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"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

Tag: Blessed Hope

Adventuske. 2 Corinthians 4:7

December 7, 2019 /
“We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.”

Friends, over the next several weeks of Advent, these postings will each be centered around Jesus as, “The Light.” It’s been this aspect of Himself that He’s impressing upon my heart, and I believe, wants to remind us of. ” The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” John 1:5. In these dark days, these turbulent and uncertain times in which we live, God is re-minding us: Immanuel is here, still. He is sending His Light forth, in this season of hope, that it might illuminate and refocus our hearts and minds on Him. Exposing their hardness and wayward tendencies, so that, His Truth might be rekindled within them; causing us to repent and return fully to Him. Our remembrance of His solemn promise stirred afresh within us: “He will never leave us, never forsake us.”

My prayer for each of you in this season of hope is this: that you will take the time to allow the Light of the world to dawn in your hearts and be re-freshed, re-awakened, or perhaps, awakened for the first time, to His Truth. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5.

The term Advent finds its roots in the Latin word, adventuske. Which means, “arrival”, “appearance.” In the Christian community, it is that four-week period preceding Christmas. Matthew’s Gospel refers to the dawing of this great Light— this Jesus who appears, dawns suddenly in the human heart, this way: “The people who were sitting (living) in [spiritual] darkness have seen a great Light, And for those who were sitting (living) in the land and shadow of [spiritual and moral] death, Upon them a Light has dawned.” –Matthew 4:16. That’s us. Our heart. Each believer. Each minister of the Gospel message. Each one who has been transformed. Made new. Those washed clean by the shed Blood of this same Light that commanded the darkness to give way to the light of the first day. We are “the people,” upon whom this permeating Light of Christ has dawned; piercing these, our earthly vessels through and through. Exposing us to His blinding Truth. “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one abiding in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit. For apart from Me you are able to do nothing” –John 15:51. Now, ever changed by this Truth; our new hearts are eternally captivated by the One whom we now adore.

This advent of Christ in us laid to rest our old man with all its sins and stains. Darkness must take flight in the presence of Light. Now, made new, His resurrected brilliance shines through us. Our new man beckons to all who will, saying: “Come, see a man who told me all things I ever did. Can it be that this is the Christ?”

His Spirit alive in us—Immanuel. Fully God yet fully man. A deep mystery.

On that first Christmas Eve, Pure Light entered this world in a sullied, fleshly vessel in order that He might be akin to us. Experience every aspect of our frail humanity; in every way save sin. How better to mediate for any man except having experienced, in the truest, the most intimate sense, all that a man has seen and felt and done and lived through: good, or bad? This Light of which Paul is speaking descended from heaven that He might live within each of us, intimately. Making a way back to having a right relationship with the Father possible by the eventual laying down of His life. I saw it written this way: God descended heaven in the form of His Son to prepare the way back to Himself. He came to be Redeemer of a lost and dying world. First, it was God above, God far from us. Then it became, in Christ, God with us. Finally, through His gifting us His Holy Spirit, it is now God in us. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” –2 Corinthians 4:6.

This same Jesus, this Light that shone in the darkness 2000 plus years ago, beckons to you and me now—still. Leaving heaven He came to us as a defenseless babe. For a time, the all-powerful One, Creator of heaven and earth surrendered His power, entrusting Himself into the hands of Mary and Joseph, His creations. He came not to condemn the world, rather, to offer it salvation in Himself. In His death and resurrection, He offers you, me, them, each of us, eternal life. Without Him, outside of His dunamis (the Greek word from which we derive our English word dynamite) power in us: His strength, ability, His moral power, His excellence of soul, His inherent power residing in us, His very nature within His; we can do nothing of eternal value. Starting with saving our own souls. Impossible outside of Jesus. Hence why we have such a deep need of this Light we carry in these our fragile, earthen vessels, His alone.

In this advent season, this season of a million and one shining lights, won’t you ask the One True Light to come into your heart?

I promise, as one who has received His precious Gift, Jesus is, by far, the only Present you will ever need in this, or any season. “For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you” –Ephesians 5:14 (emphasis my own). And what is “this reason?” That you might leave behind every sinful thing, every deed committed under the cover of darkness. And, then, after having surrendered your life into His loving care be filled with His Light that you too will, in turn, shine it into this lost and dying world. Becoming a beacon then for, “whomsoever will…”

A Living Hope! 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.

April 21, 2019 /

“Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts and encourages us in every trouble so that we will be able to comfort and encourage those who are in any kind of trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

Despondency and hopelessness have been their constant companions—shame too, since their Master was unjustly dragged away in chains; since they’d abandoned Him in fear of losing their own lives. While Jesus stood before a mock jury of viper’s intent on seeing Him dead, as He was ushered off in the wee hours, brought before Pilot, a ruthless man, whose bloody rule was marked by merciless brutality. Then, flogged to near death and rendered unrecognizable, crowned with thorns, and spat upon. Condemned and left standing before those He had been born to save. All the while “crucify Him, crucify Him” rang out in place of the, “Hosanna in the Highest” that had filled His ears mere days before. His Cross let fall on His bloodied shoulder—as heavy as the weight of the sins of the world. Those He carried now, within. He holds His Cross tightly to Himself, as one holds a precious lover, Gods mercy towards us demonstrated in this embrace. Determined to save us, Jesus starts off for Golgotha, and all that awaits Him there…

How can we give what we do not possess? Demonstrate what we do not know ourselves? Is it any wonder than that Paul wants us to know these life-sustaining attributes of The Father who sent His only Son, this same Jesus, to die in our place? That He wants us to fully take in as our own that, not only does He show us mercy—He is the Father of mercies—that means every mercy. That means every type of mercy you and I have ever, or will ever be shown—forever!

Every time we might have died, and didn’t. Every time we should have felt the sting of our poor choices but instead, mercy showed up. When our child came home safely. When the test results came back clean. When our hearts were breaking, and that one word we so needed to hear was spoken. And, more, in our every moment of pain, of suffering, heart-break, and disappointment. In that life-shattering diagnosis, the death of that child, in the heart-break of witnessing a loved one in the throes of addiction—or rebellion; He is the God of all comfort. The One who comes along side us, just as He walked along-side Jesus on His exacting journey towards Golgotha, comforting and encouraging us, too. Whispering to the very marrow of our bones that there is a purpose in our pain. Some marvelous life that will be birthed from this death that is trying to ravage us. And only then, only armed with His strength, His comfort and mercy, with His assurance, can we walk toward what looks like certain death fixed in our faith. Resolute. Knowing  there is a purpose in it all…

Love does not guarantee we will escape trials and pain and losses, in fact, in love, Jesus told us to expect these things for as long as we live in this fallen world. “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” –John 16:33. Our hope, our comfort and strength, our ability to move forward after these things take our very legs out from under us, rob us of our breath, is found in the Truth of Sunday morning. Just as it was for our brothers before us.

Life—new life, will come out of all this pain. We will live. We will love—again!

So, then, imagine their great joy when this same Jesus appears to them alive once more! Imagine for a moment the great comfort, the renewed reassurance they experienced! Peter, and all those that ran when they had pledged to follow Him always; that shame-filled, terror filled day. The death of their every hope and dream restored now! All of the hope that had died in them, in His dying, resurrected now, as He is resurrected! How can this be! Their hope restored once more! Their very lives restored!

This is the heart of our resurrection story: A heart once dead in its sin and shame, pain, brought to life once again by the sacrifice of One who was born to die that they, and you, and I, might live! To forgive our sins. To wash us clean in the very Blood He’d just shed. This blessed hope is what every believer has then been commanded to go, and share with a lost, hurting, and broken world. A world in need of the love, mercy, and compassion of God. In need of being re-minded that hope truly is alive! Now. This day! And, to help with instructing the world around us as to just who this great hope is, Jesus Christ, the One and only God. The Hope of Glory!

This is a message of mercy is the essence of the comfort Paul is speaking to us about. The mercy and comfort that restores life and hope and strength where only moments ago the heavy weight of loss or betrayal or despondency rested, where the weight of our sins had all but done us in. This comfort is the Lightness of His Mercy replacing, with great Love, the heavy garment of our sin and shame. If, we’ll but accept it, wearing it as our own. This is what happens in the human heart—in the very soul of the one who experiences the dawn of Sunday morning—the hope of His Resurrection! Those who experience the mercy and comfort and encouragement that our brother Paul is speaking of. We are comforted by God that we might intimately know His great Love and mercy within; then go and share that same comfort and mercy and encouragement given us, with another. Just as Jesus did, as all those in the faith that have gone before us have. “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’s hand double for all her sins” –Isaiah 40:1-2.

There is no grave, no stone weighty enough to hold back the love, the mercy, the unfathomable compassion that has burst forth from them both! “God so loved” us, that He sacrificed, poured every ounce of His Mercy and Compassion out for us, in the Person of His only Son so that He might have us in Himself—restored, cleansed, made new. This same God whom Paul informs is the Father of these same mercies, the God of all comfort, who displayed the depth of His love, His heart towards us, in Christ Jesus. Freely His love was lavished upon us, poured out for us, spent on our behalf, freely then, we must lavish, pour out, spend our lives loving others…

This Resurrection morning exists, this hope we have is surely alive solely because of this God who is the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. … For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16.

Be encouraged this hour, my brother. Be refreshed! Your strength renewed by the same power that raised Jesus from His grave!

And dear friend, the Father has allowed me to share His message of Love once again. You are loved by God—whether you believe that, or not. In fact, His love for you is so great that if you were the only soul to be found on this planet—Jesus would have died solely for you. The Truth is—He did. Won’t you ask Him into your heart and life now, today? There’s no guarantee we’ll meet again next year…

Is it Ready Yet? John 14:3

January 27, 2019 /

 “When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”

We are a people, most of us at least, who are impatient for an expected end. Bear with me for a moment as I explain…

You wake up to the smell of something delicious baking. Sticky buns drizzled with warm icing? Your favorite cake or cookies perhaps? Maybe? Hopefully! Whatever it is, your nose has foretold the rest of you to expect some gooey, goodness soon! And, your taste buds have announced that they will not be denied! Your salivating in anticipation of the deliciousness that is soon to come.

Or, You’re a child. Your parents announce they’re taking the whole family out for a drive. It’s a surprise. Someplace fun! And you can bring a friend. Your adrenaline starts pumping. You become feverish with excitement. The butterflies in your belly have turned into dragons by the time you get into the car! You’re ready! Anxious even. Yet full of enthusiasm and expectation! “I can’t wait” you squeal! This is going to be so good!

Perhaps its a  blood test that has confirmed what you’ve instinctively known for days now. Your pregnant! Even though you know that it takes nine months before the baby is born, you find your hand searching out your belly. You’re in front of the mirror looking for the slightest evidence of a “bump”. It’s too soon though. Yet everyday you’re examining your body for signs of what’s to come. Knowing it takes 9 months doesn’t deter you from checking things out daily. Why? Your waiting to see evidence of your baby! Even though you know he or she is there, still, you want to see for yourself. What will you be like little one? And the anticipatory ticking away of days and weeks and months begins…

Most of us do great beginnings. Some of us even finish strong. It’s that middle part—the “in-between” waiting part that we’re not all necessarily the best at. Those, “for-evah” in-between places where some of us eventually lose it! It’s around the 78th time we hear ourselves singing about the wheels on the bus that our proverbial wheels fall right off!

“Are we there yet?”

“Is it ready yet!”

“God how much longer; I’ve been carrying this baby f-o-r-e-v-e-r already!”

And we the Church are no different…

Much like those above, we too are filled with a growing sense of expectation. We too are keeping our eyes open for our expected end. The scenery of life whipping past our windows in a blur. We’re focused on our destination. We’re looking for our hope to finally be fulfilled! We know we’re going on the ride of our lives! A heavenly journey unlike any other. We know we’re about to partake in a slice of heavenly goodness unlike anything we’ve ever tasted before! Sure we’ve had a sample. A little wooden spoon full of a taste. A taste that so enticed us it has left us longing for so much more of its sweet goodness. Forget this wooden spoon stuff give me the scoop and a bowl! We know that at any moment, in a nanosecond, before they can fully blink their eyes we’ll be gone; delivered from this world. “Caught up” we’re told. Snatched, as one would snatch another from a roaring fire. Saving them from death…

Rejoice! No more wooden spoons.  Jesus is coming for us! For some 2000 plus years we’ve been told—in some shape, form, or fashion, that He will return for His children! Even the world knows of this Truth; those that don’t believe in “all that Jesus stuff” have heard about Jesus’ returning.

So then, are we that generation every other generation before us has spoken of? The, “This generation that will not pass away until, generation?” Will He come in my lifetime? In yours? By all indications time has crowned. Its head is showing. We’re almost there! We are one more “big push” away from seeing Jesus face to face! From, quite literally—meeting our maker, our Father, our lover. That Friend who has stuck closer to us than a brother throughout our anticipation of His coming. And yet, even in our knowing He will return for us, in the guarantee He has given of this fact, in its absolute-ness, are we really still looking up? Still eagerly awaiting Him? Yearning for His coming? Or, have we allowed ourselves to become so enamored by the seductive scenery passing by the windows of our lives that we’ve mistakenly accepted it as our home? Have we taken our eyes off of Jesus’ promise to come and, “snatch us up?” Bringing us to Himself. Back home where we belong? Back to all He has prepared for us? Have we taken our eyes off of Jesus while we were busy running around preparing for His arrival?

Martha knows a thing or two about this type of distraction. You know Martha; Mary and Lazarus’s sister. She was the one scurrying about making certain every detail of her dinner and its presentation was well attended. After all, Jesus was the guest of honor. She was so focused on everything being “just so”, she snaps at Jesus, her honored guest, commanding Him to get after Mary! To charge her to get up and start helping with the serving of this dinner! Martha has definitely lost her focus. Jesus is with her. The Prince of peace is in the room and yet she is filled with anxiety. She’s gotten caught up in the seductive scenery. She’s taken her eyes off of her honored Guest. But not Mary. She was determined to pull up a cushion and just sit, enthralled, at Jesus’ feet; drinking in His every Word. Her belly full long before she’d taken one bite of her dinner. After all, man doesn’t live by bread alone…

This account of John’s goes on to tell us that Mary, in her devotion and love for her friend, her teacher, her Lord, breaks open, what in all likelihood was, if not her entire dowry then certainly a large portion of it, an alabaster jar of nard. In an instant she is at Jesus’ feet. And her worship, along with her nard, is freely spilling forth.  Filling the room with a sweet fragrance. Mary sees Jesus clearly. Yes, she has enjoyed dinning with Him and laughing with Him—but she never lost sight of just who it was she was sharing this privilege with. Yes, He was her friend. And yes, He was her Teacher—her Rabbi. But above all He was her Lord. Her long-awaited Messiah. She was certain of this. After all, He had raised her brother Lazarus from his tomb after he’d been 4 days dead. Who but God could do such a miracle! And, she remembered His conversation with the 3 of them concerning their belief in seeing the glory of God.

Beloved, how often do you find yourself looking up or out these days and asking, “Jesus, are we there yet? Is it time yet? How much longer must I wait to enjoy your sweet presence face to face Lord? How often do you find your hand checking the proverbial bump on your own belly? This world is one more good push from seeing Jesus face to face. This world has crowned. Its waters have broken, and creation is bearing down with all its might. Are you ready to receive your portion? Beloved let these words found in Hebrews encourage and comfort you both. “Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay” Hebrews 10:35-37.

And for you dear friend saying to yourself, “I don’t think it’s an accident I’m here today.” You’re right! Listen to what Jesus is saying to you too; if you’ll just ask Him into your life as Lord: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne” Revelation 3:19-21.

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