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."
24 So there is nothing better for a man to do than eat, drink and and let himself enjoy the good that results from his work. I also realized that this is from God’s hand. 25 For who will eat and who will enjoy except me? 26 For to the man who is good from [God’s] viewpoint he gives wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of collecting and accumulating things to leave to him who is good from God’s viewpoint. This too is pointless and feeding on wind.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
The palpable tension of knowing when to take action and when to rest is often addressed throughout the pages of Scripture. The Bible is replete with subtle and not so subtle invitations to the “I am too busy” weary to come to Jesus for rest (Matthew 11:28-30) and to take rest (Mark 6:31) abide in Christ (John 15:14).
Conversely, Scripture emphatically charges us to go out into world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19) and to make the most of every opportunity because the days are short (Ephesians 5:15-16). So then, what’s the balanced answer?
Do we go and over do, or stay, linger, rest, in God’s Arms this holiday season?
I know there are folks out there in God’s Kingdom who will steadfastly ignore that question, brush it off, raise high the standard; “As God sacrificed for me, as He sent His Son into the world, I’ll sacrifice for Him, send myself as Jesus did!”
Solomon in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 offers insight into how we should approach Christmas time.
He wisely writes, “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This, too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?”
For someone whose holiday plans involve a lot of eating, I am grateful that Solomon encourages us to enjoy our food! And all God’s children said, “Amen!”
All jokes aside, Solomon, in these verses, reminds us to enjoy life’s blessings:
Food, fellowship, and a job well done. Even in a fallen world where the evidence of sin is over prevalent, we still experience gifts from a most gracious, loving Father. I like to think of these blessings as “glimmers of Heavens rest,” glimpses of the abundant, extravagant life those in Christ will experience for all eternity.
Solomon does not encourage us to abandon, do away with our responsibilities, forgo our covenant obligations, or even say a hardcore no to things we enjoy doing. Instead, he draws our attention to the fact that God is sovereign over everything. Even our ability to find enjoyment in this life comes from the Lord.
However, we celebrate this season, (be sure we do actually celebrate) cling to truth God’s grace and mercy enable us to experience eternity in the here, now.
Might I suggest, many family’s has come to practice, a sure balance of Kingdom participation in gathering, assisting, distributing, help feeding the homeless, at the same time, balancing our family time and our resting time ensuring we too have ample time for rest and relaxation, and time for giving the Lord all of the glory and honor and praise because He gave His all, therefor He alone is worthy.
Intersecting Faith & Life:
Think about your over detailed holiday plans.
Do you tend to lean more towards filling the calendar with “all the things?”
Or perhaps you are more likely to keep a clear schedule?
26 For to the man who is good from [God’s] viewpoint he gives wisdom, knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of collecting and accumulating things to leave to him who is good from God’s viewpoint. This too is pointless and feeding on wind.
In light of Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 2:24-26, how might the Lord call you to adjust your plans this Christmas season so that you can fully enjoy the celebrations of Jesus’ arrival and share the blessings from the Lord with others?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 121 Complete Jewish Bible
121 (0) A song of ascents:
(1) If I raise my eyes to the hills, from where will my help come? 2 My help comes from Adonai, the maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot slip — your guardian is not asleep. 4 No, the guardian of Isra’el never slumbers or sleeps.
5 Adonai is your guardian; at your right hand Adonai provides you with shade — 6 the sun can’t strike you during the day or even the moon at night.
7 Adonai will guard you against all harm; he will guard your life. 8 Adonai will guard your coming and going from now on and forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
15 It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. 16 The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. 17 The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. 18 But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will continue to rejoice,19 for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.[a]
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
MERRY CHRISTMAS … well, almost … Just a few more days till the celebration.
What if you heard that your former pastor is in prison, do you get concerned?
What happened?
Did he do something terrible or was he there to bring or take the Gospel to the prisoners that Christ may be preached even behind the foreboding prison walls?
The Philippians had heard that Paul was in a Roman prison, so Paul reassured them he was there because of his mission to share the good news about Jesus.
Does that mean I need to commit a crime that I may be a prisoner like Paul?
Once behind prison walls serving the length of my sentence to preach Jesus?
Even if it is this close to the celebration of Christmas and since I am not going anywhere any time soon and the guards are not just going to unlock the doors?
No, certainly not … because I certainly value my freedom and you should also.
And to that Paul added an encouragement: there is a higher purpose; the gospel was now being preached much as a result of his being a prisoner for Christ!
That was good news, but there was a flipside (isn’t there always a flipside?): some of those preachers had some very wrong, selfish motivations.
For some reason known but to God, they preached against Paul even as they preached the gospel. Maybe envy or personal gain drove them to try to turn the spotlight onto themselves. That wasn’t honest or minimally Christlike at all.
But how did Paul respond to that? “What does it matter?” he wrote. Really?!
Didn’t it bother him that some folks were preaching out of selfish ambition?
Apparently not.
Why?
Paul was head over heels in love with Jesus and the good news of salvation.
So if Christ was being preached and the message rang true, Hallelujah!
That jaw-dropping truth is a challenge for us all.
Do we love Jesus so much that we can let other concerns drop?
Even if we don’t like a certain preacher, are we excited enough about the gospel to rejoice that it is being shared anyway?
That’s a tough one. But by grace alone Paul achieved that mindset.
We can too.
Can’t we?!?
Philippians 1:18-19 Amplified Bible
18 What then [does it matter]? So long as in every way, whether in pretense [for self-promotion] or in all honesty [to spread the truth], Christ is being preached; and in this I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice [later as well], 19 for I know [with confidence] that this will turn out for my deliverance and spiritual well-being, through your prayers and the [superabundant] supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ [which upholds me].
We may not like or approve of certain ways some Christian leaders, groups, organizations, and churches are proclaiming the Christmas story this year, yet we may want to take a step back and look at the whole picture.
Although it’s difficult to observe, as often we can see how some seem to have ulterior motives rather than being motivated by the beauty of God’s message.
Yet, still, they may be reaching out to those who may not have heard it before.
Even if we don’t like their tactics and methods, we want to recognize that God is able to save those who hear His truth despite how it is being presented to them.
It’s hard, too, for those of us who seek to handle God’s word with reverent fear and trembling and who understand the call and utmost importance of handling it correctly to see others seeming to deal carelessly with it.
2 Timothy 2:15 instructs, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.”
Understanding God holds us accountable for the words we speak, write, and present to the world; we know He will also hold those responsible who are not so concerned in how they handle it.
Like Jesus warned in Matthew 12:36, we are to be cautious. “But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.”
Praising God in the Midst of People’s Carelessness
Still, despite their careless handling of His word, God is able to save through it, and for this we want to be thankful and praise God—not for the people who are doing so with little regard for how they present His truth, but for how He is able to reach out in remarkable ways through the most haphazardly ways His truth is presented.
We want to keep in mind the most important thing is that Christ is preached at Christmas, and that involves a broad spectrum of how it is accomplished.
Like the Apostle Paul explained in Romans 10:14, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”
In the grand scheme of life, isn’t it better for those to hear Christ than not to hear Christ at all, even if it’s not done in a way or method we would present it?
God Has His Ways
Because God has His exclusive ways of speaking to individuals’ hearts, we don’t know how He might move a person’s heart in the most unexpected time and unlikely places when it seems like nothing good could come from the situation.
I have heard several people saying why they don’t, wont celebrate Christmas.
Still, in their argument, they quoted Scripture and actually told the Christmas story to those who were nearby listening while trying to make a point against it.
Thankfully, instead of attempting to shut the discussion down, God gave him insight and wisdom to recognize in their attempt to discredit the story of God’s Christmas gift, they were actually spreading the truth of it to those in the group who may never have heard it before – I doubt that was their original intentions.
Although the disgruntled shoppers didn’t realize it that afternoon, they were preaching Christ and possibly unknowingly through it, God was stirring hearts, warming, quickening spirits with the Gospel of His Christmas gift of Salvation.
Isaiah 55:8 describes how “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord.”
Intersecting Faith & Life:
If troubled by how the Christmas story is being presented and represented in your community of churches and in the world at large, pray for God to reach through all of the carelessness and move individuals’ hearts to receive Him.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray …
Psalm 84 English Standard Version
My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord
To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith.[a] A Psalm of the Sons of Korah.
84 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[b] 6 As they go through the Valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength; each one appears before God in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah 9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we pray always for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [how you lean on Him with absolute confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness], and of the [unselfish] [a]love which you have for all the saints (God’s people); 5 because of the [confident] hope [of experiencing that] which is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously heard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel [regarding salvation] 6 which has come to you. Indeed, just as in the whole world the gospel is constantly bearing fruit and spreading [by God’s power], just as it has been doing among you ever since the day you first heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth [becoming thoroughly and deeply acquainted with it]. 7 You learned it from [our representative] Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf 8 and he also has told us of your love [well-grounded and nurtured] in the [Holy] Spirit.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
It is so cliché to say life is uncertain, yet Jesus offers us a steadfast promise—eternal life. His words are as reliable as the sunrise, as sure as a parent’s love.
On that miraculous night Jesus’ miraculous birth brought to all of us heaven’s promise to earth, “a heavenly light has been revealed, shined in the dark and the darkness could not do anything about it” and through His teachings and sacrificial death, He paid sin’s death penalty with eternal life. His resurrection affirms exactly what He promised. This, my friends, is as certain as the sunrise.
This promise of eternal life begins with the miraculous birth of our Savior, a child called Immanuel, “God with Us,” an event both prophesied and fulfilled.
1. Christmas Reminds Each One of Us to Trust God’s Promises
Every day, we trust the sun to rise; we never doubt its appearance because it has always been faithful. In the same way, we anchor our confidence in eternal life in God’s faithfulness and the consistency of His promises. Just as we rely on the sunrise, sunset, we can trust that God will fulfill His word regarding eternal life.
Hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold,
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given… and His name shall be called Mighty God…” (Isaiah 9:6).
Jesus’ miraculous birth, born of a virgin (Luke 1:27), and the fulfillment of countless prophecies are miracles that only God could accomplish.
With this same divine authority, Jesus declared it was time to get our lives in line with God through repentance, forgiveness of sins and promised eternal life—a promise validated by His resurrection, as steadfast, certain as a rising sun.
Jesus’ humble arrival in a manger was the only One who could ensure salvation and life everlasting as 2 Corinthians 5:21 explains:
“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
The Savior’s life, His wise teachings, His miracle of feeding the thousands, His healings, stilling the storm, giving life to the dead, His inclusion of all classes of people (Mat. 11:28-30) unveiling before the veiled eyes of humanity, the forever expanding-length, depth, height, breadth, widest possible expanses of God’s own coming Kingdom, providing ample instruction in faith, hope, trust, love.
2. Jesus Unveils God’s Kingdom and Secures Our Faith
The sovereign authority of God upholds, and the law guarantees a legally binding contract—whether for a job, a home, or a covenant commitment.
Similarly, God, the ultimate Lawgiver, “seals” His unbreakable word: “When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal” (Ephesians 1:13-14), the guarantee of inheritance in eternal life. God’s word, unlike earthly contracts, is more enduring, engaging, because they’re backed by His unchanging nature.
Jesus revealed the way to eternity, declaring, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). His sinless life exemplified His teachings as a model of righteousness and eternal values.
His words, like a covenant, indestructibly rooted in God’s authority, are impossible to void. Unlike human agreements, God’s word is absolute and faithful: “God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind…Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).
Through Jesus, we can safely place our faith in a covenant as unbreakable as the most binding contract—yet far more enduring, secured by God Himself. Jesus secured this covenant by accomplishing redemption for our sins on the cross.
3. Jesus’ Victory Over Death Confirms Our Hope in Eternity
When a close friend promises to help in a challenging time, we believe them based on a long history trust built through shared history and proven loyalty.
We don’t have to question whether or when, they will show up because they have repeatedly revealed that they are 100% dependable. In the same way, God demonstrated His faithfulness in sending Jesus, and we can trust His promise of eternal life as surely as we would trust a BFF friend who has never let us down.
Martin Luther echoed this trust, saying, “When I look at myself, I don’t see how I can be saved. When I look at Christ, I don’t see how I can be lost.”
Through His birth, His teachings, and the ultimate sacrifice on the cross, Jesus proved He speaks the truth as a loving friend and Savior, exchanging our sin for His righteousness. Reverend Dr. A. W. Tozer says, “The only sin Jesus ever had was ours. And the only righteousness we can ever has is His.”
The blood of Jesus “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7-9). His resurrection and ascension provides the final heavenly assurance that Jesus has paid the ransom, met sin’s penalty and was accepted by God the Father as an atonement.
Jesus’ resurrection captured sin’s death penalty, replaced it with eternal life.
4. Jesus’ Resurrection Proves Our Victory Over Death Is Certain
The resurrection proves that Jesus has power over sin and death, validating His identity as the Son of God and affirming every promise He’s made.
It’s the ultimate assurance that believers, too, will share in victory over death and receive the gift of eternal life. By rising from the dead, Jesus confirmed His role as Savior and Lord, providing us a secure foundation for our trust in God.
Peter declares in Acts 2:24,
“God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.”
Jesus is the resurrection and the life. “The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; whoever lives by believing in me will never die” (John 11:25-26).
Resurrection is the cornerstone and certainty of our own resurrection.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 states, “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.”
Just as basic mathematical truths—2 + 2 always equaling 4—are unchanging, so is the iron clad reliability of God’s word and assurance of victory over death.
Mathematical principles remain constant, and likewise, so do God’s promises.
Author Lee Strobel captures this assurance: “Jesus Christ did not come into this world to make bad people good; he came into this world to make dead people live.”
Believing in Jesus, “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” (John 3:16), we live by faith— the very basis of eternal life.
5. Faith in Christ Secures Our Eternal Life
Most of us experience the unwavering love of a parent or close family member. Likewise, God’s love and our security in Him are even more assured. Just as a parent’s love for a child endures, God’s love is even deeper and unending.
The apostle John, known as Jesus’ “beloved disciple,” writes of this confidence in 1 John 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.”
John’s message of assurance is powerful;
he walked with Jesus, ate with Jesus, witnessed His crucifixion, and saw His resurrected body. His words remind believers faith in Jesus is eternal, forever.
Salvation is God’s gift of grace—not earned but received by faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Faith isn’t “hoping so” or wishful thinking—it’s a confident trust rooted in Jesus! Faith fully trusts God’s promises, not because we cross our fingers or “hope for the best,” but because He has proven Himself faithful time and again.
This is the faith that gives justification from sin and peace with God (Romans 5:1).
It is certain, like relying on the sunrise or the unchanging nature of God’s Word, rather than the fleeting assurances the world offers.
The great British preacher Charles Spurgeon helps us understand:
“Saving faith is an immediate relation to Christ, accepting, receiving, resting upon Him alone, for justification, sanctification, eternal life by virtue of God’s grace.”
Fully assured of what God promises through faith in Jesus, we can live into, we can live out from that faith, shining out into darkness, the truth of eternal life.
By our spiritual discipline, prioritizing time in God’s presence through prayer and studying His Word deepens holiness and shapes us to be more like Jesus.
As 1 John 2:5 says, ‘If anyone obeys His word, love for God is truly made complete in them.’
With confidence in the unshakable promise of eternal life, Christmas becomes a sacred invitation to share with others the true message of the season—a Gospel message of redemption, hope, and eternal assurance in Christ that the world so desperately needs.
Finally, as blessed, as miraculous, as certain as the sunrise, as the sunset, as unbreakable as a trusted promise, as enduring as a parent’s love, and presence, as unchanging as mathematical laws, God’s declarations stand steadfast, firm.
The birth, life, teachings, sacrificial death, and glorious resurrection of Jesus all confirm His promise of eternal life. Yes, you can be certain of heaven! Let’s read this verse again: “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 (1 John 5:13).
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 121 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 121
A Song of degrees.
1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
9 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. 4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. 5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,7 and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
As we are drawing closer to our celebration of Jesus’ birth, it’s so important to remember why Jesus came. Several times in the book of John, Jesus talks about doing the will of God, who sent him. In today’s passage Jesus tells his disciples, “We must do the works of him who sent me.” Though he doesn’t say here what those works are, Jesus shows through his actions who he is and why he came.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 and said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.
Jesus gives sight to a man who was born blind.
When we read further in John 9, we find that this healing caused quite a stir among the crowds, the Pharisees, and even the blind man’s parents. People born blind don’t get their sight back—at least not until Jesus comes along.
As he sets the stage for this healing, Jesus declares, “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.” In this episode Jesus is making a bold claim and showing those who are present that He is 1000% God’s chosen servant.
As Isaiah 42:7 proclaimed, God’s servant would “open eyes that are blind” (see also Isaiah 61:1-2; Luke 4:18-19).
God’s will for Jesus was to usher in the renewing kingdom of God.
God’s kingdom brings hope, healing and includes all whom he calls to believe in him—from all backgrounds. This healing and the vivid inclusion of all kinds of people provide the joyful evidence Jesus truly is “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).
There’s no single day where we are excluded from or excused from being God’s servant even if that day is a family day of great celebration of all the Lord did.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
25 Lord, I put my life in your hands.[b] 2 I trust in you, my God, and I will not be disappointed. My enemies will not laugh at me. 3 No one who trusts in you will be disappointed. But disappointment will come to those who try to deceive others. They will get nothing.
4 Lord, help me learn your ways. Show me how you want me to live. 5 Guide me and teach me your truths. You are my God, my Savior. You are the one I have been waiting for. 6 Remember to be kind to me, Lord. Show me the tender love that you have always had. 7 Don’t remember the sinful things I did when I was young. Because you are good, Lord, remember me with your faithful love.
8 The Lord is good and does what is right. He shows sinners the right way to live. 9 He teaches his ways to humble people. He leads them with fairness. 10 The Lord is kind and true to those who obey what he said in his agreement.
11 Lord, I have done many wrong things. But I ask you to forgive them all to show your goodness.
12 When people choose to follow the Lord, he shows them the best way to live. 13 They will enjoy good things, and their children will get the land God promised. 14 The Lord tells his secrets to his followers. He teaches them about his agreement. 15 I always look to the Lord for help. Only he can free me from my troubles.[c]
16 I am hurt and lonely. Turn to me, and show me mercy. 17 Free me from my troubles. Help me solve my problems. 18 Look at my trials and troubles. Forgive me for all the sins I have done. 19 Look at all the enemies I have. They hate me and want to hurt me. 20 Protect me! Save me from them! I come to you for protection, so don’t let me be disappointed. 21 You are good and do what is right. I trust you to protect me. 22 God, save the people of Israel from all their enemies.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
18-23 But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Our Creator’s qualities are always and forever on full display in creation.
Without fail, each and every time we go outside to explore nature, we can learn something new, exciting, awe-inspiring, wonderfully different about God.
Romans 1:19-20 explains that those who want to know more about God can discover his qualities in the natural world:
“For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
Whenever we are immersed in the wonder of nature, we are reminded that we have a wise and loving Creator who sustains all of creation – including us – in powerful ways which will forever and ever, echelons beyond our own creativity.
Here’s how five aspects of nature commonly found around the world – the sun, water, rocks, trees, and flowers – serve to reveal the wonder of God’s character,
1. The Sun Reveals God’s Life, Hope, and Wisdom
God is the ultimate light, and the sun shines a spotlight on that reality.
The sun symbolizes life coming from a loving Creator who cares for creation.
It shows us the full length, breath, depth, and height of God’s fiery love, which motivates him to give us life and sustain our lives.
The Bible calls God the “sun of righteousness” in Malachi 4:2, “true light” in John 1:9, “light of the world” in John 8:12, “consuming fire” in Deuteronomy 4:24 and Hebrews 12:29, “refiner’s fire” in Malachi 3:2, and “bright morning star” in Revelation 22:16.
Just as all forms of life on Earth need sunlight to grow physically, we need the light of unbreakable loving relationships connected to God to grow spiritually.
The sun sheds light on how God shines hope into the darkness of this fallen world.
The Bible uses light imagery in Ephesians 1:18-19 when describing the hope God offers: “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.”
Physically, light always overpowers darkness. The photons in light can dispel darkness, but darkness cannot dispel light. You can see this by entering a dark room and turning on a flashlight there. The light will be visible in the darkness, even if there’s just a small amount of light in a greater amount of darkness.
This same principle applies spiritually, as the light of hope is always stronger than the darkness of discouragement and despair.
No matter how dark our circumstances are, God can change them for the better by shining his light of hope into our lives.
Also, the sun reveals how God enlightens us with wisdom to know the truth and make the best choices.
The Bible connects light with wisdom in 2 Corinthians 4:6, proclaiming that God “made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.”
Jesus says he is the source of enlightenment: “‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).
2. Water Reveals God’s Salvation Work, Clarity, Purity, and Mercy
Water splashes God’s salvation work into our focus.
In John 4:10, Jesus uses the term “living water” to declare his role as the world’s Savior.
A few verses later, Jesus uses the imagery of water to describe his gift of salvation: “but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14).
Water, which is essential for our bodies to thrive, points us toward saving relationships with God so our souls can thrive.
Water is constantly moving around our planet through natural cycles such as precipitation; evaporation; freezing, melting; currents in oceans, rivers, and lakes; the flow of groundwater, etc.
God is moving in our lives in every single moment, often unseen but always at work. Water contains wondrous power that people tap into for hydropower energy, which reminds us of God’s even greater power to transform our lives.
Water, which has reflective qualities, also shows how the Holy Spirit counsels us with wise guidance.
God does so when we reflect on our lives and ask for his help to live well.
Water symbolizes clarity and purity.
It inspires us to look clearly at our lives and purify them by working with God for positive change to happen.
Finally, water symbolizes God’s great mercy toward us. (Psalm 23:2)
Just as water cleanses our bodies from dirt, God cleanses our souls from sin.
The ancient practice of baptism in water shows this.
As people immerse themselves underwater, they accept God’s forgiveness and let their sins wash away.
As they rise from the water, they celebrate God’s salvation gift through Christ, made possible by his resurrection.
Rocks, which are reliably strong, point to the fact God is trustworthy.
The Bible calls God “rock” in First Corinthians10:4, “living stone” in 1 Peter 2:4, and “cornerstone” in Isaiah 28:16.
Any type of rock can inspire awe in us, which deepens our trust in God.
As Deuteronomy 32:4 declares: “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”
The wonder of God’s handiwork is on display in every rock – from small pebbles at a creek to huge boulders on a mountain.
Beautiful gemstone rocks called crystals display God’s craftmanship in special ways.
Chapter 28 of the Book of Exodus describes how God instructed Moses to have the Hebrew people make a breastplate with 12 different gemstones.
Each gem stone represented one of the 12 tribes of Israel and included crystals with a deep beauty people continue to admire today: amethyst, ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz, turquoise, and more.
Rocks also reflect God’s eternal yet dynamic nature.
The 3 different types of rocks on Earth all have long-lasting durability yet are formed through dynamic processes.
Metamorphic rocks come from intense heat and pressure, igneous rocks result from volcanic explosions, sedimentary rocks form when layers of sediments compact together and harden.
Rocks literally and figuratively set the ancient history of our planet in stone.
4. Trees Reveal God’s Wisdom, Protection, and Connected Presence
Trees grow our perspective so we can understand more of God’s wisdom and protection for us.
Jeremiah 33:15 uses tree imagery in a prophecy about Jesus coming to Earth in the future.
“In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.”
Trees, which stand tall as silent guardians of all around them, can help us put deep roots into the solid unshakeable ground of God’s loving care for us.
Experiencing the wonder of trees can teach us invaluable lessons when we take the time to learn them. Trees, which tower over us, easily exceed our lifespans, enlarge our perspective. They show we are each part of something much bigger, echelons more ancient than ourselves, can look beyond circumstances to God.
Since trees stand in the same places for years, they also reflect God’s constant presence in our lives. God’s love constantly flows through the living branches of relationships between us and other people. Trees remind us our personal stories are firmly connected, rooted to a greater story of what God is doing on Earth.
5. Flowers Reveal God’s Order, Fun, and Beauty
Flowers make our minds blossom with an awareness of God’s beauty.
They display the mix of God’s orderly intelligence with fun, playful ideas.
The wonder of flowers reminds us that God is the ultimate master gardener.
God formed the first human being out of soil (Genesis 2:7) – the same environment that nourishes flowers – and loves to see us grow and bloom.
Jesus empowers that to happen when we’re in relationship with him.
He compares himself to a flowering plant (a vine) when he says,
“I am the true vine and my father is the gardener” (John 15:1) and “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).
Jesus was resurrected from a garden tomb, redeeming humanity’s fall that had happened in the Garden of Eden.
All flowers have short lives.
They bloom briefly, only to decay soon afterward.
Yet God sees value in the wonder of all creation – even a lowly flower.
The Bible compares people to flowers numerous times and describes God’s care for both:
“Consider how the wildflowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you – you of little faith!” (Luke 12:27-28).
Flowers are living reminders of the beauty of our Creator’s love for creation, and the wonderful joy we can each experience when we’re connected to him.
The wild beauty of nature resonates deep in our souls, reminding us that a powerful Creator cares for us.
Whether we’re hiking through a forest, swimming in a lake, or sniffing a rose, God will meet us there. Simply going outdoors in any natural setting can reveal something echelons beyond wonderful to us about God’s perfect character!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 19 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 19
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. 2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. 6 His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
10-12 The altar from which God gives us the gift of himself is not for exploitation by insiders who grab and loot. In the old system, the animals are killed and the bodies disposed of outside the camp. The blood is then brought inside to the altar as a sacrifice for sin. It’s the same with Jesus. He was crucified outside the city gates—that is where he poured out the sacrificial blood that was brought to God’s altar to cleanse his people.
13-15 So let’s go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This “insider world” is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let’s take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus’ name.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
True or False …
We have so much to praise God for every day, there’s great power in giving full honor to Him. The Bible is filled with examples of praise and worship when we see His power released, life-changing miracles, dramatic stories of the enemy being halted or defeated, stone hearts being changed and drawn closer to Him?
Yet the supposed reality which we rationalize forward and backwards, is that way too often, we over emphasize or hyper dramatize the 1 daily struggle or 1 constant life demand serving to “crowd out” our praise and worship to God.
We might check the “go to worship” box at church and somehow think we’re good for the week. And yet, all the while, with souls distant and ice cold, we sing our praises, we listen to music and words, and then we go home. Unchanged.
Sometimes it really is a sacrifice to offer praise.
We may not feel like it.
We’re struggling.
We’re weary.
We are not feeling well. Or maybe, we feel like God has let us down too often.
He may seem distant to us, like He doesn’t really care about what we’re now struggling through or worrying about.
Painful life blows and losses may have recently sent us spiraling. We’re still trying to get our feet on the ground and put broken pieces back together again.
Here’s what can make a lasting difference.
When we make that decision to fix our eyes on Him, and daily give Him just one praise, no matter what’s staring us straight in the face, we may suddenly realize that God has already begun to release the grip those struggles can have over us.
We have a myriad of choices and decisions we have to make every day in this life. We can choose to live absorbed in worry and stress, on the fast track of busy, focused only on what surrounds us, and tuned into the roar of the world.
Or we can ask God to help us take our eyes off all that may be swirling around, our problems and mess, tearing up our insides and the voices of others. We can look up to Him, the One who holds it all together, who holds us in His hands.
Even from within our worst laments (Psalm 13, 137) God always desires our whole heart, without one single regard to the very worst of its inner condition.
He always waits for us to return if we’ve drifted away. He longs for us to know the power of His presence in and through our lives. He desires to bless us more than we could ever imagine. His Holy Spirit urges us onward, calling us closer.
Hebrews 4:12-13 The Message
12-13 God means exactly what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one can resist God’s Word. We can’t get away from it—no matter what.
As bad as your heart may now feel in this moment, our first and best effort at our recovery, at our restoration, Continuous streams of prayer and continuous completely ransom outbursts of praise. May He help us to look up again today, remember His goodness, power in our lives, to offer Him worship and praise.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 The Message
16 1-2 Keep me safe, O God, I’ve run for dear life to you. I say to God, “Be my Lord!” Without you, nothing makes sense.
3 And these God-chosen lives all around— what splendid friends they make!
4 Don’t just go shopping for a god. Gods are not for sale. I swear I’ll never treat god-names like brand-names.
5-6 My choice is you, God, first and only. And now I find I’m your choice! You set me up with a house and yard. And then you made me your heir!
7-8 The wise counsel God gives when I’m awake is confirmed by my sleeping heart. Day and night I’ll stick with God; I’ve got a good thing going and I’m not letting go.
9-10 I’m happy from the inside out, and from the outside in, I’m firmly formed. You canceled my ticket to hell— that’s not my destination!
11 Now you’ve got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I’m on the right way.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
12 Now the Lord said[a] to Abram, “Go from your country[b] and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[c]
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
When God called Abram to suddenly leave his country for a promised land filled with Milk and Honey, He made one of the most beautiful promises ever.
God promised to make Abram into a great nation and to bless him to become a blessing to all peoples on earth. That nation was the people of Israel, and the promise was fulfilled through the coming of Jesus Christ. Through his coming all peoples on earth are invited to enjoy the salvation of the one true God.
It was a one-time promise to Abram. But God’s covenant of grace made with Abraham has continued through every generation since then.
God’s promise to bless people to be a blessing is also for his New Testament people, the church of Jesus Christ.
God has blessed us with hosts of creatively gifted people and almost unlimited resources. In many lands God has blessed us with the freedom to worship, and today we can use many forms of sophisticated technology to spread the gospel.
Blessed to be a blessing!
God blessed us that we should be the same magnitude of blessing unto others.
That explains why we are privileged to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
That explains why we-through our churches, our congregations. our ministries and other Christian ministries–can work with others to plant churches, extend the hand of God through clothing and food giveaways, hold community events for all age groups, support our communities with resources that educate and inform them, spread the gospel in our neighborhoods, out into many countries, publish Christian literature, and minister in mercy and mission in some of the most remote vulnerable areas on the planet. There are no shortage of blessings.
If We Are Ever Asked; What Does a Blessed Life Truly Look Like?
Perhaps you’ve asked an acquaintance, or been asked by an acquaintance, or by a complete stranger, how we/they’re doing, gotten the reply, “I’m blessed.”
In some ways, it’s tempting to think the term “blessed” is synonymous with any of the other social niceties we hear: I’m doing well, all is great, just fine.
But “I’m blessed” is actually an head turning, far better, richer, and deeper response than any of these others, filled with complex and nuanced meaning about someone’s genuine state of being and right relationship with the Lord.
Blessedness is a state of being that stands beyond every-day, surface-level circumstances. Indeed, a person who is living a blessed life is filled with a sense of true joy, hope, peace, and contentment even in extremely difficult situations.
The word “blessed” used in the New Testament comes from the Greek word makarios, which means bestowed with God’s favor, happy, or fortunate — not fortunate because of fortune or luck, but because of God’s providence and favor.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, considered herself to be blessed by the honor of carrying the Christ child (Luke 1:48). In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus called “blessed” those who are poor in spirit, who mourn, who are meek and merciful, who are peacemakers, hunger and thirst for righteousness and so on.
While on earth these things might not always seem like obvious blessings to everyone for those countless future generations, God has a different standard.
Let’s a take a look at what a blessed life truly looks like.
A State of Hope
A blessed life is a life spent in righteous relationship with God. One who is blessed understands life is far more that the days we spend on this earth.
They know we’re what the apostle Paul termed “citizens of heaven,” with one foot in this world and one in the next (Philippians 3:20). We long for God’s goodness, long to do our best to stay in alignment with God and on his path.
While we might inevitably stray, we correct our course as best as possible and then return to him. We value what God values: love, peace, justice, and mercy.
Because of this, and because we devote ourselves to God’s way, we are assured of our salvation. We know that whatever might befall us in this life — sickness, suffering, persecution, poverty, etc. — our eternal reward awaits us in heaven.
As the psalmist writes in Psalm 1:1-3,
“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.”
Blessedness does not mean everything is perfect in their life.
It simply means they know how their story will end, and who they belong to — the Lord. Because of this, they can live their days filled with blessed hope no matter what measure of adversity comes knocking on their door. (Job 1:20-21)
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”
A True Relationship
A blessed life is also one that transcends feeling. Blessedness, like hope and joy, doesn’t necessarily mean happiness, though one who is blessed may feel happy.
In fact, like Job, often people who are blessed are experiencing deep affliction and difficulty. Still, they take this in stride, understanding that their joy and hope and faith are steadfastly rooted in the Lord, not today’s circumstances.
They hold fast to what Jesus taught in John 16:33:
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
They know genuine contentment doesn’t come from things of the flesh, from material items or worldly success, but a personal relationship with the Lord.
An Internal State of Well-Being
Sometimes, blessedness feels a little like “opposite day,” a game I played when I was a kid. On opposite day, I’d say, “Bad evening,” when I meant to say “good morning,” or “No” when I meant “yes.”
Jesus began the Sermon on the Mount by flipping upside down what many people of his day thought about a life favored by God.
Back then, people thought if you had a lot of money or kids, perhaps a lot of land or cattle to pass on as a legacy, then you were somehow favored by God.
Perhaps many of us think the same thing today, that worldly prosperity is somehow interictally tied up with God’s favor and His high regard for us.
But Jesus taught us that blessedness is actually an internal, not an external, state of well-being, and sometimes those who are most “blessed” are those who seem to have very little.
As he said,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3-10).
Later, in Matthew 19:23-25, Jesus said it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God — worldly prosperity isn’t the blessing we think it is, are led, taught to believe.
In fact, it’s too often a hindrance.
True blessedness is living life in line with Jesus, following him and making him Lord of our whole lives. (Psalm 23)
23 (0) A psalm of David:
(1) Adonai is my shepherd; I lack nothing. 2 He has me lie down in grassy pastures, he leads me by quiet water, 3 he restores my inner person. He guides me in right paths for the sake of his own name. 4 Even if I pass through death-dark ravines, I will fear no disaster; for you are with me; your rod and staff reassure me.
5 You prepare a table for me, even as my enemies watch; you anoint my head with oil from an overflowing cup.
6 Goodness and grace will pursue me every day of my life; and I will live in the house of Adonai for years and years to come.
A Filling of the Spirit
Perfect unity with Jesus is the goal of a truly blessed life. While Christians are those who follow Jesus and strive to live as he commanded, the true mark of a Christian life is someone who is filled with the Holy Spirit. Everyone who believes has a part of the Triune God, the Holy Spirit, alive inside their hearts.
As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:16, we are God’s temple, and God’s Spirit dwells within us.
He elaborated on this in Ephesians 1:13-14, noting,
“When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.”
We who believe are blessed because we have a portion of the Lord within us, steering and guiding us through all of life’s rocky situations.
The Holy Spirit is our friend and our advocate, a gift from God, (John 14:26).
Whatever we do, and wherever this earthly life takes us, we can implicitly trust we’re 100% blessed because this immense, extravagant gift is with us always.
In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve appeared to live in a state of perfected blessedness, one with the Lord and able to talk and walk with him freely.
Their sin drove a wall between them and God, and God exiled them from his perfect garden. While he loved his creation, they no longer lived in a state of perfect favor and blessedness because they had broke sacred trust with him.
Today because of Jesus, we have the opportunity to have that blessed state restored. We, who were sinners, are now forgiven because of Christ.
And because we believe in Christ as our Savior, we’re made right with the Lord once more.
That is the epitome of blessedness.
So this coming Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, New Year’s eve, or New Years Day, the next time someone asks you how you are, take a look at your heart. Are you a believer, filled with the Holy Spirit and doing your best to walk in the way, truth of the Lord? If so, then you can rest assured that you are indeed blessed.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 16 Complete Jewish Bible
16 (0) Mikhtam. By David:
(1) Protect me, God, for you are my refuge. 2 I said to Adonai, “You are my Lord; I have nothing good outside of you.” 3 The holy people in the land are the ones who are worthy of honor; all my pleasure is in them.
4 Those who run after another god multiply their sorrows; To such gods I will not offer drink offerings of blood or take their names on my lips.
5 Adonai, my assigned portion, my cup: you safeguard my share. 6 Pleasant places were measured out for me; I am content with my heritage.
7 I bless Adonai, my counselor; at night my inmost being instructs me. 8 I always set Adonai before me; with him at my right hand, I can never be moved; 9 so my heart is glad, my glory rejoices, and my body too rests in safety; 10 for you will not abandon me to Sh’ol, you will not let your faithful one see the Abyss. 11 You make me know the path of life; in your presence is unbounded joy, in your right hand eternal delight.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John,[a] do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”
“Feed my lambs,” he told him. 16 A second time he asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said to him, “you know that I love you.”
“Shepherd my sheep,” he told him.
17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was grieved that he asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
“Feed my sheep,” Jesus said. 18 “Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to indicate by what kind of death Peter would glorify God. After saying this, he told him, “Follow me.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Stuck in the Concrete of Guilt, Restored to Discipleship
On the fateful night Jesus was arrested, Peter had surrendered his discipleship.
Under sudden and overwhelming (perceived) threat, in the High Priest’s courtyard he had hardcore denied three times that he was a follower of Jesus.
Then came the piercing eye to eye contact with His Messiah. When he realized the gravity of what he had just publicly done, Peter went out and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:69-75). He was severely overwhelmed by his shame and guilt.
After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the Lord asked Peter a question. But the question wasn’t “Why did you abandon me when I needed you?” or “Why didn’t you have the guts to stick up for me?” It was simply “Peter, Do you love me?”
Jesus had died on the cross for Peter’s sins.
What he wanted to know, three times now, was whether Peter, looking up from the bottomless pit of his shame and guilt, still loved him. Jesus is saying to him; that Peter’s sins were in the past; Peter’s restored love would shape his future.
When Peter said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you,” Jesus, the conqueror of sin and death, the Lord of life, Restorer of spirits, graciously invited him to once again “gird up his loins” take up his discipleship and follow him into His future.
Psalm 103:11-13 Christian Standard Bible
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his faithful love toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. 13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
If we were the one’s on the receiving end of this priceless exchange, Jesus doing the same with us, I pray that we recognize that Jesus is astonishingly gracious.
He doesn’t try to bury us, bringing up our past sins, betrayals, or infidelities. He simply wants for us to know “if we love him.” For that makes all the difference.
Anyone ever tried to measure exactly how far distant is the east from the west?
Anyone ever tried measuring exactly how far apart is the north from the south?
Anyone ever measure the exact length, width, height, depths of God’s Creation?
Do I Give Myself Away … So God may, in THEIR fullness, use me?
Isaiah 61:6-7 Christian Standard Bible
6 But you will be called the Lord’s priests; they will speak of you as ministers of our God; you will eat the wealth of the nations, and you will boast in their riches. 7 In place of your shame, you will have a double portion; in place of disgrace, they will rejoice over their share. So they will possess double in their land, and eternal joy will be theirs.
Against the backdrop of John 21:15-19, how close do we resemble Peter?
How closely do we identify with the depths, the whole of Peter’s experience?
Are we even .01% ready to sit with Jesus, remaining with him, eating with him, not returning to our catastrophically poor impulse control – but humbling self?
Are we ready to surrender to God 1% the darkest depths of our shame, our guilt?
Are we ready to be confronted by the reality of the disaster we’ve made of self?
Are we prepared to receive the magnitude of change Jesus is offering to Peter?
Do we 1% seek His Restoration with 110% of our hearts, minds, soul, strength?
Are we authentically seeking Jesus?
Do we authentically love him?
Do we 110% realize that He still invites us to go out and serve him today?
Forgiving, Gracious, compassionate, merciful, 100% ready to cast with the very heaviest millstone, our guilt and shame into the deepest depths of the great sea of forgetfulness? Never be seen nor heard from or be remembered ever again?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 42 Complete Jewish Bible
Book II: Psalms 42–72
42 (0) For the leader. A maskil of the descendants of Korach:
2 (1) Just as a deer longs for running streams, God, I long for you. 3 (2) I am thirsty for God, for the living God! When can I come and appear before God?
4 (3) My tears are my food, day and night, while all day people ask me, “Where is your God?” 5 (4) I recall, as my feelings well up within me, how I’d go with the crowd to the house of God, with sounds of joy and praise from the throngs observing the festival.
6 (5) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for the salvation that comes from his presence. 7 (6) My God, when I feel so downcast, I remind myself of you from the land of Yarden, from the peaks of Hermon, from the hill Mizar. 8 (7) Deep is calling to deep at the thunder of your waterfalls; all your surging rapids and waves are sweeping over me. 9 (8) By day Adonai commands his grace, and at night his song is with me as a prayer to the God of my life. 10 (9) I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, under pressure by the enemy? 11 (10) My adversaries’ taunts make me feel as if my bones were crushed, as they ask me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’ ”
12 (11) My soul, why are you so downcast? Why are you groaning inside me? Hope in God, since I will praise him again for being my Savior and God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
21 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. 2 Then I, [a]John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”
5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said [b]to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
When have we ever not struggled with feeling out of place?
Like the skin you are in doesn’t quite feel like home?
Maybe exhausted from the endless struggles of being a person in a body?
We all long to be in the Presence of the Lord, to spend our eternity worshiping God with the angels. I so fervently pray that we feel this way from time to time, prayerfully, much more frequently, much more significantly than we do now.
But are we recognizing, with a much greater frequency, there are the moments where Heaven just breaks through and we feel a sense of other worldly peace.
Where our souls feel rest, beauty and goodness shine through.
It’s unexpected moments of testifying, witnessing things, as they are meant to be, and even more exciting than that, believing it’s the way they one day will be.
Revelation 21:3declares, “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’”
God’s ultimate plan for us, his people and his creation, is to dwell with us. His permanent, forever dwelling place is with us. What a crazy thought to ponder while we are stuck here in the middle, advocating for Heaven to touch us but not yet free from the powers of evil that cause grief, strife, struggle, for humanity.
From the exact start of creation, He saw the ending. This is why He could say what He had done – what He had created – was good. He knew this creation would be one that would go through some things, that would wander and stray, go their own separate ways, but at the very end of his story would be a reunion.
All creation groans for his plan of redemption and grace to come to completion. (Romans 8:22)
He made a way to make right the many wrongs that humanity has committed.
By our Baptism, we are each a part of a story which is ultimately leading us to the unification of the holy Creator and his beloved Creation.
How Do We Live in This Place of Waiting?
Right now, all things (including our hearts) are waiting to be made new again!
As we long for God to come down from Heaven and dwell with us again, it can be challenging to see the beauty of his plan. We are his children and we struggle with doubt, a lack of faith. It’s a hardcore fight for us to take him at his Word.
Which is why we must each discipline ourselves, immerse ourselves, saturate ourselves, in his Word so we know it, we believe it, and we grow to rely on it.
While we’re waiting, it’s all our covenant responsibility to get to know him.
Joshua 1:7-9 New King James Version
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may [a]prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you[b] shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
John 17:3 tells us, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Our Eternity starts now and how we see it in the land of the living is through a dynamic, growing relationship with Christ.
This relationship is defined by his love and mercy that chases after us for all of our days (Psalm 23:6).
We don’t know God through a salvation hack, we know him when we give him our hearts and he miraculously changes us so we can experience His freedom.
Knowing God comes when we take time to be in his house and in his presence.
His house is the church and his presence is always available to us, but is best accessed through prayer and praise.
Have you ever felt unsettled and then just stilled yourself in prayer?
How quickly does quiet time with the Lord change our hearts!
What about a moment you felt discouraged and then you gathered with other believers in the church? God so often graciously uses the words of other Christ followers to encourage, inspire us. He does not leave us alone in the waiting.
As we know him, we grow in his love, and then we can share it.
2 Corinthians 5:14 tells us, “For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.”
His love compels us to action.
To share. To serve. To change our thought patterns. To both consider and create goodness and beauty. His love is a transformative power for all who know him.
Knowing Our Future Gives Us Peace in the Present
As you consider the future and the anxiety that sometimes lives out there in the great unknown, remember that God has a plan. He is sovereign over all and his ultimate goal is reunification with us, his beloved creation.
God doesn’t share many things with us, but he has graciously clued us into the most important aspects of his forever plan.
While we face trials and hardships of many diverse kinds, the end of the story is always, ultimately a good one. One day we will dwell with our God! All will know him, see him, and be submitted under his rule. What a future to look forward to!
When you know where you are headed, it gives you strength to overcome trials of many kinds as you journey forward.
This is why at the start of a marriage you begin with vows that point directly to remaining faithful through sickness and health, prosperity and poverty until death do we part. When we share a life together, there are so many holes on the road. But the goal remains faithful devotion until one of you leaves this earth.
God’s promise to us that we will one day dwell in His house with him is like those marriage vows.
It’s a promise that we can cling to when life around us makes no sense. When our needs feel greater than his goodness. When loss tears at the fabric of our hearts. While we still have to walk through the hard, we are overcomers through Christ! We have a promised good future ahead of us that inspires hope for our lost and dying world. Don’t lose sight of the hope that is yours through Christ.
God Is a Relational King
God’s main aim isn’t just to put right all the wrongs for the sake of justice.
If that was true, then humanity would not have lasted long because it would have made more sense to scrap us than to patiently allow us time to find him.
Ultimately, God’s main goal is to be with us.
That’s why he tells us about a forever Heavenly home with him that gets our imaginations excited. He wants us to know that what he cares about most is the chance to one day walk his streets of gold hand-in-hand. Until then, he wants us to live in our homes, to be the guide of our hearts, and to show us his ways.
The God over all Creation loves you and his ultimate dwelling place is with you.
You are not a means to an end, you are the end. You are the gift that he has moved all Heaven and Earth to get to know. Thank you Jesus for that truth.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 100 New King James Version
A Song of Praise for the Lord’s Faithfulness to His People
A Psalm of Thanksgiving.
100 Make a joyful shout to the Lord, [a]all you lands! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and [b]not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 5 For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; but the time is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figurative language, but I will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God. 28 I came forth from the Father and have come into the world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father.”
29 His disciples said to Him, “See, now You are speaking plainly, and using no figure of speech! 30 Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.”
31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his [a]own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you [b]will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
For close to two thousand years now, Christians everywhere celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Some of us sang the words, “I serve a risen Savior, he’s in the world today.” And our hearts and souls resonated with every word.
We’re back to school or work or at home facing the pressures of everyday life.
The joyous celebration of Christmas getting closer every moment of everyday.
But the risen Savior may not seem nearly as close today, and little may seem to have changed over the course of time and history.
We’re still faced with that lingering disease called sin, that broken relationship, between humanity and our Savior, those cultural and societal, governmental issues, those impossible financial problems, or those hardships that come with growing older but not so much proportionately smarter or wiser or peaceable.
We hear about poverty and persecution, about war and conflict in so many countries, and we might ask,
“Has the Resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ really made .01% a difference? Has all the prayers prayed since that glorious moment, has anything changed in the past 2,000 years since Jesus’ resurrection? Are things any better, are things that much the worst for the passage of time in the 21st century than they were in the first century?”
Though nations, technology, social institutions have changed a lot since then, our human condition is much the same. God’s image-bearers are still addicted to sin, still refuse to acknowledge the seriousness of sin, refuse to honor God.
In our text from John’s narrative, Jesus sternly warned all of his followers,
“In this world you will have trouble.”
But because he has overcome the world, we can have new life in him and peace in Him in spite of the enormity of our struggles. We can with much effort strive to enact God’s restoration in our daily lives. We can pray, share his love with others and look forward together to the day when the risen Savior will return!
What Difference Does It Make to Pray for Peace in Our World?
Praying for peace seems an impossible task, or even a waste of time.
When we look at the current unrest in our world — the wars in Ukraine, the Middle East, and Sudan, to name just three — we know that if or even when conflict comes to an end in these regions, peace can be precarious, tentative.
If war doesn’t return to these areas, it will flare up elsewhere in our world.
Even down to the level of our homes, we know that peace is elusive. Quarrels, silent treatment, or someone walking out can occur at any time. As much as we try to mediate the peace — or work to make those times we get together with our families peaceful — it is often an ongoing battle to live without tension.
In any case, didn’t Jesus sternly warn us in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble”? Didn’t Jesus say that “wars and rumors of wars” were a sign of end times and his return (Matthew 24:6-8)?
And yet, the Bible doesn’t leave us with this sense of unrest.
It does the opposite.
The biblical view is to seek peace.
The biblical exhortation is to
1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 New King James Version
14 Now we [a]exhort you, brethren, warn those who are [b]unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all. 15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
As I heard someone say recently, “Chase after peace, pursue it, handcuff it.”
First, to understand what we are praying for, we need to grasp the meaning of peace more fully. We need to know what the word “peace” means in the Bible.
The word for peace, shalom in Hebrew in the Old Testament, is more than an absence of conflict.
Shalom’s meaning is much broader and more comprehensive.
It more correctly means wholeness, soundness, health, security, well-being, and salvation. It can also mean quietness, rest, stillness and completion.
Here are three reasons we should pray for peace and the difference it can make.
Peace Is a Blessing from God for His People
Peace, in all the forms mentioned above, is not created by human beings but comes from God himself.
Just like love, grace, and mercy are characteristics of God, so is peace; and wholeness, well-being, and completion are each a part of God’s nature.
God is the creator of peace.
And as one commentator says, “peace is the ideal of creation.”
God says this of himself in Isaiah 45:7:
“I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”
The word for “well-being” in this verse is shalom.
God’s government and authority is one of peace.
Job 25:2 “Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven.”
When we pray “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven,” we are praying for God’s peace that rules in heaven to come to earth. God’s kingdom is one of wholeness, soundness, health, security, well-being, rest and salvation.
The Creator God of peace, whose reign in his kingdom is harmonious and 100% complete, also blesses His people with peace.
Psalm 29:10-11 says: “…The Lord reigns as king forever. The Lord gives his people strength. The Lord blesses them with peace.”
And Psalm 85:8 says: “…he promises peace to his people, his faithful servants.”
We get a sense from these Psalms that God’s blessing and promise of peace — soundness, wholeness, rest even — is for His people, corporately.
And because of that, we are summoned to pray corporately for God’s peace.
We pray for the plan of the Creator to fill the earth, as the heavens, with His peace. We pray for God to restore our world to His intended plan for creation.
We should pray within our churches and with other believers for the blessing of God’s peace to come to earth from heaven. Just as the Lord’s prayer begins: Our Father… we ask for His blessing of peace on us, all as his people.
God’s Kingdom of peace is the needed difference to our world.
Let’s use this prayer together.
Our Father in heaven, may your Kingdom of peace, salvation, wholeness, and completion rule on earth as it does in heaven. We ask you to pour out your gift and blessing of peace on us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Peace Is a Gift That Individuals Have with God through Jesus
The New Testament word for peace is irene. This word means rest, but it also incorporates all the meanings of shalom mentioned above, too.
With the announcement of the birth of Jesus, the angels praised God:
“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).
The peace of heaven came to earth through the birth of Jesus, Prince of Peace.
The prophet Isaiah spoke of one who would come, one who was hoped for.
We know this as Jesus.
Just as we repeat the words of the angels during our Christmas celebrations, so we recite the words of Isaiah 9:6:
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Psalms above indicate, God’s people prayed for God’s peace to come to earth. This Prince of Peace was longed for by God’s people for hundreds of years.
We know that Jesus didn’t bring peace to the land, even if his disciples hoped that Jesus’s rule would be a physical kingdom (Matthew 20:21).
Instead, Savior Jesus gave all he had at Calvary, by his resurrection, gave us individuals peace—rest, well-being, salvation—in their relationship with God.
Jesus understood that his mission was one of peace, too:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).
And Paul developed on Jesus’ mission by explaining that peace came through Jesus’ death for us as sinners.
Romans 5:1: “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus know the peace it has brought to our hearts as we understand, or perhaps realize is beyond our understanding, a sense of well-being, wholeness, rest, and security that we are right before God.
The most important peace we can pray for is for individuals to be reconciled with God through Jesus.
And prayer is the way in which we invite others to place their faith in God, through Jesus, and receive salvation. Prayer brings individual peace with God.
Use this prayer for the people in your life to find peace with God.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Son, Jesus, the bringer of peace. I bring before you those I know and love who do not know Jesus Christ as their Savior. May they turn to you in faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Peace Is a Gift of the Holy Spirit for Our Relationships with Other People
Galatians 5:22 lists “peace” as a gift of the Holy Spirit:
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
God’s peace, part of His nature, is bestowed on us through the Holy Spirit.
As God’s people we receive his blessing of peace, and we are reconciled to God in peace through his Son Jesus. Then we also have God’s peace dwelling within us through his Holy Spirit. We are surrounded, both inside and out, by peace.
There are two things we should know, though, about peace that comes through the gift of the Holy Spirit.
First, the fruit of the Holy Spirit is never exclusive for ourselves, it is for the benefit of other people. Second, peace is not automatic, we must work at it.
Paul, in his letters, valued the quality of peace to such a high degree that he coupled it with God’s grace.
In his letters, he greeted the churches with the words “grace and peace to you.”See 1 Corinthians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, and Colossians 1:2 as examples.
The writer of Hebrews also knew of the importance of setting peace as a goal:
“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy” (Hebrews 12:14).
Peace makes the body of Christ work as it should. It brings “full restoration,” God’s wholeness and completeness. It brings a “harvest of righteousness,” through knowing Christ as our only Lord and Savior, and it leads to holiness.
Immanuel, Living in peace means that God is with us, other people will notice, and God will be glorified. Let’s pray to work at finding peace with each other.
Heavenly Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit and the gift of peace that he brings. Give us the strength and wisdom to strive and work for peace with other people, especially other believers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 46 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 46
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. 9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.
10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, 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). 