The Christmas Story You May Have Missed

It’s said that a good story bears repeating.  And while telling the same story over and over again can become boring and tedious, it seems we never tire of the images we know and love – the angels announcing the birth of the Christ-child; the shepherds cowering in fear as the glory of God filled the night sky; and the wise men following the star and offering gifts to the child.  But one image in that story may hold more significance than you imagined, because for the shepherds who would behold the Child in the manger, the story holds a richness that we may have never fully appreciated.

The prophet, Micah, foretold the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem in this passage that most of us have heard countless times:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.”  (Micah 5:2)

That little village about six miles southeast of Jerusalem has a rich history in Scripture that began about 2,000 years before the birth of Jesus when Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, was buried just outside the village. 

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath that is, Bethlehem. ²⁰ And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.  ²¹ Then Israel (Jacob) journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.  Genesis 35:19-21

God’s amazing story of redemption is woven even more deeply into the prophecy of Micah just a few verses before the more famous passage mentioned above:

…So the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on, even forever.  And you, O tower of the flock (Migdal Eder), the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, even the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.”  (Micah 4:7-8)

There it is again!  Did you notice that mention of the Tower of Eder?  Bethlehem was a special place, not just because of its history, but because the lambs raised in the hills north of there were destined for use as sacrifices in the temple in Jerusalem.  Migdal Eder was a watchtower just north of Bethlehem, from which shepherds could keep an eye out for threats to the flock.  From the tower, watchful eyes could keep a lookout for packs of wild animals or thieves who might threaten the temple flocks. 

When the temple lambs were to be born, the ewes were brought in from the fields and kept in the cave at the tower’s base, which essentially became a birthing station for sacrificial lambs.  After inspecting the lambs to assure they were unblemished and fit for sacrifice, shepherds, like those in our Christmas story, would bind the newborn lambs with rags, or swaddling cloths, and place them in a manger to keep them calm and free from harm. 

If you re-read Luke 2, you’ll notice the angel only instructed the shepherds: “You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”  While they likely wondered WHY Jesus would be born in a place and manner reserved for sacrificial lambs, they didn’t have to think very hard about WHERE to find Him.  Because there was only one manger where sacrificial lambs were laid – the cave under the Tower of Eder.  The tower had stood as a sentinel for 100 generations before Jesus was born, but it had never witnessed anything like what was to happen that night. 

Those blessed shepherds found the Baby where they expected, and discovered more than they had ever hoped.  That’s what happens when we seek after Jesus.  We encounter all the love and light and hope and life we could ever imagine.  All found in the lovely face of that precious Child.  The One in the manger at Migdal Eder.

May you find what you really seek this Christmas.

Jacob

What’s Past is Passed…On

Genealogy is a big thing.  We all wonder where we came from.  My family has been “in these parts” for over 200 years on both sides of the family.  I’ve found some interesting things by investing some time on an ancestry website.  In fact, I’m anxiously awaiting the results of the DNA test I mailed in a couple weeks ago to see what secrets are hidden in the intricacies of my genetic makeup.  Don’t you wonder sometimes why you look the way you do, or more importantly, why you ACT the way you do?  When you see that picture of your grandmother as a baby, don’t you see a bit or yourself in that face?  I’ve noticed my son sometimes strikes a posture that’s just exactly like my father used to do.  How is that possible?  Because we pass along some part of us to everyone who follows.

Isn’t it interesting that the first recorded words in the New Testament are a genealogy?  I know these are the parts that many of us skip when we read the Bible, but we can’t really know who we are unless we know from whom we’ve descended.  Here’s a part of the text:

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

² Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. ³ Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron…⁵ Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse begot David the king.  David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah…¹¹ Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.  ¹² And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel...¹⁶ And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.   Matthew 1:1-16

While I condensed things quite a bit, I hope you go back to your Bible and read the whole text.  Maybe even go over to Luke 3 and read his genealogy of Jesus (which is different because it traces Jesus through MARY instead of this text that shows us how Jesus is descended legally through Joseph).  I do, however, want to point out a few of the characters in this passage from Matthew.  I’ve show the names in BOLD print so you don’t miss them, but let’s first consider the women listed here.  Listing women in ANY genealogy of the day was virtually unheard of, because women were held in such low esteem.  But God sees these women as critical to the story of Jesus.

Tamar slept with her father-in-law, Judah (he didn’t know it was her, but still…).  Rahab was a harlot who helped the Jews.  Ruth was a foreigner who honored God.  The “wife of Uriah” is Bathsheba, who was taken advantage of by King David.  And, of course, the young woman, Mary, who was chosen by God to bear His Son as a gift to the world.

The men?  There is the first Jew, Abraham, who is an example of faith.  He was followed a couple generations later by Jacob, who was a conniving liar, but who received the blessing of God.  King David, the man after God’s own heart, who messed up terribly with Bathsheba, yet fathered Solomon by her, is among those listed just a few generations before King Jeconiah, who was such a terrible man he was cursed by God.  And lastly, Joseph, who must have been an amazing man to have been chosen as the foster father for the Savior of the world.

What do we learn from all these names, some of which we can barely pronounce?  That God CAN and DOES use even the worst among us if we are available and willing to honor Him.  We can’t change where we were born, like Ruth, and we can’t change who our parents are or the circumstances of our birth, like Solomon.  We may do the wrong things for what we thought were the right reasons, like Abraham and Jacob, but if we believe God, He will use us for His glory.  And even if we live a quiet, simple life, like Joseph and Mary, God may just use us to introduce others to Jesus.

While it may be true that we pass along genetic material and cultural habits to those who come after us, what really matters is whether we pass along the faith and humility that God honors.  Because no matter how my DNA test comes back, I already know I’m a spiritual descendant of Abraham and David and Ruth and Joseph and Mary.  And Jesus.  I’m really hoping one of these days I start looking more and more like Him, and less like that old stinker, Jacob.  But I claim them all, and I’m thankful that they passed on to me the faith to believe in the God who made me who I am, and who made me His own.  Now it’s my job to do the same for those who come after me. 

Jacob 

I Know I Should, So Why Don’t I?

Do you enjoy opening your computer and seeing how many emails you’ve received each morning?  Checking email is the first thing I do each day, especially because my morning paper comes in one of those emails.  How about checking Facebook to see what’s happening with all your friends?  Don’t you love to peruse the pictures and find where and how your friends have been engaged?  It’s certainly an easy way to keep up with the kids or grandkids and your old school chums.  And don’t you just love to open your Bible early in the day to seek out God’s wisdom and truth as you face an uncertain path through life?  Hmmm.  Is that crickets I hear instead of a resounding “Amen”?

Why is it that many of us would rather read emails or scan Facebook and spend perhaps many hours each day doing both, yet we seem to lack the motivation or discipline to crack open the pages of Scripture to allow the Creator of the universe to speak with us?  Your response may be one of these:

“I know I need to study the Bible more, but….”

“I try to have a daily devotional time, but….”

“I have a hard time understanding what I read and I WANT to spend time with God, but….”

If you and I DO take time to open the pages of Scripture, we find passages like this:

 Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!  ¹¹ Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.  ¹² Blessed are You, O Lord!  Teach me Your statutes…¹⁵ I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways.  ¹⁶ I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word.   Psalm 119:10-16

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.   Psalm 119:18

Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things, and revive me in Your way.  ³⁸ Establish Your word to Your servant…   Psalm 119:37-38

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.   Psalm 119:105

God promises us that something amazing will happen when we open and read our Bibles.  We find wisdom, direction, guidance, and even correction.  Paul urged Timothy to use the Word for just those purposes:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.  2 Timothy 3:16-17

As followers of Jesus, we are challenged to be good stewards of all God provides to us.  That stewardship certainly pertains to the material wealth God gives us.  We must spend and invest carefully to fulfill that requirement.  But TIME is like money.  We only receive a certain amount each day – none of us can claim more.  When we spend our moments and even hours on what the psalmist called “worthless things”, we must ask whether it’s time to change our behaviors.

My faith journey is likely very similar to yours, since we live in the same world, challenged by the same time-devouring possibilities.  Why don’t we covenant together to be more careful with our time?  To make opening God’s work our HIGHEST priority each day?   If you’ll do that with me, we can both enjoy the promise that John penned in the last book he wrote while he was in exile on Patmos:

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.   Revelation 1:3

God doesn’t ask us to spend time in the Word to keep us from other pursuits.  He urges us to do it because He knows we’ll be blessed when we do.  What else can you do that PROMISES a blessing?  I don’t know about you, but I could certainly use the blessing of God in my life!  Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”  (Luke 4:4) 

I don’t miss very many meals.  Now if only I could hunger after God’s Word the same way!

Jacob

This is a Line You Will Want to Cross

Barriers are a part of life.  Some are formidable and man-made, like the 5,500-mile-long Great Wall of China that took 2,000 years to complete.  The wall was constructed to keep out invading hordes from the north, and for the most part, it worked.  Other barriers are a product of nature, like the swollen rivers many of our ancestors had to cross as they pushed west to settle this country.  While still other barriers are cultural constructs, like being from “the wrong side of the tracks”.  I always wondered who decided which side of the tracks was the “right side”?  But we all understand where the term comes from and that the barrier it creates is just as challenging as any of the others mentioned. 

Humans are amazing in their quest to overcome whatever barrier stands in their way.  The Great Wall didn’t keep out ALL the invaders, our families forded rivers and built bridges, and those of us from the “wrong side of the tracks” found a way to cross over and find success.  Yet one barrier couldn’t be overcome without divine help.  Each of us is born into this life already in bondage to sin, the natural result of which is death.  (See Romans 6)

The soul and body we possess at birth is tainted by the sin nature that fills each of us – most religious groups call that “original sin”.  The idea of being born into the kingdom of sin is on David’s mind as he penned this Psalm:

For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  ⁴ Against You (God), You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight…⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.   Psalm 51:3-5

Yet Paul reminds us that: 

…Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death…   Romans 8:2

Being born into and living in the kingdom of sin and death is an inescapable truth of the human experience.  Staying there forever, though, is a personal choice, akin to sitting on the river bank and wishing to be on the other side, but doing nothing to build the bridge to get there.  And if crossing the line from death to life depended only on you, you would be forever condemned to remain where you are.  But Jesus came to make a way for us.  HE is the bridge-builder who makes the crossing from death to life possible.

Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.   John 5:24

All of us begin life below the line.  Jesus invites us to live life ABOVE the line.  That’s what the Good News is all about.  When we accept the invitation that Jesus extends, we step from life that is the “best we can do” into an existence that will last for eternity.  Kingdom life is what Jesus offers all of us.  Life above the line – life lived to the fullest extent (John 10:10) – life that doesn’t have to wait for “someday” to experience the joys of the Kingdom of God. 

Who gets to pass from death to life across the bridge that Jesus built?  Anyone may.  Only those with a heart to know God can.  And while there are no magic words that allow you to pass from death to life, the following will get you there if you mean them with all your heart:

“Lord Jesus, I understand that sin has control of me, and I have been OK with that up to now.  But I want more.  I want to know You and know more about Your love for me.  I know Jesus died because of MY sin and I’m sorry.  But I know He died so I could be forgiven, so I ask you now for that forgiveness.  I want to live life as you intended. I want Jesus to be the Lord of my life, now and forever.  I believe your promises and ask you to allow me to pass from death to life at this very moment.  I pray this now in the powerful name of Jesus.  Amen”

If you prayed those words for the first time and meant them in your heart, I can assure you that you’ve crossed the line.  Welcome to the Kingdom of Life!  We’ll have lots of time to get to know one another.  Bless you!

Jacob

What Are You Waiting For? Open It!

Imagine that it’s your 10^th birthday.  This one is especially important because you’ve been told every day since you can remember that on your TENTH birthday, you’ll receive the most special gift you’ll ever get.  The day has arrived, and after you’ve bounded down the stairs and glance around the house, you spy it!  Just as promised, the most beautifully wrapped gift you’ve ever seen is waiting on the dining table, and it has your name on it.  You inspect the outside of the gift and marvel at the skill and quality of the wrapping paper.  The ribbon is exquisite!  This MUST be the most marvelous gift ever!  And when you take the hand-lettered tag in your small hands, you open it to reveal these words: “Not to be opened until your 21^st birthday.”

What wretched hoax is this?!  How can it be that something you’ve waited for so long can’t be fully appreciated until…YEARS from now?!  This can’t be right!  This “gift” in the box that was going to make you the envy of everyone you know can’t be fully appreciated until you’ve reached old age!  Not fair!  Whose idea was this anyway?

OK – stop imagining now.  We can all empathize with the poor child who expected something life-changing but only got the promise of such.  This is where I need your full attention – if you are a follower of Jesus, I fear you have experienced the same kind of “delayed gratification” as our 10-year old in the story.  Too often, we come to faith in Christ, and are thrilled to receive salvation – our beautiful gift – and assume we must delay opening it until we die and finally receive what God has prepared for us.  How sad for us.  After all, Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”  (John 10:10)

Let me be clear: if you are not a follower of Christ, the “Good News” message to you is that, though you are separated from God by your sin (and we ALL are), God Himself made a way for you to be reconciled to Him.  Jesus came to live and die and be resurrected for each of us, but we must acknowledge our need and submit ourselves to the life-giving Savior.  Paul summed it up when he wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel (Good News) of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” 

But Jesus came – by His own words – to give us more than just eternal life in heaven.  He intended for us to live as participants in the Kingdom of Heaven NOW!  In Matthew 4, Jesus said, “Repent!  For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!”  And the next time Matthew records that Jesus preached, He taught us what living in the Kingdom of Heaven looks like.  He told us what was IN THE GIFT!  You would do well to read the whole passage in Matthew 5-7, but let me summarize some of the things Jesus told us we should be experiencing as followers of His.  These are the ways others will know we follow Him and these are the ways He makes our lives abundant NOW:

We are meek and merciful; seeking after the things that are righteous and pure.  We build bridges instead of tearing them down.  We love instead of despising; we bless others even when we are harmed by them.  We make such a difference in people’s lives that they honor God because of it.  How are you doing with all that?

We don’t act “righteous” on the outside, while allowing ourselves to harbor wrong feelings inside.  We do what we say we will do, even if it’s difficult.  We always “go above and beyond” in our dealings with others, including those who seek to take advantage of us.  We trust God to take care of us, and we know that He can even settle accounts for us.  We don’t need to condemn others for their behavior – that’s HIS job if they deserve it.  We just love them and live in such a way that they want to know why we are like we are!  And then WE get to share OUR Good News with THEM.  Are you still doing OK?

The Gospel is our invitation to eternal life.  But aren’t you grateful you don’t have to wait until you die to enjoy the gift?  When we come to faith, we admit, “Jesus, I don’t have any way to make up for my sin except to trust You to do it for me.”  And in response, Jesus says, “I’ll take care of that.  And by the way, I have a gift for you.  But don’t wait to open it, because you’ll enjoy it much more if you open it NOW!”  What a great idea! 

Jacob

Do You Have Faith Like a Child?

The older I get, the harder it is to remember what it was like to be a kid.  I remember moments from my childhood, but what seems to leave our memories as we age is what it was to like have the “mindset” of a child.  What do kids think about?  How do they approach each new day?  Most kids in this country get out of bed without worries about what they’ll eat or where they’ll live.  They don’t seem to be overly concerned about what they’ll wear – they just put on whatever is close and start to live the new day, anticipating only good things!  They run and jump and laugh and enjoy life because they aren’t burdened about things over which they have no control.  Though I’m not to my point yet, I do want to remind us all of what Jesus said:

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² ...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.   Matthew 6:31-33

The point I DO want to make is that children just live life.  They accept that someone else is in charge – that someone else is responsible for them – and they dive into life with the gusto and freedom God intended.  They trust that whatever issues arise will be handled by someone who loves them.  The hard questions that children shouldn’t need to answer are resolved by someone that knows more than they do.  Concerns about health, money, and the future rarely enter their minds.  They just live life knowing that whatever comes up, someone with the resources to handle it will be there to protect them from facing challenges they have no power to resolve.  It is especially sad when children don’t feel that protection, but that’s for another day.

Why is it that adults, at some point in their lives, seem to conclude that THEY are in charge – that THEY are responsible for how life will unfold?  Do you have power over your circumstances or the future?  Can you determine how life will treat you?  Sure, it’s important to accept personal responsibility for your health and provision.  Eating right and going to work are presupposed.  But you have no control over the outside influences on your life.  Hurricanes, cancer, and drunk drivers are beyond your scope.  Sometimes bad stuff happens in life that you can't prevent.  

But God is there.  Just like our parents did when we were small, He handles the big stuff – the things that are outside our control.  Jesus even used a child to make that point to His disciples:

Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.   Matthew 18:2-4

The “gospel” isn’t just about forgiveness for sin and salvation through Jesus.  The Good News is also about being a part of God’s family in the Kingdom.  And Jesus’ death for us is what makes that possible.  Jesus used the term “Kingdom of Heaven” thirty times as recorded in the book of Matthew.  He kept repeating it because it was important for His followers to get the whole picture.  Our faith doesn’t just punch our ticket for heaven, it changes how we live NOW!  All the preaching Jesus did in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5-7) was so people would understand what living in the kingdom looked like. 

Kingdom living is about faith and humility and doing good to others and living in a way that brings glory to God.  Ask yourself this: “Has anyone honored God this week because my life prompted them to do so?”  Yet that’s what kingdom living is supposed to do.  Kingdom life is characterized by trust in the provision of God and sharing with others to advance the kingdom.  Kingdom living isn’t characterized by fear and anxiety, but by trust and generosity.  Jesus wanted to remind His disciples that children get it.  The gentle, loving, trusting preschooler is a good example for you to follow.  When we get older, we get tough and cynical and afraid.  And God just gently responds, “Don’t worry my child.  I’ve got this.”  Why not drive on over to the park and go down the slide, or swing a bit, just to remember what it was like.  I guarantee you’ll smile – and I think God will, too.

Jacob

Have You Lost Your Way?

OK, admit it.  At least once in your life, you thought you knew where you were going and you were mistaken.  Maybe you turned right when you meant to turn left? Perhaps you thought you were headed east when you were actually driving south?  Possibly you were thinking about something else and missed a sign?  Life is like that, isn’t it?  Maybe you’ve heard that college freshman announce to the world that she’ll finish school, get married, head to med school to become a cardiologist, then have 3 kids, make tons of money, save lives and retire rich.  Yeah, how did that work out?  The directions we think we’re headed – the life maps we’ve drawn in our minds – never seem to work out as we expect.  But that’s not all bad.  Just think of the adventures you’ve had when you ended up in an unexpected place.  Consider that where you are now wouldn’t have been possible if you had stuck to your original plan!

Sometimes, we who follow Christ find ourselves believing we have been appointed for a specific purpose.  We believe God has “called” us to a certain task or direction.  If that is true, how do we know?  How can we be certain we are following “God’s will” for our lives?  Can we be absolutely sure we are on the right path?  I would agree that if you walk as closely to the Father as Jesus did, then you’ll always know which turn to make and what direction to head.  But I’m not there, are you?

In fact, my life has been more like that of the apostle, Paul.  Just when he thought he had God’s plan all figured out, he discovered that perhaps God had a different direction in mind:

Next Paul and Silas traveled through the area of Phrygia and Galatia, because the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time. ⁷ Then coming to the borders of Mysia, they headed north for the province of Bithynia, but again the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them to go there. ⁸ So instead, they went on through Mysia to the seaport of Troas.  ⁹ That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” ¹⁰ So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.   Acts 16:6-10

The great apostle to the Gentiles, called by Jesus himself on the road to Damascus, thought he was headed in one direction to serve his Lord, yet the door closed.  OK, maybe God’s leading me to Bithynia?  Nope, not there either.  Alright, then, which doors are still open?  I guess God is directing me to Macedonia.  Right!

God has a plan for sure.  And you, if you are a follower of Jesus, have a part in that plan.  But the plan isn’t built around you, it’s built around Him.  Your job isn’t to sit around wondering which way to go, it’s to figure out which way God is going and get with the program! 

Do you imagine you’ve made a wrong turn and now God can’t use you?  Wrong.  Find the path and get back on it!  You failed in your last effort for your Lord and now you think He’s done using you?  Wrong, again.  Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in the fight!  While God cares intimately for you and cares about your successes and failures, He cares MOST that His will is done “on Earth as it is in heaven”.  If you’ve lost your way, look for the signs of God’s activity in your life – they are all around you.  He’s busy, whether you’ve noticed or not.  He still has a job for you to do, whether you’re willing or not.  But if you don’t do it, someone else will, because He always has a contingency plan.

If you get lost in the woods, it’s good advice to sit down and wait for someone to find you rather than wandering around the forest.  But if you aren’t sure which way to go in your efforts for Jesus, just sitting around waiting for the Spirit to hunt you down and extend a personal invitation for you to participate isn’t the way it works!  When God called you to be His, He gifted you so you could play a part in what He’s doing to redeem the world.  So get up and pay attention; look around and see what God is doing; and plug in.  Maybe the problem isn’t that you’ve lost your direction, but just your motivation.  For Paul, when one door was closed, he tried another.  Eventually, he found the door God intended.  If you aren’t already, start tugging on some doorknobs.  I guarantee at least ONE of them will open.

Jacob

Who Turned Out The Lights?

Have you ever been sitting quietly watching TV in the evening and suddenly the lights go out?  Perhaps a transformer blew out or a storm caused some damage, but you were instantly cast into darkness.  It gets your attention!  Next week, God has a plan to do the same to all of us when He turns out the lights on our nation.  While I don’t live in the Total Eclipse Zone in the United States, I will be traveling there with millions of other people to watch the first total solar eclipse visible within the US in 99 years.  Consider how rare this event will be – no one you know has EVER seen a total eclipse unless they traveled outside this country to do it.  And this is the first total eclipse visible ONLY in the continental United States since 1776.  A rare event, indeed.  And believe it or not, another total solar eclipse will be coursing across part of the United States (including the area where I live) again in 2024.  Some of you who read this might even see three or four more eclipses during your lifetime.  Astronomically speaking, these are amazing times to be alive!

If you haven’t been caught up in the eclipse hysteria, understand that when the moon passes between the earth and the sun, it will cast a small complete shadow on the earth that will be slightly less than 70 miles wide and traveling more than 1600 miles per hour, leaving each spot in its path completely dark for about two minutes.  Though the path of complete totality is very narrow, you should be able to observe a partial eclipse (with proper protection) no matter where you live.  The whole process may take a couple of hours, but during the event, the moon we admire in the night sky will perfectly cover the sun that dominates the day. 

Is it just “chance” that the size of the burning sphere that lights our days is exactly covered by the lifeless ball that only reflects its light at night?  Our sun is 400 times the diameter of our moon, yet when the moon crosses between us and our sun, how can it be the same size?  Because the moon has been perfectly placed in its location by its Creator, exactly 400 times closer to us than the sun.  Scientists know of no other planet-sun-moon system where this total eclipse is possible.  Can’t you see God’s hand at work in what He created?  That’s really His point:

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.   Romans 1:20

Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years…God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night…God set these lights in the sky to light the earth,  to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.  Genesis 1:14-17

Whether you believe in God or not; whether you cling to the idea of random life on a random planet in a random galaxy or not; please don’t miss what the last Bible passage said: “…the larger one…the smaller one.”  Now isn’t THAT interesting!  From our earth, both the sun and the moon appear the exact same size.  So how could the person who penned Genesis have understood that they are different sizes?  He had inside information.  The Spirit of God that moved in creation is the same Spirit that revealed all truth to the writers of Scripture.  GOD knows they are different sizes because He made them.  Scientists didn’t learn that truth until thousands of years after Moses wrote the words of Genesis.  Now who are you going to trust?

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.  The skies display his craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.  They speak without a sound or word…Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.   Psalm 19:1-4

When the lights go out next week, go ahead and be amazed!  You SHOULD be in awe of what is taking place because the God of the universe is reminding you He’s still there and He’s still running things.  And in the darkest days of your life, that’s a comforting thing to know.

Jacob

Now You See It; Now You Don’t

Sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste.  Those are the five senses we identify which provide sensory input for our life experiences.  Which is most important to you?  We use them all, but which one would you most fear losing?  I can tell you with some certainty that most people would say SIGHT.  The eye is an amazing apologist for our creation by God rather than through some random combination of chemicals.  Though we take it for granted, opening your eyes and being able to see the world around you is a stunningly complex function, requiring chemistry, physics, anatomy, and psychology to dance in unison. 

What happens when any portion of this complicated system fails to function properly?  Life changes.  But it needn’t end.  Here’s an example of someone who suffered significant vision loss, but didn’t let it get him down:

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹ And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.   2 Corinthians 12:7-9

Don’t you hate it when someone just pulls something out of the Bible and tries to apply it when it may not fit?  But let me make the case – you can look up all these verses if you wish.

It appears to me, and I base this opinion on a good understanding of the facts, that the apostle, Paul, suffered from a significant visual impairment – perhaps macular degeneration, or end-stage glaucoma, or advanced cataracts (they didn’t remove them in those days).  His vision was so poor that he used others to write out the text of his letters (Romans 16:22); occasionally he signed them at the end as a formality (1 Corinthians 16:21); and when he did write anything himself, he even mentioned that he was using BIG letters (Galatians 6:11), not for their benefit, but for his!

Add to that his statement that the Galatians would have “torn out your eyes and given them to me” (Galatians 4:15); he insulted the High Priest because he couldn’t tell who he was (Acts 23:3-5); and he mistook a snake for a piece of wood (Acts 28:1-3) and the case is closed.  Paul just couldn’t see near the end of his life.  He didn’t like it, but God didn’t heal him.  And Paul was OK with that, because his deficiency was overcome by God’s power and grace.  Paul did more in his life without being able to see than most of us do with all our faculties.

What have you lost that you didn’t think you could do without?  One of the other senses or do you share the same fate as Paul?  Perhaps you’ve lost some motor function and don’t get around as well as you used to?  Maybe you’ve lost a family member you never thought you could live without, and now you feel paralyzed?  Or have you just lost hope because life hasn’t worked out as you expected?  The remedy for each infirmity is the same for you as it was for Paul.  God says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”  Weakness.  I can certainly identify with that, regardless of the cause.

No matter who you are, and no matter what you face, God’s power in you can do amazing things.  Just ask Paul.  By the way, have you had your eyes checked lately?

Jacob

Shark Week Always Starts on Sunday

If you are younger than 30 years old, you have never known a summer without Shark Week.  It has become a summertime rite of passage on the Discovery Channel and most of us have grabbed the TV remote to check in on those sandpaper-skinned denizens of the deep.  What you may not realize is that the number one location IN THE WORLD for shark attacks is Volusia County, Florida.  Not the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, or the Cape of Africa, or Nantucket – but the sun-drenched beaches just south of Daytona Beach.  Why do 15% of all shark attacks worldwide occur here?  Lots of people are in the water and most attacks are “test bites” by baby bull sharks.  These non-lethal attacks occur when these small sharks nibble on surfers and swimmers who have been mistaken for normal prey.  Once the shark realizes your foot dangling from your surfboard isn’t the fish it sought, it will release its toothy grip.  Oh, pardon me! 

Is there a spiritual application to Shark Week?  You know there is.  Paul writes in Galatians:

For the entire law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.   ¹⁵ But if you bite and devour one another, watch out, or you will be consumed by one another.   Galatians 5:14-15

You likely recall that when Jesus was asked:

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”  He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and most important command.  The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.   Matthew 22:36-39

You may be surprised to learn that the command to “Love your neighbor” was first given in Leviticus 19.  Then it was repeated three times by Jesus in Matthew; followed by Paul’s reminder in both Romans and Galatians; and finally urged by James, the half-brother of Jesus, in the book he penned.  Once should have been enough, but apparently all the urging fell on deaf ears in the early church, as it still does today!  Why so many reminders?  Because – as Paul said in Galatians 5 – we continue to “bite and devour one another” rather than loving one another.  It seems it’s ALWAYS Shark Week in the Church!

Why do we do that?  Why do we choose to inflict non-lethal damage on others in the church or our families by taking a “bite”?  I didn’t say the bites don’t hurt, but they usually don’t destroy our fellow believers.  But after every test bite, someone who cares about our victim (apparently more than we do) must administer first aid to repair the damage we’ve done.  Someone did something to you this week and now you see them at church – CHOMP.  The Pastor didn’t do as well on his message as you thought he should – CHOMP.  That mother of five really has lots of trouble controlling her children in public – CHOMP. 

Let me make this clear.  Your fellow Christ-followers are not your prey.  Your family members are not intended to be dinner.  Taking a bite out of them, no matter what you might think at the time, will not satisfy you, nor will it leave them unharmed.  Paul was so worried about the bad habits of his fellow Christians that he lamented they would “consume” one another.  What a shame that an admonition that belongs more appropriately in a Peter Benchley novel would have to be penned by an apostle to those who say they love one another! 

John 13:35 says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  Can we agree that it’s a good idea to live in such a way that you make sure your relatives and church family know you love them?  And if you’re too disobedient to do that, at least leave them off the menu!

Jacob

Chasing Chickens is Good, Right?

Diaspora.  I’m betting that’s a word you may have never used in conversation.  It’s a word that’s been transliterated from the Greek, and means “dispersion, or scattering”.  The first thing that popped into my mind when I thought of “dispersion” was the days on my grandparent’s farm when I ignored their orders and chased chickens around the barnyard.  In my experience, chickens tended to congregate in large bunches, pecking at the corn that has been cast onto the ground for them.  It just seemed “right” to me that when they congregated together, it was my chief duty to scatter them!  I’d run right into the middle of the flock and they would take off in every direction, no doubt irritated by the disruption.  But that picture – of wings flapping and drumsticks fleeing – helps me understand what took place in the New Testament and before.

There were many times before the early Church formed that Jews has been dispersed.  Many chose not to return to Israel after the Babylonian captivity and were scattered throughout Persia.  Before the birth of Jesus, it’s estimated that there were over one million Jews living in Alexandria, Egypt.  Persecution under Roman rule had caused many Jews to leave Israel, so Jews could be found in all the cities throughout the Roman empire.  Most of the Jewish dispersion had occurred because of persecution, but God’s purpose was being worked out in all of it.

Peter wrote to believers in the early church about what was happening then:

To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.   1 Peter 1:1-2

The persecution of the Church and the consequent dispersion that took place in the 1^st century had resulted in the scattering of believers in every direction from Jerusalem.  Remember what Jesus had spoken in Acts 1:8 regarding the spread of the Gospel?

“You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Diaspora made it all easier.  Jews had been spread throughout the Roman world, taking with them the knowledge of the one true God.  And now believers in Christ could share with those Jews and others in their cities about the promised Messiah.  Read the book of Acts carefully, and you’ll see how many times the Gospel is spread through the communities that had been prepared by previous dispersions of Jews.

What’s my point in all this?  Even now, as there is turmoil in the world; as refugees flee persecution in many countries; God is at work.  While many who flee as refugees are immersed in a false religion, there are also those Christians who are being scattered for the sake of the Gospel!  In refugee camps filled with Muslims who resist the Gospel, God has sent Christian believers from African countries to suffer alongside them.  I’m fairly certain these Christ-followers may not see God at work in their predicament, but God’s plans to advance the Gospel are never thwarted.  One young missionary couple[i] committed to helping the refugees shared that in the last year, the camp they serve in Greece has seen churches started within that camp by African refugees who are housed there!  In the midst of suffering and persecution, the Gospel is being advanced. 

When we face challenges in life, God always has a way of working through them.  If you are a believer who has suffered through chemotherapy, can’t you see how your faith has influenced the caregivers you’ve encountered?  If you’ve lost your job and were forced to find another, can you imagine that God is bringing the Gospel with you to share with your new co-workers?  If your world is turned upside-down, don’t despair.  God is at work in you and through you no matter how it seems.  As Joshua was preparing to do something new among God’s people, God reminded him, “Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”  (Joshua 1:9)  Good advice for each of us.

I’m not the bravest person – in fact in some ways, you might even call me a “chicken” when it comes to putting myself at risk.  But when too many of us “chickens” congregate in the same spot, just feeding away, God has a way of making us scatter.  So, chasing chickens is a good thing, right?  Maybe even a “God-thing”.

Jacob

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[i]  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIBg2isZsdo&t=254s

I Never Promised You a Rose Garden…

The first time I heard the words, I was stirred deep in my spirit.  Though Bill Gaither borrowed the title to A Few Good Men from the US Marines, the recruiting requirements it describes come straight from the Scriptures:

God doesn't need an Orator who knows what just to say;
He doesn't need authorities to reason Him away;
He doesn't need an army to guarantee a win;
He just needs a Few Good Men.

Men full of Compassion, who Laugh and Love and Cry -
Men who'll face Eternity and aren't afraid to die -
Men who'll fight for Freedom and Honor once again -
He just needs a Few Good Men.

Being called to serve our Lord, Jesus Christ, does require goodness, courage, and compassion.  We must love our Savior and His Church more than we love life itself.  Luke tells us about the priorities of the kingdom in this exchange:

As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”  Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”  He said to another man, “Follow me.”  But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”  Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”  Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”   Luke 9:57-62

Does that seem harsh to you?  Did anyone promise you that walking with Jesus would be easy?  Each of the three men in the story WANTED to follow Jesus, they just didn’t have what it takes.  They wanted to live life on their terms, not God’s.  They desired comfort and convenience rather than risk and sacrifice.  Does that sound familiar?  Believers in Jesus’ day faced difficulties and even death – challenges that are beyond our imagination and likely beyond our commitment level.  But Jesus told his disciples (and us) what to expect:

If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.  And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple…In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. Luke 14:26-27,33

What do you think Jesus meant when He spoke about “carrying your cross”?  What about “hating your family and even your own life”?  He wants to know if YOU love Him more than your family.  He wants to know if you love the Church more than the world.  He wants to know if you love the Kingdom more than you love your wealth.  He wants to know if you love your neighbor more than yourself.  Why do those questions matter?  They don’t – unless you want to be His disciple.

I’ve never been a Marine, and I’m sure bootcamp is no picnic.  But I’m confident that those who make it through are proud to wear the uniform.  Believers should feel the same commitment and dedication when they are set apart by the power of the Holy Spirit to serve the ultimate King.  While you might think you were chosen by God because you’re “good” or “worthy”, guess again!  You were chosen because the Father loves you and wants you to be His.  But you were also chosen because He knows you are strong and courageous.  Now go prove Him right!

Jacob

#IHateHashtags!

When was the last time you received a letter?  Not an email, but a real, pen-to-paper letter?  It seems the ability to write carefully, expressing one’s deepest feelings in words that are well thought out, has fallen into disfavor.  People don’t even send real cards on birthdays anymore – they just post greetings on Facebook!  The well-mannered epistle has been replaced by the indiscreet tweet.  How sad.  Can you imagine the apostle Paul expressing his views on church doctrine in 140 characters or less?  Or perhaps the apostle Peter might just post a picture of Jesus on Facebook for you to “like” or not (how dare you pass up the opportunity!)  I am grateful for all of us that the Gospel was introduced to the world in the 1^st century and not the 21^st.

John, the disciple whom Jesus loved so deeply, shared his heart with his fellow believers (and us) when he took the time to pen these words:

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. ² He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.  ³ And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. ⁴ If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. ⁵ But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. ⁶ Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

I didn’t count characters, but John’s beautiful words wouldn’t fit in a single tweet.  They do, however, fit nicely into the heart of a believer, and they encompass everything we need to know to live life as God intended.

John reminds us that sin has no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ.  Wow!  Does that create guilt in you like it does me?  While I’m no bank robber, or child molester, I’m guilty of allowing sin to creep into my life in other ways, just as offensive to God.  But, all praise to God, Jesus Himself pleads for me before the throne of heaven, reminding the Father that my righteousness is in Him, not in my own failed attempt at sinless living. 

But John is careful to remind us that the sacrifice of Christ isn’t a purely personal gift to be cherished and packed away for our own use, but Jesus’ death for sins is a universal call to repentance and forgiveness.  Your struggle with sin is the same life-stealing cancer that eats at every person in the world, and only Jesus has a cure.  How dare we keep the Gospel to ourselves when people are perishing all around us?  The blood of Christ is not limited by geography or heritage or race and is sufficient to bring cleansing to the souls of mankind wherever it is applied.

John’s words are also meant to help us learn the key to being assured of our place in the Body of Christ.  He says, “We can be sure that we know Him IF we obey His commandments.”   Doubt doesn’t usually haunt the believer who is walking faithfully with Christ.  It is the “follower” who isn’t following who is plagued by insecurity.  Yet John says we should just “live our lives like Jesus did.”  Seems simple enough, right?  Just always subordinate your will to the Father’s.  Always love others, even when they hate you.  Turn your back on sin so you can honor God and bring glory to Him.  Invest your life to help others find peace with God.  Simple, right?  The Holy Spirit inspired John to share that challenge with us because it IS possible, not because it’s impossible.

Perhaps today is a good day to find that old stationery and a nice pen, and jot a note to someone you care about?  Sure, it takes more time than tweeting or FB Messaging, but can you imagine their response when they open that envelope and find your heart there?   I promise it’s worth the time – for both of you.

Jacob

The Secret to Successful Children

While I realize the title might seem a bit immodest at first glance, please don’t assume I’ve got all the answers.  Having just passed the day when we celebrate Fathers, I must admit that every father I have ever known has some deficiencies and many don’t have a clue when it comes to rearing successful children.  How, then, do children become wonderful, successful adults, as have my own children?  Some of it is luck, since they don’t come with specific instructions; some credit may certainly be due to the help from adults other than parents, like supportive grandparents or friends; but most of the credit goes to teaching children the two basic principles found in the heart of our Heavenly Father.  What are those two principles, you ask?  Ahh…THAT is the secret to successful children!

But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.   Romans 5:8

If God is for us, who can ever be against us?   Since He did not spare even his own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t He also give us everything else?   Romans 8:31-32

The first and greatest lesson our kids need to learn is that God loves them completely and will do anything for them.  His love for us is the picture of what we like to call “unconditional love” – that genuine, accepting, sacrificing love each of us WISHES we demonstrated to our children, but which usually devolves into the more traditional “if you do this for me, I’ll do this for you” kind of parenting.  God says (and we must echo this to our children) “I love you; I’ll provide for you; I’ll pay any price to see that your life is filled with blessing.”  And then He did it by offering Jesus to keep His promise.  Not because we’ve EARNED His love, but because He loves us completely.  How do we prove to our children we’re not just saying the words?  It’s not always easy, but stay the course.

And lest you find yourself feeling pretty good about expressing your love at this point, the Second Principle may be the most difficult for us to understand and pass along to our children, but it, too, is based on unconditional love.  It is this: Life is filled with choices and consequences. 

“…if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.  And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God…But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments…The Lord will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do…”   Deuteronomy 28:1-2; 15-20

The pages of Scripture are filled with decisions that create undesirable consequences.  Actions that produce pain and loss.  Proverbs overflows with lessons for parents who fail to allow painful outcomes when wrong decisions are made by their children.  Is it any big deal when your child fails to prepare a project and you step in and save them through your efforts?  Yes, it is.  While you might believe you’re fulfilling Principle One by sacrificing for them, you’re defying Principle Two by negating the consequences of their choices.

I’m confident that it’s not easy for God to watch a person self-destruct in life – to watch someone He loves deeply do everything wrong, even to the point of rejecting Him and spending eternity suffering because of it.  But the pain is supposed to act as a deterrent; the suffering is designed to cause a person to want something different.  Saving our kids from suffering the pain of consequences isn’t the same as patching and kissing their skinned knees.  The latter is kind and loving; the former is selfish and short-sighted.

As a parent, I was more consistent teaching Principle Two than always demonstrating my unconditional love.  But since both Principles are paired together somehow in the heart of our Omniscient, Loving God, it seems my children learned them both – not by luck, as I stated earlier, but because God is faithful.  I know that because He’s still teaching me.

Jacob

Be the Cake, Not the Recipe!

Can we agree that most Christians KNOW a lot more about Jesus, about faith, and about the Bible than they ever really put to use?  We followers of Christ have gone to witnessing seminars, sat through Bible classes, and we’ve listened to the great Bible teachers of our day on the radio and television, and yet how much of what we’ve learned are we actually using?  I’m not sure what my next door neighbor’s name is, let alone whether or not he knows Jesus.  I can’t recall the last person I personally led to the Lord outside of the church building.  And I’m confident that I spend more time on Facebook than I do in the Word.  Are we convicted yet?!

This all brings to mind the experience of leafing through a magazine and stopping to gaze at an amazing photo of what MUST be a delicious dessert – pies and cakes usually catch my eye.  I look at the image, I consider what it must taste like, and will often comment, “Honey, we have to make this!  I’ll bet this would be SO good!”  I follow that exclamation by glancing down through the recipe, noting that there is nothing too difficult about it, and making a mental image of what my taste buds will surely experience when we make it and I put that first bite in my mouth.  Then, I do what most of us do.  I flip through the rest of the magazine, close it, and pick up the TV remote.  Perhaps I’ll tear out the recipe, but usually I just let that potentially-wonderful dessert remain on the page, rather than make it a reality to be savored.

We tend to do the same with what we know about Jesus and our faith.  But the Bible says things like this:

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?...¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden…¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.   Matthew 5:13-16

(Jesus said) “…lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”  John 4:35

What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?...If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,  and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?  Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead…Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.   James 2:14-18

We read the pages of Scripture and we’re fascinated by the truths related to being empowered by the Spirit, or the promise of Heaven, or the joys of knowing Jesus, and then we close the Bible and pick up the TV remote, just like before.  When does faith become action?  When do we start flavoring and preserving as “salt” in our communities?  When do we begin to be a part of the harvest that God has ordained to occur?  God is moving to prepare hearts and minds to be His – He needs US to give the world a taste of who He is! 

King David wrote, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.”  (Psalm 34:8)  Recipes are great, but it’s the taste that makes all the difference.  When others can “taste” how good God is; when they can sample what it means to be a confident believer in an unsure age; when they can dine on the joys of following Christ; THEN we will have made a difference in our world and shared in the kingdom work.  It’s time to be the cake and not just the recipe. 

Jacob

Promises and Pinky Swears

Do you remember that as a kid, that you’d share some amazing story with a friend, and when confronted by their doubting looks, you could simply say, “Cross my heart”, perform the aforementioned symbolic act, and all doubt disappeared?  After all, who but a truth-teller would ever risk saying, “cross my heart and hope to die”?  Promises were equally binding as a kid IF each party was willing to agree to a “Pinky Swear”.  That simple act (with a gruesome backstory) was intended to cement for perpetuity whatever deal had been struck.  Children devise such actions because trust is critical to functioning in life.  We are often faced with decisions about which we may not be SURE, but about which we must be confident.   Even kids know that.

Yet as an adult, I can’t remember the last time I crossed my heart or made a pinky promise.  Our world constantly confronts us with important and perhaps life-changing information, but in this age of the internet and fake news, how can we be sure that what we hear is really true?  We have been led to believe that even reliable sources may intend to mislead us, and if experience has taught us anything, it is that “people lie.”  Why has truth become such a rare commodity and who can we trust to be honest with us in every circumstance? 

Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to build up the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, ² in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. ³ In His own time He has revealed His message in the proclamation that I was entrusted with by the command of God our Savior.  Titus 1:1-3

The simplest, safest answer to the question “Who can we trust?” is God alone.  That makes our lives fairly complicated, because He rarely (OK, maybe never) speaks directly and audibly to me.  But Paul, in writing this note to Titus, gives us some guidelines for trusting OTHERS that I hope you’ll apply to those who supposedly speak truth into your life. 

·         There are some who have been “entrusted by God” to share truth.  We can believe them, once we identify them.  Treasure these folks in your life. 

·         Those who share, offer truth to “build up the faith” of those who follow God.  Is what you’re hearing building up your faith?  If not, don’t trust it!

·         Whatever you’re hearing, IF it is truth, it will “lead to godliness”.  If what you’re hearing is leading you AWAY from godliness, cover your ears!

·         The ONE TRUTH that matters, is that THIS life is all about preparing us for ETERNAL life, promised to us by a God who cannot lie.  If we listen through the filter of eternity, it makes it a lot easier to determine what is true and whose promises we can believe.

In a world filled with the overwhelming noise of lies, we even hear those who would deny the truth of Jesus, and those lies seem to attack every aspect of who He is.  Was He really born of a virgin?  Was He really dead on the cross?  Did He really come back to life as a sign that we will, too?  Did He really say that HE is the ONLY way to find forgiveness from a Holy God?  Is He really coming back again to receive those who believe and judge those who don’t?  The truth is, YES, YES, YES, YES, and YES.  Can you believe me?  If it helps, I could say “Cross my heart”, but God already did that. 

Jacob

Zombie Apocalypse or Alien Invasion?

How do you think it will all end?  If you watch much television or go to the movies, you’ve been led to believe the world as we know it will end in submission to flesh-eating zombies or that we’ll be overrun by spider-like creatures from some distant planet.  This trend isn’t new at all.  I watched the same stuff growing up MANY years ago and now I’m watching remakes of some of those classics.  But why are we so obsessed with worrying about how our world will come to an end?  Don’t we have enough to worry about with terrorism and hunger and hate?  Why do we need to add all these other potential villains to our list of worries? 

I have a theory.  I believe we’re afraid to face the personal, individual truth about the “end of life, as we know it.”  We won’t have our brains sucked out by swarming zombies, nor by other-worldly cockroaches.  Instead, the vast majority of us will age quietly, having our hair turn from brown to gray to white, and find that one day, our body just can’t go any further.  We will breathe our last, hopefully in the presence of someone who loves us, and then slip off into whatever comes next.  But if you don’t know what comes next, that IS scary!

I am in complete agreement that what WILL happen to us isn’t nearly as cinematically appealing as some apocalyptic conundrum.  But it is real and it WILL happen that way for most of us.  The writer of Hebrews says,

…it is appointed for people to die once—and after this, judgment…  Hebrews 9:27

Frankly, it’s that “after this, judgment” that scares the devil out of people (if only it could!)  None of us wants to die, and certainly no one wishes to face an uncertain future, but isn’t facing reality eternally better than creating a fantasy world of worry?  The God who made us didn’t intend for us to have to make up stories about how the world will end.  He already wrote the last chapter:

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.   Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.   But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.   2 Peter 3:10-13

Whatever you do, don’t miss that part that says everything on earth “will be found to deserve judgment.”  That’s you and me.  And anyone who might still be here when the real apocalypse comes.  Since it’s likely my judgment will come quicker than what Peter described, I’d better be ready for it!  And be warned – there is no bug-out-bag or survival shelter than will make one bit of difference when YOUR time comes.  What WILL make a difference is if you pay attention to the verse that follows the Hebrews passage above:

 so also the Messiah, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.  Hebrews 9:28

Facing the “end of life, as we know it” really isn’t all that bad, when you know what comes next.  There are no surprises with God, only mysteries.  In this edition, we find out that Jesus has been waiting to return for those who have been waiting for Him.  There’s nothing scary about that – as long as you’re prepared! 

Ready to bug out when Jesus calls,

Jacob

Freedom Isn’t Free, Is It?

This is the weekend each year when we pause to memorialize those who have gone before us in life, especially those who have given their lives to provide us with the freedom we enjoy in this country.  In my small town, there is a modest monument to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in one of the various wars our country has fought.  I’ll bet your town has one just like it.  Reading over the list of lives lost causes me to pause and be grateful for their sacrifice.  If you’ve ever run your fingers over the names engraved on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC, or walked the rows of graves in a National Cemetery, or paused to mourn those memorialized at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington, then you know the feelings of which I’m writing today. 

Name after name that proves our freedom came at great cost to some.  Why do we need to remind ourselves that “freedom isn’t free”?  Because for many of us who have not directly sacrificed, we may not fully comprehend what it cost SOMEONE.  We must be reminded lest we lose sight of the immense price someone paid for something we may not value as much as we should.

Knowing that human nature requires reminding, the author of Hebrews seeks to make sure we never forget the price SOMEONE paid to provide us with the freedom we have in Christ.  In Hebrews 11, we are led on a virtual stroll through the cemetery of faith, pausing to look at some of the names on the “tombstones” there.  We see Abel and Enoch, Noah and Abraham; Sarah and Isaac and Jacob and Joseph.  And then later in the chapter, the writer takes us on a visit to the “Tomb of the Unknowns”:

Women received back their dead, raised to life again. There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection.  Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated -  the world was not worthy of them.   Hebrews 11:35-38

You might want to read that list again, just to honor the MANY heroes of the faith who never had their names recorded for us.  In America, we celebrate names like Washington, and Lincoln, and Jefferson.  But how many of our countrymen have given their lives whose names you might not know and never will?  Regarding your faith, how many lives were spent to offer you the simple Gospel you learned as a child:

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

Young voices are free in this country to sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know.  For the Bible tells me so.  Little ones to Him belong; they are weak, but He is strong.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me.  Yes, Jesus loves me – the Bible tells me so.”  Who do you think made it possible?

For those who are helpless and hopeless and defenseless, champions have always arisen to battle.  Men and women have battled to protect our country from division and oppression and anarchy.  Men and women of faith through the ages have fought for truth and righteousness and equality in Christ.  No one gave more than Jesus Himself, who made our hope for forgiveness a reality.  And though your name may never appear on a monument of faith, is it worth it to live your life sacrificing all for those who will still come after you?  Yes.

Lives spent on behalf of freedom will rightfully be honored this weekend.  Lives dedicated to sharing the priceless Gospel of Christ will be celebrated for eternity. 

Jacob