Month: September 2024

For as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship,
even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you…
Acts 17:23

Not all heathens wear loin cloths and have bones in their noses. Some, in fact, wear ties and have Ph.Ds. The common bond between all pagan groups is that Christ is not their Lord and they worship something that can neither give hope nor satisfy.

When the Apostle Paul was invited to speak at the Areopagus in Athens, he addressed some of the greatest intellectuals of his day. These philosophers delighted in debating any new worldview. They were ready to take on Paul. The old missionary accepted the challenge because he could see seekers of truth among them. He didn’t hesitate for a minute to tell these learned men that they hadn’t found the light, yet, but that he’d be glad to introduce them to this Unknown God if they’d listen.     

Many people today would take offense at Paul, feeling that he was presumptuous to “push his religion off on others.” For some reason, they have the idea that the lost don’t want or need the Lord Jesus, because they already have something else.   

Those people don’t realize that many folks throughout the world rejoice at the message of sins forgiven and eternal life. They want more than anything to know the only true God. However, until someone takes the initiative to tell them of Christ and the salvation He offers, it all remains an unknown.

August 21

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present
you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.
Jude 24

This verse makes me smile. Jesus is going to present me faultless before God, and the Lord knows that I have many faults. It’s been said, “to err is human,” but I guess I am more human than most. That doesn’t really matter, because some way and somehow Christ will conform me to His image (Romans 8:29).

Salvation is complicated. It isn’t a matter of simply issuing a “Get out of Hell Free” card to someone once they say a sinner’s prayer. A sinner is not just saved from the punishment of sin; he’s saved from sin itself. The Savior starts transforming him into a new creation; old things are passed away and everything becomes new (2 Corinthians 5:17). A soul’s human nature gets washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11). Believers are chosen by God to be adopted into His family and accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:4-6). The job isn’t easy, but in the end, Christ is able to present them faultless before the throne of grace.

This title applies to the Lord in His role as Intercessor where He pleads for and purifies the saints: “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

“That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:27).

The Lord Jesus has been working in my life for over fifty years and has polished out a lot of rough edges. I know I’m not Christ-like yet, but I’m getting there. Please have patience with me, because I’m being re-created by Him who is able to present me faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.

September 24

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken
down the middle all of separation.
Ephesians 2:14

Jewish people have a real thing about peace. In Hebrew it is called “Shalom.” That’s the way they say hello and goodbye, and it’s how they give a blessing. It’s interesting that the highest concentration of these peace-conscious individuals is in Israel, where rocket attacks or bombings can occur at almost any moment.

The Savior came to bring them peace. He has reconciled both Jews and Gentiles by breaking down the old wall of separation between them. He continues to knock down barriers and “to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:20).

Christ didn’t come to this troubled world to bring us peace; He is our Peace. Sorrows, frustrations, trials, and tribulations melt away when the Lord Jesus is in our hearts and we’re trusting Him. What happens, and how it happens, is rather difficult to explain. I suppose that’s why the Apostle Paul explained it as “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

To the world, peace is the absence of conflict. But what Christ has brings peace into a conflict and overcomes it. While Christ hung on the cross, even before He died, He rested in peace. This same unexplainable peace has been given to the Lord’s followers:  “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27).

Peace is who the Lord Jesus Christ is. When life gets really overwhelming and the stress and anxiety begins to become unbearable, flee to the arms of the Savior. Cast all your burdens on Him, “and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).

September 7

For you yourselves know perfectly that the
day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:2*

I really don’t like thieves, but then, who does? No one really wants their property taken from them. In my lifetime, I’ve had our car stolen and our home burglarized. Both times, I felt a sense of helplessness. Not only was I upset with the thief, I was upset with myself; I should have done more. I could have and should have locked the doors.

In the verse above, it is actually the Day of the Lord that is called the Thief in the Night. However, when Christ addresses the church in Sardis, He says, “I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you” (Revelation 3:3). Later in the book, the Lord again speaks: “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches” (Revelation 16:15). Therefore, since Jesus is the one who is coming on the Day of the Lord as a Thief in the Night, it is a legitimate name of Christ.

The Savior made it clear that he didn’t come to earth to steal or kill but to give abundant life (John 10:10). Although He warned people repeatedly of His return, most haven’t believed and aren’t prepared. Just like the aftermath of a home invasion, many will feel unprepared and helpless on the Day of the Lord. For them, Christ will have come as a Thief in the Night.

That is not the case for believers. The Apostle Paul says, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thessalonians 5:4). For Christians who are watching and expecting the rapture of the church, Jesus comes wearing the titles of the Lord of Glory and King of Kings. It is only to the Christ-rejecters and those who scoff at His second coming that He will be seen as a Thief in the Night.

*see also 2 Peter 3:10

August 30

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens.
Hebrews 7:26

After raising our eight boys, my wife, Carol, and I decided to do the unimaginable and took in four foster sons ages 6, 5, 3, and 1. Since we’re both in our 60s, I blame the decision on senility; we truly forgot how hard it was. However, the repressed memories started coming back after a day or two. One such recollection was the smells and challenges of having two kids in diapers at the same time.

Old Testament law mandated that anyone who touches human waste is unclean and must separate himself from the rest of society until evening. Wow! Families with toddlers back then would have been doomed to long-term social isolation. I live at a time when I have custom fit diapers, baby wipes, and Lysol spray at my disposal, but the house still seems to remain in perpetual defilement. It brings new meaning to the word “messy house.”

The ceremonial uncleanliness of Old Testament law was given to establish the principle of separation from things that contaminate. The Lord Jesus made it very clear what the real problem was: “Do you not yet understand that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and is eliminated? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a man” (Matthew 15:17-20).

As High Priest, Christ was required to be ceremonially clean in everything. He would have kept a kosher diet and fulfilled the letter of the law of Moses. His accusers looked at every detail of Jesus’ life to find something to charge Him with, but failed. They finally brought charges against Him for healing on the Sabbath. However, there was a problem. He had healing power that they didn’t! He was Undefiled!

The Lamb of God was morally pure, without hypocrisy, and totally righteous. All the fruit of the Spirit was ripe and constantly evident. He was tempted in every way that we are, yet Undefiled.

September 20

 “Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:28*

When the Lord’s disciples passed a grain field on the Sabbath day, some of His disciples plucked a few heads of grain and started to eat. Actually, the corners of the fields were left unharvested for this very purpose, but that didn’t stop the fault-finders who were watching and waiting for Jesus to make a misstep.

According to the Pharisees, the disciples broke the law, the fourth commandment to be exact, and since these were the Rabbi’s followers, they said He was responsible for their behavior.

Jesus answered their theological argument by citing that even David technically broke the law when he ate the showbread that was meant only for priests to eat. God allowed David’s action in order to meet the greater human need of hunger. He then cited the principle “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The point was clear; God gave this day of rest so people wouldn’t work themselves to death, not to make hoops for them to jump through.

After winning the debate against these Ph.D.’s of the law, Christ added that He was Lord of the Sabbath. That just added fuel to the fire and they were more determined to bring Him down. This time they planted a man with a withered hand in the synagogue to see if the Master would heal him on the Sabbath.

Christ recognized the trap that was set for Him, but he went straight to the invalid and said, “Stretch out your hand” (Mark 3:5). The man was healed, the Pharisees were furious, but the Lord proved He really was the Lord of the Sabbath. His critics couldn’t cure the man if they tried every day for a full year, but Jesus restored the hand as good as the other even though His critics disapproved.

When people blindly follow rules, they feel that they are better than those who don’t. Here, men with academic titles even felt superior to the Lord of the Sabbath.

*also Matthew 12:8 and Luke 6:5

November 20

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…
Ephesians 3:20

After four years on the mission field in the jungles of South America, we were ready to return to the United States on a four-month furlough. Plane reservations were made (though not paid for) and tentative dates set. However, the necessary funds just weren’t coming in. It looked like everything was going to fall through.

It wouldn’t have been difficult to cancel the reservation for tickets, or even send out a form letter explaining that we wouldn’t be coming back after all. The hardest part for me was telling my five-year-old son that he might not get to see his grandmother.        

That night my little boy prayed, “God, give us lots and lots of money, just like Zacchaeus. But we’re not going to give it to the poor people, ‘cuz we want to go to the States.”

The very next day, the Mission Aviation Fellowship plane flew into our village bringing mail, and with it, more than enough money for tickets and expenses. I was elated and rushed to tell my son the good news of God’s faithfulness.

This was the child’s prayer that night: “God, don’t send any more money, ‘cuz now we have lots.”

My first reaction to his words was the strong urge to cram a sock into his little mouth. A little later, I was able to chuckle at his simplicity, but now, the innocence of his wisdom just puts me to shame.

It was clear in the prayer that my son felt free to ask for more if a need ever arose again. He demonstrated a greater knowledge of “Him Who is Able to Do exceedingly abundantly” than I did at that time.

Over the years, my eyes have seen Christ do marvelous works time and time again, but my little boy saw Him through faith.

August 22

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

Jesus Christ is extreme grace. He is Full of Grace; He is grace on steroids. That having been said, most people don’t understand simple grace much less grasp its full concentration. To explain it, I’ll use an illustration that comes from the jungles of Ecuador.

Dangerous animals live in the rainforest. Anacondas, jaguars, and scorpions come to mind, but few have heard of the most dangerous of them all – stinging caterpillars. They’re everywhere! Once I was walking on a jungle trail when I brushed against some low hanging branches. A “chinicuru,” as the Indians call it, fell down my T-shirt and it rolled down my back leaving a raised, painful burn that lasted for hours. I really don’t like these things!

On another occasion, I went to visit a Quichua family. When I got to their thatched hut, the parents had already gone to work in the garden leaving the twelve year old in charge of her five younger siblings. I came unexpectedly, so I caught them in the process of torturing a chinicuru. They had formed a circle with the coals from the kitchen cooking fire and they put the caterpillar in the middle. Whatever direction it turned, it would burn off the venomous bristles that covered its body.

As the only adult present, not to mention a missionary and ambassador of Christ’s love, I felt that I should say something, but I didn’t. I wanted to see the awful beast burn. Did I mention that I hate those things?

Now, if I wanted to save that ugly worm, I could have reached my hand down and let it crawl up my finger to escape the danger. However, if I did that, I would have gotten burned, ……. twice! Once by the fire and once from that stinging caterpillar. But I would never do that. I’ve been stung too many times. Who would ever do that? The only One who could possibly do something like that would be the critter’s Creator. Saving it, He would allow it to transform into the beautiful moth that it was designed to be. But if the Creator did that, He’d have a love for the unlovely that would be so intense, you’d need a new word to describe it – let’s call it Grace.

The human race has rebelled against God and is much more dangerous than stinging caterpillars, yet Christ died on the cross so that we could live. Jesus clearly is Full of Grace.

August 23

To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.
Romans 6:27 (NASB)

In Isaiah 44:6 the LORD, the King of Israel declares, “I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.” Two verses later He adds, “You are My witnesses,” meaning that if people would only open their eyes, this truth would be self-evident.

The prophet then focuses on the foolishness of man-made gods: “Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses” (Isaiah 44:9). People try to put themselves or things they love in place of the True God. They woefully fail. If they were being honest with themselves, they would see that, too.

But the general population is too proud and self-absorbed to admit that they have created for themselves a pantheon of false gods, and they deny the one and Only Wise God.

One of these fabricated deities is “Mother Nature.” A number of years ago, I visited a science museum that had an exhibit titled, “Mother Nature is the Greatest Engineer.” It showed the “intricate and remarkable designs of Mother Nature” and man’s attempts to copy “her” breakthroughs in engineering. They said “she” perfected her blueprints over 4.5 Billion years, and now scientists can learn from “her achievements.”

There is even a new branch of science called Biomimicry in which researchers do reverse engineering to see what makes plants and animals able to do the marvelous things they do. Since God never patented his creation, people feel free to steal His design and then credit Mother Nature or the blind forces of evolution for the wonders of the living world.

It makes no sense that random mixing of chemicals could produce any life, but it does prove what God said: “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:22-23).

Jesus Christ is our Great Creator (Colossians 1:16-17) and the  Only Wise God.

September 22

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ” Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.
Isaiah 28:16 Continue reading Sure Foundation