Unite and Conquer

"When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and I will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7: 13, 14

    When the Allied liberators marched across Europe in the spring of 1945, there was unspeakable joy among the throngs of hurting people. There wasn't a person who didn't have someone to forgive, whether it was a brutal soldier, a vicious camp guard or a betrayer amongst their own. Death, destruction and division cut a swath of pain which could only be healed by acts of forgiveness.

    When I saw the headlines in the paper this week proclaiming the end of the pandemic in our county, I felt a grateful sense of liberation from at least a portion of the war which has plagued us. The pandemic left in its wake separations and divisions, some temporary and others permanent. There were sharp quarrels about mask vs. no mask, vaccination vs. no vaccination. Though liquor stores remained open for business, church doors were shut - some never to reopen. Those in healthcare have been tested and tried, the economy has been crippled. The elderly and infirm were holed up in the nursing homes alone. Funerals were not permitted so even grieving was solitary. We all have healing to do.

    As the body of Christ, we must unite and conquer! Within the spiritual battleground, we are the liberators. We have the hope for the lame, the brokenhearted and the prisoner that can only be found in Jesus Christ. Before we don the full armor of God, we must humbly examine our own hearts, asking God to forgive any lingering sickness caused by sin, looking to the Spirit within us for the power we need because the war rages on. Satan is hard at work seeking to demolish all that God has ordained, whether it be marriage, family, gender, government or the church itself. 

    Get your gear. Strap on that sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and head out. Pray with people. Send out cards and letters. Exhort those who are able to return to church. Turn off the news and turn your eyes upon Jesus. United we stand; divided we fall.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion - to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61: 1-3

A Day in the Life of Jesus

 "Now when Jesus returned, a crowd welcomed him, for they were all expecting him." Luke 8:40

    Have you ever wondered if Jesus became flummoxed, flustered or flabbergasted?  Maybe it seems disrespectful to even ask, but I would think His human side would flare up now and then (as mine would) when He lived here.

    Take this passage in Luke 8: 40-56, which is just a portion of one day in the life of Jesus. These sixteen verses contain a lot of action, interruptions and draining emotion - and this was after He had calmed a raging storm and exorcised a legion of demons from a naked man who lived in the tombs. 

    Upon return from those experiences, the expectant crowd welcomed Him, but just as they were settling in for a sermon, this guy Jairus fell pleading at Jesus's feet to come: His twelve-year-old daughter was dying! "As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him." (vs. 42) Amid the ado, Jesus felt power leave his body and began to ask who touched Him, an incredulous inquiry, given the scene.

    Interrupted again, there had been a frail woman who'd been bleeding for twelve years, was out of money and out of hope until she touched the hem of His robe. Instantly, she was healed. Trembling before him, he calmed all fears by addressing her as "daughter." 

    While He was still speaking to her, another person came running up to tell Jairus his daughter had died, saying despondently, "Don't bother the teacher anymore." (vs. 49) Swiftly, Jesus consoles the father, imploring him not to fear, but just believe.

    Meanwhile, all these wailing, mourning people had gathered at the home where the girl lay dead. With authority, Jesus said, "Stop wailing. She is not dead but asleep." (vs.52). Now, the mood swung over to laughter, because they knew a dead person when they saw one. Undaunted, Jesus entered the home, took the girl by the hand and returned her life to her! To her astonished parents, he suggested they give her something to eat. 

    What a day! Getting back to my opening question, the answer is "No". Though Jesus was fully human, He was also fully God and, as God who runs the universe, He was and is fully capable to handle it all without being flummoxed.

"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:15, 16

    

Silver and Gold

 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." 1 Timothy 6:10

"Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless." Ecclesiastes 5:10

    It's not the rainbow that leads to a pot of gold, it's a trail of corruption. Whenever somethings smells foul in government or business or life in general, there's usually an origin of avarice. What led to the downfall of Venezuela? What fuels the fury behind Russia and to what end? To be king of a heap of slaughter and sorrow?

    The very best of life is not found in the casinos of Vegas, on the coast of Monaco or with the well-heeled of Fifth Avenue. In His parable of the rich fool, Jesus told of a man who had acquired such a surplus of crops that he built bigger barns in which to store it all. But, that very night, his life was required of him and off he went to stand before God without even a pocket. 

    Can a ticket to heaven be bought? Is there a scalper on the road to eternity offering a deal? It's not with wealth that one enters: "For you know it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." (1 Peter 1: 18, 19)

    When tempted to grab hold of the world's treasures, open your fist and let it flow. It was never yours to begin with. Hear these words from the song, Silver and Gold:

He said, "Silver and gold can't buy you a home

When this life has ended and your time is gone,

But you can live in a world where you'll never grow old,

And things can't be bought there with silver and gold."

    "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions." Luke 12:15  

    

Lean Tuesday

 "When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us, he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Colossians 2: 13-15

    Although she meant well, I inwardly cringed when a coworker brought in rich pastries. I thanked her kindly but did not participate in this Fat Tuesday tradition. Originally, this tradition began as an act of preparation for the austerity of Lent but seems to have evolved into a time of binging with little regard for the work Christ did at the cross of Calvary.

    The goriness of Good Friday, with the penalties assailed upon the Son of God, as evidenced in the flogging, the mockery, the crown of thorns and the ghastly crucifixion, is not to be taken with a frivolous air. How can I scarf a fat-laden pastry knowing what my Friend did for me, knowing it was my sin that drove Him to Jerusalem?

   Those who crucified Jesus thought they had won by making a public spectacle of Him. But on that day, the Son of Man disarmed the powers of evil and the authorities that condemned us when the triumph Satan smugly thought was his was stripped from him forever. In exchange, we as believers were given these incredible benefits:

• We are a new creation
• We are chosen, holy and blameless
• We have been adopted to Sonship, becoming a member of the royal household
• Glorious grace has been lavished on us
• We have redemption through His blood
• Forgiveness of our sins is given
• We are privy to the mystery of the will of God
• We have hope, peace and unity with all things in heaven and earth
• We are marked in Him with a seal, the Holy Spirit
• We will be raised with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms
• We may approach God with freedom and confidence

    Certainly, in itself, there is nothing wrong with bringing in pastries to share. I only pine for the evidence of true penitence and reverence to follow in response to the expansive love of Christ.

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2: 6, 7

    

Just Then

 "So she entered a field and began to glean behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek. Just then, Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, 'The Lord be with you.'" Ruth 2: 3, 4

    I miss my mom. She was adept at noticing God's signature on everything, whether it was exclaiming over spring's blooms or shopping for the elusive well-fitting, affordable pair of slacks. As an early riser, she met Him in prayer and devotional time each morning over coffee and a sweet roll, and He never missed a meeting. 

    At her funeral, my sister recounted the time mom, who was a widow by then, came out of the bowling alley and had a problem unlocking her car. As she was wondering what to do, "just then" a nice man came beside her to lend aid. Over the years, there were countless stories like these showcasing God's providence. 

    I have a lithograph of Ruth in my kitchen, reminding me of how God took care of two poor, childless widows in the Bible. Ruth had married Naomi's son but, when both of their husbands died, they returned to the elder woman's hometown of Bethlehem. Though Naomi was bitter and discouraged, God had a plan which beautifully unfolded in the person of Boaz, their kinsman-redeemer, who married Ruth. 

    During their trials, did the women have any idea that God was weaving them into the lineage of Christ and that Bible readers through the centuries would hear their story? When reading the Book of Ruth, it's so inspiring to see these regular Joes, just going through life's ups and downs, when "just then" God sidled up.

    I am going to watch for Him today.

"Meanwhile, Boaz went up to the town gate and sat down there just as the guardian-redeemer he had mentioned came along." Ruth 4:1

A Tale of Two Writers

 "I am the Vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." John 15: 5, 6

    Two writers, each with a story to tell. 

    One was a cancer survivor, blindsided by a diagnosis of Stage III esophageal cancer. In shock, he groped his way through the tangle of treatments knowing that if it weren't for his family, he would not have even bothered. Though he'd not thought of himself as a man of faith, he grabbed a bottle of holy water, a gift from his mother, and made a sign of the cross with it after his treatment, "to seek protection." 

    During recovery, he made a bench which he placed in the woods, forming a natural sanctuary. Beside the bench, he fashioned a box wherein lay a notebook and pen encouraging visitors to this idyllic site to jot their thoughts. One wrote, "I asked the universe to cheer my low spirits," Another: "Have faith in yourself. We all have greatness inside of us." 

    The second author wrote of the travesty that has been delivered at the hands of a power monger against the people of Ukraine and Russia, crumbling lives as bombs obliterate buildings. She relayed the true accounts, which have been pouring in from missionaries in the affected area to her church, detailing relief supplies being gathered, the responses from surrounding nations and news of the emergency field hospital, set up in Poland by Samaritan's Purse. These chilling words from a fleeing refugee conveyed the horror: "Our world has broken. We have lost hope." 

    The following, taken from the author's report, is what real faith looks like - faith that is connected to the Power Source: "We cannot allow evil to rob us of our hope. We can listen to reports and commentators all day long, but hope comes from listening to the Creator and Savior of the world, Jesus Christ." (emphasis mine) Scripture, drawn from the book of Daniel, then aptly directed the glory to God, exalting Him as the One who sets up kings and deposes them. Prior to her conclusion with a quote from Joshua 1:9, she went on to say:

"What is going on around us could lead us to despair, and if we did not know who is in control,

we could go down that path. But there is a path that is prepared for us. 

It is lighted by the Light of the World. 

There have always been evil men in power, but no one gets away with defying God,

and those in power today, who have put so many in peril,

will fail and fall just as all those in the past."

    Which of the two writers offered truth to their readers?

"There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves,...lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people." 2 Timothy 3: 2-5

Sources:

"The Bench at Mabel's Bluff" by Mark J. Speckhart, published by Guideposts Magazine

"Ukraine...Pray, Care and Prepare" by Barbara Hamilton, published by Gazette Newspapers, Inc. 

The Great Reset

 "Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the Living God?" 1 Samuel 17:26

    Though this sounds like a script from a science fiction horror film, hear me out. At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in June of 2020, the elites of the world launched their "Great Reset." This is a diabolical plan to alter the world as we know it and usher in a one world global operating system. They claim to have the technology to "reimagine our world." 

    Klaus Schwab, the founder and executive chairman of the WEF, and his organization say they have the means to reengineer human life by hacking organisms through technology. Dr. Yuval Noah Harari, top advisor of Schwab, defied the Living God with this chilling statement as he boasted of their intelligent design: "This will be the greatest revolution in biology since the very beginning of life four billion years ago, not evolution by natural selection, but evolution by intelligent design; not intelligent design by some god above the clouds, but our intelligent design of our clouds - the IBM cloud, the Microsoft cloud - these are the new driving forces of evolution."

    In daily defiance, the armored champion, Goliath, towered over the frightened army of Israel. For forty days, he strode to the battle line morning and evening to shout his challenge but "whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear." (1 Samuel 17:24) Enter David, a shepherd boy bearing five smooth stones and a sling, but these were not what fueled his confidence to face the giant. In faith, David proclaimed: "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the Lord Almighty...whom you have defied." (17:45) And with that, David slew Goliath.

    What weapons do we have to combat these blasphemous, diabolical giants? We stand in the power of the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit which gave David the victory! As the Bible says: "For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way." (2 Thessalonians 2:7) The Holy Spirit, which indwells us as believers, holds back the devilish plans of the wicked by the power of prayer. Our stone and sling are the Words of the Living God, which will never pass away. (1 John 2:17). 

    I implore every Christian to kindle that power within and pray against the desires of the wicked. Pray for truth to be proclaimed. Pray for the courage of David, to stand against these slanderers, that their plans may not succeed. Wield the words of Psalm 140 as a sword of the Spirit. Don't take this laying down but awake, O sleeper, but rise to the battle cry. The challenge has been issued. Now meet it.

"And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming." 2 Thessalonians 2:8

    

The No Cry Zone

 "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21: 3,4

    I want to be an oak tree, strong and resilient to weather any storm. So, I put on the full armor of God, from the helmet on down to the gospel shoes, and I hone the sword, which is the Word of God, before sliding it into the scabbard. The armament God has provided holds a plethora of top-of-the-line equipment, so there's no shortage of verses with which to combat fear and discouragement.

• "When I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?" Psalm 56: 3, 4
• "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken." Psalm 55:22
• "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

    With all this, why do I still have times of discouragement? Why do tears assail and fears prevail when verses like these are written upon my heart? After all, they aren't just head knowledge; I firmly believe them and can testify to their validity. A feeling of failure settles upon me like a conquered warrior at times like these.

    I sought the Bible for direction this morning and here's what I read: "All people are like grass, and their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field... The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever." (Isaiah 40: 6-8) I'm not an oak tree, I'm grass; tender, swaying and vulnerable to the elements.

    On this side of heaven, there will be death, mourning, crying and pain which will affect me, even when wearing my armor, because the old order of things has not yet passed away. My sinful nature is still combating the new nature Christ gave me while that wily ole devil skulks around accusing me. The battle is not completely over until I reach the no-cry zone. Only there may I lay down my armament beneath the leaves of the tree that are for the healing of the nations. I will gaze at the face of God, free from the curse that dogged me. These words are trustworthy and true. (Rev. 22:6)

"Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life." Revelation 21:27