The Word Revealed

By His grace God has made Himself known to the world.  The living God spoke with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses to whom He gave His law.  Moses emphasised how accessible and understandable God's law was in Deuteronomy 30:11-14, "For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off. ¹² It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' ¹⁴ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it."

God and knowledge of His laws was not in a far off, inaccessible location found by the wisest or most pious among them.  They did not need to develop technology to launch into space to find answers to life's questions, nor did they need to invent submersibles.  They did not need to be professors like Indiana Jones who followed clues, deciphered riddles, found relics and made discoveries to know the exact spot where they needed to dig.  God's people simply were called to love God and do the things He told them to do.  Now we know how easy it is for people to complicate things, and the Law of Moses was no exception.  The Jews went beyond the letter of the Law by defining how to properly do what God said.  Jesus went further still by illuminating the thoughts and intents of our hearts that condemn us as sinful even when we have followed the Law without fail.

Jesus fulfilled the Law and summed it up in a sentence:  to love the LORD with all our hearts and our neighbour as ourselves.  Jesus gave a new commandment, that we would love one another as Jesus loves us.  Our righteousness is not according to the Law but by faith in Jesus Christ who has redeemed and reconciled us to God.  Jesus, the Word of God, has come near us--into our hearts by faith--and provides the Holy Spirit to help and guide us into all truth.  Ironically, we can feel like opportunities for ministry are far off.  We imagine we must have a particular role or ministry in the church to be fruitful, or more education is required for us to understand and enter into the deeper things of God.  People think the satisfaction they long for will be enjoyed after they are married, are in the mission field, are part of a larger or smaller church.  It is a wonder disillusionment does not derail them from faith after they actually have what they sought and still lack peace or satisfaction they assumed was guaranteed.

Though we often complicate things, the truth remains simple and very near us:  our peace, satisfaction and fruitfulness is found in Jesus Christ alone.  We do not need to go to a foreign field to freely serve God, for we can walk in His love to people in our own houses, at our jobs, in our current sphere.  The person who thinks there will be a feeling of accomplishment after preaching the Gospel to 10,000 people in one arena will be disappointed, but we can be blessed beyond words by sharing the Gospel with a friend we are eating lunch with.  We can walk in the light of the Gospel to help mum clean the kitchen, choosing to deny ourselves for the sake of obedience to Christ.  Deuteronomy 29:29 said previously, "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."  The secret things only God knows have great allure, but Jesus has revealed Himself to us as LORD and commanded us to love one another.  We can do this today, right where we are, today.  What wisdom and satisfaction we have at hand in Jesus who leads us to do God's will!

Regarding Life with Compassion

Over the years I have seen many short videos of animal rescues that demonstrate the care and compassion of volunteers as well as the amazing turnaround in once neglected animals.  Listless dogs with mange that had been abandoned, abused or cooped up for years slowly start wagging their tails again, enjoying human contact they once shied away from.  After building trust, aggressive snarling is replaced by a show of affection and submission, rolling over for belly rubs.  Rather than culling these domesticated animals, it is heartwarming to see people give their time, money and effort to revive and re-home them.

Pet owners can be guilty of neglect and not provide food, care and attention their animals need for good health and a happy life.  The animal is an innocent victim in this situation, for it could not help being sold,  having fleas, or being chained to a post.  A dog cannot build a shelter to be protected from the hot sun or find warmth on a cold night.  While there are a range of opinions of the care a dog should receive by its owner, all would admit there is a point where an animal wrongfully suffers neglect that is cruel.  Proverbs 12:10 points this out:  "A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel."  It might be easier to show compassion on an animal than an adult person since people have the capacity and responsibility to make decisions in consideration of their own health and future.  Following the example of Jesus, we ought to have compassion on all people--even when they have neglected their health, been careless with money or made irresponsible choices.

Spiritually speaking, we were all born into this world slaves to sin.  The tender mercies of the wicked are cruel, and there is nothing pleasant or endearing about Satan's treatment of fallen mankind he seeks to oppress and destroy:  there is no person more proud, cruel or murderous than he.  He is glad to bind people in heavy chains of lies, guilt and shame.  He finds pleasure to watch people suffer from addictions and ruin themselves with pornography, alcohol and pride.  He loves to isolate people and abuse them with deceit.  Jesus came into this world to cause light to shine in the darkness, to set captives free, to raise the spiritually dead to new life, to plunder those awaiting destruction in hell for their sin as His own adopted children and inheritance.  Satan does not want people to know Jesus came to save them, can do so and will for all who trust in Him.  The devil seeks to make humans so jaded and embittered against God by abuse they have suffered that they will not leave the cage of sin even when shackles are removed, the door is open and Jesus beckons with open arms and a loving smile.

Jesus showed compassion which exceeds anything we can muster, for He demonstrated His love by dying in our place on Calvary.  He paid a far greater price than it costs in dollars to save a dog or cat from being euthenised by spilling His blood to atone for our sins.  Jesus did so, not to foster us for a season, but to have a relationship with Him today and spend eternity with Him in heaven.  We are not like His pets or a new "member of the family" but are made co-heirs with Jesus Christ the KING OF KINGS.  When neglected animals receive love and medical care it changes them, and when we are born again by faith in Jesus we are transformed from within.  How grateful and thankful we ought to be Jesus has shown compassion on us, and let us have compassion on those who have yet to receive Him.  God will hold every person responsible for their actions, and He also will reward us accordingly.  Jesus gave His life because He regards ours, and may His life and compassion shine through us.

Receiving the Holy Spirit

Apollos is described by Luke in Acts 18 as an eloquent man, mighty in the scriptures, instructed in the way of the LORD, fervent in spirit, one who taught diligently things of God and spoke boldly in the synagogue.  These are stellar attributes, but Apollos only had partial understanding of God's ways because he stopped short of the Gospel.  Apollos only knew the baptism of John and thus his teaching was incomplete.  He preached a baptism of repentance that prepared the way to receive Jesus Christ as LORD and Messiah.  While Apollos responded positively to Aquila and Priscilla who explained the way of God more perfectly, it likely resulted in people missing key doctrinal truth required for salvation.  The following chapter illustrates the repercussions of people omitting important doctrines in teaching.

Paul encountered believers in Ephesus and asked them if they received the Holy Spirit since they believed.  They responded they were not even aware there was a Holy Spirit, for they had submitted to John's baptism--one of repentance.  After being baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, Paul laid his hands on them and they received the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus is the One who baptises with the Holy Spirit, and it was important they received the word of God in preparation to receive the Holy Spirit in fullness and operate in spiritual gifts.  I have no doubt these believers were genuine believers, regenerated by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Yet they had never received Him in fullness because they had not even heard of Him and thus did not ask God in faith according to knowledge.  The foundation of our faith is not signs or wonders but on Jesus Christ by faith in agreement with the word of God.  Having been born again by faith in Jesus, the gift of the Holy Spirit in fullness received by the 12 believers in Ephesus is available to all Christians today.

Paul presented an accurate summary of the Gospel to the Philippian jailer when he said, "Believe on the LORD Jesus Christ and you will be saved."  But that was not the end of the conversation or necessary instruction.  Acts 16:32 reads, "Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house."  Knowledge of God and His word preceded being born again and receiving salvation.  This is also true concerning baptism with the Holy Spirit:  it is by God's grace through faith we receive the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses and operate in spiritual gifts He gives according to His will.  A large portion of believers are ignorant of this doctrine and its relevance to them.  Others have heard of being baptised with the Holy Spirit and have no desire to be for countless reason.  Still others have a desire to receive and use a particular spiritual gift, refusing to present themselves before God in humble submission.  Believers can develop a jaded view towards the whole idea of baptism with the Holy Spirit that resembles the woman who was pleased with king Solomon dividing a baby in two because she didn't have her own baby.  I can say this because at one stage I resembled that poor, envious woman.

The desire to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit according to a human prescription that goes nowhere can lead to all manner of responses--coldness, envy, spite, frustration and despair--because it is an impossible code to crack when people do so to accomplish their own ends.  God's wisdom and grace is shown in not immediately granting the demands or desires of such a one, and in doing so reveals their desperate need for Him to even exhibit the fruit of the Spirit Who indwells them and walk in love towards the brethren.  God will patiently go to great lengths to restore embittered and frustrated souls to Himself, even if 40 years in the wilderness or 70 years of captivity is required.  Jesus said in Luke 11:13, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  The gift of the Holy Spirit is for us, our children and as many as our LORD will call.  God has granted Jew and Gentile repentance to life, and Jesus Christ baptises believers with the Holy Spirit to this day.

Praise the LORD God is gracious, compassionate and patient with us!  Countless hardened sinners have been born again, made new creations by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Also many proud, hardened believers have been baptised with the Holy Spirit by His grace, and my life is a testimony of God's love, mercy and faithfulness.  Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?  If you're not sure, today can be the day if you will meet His conditions to ask believing and receive according to His word.

Our Suffering Saviour

"Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. ¹⁸ For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted."

Hebrews 2:17-18

God came to earth in the person of Jesus Christ and experienced life as a common person.  Conceived by the Holy Spirit in the virgin Mary, Jesus was carried in the womb and born into this world as a helpless, crying baby.  Whilst we learn often by failure and correction, our righteous Saviour learned obedience by the things He suffered (Hebrews 5:7-8).  He suffered falls, injuries, trials, rejection and grief, yet He continued fervent in prayer and faithful to intercede for others.  Jesus was put to the test in every possible way and has overcome all, our glorious and risen King.

The writer of Hebrews wrote that Jesus was in all things like His brethren, in a human body with physical limitations, under the authority of Joseph, Mary and the Law of Moses.  The book goes on in great detail to show how Jesus was greater than the high priests who offered the sacrifices of clean animals according to the Law for He once for all offered up Himself to provide atonement for sin.  The sacrifice of animals needed to be repeated daily and annually to cover sins, and Jesus established an infinitely better covenant in His own blood that rendered the Law obsolete as a means to approach God.  Jesus opened up a new and living way to fellowship with God by grace through faith in Him that provides spiritual rebirth, forgiveness and pardon of sins, and eternal life.

Verse 18 explains an important principle which is a source of comfort for us:  because Jesus suffered, He is able to help us.  Jesus faced every manner of temptation to sin possible, and yet He remained without sin.  He was put under extreme pressure as He was put to the test and never failed.  Spiritually speaking it would be like putting an object into a hydraulic press and the press breaking from the incredible pressure it created--and the object coming out without a scratch.  But Jesus was not some impervious object:  He was a person made of flesh with feelings, emotions and desires.  With knowledge comes sorrow, and Jesus knew the heart and thoughts of every person.  He was tempted to use His power as God to gain glory for Himself, to humiliate others, to boast in pride, to give place to worry and fear, to satisfy the desires of the flesh or seek comfort rather than submitting to God's will when it meant suffering.

If Jesus had not suffered being tempted, He would not be able to aid us who are tempted.  A prince in a palace who eats royal dainties and is waited on by attendants has no idea of what it is like to live in abject poverty and go hungry for days because there is no food.  Jesus knows what it is like to be hungry, thirsty, tired and sorrowful.  He has personally experienced every temptation to sin and overcame all without sin, so He is able to lead us in the trail He blazed in righteousness.  In fact, Jesus had an infinitely greater capacity to be tempted than anyone else because of the incredible divine power and unlimited resources at His disposal.  We are tempted to lie rather than tell the truth while Jesus could have been tempted to wipe a person's memory of an event, cause them to fall into a coma or drop dead--when He was in another city.

Jesus suffered being tempted, but He did not resist with clenched teeth only focused on Himself.  He was joyful, patient, gentle and kind--all the fruit of the Spirit evident through His life continually even in trials.  He did not commit sin in thought, word or deed and did not leave any good His Father in heaven directed Him to do undone.  Even when it meant going to the cross as a sacrifice for sinners, Jesus did so for the joy that was set before Him.  He wondrously lay down His will in Gethsemane to do the will of the Father and was lifted up on a cross like Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness.  1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it."  With every test and temptation God allows He also makes the way of escape, and Jesus is the Way.  It is Jesus who helps us when we are tempted to bear it even though we suffer, for He is our merciful and faithful High Priest Who suffered for us and has overcome.

Guided by God's Eye

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. ⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."

Psalm 32:8-9

During Friday night Bible study we discussed Psalm 32, and these were standout verses for me that prompted useful conversation.  God promised to instruct and teach His people in the right way to go and would guide them with His eye.  It was not a situation where all the instruction was given beforehand and then, once the examination is passed, His people could fall back on their qualifications.  Instead, God offered a relationship with His people to be lead by Him in real time to know where to go and what to do, a life available to Christians who are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Our eyes are one of the most expressive, non-verbal means of communication we possess as human beings.  By opening our eyes extra wide for a split second or by winking we can send a message to someone who maintains eye contact with us.  A king seated at his table during a meal attended by servants who knew what to look for would spring into action with a subtle look from their master.  An abrupt lift of the chin accompanied by looking at an empty glass was enough to move a servant to refill it.  While playing sport, without speaking a word, our eyes can communicate effectively to help our teammates anticipate our moves and be in the correct position.

On the other hand, horses and mules cannot communicate in this visual fashion.  While words can be useful training aids, horses naturally communicate through body language and touching.  They respond to the tone of spoken words rather than recognising the meaning of the word itself.  During an equestrian dressage competition, riders are not permitted to speak or use verbal commands and will receive a penalty for doing so.  God told His people not to be like the horse or mule without understanding, that needed to be harnessed with bit and bridle or else they would run away.  No horse or mule will do profitable work without first being extensively trained to respond properly to the bridle and submit to being led.  God's desire is for His people to have understanding of Him and willingly look to Him for guidance--without needing to bridle us with afflictions and troubles to keep our interest.

So how can we maintain eye-contact with God we cannot see with our eyes?  The first part of James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."  We are to draw near to God with eyes of faith, learning of our Saviour in God's Word, desiring and choosing to walk in His ways.  Because we are spiritually regenerated by the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus, God dwells within us and guides us into all truth.  In one sense He looks through our eyes at the world around us and opens our understanding to perceive needs and opportunities to minister His love and grace we were once blind to.  Instead of fitting us with a bit and bridle of Law, we are governed by His love, righteousness and compassion to follow Christ's example of living out the Gospel by the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Because of the relationship we have by faith in Jesus, we are instructed and led by Him in real time by His grace.

Through God's word and the Word that became flesh, Jesus Christ, we can personally know God.  By the Gospel we are brought to an understanding beyond what Job said in Job 42:5:  "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You."  God created ants to follow one another and do profitable work for the benefit of all without a guide or ruler by chemical pheromones invisible to our eyes, and God makes Christians new creations He guides, enables and empowers to be fruitful for His glory by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Let us be those who seek and understand God, guided by His eye.

Commended to the LORD

"So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

Acts 14:23

Paul and Barnabas visited churches they were instrumental in establishing by the preaching of the Gospel, and they appointed or ordained leaders in every church.  Among this group there were those who laboured in the word and doctrine as pastors do to this day, overseers who provided sound teaching from the word of God.  As a newborn baby needs to drink milk regularly, so believers needed to have their faith in Jesus Christ grounded in His word, promises and new covenant.  Christians of a Jewish background were pressured to return to the Law as their measure of righteousness that could never save, and there was no shortage of stumbling blocks facing Gentiles as well.

These elders were appointed in every church with prayer and fasting, an acknowledgement that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.  As they communed with God concerning the elders raised up by the LORD, their reliance for wisdom and life itself was according to God's wisdom and word.  God spoke the words of life, about this new and living way to approach God through faith in Jesus Christ.  Through His sacrifice on Calvary, Jesus provided access to the presence of God for every Christian:  the torn veil in the Temple that revealed the Most Holy Place alluded to His torn flesh that makes fellowship possible by faith in our Great High Priest Jesus.  Because Jesus lives Hebrews 4:16 exhorts, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

After prayer and fasting, Paul and Barnabas "commended them to the LORD in whom they had believed."  They commended or entrusted, committed them to the care of their living God who saved them, would protect, help and cause them to be fruitful.  This was a very important step for all involved.  It was faith in God that would prevent Paul and Barnabas from worry, fear and meddling with believers who needed to learn to depend upon God for everything.  Only God could guide, provide, protect and strengthen the Body of Christ the church to be all He created us to be.  The fact they prayed and fasted shows Paul and Barnabas were not passive or careless, but they and the elders withheld food from themselves in reliance upon God going forward.  God made every member of the church members of one another by faith in Jesus, and the health of their relationships were maintained with Jesus at the centre.

Paul and Barnabas avoided the pitfall of potentially stunting spiritual growth by fostering dependence upon them personally by commending fellow believers to the LORD with continued support.  We can entrust our pastor, spouse, friends and children into God's most capable care and hands, knowing He loves them more than we ever could and His plans and purposes are better than ours.  We too can pray and fast, denying ourselves necessary food because we trust the LORD to meet all of our needs.  To throw a child to the wolves would be heartless and brutal, but no genuine child of God is without the protection and help of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.  Praise the LORD we can support and intercede on behalf of one another, just one of many ways we can avail much--praying, fasting and entrusting others to God--rather than worrying or meddling.

Smote by God

Believe it or not, reading the Bible is really fun.  Even if you are familiar with a passage and know what is coming, a person can never predict what God is going to say, what you will discover or how other parts of the Bible connect to amplify the meaning.  It is more interesting and useful than the latest installment of that show you are watching or new season of game you are playing.  The Bible is God's words of life, and blessed is the one who reads, studies, meditates and applies them personally by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Today I read Acts 12 in the KJV and the LORD opened my eyes to something I never noticed before.  Woven throughout scripture are many such passages, where a parallel is presented to compare and contrast.  The major feature of Hebrew poetry is the use of parallelism and prompts the reader to consider personal application to what is said.  The two verses that grabbed my attention concern Peter the apostle in prison awaiting death, and Herod who delivered a public address in royal apparel.  As Peter slept in prison chained to guards, the LORD sent an angel to deliver him.  Acts 12:7 says, "And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands."  He was told to put on his garment and followed the angel through doors that opened on their own accord until he was safely led to freedom.  At John Mark's house he was united with Christians who were praying for him, and spread the word of God's deliverance.

After Herod gave a speech in Caesarea, the people flattered him by shouting:  "It is the voice of a god and not of a man."  Acts 12:23 reads, "And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."  Suddenly the angel of the LORD smote Herod with worms that consumed him from within, and it was not long before he died.  Both Peter and Herod were smote by the angel of the LORD, and the contrast is profound.  At night when everyone was sleeping, a light shone in the darkness, Peter was struck by the angel on the side who raised him up; Herod stood in the public eye arrayed in fine apparel that was shone in the sun, and he was struck with worms inside that brought him to the grave and darkness.  Herod's sin was not the adulation of the people, but that he did not give God the glory--something Peter was quick to do.

Herod was forever silenced by God for his sin, and Acts 12:24 tells us:  "But the word of God grew and multiplied."  God has given people the capacity for speech, yet it is God's word that will grow and multiply.  Herod and his words were like chaff blown away by the wind, and the testimony of God's wisdom, deliverance of His people and the words of His life have continued and prevailed.  God's grace and our faith in him will determine the manner of how God strikes us:  to wake us from our slumber, stand us on our feet and provide light in the darkness--or bring judgment upon us as we are cast into darkness.  Praise the LORD in the darkest places the light of Jesus Christ and God's word can shine, and our hearts can be illuminated by the unfailing truth of scripture.  This illustration is sobering and encouraging at the same time, and it is our choice how we respond:  will we obey God and give Him glory in our freedom, or will we rob God of glory and lose the little we have?

Winning by Losing

In the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, a boy named Charlie and four other children found golden tickets which promised them a lifetime supply of chocolate.  Shortly after their find they individually were accosted by Albert Slugworth, owner of a rival chocolate business, who offered a great sum of money to the one who gave him an "everlasting gobstopper" so he could discover the secret formula.  During the tour of Wonka's factory, the four remaining children were offered everlasting gobstoppers--on the strict condition they kept the gobstopper to themselves--to which they all enthusiastically agreed.

As the tour progressed the children where whittled down to Charlie alone as they all disobeyed the warnings of Wonka which led to bizarre problems, like falling into a chocolate river, swelling up like a blueberry, tumbling down a chute, or shrinking to the size of an action figure.  Charlie and his grandpa were the only ones that managed to make it to the end, though they too had their share of problems.  They decided to try "fizzy lifting drinks" which violated the contract Charlie signed before the tour began.  The promise of a lifetime supply of chocolate was thus forfeited, and Wonka spared no fury in rebuking them for their transgression.

Grandpa was furious with Wonka, called him a crook and promised he would get back at him somehow.  Charlie, moved by a guilty conscience, returned the everlasting gobstopper.  When the candy was placed next to Wonka, it was like time stopped.  Moved by this good deed to refuse to sell Wonka's secrets for money to Slugworth, Wonka's demeanor changed completely.  The elaborate tour had all been a test Wonka had been hoping Charlie would win.  Though Charlie failed to keep to the contract he signed, he won.  His theft of fizzy lifting drinks was forgiven and he was swept up in a friendly embrace of the chocolate maker who finally found a child with the necessary quality of character to someday take over the company.

Charlie's interaction with Willy Wonka suggests by a good deed people can redeem themselves.  While this makes for a happy finish to the film, it misses the mark entirely concerning being accepted by God.  Like Charlie and his grandpa, we have all broken the Law of God and thus are sinners doomed by a curse that brings eternal death.  We are truly lost without hope.  No amount of good deeds can undo or make up for one sin we have committed.  Yet because of Who Jesus is and all He has accomplished by providing atonement for sinners, the way of forgiveness and salvation has been provided for us as a free gift.  Jesus has overcome sin and death, and by faith in Him we are accepted in the beloved for something far better than a lifetime supply of chocolate:  adoption into the family of God, made co-heirs with Christ and  will enjoy eternal life in God's glorious presence.  The only way we win eternal life is to lose our lives for Christ's sake.

Like Willy Wonka wanted Charlie to win and rejoiced in his success, God desires for all people to live in His presence and enjoy communion with Him forever.  Had Charlie kept the everlasting gobstopper for himself, I have no doubt he would have grown tired of the flavour and even the smell of it over time.  Praise the LORD salvation is a gift we will never tire of as we enjoy fellowship with God for eternity.  Titus 3:4-7 says, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."  Having received such love, grace and acceptance by God, we are assured a glorious future with our Father we can rejoice in presently--and can offer to others through the power of the Gospel.

God's For-ness

The LORD blessed me with the opportunity to grow up in a family with a dad and mum who feared God and set an example of walking in love.  To some my parents seemed "strict" because they restricted us from freedoms others enjoyed and held us kids accountable to obey them, do chores together as a family and  provided ways to earn money through work rather being given an allowance.  If we wanted a toy, wristwatch or fishing reel, we needed to learn discipline to save up for it.  All my childhood, youth and adult life, by the grace of God I have enjoyed the love and support of my parents who cheered me on and supported me through all seasons of life.

My parents demonstrated their love for their children in practical ways:  carting me to and from baseball practice, paying for dental work, investing time and effort in our schooling, playing games with us and disciplining us when needed.  Whether I was pitching or at bat, I could hear encouragement coming from them.  Knowing they were for me built our relationship upon a foundation of love.  This made receiving correction, instruction and rebuke easier because there was never a doubt their words and actions were in my best interest.  They would be the first to say they were not perfect parents, but they were perfect for me and exactly who I needed by God's grace.

I agree with what Dallas Willard wrote:  "As firmness of footing is a condition of walking and secure movement, so assurance of others being for us is the condition of stable, healthy living...When the required type of "for-ness" is adequately present, human "circles of sufficiency" emerge...Ultimately, every human circle is doomed to dissolution if it is not caught up in the life of the only genuinely self-sufficient circle of sufficiency, that of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  For that circle is the only one that is truly and totally self-sufficient." (Willard, Dallas, et al. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ. Form, 2021. pages 185-186)  Knowing my parents were for me led me to know the God from whom all love, wisdom and grace comes from--Jesus Christ who made my parents the people they are.  Much heartbreak and disillusion comes when we put anyone in the place of honour only God deserves.  To elevate a spouse, child, pastor, church or cause as our primary source of sufficiency will end in our ruin.  When we realise the grace of God is sufficient for all, we are strengthened and enabled by God to endure.  Rather than destroying us, the painful process will refine us more into the image of our Saviour.

Paul wrote in Romans 8:31-32, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³² He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"  A privilege of the born-again Christian is knowing God is for us.  He has demonstrated His "for-ness" by coming in the person of Jesus Christ and suffering on the cross for our atonement, redemption and salvation.  God's love for us sinners was so glorious He gave His only begotten Son for our sakes and thus will not withhold any good of the kingdom of God from us.  Since God is for us presently we can experience rest by His grace, and He also has wondrous plans for our future with Jesus.  All trials, pains, fierce opposition of Satan and overwhelming feelings can be made as nothing because God is for us.  Knowing God is for us and nothing can separate us from His love, we can be strong in the LORD and rejoice in Him today as we trust Him.

Gift of the Holy Spirit

Simple questions can have complex answers.  The Gospel is simple enough for a child to understand, yet walking according to the truth of the Gospel every day is hard.  It is easy to become a Christian, and it is hard to be one at the same time.  Yet in all these difficulties we are more than conquerors through Jesus Christ Who loves us.  The yoke of Jesus is easy and His burden is light, yet we can struggle to even stand because of our human weakness, to remain alert to resist the devil and to flee from temptation to sin.

We did not likely come to faith in Jesus at the first because He answered all our deep musings and theological queries:  we came to Him because He drew us to Himself by grace, opened our eyes to our sinfulness and that He is the Son of God and Saviour of the world.  As helpless, lost and desperate people we trusted in Him, asked for forgiveness and salvation.  We might wonder, how can I know I am filled with the Holy Spirit?  The simple answer is the same way you know you are saved:  by Who Jesus is as revealed in scripture, what He has accomplished through His death and resurrection and our receiving of Him by faith as an undeserved, free gift.  Only those who are born again can see the kingdom of God, and by faith in Jesus is the Way we enter.

Being born again is a new spiritual birth by the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Romans 8:9 says, "But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."  If we do not have the Holy Spirit within us, we are not born again.  He is the One who spiritually regenerates us and guides us into all truth.  As a tree is known by its fruit, so we are known by the fruit of our lips that reveal the heart in truth.  Rather than the works of the flesh, the lives of born again followers of Jesus are adorned by the fruit of the Spirit.  Galatians 5:22-26 reads, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."  The manifestation of the fruit of the Spirit is not passive or "just happens" but is combined with conscious choices to crucify the flesh with its sinful passions and desires:  a dying to self that chooses God's way rather than our own selfish, sinful way.

In Acts 8, many people of Samaria (likely Gentiles) came to faith in Jesus Christ through the word of God preached there.  There was great joy in that city from this revelation of Jesus Christ, accompanied by physical healing and deliverance from evil spirits.  Yet Luke pointed out they had not received the Holy Spirit (as the apostles and disciples had on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem) because they had only been baptised in the name of Jesus Christ.  Rather than baptising them in water again, the apostles Peter and John came and prayed for believers with laying on of hands, so they too might receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit.  Simon's amazed reaction suggests there was evidence they in fact did receive the Holy Spirit, for he foolishly offered money for the power to do so himself.  The Bible lists many gifts of the Holy Spirit given according to His will so believers in Jesus can be His witnesses, edify the church and glorify God.  The scripture makes it clear there is a distinction between having the Holy Spirit and being filled with Him.

How can a person have confidence they have been born again and have received the Holy Spirit as the believers in Jerusalem and Samaria did?  Hint:  it isn't by speaking in tongues.  There is no formula for predicting wind patterns, and one cannot dictate the way the Holy Spirit must move.  Jesus said in Luke 11:13, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  Having received the truth of God's word, we are to ask believing the Father will give the Holy Spirit to us in fullness.  As Peter said in Acts 2:38-39, "...Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."  You have received Christ by faith, and we receive the Holy Spirit by faith as well.  Having presented ourselves as living sacrifices, obedient to do His will (Acts 5:32), by faith in Jesus we ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

If you are a believer who is unsure you are filled with the Holy Spirit, today is the day to be filled!  R.A. Torrey's observations are true to my experience, for he said everyone filled with the Holy Spirit knows they are filled, when it happened and that it was not a gradual filling--for God gives the Holy Spirit beyond measure.  Many have stumbled on this point because they have sought an experience or gifting of their choosing rather than fully submitting themselves to the will of God and waiting on Him.  They have sought the gift of tongues or heightened spiritual status among their peers rather than seeking and presenting themselves to Jesus Christ.  They have been unwilling to repent of sin or crucify the passions of the flesh and thus avoided walking in the Spirit.  Simon the sorcerer wanted power for himself, and this same lure attracts many today.  Paul wrote in Galatians 5:25, "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."  Let us prize the Giver over all His good gifts, choosing the most excellent way to walk in love towards all, having and being filled with the Holy Spirit. :)

Subjugation of Sin

To people who value their personal freedoms, the rise of a totalitarian government that oppresses and subjugates citizens is a genuine concern.  More movies than I can count present a societal hellscape with enough connection to reality to be chilling and frightful viewing that illustrate the dangers of unchecked power.  Whether it is annihilation of humanity through time-travelling cyborgs fueled by artificial intelligence ideology, government overreach by power-hungry people employing surveillance or harsh punishments or the use of unwitting human bodies to produce energy, the common threat is the subjugation of the human will--with any concept of God being strangely absent.

In many of these these science fiction and dystopian scenarios, the citizens are a blend of personalities:  those who have been conditioned to submit, those blinded and deceived to imagine the government acts for their best interest, some who will betray their fellow citizens for personal benefits, others who comply out of fear, people who are broken and hopeless shells because of suppression and punishment, and those who suddenly have their eyes open to injustice, decide to rebel and fight against it.  Often it comes down to the brave efforts of a small group of people who join together and risk their lives against incredible odds to be free.  This is usually the major conflict of the show or film to be resolved.  What is not detailed is what happens after the oppressive regime is overthrown and what sort of leaders those freedom fighters end up being--if they lead at all.  To think the brutality required to overthrow oppression will not lead to new oppression is likely wishful thinking.

Did you know every human being born into this world is systemically oppressed?  It goes far deeper than politics, government, economy and society:  it is oppression of a spiritual and personal nature.  The Bible teaches that every person is born a slave to sin that has corrupted them to the core and blinded them to the truth of God who created all things.  Spiritually speaking, people who live and walk and talk are dead in this world under Satan's sway.  They do not realise sin is actually a yoke of oppression that drags them body and soul to hell.  The sin a person drinks like water and revels in is more soul-destroying than the most totalitarian government.  To someone deceived by sin, the embrace of sin is freeing and provides the greatest amount of pleasure and human satisfaction possible, yet in reality its grip only tightens to suffocate and destroy forever.  Trying to rebel against the lusts of the flesh, lusts of the eyes and the pride of life by the power of the flesh is always futile.

Contrary to Hollywood blockbusters, the only way to overcome the sinister, totalitarian oppression of sin over our entire being is not by man's will, savvy or power but by faith in Jesus Christ.  The Law of God reveals our sinful condition in truth and leads us by the hand to Jesus as the Light of the World, the Messiah we need to save us.  The only way of salvation and deliverance from this body of death we live in is by faith in Jesus who died on the cross, rose from the dead, and has sat down enthroned in eternal glory.  For all who have been born again by the power of the Gospel we ought to rebel against the lusts of the flesh, pride, selfishness and every wicked way.  Because Jesus has provided atonement by His death on Calvary, we can put to death the sins of the flesh:  on sin we ought to show no mercy.  At the same time we ought to extend grace to others realising even people who are willing pawns in a totalitarian government are not the enemy and never will be.  Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, powers and Satan whom must all bow before Jesus Christ (Eph. 6).

Churches all over the world are places these rebels against sin gather in Christ name, however we are not called to rebellion:  we are called to unity and agreement with Jesus Christ and one another in love.  Our identity is not found in the evils we war against, the cesspools of sin Jesus has delivered us from, but as humble children of God who love Him and one another.  When we sin, we repent and strive to do what is good instead.  Rather than being loyal to a cause we are committed and loyal to Christ, even as a betrothed wife remains chaste for her husband.  Many causes may beckon us, and sin can rise up within our flesh with the aim to seduce our souls to join in an elicit embrace.  We look upon these with disdain because our eyes have been opened by Jesus who loves us.  We fix our eyes on Him, laying aside sin and every weight that holds us back from obedience.  By His grace we can run with endurance the race set before us, free from sin and fear and free to serve, minister and work for our LORD in whom we trust and rest.

Jesus said in John 8:33-36:  "...Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. ³⁵ And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. ³⁶ Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  Man's great fear is to have his autonomy taken away, yet when we are in sin we cannot be free.  It is in submitting and surrendering to Jesus in faith we are freed from slavery to sin and adopted as children of God forever.  How wonderful it is to have the bonds of sin stripped away and to be embraced in the love of God, set free by His grace.  This isn't science fiction or some doomsday conspiracy but a joyous reality every Christian can know and rejoice in today.

Feeding On-Demand

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ² as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

1 Peter 2:1-3

God designed the milk of a mother to supply all the nutritional needs of a newborn baby for health and growth.  Peter urged believers of all ages and levels of spiritual maturity to lay aside sin and to feed on God's word as a newborn baby drinks milk.

While there are obviously more than two camps when it comes to feeding babies, the most common and large groups seems to be scheduled or "on-demand" feeding.  Some adhere to a more strict schedule concerning feeding, while other mothers feed their baby whenever he or she seems hungry.  From what I was told, with me my mother adopted the "on-demand" feeding style and resulted in me growing very fat and happy.  The story goes my mum was rebuked by a pediatrician for "ruining my life" by allowing me to drink milk whenever and as much as I wanted.  It was a painful experience for someone who carried, nurtured and loved me from birth.

A baby without an appetite is a concern, as babies need to eat properly to develop and grow.  Spiritually speaking Peter told believers we ought never wean ourselves from the word of God but to desire it, to treasure the flavour of grace in the Bible.  Like a baby grows out of tiny clothes, we are to put aside sinful thoughts and behaviours that are unfitting for a child of God.  A baby finds comfort in using a dummy to satisfy the natural sucking reflex God created babies to have, yet there is no substitute for the pure word of God.  The scripture is never something we ought be weaned from because God has provided it for our growth.  We do not grow out of needing to ingest, contemplate and put into practice God's word.

Many believers adopt a scheduled spiritual feeding routine, limiting themselves to feeding during a Sunday sermon or a weekly study.  For these it should be no wonder if there is little spiritual growth:  imagine if a baby ate only once or twice a week!  God does not dole out wisdom on a weekly basis but feeds His children on-demand, giving us His word and the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  Peter's exhortation implies believers have the choice to lay aside sin and to desire the pure milk of the word.  Physical growth for babies occur when they drink milk, and spiritual growth occurs when we receive and obey God's word.  A baby might spit up a lot of what they drink, and just reading the Bible more is not the cure for our spiritual ills.  But the growth of believers is directly tied to feeding on God's word, developing a taste and hunger for it, and obeying it.

Jesus fed all 5,000 men and their families with five loaves and two fish that sat down on the grass in groups as directed, and God will never turn away the spiritually famished because it is not Sunday.  If you are hungry, come to Him and feed on His word.  We ought not condition ourselves to be scheduled feeders when He feeds us on-demand.  We cannot eat too much of God's word; we cannot heed it too well.  Our error is to neglect God's word and seek answers, comfort or guidance from anyone or anything rather than God.  We are called to put away all sin that stunts our spiritual growth and desire the pure milk of God's word.  Demand cannot outstrip God's abundant supply, for we live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.

Transactional or Relational?

A lot of our connections and interactions in our modern day are transactional:  I pay for goods or a service, and the other party responds by providing it.  I bring stocked items to an associate, I pay money and then the items become mine.  People come to my door asking me to support a charity by contributing money they will use to further their aims.  What is never discussed is I will be placed on a mailing list that will likely endure long beyond my natural life.  The depth of our involvement with people is strictly transactional until we make things personal.  First we recognise an associate, begin calling them by name, or engage in conversation about something more significant than the weather.

It is entirely possible, because of modern society and personal desire, that we can dumb down the relationship God desires to have with us to one of merely a transactional nature.  Many adopt a formulaic approach to avoiding future judgment and receiving blessing from God.  Man's focus can be primarily on what we hope to obtain or for God to do what we want rather than Who God is, what He has done and freely given.  Want to go to heaven?  Believe on the LORD Jesus and you will be saved.  We want sins forgiven or help?  We need only repent and ask God.  When Simon saw the Holy Spirit was given by the laying on of hands, he foolishly offered money to Peter for the ability to do this too--like a party trick.  It does not seem Simon was interested to be baptised with the Holy Spirit himself, but he wanted the power the apostles had for himself.  He had a transactional mindset.

Rarely is our transactional tendency this blatant.  We can be more subtle, using Bible passages to support our desires.  Acts 2:46-47 describes the activity of the early church:  "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."  People can read this passage as a biblical pattern of church growth:  if we practice what the early church did, the LORD will cause the church to grow.  A transactional view seizes upon this as a formula for church success, but a relational view sees it as simply describing fellowship of genuine followers of Jesus Christ.  People were born again by faith in Jesus and filled with the Holy Spirit.  They continued to worship God united by faith in Christ in the temple daily, shared meals together, were grateful to God for His provision, praised God and were of good reputation.  The lives of these people who knew Jesus as LORD produced a crop of new believers who also walked by faith in Jesus.  This is not a "to do" list but things genuine Christians do to this day, for God created sheep to beget sheep.

Some people might be content to just receive benefits or "get free stuff" from God, but His desires is for us to willingly enter into a relationship with Him founded on His love.  We love Him because He first loved us, and our love is not to be shallow as the world loves--feeling of loyalty or affection towards people because they have been kind or generous to us--which is transactional and based on them meeting or exceeding our expectations.  This can be a reason people who at one time profess Jesus Christ as LORD willfully depart from Him.  They feel God has not delivered on the benefits or blessings they hoped to receive by now--like someone who receives poor customer service and leaves a scathing 1-star review because a zero-star review is not possible.  Knowing we have been specially chosen and called into a loving relationship with the living God is the most amazing, satisfying life because He is awesome.  Praise the LORD Jesus unites us, provides our daily bread spiritually and physically, gives gladness, humility, simplicity and grace.  Having a loving relationship with Jesus changes us forever.

Hearing and Fearing

People who fear God will respect and observe the authority He has sovereignly put in place.  I read an article recently a school teacher was pepper-sprayed by a student after he confiscated her phone.  While I do not know anything about the student or what transpired beforehand, behaviour like this primarily demonstrates a departure from the fear of the LORD.  The student could profess faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and LORD, yet at face value this assault on the teacher is an affront to the God who rules over all.  Brothers and sisters, we must be circumspect not to do the same.

When Paul was brought before the council and was ordered to be struck on the face by Ananias the high priest, Acts 23:3-5 tells us what happened next:  "Then Paul said to him, "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?" ⁴ And those who stood by said, "Do you revile God's high priest?" ⁵ Then Paul said, "I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'"   The unjust, hypocritical directive by the high priest did not release Paul from his responsibility before God to keep the Law of Moses, to refrain from speaking evil of rulers.  Paul was bold to rebuke the man for breaking God's law, yet he acknowledged he spoke without realising the man's office.  Abusive speech is not fitting for the child of God--regardless whom we address.

The rules around obedience to the priests and Levites is described in Deuteronomy 17.  When there was a difficult judgment to be made that was unclear in the Law regarding degrees of guilt, punishment or controversy, the Jews were to go up to the place where God chose and the priests and Levites would provide a binding judgment.  Deuteronomy 17:11-12 reads, "According to the sentence of the law in which they instruct you, according to the judgment which they tell you, you shall do; you shall not turn aside to the right hand or to the left from the sentence which they pronounce upon you. ¹² Now the man who acts presumptuously and will not heed the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall put away the evil from Israel."  This statute is likely difficult for people to accept, as the scripture illustrates human judges are fallible people who can be biased and make errors--like Ananias and Paul.  But God's people were to do according to the judgment of the priest and Levite as unto the LORD, knowing willful disobedience carried the sentence of death.

Jesus is our great High Priest, and it follows we ought to do as He says.  Amazingly, God has not placed born-again believers under the yoke of the Law that demands the blood of evildoers, for Jesus has provided atonement for our sins and delivered us from death.  In the conversation of Jesus with Peter, we see Him appeal for love to govern Peter's actions:  "Peter, do you love me?  Feed My sheep,"  Compelled by the fear and love of God, Peter and all believers are to heed the word of Jesus as if our lives depend on it because He died so we could live.  Instead of establishing His kingdom upon threats of punishment or death, Jesus laid the foundation of His eternal kingdom with love, grace, mercy, compassion and justice.  If we confess our sins God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The world is full of people who have little or no respect for authority, but as Jesus told Peter:  "What is that to you?  You follow Me."  Our responsibility before God is clear, and Jesus has provided an example we are to follow:  to love God and one another as He loves us.  Let us put away the evil from our hearts that would murmur, complain and speak evil of those God has put in authority--even if they take your phone, fairly or not.  It is in hearing and fearing God we find security and rest as we submit to His love.

Guided by God

As I drove back from the shops this morning, I saw a couple of tradesmen by the side of the road holding a string taut in preparation to dig holes for a fence.  The simple straight line is a valuable tool utilised by many trades to ensure fences, courses of block, bricks and tiles are installed properly.  Once the dimensions are measured properly, a chalk line is a trustworthy guide for framing, roofing and cutting materials.  When done accurately, builders can have confidence to follow the line and obtain quality, professional results.

Like a builder is confident to follow a straight chalk line, so the Christian can have total confidence in the word of God to guide us to live wisely.  When it comes to marking a line, it is possible to make mistakes.  I have learned (by trial and error!) synthetic string needs to be stretched very tight because over long distances it can begin to sag.  There is no such risk of human error when speaking of God's word, for it has been divinely inspired, preserved and is reliable.  The evidence for the accuracy of God's word is staggering, and for those without faith in God nothing will convince them.  As David observed in Psalm 12:6, "The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."

Man has always fancied charting his own course rather than submission to God and His word.  In one sense there are no spiritual pioneers according to the scriptures.  For Christians Jesus is the Way Who leads to abundant life, and those who reject Him go their own way to destruction.  Jesus is the original and only One who died from crucifixion, was buried and three days later rose from the dead in glory and lives--all according to the scriptures.  Great trouble always results when people in the church choose to cast aside God's word and follow worldly wisdom.  Jesus said those who hear His words but do not do them are like a man who builds a house on sand without a foundation.  The moral and spiritual erosion promotes compromise that ultimately results in denial of Christ and the authority of God's word.

St. Augustine of Hippo is quoted as saying, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”  The accuracy of a line marked by builders is to be checked against a government approved set of drawings.  For the Christian, it is God's word we are to follow concerning essential beliefs God has established concerning Himself, the Godhead, and salvation by grace through faith in Jesus.  Professing Christians are to be grounded in and continue returning to God's word for guidance and spiritually illumination to walk wisely, for God is the sole source of wisdom--Jesus Himself being wisdom for us.  As it is written of God's word in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  God who said, "Let there be light!" remains the world's only source of life-giving spiritual guidance, illumination and transformation by His grace.

A Royal Relationship

People from all around the globe tuned in the watch the historical coronation of His Majesty King Charles III in Westminster Abbey.  Over 2,000 people were invited to the momentous ceremony with royals, dignitaries and celebrities in attendance.  I suspect only a fraction of the people who witnessed the proceedings would have been permitted to have a brief chat with King Charles.  Just being there on the occasion was an incredible privilege only a handful of people on the planet could claim.

I suspect there are only a small percentage of people in the United Kingdom who have ever seen King Charles up close in person, and a vastly fewer amount who have conversed with him.  With so many subjects, royal engagements and security concerns, it makes sense interactions with the king are invite only.  A man of his prestige, wealth, fame and influence is exceedingly rare, carrying with him traditions which have been passed down for over 400 years.  It is simply not feasible or possible for an outsider to have a meaningful relationship with King Charles unless he chooses.

Seeing how inaccessible the king of Britain is to common people illustrates how wonderful and astounding Jesus Christ, the KING OF KINGS, has provided access into His throne room of grace to find mercy and help in time of need.  By being born again through faith in Jesus, by Him Christians have complete access and a relationship with the living God Who created us.  Jesus came to earth as a baby born of a virgin and laid in a manger because there was no room for Him in the inn.  Wise men worshipped him, and king Herod sought to kill Him.  When His hour finally came He did not don royal robes but was stripped bare and scourged.  Instead of wearing a gold crown adorned with jewels, a circle of thorns was pressed into His brow.  Rather than His people shouting, "God save the King!" they bellowed in one accord:  "Crucify Him!"  Jesus did not sit upon velvet cushions but was nailed to a cross to atone for lost sinners and died.

For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured the cross so all could receive Him by faith and find rest for their souls.  To all lost sinners Jesus personally offered forgiveness, full pardon of sin, eternal life and a real relationship by the grace of God and the power of the Gospel.  God, Who is unapproachable in glory and majesty, has risen from the dead and today sits in heavenly glory.  Yet Jesus can be known by us personally as we walk with Him on this earthly pilgrimage.  God does not need angelic attendants to remind him what our names are though His people are beyond counting, for He knows all things--the number of sand on the shore or the number of stars He knows by name.  Not only does God know us, but He actually loves us as well.

It's amazing that I have never seen the king of the United Kingdom in person and likely never will, but I speak to the KING OF KINGS Jesus every day as I frequent His throne room of grace.  Followers of Jesus Christ are afforded a greater privilege than watching the crowning of King Charles III in person, for Jesus is infinitely greater in majesty and power, for His kingdom and rule is from everlasting.  God raises up kings and deposes them, and we are given the duty of a king in serving the sovereign LORD God--not only as subject to his king--but a beloved child of our Father in heaven.  Long live the king, and praise the LORD the righteous rule of Jesus Christ will never cease.

The Cup We Drink

When Jesus was accosted in the Garden of Gethsemane by a mob led by Judas, Peter lashed out with the sword and sliced off the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest.  John 18:11 tells us, "So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?"  I find the response of Jesus revealing and inspiring.  Jesus knew without a doubt His betrayal, arrest and ultimate death on a cross was ordained by God and would be redeemed for God's good purposes.

It is a common tendency in troubles to place blame on others.  God confronted Adam about his sin in the garden and he blamed God for giving him Eve as wife; she blamed the serpent for tricking her.  They did this to avoid responsibility for their sins, a vain attempt to justify themselves before God--or to suggest others ought to bear more guilt than them.  Because Jesus had not sinned, He could have justly blamed the devil for taking possession of Judas, Judas for his greed in agreeing to betray Him for 30 pieces of silver, or the high priest and Pharisees for their pride, envy and malice.  Yet Jesus did not do this:  this cup was given Him by His Father in heaven.

Perhaps there is no time easier since the creation of the world to share our opinions with others with comments through all manner of media.  Blaming God or others (or even ourselves!) is so ingrained in practice that we may not even realise how quick we are to stoop to this tactic.  Pointing out who is in the wrong--even when it is true--cannot right wrongs or change others.  Rather than passivity and hopelessness, we ought to follow the example set by Jesus who viewed His suffering as a cup given Him by the Father knowing He would rise from the grave.  Jesus went to the cross for the joy set before Him, knowing the plan of salvation He had orchestrated since the beginning.  God would redeem the wickedness of man to make a new and living way for eternal glory in God's presence.

It is good for us to humbly submit to God, knowing He is good even though He allows evil.  One day He will put an end to it forever, but now He employs it wisely to accomplish His good ends.  He can redeem something like death that was not His will--to do His will and bring eternal life.  Even in disaster we can know God is not absent, for He will accomplish His redemptive purposes.  God said in Isaiah 45:7, "I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things."  God is able to use a calamity like the cross to make peace with mankind.  That's how good God is and how excellent His plans are.  Often we cannot see or know what God is doing, but knowing and trusting God guides us to submit to circumstances He allows.  Job received evil from Satan as from God, and he was enabled to persevere to receive blessing God intended to give from the beginning.

God's Eternal, Glorious Love

Most people who have sung "Jesus loves me, this I know" have much to grow in our appreciation, acceptance and giving of God's love.  How can we comprehend the eternal, infinite love of God in a moment of time?  God's love is not like the love of mankind which is limited by degrees and according to personal preferences.  Like there can only be one winner of a grand final, our love is doled out in a complex pecking-order based upon loyalty, sense of obligation, consideration of a person's relationship to us, and what we know of them.  We are limited in what we can say and do with the time we have, fettered by geography and availability.  In contrast, God's love is eternal and infinite.  Being one God revealed in three Persons, He is able to completely love an infinite amount of people--and demonstrate fullness of love all at one time.

Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17:22-24 and revealed God's will:  "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ²⁴ Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world."  Jesus began this prayer by saying before the world was created, He was glorified with the Father.  The glory Jesus had before He created the heavens and the earth He gave to all those who trusted in Him.  Because born-again Christians are in Jesus Christ and Christ is in the Father, we have been loved by God the Father as Jesus is loved.  Jesus and His Father are one God.  Jesus was loved before the foundation of the world, and thus we who are members of the Body of Christ, the church, are partakers of this everlasting love that remains in full force today and throughout the eternal state.

God's love is an active love that seeks our good at all times offered freely by His grace.  We should not limit the benefits of God's love only in a judicial sense, that because God loves Jesus He loves us.  God so loved the world He sent His only begotten Son, not because we were in Christ or worthy of His love, for at one time we were all enemies of God and deserving of eternal damnation.  It would be a distortion to view God as still intending to smite us for our sin, yet relenting only because He looks at us through the lens of the work of Jesus on Calvary.  The reality is Jesus has washed us clean by the atonement He provided on the cross, and the righteousness of Jesus has been imputed to us by grace through faith.  He loves us, not because of Jesus, but because He loves us.  God is love, and Jesus demonstrated His love for all by dying for lost sinners.

The basis of God's love was established in the Old Testament on the basis of His goodness and faithfulness and not in the worthiness of the object, as expressed in passages like Deuteronomy 7:7-8 to His chosen people:  "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; ⁸ but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."  God set His love on His people because He loved them, simple as that.  This remains true under the New Covenant established by the shed blood of Jesus, for He loves completely and fully all the sheep of His pasture.  While He loves all people, those who respond to His call in faith are His elect and chosen who receive all that pertains to life and holiness, redeemed from sin and reconciled to God.  Jesus cried out to whosoever was thirsty, and He is the open Door to all who place their faith in Him and receive Him.

God loves every Christian completely as He loves Christ, and He loves you because He loves you.  Having received Christ by faith, we are to demonstrate our love for Him by keeping His commandment:  to love one another as He has loved us.  It is a big step to tell a person out loud you love them, and God's love was shown by more than words.  Jesus did this by His patience, rebuked those who erred, encouraged the downcast, held little children, washed His disciples' feet and carried His cross for the joy set before Him.  God has kept His covenant and redeemed us by the Gospel, and now we are the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us and empowers us to walk in God's love today and always.

Without Excuse

In the ancient world, the Jewish nation was unique because of their God and His laws delivered to them through Moses.  They exerted themselves to keep His commands and even went beyond the letter of the Law with traditions embraced for millennia.  The lives of the people were governed in ways foreign to many people today, impacting everything from the clothing they wore, how they harvested their crops, what was considered clean and unclean foods, marriage, the observance of feast days and the Sabbath.  The Law contained blessings and curses, directives for necessary worship of God and the punishment of evildoers.  The Jews who kept the Law were very particular about avoiding anything unclean and maintaining a blameless image according to their traditions.

When Jesus ministered in Israel, He preached about the kingdom of God and did countless signs to show the truth of His claims.  For instance, after a paralysed man was brought to Jesus He said to the man, "Son, your sins are forgiven."  The scribes and Pharisees bristled at the statement, for they knew only God could possibly forgive sins.  Who did this man think he was?  Jesus answered the secret thoughts of their hearts by miraculously healing the paralytic.  So they would know the Son of Man (Jesus) had the power to forgive sins (and thus was God in the flesh), Jesus said in Mark 2:11-12, "I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house." ¹² Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"  Perhaps some of them were more amazed by the sign than what it pointed to:  that God Himself put on human flesh and walked among them in the person of Jesus.

The teaching and miracles demonstrated by Jesus had another effect mentioned in the Gospel of John.  It exposed the truth concerning the hearts of people who were blameless under the Law:  it revealed they actually hated the God they professed to love.  Their self-righteousness and condemnation of others covered up the fact their hearts were distant from God.  Jesus said in John 15:22-24, "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ He who hates Me hates My Father also. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father."  The rejection of Jesus Christ as the Son of God was actually a rejection of God Himself, for Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Him.  The words of Jesus are also relevant concerning people today who are law-abiding citizens, generous, considerate and thoughtful people who refuse to trust in Jesus as Saviour.  Their refusal to believe Jesus is God is inexcusable because Jesus has spoken and done mighty works no one else has ever done.

It was ironic the Jewish rulers who believed the Law of Moses was the word of God refused to believe the Jesus Whom Moses wrote about.  Jesus said the people of Nineveh would rise up in judgment against the Jews for their unbelief in Him, for the Ninevites repented at the words of Jonah.  One greater than Jonah preached repentance to them, yet they refused to repent.  The Queen of Sheba would also stand in judgment against them, for she traveled a great distance to hear the wisdom of King Solomon--and One greater than Solomon stood in their midst they refused to hear.  Paul wrote people are without excuse concerning belief in the existence of God Who created all things because all creation displays His glory.  The words and deeds of Jesus have exposed all those religious and decent people who reject Jesus for what they truly are:  haters of God, without excuse and under judgment.  It is not the "good" people who receive Christ in faith, but those who realise they are wicked and sinful.  It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance, and having been convinced Jesus is God in the flesh we worship, love and obey Him.  We too are without excuse to do our joyful duty before God.

For Christ's Sake

The command of Jesus to His disciples to deny themselves, take up their cross daily and follow Him is vital to this day.  By faith in Christ we can deny our fleshly feelings, desires and identity, and in doing so we embrace being the new creation God has designed us to be.  No longer is our primary loyalty to our own family, friends or feelings but to Jesus Christ our LORD we seek to follow, glorify and please.  For much of our lives we were slaves to sin and ourselves, and coming to Jesus for salvation, forgiveness and righteousness ought to shift our allegiance and identity to Him.

Sam Allberry expressed this necessary shift in the lives of those who are born again.  As someone who has experienced same-sex attraction, Allberry realised he was more than his sexuality and Christ's command was for him and all other believers.  He wrote:

"And as someone in this situation, what Jesus calls me to do is exactly what he calls anyone to do.  Take another well-known saying of Jesus:  "Then He called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:  "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Mark 8:34)

It is the same for us all--"whoever."  I am to deny myself, take up my cross and follow him.  Every Christian is called to costly sacrifice.  Denying yourself does not mean tweaking your behavior here and there.  It is saying "no" to your deepest sense of who you are, for the sake of Christ.  To take up a cross is to declare your life (as you have known it) forfeit.  It is laying down your life for the very reason that your life, it turns out, is not yours at all.  It belongs to Jesus.  He made it and through his death he has bought it.

Ever since I have been open about my own experiences of homosexuality, a number of Christians have said something like this:  "The gospel must be harder for you than it is for me," as though I have more to give up than they do.  But the fact is that the gospel demands everything of all of us.  If someone thinks the gospel has somehow slotting into their life quite easily, without causing any major adjustments to their lifestyle or aspirations, it is likely that they have not really started following Jesus at all." (Allberry, Sam. Is God Anti-Gay?: And Other Questions about Homosexuality, the Bible and Same-Sex Attraction. The Good Book Company, 2015. Pages 11-12)

Christians are called to love one another, to forgive, serve and speak the truth for the sake of Christ.  Instead of rallying around political, social or even moral issues, we are to identify ourselves as the followers and servants of Jesus.  All careers, hobbies, relationships and pursuits are to bow before our LORD, and He leads us to navigate all the situations of life with grace, mercy and righteousness.  It is impossible to earn or live up to the standard of the Gospel by the efforts of our flesh, but being born again by faith in Jesus changes us from within by the Holy Spirit.  Knowing Jesus is our life, we are enabled to deny ourselves and experience the abundant life He promises.