We all pray to the same God. I have heard many people say that to me, but I am not sure

what they mean. Yes YHWH God (the God of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible) is

omniscient and all hearing, which means He hears all the secret things of our hearts, both

spoken and unspoken. Prayers yes, but also cursing, slander, screaming, gossip, hateful things

we say about those around us, as well. In that respect He does hear all our prayers. The

question is not who is doing the speaking and the hearing, but rather who is doing the

listening? YHWH God is hearing your prayers, but is He listening to them with loving

concern?

Who is your God? Actually, the correct question is who or what is your god?

The Bible makes a clear distinction between those who are sincerely praying to God and

those who are just giving Him lip service. Let’s look at some of what Jesus had to say on the

subject:

“Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while

standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to

you, they have their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door,

and pray to your Father in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by

their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what

you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:58 NET

“’Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of heaven –

only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day, many will say to

me,‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons

and do many powerful deeds?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away

from me, you lawbreakers!’” Matthew 7:2123 NET

Jesus also told this parable to some who were confident in their own righteousness: “Two men

went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee

stood and prayed about himself like this: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other

people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I

fast twice a week; I give a tenth of everything I get.’ The tax collector, however, stood far

off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, be merciful

to me, sinner that I am!’ I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather

than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles

himself will be exalted.” Luke 18:914 NET

God (Jesus) heard the prayers of the hypocrites and the Pharisee, but He wasn’t listening to

them. Jesus also points out that the one we are praying to is the one we are listening to. The

following passage in John points out that not only were these people not praying to Him, but

they were not listening to Him either.

“Jesus replied, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God

and am now here. I have not come on my own initiative, but he sent me. Why don’t you

understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept my teaching. You people

are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a

murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in

him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and

the father of lies. But because I am telling you the truth, you do not believe me. Who

among you can prove me guilty of any sin? If I am telling you the truth, why don’t you

believe me? The one who belongs to God listens and responds to God’s words. You don’t

listen and respond, because you don’t belong to God.’” John 8:4247 NET

Paul, in I Corinthians, and James go on to explain the kind of people God listens to:

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I do not have love, I am a noisy gong

or a clanging cymbal.” 1 Corinthians 13:1 NET

Paul is basically saying here that if you don’t truly love YHWH (the God of the Bible) and

your fellow man, your prayers sound like a crew of men with jackhammers digging up the

street.

“My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials,

because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance

have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.

But if anyone is deficient in wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and

without reprimand, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without

doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed around by

the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,

since he is a doubleminded

individual, unstable in all his ways.” James 1:28 NET

James points out in the previous passage that even believers, who are praying to YHWH God,

must be doing it in faith if they expect results. He goes on to say that right motives are also

important in getting our prayers answers.

“Where do the conflicts and where do the quarrels among you come from? Is it not from

this, from your passions that battle inside you? You desire and you do not have; you

murder and envy and you cannot obtain; you quarrel and fight. You do not have because

you do not ask; you ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so you can spend it

on your passions.” James 4:13 NET

There is also a danger in pretending to be a believer and invoking the name of The Lord., as is

illustrated by the following:

“God was performing extraordinary miracles by Paul’s hands, so that when even

handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his body were brought to the sick, their

diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. But some itinerant Jewish

exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by

evil spirits, saying, ‘I sternly warn you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ (Now seven sons of

a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this.) But the evil spirit replied to

them,’I know about Jesus and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?’ Then the

man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into

submission. He prevailed against them so that they fled from that house naked and

wounded.” Acts 19:1116 NET

God is not the genie in the lamp that you rub only when you need something, then put him

back in the lamp until the next time. NO! We humbly approach the throne of Grace with our

requests, asking in Love and reverent submission.

We DO NOT all pray to the same God. Who is the god you are praying to?

Only YHWH (the God of the Bible) can listen to your prayers and answer them.

He is anxious to hear from us and answer our prayers, because He loves us and wants only

good things for us and from us.

To The Glory Of God!

I’ve heard many variations of the following illustration. It goes a far way in explaining some

aspects of the nature of God.

Ed and Bill were good friends while growing up. After high school, they lost touch. Ed

became a judge, but Bill never made much of himself. One day, Bill was brought into Ed’s

courtroom because he had committed a crime. Bill was clearly guilty, and Ed had no choice;

he had to find him guilty for his crime. Bill was not able to pay the fine and was on his way to

jail, but then Ed got off his judicial bench, took off his robe and paid the fine for Bill.

We are Bill in this story. We are guilty, but unable to pay the penalty for our sins. The

punishment we deserve and are destined for is an eternity in hell. God cannot just sweep our

guilt under the rug and pretend it never happened. The price for sin MUST be paid. As The

Judge enthroned in Heaven, He can’t pay the price for us. He can only condemn us to death.

BUT if he leaves His throne in Heaven and becomes a man, He can then pay the price for us.

Only Jesus is sinless, and only His sinless sacrifice on the cross can pay the price for our sins.

There is no other way!

What does Jesus ask in return??? All that we have, but not more than we have!

Let’s look at the The Parable of the Talents:

“For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and

entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents, to another two,

and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his

journey. The one who had received five talents went off right away and put

his money to work and gained five more. In the same way, the one who had

two gained two more. But the one who had received one talent went out and

dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. After a long

time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them.

The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more,

saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five

more.’ His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have

been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter

into the joy of your master.’ The one with the two talents also came and

said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’

His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been

faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter

into the joy of your master.’ Then the one who had received the one talent

came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where

you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, so I was

afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is

yours.’ But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I

harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? Then you

should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I

would have received my money back with interest! Therefore take the

talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. For the one who has will

be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does

not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that

worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and

gnashing of teeth.’

Matthew 25:1430

NET

The Master (Jesus) provided them with the talents to invest. Clearly, Jesus was not

expecting more than they could provide. He just wanted to make good use of what they were

given. Notice also that they received much more in return. The question is do we have faith in

Jesus’ words. If we really did, we would be anxiously investing all that we receive from Him.

Our time, talents, resources, family, friendsall

of this comes from God, and all of it will be

received back in abundance. However, in order to receive it back, we must surrender it all.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid.

Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.”

Matthew 13:44 NET

This passage from Matthew again illustrates the same point. Note it says with joy he sold all.

Jesus gave 100%, and He will accept no less from us. When you think about it, it is not that

much to ask. Again it comes down to faith. If we really believed, we would give all with joy.

“’Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and

reject you as evil on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy,

because your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors did the same things to the

prophets.’” Luke 6:22,23 NET

Jump For Joy!!

To the Glory of God!

Good luck and God bless. I have often heard people use expressions like this. Luck and

blessings are in opposition to each other. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LUCK! Our lives

are not just a series of random events. It is NOT chaos! Our lives are orchestrated by God

down to the last detail; everyone’s life, saints and sinners alike. The Devil wants us to think

that our lives are subject to chance, but that is a lie!

You may be thinking, well if that’s the case, why do bad things happen to good people and

good to bad. The problem is perspective. If we look at things from man’s point of view, it

seems that way. From God’s point of view, things look very different. Someone once said God

has a microscope and telescope view of us. Think about the man who was crucified next to

Christ. He had no idea that that day would be the day of his salvation. He had a divine

appointment to meet Jesus. Perhaps he needed to be brought to his darkest hour before he

could see The Light. If we could talk to him now, what do you think he would say? “It was

lucky for me that I was crucified next to The Christ.” NO, NO! He would say it was the grace

of God that brought me to that moment; luck had nothing to do with it.

There is sin in the world, and the effects of sin contaminate everything in our lives.

Everything, from illness to earthquakes, is the result of man’s sinful nature. It is not, however,

a cause and effect. If God treated us as our sins deserve, we would all be suffering the pains of

hell right now. However, God is patient with us, giving us the opportunity to repent.

In The Lords Prayer we say:

Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored,

may your kingdom come,

may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.

And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6:1013

NET

There is a difference between God orchestrating our lives and God’s perfect will for

mankind. That is why in the Lord’s prayer we pray, thy will be done on earth as it is being

done in heaven. Note: It is being done in heaven, but it takes our prayers for it to be done on

earth. God has given us the privilege of working with Him for His Glory. Also in the Lord’s

prayer it says, give us this day our daily bread, not this year, month or week. Every day we

must trust in Him for our sustenance. Remember, God is faithful even when we are not. Even

though the Israelites rebelled and were unfaithful to Him during their wandering in the desert,

He continued to provided manna and water to them.

Some of you may be thinking, what about Romans 8:28NET: “And we know that all

things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his

purpose.” This verse illustrates my point. It means things work for our ultimate good, from

God’s point of view, not ours. His perspective is perfect and infinite; ours is not. Parents must

make decisions about the welfare of young children, even though the child often protests

loudly. We mature Christians should be able to trust God’s will for our lives, knowing He

does what is best for us and will bring glory to His name. We needn’t protest loudly. Instead:

“Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and

petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. And the peace of God that

surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians

4:6,7 NET

Also, it is important to note the latter part of Romans 8:28 says “for those who love God,

who are called according to his purpose. ” If we are not among those who love God, we

have the fearful expectation of facing the judgment, where we will be punished as our sins

deserve.

Going on further in Romans 8 we read: “because those whom he foreknew he also

predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that his Son would be the firstborn

among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he

called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:29,30

NET So, God foreknew, predestined, called, justified and glorified. That

doesn’t sound like luck. That sounds like careful planning.

The book of Ephesians makes similar statements:

“Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with very

spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ. For he chose us in Christ before the

foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love. He did

this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the

pleasure of his will – to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on

us in his dearly loved Son.” Ephesians 1:46

NET

Again that doesn’t sound like luck, it is the product of careful planning.

Don’t feel overwhelmed by this; rather, be comforted. God loves His people and cares

about them. He always has their best interest in mind. “Trust in the Lord with all your

heart,

and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he

will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5,6 NET

“And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand by

casting all your cares on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6,7 NET

To sum up: There is no such thing as luck. God is in charge. Bad things happen because

there is sin in the world. In this life God does NOT treat us as severely as our sins deserve. He

is patient with us, in the hope that we will repent. For those who love God, God works toward

their ultimate good. God loves us, cares about us and wants the best for us. Those who reject

God’s love have only the fearful expectation of eternal punishments. “For if we deliberately

keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is

left for us, but only a certain fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will

consume God’s enemies.” Hebrews 10:26,27 NET

Being in the presence of God when we leave this life is unavoidable. Do you want to

receive grace from God, or wrath? It is not about luck; it is about God’s faithfulness.

Psalm 139:110

NET Illustrates this beautifully.

“O Lord, you examine me and know.

You know when I sit down and when I get up;

even from far away you understand my motives.

You carefully observe me when I travel or when I lie down to rest;

you are aware of everything I do.

Certainly my tongue does not frame a word

without you, O Lord, being thoroughly aware of it.

You squeeze me in from behind and in front;

you place your hand on me.

Your knowledge is beyond my comprehension;

it is so far beyond me, I am unable to fathom it.

Where can I go to escape your spirit?

Where can I flee to escape your presence?

If I were to ascend to heaven, you would be there.

If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be.

If I were to fly away on the wings of the dawn,

and settle down on the other side of the sea,

even there your hand would guide me,

your right hand would grab hold of me.”

To The Glory Of God

Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land.

At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli,

Eli, lema sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have

you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:45,46 NET

Most of us are familiar with the anguished words that Christ spoke during His crucifixion.

Have we really considered exactly what was meant by those words? Let’s imagine that Christ

knew the answer to the question, but the reason He posed it was so we would answer it. Three

important elements are involved here: first, the fact that He was forsaken; second, the reason

He was forsaken; third, what that has to do with us. The Father and the Son had been in perfect

harmony through all eternity past, communicating with each other on a level we can’t even

begin to understand. It must be somewhat like the way our minds communicate with our

hands. If an object is coming toward your head, your hand instantly reacts to block it. That is

just a fraction of the why The Father and The Son communicate. All the while you have been

reading this, you have been breathing without giving any thought to it. How frightening would

it be if suddenly your lungs refused to listen to your mind’s request to breathe? Again, just a

small example of what it was like for the Father to forsake His Son. Think about legions of

angels, poised and ready for command from the Father to rescue His Son, but the command is

never given. There was a whole lot going on at the spiritual level, during that terrible Friday,

that we cannot even begin to comprehend; and all the while Satan was rubbing his hands

together, thinking he had actually defeated God.

Why was Jesus forsaken??? Stop and think about it….

Surely he took up our pain

and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,

each of us has turned to our own way;

and the LORD has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,

yet he did not open his mouth;

he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,

and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,

so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.

Yet who of his generation protested?

For he was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgression of my people he was punished.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,

and with the rich in his death,

though he had done no violence,

nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,….

Isaiah 53:410

NET

Because, because, the LORD laid on Him the iniquity of YOU! Yes you! He died for YOUR

sins. If you were the only one that needed salvation, He would have died for you. His suffering

would have been just as great, if it was only for your sins that He was suffering. “What do

you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not

leave the ninetynine

on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? And if

he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninetynine

that

did not go astray.” Matthew 18:12,13 NET

Your sins are just as detestable, offensive, grotesque as the next person’s.

“Come, let’s consider your options,” says the Lord.

“Though your sins have stained you like the color red,

you can become white like snow;

though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet,

you can become white like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 NET

“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23 NET

“For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.

For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’also said, ‘Do not murder.’Now if you do not

commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law.”

James 2:10 NET

Sometimes it seems that we feel comforted thinking it was because of the murderer and the

pedophile that He did His greatest suffering. NOT SO! The redemption for your sins came at a

great price.

Why was Christ forsaken? So you would not be! He will n e v e r leave us.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded

you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19,20 NET

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from my

hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can snatch

them from my Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” John 10:2830

NET

“I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you” John 14:18

Why was Jesus forsaken:

Because Christ became sin and the Father cannot look upon sin.

Because The Father willed it

Because Jesus, through the Father, opened the way so none of us would ever be forsaken by

Him.

Are you among those who are of the fold of Christ, or are you one of those who are still lost?

Come into the fold; Jesus is waiting.

To The Glory Of God

Author’s note: Everywhere the word you is used here, it included me also. I am just another

undeserving soul lost in trespasses and sin, redeemed by the blood of The Lamb, a free gift

that I do not deserve, nor could I ever earn it. I am, like everyone else, totally dependent on

God’s abundant Grace for my salvation.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15 NET

Tom and Jane had a beautiful wedding. All of their friends and relatives were there. The

reception went on until late at night. When the reception was over, Tom went home to his

parents’ house and Jane went home to her parents’ house. Come Monday, they each went to

their jobs and went home to their parents’ houses afterward, just like they did before they were

married. They did almost nothing together except, for an hour once a week, they went out to

dinner. Even while they were in the restaurant, there was nothing about the way they acted

toward each other that made them appear to be anything but casual friends. If you ask Tom

and Jane, they would quickly say they were married to each other, but nothing about their lives

showed it. They had a ceremony and a reception, but nothing about their lives changed. Tom

and Jane had a wedding, but not a marriage.

Marriage is a pivotal time in someone’s life. People celebrate wedding anniversaries. When

they do, they look back at how much has changed since they got married. After two people

become married, they become next of kin. No longer are their parents or siblings their closest

relatives, but their spouse is. When they take those vows, that is exactly what they want. They

are anxious to begin their life together. Often after a couple has been together a long time, we

never say the name of one without saying the other. It is always Tom and Jane, Bill and Sally,

Pete and Barb, etc.

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife,

and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great – but I am actually speaking

with reference to Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:31,32NET

Paul is saying here that we become one in Christ, once we come to Him in faith. Our lives are

forever changed. Our bond and commitment to Christ is even greater than our commitment to

our spouse and more life changing. Tom and Jane had a wedding, but not a marriage. Raising

your hand or coming forward to receive Christ does not make someone a Christian, if they are

not fully committed. We can’t be like Tom and Jane, who spend an hour a week together and

consider themselves married. Our lives must pivot on that moment. As we look back over the

years since we came to Christ, we should see tangible change. When people say our names,

they should automatically think about us and Christ.

Here are just a few of many verses that describe how our lives are changed once we become

unified with Christ:

“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed

away – look, what is new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NET

“What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may

increase? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or do

you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized

into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism

into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the

glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:14

NET

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of

God lives in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, this person

does not belong to him.” Romans 8:9 NET

“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ

lives in me. So the life I now live in the body, I live because of the faithfulness

of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 NET

“Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things

above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about

things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is

hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you

too will be revealed in glory with him.” Colossians 3:14

NET

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy

he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus

Christ from the dead, that is, into an inheritance imperishable, undefiled,

and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you, who by God’s power are

protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last

time.” 1 Peter 1:35

NET

It is clear that salvation (being one with Christ) is much more than coming forward or

raising your hand at a church service. If we think of coming forward or baptism as being wed

with Christ, then we must carry through and have a marriage with Him. Otherwise, your

pledge to God is of no value. Spending an hour a week with God is not salvation, any more

than spending an hour a week with your spouse is a marriage.

Don’t feel frightened or overwhelmed by this. God, through Jesus Christ, has already made

the way clear for us by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Once you turn to Him in obedience, He

will guide you every step of the way, if you let Him.

To The Glory Of God

“Now Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the Passover. When he

was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. But when the feast was over, as

they were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not

know it, but (because they assumed that he was in their group of travelers) they went a

day’s journey. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances.

When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days

they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and

asking them questions. And all who heard Jesus were astonished at his understanding

and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were overwhelmed. His mother said to

him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been

looking for you anxiously.” But he replied, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you

know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Yet his parents did not understand the

remark he made to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was

obedient to them. But his mother kept all these things in her heart.

And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with

people.” Luke 2:4152

NET

Only Luke’s Gospel records this event from Jesus’ life. I don’t know about you, but it

always made me feel a little uncomfortable. This isn’t the kind of behavior I would expect

from a sinless Jesus. It is very easy to just take this account on face value and not see the

deeper meaning. First, let’s look at young Jesus. Having raised three boys, I know that a

twelveyearold

has a different concept of time than an adult. Secondly, they wrongly assumed

a lot of things. Jesus understood who He was, even at this young age, but His parents and

others around Him did not. It is likely He was thinking, my parents know where I am and they

will come and get me. It may not have occurred to Him that they did not realize that He

needed to be in His Father’s House. He probably didn’t think much time had passed. He was

not intending to be disobedient in any way.

Now for the deeper meaning of the event: first, twelve is the Biblical number for the Nation

of Israel, so here we see represented the Nation of Israel searching for their Messiah and not

knowing that He is in the most obvious place. Secondly the time, three days, corresponds with

the Resurrection. How many times did Jesus tell His followers that He would rise in three

days? How many examples did He give? Yet, not one went to the Tomb to see the

Resurrection. Even when the women told the Disciples about it, they didn’t believe it.

“Then some of the experts in the law along with some Pharisees answered him, “Teacher,

we want to see a sign from you.” But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous

generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet

Jonah. For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish for three days and three nights,

so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.”

Matthew12:3840

NET

“As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve aside privately and said to them

on the way, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed

over to the chief priests and the experts in the law. They will condemn him to death, and

will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged severely and crucified. Yet

on the third day, He will be raised.”

Matthew 20:1719

NET

“Then Jesus said to them, “This night you will all fall away because of me, for it is

written:

‘I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’

But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Matthew 26:31 NET

“The next day (which is after the day of preparation) the chief priests and the Pharisees

assembled before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still

alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give orders to secure the tomb until

the third day. Otherwise his disciples may come and steal his body and say to the people,

‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”

Pilate said to them, “Take a guard of soldiers. Go and make it as secure as you can.” So

they went with the soldiers of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.”

Matthew 27:6266

NET

“As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, ‘Do not tell

anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.’” Matthew 17:9

NET

“So then the Jewish leaders responded, ‘What sign can you show us, since you are doing

these things?’ Jesus replied, ‘Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up

again.’”

John 2:18,19 NET

Some of the prophecies are veiled, but not this one. It is hard to imagine how Jesus could

have been more clear about what was going to happen to Him. Even the Pharisees knew He

had said it. His followers should have been lined up at the Tomb to see the Resurrection, but

they were too overwhelmed with grief to realize what was happening. Sadly, we are guilty of

the same thing; very often the Truth is staring us right in the face, and we can’t see it.

“and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from

staring at the result of the glory that was made ineffective. But their minds were closed.

For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has

not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.”

2 Corinthians 3:1314

NET

The Truth is very plain, but it can only be revealed through faith in Jesus Christ. Believers

know the Truth of Christ’s Resurrection, but even in the life of the believer, God is anxious to

reveal Himself more fully to us. The life of the believer should be full of moments of insight

as more of the deep things of God become clear to us. We don’t need to be like Mary and

Joseph, who were anxiously searching for Jesus. We know exactly where He is. He is waiting

with open arms

To The Glory Of God!

Every child in junior church knows the story of Jonah. Most of us know the ‘what’ of the

story, but how many know the ‘why’? At first glance, it is not surprising to think that Jonah

would be reluctant or frightened to tell a hostile enemy that the wrath of God is coming.

However, the real truth is something many of us are guilty of, but refuse to admit, even to

ourselves. Jonah tried to flee from the Lord, even though he knew that it was impossible. More

to the point, he was trying to get far away from Nineveh so he would not have to bring the

message to them.

We see Jonah sleeping comfortably in the hull of the ship, while everyone else is

desperately trying to keep it from sinking. Why? Because he would rather die than bring the

message to Nineveh. Finally, out of compassion or sense of duty to the crew of the ship, he

told them to throw him overboard, which reluctantly they did. Jonah may have thought ‘good,

now I’ll drown and won’t have to bring the message to Nineveh’. Again, his plan failed. God

was not willing to let Jonah neglect his mission to Nineveh. After he survived three days in the

belly of the large fish, he realized there was no avoiding what God called him to do.

Jonah must have been a very convincing speaker, because in three days’ time everyone in

Nineveh heard the message and repented. “The Lord said to Jonah a second time, ‘Go

immediately to Nineveh, that large city, and proclaim to it the message that I tell you.’ So

Jonah went immediately to Nineveh, as the Lord had said. (Now Nineveh was an

enormous city; it required three days to walk through it!) When Jonah began to enter the

city, he announced,’At the end of forty days, Nineveh will be overthrown!’”[Jonah 3:14NET]

“The people of Nineveh believed in God, and they declared a fast and put on sackcloth,

from the greatest to the least of them. When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he got

up from his throne, took off his royal robe, put on sackcloth, and sat on ashes.” [Jonah 3:36NET]

Of course, Jonah was thrilled; NOT! Now the truth comes out; Jonah disliked the people of

Nineveh. The last thing he wanted was for them to repent. He wanted the wrath of God to rain

down on Nineveh. That was the real reason Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh. “This

displeased Jonah terribly, and he became very angry. He prayed to the Lord and said,

‘Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought would happen when I was in my own country. This

is what I tried to prevent by attempting to escape to Tarshish! – because I knew that you

are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy, and one who

relents, concerning threatened judgment. So now, Lord, kill me instead, because I would

rather die than live!’” [Jonah 4:13NET]

Sadly, I believe many of us are the same way. We hide our faith likes it is part of some

exclusive society. While, on one hand, we are willing to say that we are dead in trespasses and

sin, we still think on some level that there is something good about us that makes us deserving

of salvation. There are people we are reluctant to bring the Gospel to, because we are afraid

that they will repent, and we will be responsible to nurture them. Maybe we will even have to

bring them to church, when we know very well the people there won’t like them. Truth be told,

we are embarrassed to be seen with them. Remember in the book of Acts how surprised the

Jews were when the gentiles received the Holy Spirit. Imagine these barbarian, uncircumcised

gentile sinners being brought into the family of God. “Then Peter started speaking: ‘I now

truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, but in every

nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him. ‘” [Acts

10:3436NET]

“You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good

news of peace through Jesus Christ (He is Lord of all) – While Peter was still speaking

these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the message.” [Acts

10:44NET] Yes,

we were the undesirables; we were the ones no believer wanted to be seen with. We were (are)

completely unworthy, but God reached out to us. There is nothing God will not do to reach

those for whom He died.

The Gospel will reach all for whom it is intended. We, who have already been brought into

the fold, have the great privilege of bringing the message. Some of us, like Jonah, have been

figuratively spit up on the shore, but we still won’t bring the message. The angels rejoice over

sinners that repent, and we should also. Search your heart. See what your true motives are. If

you find they are not right with the Lord, seek Him out and allow Him to do a work in your

life. Make His priorities your priorities. Then you will find true joy and contentment in this life

and rewards in the world to come.

Think about your life as a thread being sewn into a tapestry. From your perspective, you

can’t tell how you fit in. You’re being pulled left and right, zigzagged around; there seems to

be no rhyme or reason to what’s happening. Someday you will be able to look back and see

that you were part of a beautiful picture, and everything is just as it should be. Make yourself

open to the Master’s plan and seek His will. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you

will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives,

and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be

opened.” [Matthew 7:7,8NET]

Jonah did not know that he was a big part of God’s plan for Nineveh. Nineveh was

completely destroyed, and there is very little evidence of their existence. Like Sodom and

Gomorrah, God would not act against Nineveh until there was no one righteous there. If Jonah

had not brought the message to Nineveh when he did, it would have prevented God from

acting against them. The Ninevites that were formerly ignorant of God’s law and repented,

later became willful sinners and brought God’s wrath upon themselves. Jonah wasn’t looking at

the big picture. He didn’t realize that by bringing them the message, he was actually sealing

their fate. We must be careful not to work against the plan of God. God sees the tiny details

and the big picture at the same time; the past, as well as the present and the future all at once.

“For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in

part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.” [1 Corinthians 13:12NET]

We have every reason to have confidence in the Lord’s leading, knowing that He loves us and

cares about us and always has our best interest in mind. After all, that’s what faith is.

To The Glory Of God!

One time my wife and I took our four year old grandson to a small arcade/park, the kind

that has gocarts, boat rides, water balloons, etc. After a very long two and a half hour ride,

we pulled into the parking lot and he said, “This doesn’t look like a fun place.” Actually he had

a very good time, but his initial impression didn’t meet with his expectation. We are often like

that with God. When we pray for something, we expect God to hand it to us all neatly tied up

with a bow. When the Israelites finally got to the Promised Land, they had to conquer it. It

wasn’t just handed to them.

The Israelites had two major problems with God, while being liberated from Egypt and

attaining the “Promised Land.” One was lack of faith, and the other was lack of faithfulness.

At first glance they might seem to be one in the same, but they are not. One is failure to

believe that God is able to do what He says. The other is a failure to show continued allegiance

to Him, even when we know He can do what He says. God was not meeting their

expectations. Sometimes, it seems, that is how we pray; ‘God I want you to do this for me, but

I want you to do it my way’.

When Moses came back to Egypt, in answer to the prayer of the Hebrews, they were not at

all happy with the way things were going. “And they [the Hebrews] said to them [Moses

and Aaron], ‘May the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the

opinion of Pharaoh and his servants, so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!’”

[Exodus 5:21NET] This was because Pharaoh did not agree, at first, to let the Hebrews go. At the

first sign of trouble, they were ready to give up. Then God brought ten devastating plagues on

Egypt. He showed Egypt and Israel that He is God, and there is no other. God showed,

without a doubt, that He was on the side of the Hebrews; that He was able and willing to free

them and bring them to a land of their own, and make them a great nation.

After God showed His mighty power in Egypt, the Hebrews should have had no problem

believing He would continue with them. Instead when Pharaoh perused Israel, they

completely lost their confidence. “And they said to Moses, ‘Is it because there are no

graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the desert? What in the world have

you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt, ‘Leave

us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians, because it is better for us to serve the

Egyptians than to die in the desert!’ ” [Exodus 14:11,12 NET] It is easy to see there was no

lack of finger pointing on the part of Israel. They were more than ready to blame Moses (and

through him, God) every time they had a problem.

So God parts the Red Sea, and the Israelites are saved. Again, He shows His mighty power.

They should now be completely convinced. Are they? Then Moses is on Mount Sinai and

receiving, among others, the commandment that says: “I, the Lord, am your God, who

brought you from the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall have no other

gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of

anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water

below. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a

jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the

third and fourth generations of those who reject me, and showing covenant faithfulness

to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. [Exodus 20:46

NET] At about the same time, the Israelites are making images of golden calves and

worshiping them.[Exodus 32] This was not lack of faith in God’s ability to do what He

promised. This was a lack of faithfulness. This struggle continued between God and Israel,

even after they reached the “Promised Land.” In fact, the name Israel means ‘struggles with

god’. [Gensis32:28NET]

The believer today should not look disparagingly at the Israelites of that day, because we

have done far worse. The things that Christ did and said far exceeded what the Hebrews saw in

the desert. In addition to that, God, through Christ, has sealed His Covenant with us, by giving

us the indwelling Holy Spirit. We still want God to meet us on our terms. We still put

conditions on our prayers. We are still saying, like my grandson, “This doesn’t look like a fun

place.” We must put full confidence in Him and pray for His will in our lives, on His terms,

because He knows what is best.

I have often seen the bumper sticker ‘God is my copilot’

; for the Christian, it should say

‘God is my pilot’. We pray for His will and then we say, “This doesn’t look like a fun place.”

We don’t need to have the whole route mapped out before us. We just need Him to tell us

where the next turn is. Let me rephrase J.F.K., ‘Ask not what God can do for you, ask what

you can do for God’. Always remember that it is a privilege to be counted worthy to work for

the Lord, and that we are looking forward, with confidence, to the reward of our labor, which

we will receive in eternity with Him.

We have more than enough proof that God is able. We have every reason to put our faith in

Him. We MUST have faith and be faithful. Even after the Israelites rejected God by making

the golden calves, and after they continued to grumble against Him, He remained faithful to

them, by continually providing food (manna) and water to them for forty years in the desert.

He is faithful, even when we are not. He promises “I will not abandon you as orphans, I will

come to you. [John14:18NET] “…..And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the

age.” [Matthew 28:20NET] So let us pray with confidence, being fully faithful to Him who is

able “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that

is at work within us”. [Ephesians 3:20NIV]

To The Glory Of God

Imagine that when you are born, you are connected to God by a very long cord. The first

part of the cord is like a chain, which holds the commandments of God. The first time you

break any of the commandments (sin willfully), the chain is broken and the cord falls to the

ground. Now God is completely out of your reach, and there is NOTHING you can do to

remake the connection. No matter how many good works you stack up, you can never stack

them high enough to reach God. “For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one

point has become guilty of all of it.” James 2:10 NET

Let’s look at it another way. Imagine a child who wants a pet. The parents are reluctant to

get it for the child because this pet needs very specific care. The pet needs to be fed a certain

amount of food at specific times during the day, or it will die. The parents explained that they

could not be home all the time to make sure the pet is fed. Still the child is insistent and

promises to do everything the pet needs. Finally, the parents give in and get the pet. At first

the child is very diligent, measuring out the food and feeding the pet on time. After a while,

the child loses interest and starts neglecting the pet. Eventually the pet dies. The child is very

sorry and promises from now on to feed the pet on time. For weeks the proper amount of food

is brought at the proper time, but the pet is still dead. No amount of diligence can change that.

Ephesians 2:1 says that “we were dead in transgression and sin”. Like the child’s pet, once

we are dead because of sin, there is NOTHING we can do to get right with God. Our first sin

in life has made us irrevocably separated from God. We are hopelessly doomed to HELL, for

all eternity.

Most of mankind seems to thing that entrance to Heaven is based on some kind of a balance

sheet, that if the good outweighs the bad when we die, we will eventually get into Heaven.

That is NOT what the Bible says. There is not a person or institution on earth that can

intervene on behalf of someone to gain them entrance into Heaven. The Bible says very clearly

“for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” [Romans 3:23 NET] The Bible also

says “…There is no one righteous, not even one.” [Romans 3:10NET]

Praise be to God! He has a plan to bring the lost sinner back to Himself. We can’t buy it, we

can’t earn it, we are not owed it, and we absolutely do not deserve it. We can, however,

receive it. It is a free gift. Ephesians 2:8,9 says: “For by grace you are saved through faith,

and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Salvation is a gift we receive through

faith in Jesus Christ. The kind of faith necessary for salvation is a lifetime (eternal)

commitment to Jesus Christ and His teachings, as spelled out in the Bible. It is not something

to be entered into lightly. Once this step is taken, there is no turning back. “It is impossible

for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have

shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the

powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance.

To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to

public disgrace.”[ Hebrews 6:46 NIV] It requires complete surrender of ever aspect of your life

to Christ. As you are thinking about this, keep in mind, that according to the Bible, it is the

ONLY way to gain entrance into Heaven!

Confused?! If you are not one of the Faithful in Christ, I hope so. If you want to know

more, contact me or any of the devout people on the Bible.org web site. We will be glad to

help you along the path to salvation.

To The Glory Of God

Is there anyone’s house you go to, and the first thing you do when you enter is take off your

shoes? Many of us have welcome mats at our front door, which basically means you’re

welcome to come in, as long as you wipe off your feet first. Sometimes I walk into the house

and I know immediately the grandchildren have been here, because there are muddy little foot

prints all over. We carry the dirt of the world on our feet; and unless we clean it, it leaves its

stains on us.

He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet

and to dry them with the towel He had wrapped around himself. Then He

came to Simon Peter. Peter said to Him, “Lord, are you going to wash my

feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not understand what I am doing now, but you

will understand after these things.” Peter said to Him, “You will never

wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with

me.” Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, wash not only my feet, but also my

hands and my head!” Jesus replied,“The one who has bathed needs only to

wash his feet, but is completely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not

every one of you.”(For Jesus knew the one who was going to betray him.

For this reason He said, “Not every one of you is clean.”) John 13:511

There are many lessons to be learned form this, but I want to focus on just onethe

importance of continually cleansing ourselves from the sins in the world. We walk around in

the world all the time; and if we are not careful, we can start picking up some of the world’s

habits. Someone who is not in the habit of washing regularly is not aware of his own offensive

odor, even though others around him are. It is the same with our spiritual life. If we don’t

continually cleanse ourselves, we become offensive to God. “The one who has bathed needs

only to wash his feet.” As believers we are made clean in Christ Jesus; but in order to walk

with Him, we must continually cleanse ourselves of the world. We have all seen believers who

have become desensitized by the world around them. They start making offhanded and

inappropriate remarks. They hear worldly people do it all the time, and it creeps into their

language. They get absorbed in activities that distract them from serving God and hurt their

testimony. We are told that we are in the world, but not of the world .[John17:14] We are to be

as wise as serpents, but as innocent as doves. [Matt10:16] Please note it says innocent, NOT

naive.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw

off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with

perseverance the race marked out for us,” Hebrews 12:1NIV

We very easily become entangled in the world. If we don’t keep the path before us clear, we

must keep looking down so we don’t trip. If we are looking down, we can’t keep our eyes fixed

on Jesus.

“If we say we do not bear the guilt of sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is

not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, forgiving us our sins

and cleansing us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a

liar and His word is not in us.” 1John 1:9NET

Confessing (cleaning our feet) keeps us from being offensive to God and each other. Notice

that Jesus said that we must wash each other’s feet. Sometimes we must go up to a brother or

sister in the Lord and tell them they have the stink of sin on them. We need to be accountable

to each other. Once we have taken the step of telling someone that they have the smell of the

world on them, we must continue with that person to help them remove it. Once that is done

and your brother/sister is restored, welcome him back into the fold.

It is a comfort to know that Jesus is faithful and righteous in forgiving our sins. When a

person has a particular bad habit that they keep falling into, it is difficult to keep asking for

forgiveness, BUT God is faithful. It is because of His righteousness that He can forgive us.

God longs for us to turn to Him when we have gone astray. He is anxious to forgive us.

I am NOT saying that we lose our salvation. That CANNOT happen. What I am talking

about is keeping our lives right with Him so we can be useful to Him and bring Glory to His

name. We are a new creation [2Cor5:16] in Jesus Christ even while we are in this life. That is

why we must keep the dirt of this world off us, so Christ can shine through.

To The Glory Of God