My Redeemer Lives

My Friday morning men’s group is continuing to study Heaven. Randy Alcorn has written a tremendous book on the subject; thought provoking, scripture based and instructive. We are making great progress. Just last Friday, we were looking at continuity in Heaven; the thought that on the new earth there will be continuity not just spiritually, but also in some amazing way physically.

Alcorn uses Job 19:26-27 to illustrate, but those that know me know I must go a little further so I started at verse 25 and was amazed.

25 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27 I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

I do see the continuity, but look at the prophesy. I do see that in the end Christ Himself will stand on the earth and even after death we will see God in our own flesh, but this passage has caused me pause. There is some debate as to when Job was written, but most agree it was at least 500 years before Christ. As such I was simply amazed. Through all Job’s trials and suffering in life, he still lived with this expectant hope of a Redeemer; a Redeemer that lives and that he yearns for. I just can’t get this out of my mind.

It brought to mind another verse. In Psalm 119:71 we see;

71 It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.

Maybe that explains a lot. Pastor Scotty Smith wrote about this verse saying; “Most grace-full Father, only a deep conviction about your love for him could have moved King David to praise you for the gift of affliction and pain. The same is just as true in my own life.” He concludes in a very uplifting way; “Lord Jesus, because you took all the afflictions I deserved as a sinful rebel, I’m now only afflicted as a beloved son.”

I know this probably seems a little disjointed, but it just amazes me that Job and all he went through still looked forward with confidence that our Redeemer lives and that one day all will be right and he will see God; it amazes me that King David acknowledges that his afflictions are good so that he might truly know his God; and it amazes me to learn that despite my broken and sinful nature that Christ’s work on the cross ensured that any afflictions in this life will come to me as a beloved son.

Abba Father, how amazingly loving and grace filled you are. Thank you and may we all live expectantly, looking forward to truly knowing and loving you as a beloved son! Amen and Amen.

Grace and Peace!

Overwhelmed with Wonder

Good and Gracious God, In the Psalms we read; “Praise the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty" and Father, this day we humbly come before you praising you for the majesty of your being, the splendor of your love, the mercy of your saving grace. You are so deserving of our praise and worship and we are such an undeserving people. Lord, we confess our many shortcomings and inequities and beg your forgiveness. As we find in Jeremiah, “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise." God, you are the one we praise.

Father, we thank you for the many blessings of life. We thank you that you are in our lives, we thank you for your spirit, our comforter and counselor; and we thank you for your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Lord you are truly amazing and your Word is truly amazing; a passage in Mark says; “As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him." Father, may we your children be overwhelmed with wonder and never hold back as we run to greet our great Savior.

Father, such a blessed people, yet there are still needs. This day we pray for your Church that it will forever be an expanding beacon of hope and light. We pray for Christians around the world that you would strengthen, inspire and provide unity. We pray for missionaries spreading the good news; praying for comfort, strength and shelter. We pray for this nation as we continue to face uncertainty and trials of many kinds. We pray that you will be with us, that you will lead, guide and direct this nation and that we will be a nation that turns to you for all things. We pray for our leaders that you will provide wisdom and we pray for those serving this country that you will protect and encourage. We pray for families that you will work mightily to preserve; we pray for perfect peace and that love will abound.

Lord, we pray for healing, comfort, opportunity and a mighty movement that will be glorifying to you. Mostly we pray your will be done. Father Abba you are so good, so loving, and so full of grace; may we all be overwhelmed with wonder! We love you and thank you; praying all these things in Jesus most Holy name. Amen

Do so More and More

Every once in a while a passage just sticks with me. I will keep returning to it and finally I will dive a little deeper into what has grabbed my attention. Well this is true for a couple of verses in 1 Thessalonians. In this letter to the Thessalonians Paul addresses the return of Christ, but also encourages believers to a life of Holy Living.

Drilling this down just a little more, Paul encourages brotherly love. Verses 4:9-10 are the ones that keeping coming to mind.

9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.

Can you see the encouragement? Can you see the plea? As believers do we ( I ) love our brothers? As Christians do we ( I ) love enough? Can you see the reminder to do so more and more?

Hendriksen in his commentary on this passage says this; “Perfection had not yet been reached. This admonition is always timely, for in this life no Christian ever reaches the ideal of ethical perfection.”

Maybe that is the encouragement for me; a reminder that perfection is not reached but there should be a continual striving to become more like Christ. Not because we can earn anything, but out of loving gratitude. So when I get a little complacent, even a little pleased with myself, maybe just maybe I need a reminder of just how much Christ did for me, for each of us and as such I should do so more and more; humbly with a loving heart. All we are talking about here is sharing Christian love with a world so desperate for this love.

So there’s the challenge for us all; to go out and share some Christian love with our brothers, our neighbors, even our enemies and to do so more and more. Wow.

Oh how I love God’s Word. It is truly living, inexhaustible and life changing. May we all go do so more and more! Amen

Grace and Peace!