April 22, 2016
The disciples had been talking about the beauty and grandeur of Jerusalem, when Jesus interrupted them to say, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Luke 21:6).
This must have been a troubling prophecy for the disciples to hear, so they asked for more specifics. Jesus offered many details about signs and times, not only of Jerusalem’s destruction, but also of His future return and time of redemption. Within His prophetic response, there was the mention not only of Jerusalem’s destruction, but also the hope of its future return to the Jews. Jesus described this season as the “times of the Gentiles” that would some day be “fulfilled,” or finished. In fact, Christ’s prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem came true in 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the city. And it wasn’t until the Six Day War of 1967 that Jerusalem again came under Jewish rule again. Nineteen hundred years passed before Jerusalem again belonged to the Jews. Regardless of one’s eschatology, the reality of these historical facts gives one much to ponder. Can it be much longer before the rest of Christ’s predictions come true? Are we the generation that will see the return of Christ?
April 21, 2016
The Lord sits on His throne of “righteousness and justice,” yet He has sent Christ, so that He is able to look upon us with “steadfast love and faithfulness.” It was at the cross of Christ that both God’s justice and love were satisfied. The penalty for sin that God’s righteousness and justice demanded was meted out upon Christ. And God’s “steadfast love” (Hebrew: “chesed” – “covenantal love.” Similar to “agape” love in the NT) and “faithfulness” were expressed in that God provided a way for us to be saved through Christ’s sacrifice of love. God is seated on a throne of righteous justice, yet His faithful love has gone before His face, so that He looks upon us through Christ.
April 4, 2016
We live in an increasingly thin-skinned world. People seem so easily offended. Nearly every category of humanity is declaring victimhood. Yet, the Bible describes those who are easily offended as foolish. On the other hand, those who ignore an insult are called “prudent” or wise. Jesus is both our model, and our source of strength, for living with this kind of unoffendable wisdom. It was He who declared from the cross, “Father, forgive them they don’t know what they’re doing” (Luke 23:34). His identity was unassailable from others for it rested in the Father’s approval. That’s the key. If our identity depends on the approval of others, we will be continually “vexed” by every felt offense. But if our identity is secure in Christ, we will care only for His approval, wanting only to please Him in everything. When our identity is found in Jesus, we are unoffendable when others insult us.
April 3, 2016
“Who is my neighbor?” Asked the legal expert of Jesus. He asked this question seeking to “justify himself.” For the law is so perfect in its demand, who can keep it? Therefore, the lawyer sought a loophole or a limitation to the law in order to satisfy it. However, Jesus did not allow for a legal accommodation. Instead, he told a parable of three travelers passing by a man in need. The first two were experts in the law of Moses, yet failed to love their neighbor by stopping to help. The third man, a Samaritan, one hated by the Jews as a half-breed and certainly not a legal expert, he actually stopped to help the injured man. The parable surely hit the mark. It is not enough to know the law. One must do it. And since the lawyer must’ve realized the impossibility of keeping the law, perhaps he recognized his need for a Savior to rescue him from the sin that he couldn’t overcome. Because the truth is, both he and we are the ones in the ditch that needs someone to show us mercy.
April 2, 2016
Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem. As he traveled from Galilee, he sought to take the direct route through Samaria, but they would not “receive” him. Their rejection was a foreshadowing of the rejection he would face in Jerusalem. Yet, he “set his face” to go there. It was time. The reason for his coming was at hand. The betrayal, the rejection, the cross, the death and the burial… all these stood between him and his ascension back to the Father. He “set his face” to endure all these, looking past them to the time when he would be “taken up,” having completed his mission. Like a mother giving birth, who sets her face to endure the labor, Jesus “set his face” to endure the cross in order to experience the joy that was set before him (Heb. 12:2). Looking past the dark shadow of the cross, Jesus “set his face” to the bright glory that awaited him with the Father. Those who follow Jesus have a similar way of facing life, setting their face on being with Him, they order their lives accordingly.
April 1, 2016
Jesus took his inner circle of disciples up on a mountain to pray. As usual, they fell asleep, but they awoke suddenly to discover a change. The veil separating this world from the next had been pulled back. They saw Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus about his soon approaching exodus from this world. Even more, Christ’s true majestic glory was revealed as they glimpsed His person with unveiled faces. Peter’s sleepy mumblings were silenced by the Father saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”
So, looking and listening, what is observed? Here are two observations: 1) Moses and Elijah are alive and identifiable, giving evidence of the afterlife with God. 2) The Divinity of Christ is supported both by the visible revelation of His person and the audible testimony of His Father. How do these two observations encourage you today?
March 31, 2016
Jesus predicted his own death, burial and resurrection. No one took His life. He gave it willingly. The disciples didn’t really understand Christ’s claims until after His resurrection. When the disciples became eye witnesses of the risen Lord and were filled with the Holy Spirit, they went from frightened, unschooled followers to courageous, emboldened proclaimers of the gospel. And so Christ-followers greet one another even until this day saying, “He is risen!” He is risen indeed!
March 30, 2016
Hope is the strong desire for a favorable future. Yet, experiences of past and present failures often dash our hopes, making us less hopeful for tomorrow. But the Psalmist found that his hope in the Lord was trustworthy and true since his youth. Anchoring his hope in the Lord, his hope for the future soared. We can make Christ our hope. He will never disappoint. Our hope in Jesus is anchored in his resurrection, trusts in his reliability and focuses on his soon return. Christ is our hope for our past, present and future.
March 29, 2016
Teaching the commandments of God to our children is to be a way of life. When we compartmentalize the teaching of God’s Word, so that we only mention it on Sundays and holidays, our children don’t see how to apply it to their everyday lives. It becomes an academic knowledge rather than an applied wisdom. However, when we teach and talk about God’s Word at the breakfast table, when traveling to school, at bedtime and all through the day, we show them how God’s Word is to affect their lifestyle. The responsibility to teach children to obey God’s Word is not to be assigned or delegated to the school or even the church. It is the responsibility of the parents to train up a child in the way of the Word.
March 28, 2016
Of the four soils that Jesus described in his parable about receptivity to God’s Word, the thorny soil probably best resembles modern hearts. There has never been a generation so blessed with access to the Bible and the gospel message. Yet, today’s believers have a stunted spiritual maturity. They spend their days distracted by so many things that they fail to focus on the important. Are you cultivating the seed of God’s Word or is your spiritual life getting lost in the weeds?