying..." and he quotes word for word today's focus verse from Jeremiah.

As a parent reading the account of Herod's murderous initiative (Matthew 2:1-12), I am filled with empathy for those mothers. Imagine the disbelief, the apprehension, the confusion, and finally the heart-pounding terror as you face a heartless, sword-wielding soldier with your baby in your arms.

It's natural to ask, where was God in all this? How could He allow something so awful, something He obviously knew would happen because His Spirit had breathed these words into Jeremiah's ears centuries earlier.

Though we have probably never had our baby yanked from our arms by a soldier intent on obeying the order of a jealous king, having a child snatched from our arms by illness or accident is not so different. Which brings us face to face with the old dilemma: How can God, who is supposedly all-powerful and all-loving, allow bad things to happen to us?

Jerry Bridges addresses this question in his book Trusting God: Even when Life Hurts. He says:

"God's plan and His ways of working out His plan are frequently beyond our ability to fathom and understand. We must learn to trust where we don't understand.


[...] In order to trust God we must know Him in an intimate and personal way" Kindle locations 137 & 142.

How do we do that? In the same way we get to know people in an intimate and personal way. We spend time with them, listening to them — we listen to God when we read the Bible — and talking with them — we talk to God when we pray.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to know You so well that I trust You even when bad things happen to me. Amen.

MORE: Against the backdrop of the cross

Henry Blackaby tells this story in his book Experiencing God.

"When our only daughter, Carrie, was 16, the doctors told us she had an advanced case of cancer. We had to take her through chemotherapy and radiation. We suffered along with Carrie as we watched her experience the severe sickness that accompanies the treatments. Some people face such an experience by blaming God and questioning why He doesn't love them any more. Carrie's cancer treatments could have been a devastating experience for us. Did God still love us? Yes. Had His love changed? No. He still cared for us with an infinite love.


When you face circumstances like this, you can ask God to explain what is happening. We did that. We asked Him what we should do. I raised all those questions, but I never said, 'Lord, I guess You don't love me.'


Long before this experience with Carrie, I had made a determination: no matter what my circumstances, I would never look at my situation except against the backdrop of the cross. In the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God forever convinced me that He loved me. For this reason during Carrie's illness I could go before the Heavenly Father and see behind my daughter the cross of Jesus Christ. I said, 'Father, don't ever let me look at my life and question Your love for me. Your love for me was settled on the cross. That has never changed and will never change.' Our love relationship with the Heavenly Father sustained us through an extremely difficult time." Experiencing God Workbook, p. 51.

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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 devotional spirit

"But Mary kept all these things and 

pondered them in her heart" - by Alice Havers

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 2:15-21

TO CHEW ON: "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." Luke 2:51

I have always loved this little aside about Mary's reaction to the events of the Christmas story. It makes her seem so human, while directing our attention toward God as we ask with her, what do all these things mean?

Bible writers speak of many women whose hearts are tuned to God. The Thompson Chain Bible lists these examples under the heading: Women - Crowning Qualities - Devotional Spirit. What are some areas of life into which Bible women brought this devotional spirit?

1. Their attitude toward their mates:

• The ideal wife of Proverbs is  "virtuous" - Proverbs 31:10.

• Peter characterizes a godly wife as having a beauty of the heart—"… a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God" - 1 Peter 3:1-6.

2. Their motherhood:

• Hannah prays for a son, makes a promise to God, and keeps it - 1 Samuel 1:15,26.

• Rebekah "inquires of the Lord" when she senses there is something unusual about her pregnancy - Genesis 25:22.

• Mary willingly gives her body to carry Jesus and after He is born, ponders all the unusual phenomenon that accompany His birth - Luke 1:38; 2:19 (our focus verse).

3. Their role as singles:

• Philip's four daughters are single prophetesses - Acts 21:9.

4. Their position as leaders:

• Miriam leads the women of Israel in worship with her tambourine, singing, and dancing - Exodus 15:20.

• Huldah is a prophetess who even the priest consults - 2 Kings 22:14.

• Queen Esther's first thought is to pray and fast before attempting to approach the king - Esther 4:16.

5. Their personal devotion and worship:

• Eighty-four-year-old Anna spends all her time in the temple, fasting and praying - Luke 2:36-37.

• Mary of Bethany sits at Jesus feet to listen to Him teach instead of getting caught up in her sister's fussing and worrying - Luke 10:38-42.

• Jesus' women disciples, follow Him, minister to Him and stick with him to the cross (and beyond) - Mark 15:40.

6. Let's not get the idea, though, that a devotional spirit is seen only in women who listen to teaching, fast, and pray. A devotional spirit can be seen too in Their busyness and business:

• Dorcas is full of very practical good works - Acts 9:36.

• Lydia is a businesswoman, a seller of purple who worships God and "opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul" - Acts 16:14.

• "Leading women" join Paul and Silas in Thessalonica - Acts 17:4.

• Paul asks his readers in Rome to help Phoebe in her business - Romans 16:1.

I love how these women demonstrate a devotional spirit in so many roles and activities of life. Let's bring their attitude of alertness to God into whatever our today brings of meditation, worship and prayer; singleness, marriage and parenting; leading and following; business and crafts; play and leisure.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to be aware of and acknowledge You in every aspect of my 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.

Lessons from the life (and death) of Stephen

The stoning of Stephen - Acts 7:58-60

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 6:1-15

TO CHEW ON: "And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit. … And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people." Acts 6:5a,8

Stephen has always intrigued me. Here he is, the quintessential post-Pentecost Christian, fairly sizzling with Holy Spirit gifts and power, picked to be a food-bank administrator and table server! The result of his service (and the work of the others appointed to serve in that way) was that the gospel spread and the number of disciples multiplied so that even Jewish priests came to belief in Jesus (Acts 6:7).

It didn't end there, however. Stephen's prominence led to a dispute in the synagogue where he distinguished himself with wisdom. In fact he was so persuasive that his adversaries got people to lie about him. His sermon of defense, where he outlined Jewish history and denounced the Jews for killing the prophets and the "Just One" (Jesus) of whom the prophets spoke, eventually got him stoned to death (Acts 7:1-60).

What lessons can we learn from Stephen's cut-short life? Here are three that come to mind:

1. There are no big or little jobs in the Kingdom of God.
They're all big jobs. The Apostles' ministry of teaching and prayer was essential to the gospel's spread, but so was serving tables and the fair administration of relief to Greek-speaking widows.

2. Holy Spirit giftings are various—and practical too.
The apostles looked for men full of the Holy Spirit to do these service jobs. Of course that makes sense because the gifts of the Spirit include "helps" and "administrations" - 1 Corinthians 12:28.

3. God's plans often differ from ours.
But the right man in the right place at the right time turned out so badly for the early church when Stephen was martyred. It gave the Christians' persecutors a shot in the arm and started a new wave of arrests and killings. We may be tempted to ask, wasn't it all a big mistake?

No. Because the threat in Jerusalem caused the Christians to disburse. They carried the gospel with them, a "virus" that then "infected" regions of Judea and Samaria (Acts 8:1) and led eventually to the conversion of Saul/Paul (who, we know, became the early church's main church planter and who wrote large chunks of the New Testament).  And so we see that God's ways consume people and move events according to a higher purpose than the long and stress-free lives that are often our goal (Isaiah 55:9).

Let's learn from and be encouraged by Stephen's life and death today.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Stephen, whose life is an illustration of Your ways. Help me to open myself to the working of Your Spirit through me—no matter what the cost—as Stephen did. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Stephen

Today is the church focuses Stephen, Deacon and Martyr.

The liturgy for the day begins with this Collect prayer:

"We give you thanks, O Lord of glory, for the example of the first martyr Stephen, who looked up to heaven and prayed for his persecutors to your Son Jesus Christ, who stands at your right hand; where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen."

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

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.

Feed trough birth

"Joseph Seeks Lodging" by James Tissot (1886-94)

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 2:1-14

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

As I reread this familiar story today, I am struck by the lowliness of the characters and their situations.

Joseph and Mary were the most ordinary citizens, at the beck and call of Caesar Augustus. They had no choice but to obey the census summons and travel at this most inconvenient time.

The place of Jesus' birth—a feed trough—has been the basis of many a Christmas play. Though the Bible description is beautifully understated, we can't help but imagine the crowded Bethlehem streets, see Joseph and Mary trekking from one inn to another, hear the desperation in Joseph's voice as Mary's labor pains accelerate: "Please. We'll take anything."

The angels announce Jesus' birth to shepherds, a rough lot and scorned by the who's-who in Jewish society.

God in His wisdom arrived in such a way that the humblest, poorest, and most despised found themselves in His spotlight. It reminds me of a poem by my friend Charlie. Let's ponder this as we celebrate Jesus' birth today. 

(Used with permission.)

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for revealing Yourself first to the poorest. None of us is too low or insignificant for You to notice and love. 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.

Two reasons for joy this Christmas

"Let the sea roar, and all its fullness..."

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Psalm 96:1-13

TO CHEW ON: Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day …
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field be joyful and all that is in it. 


A few days ago we read part of David's song that he composed for the celebration of bringing the ark back to Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 16:23-36).  Psalm 96, my Bible's study notes tell me, is included in that song.

It pulsates with JOY. My Thompson Chain Bible lists  occasions of great joy:
1. The creation - Job 38:4-7.
2. Laying the foundation of the temple - Ezra 3:12.
3. The coming of Christ - Matthew 2:10; Luke 2:10.
4. The resurrection of Christ - Matthew 28:8.
5. The ascension of Christ - Luke 24:52.
6. The conversion of the gentiles - Acts 15:3.

We're in the Advent season, near the climax of #3. Two things strike me as I connect David's celebration song with the incarnation:

1. The essence of its joy is "the good news of His salvation." And that is the core reason we celebrate Christmas. Yes, the story of Joseph, Mary, the census, no-room-Bethlehem etc. is fascinating, the humble characters relatable, the occasion by now bathed in a romantic light. But the celebration of Jesus' birth all these many years later continues because in Jesus' coming as a human baby is wrapped up the good news of God extending salvation to undeserving us.

2. The joy of the occasion affects even nature as it anticipates the culmination of salvation.

• Nature was cursed at the Fall. The ground, plant and animal life also suffered the consequences of Adam and Eve's sin - Genesis 3:14,17.

• We see glimmerings of nature's release from the curse in Jesus' interactions with it - Matthew 8:27.

• Paul mentions how "creation eagerly awaits for the revealing of the sons of God" though still "groans" - Romans 8:20-22.

• John, in Revelation, speaks of a time when all is accomplished and "there will be no more curse" - Revelation 22:3.

Those two things—salvation and the hope of no more curse—stir up joy in me today. I hope they do in you too.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for coming as a baby and make possible my salvation. I am looking forward to the day when the curse of our sin will be no more. 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.