Genesis 39-40; Matthew 11

A little honest SKEPTICISM can be a GOOD thing – even for a person of FAITH. John the Baptist had dedicated his life to setting up the ministry of Jesus Christ. And now, in prison and about to be executed, John is tormented by DOUBT. Was Jesus really the MESSIAH? Had he wasted his life? John acts on his questions – and sends two friends to Jesus – with a blunt question, “Are you really HIM?” Jesus doesn’t scold John for a “lack of faith.” He knew that TRUE Faith is based on EVIDENCE. So Jesus replies,

“Go back and report to John what you hear and see:
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
and the good news is preached to the poor.”

Instantly John knew. Jesus WAS “HIM.” His life hadn’t been wasted. As my DAD used to say – “Truth can stand the test of a little scrutiny. The closer you LOOK, the brighter it SHINES.” Jesus’ answer was MUSIC to the ears of a dying man – and to ANYONE who cares to come directly to Jesus with the same blunt question, “Are you really HIM?” How has Jesus answered YOUR doubts? See you tomorrow!

Saturday, March 3, 2011

Genesis 7-9; Matthew 3

Estimates for Noah’s building of the ark run from 55-120 years. Regardless of the actual construction time, I find huge encouragement in it. Noah embraced God’s calling on his life to do something that had never been done before. It was a calling he would be ridiculed for. It was a calling that looked like dead-end nonsense – for decades. Yet there’s Noah – day after day – building a boat on dry land, anticipating rain that had never fallen and a flood with no precedent. No miracles yet. No animals appearing two by two. No vindication. Just a vision from God – answered day after day – with no apparent result.

So many of God’s great works start that way. A vision and calling with no apparent pay-off – followed by days, months, or years of faithful work. Noah’s kind of faith inspires me. It gives me hope in seasons of work that don’t pay off – yet.

Have a blessed Saturday!

Friday, March 2, 2011

Genesis 4-6; Matthew 2

As Matthew records the birth of Jesus, he periodically says, “Then what was said through the prophet was fulfilled…” During his time on earth, Jesus fulfilled 108 Bible prophecies. Let’s drop 100 of them, and only consider 8 of the best known prophecies:  

1. The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
2. A messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah (Malachi 3:1).
3. The Messiah will enter Jerusalem as a king riding on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9).
4. The Messiah will be betrayed by a friend and suffer wounds in His hands (Zechariah 13:6).
5. The Messiah will be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12).
6. The betrayal money will be used to purchase a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:13).
7. The Messiah will remain silent while He is afflicted (Isaiah 53:7).
8. The Messiah will die by having His hands and feet pierced (Psalm 22:16).

What are the mathematical odds of these 8 prophecies coming true in one person? Answer: 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. That’s one in one hundred quadrillion. Mathematical conclusion? You’d have to be delusional to conclude that Jesus Christ could be anyone other than the Messiah. Period.

Matthew tells more than a beautiful story. He establishes overwhelming, irrefutable proof that Jesus is exactly who he says he is. And that’s just the beginning of the first gospel!

See you Sunday.

Thursday, March 1, 2011

Genesis 1-3; Matthew 1

As a boy I often wondered about what heaven will be like. And one thing troubled me – the nagging question: “Sooner or later in eternity, won’t we run out of things to do – and get bored?”

The first 3 chapters of the Bible answer that question splendidly. Looking at God’s amazing design and creation, it becomes obvious that we have a God who is infinitely creative, imaginative and artistic. He never loses interest or tires. And because He is infinitely powerful, wise, and transcendent, He never runs out of ideas or new and exciting things to express about Himself.   

Oh, yeah – and one more thing: He made us in His image. He created us with the capacity to enjoy Him in infinitely new and exciting ways – forever. It will never get old. It will never get boring. It will never stop being an adventure. There will always be something amazing in the works! Every day will start fresh with the idea: “In the beginning, God…”

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Malachi; Revelation 22

Final words are both really interesting and really important. The last chapter of the Bible contains God’s important final thoughts to us – the things He most wants us to remember. As I read Revelation 22, three initial thoughts stand out as things I want to take with me: First, I want to take away the staggering beauty and majesty of the amazing city of God. Words like beautiful and glorious fall far short of the image John describes – and yet this is no abstract painting – it’s an eyewitness account of our new hometown. Something incredible to look forward to. Something incredible to invest in and live for – today. Second, I can’t even imagine the awesomeness of these words, “They will see His face.” What will it be like to look into the eyes of the Lion of Judah – the One who spoke the universe into existence, the One who endured the cross for me and shattered the power of death forever, the One I was created for? What will I possibly say to Him? What will He say to me? That’s a moment to aim the rest of my life at. And Third, is the phrase Jesus considers important enough to not only say but to repeat in the last paragraph of the Bible: “I am coming soon!” Those are both the most exciting and scariest words I have ever heard. Looking around me – I have a new realization that this will all be over soon. The stuff I spend my short earthly moments on will either be meaningless and non-existent, or will last forever and make my face-to-face meeting with Jesus a lot more exciting and a lot less scary. Revelation 22 is a personal call from the Lord Jesus to lay aside trivial pursuits that won’t matter, and focus on the things that for eternity, will.

Have a great Monday!

Zechariah 13-14; Revelation 21

I love the sun.  I love its warmth.  I love how bright and shiny everything looks.  I love how it envelopes me and how cheerful it makes me feel. But I think it will pale in comparison to the light of the Most Holy God. Children, both grown up or little, will finally get rest from the tears they’ve shed from the abuse they’ve endured.  The thought that Christ will wipe every tear from our eyes brings tears to my own. I can only imagine the warmth of being enveloped in the light of his love and everything that we ever knew about our life on Earth will be gone!! Our earthly struggles will be totally unnecessary when we are with God and He makes us complete – just as He intended all along when He placed Adam and Eve in the Garden. He is the light and our salvation – I can hardly wait.  Can I hear from the church? Amen

Zechariah 9-12; Revelation 20

Mom and Dad fought a lot. A lot a lot.  Grandma lived 1500 miles away; so seeing her was only an annual event. With Grandma so far away, I felt that she had abandoned me since she understood what living with Mom and Dad was like.  The time and space continuum doesn’t mean much to a 5-year old.  Going to Grandma’s was clear, cool water when I was in the desert. Then one morning, Mom handed me a package from Grandma!  She remembered me! She loved me! Gram had sent me a book to read on the train and when I got to her house we would talk about it. She was my building block to understand how special I was. I felt so loved; and because I knew she loved me, I was strong enough to handle whatever happened at home.

Zechariah 5-8; Revelation 19

Do you remember the cult of angels a few years back?  Now don’t get me wrong, I like angels; they’re God’s messengers sent to us with both good news and bad.  

Bumper stickers abounded then saying, “Never drive faster than your angel can fly” and “My guardian angel sits on my shoulder” and dozens of other trite little sayings.  I even have a friend who has her house filled top to bottom with angel paraphernalia:  everything from dishes and pillows to toilet paper holders. I knew she was a believer, so I was curious to know what was up with all the angel stuff.  She shared that it never hurt to have extra help; angels have special powers. She missed the entire point, didn’t she?  Angels were created to serve God, not to be worshiped. God says in His Word what will happen to those who worship the created rather than the creator. I reminded her that angels never died for her to live eternally with the Creator, but the Creator’s Son did. How much better to have the real thing than a pale imitation!

Zechariah 1-4; Revelation 18

In Revelation 18 there’s a shuddering finality to God’s judgment on “Babylon” (an anti-God political and commercial system in power as human history draws to a conclusion). God no longer holds back. Babylon is instantly reduced from the world’s trade and entertainment center to a desolate and deserted wasteland – leaving the world spinning with a big “What happened?”

The answer to that question was prophesied by the same Apostle John who wrote Revelation – in 1 John 2:15-17:

“Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

It’s worth observing that the same things that marked Babylon for destruction are alive and well in the world today. And God sees our culture’s rebellion, humanism, and fanatical materialism the same way He will see Babylon’s. For me, the message here is “Don’t drink the Cool-Aid.” All the attractions and seductions our world offers are already on the way out. It’s all dying. Doing God’s will against the grain of this culture is the only path to eternal pleasure and happiness.

Have an Excellent Thursday!

Haggai; Revelation 17

Haggai calls on Israel to return to putting God first. He confronts them with their preoccupation with their own homes while God’s temple lay in ruins. He reminds them that putting themselves first will squander their resources, while putting God first will insure His blessing.

Then Haggai repeats this phrase over and over: “Give careful thought.”  It’s something we don’t do enough. We get so busy living, that we can miss out on what’s really important in life. Before we squander our time, energy, or money on things that don’t matter, God says, “Give careful thought.”  Before we neglect God’s work as the priority of our lives, God says, “Give careful thought.”  In our moments of decision about our values and priorities, God says, “Give careful thought.”  So many opportunities in life only come around once. And we’ll either look back on the choices we made – with regret – or we’ll be glad we “Gave careful thought.”   

Have a Great Wednesday!