Month: November 2024

A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover
from the tempest, As rivers of water in a dry place, as the
shadow of a great rock in a weary land.
Isaiah 32:2

One curious fact that I still remember from third grade geography class is that in the Sahara Desert, it gets to be 120° F in the shade. “Boy,” I thought to myself, “I bet people try to stay out of the shade as much as possible.”

My impressions of the desert greatly changed when, as an adult, I saw one for myself. On the arid wasteland, the sun is so intense you can fry an egg on a rock. There’s a lot of wind, but it doesn’t cool. It just pushes hot, dry air on your face. No trees grow anywhere, and the only shade that can be found is what you bring for yourself.

The only relief from the hostility of the elements is found in the mountains at the very edge of the desert. Great walls of rock rise high above the burning sand and break the fury of the furnace-like air. Overhangs and huge cracks in the stone capture the coolness of the previous evening, and the shadow of a great rock can provide a place of refuge from the heat even at noonday.

This sin-ravished world is like the desert. It’s a hard and unsympathetic place. We are like sun-scorched travelers who are burned by their own ungodliness, as well as by the sinfulness of others. When the burden gets really heavy and life seems almost unbearable, people don’t want religion or even reformation; they want rest. Jesus said, “Come to me… and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Beneath the cross of Jesus
I fain would take my stand,
the shadow of a mighty rock
within a weary land;
a home within the wilderness,
a rest upon the way,
from the burning of the noontide heat,
and the burden of the day.
                                     – Elizabeth Clephane (1830-1869)

July 2

Whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
2 Corinthians 4:4

In the original blueprint of man’s creation, the design called for a creature made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). It was not the physical distinctions of the humanoid form that set Adam apart from the animals. After all, God is a Spirit and has no visible shape of His own. What was really unique was his power to deal in abstracts and reach conclusions.

A dog cannot see beauty or enjoy art. Right and wrong, or even right and left, are far beyond the comprehension of even the most intelligent ape. It is man’s capacity to reason that allows him to make intelligent choices. This is necessary to enjoy communion with God.

However, something went terribly wrong after the die was cast. The first man chose to disobey his maker, thus distorting the divine likeness. As a result, he came to resemble the god of this age more than the true God of the universe. Now, when human history is recorded, its wars and injustices stand out above all else, showing man’s weakness and failure of character. The image of God had become terribly flawed.

Christ is the Image of God, the highest example of the Creator’s plan for Adam’s race. If holiness was too intangible a concept for people to understand, it took shape in the person of Jesus Christ. God’s love and grace had physical form that could be seen, heard, and felt by those who had lost sight of the original design. Truth, justice, and mercy became solid realities that demanded to be dealt with.

Man’s marred image of God can be remade by the Savior. The work of grace not only covers the ugliness of sin, but transforms our behavior into the image of Christ. In this way, the old order of how things were meant to be can be finally regained forever.

July 1

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS,
for He will save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21*

The Lord’s human name occurs 983 times in the Word of God. Two-thirds of these are in the gospels, where it is used most often in the narratives and very rarely in direct address. “Jesus” almost always appears in combination with other titles such as “Christ” or “Lord” when found in the epistles. However, it appears unadorned with any additional title all but six times in the gospels. The most logical explanation for this is that the histories of Christ’s life focus on the reality of His physical presence while the doctrinal books emphasize the relevance of His advent.

Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua and literally means “Salvation.” There was nothing unusual about this common name in the Roman Empire. In fact, so many shared this name that His detractors found it necessary to call him “Jesus of Nazareth” in order to single Him out.

The same is true today. The name of Jesus is used as a curse by Christ-rejecters, but speaks of a wonderful Savior to those who love Him. The big difference is the reality of the encounter. For those who do not know Jesus, His name means nothing at all. To those who love Him, it’s beautiful!

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
                               – John Newton (1725-1807)

*see also John 12:21, 19:19, 21:25; Ephesians 6:24; 2 Peter 1:1; plus 936 other references

December 1

Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient,
“The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” and
“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense…..”
1 Peter 2:7-8*

These verses point out obvious contrasts: Believers/Unbelievers; Precious stone/Stumbling block. The first is two distinct groups of people; the second is two aspects of the same rock.

Everyone at some point in their lives must focus on Christ. Their perception of who He is will determine their reaction to Him. If discovering the Savior is like finding a many-carat, flawless diamond in a field, the response will be one of joy, excitement, and fulfillment. However, if someone trips over that same piece of geology multiple times, it becomes a rock of offense that produces resentment, frustration, and anger.

Jesus gets in people’s ways. He makes them feel uncomfortable or inadequate, so they want Him to just go away. When He doesn’t (because He is everywhere), they try to run away. The further they go from the light, and the further down the tube they fall, the deeper they go into the slime of sin. But that doesn’t work either, because the Lord still reaches with His nail-pierced hands toward the sinner to pull him out.

At this point, one of two things happens: 1. Faith takes hold of the Savior’s hand and everything changes, or 2. Nothing changes except for the intensity of emotion. Frustration and anger build, along with an acute sense of being offended.

Few, if any, are truly indifferent about the Savior if they really have known Him. To those whose lives He has transformed, He is precious. To those who have rejected Him, He makes them mad and indignant. He is their “Rock of Offense.”

*See also Isaiah 8:14 and Romans 9:33

June 29

Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:1*

Hold onto your hats! Here we go again, another God-title of Christ. That’s because accepting His deity is essential in knowing who He is.

You don’t have to look far to find Christians who disagree with each other. Doctrinal disagreements happen frequently in the same local church, but most saints congregate in groups of like-minded people. They often do this so they can label those of other persuasions “the weaker brethren.” Since it is easier to divide than to prayerfully seek the truth, Christendom is now broken down into more than 10,000 denominations, organizations, and sects.

Many, if not most, agree on the basic principles of faith, but others have major areas of contention. That’s why sometimes members of other churches seem way out in left field, but other times they appear to be in another ballpark all together.

Christ is the God of the universe. To see the Savior as a Great Teacher, Wonderful Man, Dear Friend, Archangel, or one of many Sons of God, but deny His deity, is to totally change the game. In this case, there cannot be common ground.

Everyone wants a Savior. Nobody wants to go to hell. But who we come to is Our God and Savior; the offices must go together. God didn’t delegate our salvation to a super-human or mere archangel. He came in a human body to take on Himself the sins of the whole world.

Our salvation is not only supernatural; it’s divine. A Savior who is less than God cannot destroy the works of the devil or reveal the true power of grace. The bottom line is that to be saved, we must accept Jesus Christ as Our God and Savior.

*see also Titus 2:10, 13; 3:4; Jude 25

June 28

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
Psalm 68:5

We’re told in James 1:27 that: “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” But this concern for single moms…is it just a God the Father thing or is it something that is part of Christ’s character?

When Jesus went with His disciples to the town of Nain, He observed a funeral procession go by. Scripture tells us that He had compassion on that widow who just lost her fatherless son (Luke 7:11-15). He told her not to cry, raised the boy back to life, and reunited them.

Widows were remembered in Christ’s teaching. An exploited widow was the focus in the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18:2-8), where the bottom line is that God answers prayer. The Lord also denounced hypocrites who devoured widows’ houses and for a show made long prayers (Luke 20:46).

Just a day or two before Jesus was betrayed, tension was building as He taught in the Temple. A crowd gathered to watch Jesus teach while the religious leaders tried to pull Him down. When no one was looking, a widow put two cents into the collection box (Luke 21:1-4). No one noticed her insignificant offering. No one noticed, except the One who sees all things, and He blessed her for giving everything she had. It doesn’t say what happened next, but I expect that He somehow provided for her. In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ taught “that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly” (Matthew 6:4).

Since there’s no mention of Joseph after Christ began His ministry, it is generally assumed that he died, leaving Mary as a widow. As the firstborn son, it was Jesus’ responsibility to take care of her. Not even the anguish of death allowed Him to shirk that obligation. While He was hanging on the cross, He asked His disciple John to take her to his home and provide for her. Even to the very end, Jesus was a Defender of Widows.

June 27

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3

Blessing has been defined as God’s favor and protection, but it’s more than that, even though it’s really hard to understand in this sin-cursed world. Sometimes, when I don’t understand something well, I look at its opposite, and if I can comprehend that better, I just turn it around.

A curse is the opposite of a blessing and after the fall, all of creation was cursed. Cancer, sickness, aging, and violence didn’t exist in paradise. Plants and animals were re-created to show the effects of the curse and since then, it’s been hard to focus on blessing.

The jungle is a beautiful place with hundreds of species of orchids and a menagerie of colorful birds, but it’s exactly where I’d go to demonstrate the effects of the curse. There, most plants are poisonous, parasites are numbered in the hundreds, and all the bugs are big, and bite.

In my opinion, the Bullet Ant is the personification of the curse. These terrible predatory creatures are just under an inch long and inflict a sting that is comparable to being shot with a bullet. On the 4 point Schmidt sting pain index, they are rated 4+. Someone on the internet described it as, “Pure, intense, brilliant pain. Like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a 3 inch nail in your heal.” This description is a little melodramatic, but she nailed what it feels like.

These ants are common in the jungle and wander alone, so they are very hard to spot. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I really dislike these critters. One crawled up my pants leg and bit me three times before I could kill it. I hurt so bad that I couldn’t walk and had to crawl back to my house just using my hands.

The extreme opposite of that is blessing. It is something planned and perfected by God for the creation He formed in His own image. This is a far cry from having good luck or good fortune; it is everything good that God has given to a repentant sinner. The bottom line is this: Jesus Christ did not come into the world to bring us blessing …He is Blessing.

June 4

And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, “These things says He who is holy,
He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens:
I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it;
for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.”
Revelation 3:7-8

Many years ago, we brought into our home an eight-year-old foster son who had been labeled “severely emotionally disturbed.” The title was well-deserved because he had been abused in the past and would go into terrible rages.

During one such episode, he ran into his room and locked the door. Using a hammer from the tool set he got for his birthday, he began to pound holes into the walls and doors. I had a key and so soon opened the door and asked him to stop. Defiantly, he told me he’d use the hammer on me if I tried to touch him, so I quietly watched him trash his own room. After more than 200 holes in the door and drywall, he was exhausted and ready to stop. We talked through the initial problem, but damage was already done, for which there were natural consequences.

His hammer was now mine as partial compensation for property damage, and the walls weren’t repaired for about a year. However, the most significant result of his outburst was that the door came off and was never replaced.

When Christ addressed the church in Philadelphia, he called Himself He Who Opens and No One Shuts. Satan and worldly powers threw up every obstacle they could to stop the little church from sharing the gospel. They raged at the faithful Christians until they had no more energy left. Then, God quietly took the door off the hinges, and there was nothing more to say or do. The Philadelphians returned, sharing the good news with the world around them.

“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). The enemies of God will try to slam the door of opportunity in the face of the faithful. But the Lord doesn’t just open a window; he knocks down a wall. After all, Jesus is He Who Opens and No One Shuts.

June 25

When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the Man were a Galilean.
Luke 23:6

Galilean – not exactly a name for Christ – not really even a title. It’s more like a label you can use to pigeonhole people who are beneath your dignity. Galilee was an insignificant region of an insignificant province. Back then, Galileans were what hillbillies or rednecks are to our culture today.

On the day of Pentecost, the disciples impressed everyone by preaching the gospel eloquently in more than 16 foreign languages. The amazement was even greater when someone said: “Look, are not these who speak Galileans?” (Acts 2:7). Since these were simple, backwoods folk, people concluded that they must be drunk and ignorant of what they were saying.

Flavius Claudius Julianus was the nephew of Constantine the Great and the last emperor of the Constantinian dynasty. He is known in history books as Julian the Apostate, although the title he chose for himself was Julian the Philosopher. While Constantine and his sons embraced Christianity at a time when the faith was growing in the empire, Julian renounced the new religion when he ascended to the throne and became the last champion of polytheism in Rome.

Julian despised Christians and always referred to them as Galileans. They weren’t educated or cultured like he was, and he was distraught that so many of his subjects were abandoning the gods to follow Jesus of Nazareth. He idealized the philosophy of paganism and wrote books on the subject.

Initially, Julian had great success in battle, but on June 26, 363 he found his small Roman army surrounded by a huge Persian force. After he was mortally wounded, his aides brought him back to his tent. There, tradition tells us, Julian threw his blood towards heaven and shouted “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!”

Wow! Who’da thunk it? The emperor of the Roman Empire glorified Jesus Christ with the most demeaning of titles.

June 26

…He who is the blessed and only Potentate,
the King of kings and Lord of Lords.
1 Timothy 6:15

Potentate – Now, that is a word you don’t hear much anymore. In fact, it’s almost gone out of use altogether. A hundred years ago, Russia had its Czar, Germany had its Kaiser, and the Ottoman Empire had its Sultan. The world had very potent leaders who answered to no one; they were potentates.

Dictators are still around today, but it’s not the same. They usually rise to power by rallying the masses to revolution. Then, they also have to appease the people, or they’ll fall victim to a new regime change led by new revolutionaries.

Potentates throughout the centuries brought fear and terror to those who were oppressed by them, as well as neighboring nations who were forced to pay tribute. These absolute rulers fared sumptuously, lived in palaces, and were envied by 99.9999% of their subjects.

Christ certainly will have unlimited power in His millennial kingdom. After that, He’ll become Emperor of the Universe for eternity. His authority will exceed everything that all earthly potentates ever obtained. But the Savior is no despot.

Jesus is the blessed Potentate. Instead of oppressing His people and siphoning their wealth for Himself, He serves them, saves them, and brings them increase. Christ will finally become the benevolent dictator that humanity always longed for, but never received.

He’s also the only Potentate. There will be no political opposition, nor wars of aggression, nor power grabs of lesser kingdoms. The King of kings and Lord of lords will be the Supreme Commander of everything that really matters. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is the blessed and only Potentate.

June 23