Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
10 “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the sheepfold, but climbs up from some other place [on the stone wall], that one is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep [the protector and provider]. 3 The [a]doorkeeper opens [the gate] for this man, and the sheep hear his voice and pay attention to it. And [knowing that they listen] he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out [to pasture]. 4 When he has brought all his own sheep outside, he walks on ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice and recognize his call. 5 They will never follow a stranger, but will run away from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Whose Voice Are We Following?
Internet, iPad, iPod—the “I”s certainly have it today!
At home and at work we call on Siri, we talk into our phones, we sit or stand or lie down in our living rooms or dining rooms, of kitchens or even bathrooms.
We will talk into our television remotes and search for a particular favorite channel or programming station, for whatever it is they call entertainment.
We call out to some voice identified only as Siri and ask her or tell her to call up some random search parameter – a recipe, or a song or list of vacation spots or whatever happens to land into our wandering randomized thought processes.
And in an instant a disconnected computer voice from our phones or Alexa chimes in with “okay, this is what I found…!” and we are on our way to read whatever information was “found” in less time it took to type this sentence.
At the beach, in the department store, on the college campus, everywhere people have “earbuds” wireless listening devices planted deep in their ears.
While both technology and music are gifts of God, I hope we also take time to listen to the springtime chatter of robins or to the hoot cry of a Barn Owl.
What we hear and what and who we listen to makes a difference in our lives.
What information we hear, and who we hear it from, will end up profoundly influencing our thought processes and will inevitably guide our actions, into how we respond to a particular life altering, life transforming circumstance.
How we make decisions, how we judge what is morally and ethically right and wrong, how we interpret whether what we see and hear is truth or a deception.
People will tell us anything to sell their products and increase their profits and their bank accounts, to sell us a bill of goods which ultimately has little value.
Do you read or listen to, or hear the lyrics of the songs your children listen to?
Do you take any quality time with your children to discuss their song choices?
Together, do you come to a place where you can share your thoughts with them, they can share their thoughts with you – come unto an “acceptable boundary?”
Do you know what they are hearing and how it impacts what both of you have both come to be known as “morally and ethically right versus wrong” truth?
Jesus is the good shepherd.
Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6)
He laid down his life for us on the Good Friday cross.
If we are to follow Jesus and avoid impostors, we must recognize his voice clearly and quickly in every situation we encounter.
To do that, we ought to be considering counseling others away from technology and spending more time studying, hearing, listening, to his Word in the Bible.
Spending quality devotional time with the children (whatever their ages are).
Talking about current events, their impacts on what is understood to be true.
There are words spoken through whatever social media medium which are worded with the intent of moving their version of truth into our forefronts.
“Words of someone else’s truth” specifically spoken, specifically manipulated, of what someone else desperately wants us to unequivocally believe as gospel.
Differentiating between the voice of someone else’s truth and God’s truth?
What possible difference could it make, what possible influence could it have to one life knowing what the difference is between the world’s truth and God’s?
Love Letter to my Ears, “Whose Truth Guides Us?”
John 10:1-5 The Message
He Calls His Sheep by Name
10 1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”
When I became a new Christian, hearing and knowing God’s voice and differentiating from the world were the things I struggled the most with.
How could I know whether I was hearing from God when I didn’t know His voice?
How could I be sure the Lord was speaking to me while reading Scripture, listening to a sermon, or going to Sunday school or a Bible study lesson?
I was so afraid of missing God’s instructions, warning, and encouragement that I often found myself paralyzed by raging questions of faith, my truth and doubt.
Sorting through what I had “known and believed” was truth and what the Word of God, the often complicated “Parable” teachings of Jesus and Paul was tough.
Unraveling and un-weaving of the mess I made of my own interpretation of the word truth along the long, winding and hardened concourse of my life – was a complex time of hardcore self introspection, challenging my life against God’s.
As I began studying the Bible, I learned how God’s voice matched the Scriptures.
Thus, if I wanted to know what God had to say on a particular topic, I had to devote considerable time to studying, to know what the Bible said on that topic.
If I heard a voice and was unsure whether or not that voice was the Lord’s, the Bible through Holy Spirit, would work with me to confirm whether it was Him.
I have learned the hard and soft way God’s voice will never contradict the Bible.
If the voice you’re hearing is encouraging you to take Scripture out of context to make it fit your situation, the voice is not of God and the truth is not of God too.
We can grow, we can mature to learn and discern God’s voice by studying the Holy Scriptures, praying, and asking and pleading with our Savior to teach us.
God invites us (not forces us) to ask and answer the question on all our minds:
In this time when our available resources are stretched nigh to invisibility;
Isaiah 55:1-5 The Message
Buy Without Money
55 1-5 “Hey there! All who are thirsty, come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway—buy and eat! Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money—everything’s free! Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest. Pay attention, come close now, listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words. I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you, the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love. I set him up as a witness to the nations, made him a prince and leader of the nations, And now I’m doing it to you: You’ll summon nations you’ve never heard of, and nations who’ve never heard of you will come running to you Because of me, your God, because The Holy of Israel has honored you.”
Jesus, the good shepherd, says, “Listen, listen to me … that you may live.”
Those who have ears, let them truthfully hear and let them truthfully live!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Precious Holy Spirit, I come to you today asking for guidance. I feel lost and overwhelmed, and I need your help in finding my way. Please open my eyes and heart to the direction you want me to take. Help me to make wise decisions that will lead me closer to your path for my life. Give me the strength and courage to persevere when times are difficult. Lead me with your truth and love, so that I may live a life that brings glory to your name. Thank you for your guidance and protection. Amen.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
3 Now the boy Samuel was attending to the service of the Lord [a]under the supervision of Eli. The word of the Lord was rare and precious in those days; visions [that is, new revelations of divine truth] were not widespread.
2 Yet it happened at that time, as Eli was lying down in his own place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well). 3 and the [oil] lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, 4 that the Lord called Samuel, and he answered, “Here I am.” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call you; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. 6 Then the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” 7 Now Samuel did not yet know [or personally experience] the Lord, and the word of the Lord the third time. And he stood and went to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you did call me.” Then Eli understood that it was the Lord [who was] calling the boy. 9 So Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and it shall be that if He calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Then the Lord came and stood and called as at the previous times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
The Word of the Lord was TOO Rare in Those Days …
Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I wish God talked to us the way He spoke to His people in the Old Testament”?
Many times, Scripture describes God speaking to His people through a voice or an angel or through a dream. He even writes on a wall in one account (Daniel 5).
So it’s natural to want to hear God’s voice or see a big sign that will help you feel confident in God’s direction.
We all experience confusing circumstances.
Sometimes you may just want God to send you a text message to tell you what to do.
Maybe you feel far from God and want Him to reach out to reassure you He’s still there.
Maybe you’ve heard people say the God of the Bible is personal, but you have never interacted with God before and wonder how to begin.
He is the same God today that He was in the time of the Old Testament.
He still speaks to us today.
He made it possible for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him, which involves talking together every day.
He communicates with us.
1 Samuel 3:1 English Standard Version
The Lord Calls Samuel
3 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
The Word of the Lord was “rare” in those most ancient days.
In the period of time between the words of the Prophet of Malachi to the New Testament Gospel Narratives and Apostolic writings of Paul and Peter, James, Jude and John, Hebrews, some 400 years had passed without a Word from God.
How frequently do we recall Jesus using the words: “He who has ears let them hear?” [Matthew 11:15, 13:9, 15, 16, 43, Mark 4:9, 23, 7:33, 35, 8:18, Luke 8:8, 9:44, 14:35]
I also recall this verse from Luke 1:44 when Elizabeth uttered the words to her cousin Mary: “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” and we preach it: “how miraculous was that?”
It begs the question, how rare is the Word of the Lord in contemporary times?
Could it be that one too many of us have just never learned how to recognize His voice, have we gotten confused or have we forgotten how we heard in the past?
The young Samuel was confused and unsure of who he was hearing calling him.
He “clearly” heard a voice and thought it was his mentor, Eli, calling for him.
He kept going to Eli’s room until even the aged, tired, and confused, and nearly blind Eli finally realized that the voice was God trying to get Samuel’s attention.
Hearing and listening for God, hearing and listening to God, is an important life skill for us to remember to give our full attention to for our God is never silent.
We live in a divisive noisy, politically correct “woke” culture that often speaks in ways which are considerably devastating and utterly contrary to God’s voice.
It can be difficult to hear God if we are more in tune with the voice of this world.
As we listen for God, we will be more in tune with his leading in our lives.
Listening, Samuel “Heard!”
1 Samuel 3:9-10 New American Standard Bible
9 And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 Then the Lord came and stood, and called as at the other times: “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
Hannah had named her son Samuel, which means “heard by God.”
When he was weaned, she brought him to Shiloh to present him to Eli the priest for uniquely specialized training as a spiritual leader of God’s people Israel.
God called on Samuel to listen to and bring the word of the Lord to his people.
God wanted Samuel to dedicate his life to this service.
Samuel became a prophet, and he led Israel in that role for sixty years as Israel moved from a loosely organized group of clans to a peaceful monarchy ruled by King David, an ancestor of Jesus Christ.
We live under the peaceful reign of the voice of one true, good, just King today.
“Peace on earth,” the angels sang to shepherds watching their flocks on the night that King Jesus was born (Luke 2:14).
Our Advent and Lenten peace is found in the birth of this child, who grew up to establish, by dying, the kingdom of peace over all on whom God’s favor rests.
Do you know this voice of peace?
Do you hear this voice of peace?
Are you listening for this voice of peace?
Are we paying any meaningful attention to this voice of peace?
Are we giving any meaningful thought towards this voice of peace?
Ask Jesus to rule in your heart and life, and He will welcome you into his kingdom of peace.
Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can rest in true peace because we know he is our King and in control of all that happens in the world and our lives.
This is a peace not “as the world gives” (John 14:27); it is God’s peace, “which transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Eli mentored Samuel by teaching him how to daily worship God, and how to respond to God’s voice: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening”—in other words, “I am ready to hear what you have to say, and I am ready to obey!”
How Rare is the Word of God in These Days?
God speaks to us in many ways.
He speaks through creation, giving testimony to his faithfulness and creativity. [Psalm 19]
He speaks through his Word, where we come to understand his salvation and purpose for us.
He speaks through wise mentors in our lives.
He speaks through life situations, opening and closing doors.
God speaks by his Holy Spirit, equipping us with gifts and passions to use for service in his kingdom.
Are we listening?
Are we listening?
Do we even care if there is a voice of God speaking to us today?
Why should we care if there is a voice of God speaking to us today?
How are we listening, hearing, experiencing God’s leading in your life?
Are you and I numbed to hearing, listening attentively for God’s voice?
So in a world full of noise and distraction, should we care if God speaks?
Does it matter one iota whether or not God speaks to us if we take one long, view of the world versus God, to say: “how miraculous would that truly be?”
Do we actually desire, want or need “God’s miraculous voice” speaking to us?
So in a world full of noise and distraction, how does God actually speak to us?
So with many questions, how ought we to “miraculously” respond back to God?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 19 The Message
19 1-2 God’s glory is on tour in the skies, God-craft on exhibit across the horizon. Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening.
3-4 Their words aren’t heard, their voices aren’t recorded, But their silence fills the earth: unspoken truth is spoken everywhere.
4-5 God makes a huge dome for the sun—a superdome! The morning sun’s a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed, The daybreaking sun an athlete racing to the tape.
6 That’s how God’s Word vaults across the skies from sunrise to sunset, Melting ice, scorching deserts, warming hearts to faith.
7-9 The revelation of God is whole and pulls our lives together. The signposts of God are clear and point out the right road. The life-maps of God are right, showing the way to joy. The directions of God are plain and easy on the eyes. God’s reputation is twenty-four-carat gold, with a lifetime guarantee. The decisions of God are accurate down to the nth degree.
10 God’s Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds. You’ll like it better than strawberries in spring, better than red, ripe strawberries.
11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure. Otherwise how will we find our way? Or know when we play the fool? Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh! Keep me from stupid sins, from thinking I can take over your work; Then I can start this day sun-washed, scrubbed clean of the grime of sin. These are the words in my mouth; these are what I chew on and pray. Accept them when I place them on the morning altar, O God, my Altar-Rock, God, Priest-of-My-Altar.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Amen.
12 Since we have such a [glorious] hope and confident expectation, we speak with great courage, 13 and we are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelite’s would not gaze at the end of the glory which was fading away. 14 But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed [only] in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Becoming Like Christ
2 Corinthians 3:15-18 Amplified Bible
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil [of blindness] lies over their heart; 16 but whenever a person turns [in repentance and faith] to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom]. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
If the Holy Spirit’s work in us is like the work of a master gardener, what is the Spirit growing in us?
The Spirit wants to reproduce Jesus’ character in us.
Our reading from 2 Corinthians today states that we “are being transformed into [Jesus’] image with ever-increasing glory.”
In other words, the Holy Spirit’s aim is to make us more and more like Jesus.
The Holy Spirit’s work is to nudge us, prod us, move us, transform us and shape us to think and act and be more like our Savior Jesus, for us to better mirror Jesus in our character, to increasingly help us love like Jesus in our daily life.
Of course, it’s not an overnight rush job.
The Spirit doesn’t guarantee delivery in full by 8:00 a.m. the next day—or even within a few days, months, years or decades.
This isn’t the work of a courier driver.
This is the work of the Master Gardener, the One with a master’s vision of the finished garden, the One who daily, gradually toils and works in our lives until the desired spiritual fruit eventually sprouts, blossoms, unto the glory of God.
There are times when the Holy Spirit’s work in us will be immediate, dramatic, and maybe even spectacular.
But usually the Spirit’s work in us is slow, subtle and gentle.
That’s the Holy Spirit’s trademark.
We are made in God’s image, in the image of God we are created, (Genesis 1:26-27) but that sacred image became spoiled and polluted in us because of sin.
So now God is slowly remaking that image in us—to be like our Savior Jesus!
Steps Towards Spiritual Freedom
Have we truly noticed that most of our unrest comes from ourselves?
We get stuck ruminating on the things we can’t change or control.
Un-forgiveness stops us from moving toward healing in our relationships.
Pervasive negativity prevents us from enjoying the moment.
Exhaustion keeps us functioning as only a shadow version of ourselves.
Repeated excuses keep us trying the same things over and over again that are no longer capable of working, are burning bridges and stop us from changing.
Fear, guilt and shame stop us cold from accepting God’s free gift of grace.
Our unhappiness lives in our souls and finding peace starts as a process of Holy Spirit-led self-discovery.
How many of us will spend our lives turning a blind eye to our own hangups?
In our own stubborn blindness, we refuse to consider that maybe the rhythm of frustration we are up against might be something we have the power to change.
It’s so much easier to render our judgments, and then blame our surroundings.
To point out the sliver in our neighbor’s eye, all while avoiding our own planks. (Matthew 7:1-5)
We so often live stuck in a giant sheet of bubble wrap we wrapped around us.
Thank God He is patient with us!
Thank God that God knows exactly what to do with bubble wrap – POP IT!
How, then, do we allow ourselves to be “popped by God” to get us past our blindness and grab onto the gracious freedom that God promises each of us?
1. Freedom comes when we abandon pride.
The path towards freedom begins with a surrendering of the pride we each hold that claims we have what we need to fix ourselves all on our own.
This pride tells us to be ashamed, embarrassed, fearful and humiliated when we don’t live up to our own internal standards.
It relies on rules and religion rather than grace and a relationship with Jesus.
Step one towards freedom and making peace with the people God created us to be is to abandon our pride.
The Bible teaches that pride comes before a fall (Proverbs 16:18), and the humble find wisdom (Proverbs 11:2).
2. God’s wisdom teaches us how to change.
Wisdom helps us change.
Only through God’s miraculous truth can we see the way past the same thought processes which keep us trapped, wrapped, in our own fears, shame, bitterness.
James 1:5prompts us to ask God for wisdom when we don’t have it.
He gives it freely when we have a humble heart.
When we read and study God’s Word, spend time in his church, seek Him and His Kingdom through prayer, we discover what godly wisdom looks like.
Proverbs 1:7instructs us that wisdom is found in the context of community.
We have to be willing to accept advice and instruction when we are stuck and looking for a new way forward.
Proverbs 3:7 tells us that wisdom turns away from evil.
If our own set patterns get us stuck in sin over and over, then God’s wisdom, and our Savior’s Cross, His Resurrection power moves us away from that evil temptation that keeps repeatedly keeps maliciously tugging at our souls.
3. Freedom points us towards others.
Interestingly God gives us the internal power through the Holy Spirit to find spiritual freedom, not so we can just enjoy ourselves better.
Even though a free you is a happier you and is a you that you can be confident in and enjoy.
The purpose of this Christ-purchased freedom is that we can serve others.
Isaiah 61:1tells us God’s spirit in our lives gives us the ability to bring good news to the poor, assist the brokenhearted, and set free those imprisoned in this world!
We are set free, so we can help others find that same freedom.
When we find ourselves stuck, wrapped in our own frustrations or even upset with others in our lives because their sin nature is making our lives harder, we are invited to draw on God’s spirit to see new ways to love and to serve others.
4. God’s spirit sets us free.
2 Corinthians 3:17says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”
There is a mysterious element to spiritual freedom.
Freedom is an indescribable moment or journey that can take time where Heaven meets us here on Earth.
Areas I’ve sought freedom in has been anxiety over diabetes management.
For me, this freedom journey has taken years, but God has been my faithful teacher and sustainer through step forward and backward, each up and down.
Other times our freedom is like a dam breaking all at once.
The old life is washed away in an instant, and a new one is ready to begin.
Why does God work one way in my life and a different way in yours?
That is part of the mystery of the Spirit.
God is connectional and relational and not a rule-based God, which is why each of us has a singularly unique and diverse and vastly different spiritual journey.
One thing the Bible does tell us is that if we want to find freedom in our lives, we have to seek His Kingdom through His Holy Spirit.
Matthew 6:33 Amplified Bible
33 But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.
John 8:36says, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Jesus came to Earth, so we could not only escape death and join his family, but so we could experience freedom in our lives here on Earth.
I am so thankful that God has not left me as I was.
He is always renewing my mind and spirit.
May you, by God’s grace, take steps toward spiritual growth and freedom today.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Jesus, my Savior, I have been listening to too many lies for far too long. I have been tricked one too many times by the enemy and I am frustrated. I need to be free from these lies. Jesus, I know that You are true and that the truth will set me free. Jesus, help me to rejoice in the truth. I need to believe the truth. I pray that it really would set me free. Help me with my unbelief, Jesus. Holy Spirit, You know my heart, and know that I need help believing. Thank You, Jesus, that You offer truth to Your children. Thank You for Your patience with me. In Your glorious name, I pray.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
12 [a]Therefore I urge you, [b]brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies [dedicating all of yourselves, set apart] as a living sacrifice, holy and well-pleasing to God, which is your rational (logical, intelligent) act of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world [any longer with its superficial values and customs], but be [c]transformed and progressively changed [as you mature spiritually] by the renewing of your mind [focusing on godly values and ethical attitudes], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His plan and purpose for you].
3For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia! Amen.
One of the most precious things a person can be given by God is a heavenly mindset, a mindset formed by the cross, a mindset that sees earthly reality in view of Scriptural truths.
Romans 12:2 teaches: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
During seasons of Lent, when we encounter the living Christ through Scripture, and Prayer, Devotions, Sermons and Service, our minds need to be opened to being changed and transformed as when we first come to know Savior Christ.
The more and harder we seek after Him, the greater the transformation we see, we will gradually come to experience within the thoughts of our minds.
We need begin an unplanned approach, with the goal of coming to the end of ourselves, then steadily ask for a bit more of God’s Spirit to come and change us, to conform us to spiritual realities rather than the principles of the world.
Here are some suggested ways we can prayerfully expect to see, feel our minds being subtly, utterly, transformed into greater and greater union with Christ.
What Matters Is What Will Last into Eternity
The things of this earth will be seen as finite, temporary and transient.
There is surely goodness to enjoy on this earth.
But what matters is the spiritual work of God in us, and that spiritual work we participate in mission and ministry and acts of aid and service with others.
His Suffering for Us becomes Our Most Precious Thought
The reality that God came in flesh to suffer on the cross for our sins becomes precious beyond comparison.
We revere this truth and treat it as holy.
Our Savior has become so precious to us we can hardly bear the thought of Him hanging on the tree for us.
We treasure His sacrifice deeply.
His Work in This World Is Our Priority
Jesus has given the church a mission: to make disciples of Jesus around the world.
His work of doing that, at home and abroad, takes deep roots in our hearts.
We want to do our part to see His gospel shared and to see it shine around the world — no matter where we live and what our daily calling.
The Person and Character of Jesus Is Our Loveliest Treasure
Jesus is held up as our priceless treasure.
When we come to know Him better, to take in His character, to learn about His truth and His ways in the Scriptures, to behold His grace in our lives, we realize that we are all treated impeccably by the perfect One of all time and all eternity.
Jesus becomes our richest prize, our first and only singular aim and goal.
God’s Goodness Is Never in Question
We balk at the idea of God’s goodness being in question, when He is the One who bore with all of our failures, all of our rebellion, all of our sinfulness and still — in His immeasurable kindness — offered salvation to the world.
What kind of God is this?
We cannot and will not come to entertain the thought of Him not being always considered the good God He is, was, and forever will be.
The Salvation That God Offers Is Unfathomably Good
Evil is having its day.
The world and worldly values around us threaten to pull us in on all sides.
By contrast, the things of the Lord and of the Scriptures are pure and holy and righteous.
We come to love the righteousness that has been revealed to us.
Salvation into the things and ways of the Lord is an unfathomable reality — one that we will never fully grasp for all of eternity.
We will glorify, praise God always for the greatest gift He has ever given to us.
Sin becomes Utterly Undesirable
When we are thinking and focusing precious thoughts about Jesus, the sinful ways of our hearts and natures fall completely out of favor with us.
In fact, our ways of rebellion, the sin which has seeped into our pockets as we walk through the world, the fallen ideas that have passed through our ears, all come to be undesirable to us.
God shows them to us for what they are, and we want to abandon evil ways — whatever they are — and not allow them to take root within us.
God hates sin, and so do we; that becomes our true heart’s desire.
There Is Accountability before God for Everything That We Do
Because we know that God hates sin, we take seriously that we will stand before God for all that we think, say, and do in His world.
All of our wrongdoing will be covered by His grace.
But He wants relationships of truth with us.
So, we will stand before Him for our doings, whether good or bad.
I want there to be so much goodness, so little badness when I stand before Jesus.
The greatest words that I so want to hear are “well done, good and faithful servant.”
We take seriously everything we do when we are thinking precious thoughts of a Savior who died to remove our sins from us.
All of Life Is Lived by the Rule of Grace
Grace is the rule by which we live our lives.
Jesus loves His gospel of grace.
He loves that He offers us forgiveness as far as the east is from the west.
He loves that He has won a people to Himself.
When we come before Him with our sins, He welcomes us and washes us with his blood.
And He does that by His incredible grace that we can never exhaust.
It is truly amazing grace.
Each one of us is a small picture of His gospel, when He looks at us who believe.
We don’t fear sin because there is no punishment.
Rather, we live by His cleansing grace, and honor it highly just as He does.
To Fear the Lord Is Easy because God Is Great in Our Eyes
When we are thinking precious thoughts about the goodness and greatness of Jesus, we do not question whether or not God is to be feared.
He is the great One.
We possess a holy disposition before the great God of our souls.
Our hearts bow because God is very high.
Our hearts yearn for His glorification.
Our minds know that He is exalted and His thoughts and ways are not ours.
We stand apart from Him and know that He is to be magnified.
The Lordship of Christ Is Longed for So That We Can Reflect Jesus
Jesus is the Lord — and we are so grateful that He is.
We long for Him to lead and guide us in the ways of truth.
We long to follow Scriptural patterns of goodness.
We fully long to walk the straight and narrow path that brings holiness and righteousness to our days.
In short, we yearn for Jesus Christ to be the Lord of our lives.
We don’t want to lead but want to submit to His control.
The Care and Comfort of Jesus Exceeds Our Desires
When we think highly of Jesus, we value our relationship with Him very highly.
We draw near to Him, and He draws near to us.
So, when we reach out to Him for help and comfort, His care for us exceeds our desires.
We feel enveloped by His comfort and love.
The fact that the holy God of the universe would pour His love into our hearts is beautiful beyond description.
We thank Him greatly and welcome all that He gives and brings to us, as He is the vine and we are the branches.
We Have Contentment Based on Our Relationship with Jesus
Because the things of this earth matter less and less to us, we are transformed into a spirit of contentment.
We know that there is nothing we can gain that is of any value but Jesus Christ Himself.
We know that it is good to know God.
So, we can let possessions and values of this earth go.
We Are Willing to Be Called into Service of God, However He Wills
When Jesus is our highest prize, we wait upon Him to see if He might call us into His service.
We are honored so highly if He allows us to serve Him in any way.
And we leave open the possibility that He might call any one of us at any time to take His gospel to a lost world.
Turn the Fullness of Your Thoughts Upon Jesus
Romans 12:1-3 The Message
Place Your Life Before God
12 1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
My friends, let us practice thinking more precious thoughts about Savior Jesus.
Let us practice becoming ever more separate from this world, and practice being ever more, upper-most clinging to the Way, Truth, Life of our Savior.
Let us care about spiritual realities more than earthy realities.
Let us become more and more transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Let us make a greater effort, practice of daily approving of what is good and great according to the Lord, and seek Him — draw near to Him — so that He and His gospel, His Resurrection, alone might be so very highest in our sights.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Father, teach me to do your will, for you are my God. May your Holy Spirit lead me on level ground. I see your faithfulness and goodness in what you have done for me throughout my life. I think about these things, and I thirst for you. Let me hear of your unfailing love every morning and every night, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. Keep me on firm footing for the glory of your name. Shift, transform, my thoughts away from the world and unto you alone.
Adeste Fidelis! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
23 The [former successive line of] priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were each prevented by death from continuing [perpetually in office]; 24 but, on the other hand, Jesus holds His priesthood permanently and without change, because He lives on forever. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever (completely, perfectly, for eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede and intervene on their behalf [with God].
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
What The Heart Of The Young Man Said To The Psalmist.
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world’s broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
A Highly Offensive Contemporary Psalm for Life.
It’s not all about you.
But, then again, neither is it about me.
Urgently Needed Reminder: God’s Psalm for Life.
I would say that the question most frequently asked by Christians is this: is it possible for me to lose my salvation?
It bothers so many of us.
We know the stakes.
And the possibility of having got it wrong, haunts so many believers.
This message is the first of at least two in a small series that are stand- alone messages but which, I pray will all bear upon the question of eternal security.
Do we believe that the Blood of Christ cleanses us from sin?
Absolutely – no problem there – just read 1 John 1:9.
Do we accept that no-one can snatch us away from God?
Of course we do – the Bible says so.
No one can snatch us out of the Father’s hand – John 10:28-29 makes that one quite clear
But here’s where agreement ends and doubts begin!
We hear so many things that can make us insecure – particularly if we’re really struggling to the live the lives we know we should.
So many doubts.
So many fears and apprehensions.
So many different slants and theories.
When do we get saved?
Is it at a particular point in time?
Or does it develop over a certain measure of time?
Is it possible to stop believing and lose it all?
Can we blow it by persisting in willful sin?
Or does that willful sin show that we’ve already blown it in the first place?
After all – the tree is known by its fruit! [Psalm 1, Matthew 7:15-19, 12:33-35]
So – to extend that principle a little – can we forfeit Eternal Life – not just by sinning – but by being unfruitful and unproductive in our lives?
Carelessly allowing our salvation to slip straight through our very own fingers – as Hebrews 2:1-4 seems to suggest?
Give Heed
2 [a]For this reason [that is, because of God’s final revelation in His Son Jesus and because of Jesus’ superiority to the angels] we must pay much closer attention than ever to the things that we have heard, so that we do not [in any way] drift away from truth. 2 For if the message given [b]through angels [the Law given to Moses] was authentic and unalterable, and every violation and disobedient act received an appropriate penalty, 3 how will we escape [the penalty] if we ignore such a great salvation [the gospel, the new covenant]? For it was spoken at first by the Lord, and it was confirmed to us and proved authentic by those who personally heard [Him speak], 4 [and besides this evidence] God also testifying with them [confirming the message of salvation], both by signs and wonders and by various miracles [carried out by Jesus and the apostles] and by [granting to believers the] gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.
We’re going to examine these fears and see if they have any basis in reality.
What does the Word of God actually teach?
But don’t just take my word for it. Like the Bereans – examine this subject for yourself.
I’m confident that when you understand the principles by which God operates – understand His motivations in relation to your salvation, you’ll put to rest these doubts, fears; you’ll appreciate the yawning gulf that divides human reasoning from Divine wisdom and Infinite Love and Grace.
This first devotion is entitled: ‘It’s not all about you’
We’ll discuss this in a moment – but first let’s address a couple of the concerns we mentioned at the beginning.
Among the various positions adopted on the question of eternal security, what undisputed facts can we all agree on – if we take the Word of God at face value?
What does the Bible clearly teach about eternal life?
Well – the first thing we find is that:
Eternal life is a present possession!
It’s not something we have to wait to receive;
It is not something we grow into;
And not something that develops gradually.
The Bible does talk about aspects of our salvation that still lie in the future – but entering into a relationship with God – and receiving the gift of eternal life – is something that happens at a particular point in our lives!
In John 5:24 Jesus said these words:
“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
Then in Ephesians 2:4-5 we read:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And finally, Paul says in Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
So that’s quite clear.
Salvation isn’t something we’re looking forward to – it’s something that occurs in one point of time!
So you and I are either saved right now or we’re not saved at all!
So what’s the next thing we can agree on?
It’s this.
It appears that we can be sure that we have eternal life.
God intends for us to have confidence – to be able to rest quietly in the knowledge and complete assurance of salvation – no shadow of a doubt!
John writes in his first epistle, chapter 5:13:
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
In Romans 8:16 Paul says:
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
And in2 Timothy 1:12, we hear Paul’s stirring words:
I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.
Some people would – of course – say that this confidence is conditional upon us showing the fruits of salvation in our lives.
They say, in other words, that we can be sure of our salvation as long as we have it – but that’s no guarantee that we can’t lose it!
So the questions which remain to be answered are this:
Is it possible for us to lies lose our salvation?
Is it possible to cease being a Christian?
Can we be saved one minute – but lost the next?
Ok. If we want to get down to what the Bible actually says, we’ll need to scrap some of this misleading terminology once and for all.
Losing your salvation is not a term used in Scripture at all!
And for very good reason!
Certainly salvation is spoken of as a gift – but not as an object: a thing that can be dropped, given away or lost.
This gift is nothing less than the gift of new life – eternal life!
So can you lose your Salvation?
Well – what happens if you lose your life?
You die, of course!
So the real question should be this:
If a man is reborn (through the process of the new birth) and consequently has eternal life – can he die again?
And that puts an entirely different complexion on things!
Can a life be described as eternal if it can end – and you can die again?
Christ is our life.
Can He die again?
Well – actually He can’t!
Romans 6:8-11 Amplified Bible
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him, 9 because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. 11 Even so, consider yourselves to be dead to sin [and your relationship to it broken], but alive to God [in unbroken fellowship with Him] in Christ Jesus.
When you think it through – it’s actually nonsense to talk about losing salvation – because of the very meaning of the word.
In certain circumstance I can save myself – but if I’m saved by someone else – by very definition I’m not contributing to the action.
Christ saves me!
If I were to perish for any reason – then in actual fact he wouldn’t have saved me.
But let’s start from the beginning
As we said before: it’s not all about you, neither is it about me!
Salvation is not all about us.
What do I mean by that – and what bearing does it have on our eternal security?
In the Garden of Eden, Satan had effectively stolen God’s creation from him.
We belonged to God – we were created differently from the animals.
Mankind was His special creation – formed in His image so that He could enjoy fellowship with us forever – loving Him and being loved by Him for all eternity.
Now you can’t force a person to love you.
The relationship for which God created us, had to be based on our willingness to have, continue fellowship with Him, to freely offer Him our love and devotion.
So in that sense – maintaining a continuous relationship with God was man’s responsibility.
We were born with a self-determining free-will and this privilege and dignity is something God would never over-ride.
So, ultimately, He had to risk losing us.
He had to take the chance of us turning our backs on Him.
And that’s exactly what happened!
Adam and Eve transferred their allegiance to Satan.
They passed from God’s control to Satan’s authority.
But Satan wasn’t going to win.
God already had a plan – a plan of Salvation – in order to regain what Satan had been allowed to steal from him; a plan to repossess that which He had lost.
Luke 19:10: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
Lost by whom?
Once again we make it all about us.
We were lost – we say – in sin.
But surely a natural reading of what Christ said would be we were lost to God – He had lost us – and that He had come to recover us: to save us – to get us back.
And that’s what redemption is all about!
In the OT the word translated “redeem” is pa^da^h and it means: to ransom, redeem, rescue, or deliver. [Isaiah 50:2 ESV]
In the Roman world, the market place was called the agora.
Exagorazo therefore literally means – to take out of the market place – hence – to purchase.
According to Strongs Concordance, it means: To recover from the power of another, to ransom by paying a price.
Of course, being recovered or ransomed implies that we formerly belonged to someone else – who then paid a price to get us back.
And that’s what our English word redeem conveys.
It comes from two Latin words meaning: to buy again or to buy back.
So – if I redeem something, I recover or ransom something that once belonged to me.
God did that – He once owned us because He created us.
He then lost us when we sinned – so He set out to recover which was lost – to ransom us – to buy us back – to redeem us – the price He paid was staggering:
it was the life of His own beloved Son!
The life blood of Jesus Christ was the currency that was used.
1 Peter 1:18-19 says this:
For you know that 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.
We were redeemed from the slave market of sin and are now twice-owned!
You and I are twice owned.
God created us – lost us and bought us back.
We are now his treasured possession – He purchased us.
A transaction has taken place and the highest possible price was paid:
the full asking price demanded by the law to free us from sin – the life blood of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son.
So 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says.
You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
That’s redemption!
Do we get that?
We no longer belong to ourselves.
God paid the highest possible price to get us back.
We are now His property!
Titus 2:14 says that he:
gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
It’s not all about us.
It’s not purely for our benefit!
We are now his inheritance!
Paul says to the Ephesians in chapter 1:18:
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people….
As Israel was continually referred to as God’s inheritance, we are His spiritual people – His glorious inheritance – His new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: Old things have gone, new things are here!
We’ve already seen that in the first creation, man was responsible for maintaining fellowship with God and he failed.
But do you believe that God will allow Satan to once again usurp him successfully?
To once again frustrate His purposes and steal away his possession?
One that He paid for with the death of his Son?
And that would happen if just one believer were to lose his Salvation – because effectively Christ would have died again.
Grace wouldn’t be reigning through righteousness – sin would once again be reigning through death (at least in that one life)!
A death, by the way, which has been destroyed by the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not a chance!
Things are different now.
In the new creation, the responsibility of maintaining our relationship with God is now His responsibility – not ours.
And why? Because He bought us and we are His possession.
Remember 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20
You are not your own; you were bought at a price.
This involves ownership.
We actually don’t have the right to give ourselves away again – in any way shape or form.
We’re God’s property!
In fact, God made certain that we couldn’t blow it again – either as a new race or as individuals.
Let us now look at how he protected us as individuals – how he has further guaranteed that we’ll never die again.
It’s found in Romans 4:16.
Here the Apostle Paul writes these wonderful words:
Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring-not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.
Notice here what God has done.
So that the responsibility for our salvation might be taken out of our hands altogether –
in other words, so that it might be by grace, entirely on the basis of a free gift – with us contributing nothing at all,
he made its acquisition conditional upon upon faith – simply believing – so that we have no active part to play – just to receive what is offered!
Ephesians 2:8-9 therefore says:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no-one can boast.
So God took on the responsibility for the whole thing so that the promise could be guaranteed.
He had to!
Sin had to be paid for – that took the death of Christ.
We had no part in that – except, of course, in the fact He was representing us.
And our new life had to be perfect forever.
To those who say that we can lose our salvation by sin in our lives, I would remind them that it only took one sin to sink the whole human race!
I mean, what estimation do we have of God?
Do we think that He can tolerate a certain level of sinning and then if it gets beyond that, He’ll say: “Ok, that’s enough!”
It took one sin to sink the human race!
You think you can lose your salvation by sinning?
Then fine – but remember this: you lost it with the first sin you committed after you got saved!!
What is good enough for God is absolute and total perfection or nothing at all!!
And He guaranteed that too – by imparting to us the life of Christ by way of the new birth!
As I said, our salvation consisted of God taking back what belonged to him.
And doing so by paying the price for our freedom.
I mean – Consider what happened at the moment of our salvation.
A transaction took place.
A deposit was paid on us.
We were set aside as his property.
That’s pretty much a guarantee of eternal life isn’t it?
14 The Spirit is the [a]guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.[Ephesians 1:14 Amplified]
In fact, Ephesians 1:14 describes the Holy Spirit as: a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
There’s the guarantee.
It’s because a deposit has been paid. And this deposit is the Holy Spirit.
It’s a word of Hebrew origin and means: a pledge – that is, part of the purchase money or property given in advance as security for the rest.
It’s the money which, when a purchase takes place, is given as a down-payment – in effect, a pledge that the full amount will subsequently be paid!
When you were saved – did you receive the Holy Spirit??
Of course you did!
And if you did – then God’s already paid a deposit on you.
The Holy Spirit is the down-payment!
The Holy Spirit is also a seal on God’s property!
In ancient times, when property was purchased, it was sealed by the new owner with his own distinctive mark – just like cattle was branded in the old West.
This was to protect the goods and to ensure that nobody else could claim them or interfere with them.
In our case, we were also branded or sealed, just to make sure that we were His – that no-one else could claim us.
The Bible says – in Ephesians 1:13:
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.
The word for seal is the noun from the Greek verb sphragizō – and it’s used 13 times in the Bible.
It means: to stamp for security or preservation – usually with a signet ring or private mark.
That happened when you believed!
It’s not a hope; it’s not a promise.
It’s a done deal!
It doesn’t say ‘if you continue to believe’
Having believed – the verb here is in what is called the aorist tense.
It’s a one-time process that’s already been completed in your life if you’ve come to Christ!
You and I have been sealed.
The seal signified that the goods belonged to the owner of seal or the mark.
Remember – it’s not all about you.
You’re his property now.
And the seal – the Holy Spirit in our case – is a guarantee that the goods will reach their destination in the same condition that they left!
Nobody can get at you except by breaking the seal!
Is there something out there that is greater than the love of God?
More effective than the blood of Christ?
More powerful than the indwelling Holy Spirit?
Doesn’t the Bible say: greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world.?
The Holy Spirit can’t be overcome.
He can’t be ejected from the believer.
In other words – the seal can’t be broken.
It’s His seal – we are His property!
In fact His seal is an absolute guarantee!!
2 Corinthians 1:21-22:
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
How could our salvation be guaranteed if it was up to us in any way whatsoever?
Adam and Eve were created perfect, in idyllic surroundings and in personal contact and communion with God every day.
Yet they still blew it.
But God has purchased or redeemed us and put his personal seal within us.
Make no mistake about this.
If one sealed soul were to be lost, then the seal will have been broken!
The promise and guarantee of God will have been made void!
And God is very serious about keeping His Word.
It abides forever.
He warns us about making oaths because in doing so, we’re undertaking something that only God Himself is able to do – absolutely guarantee the fulfillment of an oath.
And if one saved soul were to be lost:
Satan would have won again!
The deposit would have been lost!
Good faith in purchase destroyed!
And no power in universe can do that!
God has his own plans for His possession
Nothing and nobody is going to steal us away again.
No power in the universe is going to thwart and frustrate His purposes!
Examine what is known as the Golden chain in Romans 8:30:
And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
And so Paul says in Romans 8:38-39:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But sometimes it sounds counter – intuitive, doesn’t it!
As human beings, seeing everything from a humanistic perspective, we’ve been so ingrained with concepts like:
There’s no such thing as a free lunch!
If it sounds too good to be true – it probably is!
You only get out of something what you put in!
And so forth!
So Christians, without realizing it, often rebel against the principle of Grace – the free unconditional love of God, His gift of Grace – Eternal Life in Christ.
They might say – and you’ve all heard these objections:
Sure – nothing can snatch us out of the Father’s hand – but surely we can:
by our own choice.
or our own actions.
lose our salvation.
I mean – there has to be consequences for how we live our lives!
So there’s the question.
Salvation is free, but can we, by free choice, stop being covered by blood of Christ?
Can we ourselves break the seal?
Void the contract?
Undo God’s work in us.
Make ineffective the blood of Christ.
Reverse the effects of the death of Christ in our lives?
See how silly that starts to sound!
Well – Some say that we can and they will give a variety of reasons:
Living a sinful life.
No longer believing.
Not persevering with works of righteousness.
Well, you’ll find each of these objections will resolve itself from the Word of God.
For the moment, just remember one important thing:
Man had a relationship with God.
The maintenance of that relationship was man’s responsibility.
Man failed to live up to the terms of that relationship.
Because of this, he passed from communion with God into the power of Satan.
God, by the death of Christ, went to amazing lengths to buy back or redeem His lost possession.
We now belong to Him – signed, sealed and delivered.
Our safety and maintenance in that relationship is now up to Him – and Him alone!!
May God bless His Word to each one of us! Amen
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Almighty God, you are the source of all light. You divinely separated light from darkness so that we may have the beauty of the light of day. Dear Lord, illuminate this day and enlighten us as we seek to know you through your word. May we be led by your light so our hearts may be opened to your word. We pray that we receive every word you speak to us today. Holy and gracious God, you are the greatest of all. You are full of wonders that no mere human can comprehend. Lord, I seek to understand you and your ways so that I can live according to your commandments. I pray for your divine illumination in my heart and mind. Help me see what you intend for me to see. Help me understand what you intend for me to understand. Open my eyes and my ears, my mouth, to see you and hear, speak your whispers.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
3 See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 2 Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory]. 3 And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless).
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
See How Well We Are Lavished With Love?
1 John 3:1 New International Version
3 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
The word lavish presents a picture of extravagant abundance.
It is almost too much, too generous and luxurious.
Being lavish borders on being wasteful.
But the Father has lavished his love on us.
God’s love is even more than what a wonderful mother showers on her infant.
Isaiah 66:12-14 New International Version
12 For this is what the Lord says:
“I will extend peace to her like a river, and the wealth of nations like a flooding stream; you will nurse and be carried on her arm and dandled on her knees. 13 As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.”
14 When you see this, your heart will rejoice and you will flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord will be made known to his servants, but his fury will be shown to his foes.
God’s love and care are supplied all the time.
God’s love is a constant bombardment of affection and care.
We may be as oblivious as an infant to the presence of his love, but God still continues to pour his love into our lives.
God’s love flows into us deeply, redefines who we are at the very core of our heart, mind and soul.
When we open our hearts to God’s love, we are transformed by it.
We are remade, regenerated into children of God.
It is God who makes us his children, not us.
We cannot earn that status.
It is a gift of God’s great love.
Because we are sinners, we do not understand God’s love for us at first.
We don’t even know we need him until we realize we are stuck in sin and cannot save ourselves.
We become God’s children when we receive Jesus as our Savior (John 1:12).
Not one of us is worthy of God’s love.
We cannot earn it.
God just loves us.
We would not be God’s children if he were not already deeply in love with us.
How amazing is that!
Being said with an exclamation mark, what if we turned that into a question?
“How Amazing Is That?”
“I Really Do Not Feel God’s Love.“
Psalm 13 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 13
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 How long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou hide thy face from me? 2 How long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily? how long shall mine enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death; 4 lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved. 5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. 6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
Have you ever said or thought these words in public or in private?
If so, you’re not alone.
Truth Be Told, Too many times I have really struggled with the disconnect between knowingthat God loves me and actually seeing, and feelingHis love.
It might be tempting to brush aside the discomfort of this disconnect and get on with the responsibilities of life.
“After all,” some will pat you on the back, say, “love is an action, not a feeling.”
But if you look closely at the love displayed in the Bible, it’s clear that it’s not just automatic rote Christian responsibility—it’s also passionate emotion.
God doesn’t just act lovingly toward us, He feels love for us.
And He doesn’t want us to only understand His love, but to experience it in a deep way, a deeply visual and tactile way – to visualize it and touch it daily.
If, like me, you’ve struggled with a disconnect between knowing about God’s love and actually seeing, feeling it, accept your feelings as being quite real.
Sometimes, like the Psalmist who penned Psalm 13, we will not feel loved.
Sometimes, like the Psalmist who penned Psalm 13, we will not see God’s love.
Psalm 13 is someone’s deepest expression of a heart and soul in angry anguish.
It has remained in the Bible through countless edits because God wants you the reader to know, the maximum extent to which God feels, visualizes our hearts.
Heart Distant or Delighted? Learning to See Jesus With a Smile …
Psalm 13:5-6 Authorized (King James) Version
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation. 6 I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.
1 John 3:3 Amplified Bible
3 And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless).
I recall many years ago sitting in a circle with the other members of my Bible study group when our leader invited us to imagine what Jesus’ face looks like.
Dutifully, I closed my eyes and tried to picture Him.
The image that appeared was of a man with long, greyish silver locks and dull, piercing brown eyes.
His unsmiling lips were hard set in a neutral line.
He didn’t look disapproving, but he didn’t look very happy either.
As I studied His face, I felt sad, fearful, and unsure of how He felt about me.
I was deeply troubled by this experience because, intellectually, I knew God always loved me deeply and felt positively—even passionately—about me.
Throughout the Bible, God describes His love in the most tender terms known to humankind.
He compares His love for us to the love a parent has for their child—a warm, welcoming, compassionate love (Isaiah 66:13; 1 John 3:1).
He also describes His love for us as the love a groom has for his bride—a passionate, ardent, sacrificial love (Revelation 19:7; Ephesians 5:25-27).
Yet, my picture of Jesus that evening revealed that, deep down, I also perceived Him as uppermost serious and restrained, maybe even a little depressed at me.
It also highlighted my fear that I was not a source of joy or pleasure to God, and that, though He loved me, it suddenly felt more being with a distant, aloof love.
I knew this isn’t how God wanted me to view Him.
Ephesians 3:18, the apostle Paul prayed, “May you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully” (NLT).
More than anything, I wanted to experience the love of God—I wanted to feel it, not just know about it.
So I started asking God to take my understanding beyond intellect and into a more studious, scriptural, deep heart knowing of my value to Him.
1 John 3:1 Amplified Bible
Children of God Love One Another
3 See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
Truth be told, sometimes it’s so much easier to notice the love people have for you than the love God has for you.
Why?
Because you can physically see them and the way they express love.
But when it comes to God, it can be challenging to see, understand, the extent to which He loves you.
After all, none of us can physically see Him on this side of Heaven.
That’s why God gave us His Word… to help us to see, feel, and understand who He is and how much He really does love us.
See, throughout the Bible, God is described as an all-powerful and eternally just God, but also as deeply loving to those He created.
In the entire biblical story, God is presented as a character who strongly cares for us… so much so that He even allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to enter this world to bring about a redeemed and restored relationship with humanity.
In fact, Jesus is the physical embodiment of God’s eternal love, showing us that His love is a real, tangible being we can cling to and put our hope in rather than just an abstract concept we cannot ever hope to even begin to .01% understand.
Now, before we dive further into how Jesus loves us, first let’s clarify the meaning of biblical love.
BIBLICAL LOVE
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Amplified Bible
4 Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. 5 It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured. 6 It does not rejoice at injustice, but rejoices with the truth [when right and truth prevail]. 7 Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].
There are many different kinds of love.
There is parental love, brotherly love, and romantic love.
When anyone says the word love, we often first associate it with anything from dating to sex.
But, the word is so much more broad than we often think.
According to the above passage, biblical love is simply putting the needs of others before your own.
All of us fall short of the expectation set by this passage at some point, because selflessness does not come naturally to us (Romans 3:23).
But, the good news of the Gospel is that God perfectly embodies these four verses.
He is the one that created love in the first place!
In turn, this means that God is LOVE itself (1 John 4:8).
And because He is love, He displays this quality not only through His words, but through His actions as well.
GOD’S DEVOTED LOVE
Psalm 103:12-14 Amplified Bible
12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. 13 Just as a father loves his children, So the Lord loves those who fear and worship Him [with awe-filled respect and deepest reverence]. 14 For He knows our [mortal] frame; He remembers that we are [merely] dust.
As any good father would, God feels sentiment and shows affection toward His children.
This picture of God as the perfect Father is a deeply intimate one because it illustrates how far [east from west], He would go to keep us safe and secure.
Another illustration of God’s love is seen in Hosea 2:14-23.
Rather than a father this time, this Bible story describes a faithful husband that comforts and treasures his wife – which is also meant to be seen as a metaphor for God’s devoted love to an unfaithful Israel.
Despite Israel’s unfaithfulness, God expressed His infinite love for His people all the more through love poetry, painting a beautiful image of God’s extreme devotion and affection towards His Bride, the Church.
LOVE AS AN ACTION
Romans 5:8-10 Amplified Bible
8 But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Therefore, since we have now been justified [declared free of the guilt of sin] by His blood, [how much more certain is it that] we will be saved from the [a]wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more certain, having been reconciled, that we will be saved [from the consequences of sin] by His life [that is, we will be saved because Christ lives today].
But, love is not merely a feeling.
Love is also an action… that God shows from the very beginning of the Bible.
Out of His love, God established a rescue plan for humanity in the wake of Adam and Eve’s sin (Genesis 3:15).
Out of His great love, God freed Israel from slavery in Egypt – not because they earned it, but because they were His people (Exodus 12-14).
Out of His love, God became fully human, yet fully God through the person of Jesus Christ – living a perfect life and dying a death we deserved so that we could all be restored into unto, a right relationship with Him (John 3:16-17).
In each scenario, all of God’s actions toward His people are motivated by pure love. He doesn’t just say He loves us, but He actually does something about it.
THE LOVE OF JESUS
John 15:13-16Amplified Bible
13 No one has greater love [nor stronger commitment] than to lay down his own life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you keep on doing what I command you. 15 I do not call you servants any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you [My] friends, because I have revealed to you everything that I have heard from My Father. 16 You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain and be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.
By coming into the world and sacrificing his own life for us, Jesus demonstrated the ultimate love of God.
He died for us because He considered us friends worth dying for (John 15:15).
This is the radical love that Jesus showed during his time on Earth… and still shows us today even if we do not see it in quite the same way we see the love of our friends and family.
So, when asking the question “Does Jesus love me?” the simple answer is “yes.”
Jesus really does love you not because of anything you have done, but because of who He is!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Almighty God, we praise and thank you for making us children of God, not through our own power and piety but through our baptism into crucified and risen Lord Jesus Christ. We turn daily to you, and in that turning we find peace, courage and purpose. Make your whole church a witness to the great good news of Christ’s resurrection.Father God, may we have the grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to grasp how immeasurable wide and deep and high and long is your love for us, expressed in all that Savior Jesus has done for us, that we may be your children. In his name, Amen.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Honoring your father and your mother is the only commandment out of the Ten Commandments that is followed by a promise, Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may be well with you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you. (Deuteronomy 5:16)
Exodus 20:12Amplified Bible
12 “Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Most Christians are very familiar with the verse “honor your father and mother”, but few actually know of it’s origin in the Bible.
The command to honor your father and mother actually comes from the Old Testament book of Exodus 20 in the story of the 10 Commandments.
However, it is also a command that is repeated several times in both the Old and New Testament.
Chapter 20 of the Book of Exodus serves as a powerful reminder of the intimate relationship God has with humankind.
This passage specifically reveals the intense care and concern that God shows toward His Children.
Today this chapter remains popular because of a very special occurrence – the Ten Commandments.
At eighty plus years old, after venturing up to Mount Sinai, Moses, a father, brought down the Ten Commandments, rules given Him directly from God.
The Ten Commandments described ten precepts for how God expected His people to behave.
This monumental moment follows after the Israelites fled Egypt.
Chapter 19 in the Book of Exodus details how the Israelites camped in the wilderness, now living a life outside of slavery for a few months.
God informs Moses that He desires to bless the nation of Israel.
However, He also wants them to keep a covenant with Him (Exodus 19:5-6).
The Ten Commandments serve as part of that covenant.
One of these commandments spoke to the relationship between a child and parent and is a guideline we as Christians still ought to be following today.
Exodus 20:12The Message
12 Honor your father and mother so that you’ll live a long time in the land that God, your God, is giving you.
The reason this commandment in addition to the other nine is still relevant today is because Jesus indicated such to later believers (Matthew 5:17-20).
Jesus did not abolish the law, but rather came to fulfill it.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the followers at the church at Ephesus;
Ephesians 5:1-2 Amplified Bible
Be Imitators of God
5 Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father]; 2 and walk continually in love [that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others], just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God [slain for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance.
We are to do our part yet today in abiding in Jesus, by these commandments.
Today, I do not believe there is little to no controversy about whether or not the Ten Commandments are still relevant.
What has been up for rather contentious debate in the meaning of “honor” in the context of parents and children.
There are many instances of children being the victims of incest, abandonment, neglect, or other severe and seriously exploitive forms of ultra damaging abuse.
In these situations, how does a child honor a parent, when the parent lacks any concept or context of abiding in God, His Son Jesus and have honor for the child.
To understand this commandment, we have to examine the original context.
What Is the Original Meaning of Honor Your Father and Mother in Exodus 20?
The commandment to honor our father and mother is the fifth of the ten mentioned.
The commandment to precedes this one is honoring the Sabbath, followed by the commandment to not murder.
Scripture explains the reason why the commandment should be followed.
Exodus 20:12Amplified Bible
12 “Honor (respect, obey, care for) your father and your mother, so that your days may be prolonged in the land the Lord your God gives you.
The benefit of abiding by this commandment is longer life, specifically for the Israelites venturing on toward the Promised Land.
Dennis Prager [https://dennisprager.com/] emphasizes that though this could be viewed as a reward, this is also a reason.
And many of the other commandments are not given explicit reasons to be followed.
Prager suggests in a society where parents are honored by children, the society is bound to survive longer, than a society with a weaker family structure.
This commandment in Exodus is mentioned a number of other times in the Bible, each time as an admonishment to God’s people to better establish them.
Deuteronomy 5:16 tells us, “Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”
Ephesians 6:2 states: “Honor your father and mother” – which is the first commandment with a promise”
God blesses the people when their parents are honored, but the people are punished when they do not.
To honor is to hold someone in high regard or reverence.
The word honor does not mean agree with or even obey, but does suggest in this context a child should hold the highest utmost respect for both of their parents.
Now that we better understand the original context and interpretation of the commandment to honor thy mother and father, we can try to discern how this precept applies to modern-day life.
How Can Christians ‘Honor Your Father and Mother’ Today?
With an understanding of the word honor, there need not be a change in how parents are respected by children today.
However, with modern cultural shifts, this commandment for some has taken on a different interpretation.
We can perhaps better, more prayerfully understand the proper ways of honoring parents by first understanding how honoring should not appear.
As Dennis Prager discusses in his video analysis of the commandment, some parents yearn to be loved, rather than honored.
The visual example given in his video is that of a parent showering their child with gifts in order to receive affection.
This same parent when trying to discipline their child instead receives severe retaliation from them.
This is definitively not an example of a child honoring their parent because instead of respecting them as an “authority” figure, they are simply seeking what else, exactly how much more they can manipulate, gain from the parent.
Much like the Bible commands us to love others, the call to honor our parents is an outward action – something we do for others.
Honoring our parents is therefore not contingent upon what they give in return.
Within the Ten Commandments, verse 12 of Exodus 20 gives no clarification as to what parents are to be honored or even how.
We can conclude then that all parents are deserving of honor, and we can use the context of love within the Bible to discern appropriate ways to show honor.
We can even in some instances see how people have honored God as Father as an example.
Ways we can appropriately honor our parents include:
Expressing Gratitude Parents invest time and effort into raising children.
Those reasons alone are enough to show them gratitude for the sacrifices they make.
Parents provide shelter, food, clothing.
For every action they do in their support of their child is in itself a far more than sufficient reason for expressing their appreciation and gratitude.
Spending Time Together When physically possible, children can and should get together with their parents.
This acknowledges their existence and places a level of importance upon the relationship.
If being together physically is not an option, calling a parent on the phone for a check-in is also beneficial.
Dennis Prager shares with fellow believers he called his parents once a week.
Serve Another way for children to honor their parents is to find creative ways to serve their desires, wants and needs, much like parents perform on behalf of children.
To Honor or Not to Honor
It goes without saying and preaching to the choir that modern parenting is not equivalent to the parenting in ancient biblical Jewish culture.
Children today learn differently and have certain responsibilities such as owning a cell phone [I never did], which was not true for past generations.
No matter the time, parents should always be honored.
One concern followers, nonbelievers have with the commandment is the issue of bad parents, individuals who have abused their children by various means.
The Bible does not qualify which parents deserve honoring.
Additionally, Jesus mentions we are to love others as ourselves (Matthew 22:39) and to bless those who persecute us (Romans 12:14).
We, therefore, know that even when seemingly impossible, we should all do our best to express love for our parents, our children as we express love for our God.
This fifth commandment, however, does not advocate for putting ourselves in danger with bad parents.
Applying this commandment for children who have been abused will look different in terms of how they show their honoring.
Spending time together may be an impossibility but talking on the phone or writing a letter could prayerfully be an option depending on the circumstance.
Sometimes we have to set boundaries in relationships, and whenever that is the case we have to pray unto our ABBA God for wisdom, so that we may honor His commandment and honor our parents while keeping ourselves safe (James 1:5).
There are no easy or set human answers how to be complete, perfect parents.
As Mom’s and Dad’s together …
The very best we can do is diligently consult the Word of God for His Children.
Study it …
Like Jesus did, intentionally plumb its depths, its ways, its truths and its life.
Pray without ceasing over every aspect of it, revelation from it …
Koinonia, Fellowship with our ABBA Father, His Son Jesus, Holy Spirit, other Parents …
Finally,
Be Still, Be Quiet, know only God is God, and can, should be, exalted as God.
Matthew 6:25-33New King James Version
Do Not Worry
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one [a]cubit to his [b] stature?
28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not [c]arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You for my parents and for giving me life. Thank You for the pleasant and harsh lessons I have learned and the good times and the bad we have shared together. Forgive me for the times when I have not sufficiently honored my father and mother as I ought – for I am now acutely aware that this is dishonoring to You. From this day forward, I pray that I should honour You in all my interactions with my own family and with my friends, and may my life be honoring to You.
Adeste Fidelis. Venite Adoremus. Dominum.
Gloria. In Excelsis Deo. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
Believing what we are “seeing!” Doubting Thomas became Believing Thomas when he “saw” with his very own eyes, the risen Christ standing before him.
From our unbelief to belief. From our “seeing” to believing. The development of a disciple’s faith in Jesus as their God, their Savior, can be followed, traced from the time of John the Baptist to the final chapters of John’s Revelation.
Recall what has come before this. For the three years of Christ’s own ministry, we see in the disciples’, tiny bits of evidence of little seeds of faith taking root, growing, maturing and blossoming into a firm foundation of unshakable faith.
It was revealed to Peter, Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God… and the content of John’s Gospel was written so we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing on Him we might have life in His name.
Thomas was absent from that initial “appearance” of Resurrected Christ. As a consequence, Thomas did not “see” as the Disciples first “saw” 8 days prior.
We do not know where he was. Scripture is not clear in this matter. What is clear in this matter is none of the disciple’s present that first appearance, who “saw” the Resurrected Jesus, had made no such declaration of “My Lord and my God!”
We only read from John 20:19-20 NASB: “19 Now when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were [a]shut where the disciples were together due to fear of the [b]Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and *said to them, “Peace be to you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Verse 20 suggests they only had an “emotional response” – They rejoiced when they “saw” the Lord. Had they come to a true state of “belief” in that moment?
This suggests to me that there is something significantly deeper to explore here with “doubting” Thomas’ response of “My Lord, and my God!”
John 20:26-29 Amplified Bible
26 Eight days later His disciples were again inside the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, though the doors had been barred, and stood among them and said, “Peace to you.” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and put out your hand and place it in My side. Do not be unbelieving, but [stop doubting and] believe.” 28 Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, do you now believe? Blessed [happy, spiritually secure, and favored by God] are they who did not see [Me] and yet believed [in Me].”
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
Thomas, called Didymus – which means twin, was chosen by Christ to be one of His 12 apostles. He was a zealous disciple who demonstrated a fearless attitude.
When Jesus set His face as a flint to go to Jerusalem to face the unbelieving Jews who desired to kill Him, Thomas boldly cried, “Let us also go to Jerusalem, with Him – so that we may die with Jesus!”(John 11:16 NASB)
Thomas was also a deep thinker who paid heed to Christ’s words of wisdom, but he did not always understand the depth of meaning behind Christ’s discourses.
“Lord, we do not know where You are going,” (John 14:5 NASB) was his quick complaint when Jesus revealed that He was soon to leave them and return to His Father in heaven, “so how can we know the way?” was his earnest query.
But it was his reliance on the logic of man, his inability to see truth beyond his physical senses, caused him to become labelled with the uncomplimentary title, ‘doubting Thomas’, for he would not accept the multiple eyewitness accounts of Christ’s Resurrection because he himself, had not seen His Resurrected Lord with his own eyes, nor had he touched the risen Savior with his own hands –
and so, in his initial response he made the astonishingly determined claim, “unless I “see” in His hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, (ergo) I will not believe.”
When taken in isolation, this passage appears to declare Jesus IS God.
Every serious Bible student will agree, however, that it’s never a good idea to evaluate a verse apart from its context.
What then is the immediate, as well as the broader, context in which Thomas’ confession appears?
We’ll look at both, and in the process discover what Thomas meant when he said, “My Lord and my God.”
My Lord and My God: The Immediate Context
As we read the immediate context surrounding Thomas’ confession, please do notice how many times the words “see” or “seen” are used in conjunction with the word “believe” in its various forms.
John 20:24-29New American Standard Bible
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, who was called [a]Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!”But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 [b]Eight days later His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been [c]shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be to you.” 27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Place your finger here, and see My hands; and take your hand and put it into My side; and do not continue in disbelief, but be a believer.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
When used literally it means to see with one’s eye.
For example, Thomas plainly stated that his belief in a resurrected Christ was predicated on seeing Jesus with his own eyes.
When used figuratively horaô means to perceive or to discern, that is, to “see” with the mind or with one’s understanding.
This figurative usage is common in English as well.
We say, “I see what you mean,” that is, “I understand.”
Jesus said those who believed (understood) that he was alive without literally seeing him were blessed.
Broader Context: What does Bible say about literally seeing God?
The Bible has much to say about seeing God. When Moses asked God to show him His glory, God answered him without ambiguity:
Exodus 33:20 (NASB) But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Emphasis added)
Exodus 33:20 NASB
The apostle Paul also communicates this truth on more than one occasion when he writes that God is “invisible,” and that “no man has seen or can see” Him. In addition, the apostle John echoes these same emphatic statements:
1 John 4:12a (NASB) No one has seen God at any time… (emphasis added)
1 John 4:12a (NASB)
It is important to realize that John penned these words after tens of thousands of people had seen Jesus during his earthly ministry.
Moreover, at least 500 people saw him after his resurrection.
And most important for our discussion, even after Thomas had seen Jesus and supposedly declared him to be God, John still wrote, “No one has seen God at any time” (emphasis added).
The contradiction between the Trinitarian view that Thomas was declaring Jesus to be God, and the numerous passages that unequivocally state that God cannot be seen, is rather glaring.
To say that Thomas “saw God” contradicts Scripture.
Therefore, there must be another way to understand his words.
What did Jesus teach his disciples about seeing God?
The solution to this obvious contradiction lies in what Jesus taught his disciples about “seeing God.”
John 12:44-45 (NASB) And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 “He who sees Mesees the One who sent Me. (emphasis added)
In this passage the word “sees” in Greek is theôreô, and it means to look closely at; to gaze with interest or careful observation.
Figuratively it can mean to comprehend or recognize.
It is a synonym of horaô.
Thus, Jesus uses “seeing” as a metaphor for comprehending or knowing.
In doing so, he conveys an important truth to his disciples: if you see me, it means that you also “see”–perceive, discern, comprehend and recognize–the One who sent Me, that is, the One who can’t be seen.
Jesus could say this because he perfectly represented the Father.
The apostle Paul expresses this truth beautifully:
2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB) For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of Godin the face of Christ. (Emphasis added)
In this context, Paul is comparing Jesus to Moses who reflected the glory of God after having spent 40 days and nights on Mt. Sinai in God’s presence.
Moses wasn’t God, but he reflected God’s glory.
Similarly, Jesus isn’t God, but he reflects the glory of God, thus enabling us to know Him.
Paul wrote something similar to the church in Colossae:
Colossians 1:15 (NASB) He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (emphasis added)
Jesus is the image of the God who can’t be seen.
An image is not the original, rather it is a picture or a reflection of the original.
The word “image” in this passage is the Greek eikôn, and it literally means a statue.
Figuratively, it means a representation.
Jesus used eikôn in this way when he responded to the Jews’ question about the legality of the poll-tax.
Jesus told them to bring him a denarius, a coin imprinted with Caesar’s likeness:
Matthew 22:20-21 (NASB) And He *said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” 21 They *said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He *said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” (emphasis added)
Matthew 22:20-21 (NASB)
The word “likeness” is eikôn, the same word used in Colossians 1:15 where it is translated as “image.”
Obviously, the image or likeness of Caesar on the coin was not literally Caesar.
Rather it was a representation of him.
Similarly, Jesus is the image of God and not the original.
How did Jesus reflect or image God to mankind?
By speaking only, the words God gave him to speak, by doing only the works God gave him to do, and by obeying God’s will and denying his own.
This is how he could say in John 12:45: when you see me, you see God who sent me. Not surprising, this idea is in perfect keeping with Hebraic thought.
The night Jesus was arrested
On the night Jesus was arrested, he gathered his disciples in the upper room and taught them about knowing and seeing God.
This discourse provides us with further critical insight into the meaning behind Thomas’ confession:
John 14:3-6 (NASB) “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4 “And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (emphasis added)
Notice that the Father is the objective, while Jesus is the means by which the objective is reached.
Furthermore, Thomas is specifically mentioned as being an active part of the discussion that evening.
What follows are some of the last words Jesus spoke to his disciples before being arrested and ultimately crucified.
John 14:7 (NASB) “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (Emphasis added)
The word “know” here, along with its various forms, is the Greek word ginôskô, and it means to come to know, recognize, perceive.
The word “seen” is horaô.
You will please recall that it can mean to see, perceive, to discern.
Again, Jesus uses “seeing” as a metaphor for “knowing.”
He does not mean that when they look at him, they are literally looking at the Father.
For one reason, God cannot be seen, and for another reason, Jesus is not the Father.
Rather, Jesus is saying that when they see or observe him, they also come to “see” and know God.
Philip, however, misses Jesus’ point:
John 14:8-9 (NASB) Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seenMe has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (emphasis added)
Jesus questions their failure to understand that to see him is to “see” the Father especially since he had been revealing the Father to them for so long.
After Jesus’ Resurrection
After God raised Jesus from the dead, he appeared to the disciples. Thomas, however, was not present:
John 20:24-25 (NASB) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We haveseen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (emphasis added)
The point here is that Thomas refused to believe Jesus was alive, even though there were eyewitness.
Several days later, Jesus appeared to the group a second time.
Thomas is now among them.
John 20:26-29 (NASB) After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
John 20:26-29 (NASB)
The Meaning of Thomas’ Confession
In view of the context we have examined, Thomas finally understands what Jesus has been trying to teach him all along:
“Not only do I see my risen Lord, but I also now “see” or perceive that you are indeed the image of the invisible God. You have been revealing the Father to us all along!”
Thomas finally sees his Lord and perceives his God.
Understanding Thomas’ confession in this way resolves the conflict created by the Trinitarian interpretation which claims that Thomas sees Jesus as God when Scripture repeatedly says God cannot be seen.
Furthermore, it is in keeping with Hebraic thought which views the one sent, in this case Jesus, as being the personal presence of the sender, that is God.
In addition, Jesus’ statement in John 17– that God the Father is the only true God, while he is the Christ–remains intact, and no complicated formula is required for dealing with a multi-personal God.
It also helps explain why Thomas’ confession is not included within the other gospels; something we would expect to see if he were truly confessing Jesus to be deity.
It’s important to note that no other disciple declares Jesus is God.
Not one.
Perhaps most telling is the reason John gave for writing his gospel.
A mere two verses after Thomas’ so-called confession of Jesus’ deity,
John says his purpose for penning his gospel is that we might believe Jesus is the Christ. John does not say one word about the supposed recent revelation about Jesus’ deity, which, if it were true, would eclipse Jesus being the Christ.
John 20:30-31 (NASB) Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
If Thomas’ confession was actually a declaration that Jesus was God, you can be sure John would have featured it as a reason for writing his gospel.
God made it possible for Jesus to be seen.
There is one last point that is worthy of inclusion in this examination of John 20:28.
Peter provides us with an important detail regarding Jesus’ post resurrection appearances.
He says that Jesus was made visible because God made it possible for him to be seen:
Acts 10:40-41 (NASB) “God raised Him up on the third day and granted that He become visible, 41 not to all the people, but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God, that is, to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
Acts 10:40-41 (NASB)
If Jesus is God, why would someone else named God have to grant him the ability to be physically seen, and only by certain witnesses of God’s choosing?
Would not Jesus have the right, the authority and the ability as God to do this himself?
It makes no sense unless Jesus is the human Messiah and not the God-man the 4th century Church Fathers interpreted him to be.
By examining both the immediate and broader contexts surrounding Thomas’ confession, we see a continuity between Jesus’ teaching that to see him is to “see God” and Thomas’ realization his Lord (literally), his God (figuratively) were before his eyes.
Jesus’ teaching is relevant for us today.
We, too, are blessed if we believe in Jesus even though we have not seen him with our eyes. It’s no wonder Peter writes:
1 Peter 1:8-9 (NASB) and though you have not seen Him [Jesus], you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.
1 Peter 1:8-9 (NASB)
We can only barely imagine the depth of sweet joy, bitter shame, and utter astonishment, when Christ came and stood before Thomas.
The doors were locked, the disciples were assembled, and this time Thomas was with them.
Jesus came and stood in the midst of them and said, “Thomas – reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving but believing.”
Then Thomas answered and proclaimed to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
What a confession from Thomas!
What an incredible declaration.
What a wonderful truth – for Jesus is alive and has broken the power of death in the lives of all who believe.
When Thomas saw his Lord, his cocky comments and disdainful disbelief must have frozen on his lips – his only response could be, “My Lord and my God!”
Indeed, how grateful we are these words of Thomas are here recorded in the inspired, God-breathed Scriptures… for Jesus is indeed our God and our Savior.
We were nowhere near the Upper Room. You and I do not have the opportunity to see the risen Lord Jesus in the same way that Thomas saw Him
– but Jesus also added these words of comfort… especially for you and for me,
“Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus is our risen, ascended, and glorified God and Lord, Who died to redeem us and Who rose to give us His resurrected life.
Thank You that even when we doubt You and are faithless, You remain faithful to Your promise that whosoever believes in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins will not perish but have everlasting life. Thank You! In Jesus’ holy name, AMEN.
In the beginning of all things, God spoke into the darkness. Underneath those first spoken words which remain beyond our knowledge and comprehension I can imagine is God’s not so subtle prayer the darkness would relent of its efforts to prevent the light of life from shining, from distracting the light away from revealing the absolute glory of God in creation to all created generations.
I can imagine too, God knowing fully what God is going to do in the life of the humanity He Himself formed (Psalm 139:1-18), likewise subtly prayed that humanity would one day come to the same knowledge of God and also believe.
I can imagine David, at any given time and season in his life and turning his yes and his soul deep into the heavens, trying to count all of the stars and praising God for the complete failure in his efforts to do so. The utter majesty of God!
David raised his soul, offered up a psalm of praise to God, then concluded with these words about his words and thoughts. And they are my prayer as well.
Psalm 19:14 Amplified Bible
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
So many of the psalms of David rejoice our hearts, as he pours forth a harmony of poetic praise to God for His merciful forgiveness and extraordinary favour.
It does not take very long for one to conclude, perhaps more than any other worship song from Israel’s great psalmist, Psalm 19 reminds us of the never-ending wonders of God’s mighty works and ways, the glories of His creative wisdom, and His most gracious acts towards the rebellious children of Israel.
The heavens above do indeed declare the beauty and splendour of our Heavenly Lord, and His magnificent handiwork is most certainly reflected in the glorious works He has performed by the might of His power.
The diverse language of nature and the spoken and unspoken poetry of the heavens above and the earth beneath, pour forth a never-ending message of unyielding worship and praise, as it proclaims the wonderful works of God.
So many of the sacred words that have been penned by Israel’s shepherd-king are prayers that have been rehearsed on the lips of many saints over centuries of time, who have found comfort, grace in his pleadings to the Lord.
From the very first utterances of those very first Words, God’s truth is revealed and forwarded into eternity for all to come to belief. For the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; and all of the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
David was a man after God’s own heart, for he realized it is not only the outside of a cup that needs to be clean and unsullied, but God desires an inner purity, which stems from a heart of flesh which is cleansed, humbled before the Lord and from whom will stream rivers of living water.
Words of worship flowing from a proud, rebellious, or unrepentant heart, are undoubtedly like an open and festering sewer to the Lord, but worshipful words flowing forth from a heart, soul and life which is pure in thought and in motive, word and deed, ascend unto the Father’s nostrils as a fragrant, sweet perfume.
And so, as David’s exuberant praise for the Lord climbs into an ever-increasing crescendo of worship and exaltation, his heart and his soul are suddenly moved into hushed prayer of submissive surrender and deep devotion, as he recognizes his own human limitations in contrast to the magnificent glory of God and cries out unto the Lord, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be always acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer.”
Imagine a heart (how about your heart) that meditates on the glory of the Lord and lifts up the person of the Lord Jesus, is the one that exhibits an inner grace and beauty, for such a one is willingly being transformed into the likeness of the Christ, for out of the mouth come thoughts that are conceived in the heart.
David not only understood the need for an inner cleansing and purity on a day-by-day basis, where God Himself governs and sanctifies the thoughts of the heart and the words of the mouth, but he had come to an understanding that his future promised royal Son- the coming King, the Promised Messiah – the divine days-man of Job – and the coming Seed of the virgin woman, would be the true, everlasting strength of his life, the only true Kinsman-Redeemer for his soul.
May we, like David, in true humility of heart, sanctify the words of our mouth, the meditation of our heart, the thoughts of our minds, and the motives of our inner most being so that all we say and all we do, will be pleasing and acceptable in the sight of our precious Lord and Savior, our Rock, our Redeemer and friend.
My prayer is that the words that come out of my mouth would be pleasing to God. Not just the words I speak when I am gathered with the church. But also when I am socializing with friends. When I am talking about politics or other social issues. And when I am in debate, or dispute, with another person. May my words be filled with grace and honoring to God.
And may my thoughts also be pleasing to God. Not just when I am meditating on the words of the Bible. But also, when I am fighting traffic. When I am also stewing over some wrong done to me, or someone close to me. I pray that my thoughts always be respectful of mankind’s diversity, God honoring and pure.
The earlier part of the Psalm gives us instruction in how to accomplish this.
Immerse yourself in God’s Word. Let it fill you and root out the sin and error in your life.
The Bible has great value for those who will dwell in it.
Allow it to fill your heart and your soul. And then you will surely and certainly find that your words and thoughts will more and more be pleasing to the Lord.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Loving Father, the heart that meditates on the Lord and lifts up the person of the Lord Jesus, is the one that exhibits an inner grace and beauty, for such a one is willingly being transformed into the likeness of Christ.
I know that out of the mouth come thoughts that are conceived in the heart, and so I pray that, like David, in humility of heart I would sanctify the words of my mouth, the meditation of my heart, the thoughts of my mind, and the motives of my inner being so that I too am pleasing and acceptable in the sight of my precious Lord and Savior, my Rock and Redeemer. In His name I pray, AMEN.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 