Month: November 2024

You are fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured upon Your lips;
therefore God has blessed You forever.
Psalm 45:2

This somewhat obscure title comes from a glorious Messianic Psalm full of the names of Christ. Monikers like “King,” “Mighty One,” “Majesty,” and “Anointed” clearly establish that, in context, this title, refers to the Son of God. Now, the job is to understand what it means.

The phrase “fairer than men” refers to physical attractiveness. Other translations render this: “You are the most excellent of men”(NIV), “You are the most handsome of all” (NLT), and “Thou art beautiful above the sons of men” (Douay). That is an interesting concept, because the Bible also says, “There is no beauty that we should desire Him. He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:2,3).

Jesus was torn up after the crucifixion. His face was so beaten and swollen that scripture says, “So His visage was marred more than any man, And His form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14). The bottom line is it wasn’t his facial features that attracted people to the Lord, but His handsome character and the beauty of His love and grace.

Christ’s lovely nature is the first level of interpretation. Now, I’d like to apply a rather “outside the box” application to the phrase “fairer than men.” I’ve often heard people complain that “life isn’t fair” and even “God isn’t fair.” That may be true in a lot of ways. Bad people often exploit good people, the most qualified don’t always get the job and cancer afflicts both young and old. However, if God isn’t fair, He’s certainly much fairer than men.

People tend to be nasty, vindictive, and unforgiving. They remember wrongs done years ago and then bring them up just to hurt. Jesus doesn’t give us what is fair. Praise the Lord!! We deserve death and hell, but He gives us forgiveness, fellowship, and healing of the soul. Thank God, Jesus isn’t fair and yet, He is always Fairer than Men.

November 27

For this is God, Our God forever and ever; He will be our guide even to death.
Psalm 48:14

The Amazon rain forest can be a scary place, with snakes, tarantulas, and jaguars. And then there are the really dangerous animals, like stinging caterpillars and bullet ants. Many people are curious to see the jungle, so they employ tour guides who are totally familiar with the territory and know everything there is to know about the great unknown.

Death is an even scarier place, because once you go there, you don’t come back…or at least, almost no one comes back. Christ has been there and done that, so is most wonderfully qualified to be Our Guide Even to Death.

Jesus is the Way, and we can’t get to heaven except through Him. He is also the Door to anyplace worth going to. He’s the way to salvation, abundant life, and victory over sin. To get there, He has to lead, and we follow. The Lord can also take us through places that we don’t want to go: Depression, persecution, tribulation, and grief. There is also that experience we are hard-wired to avoid at any cost: Death. In knowing Him, Christ can be Our Guide Even to Death.

He leadeth me! O blessed tho’t!
O words with heav’nly comfort fraught!
Whate’er I do, where’er I be,
Still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me!

And when my task on earth is done,
When, by Thy grace, the vict’ry’s won,
E’en death’s cold wave I will not flee,
Since God thro’ Jordan leadeth me!

                          Joseph H. Gilmore (1834-1918)

October 30

Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven.
John 6:32

Jesus fed 5,000 people one afternoon because the crowd that came out to hear Him was hungry, and being the Creator, He had the power to make bread from thin air. The miracle didn’t go unnoticed and many decided to follow their leader to cash in on the free lunch. However, there was a problem; he was gone the next day and they took hours to find Him on the other side of the lake.

They wanted lunch, but since Jesus was a preacher, they would ask in a way that sounded spiritual: “Moses gave our ancestors bread from heaven in the wilderness for 40 years,” they said, “What can you do?” Some in the group were ready to make Him their King, if in fact He could provide them with a food entitlement program. However, by the time they got there, the cafeteria was closed.

Christ began His answer to them by declaring Himself the True Bread from Heaven. This was to distinguish Himself from the false bread from heaven (i.e. the manna that the Israelites ate). It’s doubtful that God made the angels bake sweet bread every morning and then beamed it down to the Sinai desert. Like most of God’s miracles, there may have been some natural explanation for it, but what they missed was the true miracle of God’s provision.

The miracle the crowd missed the day before was not baskets of food in a barren place, but that the Creator came down from heaven and stood in front of them, providing for their need. The would-be Jesus groupies were hung up on the all-you-can-eat fish sandwiches they had eaten a day earlier and were clueless to the fact that they had before them the True Bread from Heaven. Jesus tried to direct their attention to the more important spiritual truth, but all they could think about was, “Feed us! Feed us!” That is so sad, because they not only walked away hungry, they were spiritually lost.

November 18

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