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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

“Woe to him who strives with his Maker!
Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth!
Shall the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
or shall your handiwork say, ‘He has no hands’?”
Isaiah 45:9*

Absurd and ridiculous; something out of a cartoon – That’s the image of a lump of clay arguing with its potter and giving instructions on how it wants to be made. Yet, that is a frequent occurrence between human beings and their Maker. If the truth were known, there’s a greater disparity between the most intelligent man and his Creator than between a human genius and a glob of dirt.

This verse pronounces a curse to those who would dare to criticize God for making them the way they are. And yet, in this age of ever present media, we want to be as beautiful as models, when even they aren’t that beautiful without professional make-up artists, and lots of photo editing and airbrushing.  Many of us covet the intelligence, physical attributes, and opportunities of others. In this “enlightened age,” people even undergo hormone treatments and operations in order to change their gender. (Yet, the DNA of every cell in their body will still assert otherwise).

Faith is the process of agreeing with God. A believer agrees with what God is, says, and has done. To argue with one’s Maker is to not believe.

The Lord Jesus Christ made the world and everything in the heavens (Hebrews 1:2 and 10). In fact, there is nothing made that He didn’t make (John 1:3). As Maker of the human race, the Savior customized every individual that ever lived. All were made for a purpose and on purpose, so it dishonors the Creator to envy others for their strengths, intelligence, or appearance.

Life has been given to each one as a joy and privilege, so each man and woman should come to their Maker with thanksgiving for the gifts He has given.

*Isaiah 17:7, 22:11, 54:11

 September 3

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

And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him,
“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
Matthew 11:2,3

The writings of Moses and the prophets included hundreds of prophecies concerning the Messiah that was to come. Centuries had passed since these promises were given, and then came another four hundred years with no message from God at all. Yet the faithful to God still awaited the “Coming One.”

Then, on the day his son was born, old Zacharias the priest prophesied concerning the Dayspring from on High that was coming. Roughly six months later, both the honorable and just Simeon  and the prophetess Ana from the temple testified that they saw the Lord’s Christ come as a baby to be dedicated in the house of God.

John the Baptist lived his whole life set apart for the work of God. When he baptized Jesus, he saw the heavens opened and heard the voice of God Himself declare the Savior as the beloved Son of God. John had strong affirmation that day that He was commissioned to be the voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. He was convinced that the Coming One had finally arrived.

Yet circumstances and solitude have a way of raising doubts and compromising firm decisions. So when John was thrown in prison and the Messiah, the Son of David, didn’t come to liberate him, he sent two disciples to affirm his faith in the Messiah.

John had indeed perceived correctly; the Coming One had, in fact, come. Two thousand years later, Christ is still the Coming One, because He promised His followers that He would return. That’s a long time to wait, so just like the first time, some believers have started to wonder, “Where is the promise of His Coming?” (2 Peter 3:4).

The good news is that He is on His way, and He’s right on schedule. The signs of His coming laid down in Matthew 24 all check out, so any time now we’ll get to see the Coming One.

August 1

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

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and
given Him the name which is above every name.
Philippians 2:9

God’s personal Hebrew name appears over 6,000 times in the Old Testament. It is four consonants without vowels (roughly equivalent to the English letters YHWH or possibly JHVH), so it is unpronounceable.

Christian Bible scholars who wish to give utterance to the name of God pronounce it Yahweh or Jehovah. Devout Jews, however, consider the tetragrammaton (those four Hebrew letters) as too holy to even say. When they come to it during the Sabbath Torah reading in the Synagogue, the word Adonai (the LORD) or Ha-shem (the Name) is substituted in its place.

This is even seen in scripture. In Leviticus twenty-four, there is the story of the son of an Egyptian man who cursed the LORD. Verse eleven reads “And the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD and cursed; and so they brought Him to Moses….” Then, in verse sixteen, it goes on to say, “And whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall certainly stone him, the stranger as well as him who is born in the land. When he blasphemes the name of the LORD, He shall be put to death.”

The reason for examining these verses is to note that the phrase “of the LORD“ is in italics, which means that it is not there in the original. In Hebrew, this section reads that he “blasphemed the name and cursed.” To blaspheme Ha-shem is to take the sacred name of God in vain.

To the unsaved world, The Name of Jesus Christ isn’t sacred, holy, or blessed. They use it as a curse. Our society doesn’t stone people for blasphemy anymore, and most Christians just tune it out or accept the disrespect as normal. The problem is that when believers aren’t offended, God is. The least that a Christian could do is say to the offender, “Please don’t say that; it bothers me” or “Please stop that; you’re cursing The Name I love.” The church should never forget that God has given Jesus The Name that is above every name.

August 2

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 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

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

The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious…”
Exodus 34:6*

Ugly and vicious, with hairy legs and a needle-like snout, she comes upon the unsuspecting to suck their blood and spread disease. Hidden only by the insignificance of her size, she strikes out with impunity against those millions of times her superior. Attractive in nothing, loved by none, a parasite indeed. So the tiny mosquito can be described by those unfortunate enough to be her victims.

In my lifetime, I’ve swatted thousands of those pesky insects without giving a moment for apology or remorse. Given the opportunity, I’ll kill many more. Mosquitoes deserve to die. They get no mercy from me.

Mankind is even less deserving of mercy than the lowly mosquito. Made in the image of God and given a mind to reason, man would deny his Maker, preferring instead to think he is the product of a mindless series of accidents called evolution. This creature refuses to submit himself to his Creator.

When God sent His laws to earth, people broke them. When warnings of judgment were given, they laughed at all that was Holy. Finally, when God took human form to come to Adam’s race, the creation struck out at its Creator, wanting Him dead. The entire human race is unworthy of mercy.

Seven times in the Bible, God is called merciful and gracious in the same verse. This at first doesn’t seem so remarkable until one considers just how unlovely and undeserving people really are. If I wasn’t a hell-deserving sinner, I wouldn’t need mercy. However, since I am worthy of God’s wrath, I am glad that I can go to Him who is both Merciful and Gracious.

*Nehemiah 9:31; Psalm 103:8; Joel 2:13 plus 3 other references.

August 13