From: November 21, 2023
“You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (James 5:8 NLT).
As the farmer patiently waits for the rain and the harvest, so James called believers to be patient and courageous until the Lord’s return. For the Lord’s coming is near.
How near? No one knows, except the Father. As Jesus taught, “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son—except the Father only” (Matt. 24:36).
Whether the Lord comes for us at death, or at His second coming, we are to wait patiently and strengthen our hearts. For His coming is near. We are to live with that certain hope in our hearts and minds.
PRAYER: Dear Father, give us wisdom to organize our lives around the certainty of Your Son’s soon return. We want to always be ready. For His coming is near. Strengthen us to wait patiently and courageously. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 21, 2022
WHO DO YOU CALL?
Today, when someone complains of an illness or pain. The first question they are asked is: “Have you called the doctor?” Yet, when James was writing his epistle, the first question would’ve been: “Have you called the elders of the church?”
Having available modern medicine, we forget the benefit of prayer and laying on of hands. Yet, the Bible says that having the elders in the church pray for you and anoint you is the proper response when you are sick. In our materialistic view of the world, we forget the spiritual component to health and wholeness. We forget that we are more than physical beings. However, real healing must involve the whole self.
The church has always been deeply involved with caring for the sick. Throughout history, wherever the church has gone, it has built hospitals and schools because it recognizes the need to care for the whole self, to care for mind, body and soul.
So, keep calling the doctor, but don’t forget to have the elders of the church praying for you too. Prayer shouldn’t be our last call. It should be our first.
PRAYER: Dear Father, You are the Great Physician. You have made us and You are able to heal us. You have given us doctors and modern medicine. It is a wonderful gift. But You are the Giver of Life. And we look to You for all things. Heal us. Give us strength to serve You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 21, 2016
The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of a new Temple, one yet to be built. In this vision, the Spirit led him to the Eastern Gate, “And behold,” he saw the glory of God “coming from the east.” This is the same direction by which he had seen God’s glory depart in his earlier vision (Ez.10-11). This “glory” can be none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As John declared, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). For Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). What Ezekiel saw and heard in his vision, John saw and heard with even greater detail in his vision on the Isle of Patmos. John said that His voice was as “the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:15) and that His face shone “like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16). There is a Day coming when we too shall see and hear Him for ourselves. Therefore, stay alert, watch and pray. He is coming again “from the east.”
From: November 21, 2015
An often overlooked resource in the modern church. Having available modern medicine, we forget the benefit of prayer and laying on of hands. Yet, the Bible says that having the elders in the church pray for you and anoint you is the proper response when you are sick. In our materialistic view of the world, we forget the spiritual component to health and wholeness. We forget that we are more than physical beings. However, real healing must involve the whole self. The church has always been deeply involved with caring for the sick. Throughout history, wherever the church has gone, it has built schools and hospitals because it recognizes that the need to care for the whole self, is to care for mind, soul, and body. So, keep going to the doctor, but don’t forget to have the church praying for you too.
From: November 21, 2014
God revealed His purpose for describing a future temple to Ezekiel (referred to here as “Son of man”). Ezekiel’s temple has never been built. Solomon built the first, which was destroyed by the Babylonians, as Ezekiel’s prophecy predicted. Zerubbabel built the second, which was enlarged by Herod the Great, but destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD. Ezekiel’s temple is sometimes called the “Third Temple,” or the “Millennial Temple.” Depending on one’s eschatology, some would see it as describing a spiritual temple fulfilled by the church. Others would see a literal fulfillment in the last days or during the Millennial kingdom. Regardless, Ezekiel was to describe it, so that the people of Israel would be “ashamed of all their sins.” Shame is an appropriate response to sin. Yet, there is a hardening of the heart which reduces shame to a dull tickling and then a complete denial. Ezekiel was to describe God’s future temple and returning glory, so that their hearts would feel shame, turning to God in repentance for forgiveness and salvation.