“The generous man [is a source of blessing and] shall be prosperous and enriched, And he who waters will himself be watered [reaping the generosity he has sown].” –Proverbs 11:25.
Being generous of spirit goes far beyond sharing our material wealth with others. Truly generous souls share everything our Father has gifted them—their time and talents, their heart and genuine brotherly concern for all men, their prayers and intercession. And as they freely pour out—God replenishes them—refreshing them in preparation for what’s next.
What’s next for Brother Matthew Botelho is a new season of even greater generous giving.
And so, we welcome Brother Matt back from his sabbatical. I know you’ll join me in saying a joyful “Welcome back, brother, and Godspeed! We pray a blessing over the work of your hands in this new season!”
Read Matt’s latest teaching, “Who Is Worthy,” this Saturday.
“Boaz went over and said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter. Stay right here with us when you gather grain; don’t go to any other fields. Stay right behind the young women working in my field. Ruth fell at his feet and thanked him warmly. “What have I done to deserve such kindness?” she asked. “I am only a foreigner.” –Ruth 2:8;10.
Like many redemption stories, Ruth’s started long before Boaz, her earthly kinsman redeemer, took notice of her gleaning grain in his field. Long before, he would waste no time hastening before the town elders and leaders to state his intentions concerning her. “Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around,“You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife.” –Ruth 4:9-10.
As with all those Jesus calls His own, somewhere in the eternal past, a conversation occurred between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit concerning us; in this instance, Their discussion centered around Ruth and Their plan for her life. As with our own, Ruth’s story began so far back that as God recounted it, the earth was yet formless and void. “According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” –Ephesians 1:4-5.
Ruth, a Moabite, married Mahlon, a Judean immigrant from Bethlehem. Son of Elimelech and Naomi, Mahlon had accompanied his parents and brother to Moab due to a famine that had struck their land. Thus, Mahlon somehow lands in Ruth’s proverbial backyard and ever the story goes. Boy meets girl. Boy marries girl, yet after ten years of marriage, Ruth is not only left childless but a widow when Mahlon dies suddenly. Nonetheless, El Roi, the God of her husband’s people, saw Ruth’s plight. “The LORD protects foreigners; He sustains the fatherless and the widow, but the ways of the wicked He frustrates.” –Psalm 146:9.
Ever watchful, El Roi, the God who saw Ruth, sees us. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” –Hebrews 13:8.
So even when we, the vulnerable and dispossessed, the seemingly unseen, unprotected, the foreigner, feel as Ruth did, wholly unworthy of receiving such unfathomable kindness and such incomprehensible love. Contrary to those feelings and far more than any man’s kindness toward us, God is far more willing, kinder, and more gracious than the best of us deserve. “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” –Isaiah 30:18.
“When Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, she and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.” Ruth 1:6. But somewhere en route to Bethlehem, “the house of bread,” Naomi has second thoughts. She tells Ruth and her sister-in-law Orpha to head back to Moab, their families, their gods, and, hopefully, to future husbands.
After some tears and a long goodbye, Orpha concedes and heads back to Moab, but not Ruth.
Right there on a dusty road that will lead both women to a future they could not have imagined, Ruth upends her heart, spilling its contents at her mother-in-law’s feet. “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord deal with me, be it ever so severely, if even death separates you and me.” –Ruth 1:16-17.
Only at the feet of Jesus, as Mary, Lazarus’ sister, cries tears born of eternal devotion and an inexpressible love while pouring spikenard over Jesus’ feet, wiping them with her hair, do we see a more moving example of such humble, pure and heartfelt devotion. But that’s a teaching for another day. Ruth’s humility, tender devotion to her mother-in-law, readiness, confidence, and courage to leave her family—and the only life she’s ever known; her emboldened plea and willingness to follow Naomi, come what may, were gifts from God.
Unrecognized at the moment, each trait was some piece of the whole she would need to walk out God’s plan for her life faithfully.
A destiny unfolding undecipherably before her as she walked beside Naomi on that dusty, one-way road that led to redemption. “So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When he made love to her, the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. The women said to Naomi: “Praise be to the Lord, who this day has not left you without a guardian-redeemer. May he become famous throughout Israel! He will renew your life and sustain you in your old age. For your daughter-in-law, who loves you and who is better to you than seven sons, has given him birth.” Then Naomi took the child in her arms and cared for him. The women living there said, “Naomi has a son!” And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.” –Ruth 4:13-17.
And if we follow David’s genealogy, it leads us straight to our Eternal Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus: “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.” Then, after skipping multiple generations, David’s natural lineage ends with “and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.”
Ruth could not have known where her obedient, submissive heart would lead her.
We know Ruth was overwhelmed with gratitude by the human kindness shown to her by Boaz; the scriptures make that clear. But what we can only imagine is how full of gratitude, how much more humbled and thunderstruck Ruth may have felt had she known standing on that dusty road that her one decision to leave a familiar world behind her to follow Naomi would one day lead to her having played some small part in ensuring her spiritual Redeemer and ours; Jesus, Savior of the whole world, is born.
So, what does Jesus’ being born mean for you specifically?
It means if, like Ruth, you are willing to humble yourself and follow after the One True God who has led you not to some dusty road but here, instead, you might meet and, like her, walk away following not some earthy redeemer who can offer you only temporary rewards, but your eternal, Kinsman Redeemer, Jesus Christ who offers you His Life.
Won’t you welcome His Life into your yours? Are you willing to leave behind this world’s old, familiar things and follow God more wholeheartedly, passionately, and tenderheartedly than even Ruth once followed Naomi? “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” –Psalm 32:8.
As scripture says, being born again must occur for you to have a relationship with God. A relationship Christ gave up all to have with you. “Me, Lord?” “Yes, you child.” “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” –John 3:3.
I pray this finds you having the most blessed of days! As you have likely figured out, this is not a teaching. Good catch! It’s an update. It’s important to us that we keep you up to date with our most current goings-on.
You may have noticed that our brother, Matthew, has not shared a teaching this month. The reason: effective July 1, Matthew took a much-deserved sabbatical to rest, replenish, and reconnect with the Lord. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.” –Romans 15:13.
Please keep Brother Matt in your prayers during his time away from us. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” –Ephesians 6:18.
Often, we wonder if God is hearing our prayers. We believe in His Word and promises but still wonder if He hears us when challenges present themselves. We begin to tell ourselves things, and we begin to think those things are true. These things often turn into mountains, and we feel overwhelmed and discouraged in our spiritual walk.
Scripture teaches us there was a time when famine struck Canaan, and the patriarch, Jacob (Israel), sent his eleven sons to get food from Egypt. When his sons arrived in Egypt, something unexpected was awaiting them that startled them. Joseph, the brother “they” had sold into slavery many years prior, had now become the second in command in all of Egypt and had been ordained by God to provide food for the brothers who had sold him into slavery years before. These brothers caused Joseph much anguish and pain. You can read Joseph’s complete story in Genesis, Chapters 37-50.
When jealousy caused these brothers to rid themselves of Joseph, they could never have imagined God’s plan for him—and them. The brothers had operated by what they felt and saw, but God was working it all together to fulfill the plan and purpose He had designed for Joseph’s life. As time passed, various Pharaohs came into power and died, and the Israelite people who had once journeyed from the land of Canaan into Egypt also faded into history. Their physical presence had vanished, but not their faith or traditions; they endured as a testament to the everlasting power of their trust in God’s Providence.
Four hundred years passed, and God’s people never heard His voice. God had been silent. There were no prophets, no signs, no direction.
What happened?
Where was God?
This great silence spanned the 400 years between the close of the Old Testament and the birth of the New Testament, known biblically as the Four Hundred Years of Silence.
God had promised His people that a Deliverer would come to liberate them, but He didn’t let them know when.
It was a promise to be believed by faith alone!
After four hundred years of silence, faith thrived still among the people of God, people who had endured severe treatment and abuse under different Pharaohs, including the Pharaoh then in power—a Pharoh who was insecure and weak. He was fearful that God’s people were too great and had become more numerous than the Egyptians.
One couple, Amram and Jochebed, married and were about to have a child during Israel’s dark days. “Now a man of the tribe of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.” –Exodus 2:1-2. The king of Egypt issued a decree that every baby boy born to a Hebrew woman was to be killed. You can read this tragic account in Exodus, Chapters 1-2. Imagine being pregnant in those days! Jochebed’s faith inspires us still, primarily because she handled her pregnancy and her child’s birth with such faith! She knew the son she’d given birth to was exceptional, anointed by God to do a particular work. By faith, scripture tells Jochebed weaved a basket, insulated it with papyrus grass, covered it in tar, and sent it down the Nile River. “When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank.” –Exodus 2:3.
Phew. Now what?
What great courage! As a mom, she must have had a million “terrifying thoughts” and “what ifs” running through her mind. She must have been horrified! But Jochebed had faith in God!
Jochebed’s story is one of grace and faith! Of how she trusted in the One she knew held the plan for her life and her sons! “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” –Jer 29:11-12.
How long have you been in your challenge?
Sometimes, not even a month into the challenge, we start wondering, murmuring, and complaining.
There is a Scripture that many believers quote: “Be still and know that I AM God” –Psalm 46:10.
However, often, when push comes to shove, our minds stray, and, as many of God’s people did in those dark days of Israel, we begin to wonder what is happening to us and we say things like:
Was it really God’s promise?
Do I deserve God’s grace?
I am not good enough, etc.
We must be aware and hold tight to the fact, the Truth. God’s time and promises are perfect.
God often waits to fulfill His plan for our lives until we are ready because He has appointed and written its time according to His plan. God does not align with our plans. We must align with His. Like Jochebed, we need faith to deliver whatever promise God has put inside of us.
But it is the Lord who destines, the Lord who brings to pass, and the Lord alone who gets the glory in the end.
Even though four hundred years of God having been silent had gone before them, this couple still held tight to their faith in their God. Jochebed went through intense hardship, as did her husband. They had to hide their baby; they could lose their lives for not obeying the king, but they chose instead to obey God and hold onto the promise.
They believed God was on their side and He would somehow bring victory to this situation. They believed God was still in control. They had a promise, they held onto the promise, and they trusted the God who made the promise.
Do you know your promise? How do you hold onto your promise without wavering?
In Jochebed’s case, God used a heathen princess, a woman with a mother’s instinct, to nurture, care, and love Jochebed’s baby as only a mother can. God precisely positioned Pharaoh’s daughter at the right place at the right time to find Moses’ basket floating in the river; Miriam, Moses’ sister, was also at the right place at the right time. “Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
Then Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her female slave to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. “This is one of the Hebrew babies,” she said.” –Exodus 2:3-6.
This Egyptian princess, now stepmom, pays the biological mother to nurture her baby. “Then his sister asked Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” “Yes, go,” she answered. So the girl went and got the baby’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you.” So the woman took the baby and nursed him.” –Exodus 2:7-9.
How awesome is our God!
When we choose to be still, know that He is God, and partner with His plan, God works out every detail.
We must have the kind of faith Jochebed had:
A) A FAITH THAT STANDS TRIALS
B) A FAITH THAT HAS A STRONG FOUNDATION
C) A FAITH THAT MUST BE EXERCISED AND GROW
D) A FAITH THAT GOD RESPONDS TO
E) A FAITH THAT GOD REWARDS
When it gets hard, don’t give up! Stand the trial. Stand on Christ’s foundation. Read God’s Word, serve in your local church, and have a community of believers to help you grow, a community that will encourage you in times of trouble—brothers and sisters who remind you that God answers prayers. And that God will bring your reward at the right time, His time.
Father, in the name of Jesus, Increase our faith in you. Bring us deeper and closer to you. Give us unwavering faith. A faith that stands the test of time and connects us to you so that we will not look to the left or the right. A faith that leads us to the well that is deeper than us. We love You and thank You for the gifts of faith and grace, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” –1 John 4:9. If you have not asked Jesus into your life as Lord and Savior, follow the faithful example of Jochebed today and do it now.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” –Proverbs 17:22.
Remember to keep your heart happy so that you will experience good health (strong bones). How encouraging! God’s Word tells us if we allow our Spirit to stay broken, we will experience sickness. We are Spirit, soul, and body; when the soul is wounded, the body manifests the soul’s condition, and we will tend to reflect those feelings. “That’s just how life is.” But the Truth goes deeper than that. It’s a Spirit thing. By the time the soul and the body begin to experience symptoms, the cause of those symptoms has been happening in the Spirit for a while, but we couldn’t see it.
Laughter is medicine. Nowadays, people are often sad, hurt, wounded, and walking around hopeless, ready, and waiting for the next sad episode, and the symptoms that appear as a result are not part of God’s design for them.
Yes, we all will have moments of sorrow and sadness when we get hurt, lose a loved one, or experience some similar situation; however, we are designed to overcome these things by giving them to the Lord in prayer, trusting that God will strengthen us to overcome these overwhelming times. Of course, the believer knows this, yet even the believer sometimes forgets. On the other hand, the unbeliever might not understand the language of the Spirit because that person has not yet been born again. “The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” –1 Cor.2:14.
I remember how laughter was such a steady part of my childhood.
We laughed till we had belly aches. Sometimes, all it took was my cousin taking off her shoe to show us her toe coming through a hole in her sock in the middle of mass. While everyone else was quiet, listening to the priest, we would all burst out in laughter, and of course, we all got in trouble. But even that, as silly as it might be, was a moment I would never forget; for days afterward, every time we saw each other, we would somehow talk about the hole in her sock and laugh again.
Society has become so weighty and political that we have allowed life’s simple joys to be robbed of us.
Let’s return to our first love. “Remember the old days. Consider the years of all generations. Ask your father, and he will inform you and your elders, and they will tell you.” –Deut. 32:7.
Fear has crept into us, and offence has taken up residence amid the believer and unbeliever alike. We have become distracted naturally and spiritually. “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” –Rev 2:2-7.
I am journeying through the Bible again, and this time, I am much more aware of the humor in this Holy Book. There are so many stories filled with pieces of humor!
To me, Hamon and the Gallows are humorous. Hamon built the gallows to hang Mordecai and he asked the King for everything he thought he deserved, which, in turn, Mordecai ended up getting because God’s favor was on him. Hamon led Mordecai on foot while Mordecai rode the King’s horse. Mordecai was honored, while Hamon ended up hanging on the gallows he had constructed to kill his enemy! I find humor in just picturing Hamon in my mind receiving the retribution he intended for another, and it teaches me so much.
Then there’s the talking donkey with Balaam and Balak. “Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?” Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.” The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?” –Numbers 22:28-30.
Jesus went to weddings and had dinners with His friends; Jesus had so much fun and was often found around celebrative moments that even the religious leaders called Him a gluten and a drunkard. There are many other moments throughout Scripture where we witness the Lord’s joy and the happy moments Jesus experienced.
When we live wounded and sad, we tend to fixate on the weighty issues of life; they become huge mountains we cannot remove, making us unhappy. But Jesus said, “… Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain: Move from here to there; and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
We forget we need God’s help to live happy lives; we need Him living in us. When we forget we have His help and try to fix things ourselves, we get tired and worn down. We may even deepen our problem as our natural mind makes an already big mountain seem even bigger.
We must trust Jesus to move our mountain, not just with our lips but entirely—with our hearts.
Today’s stress will not fix tomorrow’s troubles. We must have a Source, a well from which to draw, and that is Jesus and the Holy Spirit of God in us.
Matthew 6:34 says,” Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Remember to laugh! Why? It is medicine for the bones, brings joy into your heart, and laughter offers healing. Find reasons to laugh. To create fun and laughter. Memorize Scripture and recite them to yourself when sad memories appear, and watch what happens. We must learn to keep reaching forward instead of holding onto what is behind us, reminding ourselves that we are only sojourners in this land, just passing through. Heaven is our home.
Lord, teach us to number our days and live each day filled with your abundance. Since my days are numbered, I want to live each day as if it were my last, filled with laughter, joy, and goodness. ” Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.” –Psalm 39:4-5.
We all know that we didn’t come to stay here. One day, we will depart. And for those who have a relationship with Jesus, we long to hear the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
We cannot hear these Words unless we obey God’s Word in time, which means we must have a genuine relationship with Jesus. “Jesus said to him, “I am the [only] Way [to God] and the [real] Truth and the [real] Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” —John 14:6.
Living a relaxed, laughter-filled life is choosing to live God’s Peace. Like everything else in life, we must choose to live happily or live and die with a broken heart. Many saints will enter heaven, hoping they have a few more days to live happily. Let’s take God at His Word and enjoy this day.
Father, in the name of Jesus, fill us with this promised Joy. Remind us to laugh and enjoy each day; it is Your gift to us. Teach us, Lord, to be in your Word and learn from you. Amen. And if you do not know Jesus personally, you can now, today. You can experience the joy only He offers those who believe in Him. Here’s how: “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.
“And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.” –Ezekiel 36:27.
Not all of us are called to be engineers, to build bridges, footbridges, or skywalks, structures that connect two fixed points and enable us to move freely between them. And because this isn’t our calling, we may not fully understand the purpose and intrinsic necessity of each component used in their construction. Not, certainly, to the same level of understanding as the engineer. For instance, do you know the purpose behind an engineer’s use of a cap or girder? What they are? How about a pile, arch, cantilever, or cutwater? What about tensile strength? Neither do I. But what you and I likely have in common with the one who does know the answers to these questions is this: we have driven across a bridge, walked across a footbridge, or skywalk—structures they’ve built to connect one fixed part of something to its other.
The Holy Spirit also pointed out how He uses visible, relatable examples, like bridges, to connect one fixed part of a thing to its other, first to get our attention and then connect it to some spiritual Truth. Much like Jesus did when using parables. He used what people were familiar with to help teach them greater spiritual Truths. “The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance.” –Matthew 13:10-12.
Holy Spirit spoke about how no tonnage of adverse pressure heaped upon God’s Living Word has or will ever change or weaken it, causing it to buckle or lose strength. How nothing, no man’s opinion, no commentary or culture, no theologian’s best-intended musings, has, nor can negate the seamless, indestructible connection between the Old Testament and the New.
This made perfect sense to me as pointing to Jesus, God’s Living Word, is Holy Spirit’s primary purpose.
From Genesis to Revelation, Jesus is the Immutable Living Bridge, the Master Engineer who connects the two seamlessly. “Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.” –Hebrews 13:8. And He is the only way for any of us to get back into right relationship with the Father. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” –John 14:6.
According to Great River Greenway, an abatement’s purpose is to connect the deck of a bridge (what we travel across) to the ground beneath it, helping support its weight horizontally and vertically. There’s so much theology lodged in these two simple sentences that it would take a whole other teaching on the Cross or the only way we get to the Father, salvation, and so much more.
But that will have to wait for another day. Right now, I’ll stay focused on today’s assignment instead.
In keeping with the engineering lingo, Jesus is the abutment seen in both the Old and New Testaments—starting in Eden, with the bloody skins God used to cover Adam and Eve, and ending in the Book of Revelation with His assuring the world of His return—He is both Alpha and Omega.
“For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” –1 Corinthians 3:11. Jesus is the Immutable God who connects all happenings outside of time as we understand them to our earthly lives, then loops them and eventually us back into eternity again, completing the circle.
As I started typing, I began to understand where Holy Spirit was leading us today, straight to the seamless joining of the tenable Truth connecting today’s Old Testament Word to its New Testament other, Jesus. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” – Philippians 2:13.
Within two verses, we witness one seamless connection—a unifying footbridge affording us a panoramic view encompassing both perspectives. From Zechariah, found in the Old Testament, to Philippians, seen in the New, we witness the masterful merging of the whole counsel of God—just one of the many unifying connections spanning God’s Inerrant Word. From beginning to end, everything directs us towards Jesus.
Everything as we understand it, from our world to our faith, is found and held together in Him and by Him. “And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe.]” –Colossians 1:17.
As witnessed in today’s verse, Holy Spirit allowed the prophet a hint of His power and authority, an innate knowing that something more was yet to come. Unbeknownst to Zechariah, God was constructing a massive bridge that would begin with Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and then reach the ends of the world, wherever that is.
How? By the same power that enabled twelve ordinary men to take all Jesus shared with them and use it to continue to build a bridge that would allow countless many back to Him all that they too may have new life. “But you will receive power and ability when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me] both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” –Acts 1:8.
These men were the first to receive and carry the full weight of what the Trinity had conceived and agreed upon somewhere outside of time as we understand it. Dead men being given new Life. “But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” –Matthew 13:16-17.
And, thanks be to God because He ensured they would be bastions of strength and tenable ability. Countless people still today are using the foundation they, following the example of their Master, laid down their lives to afford us—the ability to choose life in Christ Jesus. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms. For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.” –Ephesians 1:4.
Friend, if you have yet to cross the bridge that leads to Life—Jesus, I urge you to do it today. He is the only Way to the Father and life eternal. “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6.
“Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant, you will be My own possession out of the peoples, although all the earth is Mine, and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation. These are the words that you are to say to the Israelites. “–Exodus 19:5-6.
I love visiting the White Mountains in New Hampshire. There is something so inspiring about gazing upon God’s majestic creation. Even as a child, I felt a draw to it. I still do today. That same feeling of awe continues to come over me. As I grew, I noticed the mountain scenes changed as the seasons changed. I saw that the mountain would be bright green due to its abundance of trees in summer, while in Autumn, these same trees changed color—bright yellow, orange and red as if the mountain itself was on fire. Then, when winter came, and the trees were bare, brown bark and white snowfall became the color of the day. Still, each season is as beautiful as the next.
And though the appearance of my beloved mountain changes with the seasons, my steadfast God never will. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” –Hebrews 13:8.
Our God never changes. His word is and always will be eternal: “For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, But My kindness shall not depart from you. Nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, Says the Lord, who has mercy on you.” –Isaiah 54:10
Some may reject this Truth—reject God, while others, like you and me, have received the eternal gift of salvation that gave birth to our relationship with His son, Christ Jesus.
The God of the Old Testament is the same as in the New Testament. Jesus is the bridge connecting one to the other. It is His grace afforded us by His shed Blood having laid down His sinless Life, a Living sacrifice, on the Cross at Calvery.
If you have given your life to Jesus, you have been ransomed, washed clean of your sins. “The council of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” –Psalm 33:11.
God of the Old Testament is loving, but punishment came when His people failed to listen and follow His instructions. Remember, though merciful and kind, God is also Holy and a Just Judge. God cannot dwell where sin exists. The Scriptures remind us that the wages of sin are death—eternal separation from God. And since His Word is the same yesterday, today, and forever, the same is true today.
So, if you choose not to live for God and instead live outside His will, your actions will have consequences. Maybe not in this life, but indeed in the life to come.
Today’s Scripture verse is just one of the promises God made to Moses in the Wilderness of Sinai.
God spoke to Moses in the wilderness and gave him charge over the Israelites. He instructed Moses on what His people needed to do to prepare to meet Him on Sanai. “And the Lord said to Moses,“Behold, I come to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and believe you forever.” So Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.” – Exodus 19:9-10.
Without being washed by His Word, outside of God’s covering, you and I are unclean in God’s sight—just as the Israelites were.
God told Moses His people needed to consecrate themselves.
Consecrate means to set apart, make holy, and dedicate to God. So Moses told the people to wash their clothes and clean themselves.
It had been a long journey from Egypt to the Sinai. Maybe the people were still covered in the dirt of Egypt, an unholy place. And perhaps that made these people God loved a stench in His nostrils. Remember, we serve a Holy God. There is no sin in Him. “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” –1 John 1:5.
Being Holy, God has set impassable bounds for us. “You shall set bounds for the people all around saying, “Take heed to yourselves that you do not go up to the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death.” –Exodus 19:12.
God has chosen the Israelites to be His chosen people, but He still sees sin in them.
And God sees the sin in our lives. We, too, must be washed in the Water of His Word, made clean by His shed Blood. Water alone is no substitute. It will not wash away our sins. It may clean our outer garments, but our souls will still be stainted. Only Jesus can rid us of our sins. Our merits or any good deed we might do cannot accomplish it.
Psalm 25:3-4 makes this clear: “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.”
At first glance, there seems to be no way a man could ever approach such a Holy God.
The view up this mountain appears distorted. God has set boundaries. Without the washing away of our sins, we cannot have fellowship with Him. We will never be in right standing with God, yet He has set eternity before us.
God has made a way where there was no way. “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” –Ecclesiastes 3:11.
The path ascending to Sinai was blocked, but God made a way for all men to follow Him. He made the Way long before Moses was ever born. God knew that only someone holy like Him could stand in His presence. Someone who knew Him and shared His heart and Blood. Someone who would go down to the earth and bring all men to Himself. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” –John 3:16.
In Matthew 4:23-25, Jesus starts His ministry in Galilee. He is healing every kind of sickness and disease.
He is preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Great multitudes of people follow Him across Galilee, from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. God is healing the people He loves. He is walking with them and teaching them. This unobstructed access to Himself was what was missing at Sinai. God is Holy, indeed, and His Word is Holy, yet this did not stop a Holy God from coming into a sinful world in the likeness of men. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we behold His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” –John 1:14.
Just as Moses did once, Jesus, the Son of God, walked up a mountain and sat with His disciples.
Jesus did not place barriers between Him and them. He did not tell the people they could not follow Him because they were unclean. Jesus is 100 percent man and 100 percent God. Yet He sat with whosoever would draw near to Him and blessed them in hearing the most excellent sermon ever shared—the Sermon on the Mount.
What a beautiful, unobstructed view of God’s love and compassion for all of us who proclaim Jesus as Lord.
Which mountain view do you want? I pray it is the one that allows you to ascend the mountain with Jesus and sit at His feet.
You are not too far gone, my friend. No one is. All it takes to become a child of God is one sincere confession of faith—asking Jesus to be Lord over your life. Draw close to Him and receive His salvation by repenting of your sins. If you have done this, get ready to catch some incredible views. Amen. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” –Romans 10:9-10.
Blessings family! Please join us in welcoming Adam Nichols, God’s newest fisher of men, to our growing Sonsofthesea family. As Overseer of this ministry, I am confident God has chosen Adam to spread His Pure Word with authority and passionate conviction. As you read Adam’s teachings, you’ll no doubt experience that Adam is a sold-out, devoted follower of Jesus. A man whose fiery love for his Lord is evident when you meet him. Beginning in October, you can expect to read what the Lord shares with him in the third week of each month, God willing. And though Adam is new to you, most of us at Sonsofthesea are privileged to serve alongside our brother weekly at Highland City Church, this ministry’s partner and spiritual covering. I trust Abba to use Adam’s servant’s heart to bless and minister to yours. To read more about Adam, click on his “about me” tab.
There are bittersweet moments in life and ministry. This announcement is one of them. For those of you who have been following Kendra’s teachings and being fed by them, I am overjoyed to share that she and her husband, Rob had a healthy, beautiful baby girl this Monday, July 24th. The bitter in this sweet announcement is that Kendra will now be on a well-deserved sabbatical over the next three months. Please, keep her and her growing family in your prayers. And don’t forget to include her beloved dog, Daisy, when you pray! On behalf of Kendra and all of us here at Sonsofthesea, thank you for following us as we continue to follow after Christ!
This Ressurection season and beyond, join us in lifting up the name of Jesus as Sonsofthesea and its ministry partner, Highland City Church, share inspiration and hope straight from God’s Word. And in today’s world, who doesn’t need the hope only God can offer?
Scroll Down To Learn More…
This Easter and beyond, Cries of the Heart; A Walk Through The Psalms invites its readers to journey through the Book of Psalms, where they will catch a fresh glimpse of God’s unchanging Word. Page after page, Logos becoming Rhema, that well-loved and familiar Scripture understood differently now as three distinct voices unite in a singular purpose: to offer their reader unique inspirations that will guide them straight toward the heart of God.
Each devotional feeding you hope in sweet, heaping spoonfuls, strengthening and refreshing your spirit. And, in today’s dark and often hope-less world, whether male or female, who doesn’t need the Light and strength only God’s Word offers?
Follow the Authors International Blog Ministry for further inspiration and encouragement in your Christian walk. New teachings are posted weekly at Sonsofthesea.org. Sign up today!
We are a team of Christian Authors and Teachers dedicated to sharing the Innerant Word of God with those hungry to receive Biblical Truth. Follow us as we follow Christ at Sonsofthesea.org
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
You must be logged in to post a comment.