11-26-22 | Daily Devotions

The Story of Ruth (Part 4)

By Peter Amsterdam

November 22, 2022

In the previous article we saw that Boaz had agreed to be Ruth’s redeemer by marrying her, so that she could bear a son who would be considered the son of her first husband, Mahlon. However, there was another redeemer who was the first in line to marry her if he chose to. Boaz gave Ruth six measures of barley and sent her back to Naomi, while he went into action trying to arrange things so that he could marry her.

Now Boaz had gone up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the redeemer, of whom Boaz had spoken, came by. So Boaz said, “Turn aside, friend; sit down here.” And he turned aside and sat down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down.¹

Boaz’s first step was to speak with the first redeemer, who is not named. He headed into town and waited at the city gate. In ancient times, the city gate was often the place where business and legal transactions were conducted, along with being a place to gather and socialize. When the redeemer came to the gate, Boaz asked him to sit with him. Boaz then took ten of the city elders who were also at the gate of the city and he asked them to sit as well, so that they could be witnesses to what was about to transpire.

Then he said to the redeemer, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, is selling the parcel of land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. So I thought I would tell you of it and say, ‘Buy it in the presence of those sitting here and in the presence of the elders of my people.’ If you will redeem it, redeem it. But if you will not, tell me, that I may know, for there is no one besides you to redeem it, and I come after you.” And he said, “I will redeem it.”²

Boaz got right down to business. He wanted the redeemer to be aware of the situation with Naomi and Ruth and Elimelech’s parcel of land, as he was the closest relative and was eligible to purchase it. However, if he chose not to buy it, then Boaz would do so, as he was next in line. The first redeemer initially agreed to buy the land, but he was not yet aware that there were conditions to purchasing it. Boaz then gave further information.

Then Boaz said, “The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, in order to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance.” Then the redeemer said, “I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance. Take my right of redemption yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”³

In describing Ruth, Boaz referred to her as the Moabite as well as the widow of the dead. Most likely he was trying to make it seem like a bad idea for the redeemer to take the land and marry Ruth, because he wanted to be with Ruth.

Upon finding out that it would be necessary for him to marry Ruth, the first redeemer said that he was unable to buy the property. While it would be beneficial for him to gain Naomi’s land, having to care for Naomi as well as marrying Ruth would complicate his life and his own estate. He changed his mind about purchasing the land, and told Boaz that he was free to redeem it.

Now this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging: to confirm a transaction, the one drew off his sandal and gave it to the other, and this was the manner of attesting in Israel. So when the redeemer said to Boaz, “Buy it for yourself,” he drew off his sandal.⁴

The author of this book points to a custom which had been used in the past but was no longer in use when this book was written. In earlier times in Israel, when there was a legal transaction, one party would take off his sandal and give it to the other party. This transaction was done in the presence of others who were witnesses. One author explains: In a day when there were no permanent records of court proceedings or transcripts, witnesses were to recall transactions, and such dramatic visual effects made transactions memorable.⁵ When the first redeemer declared that he could not redeem the land and that Boaz could purchase it, he formalized his decision by giving his sandal to Boaz, thus making it possible for him to redeem the land and also to marry Ruth.

Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this day.”⁶

After the relative’s refusal to buy the land, Boaz addressed the elders, who were witnesses to the transaction, as well as all the people who had gathered around. He emphasized that they all were witnesses, saying it twice, once at the beginning of his speech and again at the end. He confirmed that he was buying the land that had belonged to Naomi’s husband, Elimelech, and their sons, Chilion and Mahlon, and that he was going to marry Ruth, who had been married to Mahlon until his death. In marrying Ruth, Boaz would maintain the name of her first husband through the birth of Ruth’s first son.

Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem, and may your house be like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring that the LORD will give you by this young woman.”⁷

Those who were at the city gate along with the elders confirmed that they were witnesses to Boaz’s purchase of all that belonged to Naomi. They also gave a triple blessing, which was probably given by a spokesperson among the elders. First, they prayed that Ruth would be fruitful like Rachel and Leah, who between them had twelve sons. (Two of Rachel’s sons were borne by Bilhah, Rachel’s servant.)

The second blessing was that Boaz would have standing in Ephrathah and would be famous in Bethlehem, that as the patriarch of this new family he would prosper and that his name would continue in Israel. The third blessing pointed to the as-yet unconceived child named Obed, who would be born to Boaz and Ruth. The blessing was that their marriage would be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah. Perez was a direct ancestor of Boaz, which is why he is mentioned here.⁸

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.⁹

Soon after Boaz and Ruth married, she became pregnant and delivered a son named Obed (verse 21).

Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the LORD, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel! He shall be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age, for your daughter-in-law who loves you, who is more to you than seven sons, has given birth to him.” Then Naomi took the child and laid him on her lap and became his nurse. And the women of the neighborhood gave him a name, saying, “A son has been born to Naomi.” They named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.¹⁰

The women of Bethlehem who had known of Naomi’s past emptiness (Ruth 1:19–20) now offered praise and prayer. They praised the Lord, who had not left her without a kinsman-redeemer. Their prayer was that the child would be renowned throughout Israel. Their hope was that the child would renew Naomi’s life and would sustain her in her old age. They also commended Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law, who had demonstrated unconditional love for Naomi and who was more to [her] than seven sons. The way that Ruth took care of Naomi was better than if Naomi had seven sons.

Naomi cared for the child, and alongside the parents, helped raise the boy. The women of the town referred to him as Naomi’s son. He was named Obed (which means “servant”). This was likely a shortened form of Obadiah (which means “servant of the Lord”). As it turned out, Obed was the father of Jesse, who was the father of King David, meaning that Ruth was the great-grandmother of David.

The story of Ruth ends with the genealogy from Perez to David.

Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David.¹¹

One author sums up the book of Ruth by saying, In the end God overcomes all obstacles to bring Naomi from emptiness to fullness, to bring Boaz from being a bachelor to being a happily married man, and to bring Ruth from being an alien widow to being the great-grandmother of Israel’s greatest king!¹²

Note

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

¹ Ruth 4:1–2.

² Ruth 4:3–4.

³ Ruth 4:5–6.

⁴ Ruth 4:7–8.

⁵ W. Gary Phillips, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Judges and Ruth (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2004), 349.

⁶ Ruth 4:9–10.

⁷ Ruth 4:11–12.

⁸ 1 Chronicles 2:3–11, Matthew 1:5–6.

⁹ Ruth 4:13.

¹⁰ Ruth 4:14–17.

¹¹ Ruth 4:18–22.

¹² Phillips, Holman Old Testament Commentary, Judges and Ruth, 353.

Praying for Unsaved Loved Ones

November 25, 2022

By Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel explains the importance of praying for the salvation of your loved ones and persevering in prayer for even the most unlikely converts among your friends and family.

Run time for this video is 33 minutes.

https://youtu.be/N9I7mmpOaPU

Remembering God’s Goodness

November 24, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 12:07

Download Audio (11.1MB)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.”—Psalm 103:1–4¹

While God will never forget or abandon us, at times we will feel forgotten. It’s not that God is distant; it’s just that sometimes He feels distant. It’s not that God is preoccupied; it’s just that our struggles make us feel like we’re facing the world alone. What is amazing is that we are given full permission to voice this honestly.

“How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?” David lamented. “How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day havesorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?”²

We are allowed and invited to tell God how we really feel. This is the beauty of lament—unedited, unfiltered real talk that allows God to meet us right where we are. When we feel like we’ve been forgotten or left behind, we can express it openly. And then we can remind God of His promises to us. We can echo right back to Him the things He has said to us.

The idea of reminding God of something may sound strange—after all, He is God, and He doesn’t forget the things He has told us! But reminding God of the promises He has made helps us to remember them and reassures us that He can be trusted to keep them. …

Moses reminded the Israelites of God’s provision throughout forty years of wilderness wanderings, so they could hold on to hope in their present.³ Jesus told the disciples at the Last Supper, on the eve of His crucifixion, to practice remembering: “When He had given thanks, He broke [the bread] and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”⁴…

Remembering is an active tool to reignite our faith. As we wait on Him, He actively renews the strength necessary for us to persevere.⁵ What’s more, the practice of remembrance leads our hearts into thanksgiving for the past and hope for the future. …

This kind of reminding is not for God’s sake, but for our sake. It will help us to not forget our covenant-keeping God. It is so like God to invite us to remind Him of His promises when He knows that, in the end, we are the ones who benefit by doing so. When we remind Him, we remember Him for who He truly is. …

God’s promises are energizing; they give us courage, and courage helps us get moving to do what needs to be done. … Go ahead and remind God! And in doing so, may you be reminded of His love for you and be refreshed anew. He is your strength, even as you wait.—Esther Fleece Allen⁶

Reminding ourselves

One of people’s favorite characteristics of the Psalms is the raw honesty. In it you can find the highs and lows of human emotions to match however you are feeling. What I love about these writings is how the Psalmist allows his feelings to draw him to God and never away.

Psalm 13 was the place this first stood out to me. When you read the first four verses, you see David bemoaning his situation. “How long, LORD? Did you hide from me? Have you forgotten me? Don’t you care that my enemy is beating me?” You quickly feel David’s honest approach to God. He had no problem getting in touch with his feelings.

Then in my Bible, I have to turn the page to get to the next two verses. “But I trust you. My heart is happy with you. I will sing, for you are good to me.”

The first time I read this, I had to check to make sure I did not skip a page. What happened? Where did this sudden change come from? Did God answer? Was everything better? It seems that nothing changed, except David chose to trust God instead of his situation. Sure I feel [lousy], but I know that God is good.

So often this is what we need to do. We need to choose that God is good over all our circumstances, so we can rejoice in His goodness even when things seem bad. There is a line in the song “Love Comes Down” by Brian Johnson, which says, “I sing out to remind my soul. I am Yours.”…

We need to remind ourselves that God is trustworthy, that He is good, that He is exactly what we need. Review the goodness of God in your life. Don’t forget. God is good.—Kevin Shorter⁷

Thanksgiving thoughts

Thanksgiving is primarily a North American holiday, celebrated in the U.S. in November and Canada in October, but it would be nice if the whole world would designate a day to reflect on and thank God for His goodness. Our Creator has bestowed so many gifts on humankind. He gave us the gift of life and a marvel-filled world to spend it in, replete with an endless variety of beauty and beautiful experiences. As the Bible says, God has made everything beautiful for its own time and purpose.⁸

He has given us the love of family and friends, and every joy that we experience. Not only has He given us the gift of life as we know it, but He has promised that our souls will outlive this earthly existence. He offers us a future in eternity through His Son, Jesus Christ.

The Bible says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God,” and we are invited to enter into God’s presence with praise and thanksgiving.⁹ When you stop to think about all that God has given you, doesn’t it make you want to express your gratitude?

But you may wonder how you should thank Him. You may not know how to put your thanks into words, or maybe you feel your words aren’t eloquent enough. Take heart. God isn’t looking for carefully crafted or perfectly articulated expressions of gratitude. He delights in hearing heartfelt thanks, with words that may be many or few, lofty or simple, flowing or halting. God sees the praise in your heart and translates it into poetry set to beautiful melodies.—Maria Fontaine

Starting prayer with remembrance

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.”—Psalm 9:1

I often find myself being one who begins prayer with the groanings of my heart rather than praise. This has recently really troubled me. We can see in Matthew 15 that “out of the mouth speaks the fruit of the heart.” This stirred up a conviction in me that the words most often leaving my lips as the day begins and closes aren’t praise. My heart isn’t overflowing with thankfulness, but rather overflowing with requests.

I’ve always loved Psalm 9. It’s a beautiful part of Scripture and one that sets my heart in the right posture. It begins right away with the reminder to give thanks and recount all of God’s wonderful deeds. …

This is something so vital to our walk with the Lord. We should desire to praise our mighty God! The one who is all-knowing, most powerful, and everlasting. He’s moved mountains, made ways, and met us in the darkest valleys of our days. The one who has led every generation of believers to grow in affection of Him.

I’ve begun to make it a point of thanking God for who He is and for what He’s already done, before asking Him to do more for me. I want to praise Him for all the wonderful deeds He’s unfolded in my life. I don’t want to forget what He’s done for me.

You and I both know that our Heavenly Father knows our hearts. He knows our desires, needs, requests, and hardships. But when we begin prayer with a point of praise from our hearts, we are in a posture to see just how big God is. This was the reminder I needed. God is God. I am not. God is not there just to be asked things. God desires us to have a personal relationship with Him. A relationship that acknowledges He is sufficient, and I am not. He is perfect, I am not. Lastly, one that understands He loved me before I loved Him.

This is good news for you and me. That God loves us so much that He stirs up the conviction in our hearts to remember how good He is. To remember how much He loves us, how much He has done for us, and that He sent His one and only son to pay the ultimate price for our eternal reward.—Chelsey DeMatties¹⁰

A praise for the day

Lord, I lift my heart, mind, and spirit to You in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. You are the giver of all good things, and You are all good things to me.

You are my Creator, my Father, the source of life and strength. You cause the sun to rise, the light to shine, the night to come. You hold me in Your arms. You console me in my sadness. You warm me with Your love. You shield me and protect me and provide for me.

All peace, contentment, and blessings come from Your hand. I praise and honor and thank You. Amen.

Published on Anchor November 2022. Read by Carol Andrews.
Music by John Listen.

¹ ESV.

² Psalm 13:1–2.

³ Deuteronomy 8:2.

⁴ 1 Corinthians 11:24.

⁵ Isaiah 40:31.

⁶ https://www.faithgateway.com/reminding-god-to-remember/#.YnznMVTMJPY.

⁷ https://prayer-coach.com/remind-yourself-of-gods-goodness.

⁸ Ecclesiastes 3:11.

⁹ 1 Thessalonians 5:18; Psalm 100:4.

¹⁰ https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-daily-prayer/a-prayer-to-remember-all-gods-wonderful-deeds.html.

What Convinced James His Brother Was God?

November 23, 2022

By Robby Lashua

My brother isn’t God. It’s pretty obvious (we grew up together, after all), and nothing he could do or say could convince me of his divinity. I’m not God, either, and nothing I could do or say would convince him otherwise, too.

Yet somehow, Jesus convinced his brother he was God. And James was so confident, he was willing to die for his belief. How did Jesus do it? What convinced his own brother to acknowledge Jesus was God and worship him?

(Read the article here.)

What Convinced James His Brother Was God? (str.org)

Joy in the Midst of Adversity

November 22, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 10:44

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Adversity and discouragement seem to go hand in hand. Whether they come in the form of a hard medical diagnosis, some sort of family crisis, financial troubles, addiction and dysfunctional behaviors, or a worldwide pandemic, tough times can zap our strength, courage, and resolve, and can leave us feeling exhausted and defeated. Thinking back on this past year, I’ve had to admit that I’ve been pushed and stretched in a lot of different ways that I didn’t expect, nor want. And while I wouldn’t have chosen it myself (I don’t think any of us would’ve either), one undeniable fruit of this tough time has been that it’s forced me to press into the Lord. … It’s taught me again just how much God is aware of our situation, how he works in the midst of it all, and how he gives us what we need to grow more into the image of Jesus.

I learned the Lord’s Prayer as I grew up in the church and recited the prayer along with everybody else. For a long time, I didn’t really understand what I was praying, and got some of the words wrong. But as I’ve grown in my relationship with Jesus, that prayer has come to mean more and more to me. “Your Kingdom come” (not mine); “your will be done” (not mine); help me forgive those I need to forgive; “lead (me) not into temptation”; and my favorite part—“give us today our daily bread,” or in other words, “Lord, sustain me today with what I need.”¹

This prayer has been a … rock of his truth to lean on in these hard times. But one thing I never noticed before is one of the reasons Jesus encourages us to pray this prayer.

In Matthew 6:8, Jesus tells us this before introducing the Lord’s Prayer: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”² …

God sees me. God sees you. He knows the burdens we carry and what we need to sustain us today. What a sweet promise, especially in the midst of our attempts to live as broken people in this broken, messed-up world.

Because God sees and knows us, we can pray… Your Kingdom come, not mine… Your will be done, not mine… help me forgive those I need to forgive… lead me not into temptation… God, give me today what I need to sustain me as I follow you. Praying this way frees us from our need to control the outside situations we face and allows us to simply trust and follow our Good, Heavenly Father.—Andy Petry³

Job was one who experienced great sorrow and sadness, through no fault of his own. His wealth and ten children were all taken from him at one time, leaving him sitting on an ash heap covered in boils and sores.⁴ To add to his misery, his three “friends” came to comfort him by accusing him of sinning against God. Why else, they reasoned, would a man find himself in such circumstances? But as God revealed to Job and his friends, sometimes God causes or allows circumstances that cause sorrow and sadness in our lives for His holy purposes. And sometimes, too, God doesn’t even explain His reasons to us.⁵

The psalmist tells us, “As for God, His way is perfect.”⁶ If God’s ways are “perfect,” then we can trust that whatever He does—and whatever He allows—is also perfect. This may not seem possible to us, but our minds are not God’s mind. It is true that we can’t expect to understand His mind perfectly, as He reminds us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”⁷ Sometimes God’s perfect will includes sadness and sorrow for His children. But we can rejoice in that He never tests us beyond our ability to bear it and always provides the way out from under the burden of sorrow we bear temporarily.⁸

No greater suffering has ever been experienced than that of Jesus, a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.”⁹ … His entire ministry was characterized by the sorrow He felt from the hardness and unbelief of men’s hearts, from the opposition of the religious leaders, and even from the fickleness of His own disciples, not to mention from the temptations of Satan.

The night before His crucifixion, He was “exceedingly sorrowful unto death” as He contemplated the coming wrath and justice of God which would fall upon Him as He died for His people. So great was His agony that His sweat was as great drops of blood.¹⁰ Of course, the greatest sorrow of His life was when on the cross His Father hid His face from the Son, causing Jesus to cry out in agony, “Why have you forsaken me?”¹¹ Surely no sadness experienced by any of us compares with that of the Savior.

But just as Jesus was restored to the right hand of His Father after enduring sorrow, so can we be assured that through hardships and times of sadness, God uses adversity to make us more like Christ.¹² While life among sinful humanity in this world will never be perfect, we know that God is faithful and that when Christ returns, sorrow will be replaced with rejoicing.¹³ But in the meantime, we use our sorrow to glorify God ¹⁴ and rest in the Lord God Almighty’s grace and peace.—GotQuestions.org¹⁵

Many things that seem to us to be problems and misfortune are, in fact, gifts from God, oddly packaged.

A story is told of a woman who loved the Lord very much and wanted nothing more than to please Him. “I’ll gladly do whatever You ask,” she promised, hoping secretly for some noble and noticed place of service.

To her dismay He handed her a heavy, rough, burlap sack and asked her to carry it as they walked through life together. She was curious about the contents of the sack, but it was wrapped tightly with a strong cord with many intricate knots. It was clear that it was not meant to be opened just yet.

As they started on their way, the woman sank down under the weight of her burden. “It’s too heavy!” she protested.

“My strength is made perfect in your weakness, and I will always be at your side,” Jesus reassured her. “When the way gets too steep or you feel weak, lean on Me.”

So, they walked on together, and it was just as Jesus had said. Sometimes the woman stopped and told Him that the weight was too much for her to bear, and so they bore it together.

By and by they arrived at their final destination. The woman set her bundle down at Jesus’ feet and heaved a sigh of relief. Her burden-bearing days were over. “Come, My dear, let’s see what’s inside,” Jesus said with a twinkle in His eye. With one stroke of His hand the knots were undone, the sack fell open, and the contents spilled out.

“The riches of heaven!” the woman exclaimed as her eyes feasted on treasures of unearthly beauty.

“This is your eternal reward which I have prepared for you. It’s My gift to you in appreciation for all you have been through and suffered for Me,” Jesus explained.

Astonishment turned to tears of joy. The woman fell at Jesus’ feet and said, “Oh Lord, forgive me! I misunderstood all these years. If I had only trusted You, and not doubted and questioned! If only I had understood what was inside the sack, it would have been a joy to carry it.”

Just so, the Lord may be preparing precious treasure for you as a reward for bearing the burden He has given you.

You may look around and see others whose burdens appear to be much lighter than your own, and you may wish you could trade places. But if God were to grant you your wish, you may find that their burden would be even heavier and harder for you to carry than your own, for it was not meant for you. Each burden is tailor-made for its bearer, and is fashioned with the greatest of love and care. God knows exactly what’s best for you. Trust Him.—Shannon Shayler

Can we think it pleases His loving heart
To cause us a moment’s pain?
Oh, no! But He sees, through the present cross
The bliss of eternal gain.
—A. F. Ingler

Published on Anchor November 2022. Read by Lenore Welsh.
Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ Matthew 6:10–13 NIV.

² NIV.

³ https://pastors.com/he-knows-your-needs.

⁴ Job 1–3.

⁵ Job 38–42.

⁶ Psalm 18:30.

⁷ Isaiah 55:8–9.

⁸ 1 Corinthians 10:13.

⁹ Isaiah 53:3.

¹⁰ Matthew 26:38; Luke 22:44.

¹¹ Matthew 27:46.

¹² Romans 8:29; Hebrews 12:10.

¹³ Isaiah 35:10.

¹⁴ 1 Peter 1:6–7.

¹⁵ https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-sadness.html.

Be Kind

November 21, 2022

Audio length: 9:30

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Some people feel like outcasts because they have certain afflictions, such as epilepsy, and the Lord hasn’t healed them and they have never been able to overcome them. Everybody has physical and spiritual weaknesses, some more visible than others, and it can be a “But if Not” situation, where they have really cried out desperately to the Lord for deliverance and been prayed for by others but haven’t received healing.

I remember the sweetest young woman used to be our pianist at the Church of the Open Door in downtown Miami. She was in her late twenties and played the piano beautifully. Every now and then she would have an epileptic attack. I can remember once even while she was sitting on the piano stool playing, she had an attack and fell to the floor writhing in spasms and convulsions. We gathered around and prayed for her, and it subsided right away. But I don’t know that she ever got complete healing that I can remember.

She was a charming young woman with a sweet spirit, always faithful coming to church. She had a younger sister who was really concerned about her and was always there to take care of her. It was enough to make you weep when she suffered these epileptic attacks, because she was such a genuinely sweet young woman who was born again and loved the Lord. And unfortunately, she also had to endure the accompanying embarrassment, which was very discouraging.

I’ve known quite a few Christians who were epileptics, and most of them were fine under normal conditions. But it seemed as if they got under too much pressure or nervous strain, they could have epileptic fits; that they couldn’t quite seem to handle a lot of stress.

I remember that once there was a man driving his coupe along in front of us across the Miami causeway to Miami Beach—that highway built up out of the water. All of a sudden, his car began to slow down, and we could tell something had gone wrong with him, and we thought he had had a heart attack. His car slowly curved over to the right-hand side of the road and started down toward the water. My dad speeded up his car and drove off the road and jumped out and grabbed the wheel of the other car just in time to keep it from going into the water. The guy would have drowned, as he was having an epileptic fit.

I’ve known of some people who after being gloriously saved were completely healed through prayer and faith in the Lord! The most outstanding case I’m thinking of was a girl in her early twenties who had gotten to where she was having so many epileptic seizures every day that she was down to almost skin and bones and wasn’t eating enough. They had taken her to doctor after doctor, and nobody could do anything for her. Finally, the family was completely desperate.

We were in their town holding a meeting and they heard about my mother and healing and her prayer for the sick, so they sent for us. The poor girl was really pitiful, lying there in the bed exhausted, thin and weak from all this. My mother just talked to her very sweetly and led her to accept the Lord, and she received Jesus into her heart. And she never had another fit!

When I saw her a few weeks later, I could hardly recognize her. She had gained about 30 pounds and was now a robust, beautiful young woman. She was smiling, happy, sitting on the bench at the church during one of our services, completely and totally healed with never another seizure!

But in the case of the other young woman, our pianist, as many times as we prayed for her, she was never fully healed. She didn’t have seizures often, only once a month or so, and when we prayed she’d be almost instantly delivered from them, but it didn’t last. I don’t recall the end of the story, whether she was eventually completely healed or not, as we moved away into evangelistic work. She was very precious and humble and Christlike. Perhaps it was another case of “But if Not,” one of those things that the Lord used in her life to draw her close to Him.

All of us have weaknesses that are our thorn in the flesh—even the Apostle Paul did. Perhaps if we didn’t have any of these weaknesses, we couldn’t help others much; we wouldn’t be sympathetic or compassionate. We couldn’t even understand others.

I remember there was another very precious girl, a wonderful Christian who loved the Lord, was always smiling and cheerful. Her sister always pushed her to church in a wheelchair because she had muscular dystrophy and had little control over her contorted limbs and her writhing head and facial expressions. But she could smile! Her face would just light up with joy, and she would smile while talking about the Lord and talking to her friends. Everybody loved her and she loved everybody, and she seemed to be very happy.

The Lord never delivered her from this affliction, at least not as long as I was a child in that church. I remember that I wondered about it, and yet, she was so happy in spite of that affliction. She’d never known anything else, but she seemed to be happy and enjoyed life.

But here was a church that believed in healing, so it was pretty humbling to have this girl coming to every service in a wheelchair, and it was pretty humbling to have this other girl falling off the piano stool suffering from epileptic fits. It was really embarrassing, to say the least, so I wonder if the Lord didn’t also use it for that reason, to keep us humble? Maybe what the Lord was trying to teach everyone above all was about having more love. Maybe the Lord was trying to burden the whole body for these people and teach them to bear each other’s burdens and feel their need and suffering, and get desperate for them in prayer.

As Christians, we have to guard against developing a condescending attitude toward disabled or otherwise disadvantaged people. If the healthy have feelings of being better than others and look down upon them like the Pharisee who said, “I thank Thee, O God, that I am not as this man,” that holier-than-thou attitude is wrong. It is a sin, as it is contrary to God’s Word.

“Be ye kind one toward another, tenderhearted.”¹ “Comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.”² “To him that is afflicted, pity should be showed.”³ Job said in his afflictions, “Have pity on me, O ye my friends, for the hand of God hath touched me.”⁴ And it certainly humbled him and tested his faith, for before that he thought he was pretty righteous!

The Bible also tells us that “Jesus was moved with compassion for the multitudes.”⁵ And Peter says we should “Be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren and be tenderhearted.”⁶ Paul says, “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak,”⁷ and “To the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak.”⁸

Finally the Lord comforts us with these words: “My grace is sufficient for thee: For My strength is made perfect in (your) weakness.” “For when I am weak, then I am strong”—in Him.⁹ God bless and keep you strong in the Lord and His love—not yourself! Be ye kind. Amen. Praise the Lord!

Originally published June 1978. Adapted and republished November 2022.
Read by John Laurence.

¹ Ephesians 4:32.

² 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

³ Job 6:14.

⁴ Job 19:21.

⁵ Matthew 9:36, 14:14.

⁶ 1 Peter 3:8.

⁷ Romans 15:1.

⁸ 1 Corinthians 9:22.

⁹ 2 Corinthians 12:9–10.

Did God Make a Mistake?

David Brandt Berg

Introduction by Peter Amsterdam

“Did God Make a Mistake” deals with the lessons of life, and it provides a faith-based look at the roller-coaster ride our lives can be. It starts from the premise that God has a hand in the lives of those who love Him, and shows how He sometimes works in their lives to bring about beneficial results. However, those results can sometimes be the end product of a process that was difficult, or that may seem to be wrong or a mistake at the time.

David visits some of the stories of the Old Testament—such as Moses and the children of Israel, and King David—discussing times when God used incidents that initially seemed to have negative results, but which, with the passage of time, obviously had a beneficial long-term outcome.

He explains that the weaknesses, mistakes, and even sins of some of the great men of faith eventually brought with them valuable lessons, which, when applied to their lives, made them better men and drew them closer to God. As men and women of faith, we can also see God’s hand in our lives, as He is able to use our mistakes and weaknesses to teach us to do better, to love Him and others more, and to grow in faith and conviction.

The Letter talks about the hardships of life that often bring about humility before God, eventually resulting in greatness in His eyes: Moses’ forty years as a herdsman after being a prince of Egypt. Elijah, the thunderous prophet, having to hide in the wilderness after the miracle of calling fire from heaven, and needing to depend upon the charity of a foreign woman. Humblings which brought these great men low, so that they could, in time, be used by God to do greater things than they had ever done before.

There is many a Christian who can tell of similar events in which difficult times were only incubation periods on the path to new and greater things ahead. However, they didn’t necessarily know it during the turbulent times, when all seemed like defeat and humiliation.

The sculpting of our lives sometimes requires trials and tribulations of various kinds so that we, as Christians, can learn that we are in God’s hands, and that sometimes God’s way up is down. The path to success isn’t always upward; it sometimes dips down to the depths and keeps us traveling there for some time. If we find ourselves traveling at a low point in the path, it pays to remember that God doesn’t make mistakes. There’s something there for you which can make you better, stronger, and more useful to God and others.

Did God Make a Mistake?

Did God make a mistake by putting Adam and Eve in the Garden, and they wound up making their own choice—the wrong one? Did God have to confess failure by the Flood, in that He had to wipe out all mankind for its wickedness? Was the Tower of Babel a total disaster, and was the confusion of tongues a catastrophe? Or was it necessary to accomplish God’s purpose to humble and scatter man over the face of the earth?

Was it a mistake when Moses killed the Egyptian and had to flee for his life, and lived forty years in the wilderness with the sheep and his father-in-law? Wasn’t that a terrible setback to the cause and the deliverance of his people? Or was it necessary that Moses had to go into exile to learn the lessons God had to teach him to make him the man he needed to be to deliver his people—totally dependent on God, not himself?

And wasn’t that a terrible defeat for the Lord’s cause when the children of Israel turned back at Kadesh Barnea and wandered around another forty years until the whole older generation had died in the wilderness? Wasn’t that a real setback? Or was it? What if they had tried to invade Israel with all those unbelievers, or if they had tried to conquer the Promised Land with all those Doubting Thomases? What kind of disaster would that have been? They might have all gotten wiped out! So wasn’t it a good thing that God purged them in the wilderness, before they went on to what was going to be the biggest and most difficult testing of their whole history, the conquest of the Promised Land?

Did God make a mistake when He chose Saul to be king, considering the way Saul turned out? Was Saul a failure? Or did he accomplish God’s purpose in training the king God was really after—David? God gets His greatest victories out of seeming defeats, and He causeth the wrath of man to praise Him!

Did God make a mistake when He let David fall for Bathsheba, and fall from grace in the eyes of the kingdom, fall from the throne at the hand of his own son, and depart in disgrace and scandal to another country with only a handful of his friends? Did David really fall downward?—Or was this a fall upward?

Sometimes God’s way up is down—usually, in fact! Just the opposite of what we think! God loves to do things contrary to natural expectation, because that takes a miracle, and that shows it’s God, and not man! And David was humbled and the whole kingdom was humbled, and they were reminded that it was only the Lord that made them what they were. From that squeezing and twisting of David’s life came forth the sweet honey of the Psalms and the fragrance of his praises to the Lord for His mercy. It was all God and all grace, and none of himself or his own righteousness.

Was Elijah’s ministry defeated when he ran from Jezebel, after his great victory on Mount Carmel? After slaying hundreds of false prophets, here he was running away from a woman! What a picture! The great, brave, statuesque prophet, towering above all the rest in the might and power of God on top of Mount Carmel, calling down fire from heaven, proving he was right!—Now running fearfully and ignominiously and disgracefully from that filthy, wicked Queen Jezebel!

Didn’t this defeat his whole ministry? Didn’t this undermine his entire witness? Didn’t this prove he wasn’t such a great prophet after all? Didn’t this cause him to lose his following? Here was the prophet of God afraid of a woman! Or was God trying to show him something that was going to make him a better prophet?—A humbler prophet, who would come back unafraid even of the king, much less the queen?

After Elijah found out that God was not just in the fire, the thunder, and the earthquake, this man of fire and thunder became a meek little man listening to the still, small voice of God.

It’s so much easier to be a prophet of doom than a healer of wounds and a feeder of sheep, a grower of lambs, and a teacher of babes. There’s so much more glory in calling down the fire of God from heaven and slaying false prophets! It’s so much more dramatic—more cataclysmic—so much more spectacular!

“But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence”¹—That He might get all the glory, because then you know it wasn’t man!

Abraham had to learn it wasn’t Abraham; it was only God. Moses had to learn it couldn’t be Moses. David had to learn by looking at Saul, and becoming a disgrace himself, that he couldn’t make it on his own. Elijah had to learn it wasn’t Elijah, but God.

By the time God’s ready to make you really great, He makes absolutely nothing out of you, so there’s nothing left of you at all, and it’s only Jesus. When He can get you out of the way, then He has a chance! When you become nothing but a tool and a channel, nothing but a little diamond of dust, then God can really use you! But He has to break and humble and melt you in the fire, purge you, purify you, sift you, beat out the chaff. He has to beat the hell out of you till there’s none of it left—crucify the flesh, till it’s dead as a doornail—mortify the mind, till it’s almost gone—so that Jesus can live and think and move in you! Did God make a mistake? Or is all this necessary to make us what we ought to be?

Who can know the mind of the Lord, and who can show Him anything? Who the hell do you think you are, anyway, to tell God what to do and how to do it? God knows His business, and it’s none of your business how He does it!

Just trust God that He knows what He’s doing. “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.”²

The minute you try to figure it out in the flesh, you might as well quit, because it will probably never work out that way anyhow. “Lest Israel say, ‘Mine own arm hath saved me!’”³

Whoever heard of winning a battle by digging ditches, getting down in the mud and mire and making holes in the ground? But that’s what God’s prophet told Jehoshaphat and his army to do—and God used it in a very strange way to scare the daylights out of their enemies and help them win the battle, almost without firing a shot!

God loves to do things contrary to the way we think He ought to do them. Is this a mistake? Is God wrong? Did He fail? Why didn’t God take Gideon’s 32,000 and let them destroy the army of Midian so they could pat themselves on the back and show what a great people they were? Instead of having a ridiculous little band of 300 break up the dishes in the middle of the night and brandish the fireworks and toot and yell their heads off—so they scared the enemy so silly, he slew himself!

What an ignominious way to win a battle! What an inglorious way to conquer the enemy: it was stupid, idiotic, ridiculous—but God did it! You could only thank God for the victory, ’cause all you did was something stupid, like breaking dishes, waving torches, and yelling your fool head off, while God did the dirty work! Who could possibly get the credit for that kind of battle but the Lord? Certainly not a fool like Gideon, who was crazy enough to believe God and do it! But he was willing to be a fool and be laughed at, as long as it got the job done!

God doesn’t make mistakes, and even the “foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” There is no other way than God’s way.

Originally published January 1971. Excerpted and republished December 2010.
Read by Peter Amsterdam.

¹ 1Corinthians 1:27–29.

² Proverbs 3:5,6.

³ Judges 7:2.

Have Faith Will Travel

David Brandt Berg

1971-12-30

From the earliest times, God’s men have always been on the move for the Lord: “These all…confessed the they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth,” declaring “plainly that they seek a country—a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.” God is proud of His travelling pilgrims on their constant pilgrimages for Him en route to that heavenly city “which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God… for He hath prepared for them a city!”—Hebrews 11. Hallelujah!

Man’s first trip was a sad one when he was exiled from that heavenly Garden of Eden out into the cold cruel world because of unbelief, sin, and disobedience. But by faith, His righteousness and your obedience, you can again journey back into a Garden of Eden, a heaven on earth amongst the beauties of God’s Creation. As in every “Pilgrim’s Progress”, it is sometimes “a rough and a rugged road with a hard and a heavy load, and the people you meet aren’t always kind.” But most of the time it’s a smooth and a happy road, and He helps you to carry the load, and many lost souls He’ll help you to find. Amen?

Cain went out right away and started settling down and building cities, as the men of this world have been doing ever since. But God’s children have always been on the move, never setting down more than temporarily, seldom building cities, because they know this world is not their home, they’re just a passin’ through trying to get a job done for Jesus on the way!

When Noah landed, he climbed down that mountain and travelled down the Euphrates nearly a thousand miles until his descendants wanted to settle down again and build another big city called Babylon. So God had to confuse their languages and scatter them so they’d get on the move again and keep travelling until they reached the whole world: Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America, Australia, and the Islands of the Sea.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles (tents) with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise”, and they dwelled in tents all the days of their lives. Israel camped in the wilderness for 40 years! The Rechabites promised God they’d live in these mobile homes, called tents, all their lives, and they kept moving and surviving; whereas, the homebuilders got left behind under the heel of their conquerors.

Jesus moved to Egypt when he was only a baby, and they undoubtedly camped out all the way there and all the way back to Nazareth again a few years later. He and His disciples seemed to be camping out much of the time, either under the trees or in other people’s boats or houses, always on the move for the Lord.—And his followers have been moving ever since, from Jerusalem to Antioch to Ephesus to Athens to Rome and to every nation on earth, spreading the Gospel as they went! Praise the Lord!

When Europe became wealthy, powerful, dictatorial, and controlled by the Church, our forefathers moved to America for freedom to live and worship as they pleased. My forefathers went to America from Germany and Sweden looking for freedom and opportunity and found it there. My grandfather, Dr. John L. Brandt, toured the world many times and pastored in West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, California, and Melbourne, Australia. And the first thing I can remember about my own Mom and Dad was moving: from California to Oklahoma to Canada to Florida and back to California again.

My earliest memories were of travelling on the road and camping out–and I loved it! We had an old Model-T Ford open touring car with a collapsible canvas roof that we first went to Oklahoma in when I was only a year old. Then when I was three we graduated to what was then known as a California hardtop Model-T Ford which had actual glass windows and was completely enclosed, and completely air-conditioned just by rolling down the windows! Only, since most of the roads weren’t paved, you kept them up most of the time to keep the dust out. When it rained, I had to stand beside my Daddy and work by hand that new-fangled gadget called a windshield wiper, which was a real honor—and I loved it. I usually sat on a pillow on top of my Dad’s old typewriter between Mom and Dad’s front seats where I could watch the roads and study the maps and tell them which way to go.

On the running boards were two big planks about a foot wide running from fender to fender just below the bottom of the doors, where you had special luggage racks that carried your cans of water, gas, oil, and other necessities in a country where the filling stations were hundred miles apart on dirt and gravel highways on which you could only make about a hundred miles a day! I can remember thinking we were really flying when we sometimes raced downhill at 25 miles per hour.

I can remember when we were lost in the Mojave Desert for three days without food and water. We had just equipped our Ford with the first four-wheel brakes, called rocky Mountain Brakes, and twelve cars of us decided to take a shortcut through Wolf Pass, and got caught in a blizzard at 16,000 feet on a narrow one-way trail and almost got wiped out. When we got down onto the desert all the trails had been washed out by the same storm and even the rare signs had been washed away, so we just had to hit out across the barren desert hoping we were going the right direction to the next town over a hundred miles away. We weren’t, however, and we missed the town and got lost, and were starving and dying of thirst when a posse finally found us—or I wouldn’t be here to tell the tale. In fact, we overheard one of the guards say the night before by the campfire that he had never prayed much before but was now prayed up to date!

In those days nearly every town in the West, and Midwest had its own campground for the tenters, commonly known as tin-can tourists because they carried most of their food in cans as well as their water, gas, and oil, besides having buckets, pails, pots and pans, etc. hanging all over their vehicles. The average traveler’s car looked more like a loaded pack mule than an automobile. Motels were unheard of but there were cabin camps, which were all that the words imply: nothing but bare board cabins sometimes with a tent roof in which you could set up your own cots and furnish your own bedding. But these were an expensive luxury that cost a whole half a dollar a night, which the ordinary poor travelling family couldn’t afford. If you wanted a little more luxury than camping beside the road you paid twenty-five cents, which was equal to more than a dollar today those fifty years ago, and you could have a tent site on which to pitch your tent in one of these tent cities with the ultra-convenience of outhouses and at least one running water faucet in the middle of the camp, for which you stood in line, and with the added protection of less likely raids by coyotes and Indians!

The first campers in those days were old trucks and buses, fitted up into what was known as “housecars” which were considered quite a luxury, forerunners of the modern campers and motor homes. However, we were never able to afford one in those days so were very happy when the first house trailers were invented, which were considerably cheaper. So I can remember our first one back in the twenties; a box-like affair about ten feet long with all the modern conveniences of double decker bunks, one tiny sink, a small camp stove, and a little dinette, and no running water, and you still had to go to the toilet outside. But it was luxury!

Of course, travel in those days had a lot of other advantages and savings which you don’t have today: There were no driver’s licenses, no car licenses, and almost no vehicle restrictions or traffic laws. I can remember when we began to see the first speed limit signs on the major highways: “Twenty-Five miles per hour”! This was out on the highway, mind you, not in the city. Of course, you were doing well if you had a car that could even go that fast, so it never bothered us very much. We were usually too loaded with camping gear to reach the limit. There were virtually no traffic policemen except in places like New York and Chicago, which were still full of horse-drawn wagons and carriages, nearly equaling the autos in number, and there were virtually no highway patrols. Being a pedestrian was much safer too. I can remember walking home from school three miles each day reading books as I walked, seldom having to worry about even a passing car.—But those days are gone—until the Millennium, alas!

The multitude of things we didn’t have then and didn’t even miss because they hadn’t even been invented yet, but which most people today consider necessities. My Grandfather, being a wealthy man, had the first electric lights, one of the first automobiles, the first motion picture projector, and one of the first stock tickers and telephones in St. Louis. I can not only remember the day when Model-T’s were brand new, but also when everybody ran out in the yard when they heard one of those rare flying machine contraptions flying overhead. That was a real thrill! Also when one of our friends bought one of the first radios in town, an old huge-tubed Crosley with a big horn for a speaker, which he invited us over to hear while he laboriously twirled the many dials necessary to try to tune in one of the world’s first radio station, KDKA Pittsburgh, and later WLW Cincinnati.

Soon I was building crystal sets myself, and soap operas began—and haven’t changed. Of course, there was no TV yet and the only movies you could see were the silents at the picture shows for only ten cents, a real bargain. But of course ten cents was worth nearly half a dollar then, and you could buy a quart of milk, a loaf of bread, a gallon of gas, or twenty-five pounds of ice, or a pound of oleo for only a dime!–Only the oleo wasn’t colored then: it was plain white, looked like lard and almost tasted like it, and it was my job as a young boy to mix the color in. The bread wasn’t sliced either so that was my job, too! And you’re probably wondering what we needed twenty-five pounds of ice for but refrigerators hadn’t yet been invented. Frigidaire was the first, and the first one we bought was paid for by sticking a quarter in the meter on top every day, it was such a luxury. Neon lights weren’t out yet, and you were doing well to have electricity, and no one had ever heard of gas refrigeration. We had one of the first electric stoves, and that was quite an innovation, even though it kept burning out the fuses. There were Hoover vacuum cleaners, but no tape recorders.

You were doing well to have a record player that you cranked by hand and played scratchy jazz at 78 rpm’s through a big horn while you were doing your lessons with a fountain pen that you filled from an ink well because ball points hadn’t been invented yet, much less felt tips. There were no electric clocks and most cameras were simple little boxes, like the Baby Brownie that you just pointed at somebody in bright sunlight and went “click” without a lot of fancy adjustments or flash bulbs, since there weren’t any. Night pictures were taken by the light of an explosion of some kind of powder that left a cloud of white smoke and scared you half to death.

I can remember the first “talkies” at the movies which contained only a few words of sound and still used mostly piano or organ accompaniment by a musician who sat there in the theatre with you watching the flick while gearing his sound to its action—very individualistic. Bicycles were still popular because they outnumbered the autos and there wasn’t much chance of getting run over; but car wheels still had wooden spokes, and some, especially trucks, still had solid rubber tires which never had a flat. They were always flat and rode as hard and bumpy as a tank; and gearshifts were a brand new thing. Of course, the super two-lane paved highways of the East were only as wide as one lane today, but then the cars were narrower too and not so numerous that you had to worry much about having to pass anybody. There were stop signs but no stop lights, so there weren’t as many accidents since you didn’t have to play chicken on yellow.

We went from tents to that first ten foot house trailer which wasn’t even as big as a room, much less a house. But finally, with four kids we had to get an eighteen footer with rare dual wheels. We towed it all the way to Florida with an old beat up yellow taxicab and used it several years before I sold it to one of Castro’s men for his use in the Escambray Mountains during the Cuban Revolution. Whereupon we graduated to our first big thirty-five footer and towed it all over the East with a big two ton truck, the whole rig weighing over ten tons in all!—Enough to give almost anybody a nervous breakdown. After which trip I decided to abandon trailers forever.

Let’s keep moving for the Lord, spreading the Good News as we go. —Let’s just keep going for God! We’ll just keep on hopping for God! Hallelujah?

Contagious Calm

November 18, 2022

By Max Lucado

How many disasters have been averted because one person refused to buckle under the strain? It’s this kind of composure Paul is summoning when he says, “Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything …” (Philippians 4:5–6 NIV).

The Greek word translated here as gentleness describes a temperament that’s seasoned and mature. It envisions an attitude fitting to the occasion, levelheaded and tempered. This gentleness is evident to all. Family members take note. Your friends sense a difference. Coworkers benefit from it.

The gentle person is sober minded and clear thinking. The contagiously calm person is the one who reminds others, “God is in control.” Pursue this gentleness. The Lord is near—you are not alone. You may feel alone. You may think you’re alone. But there is never a moment in which you face life without help. God is near—be anxious for nothing!

Run time for this video is 29 minutes.

https://youtu.be/7jr6J-YfmWA

Sharing Hope This Christmas Season

By Maria Fontaine

November 15, 2022

It’s almost the Christmas season once again! As followers of Jesus, it’s a perfect time of the year to highlight what Jesus did for every single person on the planet, and bring Him front and center into the picture. People in most countries don’t usually question why we speak of Jesus during the weeks that lead up to Christmas. Even many of those who prefer the expression “Happy Holidays” know that the “reason for the season” is a celebration of Jesus’ birth. This is why Christmas is such a great opportunity to tell others about Jesus and why He is called the Prince of Peace.

Christmas cards and greetings can also be wonderful ways to share a short message with people. When sending a Christmas card or a text message or email, a note along these lines can provide a summary of the meaning of Christmas:

“May you enjoy this Christmas season, the celebration of the birth of God’s Son, Jesus. He is the Prince of Peace. He came into our world as a little baby. He suffered persecution, pain, crucifixion, and death for our sakes. He understands what you’re going through. When you feel that no one knows or cares, He does. You are not alone. You can know God’s love, comfort, and peace by asking Jesus to come into your heart.”

This is a simple but impactful message, especially if followed up with a personal conversation or additional devotional publications.¹ People need to know that Jesus loves them and He can bring light in the midst of the darkness and confusion of this world. By telling them the story of Christmas, you can give them hope and guide them to His truth.

Christmas is also a great time to share tracts with people you encounter throughout your day, who you may not have the opportunity to speak to in depth. Many people are more open to reading a tract about Christmas, which is generally understood to be a season of good will and peace. (You can find five Christmas tracts ² in the TFI Online Library in various languages.)

I thought to include some of the most well-loved Bible verses (NIV) for Christmas for your ease of reference that you might want to share via email or as you read the Bible with others. These are especially helpful for people who do not know the true meaning of Christmas.

God bless you with a wonderfully fruitful Christmas season!

* * *

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.—Isaiah 9:6

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.—Galatians 4:4–5

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.

But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.—Luke 1:26–38

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).—Matthew 1:18–23

[A]nd she [Mary] gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”—Luke 2:7–14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.—John 1:14

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.—John 3:16

¹ English mission resources in the TFI Online Library: https://library.tfionline.com/?treeId=1349&viewId=0

² English Christmas tracts: https://library.tfionline.com/?treeId=56631&viewId=0

Forget Not All His Benefits

November 15, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 12:12

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“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”—Psalm 103:1–5

I love how the psalmist instructs his soul to “forget not.” He reminds himself of all the “benefits” of who God is and what He offers us: forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, mercy, good, renewal.

I know what it’s like to read these words and struggle to believe they’re true—because maybe what you’re facing doesn’t look like any of those things. You don’t feel healed. You don’t feel loved. You don’t feel renewed. I know what it’s like to believe in Jesus and know He’s here but not feel Him at all. I’ve been there, too.

But you see, the trustworthy component of Truth is this: it’s true forever. No matter what we’re going through, no matter what we feel, Truth is still true. And when we feel overwhelmed, sometimes the best thing we can do is come back into alignment with what’s ultimately true.

God forgives …
God heals …
God redeems …
God crowns us with love and mercy …
God satisfies us with goodness …

When we take time to remember what’s true about God and therefore what’s true for us, we can then reframe any thought that’s setting itself up to be opposite of that.

Philippians 4:8 even tells us, “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”¹

Yes, these things. This is what I need more of in my life. These are the things I need to fix my thoughts on in the morning … not just my mental checklist of everything I need for my day.

Reframing your thoughts doesn’t mean you ignore the reality of what you’re facing. It doesn’t mean you overlook hurt or abuse or discouragement or unanswered prayers. Reframing your thoughts isn’t a choice to ignore the realities of your situation. It’s a choice to factor God back into the equation. To remember who He is and what is true in the middle of what feels scary and overwhelming.

Today, as you recall to mind what is true and instruct your soul to “forget not,” live comforted in the truth that God has not forgotten you. He hears your prayers. He’s listening. He’s doing more than you think He is. He’s here right now. And if all you can do this morning is show up with your needs, questions, and hurting heart, that’s OK. God’s Truth-filled promises are still for you today no matter what you’re facing. Remember this today, friend.

God, thank You for the promise that Your Word is true at all times. No matter what I’m walking through … no matter what I feel … no matter what is overwhelming me … You are the source of my strength and are my safe place for what is ultimately true. Remind me of what’s true, especially when I’m overwhelmed by what’s in front of me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Shae Tate²

In Psalm 103, David praises the Lord for His abundant mercies. He tells his soul to “bless the Lord” six times ³ and to “forget not all his benefits.”⁴ Then David lists several good things that God does for His people.

For more than half of the psalm, David stirs up his heart, soul, “and all that is within” him ⁵ to “forget not His benefits.” The original Hebrew verb translated “forget” means “to lose memory or remembrance of,” but it can also mean “ignore” or “cease to care about.” The Lord’s “benefits” represent all the good things the Lord provides to aid or promote the well-being of His children.

We bless or praise the Lord by spending time in grateful remembrance of the mercies we have received from Him. Praise is similar to one aspect of the exercise of bodybuilding. If we regularly stretch, flex, and use our muscles, we won’t lose muscle tone. Instead, we gain definition and strength. And if we get in the regular habit of giving thanks to the Lord for His blessings, we won’t forget them. If we do not give thanks, if we fail to praise the Lord, if we ignore His benefits or, worse, cease to care about them, we are sure to forget them.

What are some of the Lord’s benefits we ought to remember? David enumerates: “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! The LORD gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly.”⁶ David goes on to praise the Lord’s compassion, mercy, and patience.⁷ He recalls how God revealed His character to Moses and His mighty deeds to the children of Israel.⁸

In His mercy, the Lord holds back the punishment we deserve and pours out His unfailing love.⁹ “The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he knows how weak we are; he remembers we are only dust.”¹⁰

We have so much to be thankful for as God’s children. May we never forget His forgiveness: “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.”¹¹ May we always remember that He heals us from the sin that infects us: “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”¹²

May we forget not His benefits, including redemption from death: “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”¹³

May we never ignore or cease to care about His lovingkindness and tender mercy: “Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live.”¹⁴

A genuinely grateful heart remembers always to praise the Lord for His goodness. But forgetting His benefits—ignoring them, or ceasing to care about them—waters down our praise. In Deuteronomy, Moses warned the people that forgetting is the first step toward spiritual catastrophe: “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. … Be careful not to forget the covenant of the LORD your God that he made with you.”¹⁵

When we fail to praise the Lord and forget all the good things that He provides for our well-being, we reveal a deeper heart problem. Our neglect reflects apathy and indifference, which end in spiritual death.¹⁶ But when we forget not His benefits—when we remember His mercy, compassion, loyal love, forgiveness, and salvation—we can’t help but have our hearts renewed and our lives lifted as we praise and bless the Lord!¹⁷—GotQuestions.org¹⁸

The very hairs of your head are numbered. That’s how much I love you and care for you, how concerned I am about you.

Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without Me knowing about it. If I care that much for the birds of the air, don’t you think I know you and love you and care for you much more? I do, because you’ve given Me your heart, and I keep it close to Mine at all times.¹⁹

I know your worries about your situation, your loved ones, your finances, and your fate. I know these are constant concerns for you, and they gnaw at your mind and eat at your spirit. Sometimes it seems like they’ll almost consume your body, because they’re strong and powerful.

But do not forget My benefits—My love, mercy, compassion, forgiveness, redemption and salvation. I forgive your sins, heal your diseases, redeem your life, crown you with love and mercy, and satisfy you so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.²⁰

Nothing is too hard for Me to take care of. So bring all your worries, all your cares, all your fears and concerns to Me and commit them to Me, your faithful friend who loves you and wants the best for you. Give Me all these worries. Lay them before Me and leave them there; don’t pick them up again and walk off with them. If you give them to Me, I can give you peace of mind, hope, strength and health in return.

When you’re tempted to worry about your situation, pray. When you’re worried about your family, pray. When you’re worried about your health, or your safety, or your future, pray. I hear your prayers and I answer them. You can trust in Me and have faith in Me because I love you, and I will never stop loving you. Let not your heart be troubled or afraid.²¹ Bring these things to Me in prayer. Ask Me to take care of them, and then have faith and patience. Read My Word. Call on Me. Claim My promises, and trust Me for the answers.

I am your protector and keeper, your forever friend, the one who can supply for you and your loved ones. I will never forsake you, so come to Me with all your burdens and find rest and peace.—Jesus

Published on Anchor November 2022. Read by Carol Andrews.
Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ ESV, emphasis added.

² https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2021/12/14/if-youre-feeling-overwhelmed-today-remember-this.

³ Verses 1, 2, 20, 21, 22.

⁴ Psalm 103:2.

⁵ Psalm 103:1.

⁶ Psalm 103:3–6 NLT.

⁷ Psalm 103:8.

⁸ Psalm 103:7.

⁹ Psalm 103:10–11.

¹⁰ Psalm 103:13–14 NLT.

¹¹ Colossians 1:13–14 NLT.

¹² Isaiah 53:5 NLT.

¹³ Hebrews 2:14–15 NLT.

¹⁴ Psalm 63:3–4 ESV.

¹⁵ Deuteronomy 4:9, 23.

¹⁶ Hebrews 2:1–3.

¹⁷ 1 Chronicles 16:8–13, 24–29, 34–36.

¹⁸ https://www.gotquestions.org/forget-not-His-benefits.html.

¹⁹ Matthew 10:29–31.

²⁰ Psalm 103:3–5.

²¹ John 14:1.

Overwhelming Forgiveness

November 14, 2022

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 11:06
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“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.”—Psalm 103:10–13¹

I have heard your prayer and the lamentations of your heart. Remember that all have sinned and come short of My glory, and there is none righteous, not one.² But as far as the east is from the west, so far have I removed your transgressions from you.³

When you look at yourself in the mirror, you see the blemishes, flaws, and failings. But I see the beauty of one who has chosen to give their life in service to Me out of love. I love you in spite of all your faults and failings, and I look past the blemishes and the uncomely parts to the beauty of your heart surrendered to Me and your passion to live your life for Me.

It is not possible for you to fathom the depth of My love for you, so you must trust in Me and rest in My love. Take confidence in My love and care for you and My promises to you. So fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, I will always help you and uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.⁴ I will lead and will guide you in the right paths.⁵ I will lead you in My will in My time and way, if you trust in Me with all your heart and acknowledge Me in all your ways.⁶

Dear one, I know your heart and your makeup, and I love you and accept you as you are. You are a vessel of My making, and I love you and am well pleased with your love and devotion. Your love is not perfect, as only My love is perfect. But I love you with an everlasting love. You are My beloved, and I am well pleased with your dedication and your love for Me and for others. Of course, there is room for growth and improvement, but always remember that I know everything about you, every thought, every word, every action, and I love you eternally.

I love you with a perfect love, a love that casts out all fear, if you will only draw near to Me. Your fears will diminish and you will experience My perfect peace as you draw near to Me, for My perfect love will cast out all your fears. And this is the victory that overcomes the world—your faith. I have called, chosen, and ordained you, and with every day that passes you draw closer to that perfect day.

No condemnation, no remorse

All have done things they feel sorry for, and maybe you’ve done something that you feel very bad about. You regret it and are having a hard time overcoming your sorrow or remorse over past mistakes. You wish that you could go back and change things, do it all over again and not make those same mistakes. You review those scenes or mistakes from the past, and the remorse or regret overwhelms, discourages, and condemns you.

But I do not condemn you, My love. I do not look at the past or past mistakes and remember them against you. I do not look at you with condemnation in My eyes. If forgiveness has been sought and forgiveness has been given, then remorse, regret, and sorrow must be put in the past. Otherwise these things will stop the flow of My love in your life.

You must not allow sorrow, guilt, or condemnation to overcome and overwhelm your life. Simply seek forgiveness and allow yourself to be forgiven. Once you’ve done that, there’s no reason to be sorrowful. It doesn’t mean that you haven’t done something for which you’re sorry, but you do not continue in a spirit of sorrow.

I no longer remember your sins against you, My love. I forget and blot them out of My remembrance because I love you. My Spirit is uplifting and encouraging, and it encourages you to follow Me down new paths of love. I have heard your prayers and I have forgiven all your sins. Accept My forgiveness and be free from condemnation. Accept the cleansing power of My blood that washes away all your sins. I love you.

No regrets

You have passed many of life’s most difficult tests. You survived and even thrived through the things that came your way. Sometimes, though, you wonder if you have spent your life as wisely as you could have, and wish you had more to show for yourself. But I don’t focus on your past. I look at your present and future.

I want you to be happy, but first you must let go of your regrets and sorrow over the past. Don’t fall into the trap of remorse, thinking that you failed or fell short and therefore don’t deserve to be happy and fulfilled now or ever. That is not true!

I can help you to trust in Me for the past, as you look forward to a love-filled future in My presence, free of remorse and regrets. What could be more wonderful than that?

Rejoicing in the cross

Rejoice, beloved, because My sacrifice on the cross absorbed all your guilt: past, present, and future. There is no condemnation for those who are in Me. Your guilt-free status as My follower is good reason to be joyful each day of your life.

Ever since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind’s worst problem has been sin. My sacrificial death provided the solution to this terrible problem. The gospel really is the best news imaginable: I took your sin—I became sin for you—and I gave you My perfect righteousness. This is an amazing, eternal transaction!

I want you to learn to enjoy more fully your guilt-free standing in My kingdom. … I’m inviting you to live jubilantly, reveling in the glorious privilege of belonging to Me forever! This is your true identity, and it makes every moment of your life meaningful. Rejoice in knowing who you really are—a beloved child of God.

Rejoice that I have clothed you with garments of salvation. This robe of righteousness is yours forever and ever! Because I am your Savior, My perfect righteousness can never be taken away from you. This means you don’t need to be afraid to face your sins—or to deal with them. As you become aware of sin in your life, confess it and receive My forgiveness in full measure.

It is essential also to forgive yourself. Self-hatred is not pleasing to Me, and it is very unhealthy for you. I urge you to take many looks at Me for every look at your sins or failures. I am the perfect antidote to the poison of self-loathing.

Since you are already precious in My sight, you don’t have to prove your worth by trying to be good enough. I lived a perfect life on your behalf because I knew that you could not. Now I want you to live in the glorious freedom of being My fully forgiven follower. Remember that there is no condemnation for those who belong to Me.⁷

Published on Anchor November 2022. Read by Simon Peterson.
Music by John Listen.

¹ ESV.

² Romans 3:23, 10.

³ Psalm 103:12.

⁴ Isaiah 41:10.

⁵ Psalm 23:3.

⁶ Proverbs 3:5–6.

⁷ Sarah Young, Jesus Always (Thomas Nelson, 2017).

Be Enthusiastic!

Based on the writings of David Brandt Berg

2017-03-06

If there’s anything that catches people’s attention and causes them to take notice of what you’re saying or doing, it’s enthusiasm! The word enthusiasm is derived from two Greek words: en, which means in, and theos, which means God. So enthusiasm literally means “in God,” or “God in us.” Thus the truly enthusiastic person is one who acts and speaks as if he were possessed by God.

God’s Word tells us, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,”¹ and “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord!”²

The same driving passion, the same irresistible compassion that motivated the apostles and martyrs and every great man or woman of God throughout the ages should motivate every child of God in everything they do, everything they say, everywhere they go, with everybody. The apostle Paul summed it up in these few famous and ringing words which have cried out from the heart of every true Christian in every true good deed he has ever done, and for which indeed he is willing to die: “The love of Christ compels us!”³

Regardless of what you may lack in the way of natural talents, abilities, or even material goods, if you obey God’s Word and let Him live in you and through you so that your heart burns with His love, then He will be able to greatly use you and make you a blessing to many.

As a young man, David Livingstone faced an important decision. “I have found that I have no unusual endowments of intellect,” he wrote in his diary, “but this day I resolve that I will be an uncommon Christian.” He “purposed in his heart” to give his all to the Lord, and determined to become an enthusiast for the truth—and he was! He became one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever known.

The British historian Arnold Toynbee said, “Apathy can only be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal which takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice.”

What greater ideal could anyone have than to bring everlasting salvation and eternal heavenly life to a lost and dying world that is perishing without it? And what better “intelligible plan” could anyone have than that given by Jesus to His followers: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”?⁴ As Christians, we should be the most enthusiastic people in the entire world!

The apostle Paul was another of God’s great enthusiasts. Even before his conversion, he showed a great deal of enthusiasm—though with the wrong ideal and the wrong plan.

But as soon as Paul’s eyes were opened, he became an enthusiast for the right side. When others saw his total dedication and enthusiasm for the Lord, they got on fire for God too. The work he started spread Christianity throughout the Roman Empire.

Nothing could quench Paul’s enthusiasm. At one point he testified, “Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day [adrift] in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false brothers! I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.”⁵ Did Paul let these difficulties and obstacles stop him? No! He went right on serving God no matter what hardships or difficulties befell him.

Nothing can stop the man who is on fire for God. He will keep going no matter what, because he knows he is doing the right thing for the right cause and for the One who is always right!

So where do we get such enthusiasm, this inspiration that fills a life with fire and fervor for the Lord? From the Holy Spirit of God! The Bible says, “Our God is a consuming fire,”⁶ and repeatedly compares His Spirit to a fire or flames of fire.⁷ So if you want to be enthusiastic for the Lord, full of His fiery anointing and inspiration, just pray and ask Him to fill you with the power of His Holy Spirit, and He will.

Someone once asked a great man of God what was the secret of his success, and he replied, “I just get on fire for God, and the world comes out to see me burn!”

As Christians, our hearts should be so full of the love of Jesus that we want to overflow and share it with others. You’ve got to be alive and enthusiastic to be able to show others that what you’ve got with Jesus is better than what they’ve got without Him.

Why did people listen to Jesus? Jesus spoke from His heart, from the Spirit, and it brought life; it moved people. It didn’t just tickle their ears, but it reached and touched their hearts. He said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”⁸ The words the scribes and the Pharisees (the religious leaders of Jesus’ day) spoke were well-educated, but they were dry and dead and only brought death. Why? Because they only spoke from their heads.

That’s the difference! You cannot kindle a fire in any other heart until it is burning within your own.

Of course, we should not only be enthusiastic in presenting the gospel to others, but in everything we do. Whatever task is set before us, the Bible tells us we’re to “do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”⁹ In everything you do, even the most menial tasks, you can be happy, inspired, and full of enthusiasm. If you’re asking the Lord to inspire you, He will give you that divine spark of His Spirit that will make every little task a joy!

Let’s get on fire for God by earnestly praying and faithfully reading His Word. Let’s ask for His Spirit to inspire us with the vision of the great things He wants to do through us. And then let’s do our part by putting our whole heart into whatever He asks us to do for Him and others.

Come, let’s set the world afire for God and enlighten the hearts of all men everywhere! “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”

From an article in Treasures, published by the Family International in 1987.
Adapted and republished March 2017. Read by Jerry Paladino.

¹ Ecclesiastes 9:10.

² Romans 12:11 NIV.

³ 2 Corinthians 5:14.

⁴ Mark 16:15.

⁵ 2 Corinthians 11:24–27 NIV.

⁶ Hebrews 12:29.

⁷ See Matthew 3:11; Acts 2:3–4; Revelation 4:5.

⁸ John 6:63.

⁹ Colossians 3:23.

All Things Change, But Jesus Never

David Brandt Berg

2011-11-07

Yesterday, today, forever,
Jesus is the same!
All things change, but Jesus never,
Glory to His name!

Changes in man’s society always come from the bottom, not the top—changes in economics, politics, or religion—because the top doesn’t want to change; it always wants to be on top. But if people try to seal the pot to preserve the status quo, they cannot, and the pot will explode.

There must be continual change, otherwise there would be stagnation. There must be constant circulation or there would be stagnation and corruption, because that which is at the top is the first to ferment, to sour, to rot. And that which is at the bottom is full of dregs, which if allowed to accumulate would solidify and clot the circulatory process. Then that which is on the top would become scum and froth.

To ensure the equal distribution of all properties concerned, there must be constant change and constant stirring and constant circulation to prevent stagnation.

This is the principle of society, as sure as the laws of physics. God has ordained it that way. It is as sure as the law of gravity: What goes up must come down. And as sure as the law of circulation of liquids and gases: What is down must go up. “For every high place shall be made low and the low places shall be made straight, and the mighty shall be abased and the weak shall become great.”¹ “They which live by the sword shall die by the sword; but the meek shall inherit the earth.”²

As sure as the night follows the day—as sure as the sun rises, it must also set. As sure as the rain falls, it must also rise again. As sure as “from dust thou art, to dust thou shalt return.”³ As sure as life and death, there must be a continual birth, life, death, resurrection. The cycle must be completed. The perfect circle of eternity, to complete the creation of God, of which He is the designer and the beginning and the end, the alpha and the omega.⁴

So, “He that hath begun a good work in you shall complete it to the end.”⁵ “Fret not thyself therefore because of evildoers,” because “their great houses shall become desolate and their palaces shall be laid waste.”⁶ The grandeur that was Greece tumbled into ruins, and the glory that was Rome faded into oblivion, that He which is eternal should be made manifest, and the beauty of His creation and the glory of His power and the eternity of His love, that He may be all and in all, that God may be glorified.

Society, economics, and politics tend to solidify. But God moves. He is a moving God. He is never still. He is always doing, going, saying, effecting change in every sphere of creation. He is never static, except for Himself. “I am the Lord: I change not.”⁷ Except for His Word. “Forever, O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven.”⁸ And except for the future—His promises to His children. “There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God.”⁹

As for all else, “The mountains shall be made low, that which He has exalted shall be abased, and the low places shall be exalted. He that is of a humble and contrite heart, in due time shall be highly exalted, until time shall be no more, and the kingdom of our Lord is come, where He that ruleth in righteousness shall judge the earth and establish everlasting peace, and the kingdom shall never fall, neither shall it be given unto others.”¹⁰

It shall be forever! And we shall rule and reign with Him upon the earth and He shall rule the nations with a rod of iron—inflexible, unchangeable, eternal—the society of the kingdom of God.¹¹ “For the things which are seen are temporal”—for a little while—“but the things which are not seen are eternal.”¹²

“For whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing shall be put to it, nor anything taken from it. For God doeth it that men might fear before Him.”¹³

Behold, how the mighty hath fallen, and God hath exalted him of low degree.¹⁴

Are you becoming stationary with those who seek to preserve the status quo, to freeze the world into a block of ice? Or are you moving with the white-hot fires of the Spirit of God—burning, melting, moving, molding, flowing, pouring, sharing?

Are you attempting to freeze and preserve, to solidify into immovable ice that means death? Or are you warm, loving, and sharing and wooing and sowing and conceiving with the seed of God’s Word that brings life—new birth, new creatures, and a new world, where “old things are passed away and all things are become new.”¹⁵ You’d better move with the life of God, or you’ll be left behind in the death of this world.

For “God is a Spirit, eternal, unchangeable in the heavens,” and “they which worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him, neither in this place, nor in that mountain, but in the eternal Spirit of God.”¹⁶

All things change, but Jesus never!—Glory to His name!

Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord with me abide….
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou Who changest not, abide with me.¹⁷

Originally published October 1970. Adapted and republished November 2011.
Read by Peter Amsterdam.

¹ Luke 3:5; Luke 14:11.

² Matthew 26:52; Psalm 37:11.

³ Genesis 3:19.

⁴ Revelation 1:8.

⁵ Philippians 1:6.

⁶ Psalm 37:1; Isaiah 5:9; Ezekiel 19:7.

⁷ Malachi 3:6.

⁸ Psalm 119:89.

⁹ Hebrews 4:9.

¹⁰ Ezekiel 38:20; Matthew 23:12; Isaiah 57:15; Revelation 10:6; Isaiah 32:1; Daniel 2:44.

¹¹ Revelation 2:27.

¹² 2 Corinthians 4:18.

¹³ Ecclesiastes 3:14.

¹⁴ 2 Samuel 1:27; Luke 1:52.

¹⁵ 2 Corinthians 5:17.

¹⁶ John 4:24, 23, 21.

¹⁷ “Abide with Me,” by Henry F. Lyte, 1847.

Waiting on My Miracle

November 11, 2022

By Holly Furtick

An inspiring message about Jairus coming to Jesus for the healing of his daughter (Mark 5:21–43).

Run time for this video is 40 minutes.

The Story of Ruth (Part 3)

By Peter Amsterdam

November 8, 2022

At the end of the previous article, Boaz had told Ruth that she was welcome to glean in his fields until they were fully harvested. She continued working with the women in his fields through both the barley and the wheat harvests, which took two or three months.

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Is not Boaz our relative, with whose young women you were? See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing floor. Wash therefore and anoint yourself, and put on your cloak and go down to the threshing floor, but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. But when he lies down, observe the place where he lies. Then go and uncover his feet and lie down, and he will tell you what to do.” And she replied, “All that you say I will do.”¹

Naomi was concerned about Ruth’s future. She was concerned that Ruth would never be able to find a husband to care for her and she wanted to seek rest for Ruth. Other Bible translations say she wanted to seek security for you (NAS), find a home for you, where you will be well provided for (NIV), or it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for (NLT). Naomi had a plan. She pointed out that Boaz was their relative, and therefore he was a kinsman-redeemer, which meant that there was some responsibility for him to marry Ruth to keep her deceased husband’s name (Mahlon) alive. For Naomi, keeping her deceased son’s name alive seemed secondary to finding a good husband for Ruth, who had become like a daughter to her.

Naomi urged Ruth into action. She knew that Boaz would be winnowing barley on the threshing floor that evening. She told Ruth to prepare by washing, putting on her best clothes (or cloak), and using perfume. Ruth may have been wearing mourning garments, and by changing her clothes she was indicating that she was no longer in mourning and that she was returning to normal life.

Naomi also instructed Ruth to keep out of Boaz’ sight until he had laid down and fallen asleep. She was to watch where he slept. Apparently, he didn’t sleep where all his workers did, but perhaps had a special place some distance from them. Once he was sleeping, Ruth was to uncover his feet and lie down. Naomi confidently said that when Boaz woke up and found Ruth at his feet, he would tell her what to do. Ruth agreed to follow Naomi’s instructions.

So she went down to the threshing floor and did just as her mother-in-law had commanded her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down.²

After a meal with both eating and some drinking, Boaz was likely feeling good. As the evening came to an end, he went to the far end of the pile of grain and went to sleep. Ruth took note of where Boaz lay down, and once he was asleep, she came and moved whatever was covering his feet, so that they were exposed to night air. She then lay down at his feet.

At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet! He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.”³

It was probably quite a surprise to Boaz to find a woman at his feet in the middle of the night. His response was to ask who she was. Ruth told him that she was his servant. (In other Bible translations, Ruth describes herself as a slave, maid, handmaid, and maidservant.) When identifying herself to Boaz, Ruth includes the information that you are a redeemer. Other Bible translations say thou art a near kinsman (KJV), you are a family redeemer (CSB), you are a close relative (NAS), you are a kinsman-redeemer (NIV), or you are a family guardian (TNIV). Some have speculated that this encounter between Boaz and Ruth was sexual, but the ESV study notes state: “It is sometimes suggested that ‘his feet’ (lit., ‘place of his feet,’ Hebrew margelot) is a euphemism for sexual contact, but there is no evidence for this and it would be out of place in this story.”

Boaz understood the responsibility of a redeemer; he was to marry Ruth in order to produce a son who would be considered the son of Mahlon, her first husband and Naomi’s son.

And he said, “May you be blessed by the LORD, my daughter. You have made this last kindness greater than the first in that you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. And now it is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I.”⁴

Rather than being reluctant or hesitant, Boaz was inspired by the prospect of marrying Ruth. He prayed that she would be blessed by God. The difference in their age must have been significant, as he again referred to her as my daughter. He likely felt he was too old for Ruth, and therefore hadn’t wanted to make her feel uncomfortable by showing interest in her. However, she had come to him, so he was free to express his feelings.

In saying you have made this last kindness greater than the first, Boaz was probably referring to how Ruth had taken care of Naomi as her “first” kindness. In his mind, the kindness of her choosing to marry him was even greater than all that she had done for Naomi. Of course, that was coming from one who was in love with Ruth. In reality, Ruth’s decision to leave her family, land, and religion to care for her mother-in-law may have been the greater kindness.—But not in Boaz’s mind.

Boaz continued, you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. He realized that Ruth was both young and beautiful, and could have easily found a younger man to marry, but she didn’t; she came to him. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman. Boaz agrees to do what Ruth has asked. He also commented that the men of Bethlehem know that she is a worthy woman. Other Bible translations say that townsmen know that she is a virtuous woman, a woman of excellence, or a woman of noble character.

However, there was an impediment that stood between them. Boaz explained, It is true that I am a redeemer. Yet there is a redeemer nearer than I. There was a kinsman who was a closer relative to her deceased husband, Mahlon, which meant that this kinsman was the one responsible to marry Ruth. However, if he chose not to marry her, then Boaz was the next closest in line to do so.

“Remain tonight, and in the morning, if he will redeem you, good; let him do it. But if he is not willing to redeem you, then, as the LORD lives, I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning.” So she lay at his feet until the morning, but arose before one could recognize another. And he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.” And he said, “Bring the garment you are wearing and hold it out.” So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley and put it on her. Then she went into the city.⁵

Boaz explained to Ruth that if the relative who was nearer than he was chose to marry her, then that was his right. However, if he chose not to, then Boaz pledged that he would marry her. With that decision made, he told Ruth to lie down at his feet until morning. Early in the morning, while it was still dark outside, Ruth rose. Boaz gave the order (likely to a trusted servant), that no one should find out that a woman had spent the night on the threshing floor.

Before Ruth left, Boaz gave her six measures of barley. There was a dual purpose for doing so. The first was as a pledge to Naomi of his intentions to marry her daughter if the first redeemer did not choose to do so. Secondly, if others saw Ruth out so early in the morning, they would assume that she had purchased some grain and was returning home, and nothing more.

When she came to her mother-in-law, she said, “How did you fare, my daughter?” Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, “These six measures of barley he gave to me, for he said to me, ‘You must not go back empty-handed to your mother-in-law.’” She replied, “Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest but will settle the matter today.”⁶

Naomi encouraged Ruth to wait patiently to see how things would unfold. She could tell that Boaz’s intention was to marry Ruth, but she also knew that another relative had the legal right to marry her, unless he refused to do so. Naomi was certain that the matter would be settled that day, but they would have to wait to know the outcome.

(To be continued.)

Note

¹ Ruth 3:1–5.

² Ruth 3:6–7.

³ Ruth 3:8–9.

⁴ Ruth 3:10–12.

⁵ Ruth 3:13–15.

⁶ Ruth 3:16–18.

The Five Marks of Spiritual Maturity

November 9, 2022

By Rick Warren

God wants all of us to grow. Maturity is one of his purposes for our lives. In fact, Hebrews 6:1 tells us, “Let’s press on to maturity” (CEB). God intends for us to always pursue spiritual growth so that we may “be conformed to the image of his Son”(Romans 8:29 ESV).

One of God’s five purposes for your church is to help your congregation grow in spiritual maturity. But there’s a lot of confusion about what Christian maturity looks like. As you’re making disciples, it’s important that you are clear about what it means to grow more like Jesus.

(Read the article here.)

Courage to Keep Going

November 8, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 10:15

Download Audio (9.3MB)

Jeremiah 17:7–8 tells us, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and has made the Lord his hope and confidence. He is like a tree planted along a riverbank, with its roots reaching deep into the water—a tree not bothered by the heat nor worried by long months of drought. Its leaves stay green, and it goes right on producing all its luscious fruit.”¹

Life is difficult. It’s tough. This passage mentions two kinds of difficulties we can face: heat and drought.

Heat represents the sudden crises of life. Heat comes on suddenly. The accident. The cancer. The death. Somebody walks out of your life. It’s a sudden crisis. How do you handle the heat in your life, when the heat is on?

Then there is drought. Drought represents long periods of time when you must go without something you feel you need.

You’re out of work. You’re out of income. You’re out of energy. Somebody walks out of your life. You’re going without. How do you handle those kinds of situations?

Notice three words in the passage from Jeremiah: trust, hope, and confidence. …

It’s possible to be like a tree that keeps on blooming even in the middle of heat or in seasons of drought.

To have ultimate confidence, you must put your confidence in something that can never be taken from you. And there’s only one thing that can never be taken from you—your relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Your confidence must be in the Lord. Then when the heat is on and the drought comes, you are not blown away because your roots go deep and you keep on producing fruit.—Rick Warren²

Finish the race

The Olympic Games, Mexico, 1968. The marathon is the final event on the program. The Olympic stadium is packed and there is excitement as the first athlete, an Ethiopian runner, enters the stadium. The crowd erupts as he crosses the finish line.

Way back in the field is another runner, John Stephen Akhwari of Tanzania. He has been eclipsed by the other runners. After 30 kilometers his head is throbbing, his muscles are aching, and he falls to the ground. He has serious leg injuries and officials want him to retire, but he refuses. With his knee bandaged, Akhwari picks himself up and hobbles the remaining 12 kilometers to the finish line. An hour after the winner has finished, Akhwari enters the stadium. All but a few thousand of the crowd have gone home. Akhwari moves around the track at a painstakingly slow pace, until finally he collapses over the finish line.

It is one of the most heroic efforts of Olympic history. Afterward, asked by a reporter why he had not dropped out, Akhwari says, “My country did not send me to start the race. They sent me to finish.”—From storiesforpreaching.com³

When you’re bruised and bloodied by life, press on; your Creator did not send you here to start the race, but to finish it!

Keep going, no matter what the cost. Keep fighting, no matter what bruises you get. Keep running, no matter how many times you stumble and fall. Your cuts and bruises and scrapes and scars are medals of honor in the Lord’s sight, signs that you had the faith, courage, determination and commitment to keep going, even though it was tough! You may have fallen, but you refused to quit.

At the end of the race, you’ll then be able to say like Paul did of old: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day.”⁴—Author unknown

Cross the finish line

Recently, two friends, my brother, and I participated in a very special event—the Fisherman’s Friend Strongman Run! This 15 km route includes 30 obstacles of varying difficulty. There’s sticky mud which sucks your feet down rapidly, and you have to keep moving to stay on top. Then there are icy river sections to swim or wade through, testing endurance. Nets, trenches, tires, steep dirt slopes—all good reasons to justify to oneself, I just couldn’t make it. But the fact is, it is possible.

A good friend, who is a serious athlete, laughingly told us, “As long as you can stay on your feet, you’ll make it.” And his words proved true more than once. Just when I felt it was too much, my muscles sore and strained, I’d think, All I have to do is stay on my feet and move forward. Step by step, obstacle by obstacle, through hot thick mud and cold rushing water, I made it.

In fact, all four of us crossed the finish line together, cementing both achievement and friendship in triumphant completion! It was an incredible experience, and we’re so thankful to have been a part of it.

The Bible verse “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”⁵ now has more meaning than ever before! Living a Christian life isn’t easy; it takes discipline, hard work, and perseverance. Sometimes it feels like all I can do is just stay on my feet. Then I find that His strength is made perfect in my weakness,⁶ and when I’ve done all I can to stand, He takes over and carries me.⁷

Life surely has its troubles and obstacles, but there is a finish line where our loved ones and the Lord await us for a celebration! Like Paul, I don’t consider myself to have attained yet.⁸ I’m just staying on my feet, eyes fixed on Him, knowing that, when the time comes, we’ll cross that finish line together.—Chris Mizrany

God’s glory-strength

When we give our lives to Christ, an epic journey begins in which there are many high points where our mouths are filled with laughter and many valleys in which our eyes are filled with tears. Becoming a Christian does not mean that we will “live happily ever after.”

No, the Christian life is a life of many challenges and hardships, as well as many miracles and breakthroughs. We therefore need to set our sails for the long haul and understand that our lives will not always be plain sailing. There will be storms in which the waves are high and the wind strong. This is why we need to have a persevering heart, a heart that says, “I will never quit. I will not be a fair-weather Christian. I will commit myself to the long haul, whatever storms may come.”

The good news is that God promises He will give us heavenly power in this journey—not the endurance of gritted teeth but the glory-strength of heaven. This gives us joy even in our sufferings and helps us to endure the unendurable. Pray to God for His glory-strength today.— Mark Stibbe⁹

Published on Anchor November 2022. Read by Jerry Paladino.
Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ TLB.

² https://pastors.com/how-to-keep-on-trusting-god.

³ https://storiesforpreaching.com.au/sermonillustrations/determination/they-sent-me-to-finish.

⁴ 2 Timothy 4:7–8

⁵ Philippians 3:14 ESV.

⁶ See 2 Corinthians 12:9.

⁷ See Deuteronomy 1:31; Isaiah 40:11.

⁸ See Philippians 3:13.

⁹ God’s Word for Every Need (Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2016).

Why Do We Struggle With a God Who Judges? | Unapologetic 94

https://www.podbean.com/pu/pbblog-pjn39-3fc2c1

02 – The Judgment of the Saints

From the End to Eternity

Scott MacGregor

2008-01-26

If you have read The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist, you understand that the wars and destruction that occur during the reign of the Antichrist will have a devastating effect on the Earth. There will have been nuclear war followed by the climactic Battle of Armageddon, and Jesus will then return to Earth to set up His Kingdom. Daniel chapter 2 tells us that “in the days of [ten] kings [that give their power and allegiance to the Antichrist] shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed … and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44).

The first event that apparently takes place at the beginning of the Millennium is foretold in chapter 7 of the book of Daniel. This chapter describes a vision Daniel had in which he saw, in allegorical form, the rise and fall of the Antichrist. The allegorical nature of the vision then changes to the following view of God’s throne room.

I watched till thrones were put in place, and the Ancient of Days [God] was seated; His garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was a fiery flame, its wheels a burning fire; a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. … I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. … Then the Kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the Kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

Daniel 7:9–10,13–14,27

The saints that it is talking about here and in other passages that we will quote in this book are not just those canonized by various churches, such as the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches, as “saints,” but rather all those who have received Jesus, the wonderful “Son of Man” as He is referred to several times in the Bible, Whose Kingdom is populated by all those who love Him. The saints that suffered under the Antichrist in the Tribulation seem to receive special mention, as is borne out in the following verse from the book of Revelation.

And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Revelation 20:4

Yet not only those who were persecuted and killed, but all of God’s saints will rule and reign with Him during the Millennium.

To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne (Revelation 3:21). And [they said, “You] have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the Earth” (Revelation 5:10). And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has” (Luke 12:42–44). Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?

1 Corinthians 6:2–3

God will engage the services of His saints to help Him run the world during the Millennium. Many have already been with Him in Heaven and know a lot more about things than we do. They’ve lived years, centuries, many even millennia in Heaven, so they would have undoubtedly learned much by this time. The great patriarchs and prophets and heroes of the Bible and Christian history are going to be right up next to Jesus and His heavenly counselors. And the Lord is going to put His dedicated followers of today into positions of responsibility too.

Many people have the idea that after Jesus returns they are going to be way off somewhere in Heaven, perhaps floating peacefully on a cloud. But at least some of Heaven, part of the Kingdom of God, is going to be right here on Earth during the Millennium. And God’s people are going to be called upon to assist Jesus right here on Earth in His great task of ruling the world.

Wouldn’t it be ridiculous, if after living busy, fulfilling lives on Earth full of challenges and fulfilling tasks, we wound up in Heaven with nothing to do but sit on a cloud, wear a white robe, and play a harp while a golden halo hovers over our head—for eternity? That would be incredibly boring. This current life is schooling for what must be done when we start getting our postgraduate course to prepare us for perhaps even greater work to do thereafter.

However, not all the followers of Jesus will share equally in responsibilities and rewards. The Lord spoke a parable to His disciples about stewards being given various quantities of money to hold for their master, what they did with it, and how they were rewarded for how they used or invested it. The principle expressed in this parable undoubtedly applies to the blessings and responsibilities believers will receive in this new era. Those rewards will be commensurate with how they used their time, abilities, and resources toward furthering the Kingdom of God and obeying His law to love their fellow man while they were on Earth the first time.

For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them. So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, “Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.” His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” He also who had received two talents came and said, “Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.” His lord said to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.” Then he who had received the one talent came and said, “Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.” But his lord answered and said to him, “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:14–30

This parallels what a heavenly messenger told Daniel: “And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever” (Daniel 12:1–3).

Those who did little or nothing with the resources and opportunities for service for God and others that the Lord had given them will not lose their gift of salvation, and they will still be accepted into Heaven. But they will receive little or no heavenly rewards for their earthly life, or as the case may be, no positions of responsibility and honor in God’s Kingdom to come.

Salvation—our entry pass to Heaven—is a gift from God that we cannot earn by our good works, but only through receiving Jesus as our Savior. However, the rewards we receive once we get to Heaven are earned through our works here on Earth. Those who were faithful to do good to others and obey God’s laws of “love the Lord your God with all your heart … [and] your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37,39) will “shine as the stars”—while those who do not manifest deeds of love on Earth will “awake to shame.”

The Lord is going to need and use those who were faithful on Earth before this time, who did what they could with the “talents” they had to further the Kingdom of God when it was still mostly a spiritual entity. God’s Kingdom will have been founded on the Earth but it will still be a big job to establish it from one end of the Earth to the other. Those faithful to God now and in the past are going to be the ones entrusted to do it, and that will be part of their reward. Scripture tells us there will be many other rewards, most likely both spiritual and material blessings, although we don’t know all the specifics. The apostle Paul wrote that the “sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18). And Jesus promised a “crown of life” to those who are faithful to Him (Revelation 2:10).

The apostles Peter and Paul both wrote that those who are faithful to God in this life will receive crowns in the next. “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). “When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away” (1 Peter 5:4). Perhaps they will resemble halos depicted around the heads of the saints in Christian art. As yet, we don’t know exactly what those crowns are, but certainly we won’t be disappointed when we receive them!

We are now in the wilderness!

Nov.5th

(James Buchanan, “Comfort in Affliction” 1837)

“He led them forth by the right way — that they might go to a city of habitation.” Psalm 107:7

There is a striking analogy between the Israelites in the wilderness, on their journey to Canaan — and believers in the world, on their journey to Heaven. The history of the former, has been recorded mainly for the purpose of guiding and comforting the latter.

Dear brethren, we are now in the wilderness! This poor world is not our rest! We too have heard of a city of habitation, a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. And many of us, I trust, have been separated from the world and united to that company of pilgrims who have set their faces steadfastly to go up to the Jerusalem above.

God is our leader, as He was theirs. And as God is our leader, so our path through life is as really ordered and directed by Him, as was the way of the Israelites in the wilderness. True, we hear no audible voice from Heaven, directing our steps; but God leads us by His providence, shutting us up to a particular line of life, fixing the bounds of our habitation, determining our work, our connections, our success, by a variety of circumstances over which we feel that we have no control, and many of which are apparently trivial — but not one of them are by chance or accidental. And as God is our leader, and as our path in life is prescribed and ordered by Him — so, if we belong to the number of His people, we may rest assured that He is leading us by the right way.

Our experience, indeed, may often resemble that of the Israelites in the wilderness. God may seem to lead us in a circuitous and indirect way. We may be, we shall be, subjected to tribulation. We must leave the worldbehind us, as the Israelites left the flesh pots of Egypt. We must encounter difficulties, and endure the assault of enemies, and sustain trials — such as will humble us and prove us, and show what is in our hearts. Our hearts, too, may be much discouraged because of the hardness of the way. It may seem a tedious, a dreary, a perplexing way — and, when faith is ready to fail, it may lead us to murmur against the Lord.

All this is true — but the Lord knows the way which we take in this great wilderness; and as sure as God is our guide, so sure is it, that He is leading us by the right way.
All the difficulties,
all the trials,
all the disappointments,
all the bereavements,
all the delays,
all the chastisements
which befall us — are as needful for us, as they were for the children of Israel.
We, too, need to be proved.
We, too, need to be humbled.
We, too, have evil hearts of unbelief which must be subdued.
We, too, must be educated by instruction, and trained by discipline, and purified by suffering — that we may be fitted for our glorious inheritance above.

There is an inheritance for us, as there was for them. Their inheritance in the land of Canaan — was but a type or shadow of the incorruptible, undefiled, unfading inheritance, reserved in Heaven for us.

And seeing that God has opened up such a glorious prospect before us — oh! why should we doubt that He will lead us by the right way on our journey towards it. Why should we quarrel with any of His appointments here — if they are all designed to fit and prepare us for such a glorious destiny hereafter?

Would we take the regulation of our life out of God’s hands — and keep it in our own?

Would we think it safer and better for us to be guided by our own will — rather than by His unerring wisdom and infinite love?

No, our safety is, that we are in God’s hands! The Lord is our Shepherd, and we may rest assured, that however perplexing the path may be by which He conducts us — He will lead us like a flock through the wilderness; that while we are in it, goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life; and that in the end we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

“Fear not, little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom!” There we shall be able to look back on all the way by which the Lord has led us in the wilderness — and we shall then see it to have been “the right way.” And, in admiration and gratitude, we shall acknowledge with Moses, “In Your unfailing love You will lead the people You have redeemed. In Your strength You will guide them to Your holy dwelling!” Exodus 15:13

God Has Things Under Control

November 4, 2022

By Tony Evans

When life is going well, we attribute it to good luck, and when life is going poorly, we refer to it as bad luck. But Tony Evans wants you to walk away from the idea of luck and introduce you to a new word: providence. In this lesson, begin to view life’s detours not as luck, but instead as God arranging things to come together or disconnect for His will.

Run time for this video is 27 minutes.

https://youtu.be/m0q-ru4n4DQ

Grace for Times of Trouble

November 3, 2022

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 13:37

Download Audio (12.4MB)

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, for you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”—James 1:2–4¹

The way to My perfect peace is to trust in Me, My child. Trust. As you look back on the times in the past when you were in turmoil and when you asked yourself, “How can these things be so?” can you see how even these worked for your good? Can you see the good fruits of growth in your character?

There are times in life when you must walk a mile with sorrow. But this is godly sorrow, which is not for your hurt, but for your good. Do not worry or fear that you have failed, but trust in My good purposes in your life for every mile of the journey.

In the times of your struggles, as you endure the storms of life, I am there beside you. I wish for you to come through victorious and be filled with My joy to overflowing, but you must seek your joy in Me. Even My service, which can be a source of joy and so fulfilling, cannot take the place of your communion with Me.

Come to Me and let My Spirit produce joy in your life. Where or how you serve Me is not as important as your walk with Me and the guidance that you receive at My hand. Your time on earth and your service to Me is but a drop in the bucket of My vast and marvelous universe. But your communion with Me and all that you learn from it will live on forever.

You’re so special to Me. I made you just the way you are and planned every detail of your personality and makeup. I made you to fulfill the role that I have just for you. There is no other you, and no one else that I will use in exactly the same way to reach the people that I want you to reach with My love.

Grace for affliction

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”—2 Corinthians 9:8, 10²

The burdens that you have carried so bravely have drawn you closer to Me. Through this affliction you have learned to lean more fully upon Me and My strength and grace. Through this time of squeezing has come forth sweetness, and in this I am well pleased. Through the trials, you have cried out to Me, and I have comforted you and upheld you.

Though you feel weak and afflicted, and though you struggle, rejoice in how your love for Me has sustained you, and your faith and perseverance have grown. So don’t fear the times of trials; remember that you are fighting the good fight of faith. You are doing well and My strength is being manifested through your weakness.

I love you, My precious one. Never fear or doubt My wonderful love for you. I will keep you and uphold you and sustain you moment by moment, and when your race is finished, you will enter into the joy of your Lord.

Grace to trust

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.”—Psalm 46:1–2³

Trust Me in this time of affliction. Trust Me, knowing that in My love I do all things well.

Do not look at your current situation as a punishment or a chastisement from My hand. It has brought you closer to Me. Even in your moments of affliction, pain, and suffering, you still trust Me and look to Me in faith. This is a great thing in My eyes, a beautiful testimony of faith!

Do not think of yourself as a failure or as a burden to others, or as one upon whom the hand of the Lord rests heavily. Count this time of affliction as a time of joy and this time of testing as an honor and a privilege, as your faith that is tested in the fire is much more precious than gold.⁴

Hold on to your faith and confidence; remember that it will be richly rewarded.⁵ Give no place to fear. Do not let yourself be burdened with remorse or the need to somehow make yourself more worthy of My healing and blessing. My grace is freely given to you—and it is not by your own works of righteousness, but by My mercy.⁶

Have faith, dear one, and trust Me in spite of the suffering, pain, and loss that you feel. If you can trust Me and say, “Though I pass through the furnace of affliction, yet will I trust Him; though I lose my strength, my health, even my life, I will trust Him and trust that He does all things well,” you will have placed yourself entirely in My care.

As you place your trust in Me, you will find peace of mind and contentment of heart in knowing that I am well pleased with your fight of faith and your life of love. My love for you is so great! Therefore, do not fear, but come to Me and find rest and peace in My presence.

Built to withstand

“Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”—Psalm 32:6–7⁷

I understand that you feel like a little ship that has set out on life’s ocean, vast and wide. And now, with no sight of land on the horizon, a storm has overcome your tiny vessel. Howling winds and raging waves, and lightning and thunder crash about you. You think of turning back, but you cannot, as the storm is all around you. You cannot even go forward because you can’t see which way you are headed. You doubt that your tiny vessel will hold together through the fierce storm.

If you would come to Me, the builder of your little ship, you would understand that I fashioned you with full knowledge of the storms at sea. I took into account the patterns of the winds and the tempest, and I built your ship to withstand. So do not worry if you lose a plank here or there, or if one of your sails gets torn or damaged. I have built your ship to last, and you will not go down in the storm.

I do not ask you to struggle alone to stay afloat or to make any headway during this storm. Just sit it out, calmly, trusting as a little child on her father’s knee, feeling secure and safe, knowing that her father would let nothing harm her for the world. Your heavenly Father will always care for you as His beloved child.

Joy in the spirit

“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”—John 15:11⁸

The joy of My Spirit is with you always, even when you feel no joy in your heart and you shed tears. My joy is something that will never end, and not even the loneliest nights or the darkest clouds can take that away from you. The happiness of earthly things is temporal and a fleeting feeling—it comes and goes with your mood, your surroundings, and with the physical things that you see, touch, and feel.

But the joy of My Spirit comes from knowing that I am your Savior and I care for you, and you are called and chosen, and I am preparing an eternal place for you in heaven.

The joy that I give is as constant as the sun. Though the night comes and you cannot see it, you never doubt its existence or that it will rise the next morning. So is the joy that I give you; though ever present, the night comes and you lose sight of it. That is the time to trust and rest in Me until the morning when it comes into sight again.

Originally published in 1997. Adapted and republished November 2022.
Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music by John Listen.

¹ NIV/NLT.

² NIV.

³ ESV.

⁴ 1 Peter 1:7.

⁵ Hebrews 10:35.

⁶ Titus 3:5.

⁷ NIV.

⁸ NIV.

“Can Belief, Alone, Save You?”

November 2, 2022

By J. Warner Wallace

Imagine if someone asked the following question: “Christians claim they are ‘saved’ by simply ‘believing’ something is true about Jesus. Why would belief make that much of a difference, and what kind of belief are they talking about?” How would you respond to such a statement? Here is a conversational example of how I recently replied…

(Read the article here. Note: The link for the One-Minute Apologist website at the end of this article doesn’t work. Here’s the link if interested.)

Rapid Response: “Can Belief, Alone, Save You?” | Cold Case Christianity

The One Minute Apologist – Credible Answers to Curious Questions

The Name of Jesus

November 1, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 13:57

Download Audio (12.7MB)

The name of Jesus is the most powerful name there is. God gave Jesus the “name that is above every name.”¹ Why is this name so powerful? It is because of the sacrifice He made—through living a perfect life, dying a sinner’s death, and being resurrected. Jesus made a way for all of humanity to be saved and made right with God: “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”²

The literal name “Jesus” is not inherently powerful; it is powerful because of Jesus Christ, the person, God incarnate, who made a way for our salvation. When we talk about the name of Jesus, we are talking about Jesus Himself, His character and the things He does.

Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, God gave Him the most powerful name there is. Philippians 2:8–11 says: “And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The name of Jesus compels us to worship Him and bring glory to God. Each person will one day come face to face with Jesus and will confess that He is Lord.

It requires faith to believe in the power of Jesus’ name.³ Without faith, His name will not be powerful. With faith, the name of Jesus is the most powerful name there is. We are instructed in the Bible to pray in the name of Jesus and with His authority.⁴ In John 14:14, Jesus says: “If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”⁵ …

As believers, we are fully convinced of the power within the name of Jesus. When we pray, we have the power of Jesus at work within us. Our lives as Christians are lived from a place of acknowledging the power in Jesus’ name: “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”⁶

The powerful name of Jesus makes it possible for all people to be saved, healed, and delivered. Psalm 115:1 reminds us: “Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”—CompellingTruth.org⁷

In the name of Jesus

There are several verses in the Bible where Jesus says, “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” or “Whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in My name, He will give it you.”⁸ Jesus told His disciples to pray in His name.

But since Jesus also said, “I and My Father are One,”⁹ what does praying “in His name” mean? It means that we have the right to come to the Father through Jesus and because of what He’s done for us.

If you are born again, you are coming to the Father in Jesus’ right, in His name. We are able to approach God in Jesus’ name because the Lord has already given us the invitation. Jesus has already invited us to pray to Him, to come to the Father in His name, because they are One. In other words, we already have that relationship with Jesus, and every time we pray, we are coming before the Father in His name. It’s not merely a formality depending on certain words, but it’s the personal relationship with Him that counts.

There’s a verse about Jesus in Isaiah that says, “And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”¹⁰ There are a lot of other names that are used in the Old and the New Testament: Lord, Christ, Messiah, Emmanuel, Son of Man, Son of God, Son of David, the Word, the Lamb of God.¹¹ Although Jesus has many names or titles—the Way, Love, Peace, Truth, Life, Light—and although He is all of those things and they in a sense are some of His names, the Bible tells us that we can call specifically on the name of Jesus.

The disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray,” and He gave them the Lord’s Prayer, which is considered the prayer that Jesus gave not only to those disciples, but to Christians down through the ages.¹² The disciples already knew Jesus personally, and that certainly wasn’t the only time He taught them to pray. The verses about praying in His name were from times that He was teaching His disciples how to pray. Those who know Jesus and have accepted Him as their Savior can pray in His name, and in His authority and what His name represents.

Jesus said, “No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”¹³ And “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”¹⁴ We can’t even come to the Father except through Jesus. We have no right to come to the Father except through Jesus!

When you truly come to know Jesus and understand who He is and what He has done for us, you want to pray in His name—the name of Jesus.—David Brandt Berg

Significance of the name

If ever a name was packed with significance, it is the name Jesus. Scripture says Jesus has been given “the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”¹⁵ Why is our Lord’s name so powerful? What does the name Jesus mean?

The name Jesus, announced to Joseph and Mary through the angels,¹⁶ means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.”… The meaning of Jesus’ name—“Yahweh saves”—reveals His mission (to save and deliver) and His identity as Savior of the world. …

The name of Jesus is important because of its meaning and because of whom it represents. There is power and authority in the person of Christ Jesus, and, of course, the person is designated by the name. More so than with other names, we associate the name of Jesus with His distinctive character, quality, and work, as seen in the following biblical truths:

Salvation is in the name of Jesus alone: “Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”¹⁷

Forgiveness of sins is received through the name of Jesus: “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”¹⁸

Believers are baptized in the name of Jesus: “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”¹⁹ …

Jesus teaches believers to pray in His name; that is, to pray, in His authority, the type of prayer that He would pray: “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”²⁰ …

In the Bible, when people spoke or acted in the name of Jesus, they did so as the Lord’s representatives with His authority. The very life of the believer is to be lived in the name of Jesus ²¹ and by doing so bring glory to God: “We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”²²—GotQuestions.org²³

All in the Name

I recently read an article about how the sound of certain words can affect our emotions. Unsurprisingly, words like accept, bountiful, embrace, glow, humor, laugh, play left the subjects feeling positive. In the same way, hearing the name of a loved one can make us feel happy.

When I hear “Jesus,” I can’t help but smile. The mere sound of His name brings up everything that He is—my closest friend, an ever-present guide and conscience, the source of my strength, and a true confidant who knows even my innermost fears, hopes, and thoughts.

The Bible encourages us to pray about everything.²⁴ I try to take that advice quite literally, and as a result, Jesus becomes a part of every bit of my life.

A few days ago, I was mulling over an important personal decision. Whatever I decided would be irrevocable and have long-lasting consequences. I felt the pressure and responsibility growing. As I was trying to come to a conclusion, I suddenly heard a voice inside me say, Why worry? Jesus is here! The sound of His name changed my entire perspective. I remembered that Jesus wanted to help me decide, and that if I asked Him, I could trust that He would guide me on the right path.

I was reminded of a childhood song that says, “There is power in the name of Jesus.” As I’ve grown up, I’ve realized how true this is. Jesus’ name carries His unique purpose within it. “Jesus,” meaning “God with us,” reflects His identity, His divinity, His purpose as our Savior.

And that’s why His name is so precious. Jesus—it’s all in the name!—Sukanya Kumar-Sinya

Published on Anchor November 2022. Read by John Laurence.
Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ Philippians 2:9.

² Romans 10:13; see also Acts 4:12.

³ Hebrews 11:6.

⁴ John 16:23–24.

⁵ See also 1 John 5:13–15.

⁶ Colossians 3:17.

⁷ https://www.compellingtruth.org/power-in-the-name-of-Jesus.html.

⁸ John 14:14; 15:16.

⁹ John 10:30.

¹⁰ Isaiah 9:6.

¹¹ See Genesis 18:14; Matthew 16:16; John 1:41; Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 8:20, 2:15, 1:1; Revelation 19:13; John 1:29.

¹² Matthew 6:9–13.

¹³ John 14:6.

¹⁴ 1 Timothy 2:5.

¹⁵ Philippians 2:9–10 CSB.

¹⁶ Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31.

¹⁷ Acts 4:11–12.

¹⁸ Acts 10:43; see also 22:16.

¹⁹ Acts 2:38.

²⁰ John 14:13–14; see also 15:16; 16:23–24.

²¹ Colossians 3:17.

²² 2 Thessalonians 1:12.

²³ https://www.gotquestions.org/meaning-name-Jesus.html.

²⁴ 1 Thessalonians 5:17.

Christian Compassion

October 31, 2022

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 9:50

Download Audio (9MB)

When we read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, something that becomes abundantly clear is that Jesus showed compassion to others and taught that His followers should be compassionate as well. We read the parable of the Samaritan showing compassion to the beaten Jewish man by nursing his wounds, taking him to an inn to be cared for, and paying the expenses out of his own pocket.¹

In the parable of the lost son, a young man demanded his inheritance from his father, which was the equivalent of saying, “I wish you were dead,” and left home only to deplete his inheritance. Upon his return home, we read that “his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.^”²

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, He saw situations where people were in need, was moved with compassion, and took action to help them. The Gospel of Matthew recounts:

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”

He then took seven loaves of bread and a few small fish and multiplied them so that four thousand people ate and were satisfied.³ In another instance, upon seeing a young boy falling down and convulsing, Jesus asked his father: “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. … If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus showed compassion by delivering the boy from the spirit which was afflicting him.⁴

During His time on Earth, Jesus embodied His Father’s attributes, one of which was compassion. Throughout the Old Testament we read of God’s compassion:

As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.⁵

“For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the Lord, your Redeemer.⁶

Sing for joy, O heavens, and exult, O earth; break forth, O mountains, into singing! For the LORD has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted.⁷

So what exactly is compassion? Dictionaries define it as “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for someone who is in some kind of distress, combined with the desire to do something to alleviate it.”

There are five Hebrew words in the Old Testament which are translated as compassion, and there are four Greek words in the New Testament translated as such. In the Old Testament, the words translated as compassion have the following meanings: to be sorry for; to pity; to spare someone; to sympathize; and to comfort or console (with the will to change the situation).

One of the Hebrew words, racham, is related to the Hebrew word for “womb” and expresses a mother’s (or a parent’s) compassion for a helpless child—a deep emotion which expresses itself in acts of selfless service. This is a protective compassion, and this word is generally used in reference to God’s compassion. Some translations translate it as merciful, but most as compassionate.

Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.”⁸

In the New Testament, there are four Greek words translated as compassion. The one used most often is related to the Greek word for “inward parts,” referring to the seat of human emotions. The term means “to be moved in one’s bowels,” conveying the idea of being moved in the core of one’s inner feelings, leading to acts of kindness and mercy. Another word, sumpathes, conveys the meaning of “to suffer with” or “to suffer alongside of.”

Compassion is having a strong feeling about someone else’s situation or state, and doing something to change it. It’s about making things better for someone in need. It’s not compassion if there isn’t some action taken. In some cases that might mean holding or hugging someone, praying for them, gently speaking with them, and conveying your sorrow or concern.

It can also mean taking action which aims to change the situation or circumstances. It might mean standing up for someone. Perhaps it calls for protesting in order to change laws and bring about social justice. It can mean putting in time and effort to feed the hungry, help orphans, visit the sick or those in mourning, share the gospel with others, or other ways of helping those in need.

Compassion is closely aligned with empathy—the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, and to put yourself in their shoes so that you understand what they are going through from their perspective. Having empathy can move you to compassion.

In short, compassion is part of love. But how do we cultivate this aspect of love? How do we become more compassionate? Something which can help is giving thought to Jesus’ instruction: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”⁹ If we are kind to ourselves, even when we recognize that we have brought some of our problems upon ourselves, we can recognize that when others are in need, we should help. When we have walked in their shoes, being compassionate to others comes more easily.

It also helps to ponder Jesus’ ministry. He saw people in need—the blind, the hungry, the mourning, the sick, the social outcasts—and instead of looking the other way and passing by, He noticed, stopped, and took action. It’s easy in our busy lives to not notice others who are struggling and in need, and to be preoccupied with our personal needs, problems, worries, and fears.

Something else that can help us be more compassionate is cultivating our awareness of the Lord’s love for us—remembering that though we are undeserving, full of faults, and sinful, God took action on our behalf, even at a deep cost. He sacrificed His beloved Son so that He could rescue us in our time of need. God has shown us costly compassion, and if we regularly remind ourselves of this fact by praising and thanking Him for doing so, we may find it easier to respond to others with His love and compassion.

Jesus had compassion for the suffering, the outcasts, the poor and needy. We may find ourselves thinking that we are impotent in our abilities to help others by comparison, since He was God incarnate and could perform mighty miracles. But while we may not be able to do miracles as great as Jesus did, showing compassion to others can feel like a miracle to someone in need. A little compassion can make a major difference in their lives.

Receiving Jesus in our hearts and being filled with God’s Spirit is the key to having compassion for others. Experiencing His love through close communion and fellowship with Him, as a result of spending time communicating through prayer, reading His Word, listening to Him, and seeking and receiving His guidance causes us to be aware of His love for us personally. When we experience His kindness, mercy, generosity, compassion, and deep love, we are better able to let His love flow through us to others.

If we truly wish to imitate Jesus, we will seek to cultivate a keen awareness of the needs of others, and also be willing to take steps to help and comfort them. Jesus compassionately served others, and as His followers we are called to be compassionate as well.

Originally published October 2017. Adapted and republished October 2022.
Read by Simon Peterson.

¹ Luke 10:30–35

² Luke 15:11–32. Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the ESV.

³ Matthew 15:32–38.

⁴ Mark 9:20–27.

⁵ Psalm 103:13.

⁶ Isaiah 54:7–8.

⁷ Isaiah 49:13.

⁸ Exodus 34:6 NAU.

⁹ Matthew 22:39.

In the Face of Lies

Eldora S. (a guest contribution)

2016-01-28

A few months ago, I began a project of reading my Bible cover to cover. This venture has involved studying books and passages that I’d never read before or never in their entirety. It’s been a rewarding and fascinating journey, and I’ve made several discoveries along the way, one of which I’d like to share with you. I was reading through the book of Isaiah when I found, in chapters 36 and 37, this amazing story:

In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah’s reign, Sennacherib king of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them. Then [he] sent his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem… Eliakim, the palace administrator, Shebna the secretary, and Joah… went out to him.

The field commander said to them, “Tell Hezekiah, ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have strategy and military strength—but you speak only empty words. On what are you depending, that you rebel against me? … If you say to me, ‘We are depending on the LORD our God’—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying…’You must worship before this altar’?

Come now, make a bargain with … the king of Assyria; I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them! … [H]ave I come to attack and destroy this land without the LORD? The LORD himself told me to march against this country and destroy it.’”1

Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah must have felt very disheartened at hearing this derogatory and frightening spiel. King Sennacherib was declaring them as good as defeated, threatening to destroy the remainder of their country, and, worst of all, deriding their faith in God. In a desperate attempt to preserve their army’s already shaken morale, they pled, “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don’t speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people on the wall.”

Instead, the commander rubbed salt on their wounds by sneering, “Was it only to your master and you that my master sent me to say these things, and not to the men sitting on the wall—who, like you, will have to eat their own filth and drink their own urine?” Turning to the men on the wall, he shouted in Hebrew, “Hear the words of the great king … of Assyria: Do not let Hezekiah deceive you! Do not let Hezekiah persuade you to trust in the LORD when he says, ‘The LORD will surely deliver us; this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.’ Has the god of any nation ever delivered his land from the hand of the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Have they rescued Samaria from my hand? Who of all the gods of these countries has been able to save his land from me? How then can the LORD deliver Jerusalem from my hand?”

The men on the wall, as instructed by Hezekiah, kept silent in the face of his tirade, but imagine how alarmed and distraught they felt. They must have been tempted to feel all hope was lost! The three officials tore their clothes as they related the news to Hezekiah, for in that time and culture, tearing one’s clothes was a sign of great grief. Upon hearing their report, Hezekiah tore his clothes too, put on sackcloth, and went to the temple to pray. He then sent messengers to the prophet Isaiah to explain their plight and to plead that God would not let Sennacherib’s insolence go unpunished.

Isaiah replied, “This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—the words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Listen! I am going to put a spirit in him so that when he hears a certain report, he will return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down by the sword.”2

Shortly thereafter, the commander got word that Sennacherib had left Lachish to fight against Libnah, and he hurried off to join Sennacherib in waging that war. While at Libnah, Sennacherib, ever eager to assure Hezekiah and the people of Judah that he had not forgotten his threat to destroy them, sent a menacing letter which began with, “Do not let the god you depend on deceive you… Surely you have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the countries, destroying them completely. And will you be delivered?” Arrogantly, Sennacherib listed all the other nations’ gods who failed to deliver their people from his hands and assured Hezekiah that he and his people would surely suffer the same fate.

If I were Hezekiah, I would have despaired. “Lord, I thought Sennacherib was going to be killed as You promised he would. What happened?” But as distressed as he must have felt, Hezekiah did not doubt God. Instead, he went straight to the temple, where he spread Sennacherib’s blasphemous letter before the Lord and prayed a powerful prayer. He first acknowledged God’s sovereign power as the Creator of the universe and then added that although the Assyrians had indeed demolished many countries, those countries’ gods were merely lifeless gods of wood and stone. He pled with God to intervene so that everyone would know that He alone was the true, living God.

In response, God sent an angel who slew 185,000 of Sennacherib’s men. Hearing this report, Sennacherib, true to God’s promise, fled Israel in terror. And what about the part about him being “cut down by the sword”? Twenty years later, two of Sennacherib’s sons murdered him as he was worshipping in the temple of his god Nisroch.

This story taught me two important lessons:

Number 1: Don’t let the devil talk you into giving up!

In the Bible, Jesus tells us that Satan is “a liar and the father of lies … there is no truth in him.”3 It’s interesting to note that King Sennacherib never shot a single arrow at the people of Judah; his only weapon was his words, which he used to demoralize and terrify them. Similarly, so much of the devil’s power to discourage us and make us doubt God’s promises, power, and love lies in negative thoughts and fears.

Have you ever stepped out to do something you believed God wanted you to do, such as tell a friend about Jesus, and struggled with a host of doubts as you set out to do it, thoughts like, “You’re going to sound like a freak!” and “You can’t do it!” The devil often fights the hardest to stop you from taking the first step, but if you step out, God will never fail to empower you.

Or as Hezekiah and the people of Judah experienced, have you asked God to intervene in a difficult situation but, instead of things getting better, they’ve remained just as bad or even gotten worse? In such times, it’s easy to give in to that dark voice inside your head that tells you God didn’t hear your prayer, that He makes false promises, doesn’t care, or isn’t even there. But God often allows us to be tested just before we receive the answer or victory. If you hold on to His Word and keep on believing that He is in control and follow through on whatever He shows you to do, you will triumph in the end! Like King Hezekiah and his people, you’ll come out of the experience with stronger faith because you faced the challenges and found God to be true.

Number 2: Lean on God and let Him fight for you!

When Sennacherib’s commander verbally abused Hezekiah and his people, Hezekiah did not attempt a counterattack. Instead, he went straight to the temple, prayed, and sought the counsel of God’s prophet, Isaiah. Likewise, when Hezekiah received Sennacherib’s threatening letter, instead of writing a sizzling reply, he brought the matter to God and asked Him what to do. God was Hezekiah’s first and surest line of defense.

When you are barraged with doubts and fears, don’t just try to debate with them in your mind or struggle against them alone. Pray and focus your mind on positive things. Remind yourself of God’s promises and let them bolster your faith and silence the voice of fear and doubt. As the saying goes, “Let the light in, and the darkness will flee of itself!” Another secret to victory is to, like Hezekiah, seek the prayer, support, and counsel of others. Doing so will give you courage and strength, for “one can chase a thousand, but two can put ten thousand to flight.”4

In Psalm 40:2, David says, “He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.”5 No matter what things look like or how you may feel, Jesus is always there. If you put your trust in Him, He will come through for you in the end. Hold on to Him, and He will lift you out of the mud of doubt and set your feet upon the solid rock of faith, where nothing you face will be able to intimidate or destabilize you!

Footnotes
1 Isaiah 36:1–5,7–8, 10 NIV
2 Isaiah 37:6–7
3 John 8:44
4 Deuteronomy 32:30
5 New Living Translation

The Story of Ruth (Part 2)

By Peter Amsterdam

October 25, 2022

Naomi, the Jewish woman whose husband and two sons died in Moab, decided she would return to Bethlehem, where she was originally from. Orpah and Ruth, the two Moabite wives of her deceased sons, went with her as she started on the journey. However, after starting the trip to Bethlehem, Naomi told her daughters-in-law that they should return to Moab, where they could find new husbands. She blessed them and bade them farewell. Orpah returned to Moab, but Ruth refused to leave, saying,

“Where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.¹

So the two of them went on until they came to Bethlehem. And when they came to Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them. And the women said, “Is this Naomi?” She said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went away full, and the LORD has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the LORD has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?” So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabite her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest.²

True to her word, Ruth went with Naomi to Bethlehem. We don’t know how long their journey took nor how far it was, as we’re not told exactly where in Moab they had settled. We’re also not told if they walked the whole way or had a donkey and cart to transport them, nor which route they took; but it was probably a trip of 45 to 90 miles (72 to 144 kilometers), depending on the route they took. All we know is that they made the journey, and when they arrived, the whole town was aware. Naomi and Ruth’s arrival was the talk of the town. It had been ten years since Naomi and her husband had left Bethlehem, and now she had returned as a widow with a Moabite daughter-in-law.

The women of the town asked, “Is this Naomi?” Naomi responded in what was likely anguish, Don’t call me Naomi [which means pleasant] … call me Mara [which means bitter]. While Naomi made this statement, there is no evidence that anyone took her up on her request to be called this negative name. Naomi’s outlook upon her return to Bethlehem was despair rather than hope. In her view, the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her. Years earlier, she left Bethlehem with a husband and two sons and probably some resources. She now returns with only a Moabite daughter-in-law and probably few or no resources. She questioned why God had brought all this calamity upon her. In her view, the Almighty had made her life bitter, brought her back empty, afflicted her, and brought her misfortune. But the story doesn’t end there.

Now Naomi had a relative of her husband’s, a worthy man of the clan of Elimelech, whose name was Boaz. And Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, “Let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”³

The two women arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest, which would have been in late March or early April. The book of Leviticus commanded that when crops were harvested, some of the produce was to be left for the poor.

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.”⁴

Ruth suggested to Naomi that she could go into the fields in Bethlehem in order to glean the grain in the field of someone who would allow her to do so.

So she set out and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers, and she happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the clan of Elimelech.⁵

Boaz was a prominent man in Bethlehem, and was from the same clan as Elimelech. He is described as a worthy man.⁶

And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!” And they answered, “The LORD bless you.” Then Boaz said to his young man who was in charge of the reapers, “Whose young woman is this?” And the servant who was in charge of the reapers answered, “She is the young Moabite woman, who came back with Naomi from the country of Moab. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.”⁷

After greeting the workers, Boaz spoke with the man who was in charge. He inquired about Ruth, wanting to know who she was. He knew his workers and apparently those who gleaned the fields as well, and he noticed Ruth and recognized her as new. The foreman told Boaz what he knew about Ruth. He also commented on her work ethic, as she had worked continually from early morning, taking only a short break. The foreman was impressed with her, as she asked politely if she could glean, and she had a good work ethic.

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Now, listen, my daughter, do not go to glean in another field or leave this one, but keep close to my young women. Let your eyes be on the field that they are reaping, and go after them. Have I not charged the young men not to touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink what the young men have drawn.”⁸

Having gotten a good report from the foreman, Boaz spoke to Ruth directly. Referring to her as my daughter might have been a reference to how much younger she was than him. It could also reflect that she was now under his protection. She was to work alongside his women workers.

Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” But Boaz answered her, “All that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband has been fully told to me, and how you left your father and mother and your native land and came to a people that you did not know before. The LORD repay you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge!”⁹

Ruth was astounded by Boaz’s kind words and bowed down before him, asking why he was showing her, a Moabite, such kindness. Boaz explained that he knew what she had given up—her parents and the land of her birth—and that she had committed herself not only to her mother-in-law, Naomi, but also to the God of Israel. He prayed that God would repay her for the sacrifices she had made, that He would give her a full reward, as she would abide under His wings.

Then she said, “I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, for you have comforted me and spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not one of your servants.”¹⁰

Ruth was deeply touched by what Boaz had said and how he had treated her, especially since she was a foreigner. His kind words had given her comfort, which likely made her feel safe.

And at mealtime Boaz said to her, “Come here and eat some bread and dip your morsel in the wine.” So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain. And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over.¹¹

When it was time for the workers to eat, Boaz invited Ruth to sit with him. He offered her some bread, which was then dipped in wine vinegar, which was probably like a sauce of some kind which softened the hard bread, making it easier to eat. Ruth had some leftovers which, as we’ll see, she took home to Naomi.

When she rose to glean, Boaz instructed his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. And also pull out some from the bundles for her and leave it for her to glean, and do not rebuke her.”¹²

Once Ruth went back to gleaning, Boaz told his harvesters to actively help her. He instructed them to pull out stalks from the grain that was already gathered and bundled, and to leave those stalks in her path so that she could collect them. They were also told not to insult, shame, or humiliate her.

So she gleaned in the field until evening. Then she beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. And she took it up and went into the city. Her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. She also brought out and gave her what food she had left over after being satisfied.¹³

Ruth worked nonstop until it was evening. After collecting the harvest, she then threshed it by beating it. The day’s work yielded an ephah of barley, which was the equivalent of six gallons. This amount would last the two women for several weeks.

And her mother-in-law said to her, “Where did you glean today? And where have you worked? Blessed be the man who took notice of you.” So she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked and said, “The man’s name with whom I worked today is Boaz.” And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.”¹⁴

Naomi wanted to hear all the details about Ruth’s successful day working. After all, she brought home weeks’ worth of food. Ruth gave her the details and told her about Boaz. Naomi responded by asking the LORD to bless him. She also praised the LORD for His kindness. Even though she had felt as if the LORD had stopped caring for her and her family, she now realized that God’s kindness toward her and Ruth was shown through the kindness of Boaz.

Boaz was one of their guardian-redeemers. A guardian-redeemer was a close family member who was responsible to buy back family land which might be or had been sold, in order to ensure that it did not pass out of the family.¹⁵ Over time it came to be understood that the redeemers ought to also take responsibility for caring for needy relatives.

And Ruth the Moabite said, “Besides, he said to me, ‘You shall keep close by my young men until they have finished all my harvest.’” And Naomi said to Ruth, her daughter-in-law, “It is good, my daughter, that you go out with his young women, lest in another field you be assaulted.” So she kept close to the young women of Boaz, gleaning until the end of the barley and wheat harvests. And she lived with her mother-in-law.¹⁶

Naomi spoke to Ruth about the benefits of continuing on with Boaz’s workers. She would be safe, as she’d be working with his young women. This would keep her from working elsewhere, where she might have risked being assaulted. She continued working until the barley and wheat harvests came to an end. This was about a three-month period.

(To be continued.)

Note

¹ Ruth 1:16–18.

² Ruth 1:19–22.

³ Ruth 2:1–2.

⁴ Leviticus 19:9–10.

⁵ Ruth 2:3.

⁶ Ruth 2:1.

⁷ Ruth 2:4–7.

⁸ Ruth 2:8–9.

⁹ Ruth 2:10–12.

¹⁰ Ruth 2:13.

¹¹ Ruth 2:14.

¹² Ruth 2:15–16.

¹³ Ruth 2:17–18.

¹⁴ Ruth 2:19–20.

¹⁵ See Leviticus 25:25. (See also Deut. 25:5–10.)

¹⁶ Ruth 2:21–23.

Seeing Is Not Believing

Oct. 28

Seeing Is Not Believing: Why We Miss God in Daily Life | Desiring God

The Assurance and the Conviction

October 27, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 12:58

Download Audio (11.8MB)

“Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.”—Psalm 42:5¹

Biblical hope is not a mere desire for something good to happen. It is a confident expectation and desire for something good in the future. Biblical hope has moral certainty in it. When the Word says, “Hope in God!” it does not mean, “Cross your fingers.” It means, to use the words of William Carey, “Expect great things from God.” …

Wherever there is full assurance of hope, there is faith. Faith is the full assurance of hope. Biblical faith is a confident expectation and desire for good things in the future.

But faith is more than that. It is also the “conviction of things not seen,” and some of these are not future. For example, verse 3 [of Hebrews 11]: “By faith we understand that the world was created by the word of God.” Faith can look back (to creation) as well as forward.

So faith is the larger idea. It includes hope, but is more than hope. You might put it this way: faith is our confidence in the word of God, and whenever that word has reference to the future, you can call our confidence in it hope. Hope is faith in the future tense. …

In other words, whenever faith in God looks to the future, it can be called hope. And whenever hope rests on the word of God, it can be called faith.—John Piper²

A total assurance

“For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.”—Galatians 5:5³

The biblical word elpida, translated “hope,” does not have the much weaker meaning that it has in English. In the Bible, “hope” does not mean “hope so,” as in: “Will it be sunny tomorrow?” “I hope so (but I have no way of being confident it will be so).” It means a powerful assurance and certainty of something.⁴ This is a major problem for the reader of the English Bible.

The word that means “total assurance” in Greek means “not so sure” in English. It is easy therefore to misunderstand many passages! The true sense of the word “hope” is indicated in verse 5 of Galatians 5, because Paul says that we simply “await” this righteousness. We don’t work or strive for it. We know it is coming, it’s on its way. So we can wait eagerly, rather than anxiously. …

Righteousness means more than goodness; it is a completely right record and right relationship with God. Paul is saying that we can live today in light of our certain, guaranteed, future glorification and welcome by God into His arms, because we know that “since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.”⁵

No one else, no secular person, no follower of any other religion can look at their future like this! Non-religious people have no idea where they will be a million years from now, and religious people without the gospel are anxious about where they will be, and cannot relax or look forward to it with eagerness.

The certainty of our future with God is a fruit of the gospel. By referring to the future, Paul turns our imaginations to what it will mean to be radiant, glorious, beautiful and perfect. Elsewhere Paul says that Jesus lives to present us to Himself “radiant … without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”⁶ We know that this is guaranteed, and therefore, is essentially true now.

We are to live today knowing we are, and always will be, an absolute beauty in the eyes of God. Put another way, we are as loved and honored by God now as we will be when we are perfectly radiant in heaven. Paul says that through faith and by the work of the Spirit we can, and will, eagerly await this righteousness, this certain glory. …

We need to turn our minds to who we are and what we have in Christ so often that our hearts are stirred and our behavior brought into line with these unseen realities. This is something that happens in those who have faith in the Son, as the Spirit does His work.—Tim Keller⁷

The place of trust

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”—Hebrews 11:1⁸

Faith is the password, the foundation of power, anointing, and victory. Faith is the starting point in whatever we feel called to do for the Lord. We need faith to obey God’s Word, faith to step out and try new and different things, faith that the Lord can use us in new ways, faith that we can facilitate the gospel being “preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations.”⁹

Faith is vital. It’s what will enable us to walk through open doors, take advantage of golden opportunities, and follow God wherever He leads. It’s what will help us to say yes to Jesus—yes to trying a new method in our witness, yes to taking the time to minister to that person He puts in our path, yes to not giving up on some needy soul, yes to whatever His will may be for each of us. Faith is what will help us to persevere when things are tough.

Sometimes faith seems a little bit mysterious, but we don’t have to try so hard to dissect faith or understand it. We simply need to trust in that which we have good reason to believe is true, Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith—the one who honors our trusting Him and His guidance in our lives. Once we have come to that place of trust, then we can embark on that which the Lord leads us to do with complete confidence that He will honor our trust in Him and our acknowledging Him all along the way.

We live by faith and walk by faith and it’s our “title deed,” but faith is also manifested by action. It’s a “doing” word, because faith without works is dead.¹⁰ We don’t have to feel like we have faith, or think that we have great faith. If we just start doing the things the Lord leads us to do, we’ll realize that we possess this valuable treasure—and the more we exercise our faith and feed it, the stronger it will grow.—Maria Fontaine

The evidence of faith

God has given us five senses: feeling, seeing, hearing, tasting, and smelling. When we taste something that is sweet, we have the evidence that it is so, because our taste has given us this evidence. This same application can be worked out with the other senses.

In our spiritual life, God gives us faith to witness to us of spiritual things, just as our five senses bring us the evidence of temporal things. We accept what our five senses tell us. Why do we not accept faith as the evidence, for it will bring to pass and absolutely make real to us all that we take by faith. Matthew 8:13: “As thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.”

In the social world—that is, the human sphere—faith is a principle that binds families together and cements friendships. It is the foundation stone of commercial confidence and business transactions. Why is it thought strange then that this same principle should be applied in the spiritual kingdom? For just as an unseen principle holds the social and financial world together, an unseen law of faith is the underlying principle of the spiritual world.

Faith is practical. The law of faith is just as real as any other of God’s laws. And so God says, “The just shall walk by faith”; “without faith it is impossible to please God”; and “this is the victory that overcomes the world, even your faith.”¹¹ And then He gives a very simple definition of faith, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.”¹²

Jesus said, “I am come that ye might have life, and have it more abundantly.”¹³ The faith life is indeed an abundant life.—Virginia Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor October 2022. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.
Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ NRS.

² https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/what-is-hope.

³ NIV.

⁴ See Hebrews 11:1.

⁵ Galatians 4:7.

⁶ Ephesians 5:27.

⁷ Galatians for You (The Good Book Company, 2013).

⁸ ESV.

⁹ Matthew 24:14.

¹⁰ James 2:26.

¹¹ Habakkuk 2:4; Hebrews 11:6; 1 John 5:4.

¹² Hebrews 11:1.

¹³ John 10:10.

The Joy and Blessing of Stepping Stones

October 26, 2022

By Jemima

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”—2 Corinthians 4:17 NKJV

I would like to share with you a lesson that I am learning in my walk with the Lord. I was recently faced with another episode of vertigo, an affliction that I have experienced a few times this last year. It comes with strong dizziness, feeling nauseous, and very weak. The Lord has been merciful to heal me each time, and I would like to thank you for your prayers, love, and support.

It is a battle each time I have symptoms of vertigo. When I was facing the last bout of this affliction, I got hit with discouragement and feeling sorry for myself that this was happening to me again, and so soon after the previous time. I was upset and sad. My husband prayed for me to be strong and to stay positive during this time. I sent out some prayer requests to family and friends, and it is a blessing to know that we are there for each other when it is needed.

I claimed and held on to scriptures of healing, which strengthened my soul and spirit. I listened to a post from Anchor, “Our Light Affliction,” which was just what I needed to help me through this battle.

The post talks about how the Lord uses afflictions and difficulties as stepping stones in our lives to bring us closer to Him. What also spoke to me clearly was that I did not really trust the Lord by taking the time to praise Him and to say “Thank you” for what is happening in my life.

Here are a few excerpts:

My God, I have never thanked Thee for my “thorn!” I have thanked Thee a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my “thorn”; I have been looking forward to a world where I shall get compensation for my cross as itself a present glory. Teach me the glory of my cross; teach me the value of my “thorn.” Show me that I have climbed to Thee by the path of pain. Show me that my tears have made my rainbow.—George Matheson, a well-known blind Scottish preacher who wrote the hymn “O Love That Will Not Let Me Go”

(Jesus:) I do allow troubles sometimes, but always to accomplish something good in your life. Even when you bring on those troubles through your own mistakes or sins, I want you to use them as stepping stones to take you to higher ground. I want each one to bring you a step closer to Me.

Troubles show you that you aren’t sufficient in yourself. They make you realize your need for Me and help you learn to depend on Me. As you trust Me through difficult times, you will grow in faith, you will better understand My Word and wise and loving ways, and you will feel My love and come to know Me in a deeper and more personal way than you ever could otherwise.

One day you will be able to look at troubles and trials and see them as needed stepping stones. You will see then that they brought you to the special place I have for you, near to My heart.

As I was reflecting on this picture of stepping stones, I was taken back to a memory from my early childhood.

I grew up in Finland in a picturesque village surrounded by forest and lakes, bordering a small town in Sweden. We lived in a small red house that had a big yard with a few apple trees in the front, and a big potato patch in the back. The property had its own water well with a bucket that was lowered with a chain to get the water. I was about 4 or 5 years old when we moved to this village. My father loved gardening. He had planted beautiful flowers along a path of stepping stones, which led to a sitting area with white wooden furniture, where we would sit to enjoy beautiful summer afternoons and evenings.

I remember jumping or taking big steps to get from one to the next large, flat stepping stone. It was like a game to me, which I enjoyed very much. This memory of the stepping stones was a happy and joyful time and is now like a treasure to my heart.

The Lord was showing me that the stepping stones of afflictions and difficulties in my life have worked together to bring joy and blessing into my life. The joy of a closer walk with Him, the joy of holding on to His words and promises, the joy of closeness to my family, the joy of serving Jesus and winning the lost. The blessing of asking for prayer and coming closer to my brothers and sisters, the blessing of humility and being broken, the blessing of a broken heart for others in pain.

I wanted to share this with you as I am learning to have a different attitude about afflictions and difficulties in my life. It is maybe a simple lesson that I should have learned a long time ago, but at this time in my life it seemed so much clearer to me. God loves us so much, and I am very thankful for His patience, kindness, mercy, and healing touch.

Here’s another excerpt from “Our Light Affliction”:

Our time on earth is an important part of God’s plan for each of us, but it doesn’t end here. Everything we go through now is not only making us into the men and women we need to be in order to accomplish His immediate goals, but it’s also for the future, for the next life. It’s preparation for all that the Lord has in store for us, short-term and long-term.

Yes, life is a struggle. But you can know that your difficulties and trials are for a purpose.

He loves you, and everything that He allows to come into your life—whether it seems good or bad—can work for the best. If you trust Him through it, you will become a better, wiser, more loving, more useful Christian—a tool in His hands, a vessel through which He can freely pour forth the waters of His love and Word to comfort and strengthen others in need.—Shannon Shayler

I am so thankful to know that the Lord loves us and is watching over us, and for His Word that brings us new hope, strength, and encouragement. I am learning to say “Thank You, dear Jesus!” even when I don’t feel like it, as praise and thankfulness is pleasing to Him and brings me joy and new hope. The joy of the Lord is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

I hope and pray that my lessons will be an inspiration and blessing to you too and that His Word will bring you joy and encouragement.

P.S. I wrote this a few months ago. I am thankful to say that I have been feeling well for a while.

Jesus Christ the Same

October 25, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 12:09

Download Audio (11.1MB)

Change: It is said that change is the only constant in our world, and we feel that on a daily basis. Whether it is changing mandates for coronavirus or the ever-changing political scene, change is certainly inevitable in our world.

Some of us thrive on change and some abhor it, but sooner or later we all get weary of it if there is constant change. We long for stability and the predictable. We desire some sense of normalcy in our lives. And more in our current culture than ever before.

We just want something, or someone, we can count on that is a constant or unchanging. We long for something, or someone, that we can trust for stability and that steadfastness that holds us like an anchor.

Trusting in people many times leaves us disappointed because in our humanness, our incompleteness, we fail each other. Trusting in institutions and human authorities often leaves us wanting. Trusting in our wealth and our own stability leaves us uneasy as well. It can also be fleeting.

But there is one entity, one person, who never leaves us guessing. He never changes. He is just, faithful, loving, and we can count on him to be the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Hebrews 13:5–8 says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper: I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?’ Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

We can take heart and have confidence in Jesus. Unlike our own wealth or earthly leaders which will disappoint and constantly change, Jesus is the one steadfast and unchanging anchor who can hold our lives together. So let us take confidence in him. Let us cling to him. We can trust him. We can count on him each and every day.—Jon Allen¹

Our unchanging Savior

In the midst of this ever-changing environment, it is good to remember that there is one thing that never changes—and that is Jesus Christ! He was in the past exactly who He is in the present and precisely who He will be forever. That’s why Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” …

The Greek word for the “same” emphatically states that Jesus Christ is unchangeable. What good news this is in a world where things are changing at lightning speed. Jesus Christ is the one Person we can depend on to be the same, regardless of the time or the spirit of the age. We don’t need to refigure who Jesus is, what He thinks, or what His message is, because He is the same—and everything He represents is the same—yesterday, today, and forever.

The word “yesterday” is the Greek word exthes, and it depicts all time that ever was up until this present moment. It describes the past. The word “today” is the Greek word semeron, and it means today or at this very moment or this current age. It depicts the present. But in the Bible when the words “yesterday and today” are used in one phrase, as they are used here, it also portrays continuity.

The words “yesterday and today” are an Old Testament expression to denote continuity.² So here we find that Jesus isn’t one way in the past and another way in the present. Whoever He was in the past is exactly who He is in the present. There is continuity in Jesus Christ. Therefore, if you discover Jesus of the past, you have also discovered Jesus of the present, and you have discovered Jesus of the future, because He is continuously the same.

The word “forever” in Greek means into all the ages of the future. This phrase depicts all future time to come, including all ages that will ever be known. Hence, it describes the future. Hebrews 13:8 carries this idea: “Jesus Christ is exactly the same in the past, in the present, and in the future.”

I don’t know about you, but I am so thankful that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for all future ages. With all the sweeping changes happening in the world right now, I thank God that Jesus isn’t one of them! Whoever He was in the past is who He is in the present and who He will be forever.—Rick Renner³

Thou who changeth not

We trust not in ourselves, but in God, who raises up the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and who doth deliver, and in whom we trust He will yet deliver. “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.” Oh, the unchanging Lord, the unchanging Christ; our blessed Lord never changes. And God said, “I AM, I AM.”

So many things change today, so many springs that run dry. There are two kinds of springs. Some we call “weather springs” and some we call “dry weather springs.” In the early part of summer, when much rain is falling, these little basins are formed in the creeks’ banks that hold the water. But when the hot weather comes and rain ceases, they dry up from the water’s source. They’re springs that dry up because they have their source in an upper fountain.

So many sources of pleasure and comfort change as the years go by. But the Christian’s joy and peace doesn’t dry up or change because it has its source in an upper, everlasting fountain—the unchanging Lord. As God’s Word says, “There is a stream that makes glad the heart of man.”⁴ Christ has not changed, He’s just the same. What He did for others in the past, He can do for you today!

This brings to mind a precious old hymn that fits into this message of the one that we can abide in, who changes not, the “I AM” that we read about, the Christ who changes not:

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see;
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

We need Thy presence every passing hour.
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who, like Thyself, our guide and stay can be?
O Thou who changest not, abide with me!⁵—Virginia Brandt Berg

His unchanging love

Regardless of how we may happen to feel, if we love the Lord and are walking by faith and obeying His Word, then we know that our relationship with the Lord is firm. And we certainly know that His love for us is unchangeable, unwavering. He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.” “For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but My steadfast love shall not depart from you.” “I will never leave you nor forsake you!”⁶

There aren’t too many verses in the Bible about feelings, but there are a lot about faith and trusting the Lord and believing His Word! God’s Word says if you “draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to you.”⁷ If you sincerely want to love Jesus and please Him and do His will, then He will “draw nigh unto you” when you call out to Him.

The Bible says, “The Lord is near to all who call on Him in truth. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”⁸ When we’re humbled by our own mistakes and shortcomings and sinfulness, we don’t usually feel so inspired or close to the Lord, but we may, in fact, be very close to Jesus at such times. So just because you’re feeling down, that does not necessarily indicate that you’re far from the Lord. You can be very close to the Lord even if you’re feeling terrible.

You’re not always going to be excited and feel inspired and joyful! Sometimes you’re hungry, tired, or sick. And when you’re sick, it can be pretty difficult to enjoy anything! Sometimes you feel like you can barely even get out a little cry of help to the Lord, as you struggle just to keep your mind on the fact that He loves and cares about you.

Sometimes you might not feel close to Jesus. Other times you might feel close to Jesus. But don’t let that worry you. Even if you don’t feel close to Jesus, you can still be close to Him. Because closeness to Jesus is much more than a mere feeling! It is a fact based on His Word and His unchanging promises and His unfailing love.—Maria Fontaine

Published on Anchor October 2022. Read by Jerry Paladino.
Music by John Listen.

¹ https://www.powelltribune.com/stories/the-same-yesterday-today-and-forever,30227.

² See Exodus 5:14; 2 Samuel 15:20.

³ https://renner.org/article/jesus-christ-the-same-yesterday-today-and-forever.

⁴ Psalm 46:4.

⁵ Adapted from “Abide with Me; Fast Falls the Eventide,” Henry Lyte, 1847.

⁶ Jeremiah 31:3; Isaiah 54:10; Hebrews 13:5.

⁷ James 4:8.

⁸ Psalm 145:18 NIV, 34:18 ESV.

Ezekiel 39, Part 2

Verses 6–29

David Brandt Berg

1985-03-06

Ezekiel was known as the prophet of the return because he lived partly during the Captivity and also during the return of Israel from their Babylonian captivity. This was about 2,500 years ago, so to be predicting the future over 2,500 years before it happens is quite a feat! But it’s not too hard for the Lord, and He’s describing the Battle of Armageddon and the people who fight it.

The Antichrist is called Gog in this passage, and his land Magog. In Daniel he’s also called the king of the north. He comes from the north with his forces, thinking they’re going to gain a mighty victory and put down Israel once and for all, but instead of that, God puts them down once and for all.

(Verse 6:) “And I will send a fire on Magog, and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles.” In other words, there’s probably a war going on around the world, another world war of some kind, and the Antichrist is having all kinds of trouble. The deeper he gets into the Tribulation, the more troubles he has, the more wars he has. And when he gets into the Wrath of God, then he really has trouble and finally winds up in the Battle of Armageddon.

(Verse 7:) “So will I make My holy name known in the midst of My people Israel; and I will not let them pollute My holy name anymore: and the heathen shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One in Israel.”

He’s not going to let them pollute His holy name anymore, and the heathen shall also know that He’s the Lord. Usually when He says the heathen, He means the Gentiles. In other words, the Gentiles, the foreigners, the invaders will know He’s the Lord.

(Verse 8:) “Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord God; this is the day whereof I have spoken.” The day of God’s final judgments upon the Antichrist and his hordes.

(Verse 9:) “And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth and shall set on fire and burn the weapons.” The Scripture goes back and forth, but right now it’s going to wind up with what happens after the battle. It already says that five-sixths of the Antichrist’s army is destroyed, and those that came with him have been killed. And now: “They shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the bucklers, the bows and the arrows, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years.”

Never have they had so many weapons to burn that it took them seven years to burn them all. You might say, “That’s pretty far-fetched!” Well, the whole thing is far-fetched. A battle in which blood runs deep to the horses’ bridles for a space of about 200 miles (Revelation 14:20). That’s about the length of the Valley of Megiddo and the River Kishon. I don’t expect the blood itself to be that deep, but blood draining down from the battlefield into the River Kishon could certainly be up to the horses’ bridles. And then for a huge army of probably billions to suddenly come riding out of the sky on white horses, I don’t think you can get anything further fetched than that.

Either you believe the Bible and you believe in God and you believe these things can happen, or you might as well take this book and throw it away, because the whole thing is far-fetched! They’re going to have so much junk left after this battle that it’s going to take them seven years to get rid of it all. Think of it!

(Verse 10:) “So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests.” That ought to please the environmentalists! I think they’re going to be shouting hallelujah in that day because man won’t be tearing down the forest and denuding the landscape and wrecking the earth; instead they’ll be wrecking the instruments of war.

“For they shall burn the weapons with fire: and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God.” The nations of the earth today spend more money on their weaponry and on wars than on anything else, and that’s why most of them are having such economic troubles.

(Verse 11:) “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel.” What a mess to clean up, all those dead bodies, thousands and thousands of dead soldiers! Jeremiah says, “They shall be as dung on the face of the earth, they shall not be lamented, neither gathered”—for a while—“nor buried,” because they don’t have time (Jeremiah 25:33). And it’s going to take them quite a while to do it.

(11th verse:) “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give unto Gog a place there of graves in Israel, the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea.” The Valley of Megiddo is a main route between Jerusalem and Haifa, the principal port. They’re going to conscript or draft even the people passing through to help them bury the dead.

“And it shall stop the noses of the passengers. And there shall they bury Gog and all his multitude: and they shall call it The valley of Hamongog.” That literally means “the multitude of Gog,” or Gog’s army. The Antichrist himself is slain in this battle and is sent straight to the Lake of Fire along with the False Prophet.

(Verse 13:) “And it shall be to them a renown the day that I shall be glorified, saith the Lord God.” God’s glorified by this because they will know He’s the Lord and He did it. It shows God’s judgment upon the wicked, upon the Antichrist forces that give us so much trouble during the Tribulation and who persecute the poor and the Christians and all the religious people and wreak havoc. Here they are lying rotting in the fields of Israel. That’s a fitting end for the Antichrist forces.

(Verse 14:) “And they shall sever out men of continual employment passing through the land to bury with the passengers those that remain upon the face of the earth, to cleanse it: at the end of seven months shall they search.” In other words, they’ll begin to have to look for whatever dead are left after they’ve buried all the ones that were obvious and piled up. “Men of continual employment,” including “the passengers”—everybody in Israel is going to be drafted to bury the dead.

(Verse 15:) “And the passengers that pass through the land, when any seeth a man’s bone, then shall he set up a sign by it, till the buriers have buried it in the valley of Hamongog.” They’ve done that during some past wars. After the battle is over, special teams search for the dead, and when they find them they stick a little sign over them to attract attention—as I recall, in Vietnam it was a little flag—and then the teams that later come out with trucks to gather the dead can easily find them. So they’re going to set up signs where the bones are.

(Verse 16:) “And also the name of the city shall be Hamonah”—which literally means “the city of the multitude.” “Thus shall they cleanse the land.”

(Verse 17:) “And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God; speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field: Assemble yourselves and come gather yourselves on every side to My sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh and drink blood.” God hasn’t forbidden the beasts of the field or the vultures of the air to drink blood and eat flesh; that’s their job. They’re the garbage men who clean up the garbage. They get at it first because there aren’t going to be enough people around to get everybody buried in a hurry. God’s garbage men, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, are going to start cleaning up the mess by picking their bones clean until they get them all buried.

(Verse 18:) “Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.” He’s symbolizing these great ones as bullocks, rams, mighty men, the captains and the princes and the leaders of the hosts here.

(Verse 19:) “And ye shall eat fat till ye be full, and drink blood till ye be drunken, of My sacrifice which I have sacrificed for you.” He talking to the birds and the beasts.

(Verse 20:) “Thus ye shall be filled at My table with horses and chariots, with mighty men, and with all men of war, saith the Lord God.” The destruction is complete, and the beasts of the field and the birds clean up what’s left.

(Verse 21:) “And I will set My glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see My judgment that I have executed, and My hand that I have laid upon them.” Is God going to be glorified by this battle? Isn’t God going to manifest His power in this battle?

(Verse 22:) “And so the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward.” Not only are the heathen going to know God is God, but who else needs to learn that God is God? The Jews. They’re going to find out they can’t save themselves, that God finally had to come down and have mercy on the remnant of them to save them. “Then they’ll know I’m the Lord.” Then the Jews will know that Jesus is the Lord. Praise God!

(Verse 23:) “And the heathen shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity.” Why did they have all this trouble? For their sins! “Into captivity,” meaning they’re scattered all over, in all the nations of the earth. “Because they trespassed against Me, therefore hid I My face from them, and gave them into the hand of their enemies. So fell they all by the sword.” There are going to be a lot of dead Jews there too. He says in other places that He’s only going to spare one-third of those that are there (Zechariah 13:8). Apparently He’s only going to spare those that He’s going to have mercy on who maybe were trying to be good or worship God, as we’ll see in another passage.

(Verse 24–25:) “According to their uncleanness and according to their transgressions have I done unto them, and hid My face from them. Therefore thus saith the Lord God, now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob.” This means release him from captivity; it doesn’t mean capture him again. “And have mercy upon the whole house of Israel”—that is, what’s left—“and will be jealous for My holy name; after that they have borne their shame, and all their trespasses whereby they have trespassed against Me, when they dwelt safely in their land, and none made them afraid.” The Jews have been dwelling for the first time in their own country since 1948.

(Verse 27:) “When I have brought them again from the people, and gathered them out of their enemies’ lands.” So when is this battle going to happen? Is it somewhere way back in ancient history? Would it have been World War I or II? It couldn’t have been, because it wasn’t until after World War II that Israel became a nation, 1948, largely as a result of World War II when the U.S. and the West won the war and promised that they would help Israel.

“And am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations.” How is this whole thing going to sanctify God in the eyes of the nations which are left on earth? Sanctify means to make kosher, clean, or made holy, or in other words, glorified in the eyes of many nations. God is going to be glorified by what He does in this case. Are the nations going to see that God is just? God is fair. He doesn’t take sides, as though one side is entirely guiltless and holy and with no blame; He punishes both sides in this battle. Of course, He slaughters more of the Antichrist’s people because they’re the worst.

(Verse 28:) “Then shall they know that I am the Lord their God, which caused them to be led into captivity among the heathen. But I have gathered them unto their own land and have left none of them any more there.” Exactly what that means, we don’t know. I don’t think the land of Israel is big enough to hold all of the Jews, but at least certainly those that are there.

(Verse 29:) “Neither will I hide My face any more from them: for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.”

Ezekiel 39, Part 1

Verses 1–5

David Brandt Berg

1985-03-05

(Verse 1:) “Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” Ezekiel started off the 38th chapter that way, and he wants to let you know that it’s God speaking. When that happens, it’s direct prophecy. A lot of the Bible is not direct prophecy, but here the prophet is getting a direct prophecy against Gog and Magog—the Antichrist and Russia.

At the time of most of Ezekiel’s prophesying, he says that he was one of the captives, like Daniel, and it was in some of the places where they were a captive people (Ezekiel 1:1).

(Verse 2:) “And I will turn thee back and leave but the sixth part of thee, and will cause thee to come up from the north parts, and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel.”

God says that He’s bringing Gog and Magog from the north parts. Russia is north of Israel, and there are really only two countries between Israel and Russia, depending on which way you go, whether you take the Lebanese route or the Syrian route.

Russia is the major power north of Syria, so Gog doesn’t have very far to go from his homeland of Magog to get down into Israel. They come down to conquer Israel, and so early on the Lord prophesies how many of them are going to be destroyed. We know this has got to be Armageddon by what follows, but it says here that five-sixths of the armies of the Antichrist are going to be destroyed, and that’ll mean tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands, depending on how large a force is in that last invasion of Israel.

So the Battle of Armageddon begins with an invasion of Israel—the final invasion of Israel. God in the Battle of Armageddon literally invites the birds of the air and the beasts of the field to come and have a feast. This feast is described in both this chapter, verse 4, and also in the 19th chapter of Revelation, verses 17 and 18, in which He invites them again: “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God.”

We’ve just had a big feast up in heaven, and now God’s going to give a feast to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field. “That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.” When He says all men, it doesn’t mean they’re going to eat everybody on earth, but it means all these men that are going to be killed.

The 20th verse also says that at the end of this battle “the Beast was taken, and with him the False Prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the Mark of the Beast, and them that worshipped his Image. These both were cast alive into a Lake of Fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth.” That is a word picture to describe the power of God. I don’t think Jesus is really going to come down out of the heavens with a sword sticking out of His mouth. It symbolizes the Word—the power of God just to speak the Word, the sword of His Word, and slay them.

“And the remnant were slain with the sword … and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Who are the remnant? The Beast and the False Prophet are the heads of the Antichrist forces, so who’s left after they’re cast into hell? Their followers. Those with the Mark of the Beast are slaughtered by the sword; they’re slain. The Antichrist and the False Prophet are immediately cast into hell, but the followers are simply killed.

In Revelation it says the rest of them are killed, and the 39th chapter of Ezekiel says the Lord is going to save or spare or leave “but the sixth part of them.” In one chapter it sounds like they’re all going to be killed, and sometimes we’ve said that, but apparently not all of them are going to be killed immediately; a few are going to be left.

(Verse 3:) “And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy bands.” “Bow and arrow” doesn’t necessarily mean they’re going back to bows and arrows; that’s all they had in the days when this was written. How could He possibly say guns and bullets? They’d never heard of guns and bullets; they’d never seen guns and bullets.

I think in some of those descriptions in Revelation where it says, “their tails will sting with fire and they belch smoke and fire out of their mouths,” how could the prophet describe guns any other way than mouths belching smoke and fire? Tails like small guns that sting! He’d never seen guns before, and even if he saw them in a picture, he wouldn’t know what to call them. The word “gun” hadn’t been invented yet, because guns hadn’t been invented yet. Gunpowder had not been invented yet, except perhaps by the Chinese, who used it for fireworks and celebration. So the prophet, if he was seeing this scene, couldn’t possibly have known what it was, so he just describes it the best he knows how. Maybe that’ll explain some of those monsters and things in Revelation. Maybe they’re tanks. Maybe they’re planes dropping bombs.

One theory is that the participants, especially Russia, realize that most guns are operated electronically, except handguns. Planes, tanks, ships, big guns and bombs all have electronic circuitry which must operate in order for them to explode or shoot and operate. What they call an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) would knock out all the electronic circuits. Maybe what the Lord is talking about here is that they’re actually going to revive some of those ancient weapons. That is a theory advanced by some as to why there are so many horses in this last battle and so much is spoken of as using bows, arrows, shields, spears, swords, etc. Armies could still use swords, shields, bows and arrows even if every tank, gun, plane, bomb and missile is knocked out of operation.

Maybe the Antichrist is smart enough to know that’s going to happen, so he prepares an army that can’t be affected by that. Then when the enemy, totally dependent upon electronic circuitry, has all of its weapons completely knocked out, the hordes of the Antichrist can ride in triumphant.

(Verse 4:) “Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands.” It is so specific where this battle is going to occur that it names the country, it names the valley, and it names the main mountain. It even says that it’s fought to the walls of Jerusalem; it names the city. It couldn’t be more specific where this is going to be fought.

“Thou shalt fall … all thy bands and the people that is with thee: and I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.” This would have sounded very encouraging in the ears of the Israelites. Here God is predicting a mighty invasion by this king of this northern power that sounds like he’s about to destroy Israel, but at the same time God is saying He’s going to destroy the destroyer.

A remnant, a small number, will wake up when they see these things happen and realize that they were wrong to reject Jesus and that God has come to rescue them, and they will believe and they will receive at that time. God’s mercy is from everlasting to everlasting, amen?

(Verse 5:) “Thou shalt fall upon the open field.” I don’t know what the significance of the open field is, except that it’s an open field like a battlefield. That’s what they usually call places where they have battles. When they’re going to have a big battle like this with hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions involved, they’ve got to have some pretty broad places to fight.

A number of famous generals and military tacticians have looked out over the Valley of Megiddo, even Napoleon, and said, “What a place for a battle!” General Pershing and Napoleon said something about it being a marvelous strategic place for a battle. And it’s a very strategic location too, because that valley ends at Haifa in Israel’s only normal port.

The Valley of Megiddo is a long valley, which is the entire Kishon Valley of the River Kishon, which extends clear down to the very heart of Israel and not too far from Jerusalem. It has its origin in the Kishon tributaries in the mountains of Israel north of Jerusalem, and it has its mouth following down the river to Haifa Bay.

It gets the name Megiddo from that big round dome-shaped mountain that’s right in the middle of it. Ar-mageddon means height of Megiddo, that round dome-shaped promontory that sticks up right out of the valley floor for apparently no reason whatsoever, except it’s probably going to play a very major part in the Battle of Armageddon. It has been used as a lookout point and as a gun emplacement for big cannons in every war that’s been fought there. So the height of Megiddo will probably play some important part in the Battle of Armageddon.

It’s a battlefield, and the battlefield is the Valley of Megiddo where the Ar-mageddon is and where the Battle of Armageddon will be fought. That’s the geography and the topography of the Battle of Armageddon.

I’ve often marveled at God’s preparation of geography. I don’t believe anything God creates happens just by accident. I believe He designed the land and exactly fit the geography of the lands that He knew were going to come into being, and their peoples, and even their events. Marvelous! I’ve seen the hand of God in geography so many times studying history and events that couldn’t have happened if the geography hadn’t been like that, peoples that couldn’t have happened that way, or nations that couldn’t have been created that way unless the geography had been like that. So geography all has a purpose.

Ezekiel 38, Part 2

David Brandt Berg

1981-03-06

The Bible is really the only newspaper in the world, because the daily newspaper you read tells you what has happened; it’s just a history book. The Bible is the only book that tells you what’s going to happen.

We’ve been talking about this 38th chapter of Ezekiel, and we found in the first few verses that the invasion of Israel and the Mideast by the Antichrist and his forces is very clear. It tells you that Gog is going to lead Magog. Gog, or the Antichrist, is going to be the leader and he’s going to invade the Mideast and the lands around Israel.

Some of these countries that are going to be with him and be his friends and allies are going to be Persia (which is today Iran), Ethiopia, and Libya. They’re going to be a great company assembled together.

Verse 8: “After many days thou shalt be visited; in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword.” Now he’s talking to Gog, the Antichrist leader of Magog. You’re going to “come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel.” The Jews certainly have been brought back from suffering persecution throughout the world and gathered out of many people, many nations all over the world. And into the mountains of Israel—

“Which have always been waste, but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.” Israel was a wasteland, a desert until the Jews began to come back and improve it and irrigate it and water it and cultivate it, and they have caused the desert to blossom like a rose (Isaiah 35:1).

Now he is again speaking to this Antichrist leader who will invade Israel as a punishment for its sins: “Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, and thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.”

Verse 10 says, “Thus saith the Lord God; it shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought.” He’s talking directly to the Antichrist. “And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages: I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, to take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations.”

This is a very strange thing, because villages and towns and cities had walls and gates until the last hundred years or so. Even after the invention of gunpowder and cannons, walls were still an effective protection against enemy forces, and fortifications, forts, various bastions of that kind were still used as protection against enemies.

Today walls are no protection or help whatsoever, because planes can fly over and drop bombs inside the walls, or rockets can be fired over walls. There’s no use building walls around towns and villages today.

This is the first time in almost 6,000 years that cities and towns and villages have been built without walls for protection. Here it describes how the Jews have come back to Israel, restored the land, and built villages and towns and cities without walls. So this is the time of this prophecy. Ezekiel is talking about the present day and the future.

He’s saying, “Antichrist, I know what you’re going to do. I can read your mind. You’re thinking, ‘I’m going to go down into that little country with all those unwalled villages, towns, cities without walls. It’d be very easy for me to go in and conquer it.’” Is anybody going to object to this invasion?

Verse 13: “Sheba and Dedan.” Sheba and Dedan are in Arabia, the various Arabian nations. Along with “the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof.” Tarshish has been interpreted by some Bible students as being the British and the British Isles. They’re merchants, they operate a lot of ships, and the animal symbol of Britain is a lion. So “all of her young lions” could refer to Great Britain’s former colonies scattered throughout the world, all kinds of former possessions known today as the British Commonwealth, which used to be known as the British Empire.

The young lions are going to oppose this invasion. Britain, the U.S., Canada and the British Commonwealth, former British Empire, are going to be against this invasion of Israel. It doesn’t say that they do very much. Maybe they’re just going to diplomatically object in the United Nations. First of all they issue their diplomatic protests: “Art thou come to take a spoil? Hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? To carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?”

Verse 14: “Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog”—now He’s telling Ezekiel, His prophet, to tell the Antichrist: “Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when My people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? Thou shalt come forth from thy place out of the north parts.” What direction is Russia from Israel? Due north.

“Thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army.” And what are the modern horses? Tanks, guns, planes, etc. “A great company and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against My people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days. And I will bring thee against My land, that the heathen may know Me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes” (Ezekiel 38:15–16).

He’s saying here that He’s bringing Gog, the Antichrist, and Magog down there to conquer Palestine, or Israel, and make a just and peaceful settlement, to fairly settle this major problem, which is Israel’s possession of Palestine, refusing to share it with its original inhabitants and occupants, the Palestinians.

Verse 17: “Thus saith the Lord God”—he’s talking to the Antichrist—“art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by My servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them?” “Didn’t I tell My prophets a long time ago? I’m not only telling Ezekiel, I’ve told many of My prophets about you, Gog. I’ve prophesied about you for centuries, that I would bring you against them.”

So he says, “And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that My fury shall come up in My face.” Now we’re on the 19th verse: “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken. Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.”

The Lord is talking to the Antichrist and his people and warning them that He’s going to then judge Gog and Magog for their sins. This is a procedure God has often followed. He has used the wicked of the world to judge and punish His people. But then He has turned around and judged the wicked as well.

The Antichrist and his forces are going to invade and take over the land of Israel. And as we have already studied in Daniel 11, it says that he will set up his palace, his tabernacle, there in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:45). The Antichrist will not only invade Israel, but he will make Jerusalem his capital. He will set up his headquarters there, his palace, and he will rule the world from there for three and a half years. He makes this invasion in the middle of his reign, at the end of the first three and a half years, because of the rebellion of the Jews against his Holy Covenant.

Finally the Antichrist gets so furious with the religions that he abolishes them all and forces them all to kneel down and worship him as their god, and sets up his image right in their holiest of holy places on top of Mount Moriah where their major temples are located. That’s when this invasion is taking place that we’re reading about here.

Most of the countries in that area will be his friends. Ethiopia and Iran and Turkey and Jordan and Libya are going to be on his side. The only ones that are going to buck him or try to fight with U.S. help are going to be Egypt and Saudi Arabia and Israel.

It’s explained in other places in God’s Word, both in Daniel and in even more detail in Revelation 13, that the Antichrist makes this invasion in the midst of the seven years, in the middle of the seven-year pact, and he sets up a new religion and he occupies Israel and the Holy Land for 42 months (Revelation 13:5).

God permits the Antichrist to take over Israel for three and a half years, 42 months, 1260 days to be specific, according to the Jewish year, and rule the world from Jerusalem for three and a half years. But the Lord says that’s going to be a time of trouble such as the world knew not since the world began, and never will again. The time of Jacob’s trouble, Israel’s trouble. The time of Great Tribulation for all the world, because the Antichrist will then try to force the whole world to worship and obey him and take his mark, and he’ll kill those who won’t.

A good deal of this passage from there on tells about what God does afterward, at the end of this time of terrible trouble in which the Antichrist is trying to run the world and dominating Israel.

He says there’s going to be a great shaking when God’s judgments finally fall after the Antichrist has taken over Israel. He’s been there for three and a half years, it’s his headquarters, he’s been running the world from there, but finally he’s caused so much trouble—he’s persecuted the people of God, Christians, Jews, Muslims and the world over—that God puts a stop to it.

Verse 19: “For in My jealousy and in the fire of My wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel.” God starts judging the Antichrist and his worldwide kingdom, his anti-God, anti-Christ, anti-religious kingdom of which he’s made himself god, and God’s going to send great earthquakes to Israel, because it has become his capital.

Verse 20: “So that the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the face of the earth, shall shake at My presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground.” This sounds like the wrath of God.

Verse 21: “And I will call for a sword against him throughout all My mountains, saith the Lord God; every man’s sword shall be against his brother.” It’s going to be a horrible chaotic worldwide war.

Verse 22: “And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood.” These are the things He’s going to rain upon the Antichrist and his kingdom, his worldwide government. “I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” What kind of a war does that sound like? It can be atomic bombs, or it can be volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hailstones from heaven.

Verse 23: “Thus will I magnify myself”—the Lord’s saying—“and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the Lord.” Again, God’s going to manifest His justice, His righteousness to the world. Because by this time the world will know that the Antichrist has gone too far, and if there is a God in heaven, that he ought to be punished. So God’s going to punish him.

Chapter 39: “Therefore thou son of man, prophesy against Gog, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn thee back, and leave but the sixth part of thee.” Now we’re beginning to jump into the future, clear up to the end of the Antichrist’s reign and the end of the world, in fact. We’re going to the wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon.

When we get to the 39th chapter of Ezekiel, we’re getting into the final great war of Armageddon, the wrath and judgments of God. If you want to know how bad this war’s going to be, Armageddon, when Jesus Christ leads the saints of God from heaven to fight against the Antichrist and his kingdom on earth, a direct war with the forces of God and His angels against the forces of the Devil and his people, then you’ll find it in this 39th chapter of Ezekiel.

We don’t have time to read it now, but He says five-sixths of the Antichrist forces are going to be destroyed. It says that there’s going to be so many dead people that it’s going to take seven months to bury them all! There’s going to be so much ruin and wreckage from it all that people won’t even have to gather wood or try to find any fuel for seven years; they’ll just be burning the wreckage and the weapons that were used in that war.

That’s how horrible that last war’s going to be, the worst of all!—The war against the Antichrist conducted by the forces of God from heaven.

Going Beyond Ministries with Priscilla Shirer- Identity in Christ

Oct: 21

https://youtu.be/klkEKMTe3OY

The Mountaintop View

October 20, 2022

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 11:24

Download Audio (10.4MB)

“The LORD said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’ Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.”—1 Kings 19:11–12¹

My dear one, I know at times you feel like you are wandering along the mountainside, not knowing if you will make it to the top. You wonder if you are going the right way or if there is a better way. You wonder what the purpose is in climbing over all these rocks and through these thorn bushes, as you climb up the mountain. You’ve seen many others who decided to go back down the mountain because it was just too much trouble.

Sometimes you can’t see exactly what you’re climbing it for when it’s so rough and your skin is pricked by the thorns, your feet are hurt by the rocks. But once you get to the top of the mountain and see the view, you’ll know it has been worth it! You’ll see the purpose of having to go through all the rough times and past the obstacles and difficulties, because without them you wouldn’t be able to appreciate the reward and the glory of reaching the summit.

You don’t have to wait until you get to heaven to enjoy the view, because there will be many mountains that you will climb in your life for Me. There will be many times when all you see for a while will be the difficulties and the aches and pains and hardships. But then you can enjoy the reward as you reach the top of the mountain.

Each time you gain the victory and reach the top of one of the mountains, you’ll know it was worth it. And of course, when you reach the top of the biggest and last mountain, when you leave this life and go on to the next, then you’ll have a complete understanding of My plan and work throughout your life.

Take in the view

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. … Only let us live up to what we have already attained.”—Philippians 3:14–16²

Even though you do your best to stay close to Me and spend time in My Word, you’ll still go through some storms and difficulties in life. Your communion with Me won’t take those away, but it will help bring you through them! When you’re stuck in a storm, My Word and Spirit will be a refuge and a shelter. When you’re cold, they’ll be a blanket around you. When you’re hungry, they’ll sustain you. When you’re tired, they’ll give you rest. When you’re weak, they’ll strengthen you. When it’s foggy, they’ll shine a light on your path and guide you.

As you’re going up the mountain, don’t keep looking down at the rugged terrain under you, but stop as often as you can and look up! Look up to the beautiful blue sky and to the mountain peaks that you are climbing toward, and that will encourage you and refresh you and give you the stamina to keep going a little longer.

Look up and seek My face and look forward to My promises and you will be refreshed and reinvigorated, and your vision will be renewed.

Faith for the climb

“‘Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the LORD, who has compassion on you.”—Isaiah 54:10³

You are very precious to Me, and I will strengthen your heart. I will lift up your head and raise your shoulders when they are bowed under this heavy burden and weight that you feel. I will lift the heaviness from your heart and will bring joy and peace to your soul as you look up to Me.

Everyone who puts their trust in Me is safe. As you entrust your life to Me, you will be safe in My keeping, safe in My love, safe in My protection and healing. You will rest in My deliverance and in My wisdom, for I will fulfill the good purposes that I have ordained for you. One day, you will marvel when you see that the works of My hands are pure and perfect and just and good. Your love and closeness to Me have been strengthened with every trial and testing you have undergone.

Take heart, My child, and think back over your life. You have traveled with Me on many difficult journeys. You have made arduous treks over high peaks with Me by your side. Have I ever left you alone? Have I ever deserted or abandoned you, or allowed you to be placed under so great a strain that you were not able to bear it? I have never left or forsaken you, and I never will.

When Satan appeared before Me in the very courts of heaven, he beseeched Me for the life of My servant Job. I did not give Job over into his hand. I protected his life and his spirit, and rewarded his faith and trust in Me in spite of every tragedy and time of suffering he faced.

Just as I was with My faithful servant Job, so My protection, care, and continual support and help will always be with you. I will not leave you alone for a single moment as you climb the mountains you have yet to face. I will be ever present, ever by your side.

The uphill journey

“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”—Psalm 90:1–2⁴

You are on a long uphill journey, and sometimes it seems endless to you. Looking back, you can see some times of ease and refreshment. Looking ahead, however, you see only a continuing ascent. The top of the mountain you are climbing is nowhere in sight. I know how hard it is for you to keep going day after day. So I say to you, “Do not become weary and discouraged in your soul.”

You live in a culture dedicated to entertainment and pleasure-seeking. In such a climate, a life of struggle feels alien… Your ongoing struggle is not a mistake or a punishment. Try to view it, instead, as a rich opportunity.

Your uphill journey keeps you aware of your neediness, so you look to Me for help. The difficulties in your life make your heavenly home more precious and real to you. Even now, as you trustingly whisper My Name, I embrace you in everlasting Love.

I enable you to go on the heights, to wander with Me in the Glory of My Presence. You may feel as if you can barely take the next step on this long journey upward. As you look ahead, you see cliffs that seem impossible for you to climb. Yet I am with you always, holding you by your right hand. I guide you with My counsel, helping you find the best way to scale those heights.

Though you are on a challenging—at times, grueling—journey with Me, it is much more than an endurance contest. The fact that I am with you can infuse Joy into the steepest climb! Be on the lookout for all the pleasures I have prepared for you, and take time to enjoy your devoted Companion.

You may think that “the heights” refers to the very top of the mountain you are climbing. But if you stop and look back at how far up you have come, you’ll realize you are already on a high place. So relax a bit and gaze lovingly at Me. The Glory of My Presence is all around you!⁵

Originally published in 1997, unless otherwise indicated. Adapted and republished October 2022. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ NIV.

² NIV.

³ NIV.

⁴ NIV.

⁵ Sarah Young, Jesus Today (Thomas Nelson, 2012).

Decisions, Decisions

By Maria Fontaine

October 18, 2022

I was listening to the story of King David in the books of first and second Samuel. There was one very outstanding thing that David seemed to almost always do when a new factor entered his situation. Whenever circumstances changed, even in small ways, his first reaction was to ask God what to do. And consistently, the answers God gave him worked.

Sometimes, a situation looked very much the same as previous ones, such as when he faced the Philistine army and the Lord told him to launch a full-frontal attack. It brought victory—the Philistines were defeated!

Then, sometime later, the circumstances looked the same, but this time the Lord told him to instead sneak around to a position behind them, and then at God’s signal, he was to come at them from the opposite direction. Another example was at an earlier time when Saul and his army were chasing David and his men, trying to destroy them. Many times, when David asked the Lord what to do, the answers he received were unexpected, but it always resulted in a positive outcome.

In one case, when David and his men were hiding out from Saul, the Lord told him to help a small town that was under attack, which would literally save the lives of the townspeople. However, if they did this, word that David was there would likely get back to Saul, who at the time was trying to kill David. David’s own men tried to persuade him not to go, but when David asked the Lord what to do, the Lord showed David to go to the town’s rescue, so David obeyed.¹

Afterwards, you would expect that the townspeople would be indebted to David and his men. So you would expect them not to betray David’s whereabouts to Saul. But David sought confirmation on this from the Lord, who told him that the townspeople would betray him, and that it was time to flee!

I believe that God knew that what looked like an unwise move on David’s part at the time was going to play a part later on in ending Saul’s campaign to destroy David. Eventually, David’s mercy and compassion on the people, and even on Saul, did cause Saul to stop his attacks on him.²

Most of the time, in spite of his many faults and failings, David depended on God and looked to Him for answers. Perhaps that is one reason why God called David a man after His own heart.³

When Saul was aggressively trying to destroy David, God didn’t allow him to succeed. In one instance, Saul was on one side of a hill, trying to find David and his men, who were just on the other side of that hill. But God sent the Philistines to attack Saul’s land so that he had to immediately stop pursuing David for a time in order to go and fight them.⁴ Saul, even with his many spies among the people, was never able to lay a hand on David.

This is a beautiful illustration of how, when we look to Jesus in our decision-making, He can and will guide us. It’s so easy to look at circumstances and figure that we’ve “been there and done that,” and to rely on past experience alone when deciding what to do. But only God sees the whole picture, which we cannot see.

It’s good to gain experience, and we do learn spiritual principles from the things we go through, but we can’t always know when other factors that we’re not aware of may be playing a part in the present situation we’re in.

The point is not that we have to be perfect in always looking to Jesus in every situation. It would be wonderful if that were possible, but it’s not. However, our inability to be perfect in this life shouldn’t cause us to give up trying to refine our skill of including God in our decisions as much as we can. Our decisions, big and small, are important to bring to Jesus. He speaks to each of our hearts in a special way.

He understands that we need to learn and grow. It takes time to grow in wisdom from the trials and errors we experience, but little by little our weaknesses can be transformed into strengths. God is merciful and compassionate, and He looks at our hearts, in spite of our shortcomings.

King David failed miserably on numerous occasions, such as when he sent out men to perform a census to count the number of fighting men he had available.⁵ He knew how to look to the Lord and depend on Him, yet in a moment of weakness and pride he looked to what he could see, the strength of numbers instead of God. He suffered a painful loss as a result, but he also grew stronger in his convictions to rely on God even more.

Another example of dependence on God is the apostle Paul. He’d started out as a vicious enemy of the Christians until Jesus convinced him of the truth. But once he came to know the Lord, he was determined to follow wherever Jesus led him. Though he faced ostracism by some of his own brethren and brutality and the threat of death from others who hated the truth he proclaimed, Paul wouldn’t stop following Jesus. His determination to go wherever God led him and his deep relationship with his Savior was instrumental in reaching countless millions with the gospel.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths.”—Proverbs 3:5–6

In the times ahead we will no doubt make many mistakes, and we’ll give in to our faults and weaknesses at times, but if we make the effort to look to Jesus as much as we can, then He will work in and through our lives to achieve His good purposes.

We can look at Peter, whose worst failure of denying His Savior three times preceded his greatest testimonies and impact on the world. We may feel humiliated and ashamed at times about the imperfections that we struggle with and sometimes fall into. But Jesus’ love is more than able to bring good out of such things; and as we learn, grow, and mature, we will gain wisdom and a heart that more clearly reflects Jesus’ own heart. God’s perfect love for us casts out all fear; it replaces condemnation with forgiveness and hope. It opens our eyes to the importance of relying on Him more and more.

So, as you face decisions throughout your day and throughout your life, remember to do the best you can to keep your mind and heart open to God’s voice, in whatever way He communicates with you. This habit, when developed faithfully in small ways, gradually grows into a foundation of faith for the bigger decisions you face.

God speaks to you through His Word as you read, or through verses that the Holy Spirit reminds you of. When hearing His guidance, it doesn’t have to be through a formal prophecy. It might be the still small voice of God whispering in your heart, encouraging you, giving you gentle hints. It might be a picture, or simply a sense of what needs to be done, or a peace in your heart that He is guiding you.

His direction for you might also come through a sense of warning or apprehension that something isn’t right, even when there is nothing you can see that would explain that feeling. Sometimes He might open doors or allow certain circumstances to occur to help you see a glimpse of His plan. The more we choose to be open to His “voice” in whatever way He gives it, the clearer and stronger it becomes.

All of us who are doing what we can to follow God have faced our share of troubles and failures, and in most cases, we’ve eventually found that precious treasures have grown from the ashes of those things. We have gradually learned to keep going, keep making the decisions the best we can with His help, because we know that

“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”—Philippians 1:6

We’re all a work in progress, but we can find great comfort in the fact that He has called us “the hope of glory” for others.

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”—Colossians 1:27

And even when we fail to make the right decisions sometimes, there is no condemnation in Jesus, only mercy and forgiveness. When we look to Him, He can use even the bad things to help us grow wiser and stronger. Praise the Lord!

¹ 1 Samuel 23:1–13.

² 1 Samuel 24.

³ Acts 13:22.

⁴ 1 Samuel 23:26–27.

⁵ 2 Samuel 24:8–17.

God’s Goodness for Troubled Times

October 18, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 14:24

Download Audio (13.1MB)

When you feel hopeless, choose to think about the one thing you know will lift your spirit: the goodness of God.

How did Jonah do it? “When I had lost all hope, I turned my thoughts once more to the Lord.”¹ That’s the answer to hopelessness! You turn your thoughts to God. You think about his goodness, his greatness, his love, his fairness, and his kindness.

In the New Testament, the Greek word for this is metanoia or repentance. Repentance doesn’t just mean you stop doing bad stuff. It means you change your mind and look at life from God’s viewpoint instead of your own.

Corrie ten Boom, a survivor of the Nazi death camps, once said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God, you’ll be at rest.” Everything depends on where you’re looking.

As you focus your attention on God’s goodness, look to his Word. One of the verses I’ve leaned on during some of the darkest times of my life is Psalm 27:13, which says, “I know that I will live to see the Lord’s goodness in this present life.”² It’s a great reminder that God’s purpose in your life is greater than whatever problem you’re facing.

Even though it may be difficult, instead of focusing on your worries, choose to look up and turn your “thoughts once more to the Lord.”—Rick Warren³

Take a cue from Elijah ⁴

Elijah was a tremendous spokesman for God. For three years he had been God’s mouthpiece to the nation of Israel. All kinds of miracles had taken place, and there was a spiritual awakening in his nation and a turning away from pagan idols. But one person did not like Elijah—Jezebel, the queen of Israel. A very wicked woman, she hated Elijah, partly because he was a godly and faithful messenger for God. In the preceding verses she sends a messenger to Elijah saying, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”⁵ The Elijah who has been fearless before an entire nation for three years suddenly goes to pieces when one woman threatens his life.

Elijah was a prime candidate for depression. He was physically tired, he was emotionally exhausted, and someone had threatened his life. He was an emotional fruit basket at this point, with all kinds of problems: fear, resentment, guilt, anger, loneliness, and worry. Elijah became depressed because of one incident too many that tipped him over the edge. And you know what? God says that “Elijah was a man just like us.”⁶He had the same problems we do, and in this case, he seems to have had a problem with depression. Elijah was so depressed that he was ready to die. Do you feel like that sometimes? I do.

Why do we get ourselves in such an emotional mess? Because of faulty thinking. If you think in a negative way, you’re going to feel depressed. Your emotions are caused by how you interpret life. If you look at life from a negative point of view, sooner or later you’re going to get down.

If you want to get rid of negative emotions, you have to change the way you think. The Bible says we can be transformed by the renewing of our mind.⁷ The only way we can change our mind and emotions is by changing the way we think. …

The fact is that God knows everything about you. … So he’s not disappointed when a cable comes loose or a fuse blows. God knows that you’re human, because he made you and he knows what makes you tick.

Jesus Christ wants to lift you out of your depression. He can help you; he can change you; he can heal you of depression. …

Don’t wait until you are depressed to take your Bible and go to the coast or to the park or the lake or the countryside. Sit down and read your Bible, and get alone with God. Just let God love you and speak to you. Let him meet your needs, and let yourself feel his presence. There is no greater antidepressant than communication and fellowship with God.—Stephen Sizer⁸

Trusting in God’s goodness

It is not too difficult to affirm the goodness of God when all is going well. … But it is a bit more difficult to extol the goodness of God during the storms of life—when your spouse betrays you, when your boss fires you, or when your doctor calls with life-altering medical news. Charles Spurgeon once wrote that “God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.” But how do we trust God with the pain in our lives? Can we trust God when others have let us down and even betrayed us?

If we are to trust God to lead us through life—if we are to put our hand in His hand—then we need to understand that God is always, only, and entirely good in all that He says, all that He does, and all that He is. Psalm 119:68 declares, “The Lord is good, and does good.” If we are to entrust our very selves to Him in life and in death, then we need to believe that He is navigating the waves of life for us in such a way to keep us, preserve us, and bless us—and not in such a way as to harm us.

Recall that Jeremiah 29:11 declares, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This means that no matter how we feel, if we belong to Jesus, God is at work in every situation we face to do us everlasting good. As Romans 8:28 states, “for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” In all things—the good, the bad, the tragic, the painful, the surprising, the downright ugly—God is at work for our good. …

Whatever you are facing today, it can be released and placed into the loving hands of God Almighty. He is trustworthy. He can be trusted with your situation and struggles. As Fanny Crosby wrote in one of her classic hymns: “All the way my Saviour leads me—what have I to ask beside? Can I doubt his tender mercy, who thru life has been my guide? Heavenly peace, divinest comfort, here by faith in Him to dwell! For I know whatever befall me, Jesus doeth all things well.”—Encounter the Truth⁹

Psalm 116:1–9

I love the Lord because he hears my prayers and answers them.

Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I breathe!

Death stared me in the face—I was frightened and sad.

Then I cried, “Lord, save me!”

How kind he is! How good he is! So merciful, this God of ours!

The Lord protects the simple and the childlike; I was facing death, and then he saved me.

Now I can relax. For the Lord has done this wonderful miracle for me.

He has saved me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.

I shall live! Yes, in his presence—here on earth!¹⁰

Prayer for troubled times

Dear Jesus,

This seems to be one of those times when troubles abound, but I know that You understand and can take care of me.

Where there are problems and pain, give Your peace and mercy.

Where there is tiredness, please give understanding of Your strength, and show me how to avail myself of that strength by leaning on You.

Where there are difficult decisions to make, or confusion or stress, make Your way plain and give everything needed for me to follow where You lead.

Where there is loneliness, I ask You to renew the experience of Your nearness and draw me into greater intimacy with You.

Where there is insecurity or self-doubt, please grant renewed confidence in Your abilities, more faith in You.

Where there is fear, please demonstrate Your love and give courage, as I know You can work out any situation for the best.

Where there is something blocking fellowship with You, please reveal the obstacle and take it away—whether sin, circumstances, or lack of faith.

Where there is a need for finances or other provision, please supply as You promised in Your Word, “God will supply all your need.”¹¹

Where there is illness, send healing by Your miracle-working power and give instruction for healthful lifestyles.

Where there is discouragement, hopelessness, or depression, please send hope, renewed joy, and trust for the promised good You will work in our lives no matter what problems we face.

Where there is a need for friendship and love, send other believers to fill up the void, as the Bible says, “If we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship and joy with each other.”¹²

Where there is a spiritual emptiness, send Your Word for inspiration, and grant sweet communion with You in prayer.

Whatever the need, please fill it, Jesus, as the Giver of all good things. Amen.

Published on Anchor October 2022. Read by John Laurence.
Music by John Listen.

¹ Jonah 2:7 TLB.

² GNT.

³ https://pastorrick.com/focus-on-gods-goodness-in-your-darkest-days/.

⁴ 1 Kings 19:1–18.

⁵ 1 Kings 19:2.

⁶ James 5:17.

⁷ Romans 12:2.

⁸ https://www.stephensizer.com/2013/02/how-to-win-over-depression.

⁹ https://www.encounterthetruth.ca/momentoftruth/2021-05-31.

¹⁰ TLB.

¹¹ Philippians 4:19 KJV.

¹² 1 John 1:7 TLB.

Life Balance Check, Part 4: Personal Growth

October 17, 2022

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 11:39

Download Audio (10.6MB)

Throughout our lifetime, we naturally grow and improve in various areas of our lives. We gain experience from our positive and negative encounters, our successes and failures, our relationships, reading and studying, etc. Personal growth can be greatly enhanced through intentionally enriching our knowledge and capabilities so that we keep growing and make strides to better our future.

Personal growth and development through learning is an ongoing process. Whether in the areas of professional development, increasing our knowledge base, or spiritual growth, each of us can strive to take steps in our personal development. Such growth can bring joy, enlightenment, personal satisfaction, and progress, as well as potential new opportunities.

Professional development

Joyce A. E. Russell wrote:

With today’s more complex business environment, learning is not just a nice thing to do—it is essential for staying on top of things … None of us can afford to remain stagnant in our knowledge.¹

Personal growth includes professional development, which can help us provide greater expertise and advance in our careers. It can open the door for a job that provides more finances, more challenge and purpose, more witnessing opportunities, or other such benefits for ourselves and others.

Growing in all aspects

Personal growth can affect all aspects of our lives, including our emotional well-being and overall happiness. Z. Hereford writes:

When you invest in your personal development you take responsibility for your life, your circumstances and your happiness. … Personal development is not measured by financial, social or external success. Instead it is determined by our efforts to develop our intellectual, physical and spiritual aspects in order to reach our full human potential.

In the process of developing ourselves, we also strive to express our talents and abilities for the enrichment and benefit of others …

Personal development is, therefore, the process of striving to be the best that you can be in order to reach and realize your full potential.²

Spiritual growth

One constant thread in our lives as Christians is that we are passionate about learning more about the Lord, His Word, and His plans for us.

Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge.³

There are many ways to go about this. Here are a few ideas:

Adopt a structured program that will help you regularly read through and understand the Bible.
Follow and review sermons by pastors that you find helpful and inspiring.
Take initiative to build a group of friends who you meet with regularly in person or online for fellowship, prayer, and fun.
Join a small group in a local church that provides a structured Bible study program with discussion.

Secular topics

God made us to be interested in lots of different things. Whether or not a particular field is ever going to become a career for you, it can still be an area of growth and challenge and a source of personal satisfaction.

Besides that, personal growth helps us to feel happy with our development and the direction our lives are going. It can also be a good remedy for boredom.

Be a lifelong learner

When the Lord gives us an opportunity to learn, then the question is: What will we do with it? Here is some insight from John C. Maxwell:

What we do with the learning opportunities that we encounter will determine our success and progress for years to come. We need to be lifelong learners.

Over the years, I’ve concluded that lifelong learning doesn’t just happen. We can’t just “expect” to learn. We need to “intend” to. A little bit of learning happens in every life. But without intention, it mostly happens by accident. If you’ve taken responsibility for your own learning, you need to go after it with a commitment of time and effort. Schedule learning into your calendar. Then spend that time wisely.

Abraham Lincoln said, “I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” Are you getting wiser every day? … If you embrace learning, you’ll keep growing.⁴

Just like we must be intentional about our health every day, we must also be intentional about our personal growth.

Unfortunately, many people treat personal growth as a by-product of life. They seem to think if they stick around long enough, they will magically accumulate maturity, wisdom, and skill. But acquiring the right seasoning to make a difference in the world takes more than longevity. It takes a commitment to get just a little bit better each day.⁵

The advantages of reading

If you don’t have time or finances to attend conferences or seminars, take courses, or go to university, a great avenue for personal growth is reading, as you can have hundreds of mentors by reading books.

Reading [is] essential. I have always wondered why people put so much energy into trying to have coffee with some famous entrepreneur when reading a book is like getting many hours of their most crystallized thoughts.⁶

The Lord put a burden on my heart to study and write about Christian theology, the Gospels, the parables of Jesus, and Christian ethics, and this has involved a great deal of reading. There are times when I feel tired and the subject matter is weighty and complex, and in a few instances rather boring. When I sometimes feel exhausted or even weighed down by complex content, I’m tempted to give up or at least put the book down until “later.” But thankfully, I have found that when I keep reading and rereading, I get past that feeling of overwhelm and the Lord gives me a breakthrough of understanding. I find a lot of joy at that point.

If you have a public library nearby, you can check out books and e-books at no cost. You can also find free books online, including older books in the public domain.⁷

Nowadays there are also a lot of open, free university courses and a wealth of information and studies you can access online. A friend of mine recently enrolled in a free online course (MOOC) from Coursera called “Learning How to Learn,” which he found interesting.

Overcoming obstacles

When our schedules are very busy, it is often the area of personal growth that gets cut first. It can be a sacrifice to take time to invest in learning, as we usually have to take time early in the morning or cut back on recreational events or other entertainment in the evening or on weekends in order to fit it in. But it’s worth it! Of course, this has to be kept in balance.

I think the key is to take incremental steps. Think about where you want to go, map it out, and even if you can just do a little, such as read for an hour a week, do that. If you find it hard to find the time to read, you can listen to audiobooks, seminars, or podcasts while doing other things. Here is more insight on this concept:

If you aspire to growth, you can’t be complacent. Where you are today is a reflection of the education and skills that you brought to your current position. The question is, where do you want to be tomorrow? You won’t get there by coasting on what you already know …

[Many] people feel stuck when it comes to increasing their professional knowledge base. They’re swamped at work, overwhelmed at home, and unclear on how they might manage to squeeze the extra hours needed out of their already full schedules to make time for additional learning.

The secret lies in realizing two things. First, with the easy accessibility of today’s technologies and mobile options, it’s no longer necessary to learn in a classroom—you can bring training tools with you wherever you go. Second, because you don’t need to carve out a big block of time to attend a live class in person anymore, you can approach learning on your own terms and in your own timeframe. If you don’t have a solid hour to devote to picking up new skills, how about sparing 10 minutes?⁸

Enjoy the benefits

Taking time to learn new things enriches you as a person and can help build your confidence. It can also make you a better conversationalist, which can lead to opportunities to witness. People often look at a person’s ability to converse, and if you can talk with someone about a variety of topics and their fields of interest, it can open the door to build friendships and networks that can enable you to share your faith and minister to others spiritually. In this way, personal growth becomes part of the circle of life—meeting new people, building new relationships, and enriching others and being enriched through them.

When you develop a new interest, the Lord likely has some reason, whether it’s for your own personal joy and happiness, or perhaps at some point down the line it’s going to lead to some opportunity, or some way in which you can glorify Him and help others.

I look forward to the new things the Lord will lead me to study, explore, and learn about, and I hope you do too!

The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge.⁹

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding.¹⁰

Originally published October 2019. Excerpted and republished October 2022.
Read by Jon Marc.

¹ Joyce A. E. Russell, as quoted by Aaron Skonnard, “12 Powerful Ways to Grow in Your Career,” Inc., October 14, 2014, https://www.inc.com/aaron-skonnard/12-powerful-ways-to-grow-in-your-career.html.

² https://www.essentiallifeskills.net/humanpotential.html

³ 2 Peter 1:5 NIV.

⁴ John C. Maxwell, “Learning Doesn’t End With Graduation,” blog, May 20, 2014.

⁵ John C. Maxwell, “The Secrets Of Success: Personal Growth,” blog, January 26, 2016.

⁶ Adam Bryant, “Drew Houston of Dropbox: Figure Out the Things You Don’t Know,” Corner Office (blog), The New York Times, June 3, 2016.

⁷ https://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/

⁸ Skonnard, “12 Powerful Ways to Grow in Your Career.”

⁹ Proverbs 15:14 ESV.

¹⁰ Proverbs 3:13 NIV.

Ezekiel 38, Part 1

David Brandt Berg

1981-03-05

This is a series of studies on Bible prophecy, and we’re studying the book of Ezekiel regarding events which are yet to occur. We won’t be going back into Bible history and fulfilled Bible prophecies, which is a very marvelous, interesting, inspiring, encouraging, faith-building study to help you believe the ones which we’re studying now about the future.

If so many prophecies have already been fulfilled, so many things the Bible has predicted have already happened, this encourages your faith to know that these other prophecies which we are studying are also going to happen just as accurately and just as certainly and in just as great detail as did the ones which have already been fulfilled in the past, for thousands of years.

God’s Word says that “not one shall lack her mate” (Isaiah 34:16), and the mate of every prophecy is its fulfillment. Isn’t that a good term to use for a fulfilled prophecy?

Through the Bible studies that we’ve already done, we’ve studied how many of these prophecies in God’s Word have been fulfilled. Seeing how its predictions, prophecies of the future which are now history and have been so faithfully and so perfectly fulfilled, it won’t be hard for you to believe that what we’re reading is going to be fulfilled as well.

We have been studying the most important period to come in all history, and that is the last seven years of world history; the last seven years of the reign of man; the last seven years, the reign of the Antichrist. The passage which we have to deal with is Ezekiel 38 and 39. These chapters have particularly to do with the war in which the Antichrist invades Israel and conquers it and sets up his anti-God government, an atheistic government in which he proclaims himself god and sets up his image to be worshipped.

The prophet Ezekiel starts by saying: “And the word of the Lord came unto me” (Ezekiel 38:1). Ezekiel wasn’t saying things out of his own ideas and his own imagination; it was the Word of the Lord!

Verse 2: “Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog.” “The land of Magog is the ancient name for Russia [currently the region comprising Russia, the Ukraine, and Kazakhstan].

He said, “Set your face against Gog”—the leader of Magog—“the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him”—this Gog who will be the coming Antichrist leader.

“Thus saith the Lord God; behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armor, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords” (v. 3–4).

You could say that this doesn’t sound like any modern warfare today. It sounds pretty ancient and antiquated to be fighting an army with horses and swords and shields and armor. Well, what kind of words could the prophet use for our modern armies and soldiers? In fact, if you see riot police marching out today to try to control riots, they’ve gone back to helmets and armor and shields and swords or batons and horses.

The automobile is the modern horse, and it has drivers which therefore are horsemen, driving modern gasoline-powered horses. They even still classify them according to their horsepower. So these tanks and armored personnel carriers and so on are the horses of today.

How else could the prophet describe them? He no doubt saw these things in his visions, these strange carriages and chariots puffing smoke, and probably thought they were some kind of dragons, not only horses. He must have really been mystified. He also saw these great birds flying in the air spitting fire! Wait till you get to Revelation; they’re all described there. It’s so mysterious, he calls them locusts flying in the air, and he calls them these iron horsemen on the ground and so on.

Another prophet said that the chariots shall jostle one another in the broadways. “They shall run like the lightning, and jostle one another in the broadways” (Nahum 2:4). Cars at night with their headlights look like lightning, and they’re chariots, and they certainly jostle one another in the broadways! Thousands of people are killed every year from this jostling and all the auto accidents.

The prophet has to use words he knows. He has to use the terminology he knows. He never heard of a tank, a plane, or a gun.

In verse 5, it starts telling us about some of the countries that are going to be on his side and who’s going to fight against him: “Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet.” Persia is Iran. Ethiopia, that’s part of ancient Abyssinia. “And Libya with them.”

Which way is Iran going to go? You don’t have to guess; it’s right here in the Bible! It’s been here for 2,500 years since Ezekiel prophesied it, that when the Antichrist forces begin to invade the Near East to capture Israel, Palestine, Jerusalem, and put down this war between the Jews and the Arabs and settle the whole issue, Persia, Iran, is going to be with them.

Who else is going to be with the Antichrist? Here we have the 6th verse: “Gomer, and all his bands.” Also, “the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands.” I’m inclined to believe that means Turkey.

All these countries talked about in the Bible are going to be on Russia’s side when she marches in: Ethiopia, Libya, Turkey, Iran … and we’ll read about some more in Daniel 11.

Daniel chapter 11, verse 41: “He shall enter also into the glorious land” (that’s Israel, and this is the Antichrist invasion of the Mideast)—“but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom and Moab and the chief of the children of Ammon.” Right now the chief of the children of Ammon is Jordan and its rulers, and they live in the city of Amman; that’s the capital of the kingdom of Jordan.

“He”—this anti-Christ leader, Gog—“shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt.” It sounds like Egypt is going to try to fight the Antichrist.

But then it says “the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps” (Daniel 11:42–43). The Ethiopians and the Libyans are going to be with him, along with the Iranians, similar to the passage in Ezekiel.

Back to Ezekiel 38, verse 7: “Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.” The Antichrist is going to guard all these friendly nations.

Thank You Jesus for Your Word; bless it and make it a blessing. We thank You that we believe this holy book, the holy Bible, to be Thy Word spoken by Thy prophets in ancient times, even talking about times long past their day, past their death—really their life, their second life to be with Thee. Prophecies You gave them then so we’d read them and hear them now and know what’s going to happen tomorrow. You promised in those last days that the wise should instruct many, so we ask Thee to help them to understand.

“They of understanding shall instruct many” (Daniel 11:33), and only the wise should understand. So give them the wisdom of Thy Word from these studies now that they may in the future understand and instruct many about what’s going to happen to prepare them for it, in Jesus’ name.

The Story of Ruth (Part 1)

By Peter Amsterdam

October 11, 2022

The book of Ruth is one of the historical books in the Old Testament and is placed between the books of Judges and 1 Samuel. It was written in Hebrew, sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BC. It is one of the two books of the Bible that are named after a woman, the other being the book of Esther. In four chapters, the book of Ruth tells the story of how a Moabite woman came to be the great-grandmother of King David, the greatest king of Israel.

In the days when the judges ruled there was a famine in the land, and a man of Bethlehem in Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. The name of the man was Elimelech and the name of his wife Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Chilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem in Judah. They went into the country of Moab and remained there.¹

During the time of the Judges (1200 BC to 1020 BC) an Israelite family from Bethlehem moved to the nearby country of Moab due to a local famine in Israel. Their plan was to temporarily ride out the famine in Moab and return home when it was finished. They were Ephrathites, which meant they were from Bethlehem.

But Elimelech, the husband of Naomi, died, and she was left with her two sons. These took Moabite wives; the name of the one was Orpah and the name of the other Ruth. They lived there about ten years, and both Mahlon and Chilion died, so that the woman was left without her two sons and her husband.²

Some time after immigrating to Moab, Elimelech, the father of the family, died. Naomi and her sons remained in Moab, and the two sons married Moabite women. Around ten years later, the sons died, leaving the two Moabite wives, Orpah and Ruth, as widows, along with their mother-in-law, Naomi, who was also a widow.

Then she arose with her daughters-in-law to return from the country of Moab, for she had heard in the fields of Moab that the LORD had visited his people and given them food. So she set out from the place where she was with her two daughters-in-law, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah.³

Upon hearing that the famine in the land had subsided, Naomi decided to return to the land of Judah. On the way, Naomi, possibly reflecting on her experience of moving to a foreign country, which resulted in her being in an alien land with virtually nothing, thought about her two daughters-in-law who would be entering a land which was foreign to them, just as she had done so long ago.

Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each of you to her mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.”⁴

Naomi sacrificially instructed the two daughters-in-law to return to their mothers’ homes in Moab, as it would be more likely that they would find new husbands among their own people, rather than relocating in Bethlehem with her. That was Naomi’s first blessing on the women.

Her second blessing was,

“The LORD grant that you may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband!” Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept.⁵

Naomi knew that when her sons were alive, Orpah and Ruth were good wives to them. She thanked her daughters-in-law and prayed that they would find new husbands. Her intent was that both of them would return to their country, Moab, where they would remarry. She was releasing them from any responsibility they had to her as their mother-in-law. Naomi kissed them, and they collectively wept together.

They said to her, “No, we will return with you to your people.” But Naomi said, “Turn back, my daughters; why will you go with me? Have I yet sons in my womb that they may become your husbands? Turn back, my daughters; go your way, for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say I have hope, even if I should have a husband this night and should bear sons, would you therefore wait till they were grown? Would you therefore refrain from marrying? No, my daughters, for it is exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me.”⁶

The daughters-in-law loyally stated that they would remain with their mother-in-law. They were committing themselves to leaving Moab and moving to Bethlehem, where they would be foreigners. Naomi looked at things pragmatically. She was past childbearing age, and even if she weren’t, if she bore new sons, would the women wait until her sons were grown and then marry them?

Naomi added that it was exceedingly bitter to me for your sake that the hand of the LORD has gone out against me. Naomi’s view was that God was against her for some reason. She expected that she was going to be alone and impoverished in old age, and she didn’t want her daughters-in-law to be tainted by her. She loved her daughters-in-law and was willing to let them return to Moab, where she felt they would have better prospects.

Then they lifted up their voices and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her. And she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”⁷

This was an emotional moment for all of them. Orpah decided to return to Moab so as to remarry. Ruth, however, chose to stay with Naomi. Using Orpah’s decision as an example, Naomi tried to convince Ruth to return to Moab as well.

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”⁸

Even though Orpah decided to return to Moab, Ruth refused to leave Naomi. Ruth made a statement of commitment: “Where you go I go, where you live I will live; your people will be my people, your God will be my God.” Ruth’s first declaration was her pledge that she would permanently remain with Naomi. Her second was a pledge of commitment, that the relationships which were important to Naomi would also be important to her. She pledged to cherish Naomi’s memory and said that when she died, Ruth would continue to live in the same location. At the time of her own death, Ruth would be buried in the same place as Naomi. Ruth was committing to give up her culture, language, family, and the possibility of a future family in order to stay with Naomi. From this point forward, she would be joined to Naomi’s people permanently. Lastly, Ruth closed her pledge by making an oath calling on the Lord to severely deal with her if anything but death caused her to separate from Naomi.

When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.⁹

Upon hearing Ruth’s commitment, Naomi stopped trying to persuade her to remain in Moab. Ruth’s relationship with Naomi was originally based on her marriage to Naomi’s son. However, after his death, Ruth continued as part of Naomi’s family—not through marriage but by her pledge, a covenant agreement. Even if Naomi were to die, Ruth was committed to remaining in Israel. Because of Ruth’s pledge, Naomi agreed that she could accompany her to Bethlehem.

(To be continued.)

Note

¹ Ruth 1:1–2.

² Ruth 1:3–5.

³ Ruth 1:6–7.

⁴ Ruth 1:8.

⁵ Ruth 1:9.

⁶ Ruth 1:10–13.

⁷ Ruth 1:14–15.

⁸ Ruth 1:16–17.

⁹ Ruth 1:18.

October 14

When God Speaks

October 13, 2022

By Virginia Brandt Berg

Audio length: 8:37

Download Audio (7.8MB)

Today memory took me back to a lonely room in a distant hospital where I was lying very ill, paralyzed and lonely. My husband, always so faithful, had been called away, but just before leaving he had come to my bed and said, “Now remember, dear, if you’re too weak to pray or think of the promises we have learned, just hold your two fingers out; they will stand for what I told you and the Lord will know, and your faith will be strengthened.”

And what did the two fingers signify? What did he mean? Two verses of scripture that we have quoted so often. “All things are possible to him that believeth,” and “With God all things are possible.”¹

These two immutable, incontrovertible facts sustained my faith until that wonderful day came when God answered prayer and healed me and raised me up from that bed of hopeless invalidism where I had lain so long. This is our mighty God! And our mighty God has spoken in Psalm 18, through David’s voice: “I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God and my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, the horn of my salvation and my high tower.”²

This is our God, our wonderful God in all His beauty and majesty. This Psalm is lengthy, but there are a few verses toward the end that are so important. The thirtieth verse says: “As for God, his way is perfect, and the word of the Lord is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. For who is God save the Lord? Or who is a rock save our God?”³

Note this portion of the verse: “The word of the Lord is tried.” You know, some time ago the well-known editor, Mr. Buckley, was a member of a panel that was discussing world affairs, and the consensus of opinion seemed to be that there was a rather dismal outlook for this old world along some lines. Then a member of the panel addressed Mr. Buckley and put this question to him, “Do you see any hope at all for the situation?” To which he gave the unexpected reply, “Yes, if God would clear His throat!” What did he mean, “If God would clear His throat”? He meant if God would speak, if God would intervene in world affairs.

Others have asked the same question in various ways. They ask: “Why doesn’t God stop the onward sweep of evil forces today? Why doesn’t God help the righteous more? Why doesn’t He intervene? Why doesn’t God clear His throat and thunder at the enemies of righteousness as He did in ages past? Why doesn’t God speak? Why is God so silent?”

But God already spoke once and for all on Calvary. God has spoken. God has intervened, and He is doing so today. He intervened so wonderfully at the cross of Calvary. He answered then when He struck at the root of all the world’s problems. He struck at sin, the very root of the matter. That’s the crux of the whole matter, and that was dealt with through the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s sacrifice for sin.

God spoke then regarding everything that we’re facing today so far as our individual problems or the national and international problems are concerned. There isn’t anything to be added. The only way to change the world is to change the sinful heart of man. Communism offers a changed world without regeneration—and that could never be. Socialism offers a utopia, reformation without regeneration. But the rebellious, vile heart of mankind, no matter what the system or the ideology, will remain. The world will remain just the same with a heart like that. This reckless, restless, unhappy world remains just the same unless man’s heart is utterly changed.

God speaks and has spoken, and speaks again daily in His Word in answer to this question, and in answer to every question.

Read the Word of God and He’ll speak to your heart. Obey the Word and He’ll speak to you, and you’ll find He’s not a silent God. Just like the verse we read earlier, Psalm 18 verse 30, He’s asking that you prove His Word. He’ll speak to you through that Word. You’ll hear His voice.

My friend, just joining a church doesn’t change the heart at all. Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.”⁴ That means born again a new creature in Christ Jesus. And here are the conditions: “If thou wilt confess with thy mouth the Lord is Christ and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”⁵

You’re so dissatisfied with your life; you’re so unhappy about the load of sin you carry. But God offers to change all that, to change you completely and make you a new creature. God speaks to you thus through His Word. What are you doing about it?

When you meet the conditions, what a change will come into your life! There’s one question you’ll have to answer: “What will you do with Jesus that is called the Christ?”⁶

You may be born again, but you’ve barely touched the dim outer edge of what God has in store for you for the needs of your life. If God does not seem to answer your prayer, continue to trust Him, knowing that He does all things well. Read the Word of God until He speaks to you through its pages and your faith is strengthened.

When God speaks, the angels obey Him,
When God speaks, all nature is stirred.
When God speaks, hard hearts are softened,
For no sweeter voice was ever heard.

When God speaks, ’tis mine then to answer,
When God speaks, my tempest is still.
When God speaks, ’tis mine then to follow,
And following Him, do His will.

Speak to my heart,
Speak now I pray,
God of salvation and Lord of creation,
Speak to each heart that is listening in today.
—Adapted from “When God Speaks,” by C. C. Buck

Read the Word of God and hear Him speak to you, and He’ll answer your prayers and bless your soul. God bless you. He’s still on the throne and prayer changes things.

From a transcript of a Meditation Moments broadcast, adapted. Published on Anchor October 2022. Read by Debra Lee.

¹ Mark 9:23; Matthew 19:26.

² Psalm 18:1–2.

³ Psalm 18:30–31.

⁴ John 3:3.

⁵ Romans 10:9–10.

⁶ Matthew 27:22.

Just One Talent

October 12, 2022

By William B. McGrath

In the reading room of our home, we have a print of an old painting, “My Bunkie” by Charlie Schreyvogel. I knew the painting was very special when I first saw it, and it has only grown on me since. I was once that young bruised and wounded soldier in the battlefield of life, with the threat of spiritual death surrounding me. I thought I might learn how to handle it all on my own. “A bruised reed shall he not break…”¹ Instead He comes down into the danger zone Himself and rescues us.

When the day’s chores are over, my wife and I relax and will often opt to watch one of the prominent gospel speakers featured on YouTube. YouTube has come out with so many, we can’t keep up with them all, but we have our favorites. Modern technology, more than ever, is helping to fulfill Jesus’ prophecy: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world.”²

I must admit that after watching these various gifted speakers and hearing about their fruitful ministries, I sometimes wonder why my life, by comparison, seems to fall so short. When I catch myself entertaining such thoughts, I try to correct myself. I ended up seeking out some of the truths found in the Bible about those who may not have been so notable, but were greatly loved. I found that Jesus consistently received the individuals who, for whatever reason, had been labeled in a negative light by society. It seems He even sought them out. When the Pharisees questioned why He ate with publicans and sinners, He told them, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”³ He still calls the lowly and lonely today, the unsung, the criticized, those of low degree, those with only one little talent, the bruised reeds.

In Luke chapter 7, we see Jesus is invited to the house of a Pharisee named Simon. A woman from the city comes in, “who was a sinner,” and she begins to wash Jesus’ feet, weeping with tears, kissing His feet, and anointing them with ointment. Simon thinks, “If Jesus were a true prophet, He surely would know that this is a sinful woman, and therefore He would not have allowed her to do all this.” Jesus says, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” Then Jesus gives the beautiful parable of the creditor who forgives two different debtors, one who owed much and one who owed little. He then asks Simon which of the two debtors will love the creditor more. Simon answers that he supposes the one who was forgiven of the greater debt. Then Jesus proceeds to tell Simon that this poor, sinful woman had more love for Him than he did.

Jesus highly commended this woman, though she was obviously of low stature in the eyes of the world. “Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.” It seems to me that although this woman was of little stature in the eyes of the world, because she sincerely repented, she sensed the reality of God’s forgiveness, and experienced God’s great love and acceptance.⁴ Her love was more important than how many talents or spiritual gifts she might have had.

If I abide in God’s love, I know I will also grow more in tune to the particular service He would have me do next. I refuse to entertain thoughts of low self-esteem by comparing myself negatively as I look at what others have accomplished or what God has given others to do. There was a time when my views on pride were limited to boastfulness and efforts to lift oneself up, dominating conversations, etc. But now I’ve learned that there are other forms of pride to watch out for. Pride is also manifested when I don’t want to speak up when I should, or when I am afraid to step into what God has told me to do for fear of what others might think. It is not being humble to disobey God’s leading to step up into position or service. Low self-esteem is more likely to be the cause. I’m still learning the meaning of godly humility. The Bible emphasizes the importance of practicing godly humility, but that humility is not coupled with low self-esteem.

Jesus came not only to teach us the high ideals of living in His nature, but also to transform us to become that person who can live in His nature. As a “child of the King,” I can highly esteem and acknowledge my value to Him, having been given a “robe of righteousness.”⁵

In Matthew 25 we read Jesus’ parable of the kingdom of heaven as being like a man traveling into a far country and delivering his goods to his own servants. “Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one.” He that had received five, and he that had received two, used their talents to gain more for their Master. But the servant with just one talent buried his, not being bold enough to use it. The Master gave him a stern rebuke.⁶

The word “talent” is seen throughout the Bible; it was a standard of weight among the Jews, most often used to measure gold and silver. Nevertheless, this monetary talent, as used here in Jesus’ parable, is also seen by Bible commentators to represent gifts or capabilities that God gives to each person. Verse 15 of the parable seems to allude to this: “to each according to his ability.”⁷ The Epistles also acknowledge that God bestows on each individual differing “gifts.”⁸ Whether God has entrusted us with five or two or one talent, our concern should be to do the best we can with what He has given us, and not to focus on what others are doing with their talents.⁹ As we move along through life, new duties come before us, suited to the talents He has given us. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”¹⁰ As we take up the challenge of greater duties, our gifts are further developed, cultivated, and disciplined, so that we grow to be more useful.

Only one talent small,
Scarce worthy to be named;
Truly he hath no need of this
O soul, art thou ashamed?
He gave that talent first;
then use it in His strength;
Thereby—thou knowest not
He may work a miracle at length.¹¹

Another truth that came to mind, after I had slipped into comparing myself with these giants of the faith, is found in the mustard seed parable, in which the kingdom of heaven is likened to a small mustard seed that grows into a huge tree where the birds of the air come and lodge in its branches. This is commonly interpreted as how Christianity began with so “small” an event, the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. And that small beginning has grown through the centuries into an enormous tree, with multitudes of people lodging in the branches.

In Psalm 1 we see that God’s children who delight in His Word are also compared to a tree. “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water.”¹² I like to compare the hidden life within the heart of a man as being the place where the giant root-system of their life or tree is. It is the hidden and extensive roots that give support for the great tree. And those roots get their nourishment from the water of God’s Word. The giants of the faith spent thousands of hours in God’s Word, and thereby the roots supporting their fruit-bearing tree, or outer life, grew extensively. I know this is where my attention should be as well. “Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life.”¹³

¹ Isaiah 42:3.

² Matthew 24:14.

³ Matthew 9:13.

⁴ Luke 7:36–50.

⁵ Isaiah 61:10.

⁶ Matthew 25:14–30.

⁷ ESV.

⁸ Ephesians 4:8, 11; 2:10.

⁹ John 21:22.

¹⁰ Ephesians 2:10.

¹¹ J. R. Miller, Closer Than a Brother, July 16.

¹² Psalm 1:2–3.

¹³ Proverbs 4:23.

The Source of All Hope

October 11, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 11:32

Download Audio (10.5MB)

People who see no hope can feel frustrated, discouraged, heartsick, anxious, stressed, and angry. As a person is beaten down further and hope ebbs away, this may turn into giving up, listlessness, lifelessness—just going through the motions. … God understands our feelings of being overwhelmed. He showed that by recording the thoughts and prayers of others who have experienced these emotions… God hears these cries, and “He shall regard the prayer of the destitute, and shall not despise their prayer.”¹ …

Jesus Christ’s life and death opened the door to real hope for a meaningful life now, and an abundant and joyous life for eternity! Giving this hope was so important to God that He was willing to sacrifice His Son to make our rescue possible. Jesus Christ’s life and death opened the door to real hope for a meaningful life now, and an abundant and joyous life for eternity!

In the meantime, in the midst of the troubles of this life, the apostle Paul tells us that God is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”²

How can we discover and claim this hope and comfort that God promises? We can follow the example of those depicted in Psalm 107. This song recounts the troubles of all kinds of people bereft of hope, from those wandering in the wilderness, to prisoners, to those drawing near the gates of death. In each case, “They cried out to the Lord in their trouble” and He delivered them.³ God knows our troubles, but He wants us to come to Him and ask for His help and relief. He wants us to recognize the true source of help and our only real hope.

Paul put it this way: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”⁴ …

When we have experienced God’s hope and help, we will also want to help share that hope. That is the essence of why God’s Church is so zealous to proclaim the gospel—the good news—of God’s plan and His coming Kingdom.

The state of the world today can look hopeless. Our individual lives can be overwhelmed with hopelessness. But there is a God, and He truly loves us and offers us real hope. Without God, there is no hope. But with Him there is a solid hope that can serve as “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.”⁵—Mike Bennett⁶

Our present help in time of need

Our heart searches for comfort during a difficult situation. As we get torn by a lack of hope for the future and feel utterly helpless, we need someone to comfort us and give us new hope. Amid the storm, Jesus can fill our hearts with calmness and comfort. For example, sickness can touch our bodies. But God can stop [our troubles] from touching our hearts and mind. Our mind can still remain calm and at peace amid the storm. …

The Bible says, “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”⁷

God always provides a way to come out of difficult situations. He opens new doors. What we cannot see, Jesus can see. What we cannot logically perceive, God can explain for us. …

Ask Him to speak to you and comfort you. He is a way maker. He will show you a way forward in your life. He can give hope amid a hopeless condition.

All of us go through difficulties in life. None can say their life is without trouble and will continue to stay out of trouble. Independent of whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, we all will hit hard times in life. But the God who created us will be with us during our happy times and during times of sorrow. He will hold our hands and walk with us if we allow him to do so. He knows how to lead us. He can give the right words to speak and help us make the right choices. Jesus can fill us with wisdom and help us manage our difficult times. …

God says in the Bible, “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you.”⁸ Jesus is standing right next to you. He wants to listen to your prayers and answer them. He wants to wipe away the tears. He loves us as we are. Those who seek Him will find Him. He will never ignore our humble prayers. …

God will surely wipe away all your tears. He will surely give you new hope in life.—Believe Him.org⁹

Standing on His promises

“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world.”—2 Peter 1:3–4¹⁰

The Lord’s promises are a source of great hope—His Word that never fails. His promises and their fulfillment are a manifestation of His love for us.

It’s wonderful to study and stand on the Lord’s promises. Since He’s given so many promises throughout the Bible for our future, it’s easy to get familiar with His words, or to even look at some of His promises as just nice pretty words, or perhaps even powerful words, but not for today and not for us personally. And yet, as we have all experienced at different points in our lives for the Lord, we discover that the Lord really comes through for us as we trust in Him and His promises.

The Lord has called each of us to His kingdom for such a time as this. No matter how you feel, or what your gifts are or aren’t, you are meant to be here on this earth at this time. You’re valuable to the Lord and His work and His plans for the future. What you have to offer and contribute, and the way that you’re going to shine His light, is going to make a difference.

No matter what challenges or tests you may face, you may be tempted to be discouraged or lose hope, but just remember, God’s Word never fails. You are called, and chosen by Jesus Himself, and that is cause for praise and joy! It’s good to keep this in mind when we face problems and obstacles, and pain and suffering in life, which of course we will.

“Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.”¹¹ You may go out with tears of sacrifice, but you will come back rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. Sacrifice may be a big part of what it’s going to take to bring in the sheaves, and as we all know, making sacrifices isn’t easy. In the midst of all your sacrificing and your patience, and even through all your tears, think about what you’re paving the way for—the gathering of the sheaves. It’s an eternal, world-changing, glorious cause, and we’ll be forever grateful and honored that we played a part in fulfilling it.

No matter how hard today is, it will be worth it all someday. We’re going to be so glad that we were Jesus’ love “bound in shoe leather” for the lost.

You know the Lord will come through for you, but He doesn’t do everything right away, all at once. He knows when we need to abound and when we need to abase. He knows when we need to endure and stand on His promises by faith. He works with us in His great wisdom and love.

We all go through times when we feel like the burdens are too heavy, and we’re weighed down and tired. That’s human and natural. At such times, though, we can stand on His promises to invigorate our spirits and to make our burdens lighter. He has promised, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”¹²—Maria Fontaine

Published on Anchor October 2022. Read by Jerry Paladino.
Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ Psalm 102:17.

² 2 Corinthians 1:3–4.

³ Psalm 107:4–6, 13, 19.

⁴ Philippians 4:6–7.

⁵ Hebrews 6:19.

⁶ https://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/hope-for-the-future/hope-for-the-hopeless.

⁷ Isaiah 43:2 NLT.

⁸ Jeremiah 29:13–14 NLT.

⁹ https://believehim.org/hope-hopeless.

¹⁰ NIV.

¹¹ Psalm 126:6 NIV.

¹² Matthew 11:28–30 ESV.

Winning Against Worry, Fighting Against Fear—Part 1

October 10, 2022

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 8:03

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“The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.”—Psalm 29:11

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empties today of its strength.”—Charles Spurgeon

All of us face circumstances when we feel threatened by worries, fears, anxiety, and other stress-inducing emotions. God has provided us a variety of ways to deal with such things, and deal we must. It is a part of life and central to our growth that we learn to overcome such tests with His power. As we look to the Lord, He has guidance and encouragement for each challenge we encounter. His right hand and His holy arm will always get us the victory.

I asked a couple of my dear friends who are Family members if they would like to share a little testimonial of how they personally have conquered their fears or, maybe better said, continue to do so, as they continue to gain greater faith and trust in His never-ending, all-powerful, all-wise love. I’ll share their testimonies in two posts.

Many of us have to fight pretty regularly against one form of fear or another. Sometimes we gain quick victories, other times they’re slower in coming. But when we don’t give up, we can trust that the victory always comes. As you read through these accounts, I pray that their thoughts and the answers they’ve found will be a blessing to you.

From Monique

Though outwardly many seem to see me as someone with a lot of faith, fear and worry have been areas where I’ve had to struggle especially hard. I am quite familiar with these spiritual battles, which can be powerful at times, especially at night. Sometimes it’s still a fight, but I have learned to recognize those worrisome thoughts and emotions when they start assailing me and to make a conscious effort to turn to praise and prayer, which draws me closer to the Lord, bringing growth and victories. I used to feel condemned for worrying, but now I see that it is an opportunity to seek the Lord with more desperation and to fight in the Spirit!

Am I a worrier?

I think there is a thin line between being concerned and caring, and falling into the worry trap. The first perspective leads you to action of some type—to pray, to search scriptures, to seek the Lord in various ways. The second is more negative and destructive. Concern and caring involve recognizing the problems and using them to motivate you to try to correct whatever you are concerned about. Worry can be debilitating; it can open the door to letting fear hold sway to the point that you are almost paralyzed into inaction.

What am I afraid of and what do I worry about?

As I near 70, I worry about old age. I don’t worry about death itself, but being sick or incapacitated, being a burden on my kids and those around me, not being able to take care of myself.

I also worry about finances. The Lord has done miracles to supply my needs. Nevertheless, I worry about our financial stability in case we cannot continue to work because we do not have any substantial reserves to fall back on.

What do I do about my worries?

How do I handle these worries and fears? During the day I’m usually busy, so worries have more of a grip on me at night. This has been a lifelong problem; both my mother and grandmother were worriers as well.

When I get hit by a wave of worry or fear, I know it is time to pick up my spiritual weapons and go on the attack. I have learned to force myself to fight, to wage spiritual warfare. I have found that this is the most effective way to regain His peace.

Here are the various methods of fighting that I use when I face an onslaught of fear and worries:

I take my prayer and praise journal and review my growing list of praise and gratitude for all the good in my life and God’s faithfulness in so many situations in the past. This helps put my current battle in context.

Then I write my battle out in the form of a prayer or in point form. This helps me clearly formulate the specific problems, needs, and concerns. Taking out the emotion that can get tangled up in my fears when they are mulling around in my heart and head helps me bring them into perspective and makes it easier to cast them on the Lord.

Writing a promise next to the need or problem helps boost my faith. The Anchor site has great posts on faith, trust, and promises, which I usually download and have in a special directory, as weapons ready to be used.

I read certain Bible passages and devotionals that help boost my faith (Psalms, Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman, Faith’s Check Book by Spurgeon, Anchor posts on related topics, etc.). Reading the Bible and other devotional writings never fails to remind me of God’s unconditional love and care. It helps me enter into His peace.

I used to feel condemned about this problem of worrying so much until I read a biography of George Mueller, a man of faith who I greatly admire. He, too, would spend many hours at night struggling and fighting in prayer for the needs at hand. It comforted me that if I use these times to fight, as he did, then I can transform this negative energy of fear into the positive energy of faith.

Psalm 149 has inspired me lately. “Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King. For the Lord takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with victory. Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds.”

I find it also helps to remind myself of who I am in Christ. He calls me not only His servant, but His friend and His bride, and He made beautiful promises in His Word to care for me. Reviewing these promises helps boost my faith.

It also helps me to pour out my heart to the Lord. At times I do this kneeling down, as I feel it is a physical manifestation of my dependence on His mercy. He never fails to come through for me in some way.

Something else that helps me when I struggle with fear of the future is to remind myself that I have given Him my life and my all, that I have responded to His call to “follow Me.” He has led me faithfully and wonderfully, giving me a beautiful life and so many blessings, plus the grace for each trial as it comes, so why would He abandon me now?

Intercessory prayer for others and their needs and struggles helps me get my eyes off my own struggles for a while and turn the Enemy’s negative energy of worry into positive energy of prayer to help others win their battles. I really believe in the ministry of intercessory prayer, and often I realize that when I personally struggle, the Lord is actually calling me, like Job, to pray for my friends more.

Thinking of what the Lord expects of us and what He offers us lifts me up and helps me to see that I am in the best hands and the best care possible, and I just have to be humble enough to see that it is His kingdom that I belong to, where His rules are what stand. It is His battle, and any struggle I am going through is actually an honor.

(To be continued in part two.)

Originally published October 2019. Adapted and republished October 2022.
Read by Lenore Welsh.

03 – Healing Is for Evangelism

Divine Healing

Peter Amsterdam

2012-03-13

Chapter 3

In the previous article, we presented some of the main points of agreement among the healing evangelists, one of which is that the power of healing is available to all Christians.

Another key point they teach is that one of the primary purposes for the gift of healing is as a tool for evangelism—that praying for the sick is a means of opening the door to preach about Jesus and bring people to salvation.

While they do pray for other Christians who need healing, they each make the point that healing is a very effective means of preaching the Gospel. When you pray in the name of Jesus for someone who is sick and they are healed, it’s a powerful testimony that what you preach about Jesus is true.

Don Dunkerley wrote the following about the effectiveness of healing in evangelism:

Using healing prayer in evangelism is a major emphasis in developing countries and is a reason for the meteoric rise of Pentecostal and charismatic churches in the twentieth century.

Missionaries observe that in many places the churches that grow most rapidly are churches that incorporate the ministry of healing into their normal church activities. This naturally raises questions about churches that downplay healing and also do not grow particularly well. Is there a correlation?^[1]

My advice to missionaries is to pray for the sick and distressed on every appropriate occasion. Pray for the healing of believers, and pray that unbelievers will be healed and saved.

Healing prayer is a key to growth in numbers of churches throughout the world. And using healing prayer as a means of evangelism is popular in churches around the world.^[2]

Jesus seemed to expect that this kind of evangelism would continue because He announced shortly before His ascension, “These signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands: and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”^[3]

Wayne Grudem, a theologian, has this to say about healing and its purposes, including evangelism:

As with other spiritual gifts, healing has several purposes. Certainly it functions as a “sign” to authenticate the Gospel message, and show that the kingdom of God has come. Then also healing brings comfort and health to those who are ill, and thereby demonstrates God’s attribute of mercy toward those in distress. Third, healing equips people for service, as physical impediments to ministry are removed. Fourth, healing provides opportunity for God to be glorified as people see physical evidence of His goodness, love, power, wisdom, and presence.^[4]

Curry Blake states it succinctly:

The teaching for the Divine Healing Technician [those he is teaching healing to] is … for Mark 16:15. It’s for the street.^[5]

Praying for those who are in need of healing is a method of evangelization, which can be very effective. It’s something Jesus told those who believe to do and has given them power to do. Some TFI members have begun to incorporate healing prayer into their regular witnessing and are using it as a powerful addition to their mission outreach.

It’s God Who Heals—Give Him the Glory

The next foundational point that each of these healing evangelists preach is that it is God who heals, not the person doing the praying. One must always give credit to God, as all healing should glorify God.

Has there ever been a human heal anybody? No! Who did it? Jesus. It was actually the Spirit of God. Jesus said, “Even the works I do, even I don’t do them but it’s the Spirit of My Father. He does them.” Even Jesus didn’t take credit for the works He did. He gave the credit to the Spirit. So every healing that ever took place, one person did it. The Spirit. Right?… There has never been a healing, ever, there has never been a raising from the dead, there has never been a miracle that took place that the Spirit that is in you didn’t do.

I started realizing, this thing is easy. Why? Because the One that has the full knowledge of everything, the One that knows every situation and has healed every sick person, every bit of it, lives in me. And when I realized that, then I realized it wasn’t about who was laying hands on that boy. It was about the Spirit of God that healed that boy, and what I was feeling was the Spirit of God.^[6]

John and Sonja Decker write:

God gets the credit. Moving from surprise encounters to authentic manifestations of God’s healing power was a process that took over ten years. We observed all kinds of healings. Some were questionable and some were obvious. Some were routine and some were spectacular. Regardless of who was ministering or how they prayed, we learned one vital truth. We are very careful to always point to an awesome God who receives all the credit and glory. We receive no acclaim on how we or anyone else achieved the various healings. Prolonged intercessions with fasting may have played a part. However, the ultimate reason for the healing lies in a compassionate God who is willing to heal those who rely on His Word, His mercy, and His grace.

Be aware of people with religious spirits announcing that you are special. Avoid allowing people to “puff you up” by praising you for what is happening. Respond by having everyone lift their hands and voices in praise and thanksgiving, glorifying the Lord Jesus Christ for what He is doing.^[7]

As Christians We Are Engaged in Warfare Against Satan

As has been commonly taught by Christians throughout history, those who follow God are at war with Satan.^[8] Each of those involved in healing whose material I read teaches about the warfare between the kingdom of God and Satan and his demons. They see the fight for the healing of souls and bodies as spiritual warfare.

Don Dunkerley puts it this way:

Everyone doing healing evangelism is engaged in spiritual warfare. It is by the power of the kingdom of Satan, after all, that people are afflicted with sin, disease and demons. And as the Kingdom of God advances, the kingdom of darkness is pushed back and people are set free. So in order to understand healing prayer, we need to understand spiritual warfare and the role of prayer in that warfare.

When engaging in healing prayer [privately, before beginning to pray for people], rebuke spirits of infirmity specifically as Jesus did (Mark 9:25). Break their power and command them to loose their victims. You might pray something like this: In the name of Jesus I take authority over all spirits present that are not of Him. I particularly rebuke you spirits of infirmity and command you to loose your victims. By the power of the blood of Christ I command you to depart and go where Jesus sends you. I invite the healing power of the Holy Spirit to burn out all impurity.^[9]

Curry Blake states:

This whole thing goes back to warfare, it’s all it is: Warfare between two kingdoms—the kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness … If you could take that and just grow from that, that’s everything you need to know; that’s it in a nutshell. … They are the sick. They are the oppressed. They are a prisoner of war by Satan. … The prisoner of war is never the problem. It’s his guards that you have to deal with. ^[10]

Praying for the Sick Sometimes Puts You in a Position that Requires Casting Out Spirits

Before going into what the healing evangelists teach regarding casting out spirits, I want to make it clear that Maria and I, and these healing evangelists as well, don’t feel that every illness—whether physical or mental—is due to oppression or possession by demons or evil spirits.

According to the experiences recounted by these healing evangelists, at times they are faced with people who are hindered by an evil spirit, and when the healer begins to pray for the person, the spirit manifests itself and hinders the healing. At such times, the evangelists claim deliverance for the person. This seems to be fairly rare, but it is something that happens sometimes when praying for the sick. Since I am covering those things which these healing evangelists hold in common, and since they all spoke about finding themselves in situations where the person who needed healing also needed prayer against a hindering spirit, I felt it was important to include mention of this. While not a pleasant subject, it’s part of what they face from time to time.

They all wrote or spoke with compassion for those needing this type of prayer, and their main concern is setting people free from the bondage of Satan. They weren’t linking every sickness to the need for deliverance from a spirit. They spoke about prayers of deliverance in a matter-of-fact way, stating that there are sometimes occasions when such a prayer was needed. In such cases, people needed prayer for their physical healing, along with prayer against a troublesome spirit.

When they pray against spirits, the evangelists claim God’s Word and know that because God has given Christians power over evil spirits, the spirit must obey when they command it to leave. They speak about times when more than one spirit is hindering the person and they have cast them out one by one.

Jesus gave His disciples authority to cast out demons, and He said that He’s given that authority to believers.

These signs will accompany those who believe: in My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues.^[11]

He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.^[12]

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!”^[13]

They went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.^[14]

There is also mention of some of Jesus’ followers being healed of evil spirits and sickness.

The twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.^[15]

It should also be noted that the Gospel speaks of healing in reference to both infirmities and evil spirits. Jesus healed the sick and He healed those who had evil spirits. What was important to Him was setting people free from whatever ailed them. I found it interesting that Jesus had people with Him who had been healed of evil spirits and sickness. He didn’t stigmatize them no matter what their problem had been. They were healed and accepted.

In the book Doing What Jesus Did, John Decker shares an experience where he had to pray for someone who was hindered by a spirit. He concludes with:

I left with a different attitude about demonized people. It was as if I was allowed to experience what Jesus did so many times as illustrated in the Gospels. To Him, the demon-possessed were viewed in the same category as the brokenhearted, sick or those in pain. They all needed to be free and well. In Luke 4, Jesus Christ’s mission is stated clearly. He wants His followers to continue the same mission:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”^[16]

Our mission is fulfilling the Great Commission by doing the same things Jesus did. We are to preach, heal, set the oppressed free, and give Jesus Christ all the credit.

We are to set at liberty those who are oppressed of the devil by removing the demons that are oppressing them.^[17]

Dunkerley says something similar:

Evangelistic teams today, like those Jesus sent out long ago, are not only to preach the Gospel but to heal the sick and cast out demons.

Because we have the biblical mandate to do these things, we also have the power. … In what we call the Great Commission, Jesus told the disciples to teach all nations “to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). Since Jesus commanded these very same men to “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons” (Matthew 10:8), doesn’t it stand to reason that those acts are among the “everything” that He commanded them to teach the nations? If so, then we should be doing those very things.^[18]

When we witness, when we engage in the mission in any form, we are engaging in spiritual warfare. Our goal is to win souls, to bring people to salvation, and in doing so we are fighting against Satan’s hold on humanity. This holds true when we pray for the sick—when we use the authority given to us through God’s Word to heal people physically through divine healing, and when we help heal people spiritually through guiding them to salvation.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.^[19]

When Jesus sent His disciples out, He gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. As Christians carrying the message of salvation to the world, we too have power and authority to both heal the sick and cast out demons.

As disciples we are called to fulfill the Great Commission. Doing so involves spiritual warfare. Whether we are contending for someone’s salvation or their healing, we are fighting for the kingdom of God.

(Next in this series: Healing Is in the Atonement)

^[1] HE 20.

^[2] HE 21.

^[3] HE 25.

^[4] Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000. Page 1064.

^[5] CB Audio 7.

^[6] CB Video 8.

^[7] DWJD 3.

^[8] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

¹³ Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

¹⁵ and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace.

¹⁶ In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

¹⁷ and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

¹⁸ praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.

(Ephesians 6:12–18 ESV).

^[9] HE 95.

^[10] DHT Video 9.

^[11] Mark 16:17 ESV.

^[12] Luke 9:1–2 ESV.

In their Gospels, Matthew and Mark state the same:

He called to Him His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction (Matthew 10:1 ESV).

He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons (Mark 3:14–15 ESV).

^[13] Luke 10:17 ESV.

^[14] Mark 6:12–13 ESV.

^[15] Luke 8:1–3 ESV.

^[16] Luke 4:18–19 NKJV.

^[17] DWJD 6.

^[18] HE 43.

^[19] Ephesians 6:12 ESV.

He’s Always There

By Maria Fontaine

October 4, 2022

I find great comfort and inspiration in a beautiful poem by Annie Johnson Flint written in 1919 entitled “What God Hath Promised.” Before reading the poem, I thought it would be helpful to reflect a bit on her life story.

Early in Annie’s life, arthritis began to show itself. She saw several doctors, but it steadily grew worse until it became difficult for her to walk at all. She was obliged to give up her work as a teacher.

Picture, if you can, the hopelessness of Annie’s position when later she finally received the verdict of the doctors of the Clifton Springs Sanitarium that henceforth she would be a helpless invalid.

Although crippled, she did not consider herself helpless and that she could do nothing but bemoan her lot. She believed that God had laid her aside for a purpose, even though that purpose was obscure to her at times. She also believed that He had work for her to do, and she put her very best into the writing of her poems, rendering this ministry unto Him.

The result has been that her verses have an unusually deep appeal to human hearts. Out of the crucible of suffering, she was able to administer that comfort to others wherewith she herself had been comforted of God.

For more than 40 years there was scarcely a day when she did not suffer pain. For 37 years she became increasingly helpless. Her joints had become rigid, although she was able to turn her head, and in great pain write a few lines on paper.

No one but God and she knew what suffering she endured as the disease became worse with the passing of years and new complications developed. But through it all, her faith in the goodness and mercy of God never wavered. There were many times, no doubt, when her soul would be burdened with the mystery of it all and why she was called to endure such suffering. In that respect she was human like the rest of us, but the marvelous thing is that her faith never faltered, and that she was at all times able to say, “Thy will be done.”—Rowland V. Bingham¹

What God Hath Promised

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep.

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.

We know that God has promised to keep us and that in keeping His promise there is nothing too hard for Him.

Jesus doesn’t necessarily take all our troubles away. In fact, He often doesn’t. Instead, in His love, He always sees the beauty to be brought from the ashes, the wisdom to be brought from the failure, the strength to be gained from the weakness, and the joy that the sorrows of the night seasons will bring in the morning.

He walks through our troubles and struggles with us, helping us to gain the good things that His absolute power and love can bring out of even the worst hardships and suffering. He said, “With men, it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible” (Mark 10:27).

His promises come to life in the hard times. In times of struggle or suffering or grief, His promises become more clearly the foundation of our prayers.

Something that stands out to me throughout the Bible is the importance of giving thanks. Jesus can bring the greatest good from any situation for His children. Praise is the voice of faith, and when we express our faith by praising and thanking Him, it expresses our trust in Him that we will receive the answer to our prayers that He knows is best.

I’d like to share a few of the verses on God’s power in times of trouble that Peter and I often claim for others and ourselves in our prayer times. Perhaps this will be a starting point for you to add more of your own favorite verses that speak to your heart in a special way. Even when we can’t remember the entire verse, we can claim a key phrase from it.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:6–7

Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.—Psalm 55:22

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”—Jeremiah 29:11

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”—Hebrews 13:5

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”—Isaiah 65:24

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in You.—Isaiah 26:3

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”—Isaiah 41:10

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.—1 John 4:4

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:38–39

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him.—1 John 5:14–15

Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.—Hebrews 4:16

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.—1 Peter 5:7

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.—Joshua 1:9

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.—Isaiah 54:10

Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.—Psalm 119:165

“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.”—Isaiah 43:2

Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.—Jeremiah 32:17

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”—Jeremiah 32:27

For nothing will be impossible with God.—Luke 1:37

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”—Mark 10:27

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.—Philippians 4:13

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.—Philippians 4:19

God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?—Numbers 23:19

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.—Romans 8:28

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”—John 16:33

“Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”—John 16:24

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.—Romans 8:37

You need to persevere, so that after you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.—Hebrews 10:36

The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.—Exodus 14:14

The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.—2 Thessalonians 3:3

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way.—2 Thessalonians 3:16

“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.—2 Kings 6:16–17

“Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”—Luke 22:42

¹ http://www.homemakerscorner.com/ajf-annie.htm.

Growing in Godliness: Self-Control

October 6, 2022

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 13:30

Download Audio (12.3MB)

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”—2 Timothy 1:7¹

In Galatians chapter five, the apostle Paul listed nine aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, beginning with love and ending with self-control. Part of building Christian character is having the ability to control ourselves—our emotions, desires, and feelings—through the power of the Holy Spirit. The scriptural concept of self-control implies that as human beings we have desires that we should control instead of satisfy, that there are some impulses which should either be engaged in moderately or not at all.

In the book of Proverbs we read, “Like a city whose walls are broken down is a person who lacks self-control^.”² In Bible times, a wall around a city was its main defense. Without such a defense, there was no safety; and if a wall existed but was breached, an enemy could enter the city and destroy homes, plunder possessions, and make captives of the residents. Self-control is the wall which defends us spiritually against sinful temptations. It helps us to govern our desires, stay within appropriate bounds, and avoid excesses.

Self-control has to do with controlling our physical actions, appetites, and desires as well as our thoughts, emotions, and speech. In the book of Titus, the apostle Paul wrote that the grace of God trains us to “live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age^.”³ Each of us has negative elements in our hearts and minds that we struggle with, which we can limit or restrain through God’s grace and the help of the Holy Spirit, along with our willingness to exercise self-control over them.

Self-control, as described in Scripture, can be understood as having the inner strength of character which empowers us to control our passions and desires, as well as to be able to exercise sound judgment when it comes to our thoughts, emotions, actions, and decisions. Sound judgment enables us to determine the right course of action, the proper way to respond to a situation.

Inner strength is needed to help us do what our sound judgment shows us is best. It’s one thing to know what to do; it’s quite another to have the inner strength to do it, especially when we don’t really want to. Self-control is the exercise of inner strength combined with sound judgment that enables us to think, do, and say things that are pleasing to God.⁴

When we look at the world God created, we see many beautiful and wonderful things we enjoy, and we are meant to enjoy them. “God … richly provides us with everything to enjoy.”⁵ The difficulty is that, due to sin, we tend to allow the pleasurable things God created to become overly important, to the point that they can begin to dominate us.

There are any number of activities which are perfectly acceptable in moderation, but problematic in excess. Drinking alcohol, eating, playing computer games, or watching television are examples. If we overindulge in such activities to where they lead to unhealthy or ungodly outcomes, or they become an overly important part of our lives, then we allow legitimate, relaxing, pleasurable activities to get out of control to our detriment.

Self-control is also needed when we are faced with doing things that are necessary but difficult for us. Exercising is an example. We know that exercise has many health benefits, strengthens our bodies, and even makes us feel good, and yet for many of us, it can be difficult to exercise consistently. Another example is setting aside a specific time each day to spend with the Lord and His Word. We know we need to do this and that it will benefit our relationship with God, but it can still be difficult to stick with it. Doing the things we know we should do is part of exercising self-control.

Resisting things that are detrimental to us or others is also part of self-control. For example, anger and untoward speech. James called the tongue “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” He said, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so” (James 3:8–10). We are told to watch over our words, to keep from shooting off our mouth in reckless speech.

Scripture also speaks against gossip.⁶ The King James Bible uses the word talebearer, while other translations use whisperer or gossip to convey the concept of one who spreads gossip, betrays confidences, and slanders people. We’re also warned against slandering people, making false and malicious statements, smearing or defaming others.⁷ Practicing self-control over what we say is crucial to Christlikeness, so it would be wise for us to pray “Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips^.”⁸

As part of exercising self-control, we are also called to harness our thoughts. Our actions reflect what goes on first in our minds—our thoughts, decisions, self-talk, memories, etc. Some Christian authors refer to this as our “thought life.” What happens within our thoughts is the basis for our actions and words.

Jesus spoke of what is within us: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”⁹ The Greek word translated here as heart means the soul or mind as the seat of the emotions, desires, appetites, and passions, as well as the will and character. As the saying goes, “The thought is the father of the deed.” Exercising self-control over our thoughts is central to living in a Christlike manner.

We often allow in our mind what we don’t allow in our actions; but in allowing such things in our thoughts, we risk them becoming actions. Having self-control in our thought life is a two-part process: one part is doing our best to avoid taking in what is ungodly, and the other is renewing our mind by thinking about the right things.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”¹⁰

Another aspect of self-control is keeping certain emotions in check. Anger, rage, resentment, self-pity, and bitterness are all examples of emotions which cause damage to ourselves and others. Anger manifested in outbursts of temper is harmful in two ways—it releases an ungoverned and ungodly passion and it wounds those who are the recipients of our anger.

People who are unable to control their anger often have a tendency to lash out at others. They are usually sorry for doing so after the fact, but anger can leave hurt and broken relationships in its wake that can’t be easily restored. Self-control may not keep you from getting angry, but it can keep you from lashing out at others and hurting them. “People with understanding control their anger^.”¹¹

Other emotions such as resentment, bitterness, and self-pity don’t necessarily harm others in the same way that anger does, but they are destructive to us and to our relationship with the Lord. They eat away at our spiritual lives and are destructive to our spiritual health. Controlling our emotions isn’t an easy thing to do, but when we look at these emotions within the template of living in Christlikeness, we can see that working to control them is vital.

Growing in Christlikeness means letting God’s Spirit have full sway in our lives, including our thought life. It calls for us to be surrendered to the Lord both in mind and body, to think right thoughts and to take right action.

The road to developing self-control starts with recognizing areas in our life where we lack it, and where if we had more self-control, we would live more closely in alignment with God’s Word. The next step is to bring the problem to the Lord in prayer, asking Him to change us. Then, we put feet to our prayers by practicing self-control—either by saying no to the things that we know we shouldn’t be doing or by saying yes to the things we know we should be doing.

The apostle Paul likened mastering self-control to training hard like an athlete:

“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.^”¹²

Developing self-discipline is a lifelong endeavor, a process in which we sometimes take two steps forward and one step back. It requires prayer, as we work to change areas that don’t align with God’s Word. But the more we take a stand against sin, the more our will is strengthened. The more we take action to do the things that are good, even if difficult at times, the more we will have the strength to keep doing them. Growth in self-control helps liberate us from the bondage of self-indulgence and empowers us to be more like Jesus.

Originally published June 2017. Adapted and republished October 2022.
Read by Reuben Ruchevsky.

¹ ESV.

² Proverbs 25:28 NIV.

³ Titus 2:12.

⁴ Jerry Bridges, The Practice of Godliness (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2012), 152–53.

⁵ 1 Timothy 6:17.

⁶ Proverbs 11:13; 20:19; 26:20.

⁷ 1 Peter 2:1.

⁸ Psalm 141:3.

⁹ Mark 7:21–23.

¹⁰ Philippians 4:8.

¹¹ Proverbs 14:29 NLT.

¹² 1 Corinthians 9:25–27 ESV.

God, a Prophet, and a Prostitute

October 5, 2022

By Ross Gilbert

The book of Hosea is an incredible picture of God’s relationship with many of His people. Hosea was a prophet to the nation of Israel during a time of rebellion and idol worship. God decided that the best way to reveal their sin and turn them back to Himself was to show them their error through the life of Hosea.

God asked Hosea, a prophet and upright man, to marry a well-known prostitute named Gomer. You might think of it as one of the first reality shows, where Hosea was to play the role of God and Gomer played the role of His unfaithful people.

(Read the article here.)

God, a prophet, and a prostitute – Crossways to Life

The Grace of God

October 4, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 13:16

Download Audio (12.1MB)

The God of the Bible is “the God of all grace.”¹ Grace is love, but love of a special sort. It is love which stoops and sacrifices and serves, love which is kind to the unkind, and generous to the ungrateful and undeserving. Grace is God’s free and unmerited favor, loving the unlovable, seeking the fugitive, rescuing the hopeless, and lifting the beggar from the dunghill to make him sit among princes.

It is grace which led God to establish his covenant with a particular people. God’s grace is covenant grace. True, it is also shown to everybody without distinction. This is called his “common grace,” by which he gives to all men indiscriminately such blessings as reason and conscience, love and beauty, life and food, marriage and children, work and leisure, ordered government, and many other gifts besides.

Yet God’s entering into a special covenant with a special people may be described as his characteristic act of grace. For in it he took the initiative to pick a people for himself and to pledge himself to be their God. He did not choose Israel because they were greater or better than other peoples. The reason for his choice lay in him, not in them. As Moses explained it, “The LORD … set his affection on you … because the LORD loved you.”² …

Redemption was originally not a theological but a commercial word. Often in the Old Testament (as today) we read about the redemption of land that had been alienated from the owner’s possession, or mortgaged. There were people also who needed to be redeemed, such as slaves and prisoners. In each case something or somebody was bought, in fact bought back, from some state of alienation or bondage. To redeem was to purchase somebody’s freedom, to recover by payment of a price something which had been lost. …

This is the Old Testament background to Jesus Christ’s great work of redemption. Now humankind’s alienation and bondage are spiritual. It is our sin—our rebellion against both our Creator’s authority and our neighbor’s welfare—which has enslaved us and separated us from God. And man in sin is man under judgment; we deserve nothing for our revolt but death.

Into this situation of helplessness and despair came Jesus Christ. He took upon him our nature when he was born and our guilt when he died. In the stark, unvarnished language of the New Testament he first “became flesh,” and then “was made sin,” and even “became a curse” for us.³ For the simple truth is that he took our place. He identified himself so completely with us in our predicament that he bore our sin and died our death. …

Now he is described as “seated at God’s right hand,” resting from his finished work of redemption and crowned with glory and honor. He has won an “eternal redemption”⁴ for us.—John Stott⁵

Love that stoops

Grace is favor in absence of merit. Grace is love that stoops. With those who do not deserve anything, grace gives everything for nothing.⁶

Donald Barnhouse said, “Love that goes upward is worship; love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace.” The Old Testament word for grace (chen) means “to bend.” God condescends to men of low estate,⁷ runs to meet sinners,⁸ and loves the unlovable.⁹ …

Grace is unaffected by the degree of sin, as Jesus was unaffected by the degree of illness in those He healed. Grace salvaged the “chief of sinners.” If there had been a tribe of sinners, Paul figured he would have been their chief; nonetheless, the grace of the Lord was “exceeding abundant” toward him.¹⁰

Grace salvaged publicans and sinners. Jesus worked among those shunned by the religious elite.¹¹ Although publicans and sinners did not think that religion was for them, Jesus taught that “good” people, such as Pharisees, did not have a monopoly on religion. In fact, the self-righteous were left out of the kingdom while many formerly unrighteous made it.¹² Jesus came not “to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”¹³

Grace salvaged pagans and moral delinquents. There was no Las Vegas, Rio, or San Francisco in the Roman Empire, but there was a Corinth. Its citizens were widely known for immorality. Evangelizing there struck fear into the seasoned heart of the veteran missionary Paul.¹⁴ Surely, he thought, I’m wasting my time here. But the Lord knew what Paul did not. Those whose names were written on police records would soon be written in heaven.¹⁵ …

An aged Paul writing his final book was confident in God’s grace: “I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him.”¹⁶ When Paul’s body was failing, Jesus told him, “My grace is sufficient for thee.”¹⁷ David observed, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”¹⁸ …

God bought us with a costly sum—the life of Jesus.¹⁹ When Jesus paid for us, He set us free—and if the Son “shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”²⁰—Allen Webster²¹

Forever grace

Some who believe that Christians can lose their salvation don’t look at eternal life as meaning forever, but rather see it as a quality of life, a type of life in relationship with God, which one can have for a time and then lose. However, this concept doesn’t match the meaning of the Greek word aiōnios which is most often used in the Scripture for everlasting or eternal. The definition of aiōnios is without end, never to cease, eternal, everlasting.

Eternal life stands in contrast to judgment, condemnation, and separation from God. Those who receive Jesus, who are born again, are not condemned—they have been redeemed by Christ’s death on the cross.²²

Salvation doesn’t bring an end to sin in our lives. As Christians we are to continually strive to overcome sin, but humans have sinful natures and therefore we sin, and when we do, we should ask God for forgiveness. While our sins have ramifications in our spiritual lives, in that they affect our personal relationship with God, they aren’t a cause for the loss of our salvation. We may suffer the consequences of our sins and be chastised for them, since God, as a good parent, lovingly tries to teach and train us; but we don’t lose our place as a child of God, one adopted into God’s family.²³

As children of God, we are heirs of eternal life. It is our promised inheritance through salvation.

“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.^”²⁴

Being justified by grace, which means being saved through Jesus’ sacrifice, we are heirs of an imperishable inheritance which is kept in heaven for us and which is guarded by God’s power.

God has promised salvation; through His death and resurrection Jesus has secured it; the Holy Spirit guarantees it. Our salvation is secure, is permanent, and is eternal. Once you have it, you don’t lose it. We may have temporary lapses in faith, but these lapses in faith and obedience do not change our legal standing as heirs, as those justified by the blood of Jesus.²⁵ Those who are saved, who have received Jesus, who are born again, do not lose their salvation.

Christians who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, who have been born again, are saved permanently. We have received eternal salvation, God’s gift of love. We have everlasting life, we are reconciled to God, and we will live forever.—All because God loves us and Jesus died for us, so that we might receive the wonderful gift of salvation.

God is the true and righteous judge; He is the one who knows each person’s heart and motives, who understands everything about each of us. He longs for people to be saved. He loves each and every person He ever created and freely extends His gift of salvation to all who will receive it.—Peter Amsterdam

Published on Anchor October 2022. Read by Debra Lee.
Music by John Listen.

¹ 1 Peter 5:10.

² Deuteronomy 7:7–8.

³ John 1:14; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13.

⁴ Hebrews 9:12.

⁵ Understanding the Bible (Scripture Union, 1978).

⁶ Ephesians 2:8–9.

⁷ Romans 12:16.

⁸ Luke 15:20.

⁹ Romans 5:6.

¹⁰ 1 Timothy 1:14–15.

¹¹ Luke 7:34.

¹² Matthew 21:43.

¹³ Matthew 9:13.

¹⁴ Acts 18:9–10; 1 Corinthians 2:3.

¹⁵ Philippians 4:3.

¹⁶ 2 Timothy 1:12.

¹⁷ 2 Corinthians 12:9.

¹⁸ Psalm 37:25.

¹⁹ Ephesians 1:7.

²⁰ John 8:36.

²¹ https://housetohouse.com/gods-amazing-grace.

²² John 3:17–18.

²³ Hebrews 12:6, 8, 10–11.

²⁴ Titus 3:4–7 ESV.

²⁵ Romans 5:9.

My Spirit Working in You

October 3, 2022

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 10:53

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“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”—Ephesians 2:10¹

Although My work does require determination, umph, and forging ahead, it is My Spirit working in you that will make your work fruitful.

I have created you and intended for you to be as a beautiful lamp filled with the oil of My Spirit. It is important that you tend well to your lamp and allow Me to replenish the oil, so that your wick can burn brightly and smoke-free. In rest and refilling, the oil will be replenished and will burn pure and unadulterated from the impurities of strain, worry, and heavy burdens.

Come to Me and rest in My Word and in My presence and be refilled. You must have rest to do your best, so that My Spirit and power can move and work in you. Trust in Me, that as you stop and take this time with Me, you will be strengthened and empowered to carry on.

Let Me replenish you

My precious one, I have fashioned your spirit and placed it within the casing of your frail human body. I have given you a caring heart that desires to pour out and give to others. Come to Me that I may replenish your lamp and strengthen and encourage your heart.

Let not your heart be troubled, only believe in Me. In this time of rest, I will lift the heavy burdens and I will ease your troubled heart in the stillness and quietness. This will give you the strength, the vision, and the inspiration you need to be the blessing to others that you so earnestly desire to be.

For only in this resting and refilling will you have strength enough to share My love with others. Do not take these burdens upon your own shoulders, but cast them upon Me. I allow you to be touched with the infirmities of others, that you may bring them to Me in earnest prayer.

Come to Me and commit all that is on your heart to Me. Tell Me about everything that concerns you. When your heart is overwhelmed, take quiet time with Me and tell Me point by point all that is in your heart, all that is burdening you, all that you fear, and let Me speak to your heart. Let Me comfort you; let Me carry your burdens.

Growing in patience

As you come to a curve in the road and you wonder what is beyond, you feel apprehensive, worried. “What if this is not the right way to go?” Dear one, I promise you that I will not take you anywhere that I will not go with you. I want to comfort your heart that what is ahead is not bad; it is beautiful. You will not be sorrowful but happy.

You wonder, “If this is so difficult now, what will it be like down the road?” But if you come to Me and commit your life, your future, your plans, your desires, and your goals to Me—you can trust that I will work in your life in the ways which I know are best. I love you and I have promised to fulfill My good purpose for your life.²

Do not be troubled by times of trial and tribulations, or at the rough spots and ragged trails. Remember that I have said that in their patience, My beloved children would possess their souls.³ How would so great a treasure of patience come without burdens to bear, causing patience to grow and have her perfect work? I prepare My children and work in their lives in the form of valued experience.

Do not fear the times where your faith is tested, for these are times of growth to make you stronger. With each test and trial, there is a victory as you place your trust in Me.

Every test, every trial, every hardship that comes your way is known by Me. Every storm that arises on the horizon and beats upon you will eventually end. So keep your hand on the rudder and don’t let go no matter what happens. Know that I will bring you through every storm you face in life.

My blessings in every season of life

Every person has times when they are up and times when they are down. Each person experiences cycles in their lives, and there are times when they are at their peak, their best, and they travel in the swiftest part of the river. And there are times when they are low, and they are slowed down by the snares and the roots and the rocks on the side of the river. But I am patient, understanding and loving. Each one will grow and change and experience different cycles of life at different times and places.

Never believe that you have been cast down or cast out, for My love for you is higher than the mountains and deeper than the seas. Do not look at times of testing as times when you are being beaten down or cast out, but use this time as an opportunity to draw closer to Me and to dive deep into My Word. Consider this time a blessing and count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds.⁴

Don’t let discouragement get in the way of seeing My blessings and My love for you and being thankful in all things. Trust that there is a great light at the end of the tunnel. And one day, when you come to the end of life’s road and you are ready to step into eternity, you will look back and say, “I am thankful for the experiences that I had.”

Always with you

I cannot reveal all the future to you. For if you could see, if you could know the future, then you would not learn to trust. For this reason I cast a veil over the future, so that what turns your life will take and how I will work in and through your life will not be revealed.

You long for answers, you long to know the solutions to many problems. I do not solve all your problems instantaneously; that would only serve to cripple your faith. You would miss the lesson, you would miss the learning experience, you would miss the trying moments that cause you to cling to Me and that strengthen your faith.

The road which I lead you down is the road of faith. But of this you can rest assured, that you will always be in My hands, and I will carry you, and in your times of trouble, I will be with you and I will take care of you.

So do not fear to lose sight of the shore of your well-charted territories. Place your hand in Mine and let the wind of My Spirit blow into your sails and take you to new horizons of possibility.

Take time

My dear one, I love you very dearly. There’s only one person just like you in the entire universe, and I love you! I know you long to be closer to Me, and I know that you love Me! In order to draw close to Me, you need to pause and take time with Me.

Take the time to stop and praise and worship, and let your heart overflow with My joy. Take time to study and grow in My Word, which will give you the strength to keep persevering and to keep your eyes on the things that truly matter.

You’re so precious to Me! I love you and I long to encourage and comfort you, and when you come home to Me, you will know that it was worth fighting the good fight of faith.

Originally published in 1997. Adapted and republished October 2022.
Read by Jon Marc. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ ESV.

² Psalm 138:8.

³ Luke 21:19 KJV.

⁴ James 1:2.

Jesus—His Life and Message: The Ascension

(Luke 24:50–53)

By Peter Amsterdam

September 27, 2022

In this article we’ll look at the last few verses of the last chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Earlier in this chapter, Jesus appeared to His disciples. They were frightened, and thought they were seeing a spirit. Jesus showed them the wounds in His hands and feet so that they would know it was Him, and then He ate some food to show that He was not a spirit. We’re told that He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.¹ He went on to say, “I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”²

Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.³

The Gospel of Luke ends with Jesus’ ascension into heaven. Jesus left Jerusalem and led His disciples to Bethany, which is on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives, less than 2 miles (3.2 km) from Jerusalem. It was from there that He was taken up into heaven.

The book of Acts tells us the same thing.

He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me.”⁴

And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.⁵

The Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts both attest to Jesus’ ascension into heaven.

Some Bible commentators state that within the Gospels, only the Gospel of Luke describes Jesus’ ascension. While the Gospel of Mark includes the ascension (Mark 16:19), some commentators feel that the account in Mark is not an authentic part of Mark’s Gospel, but rather is a later addition. But even if Jesus’ ascension were only addressed in the Gospel of Luke, it doesn’t mean that it was unknown to the other New Testament writers. For example, in the Gospel of John, Jesus said to Mary, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”⁶ In the book of Acts, the apostle Peter speaks of Jesus being exalted at the right hand of God.⁷ In 1 Peter we read about Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.⁸ The apostle Paul wrote:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.⁹

Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.¹⁰

Jesus’ ascension into heaven explains why there were no further post-resurrection appearances after 40 days. This 40-day period began with the resurrection of Jesus and ended with His ascension into heaven. One author explains:

In the transition from His earthly to His heavenly state, Jesus could perfectly well have vanished, as on other occasions, and “gone to the Father” secretly and invisibly. The reason for a public and visible ascension is surely that He wanted them to know that He had gone for good. During the forty days He had kept appearing, disappearing and reappearing. But now this interim period was over. This time His departure was final. So they were not to wait around for His next resurrection appearance. Instead, they were to wait for somebody else, the Holy Spirit [Acts 1:4]. For He would come only after Jesus had gone, and they could get on with their mission in the power He would give them.¹¹

Jesus’ ascension was also His vindication. It was the fulfillment of the prediction He made at His trial: From now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.¹² He was condemned to death for making this claim; however, the ascension shows that His claim was true and His crucifixion was unjust. The Father didn’t reject Jesus’ claim; rather, the Son was received at the Father’s side. Jesus’ ascension was not just a departure from this world, it was also an arrival in heaven.

And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.¹³

After receiving Jesus’ blessing as He was carried up into heaven, the disciples worshipped Him. It’s no wonder that they did so, as they had seen Him be crucified and laid in a tomb, and a few days later saw Him alive again. He was with them for 40 days, teaching and instructing them, and then they watched as He ascended into heaven. Their response was to return to Jerusalem and to worship God in the temple, and in time, on the day of Pentecost, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to preach the message of Jesus in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.¹⁴

This brings us to the end of this series, Jesus—His Life and Message. I pray that this series has been a blessing to you.

Note

General Bibliography

Bailey, Kenneth E. Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2008.

Biven, David. New Light on the Difficult Words of Jesus. Holland: En-Gedi Resource Center, 2007.

Bock, Darrell L. Jesus According to Scripture. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2002.

Bock, Darrell L. Luke Volume 1: 1:1–9:50. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1994.

Bock, Darrell L. Luke Volume 2: 9:51–24:53. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1996.

Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Brown, Raymond E. The Death of the Messiah. 2 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1994.

Carson, D. A. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and His Confrontation with the World. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1987.

Charlesworth, James H., ed. Jesus’ Jewishness, Exploring the Place of Jesus Within Early Judaism. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1997.

Chilton, Bruce, and Craig A. Evans, eds. Authenticating the Activities of Jesus. Boston: Brill Academic, 1999.

Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. Updated Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, 1993.

Elwell, Walter A., ed. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988.

Elwell, Walter A., and Robert W. Yarbrough. Encountering the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005.

Evans, Craig A. World Biblical Commentary: Mark 8:27–16:20. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2000.

Evans, Craig A., and N. T. Wright. Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009.

Flusser, David. Jesus. Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, 1998.

Flusser, David, and R. Steven Notely. The Sage from Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus’ Genius. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007.

France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2007.

Gnilka, Joachim. Jesus of Nazareth: Message and History. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.

Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1997.

Green, Joel B., and Scot McKnight, eds. Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1992.

Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity Press, 2000.

Guelich, Robert A. World Biblical Commentary: Mark 1–8:26. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1989.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Eucharistic Words of Jesus. Philadelphia: Trinity Press International, 1990.

Jeremias, Joachim. Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1996.

Jeremias, Joachim. Jesus and the Message of the New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002.

Jeremias, Joachim. New Testament Theology. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971.

Jeremias, Joachim. The Prayers of Jesus. Norwich: SCM Press, 1977.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary, Volume 1. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of John: A Commentary, Volume 2. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009.

Lewis, Gordon R., and Bruce A. Demarest. Integrative Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.

Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1976.

Manson, T. W. The Sayings of Jesus. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1957.

Manson, T. W. The Teaching of Jesus. Cambridge: University Press, 1967.

McKnight, Scot. Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2013.

Michaels, J. Ramsey. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010.

Milne, Bruce. The Message of John. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995.

Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992.

Morris, Leon. Luke. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1988.

Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma. Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, 1960.

Pentecost, J. Dwight. The Words & Works of Jesus Christ. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981.

Sanders, E. P. Jesus and Judaism. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985.

Sheen, Fulton J. Life of Christ. New York: Doubleday, 1958.

Spangler, Ann, and Lois Tverberg. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009.

Stassen, Glen H., and David P. Gushee. Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2003.

Stein, Robert H. Jesus the Messiah. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Stein, Robert H. Mark. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008.

Stein, Robert H. The Method and Message of Jesus’ Teachings. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1994.

Stein, Robert H. The New American Commentary: Luke. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 1992.

Stott, John R. W. The Message of the Sermon on the Mount. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1978.

Talbert, Charles H. Reading the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004.

Williams, J. Rodman. Renewal Theology: Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.

Witherington, Ben, III. The Christology of Jesus. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1990.

Witherington, Ben, III. The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001.

Wood, D. R. W., I. H. Marshall, A. R. Millard, J. I. Packer, and D. J. Wiseman, eds. New Bible Dictionary. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1996.

Wright, N. T. After You Believe. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2010.

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.

Wright, N. T. Matthew for Everyone, Part 1. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004.

Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2003.

Yancey, Philip. The Jesus I Never Knew. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995.

Young, Brad H. Jesus the Jewish Theologian. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1995.

¹ Luke 24:45.

² Luke 24:49.

³ Luke 24:50–53.

⁴ Acts 1:3–4.

⁵ Acts 1:9.

⁶ John 20:17.

⁷ Acts 2:33.

⁸ 1 Peter 3:21–22.

⁹ Colossians 3:1.

¹⁰ Hebrews 9:24.

¹¹ John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1990), 49.

¹² Luke 22:69.

¹³ Luke 24:52–53.

¹⁴ Acts 1:8.

How Can I Benefit from My Pain?

September 30, 2022

By Rick Warren

While we don’t have all the answers to why a good God allows pain to exist, we do know that God gave us freedom of choice. In part two of the series “Where Is God When It Hurts,” Pastor Rick shares how you can benefit from pain by the choice you make—by choosing the way you respond to pain.

Run time for this video is 42 minutes. Download an outline for the talk here.

https://youtu.be/8-BZA2yzhHg

Prayer for Persecuted Christians

September 29, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 10:09

Download Audio (9.2MB)

Remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.—Hebrews 13:3

It may be surprising, but Christian persecution around the world is one of the biggest human rights issues of this era.

A woman in India watches as her sister is dragged off by Hindu nationalists. She doesn’t know if her sister is alive or dead.
A man in a North Korean prison camp is shaken awake after being beaten unconscious; the beatings begin again.
A woman in Nigeria runs for her life. She has escaped from Boko Haram, who kidnapped her. She is pregnant, and when she returns home, her community will reject her and her baby.
A group of children are laughing and talking as they come down to their church’s sanctuary after eating together. Instantly, many of them are killed by a bomb blast. It’s Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka.

These people don’t live in the same region, or even on the same continent. But they share an important characteristic: They are all Christians, and they suffer because of their faith. While Christian persecution takes many forms, it is defined as any hostility experienced as a result of identification with Jesus Christ. …

In just the last year (see 2021 World Watch List), there have been:

Over 340 million Christians living in places where they experience high levels of persecution and discrimination
4,761 Christians killed for their faith
4,488 churches and other Christian buildings attacked
4,277 believers detained without trial, arrested, sentenced, or imprisoned

These numbers are heartbreaking. And yet, they do not tell the whole story. James 1:2–4 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” That joy is what we see when we hear and work with Christians all over the world who suffer because they serve Jesus. God cares for His people, and He will never leave or forsake them.

When we read headlines about people groups being persecuted for their faith, it may seem—at first glance—that there’s nothing we can do. After all, in many cases, we live thousands of miles away and we often feel overextended in just managing our own families and responsibilities. Nevertheless, our hearts yearn for a way to ease the hardship of Christians who are discriminated against, harassed, unjustly arrested, beaten, imprisoned, or even killed by regimes who oppose Jesus Christ. …

One of the most powerful ways to support Christians facing hardship, of course, is prayer. In Ephesians 6:18, for example, Paul instructs believers to be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. In the next 2 verses, Paul requests more specific prayer for himself as he faces persecution. “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”—Open Doors¹

Sadly, relatively few people are aware of just how severe and widespread the opposition to Christianity is. But regardless of how the world does or doesn’t respond to such reports, we as Christians should be concerned for our brothers and sisters in Christ who face persecution. The author of Hebrews reminds us, “Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.”²

One important way we can “remember” those who are persecuted is by praying for them. We may not know most of their names or their stories, but we share a bond with them in Christ that is stronger and more profound than our closest relationships with unbelievers. …

We should pray that persecuted Christians will continue to cling to Christ and to follow Him regardless of the cost. Gratefully, the perseverance of God’s people is not ultimately dependent on their power or their faithfulness. It is God’s power and faithfulness that keeps them secure.³ We want them to be confident that nothing can separate them from God’s love, not even death.⁴ …

We should pray that [persecuted] Christians would be “prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”⁵ It may be that the Lord will use the persecution of His people as the dark backdrop that makes the light of the gospel stand out all the more. What better way to put on display a Savior who suffered faithfully for the salvation of His people? …

Jesus invites us to continually come to God asking for justice.⁶ Surely we ought to pray this way for our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world, asking God to put a stop to the cruelty and injustice of their persecutors. … God’s people can love their enemies and seek to win them to Christ, even as they look forward to the day when God vindicates His people. This is, after all, part of what it means to pray “Your kingdom come”⁷ and “Come, Lord Jesus!”⁸—David Burnette⁹

Because the New Testament was written to persecuted believers, it is filled with examples of how to pray for our brothers and sisters under attack. Here are five examples from Ephesians:

Please pray persecuted believers would know the hope God gives.¹⁰
Pray the Holy Spirit would strengthen them.¹¹
Please pray persecuted believers would know how much God loves them.¹²
Pray they would know how to share the gospel.¹³
Please pray persecuted believers would fearlessly tell others about Jesus.¹⁴

Along with the example prayers in the Bible, there are some practical needs that persecuted believers would love your prayers for:

Please pray persecuted believers would have access to a Bible.
Pray they have the courage to remain in their homeland.
Please pray for believers who have been rejected by family and friends. Pray that God would surround them with a new Christian “family” who loves them and supports them emotionally and physically.
Pray for God to be an advocate for women who are socially vulnerable or have lost the custody of their children because of their faith.
Please pray that God would provide persecuted believers with jobs and safe places to live.—Evangeline Vergo¹⁵

As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.—1 Samuel 12:23

Most of us can practice our faith in peace, but that is not the case for many believers around the world. According to one organization which ministers to persecuted Christians, as of 2021 there were over 300 million Christians who experience high, very high, or extreme levels of persecution. This means that 1 in 8 Christians live where Christianity is illegal, forbidden, or punished. Our suffering brethren need our support in prayer.—Peter Amsterdam

My people in many countries are truly suffering and paying a high price for their faith. I do answer prayer, and I will use your prayers to give them the strength, grace, and wisdom to overcome during their hour of great trial. So much can be done as My followers around the world unite in spirit, utilizing My power and love to support your brothers and sisters in their time of need. Please don’t neglect to pray.—Jesus

Promises for the persecuted

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,”¹⁶ and the Bible tells us, “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.”¹⁷ “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end … to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever.”¹⁸ God’s kingdom never did a wrong thing or fought a wrong war or persecuted the poor or oppressed the weak or polluted the earth. His kingdom is trying to save the world, stop the wars, relieve the poor, feed the hungry, heal the sick, and liberate the captives who are bound.

But Jesus warns us that “in this world you will have tribulation,” and “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake.”¹⁹ “All who will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”²⁰

Jesus was terribly persecuted and finally crucified for telling the truth and showing God’s love to the world, and He warns us to expect the same: “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you.”²¹ But He also tells us: “Rejoice and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets which were before you.”²²

“If we suffer for Jesus’ sake and the gospel’s, we shall also reign with Him.”²³—David Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor September 2022. Read by Carol Andrews.

¹ https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution.

² Hebrews 13:3.

³ Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24–25.

⁴ Romans 8:31–39.

⁵ 1 Peter 3:15.

⁶ Luke 18:1–8.

⁷ Matthew 6:10.

⁸ Revelation 22:20.

⁹ https://radical.net/article/pray-for-persecuted-christians/.

¹⁰ Ephesians 1:18.

¹¹ Ephesians 3:16.

¹² Ephesians 3:17.

¹³ Ephesians 6:19.

¹⁴ Ephesians 6:20.

¹⁵ https://www.cru.org/us/en/train-and-grow/spiritual-growth/prayer/pray-for-persecuted-church.html.

¹⁶ John 18:36.

¹⁷ Daniel 4:3.

¹⁸ Isaiah 9:7.

¹⁹ John 16:33; Matthew 5:10.

²⁰ 2 Timothy 3:12 KJV.

²¹ John 15:20.

²² Matthew 5:12.

²³ 2 Timothy 2:12.

A Shift in Perspective

September 28, 2022

By Marty

Maturity is something we desire and look for often in life. We desire a mature wine and are grateful for a mature friendship. Regarding our discipleship, it’s been said, “God’s plan for us is to become fully grown, mature Christians who are able to help not only ourselves, but a lot of other people also.”

Some definitions for maturity are “having reached the most advanced stage in a process” and “fully developed and balanced.” We understand God is patient and His mercy great, but at times we are discouraged with ourselves when we slip and lose balance once again. But even while we continue to learn and grow ourselves, we can help others in so many ways. This includes sharing about our experiences in life, sometimes including our stumbles. Here’s a recent one of mine that might speak to someone facing a similar struggle in maintaining a godly worldview.

Social Studies was my favorite subject in grade school, and I’ve continued to enjoy watching current events through the years. Some of my favorite classes over the years have had to do with Bible prophecy and the signs of the times.

In training us to be mature disciples, the Lord can use everything as a teaching opportunity. He can really “squeeze the orange” and take us around to some lessons a number of times until we get them. And then some big steps of growth are gained.

The arrival of the pandemic in early 2020 hit the world like a hurricane. Like so many others, I was swept up in the news and didn’t settle back down for many months. I continued to start my day in the Word, but then spent an inordinate amount of time searching the news for developments.

Besides the ongoing tragedy of illness for many, the unusual events taking place created a strange sense of curiosity or doubt. Open debate raged on news channels and the internet over contradictions and conflicting information. The resulting confusion had a polarizing effect on society, as many felt those in charge either didn’t know or weren’t telling the truth.

I was fired up with my own opinions as to why, who, and what was going on. Early emotions of curiosity were soon followed by dismay, frustration, and anger. And then a sense of deep sadness set in, akin to a broken heart. If I didn’t quite get it before, the fact was now crystal clear: Man is powerless against the darkness and can’t be saved without God.

I said, “But Lord, this is so wrong!” He replied, “Yes, it is, and I know.” I said, “But Lord, that is so evil and unfair!” And He replied, “Yes, son, it is, and I see.”

It’s difficult to understand God’s timing of our “aha moments,” but I had one. And it’s fascinating when new treasures appear from familiar knowledge gained many years ago. “Man’s inhumanity to man” is a phrase I first heard in my early twenties. “Man can’t save himself” can be cliché to Christians, as we know that our salvation is only by grace and a gift of God. And yet for me this truth has been as the proverbial penny dropping for a long, long time. Near the end of 2020 it landed clear as a bell.

I don’t often experience dramatic change, but I went from down in the swirling torrent to out and up on the other side. David gave a wonderful description of deliverance from this kind of mental anguish in the book of Psalms. “He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings.”¹

No credit to me or my own actions other than a heart cry. Jesus knew I’d had enough and wanted to be saved from the deep. He pulled me up and said, “There is no confusion up here on the rock. Stay here in the light of truth where you can see beyond the present short and limited sight of men.”

This wasn’t new information but one of those recurring lessons. I had been stubborn and headstrong with the news. I didn’t forget the kingdom, but as my attention had shifted to this storm, my spirit slipped down into the waves.

That distress and hopelessness I experienced came from a greater realization of the true extent of evil in this world. It grew loud in my mind when I was not concentrating on God’s voice and promise of deliverance. It became a touch of feeling lost, the reality so many people live in who don’t know and have hope in God’s Word. And then I experienced the rejuvenating and invigorating return to God’s vision.

Rereading the book of Psalms has been a clear reminder to me that this world is shared by fallen people, many of whom have chosen ungodliness and evil over God and His goodness. Psalm 73 gives a clear description of what they are like.

⁶ Therefore pride serves as their necklace;
Violence covers them like a garment.

⁷Their eyes bulge with abundance;
They have more than heart could wish.

⁸They scoff and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak loftily.

⁹ They set their mouth against the heavens,
And their tongue walks through the earth.

¹² Behold, these are the ungodly.

¹⁶ When I thought how to understand this,
It was too painful for me—

¹⁷ Until I went into the sanctuary of God;
Then I understood their end.

By his speaking in the past tense we understand the author had spent quite some time observing them. Their wickedness was undeniable, and yet it seemed they got away with it. That leads to him considering that perhaps his own faithfulness to God had been in vain. But he knew that wasn’t true and to say so would be wrong.

Finally, his thinking about it all was too painful for him—until he went into the sanctuary of God. His anxiety caused him to stop and turn away from the world, to quiet his spirit in prayer. Then he understood. The Lord gave him new perspective from the higher ground and got him back on track.

After all that, his conclusion is “Look, these are the ungodly and they do have an end.” Now the vision of God’s plan comes back into focus and he’s reminded how far that extends beyond the confines of the present situation. The chapter ends with thanksgiving and praise.

²³Nevertheless I am continually with You;
You hold me by my right hand.

²⁴You will guide me with Your counsel,
And afterward receive me to glory.

²⁵Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.

²⁶My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.²

Summing up my own recent experience, similar anxiety over the state of the world brought me full circle back to the truth in the Bible. And once again I am so grateful that God does not turn away when we fall and get discouraged. To the contrary. “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles. He is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit.”³

We just need to keep doing the best we can, by God’s grace! Staying in tune with God’s Spirit is not an accomplishment checked off on our Christian “to-do list.” It’s an activity learned and a modus operandi to be desired, where we frequently enter the sanctuary of God to have our spirits and vision refreshed. Lord, please help us as we continue to stop, look, listen … and obey.

¹ Psalm 40:2.

² NKJV.

³ Psalm 34:17–18.

_{God’s Presence in Times of Depression}

_{September 27, 2022}

_{A compilation}

_{Audio length: 11:55}

_{Download Audio (10.9MB)}

_{“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you; do not be discouraged.”—Deuteronomy 31:8}

_{Unless you’ve gone through depression, it is difficult to comprehend how terrible it is. Finding healing is not easy, and it takes time. No one has all the answers. But these are some helpful things to remember if you are a Christian walking through depression or if you know someone who is.}

_{You are not cut off from God. The ultimate friend we find in our pain is Jesus Himself. He wept for us. And on the cross, He experienced separation from God in its fullness. Our Savior knows what it means to suffer darkness. But when you are experiencing a mental health crisis and feeling isolated, it’s very easy to forget that God is literally within you. …}

_{Jesus promised His followers the gift of the Holy Spirit—God within them—as His way of providing peace and guidance to them every day of their lives. If you have placed your trust in Jesus, that same Spirit lives within you. God literally could not be closer to you in whatever you are experiencing. …}

_{The Bible provides many examples of people experiencing depression, darkness, and frustration with God. He is not angered by your honest words. God wants your relationship with Him to be authentic. … God can handle your doubts, frustrations, failures, and darkest moments because He is astoundingly gracious. He loves you through it all because that’s simply who He is. …}

_{The good news is that your relationship with God depends upon His unchanging faithfulness and not on your changeable emotions. “God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’”1 “I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.”2…}

_{If you are suffering from depression or another mental illness, know this: God cares deeply when you suffer. You are in pain, you may wonder where God is. He is right there with you, just as He always is, whether or not you can feel it. Even if you are so depressed that you cannot put your prayers into coherent words, God understands. God hears the cries of your heart and is with you. As Psalm 34:18 says, “The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”3}

_{If you’re depressed, tell someone. Tell a doctor, friend, family member or counselor. Please do not suffer alone.—Elizabeth Clayton Lee and Mary Keith4}

_{Tips for coping with depression}

_{Depression can be very debilitating. If not managed and overcome, it can drastically affect your spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being. Depression can build over time to the point where it seems like just about everything that happens adds to the depressing thoughts and feelings that are like a cloud, blocking your view of a more positive reality. The challenges, setbacks, fears, and worries start merging, to where life starts looking gloomy and you begin to feel that there’s no hope.}

_{Taking our battles and problems to the Lord and asking Him to help and guide us is always a first step whenever we are struggling in any areas of our lives. Often in the busyness of day-to-day life, we don’t take enough time to stop, pray, think, meditate, reflect, and search our hearts. So on top of feeling gloomy and sad, when depression hits, the person affected may not even know why they feel that way. That’s why it’s important to seek the Lord for His guidance and help in such times of need.}

_{When people feel depressed, they may not feel like doing anything, so it can be very difficult for someone in the throes of depression to be able to think clearly, concentrate, read the Word, and hear from the Lord for His guidance and help. A tendency is to just try to forget the depression once it’s lifted somewhat. But that’s a good time to seek the Lord for His advice, encouragement, and help in overcoming and making forward progress. He has the solutions to everything we face in life—even in times of the most muddled confusion.}

_{One of the most difficult and disconcerting things about depression is that you often can’t put your finger on what’s wrong or why you feel so deeply discouraged. People experiencing this know something’s wrong, but they don’t quite know what or why. They often feel down, sad, disillusioned, muddled, frustrated, or confused, and can’t figure out what is happening.}

_{Depression undermines your emotional and mental well-being‚ and can be even more detrimental than physical illnesses are, because, as the Bible says, “A man’s spirit will endure sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?”5 For this reason, people who are battling depression need the support and encouragement of others.}

_{There are many things that can trigger depression or contribute to it, such as a personal loss or tragedy; major setbacks such as a job loss, medical conditions, afflictions or chronic pain; relationship problems, stress and anxiety; menopause; changes in sleeping habits, lack of sleep or poor sleep. People suffering from depression are often tempted to feel that the problem is with themselves. They may begin to feel that they are the problem, and that their situation is hopeless, or that their life is useless. Left unchecked, depression can undermine a person’s happiness and hinder their faith.}

_{Whatever the cause‚ attacks of depression are not to be taken lightly, and it is important to take the necessary steps to manage it and overcome it and to provide help and support to others in our lives who experience it. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, it is important to ask for prayer and seek help from others.}

_{Regardless of the struggles we face in our life journey, we have the assurance that God’s supernatural grace and the peace that passes all understanding is real and is there for us to take refuge in.6 The Bible says that there is a time and place for everything,7 so we have the sure knowledge that even if we’re “abasing” now and facing tough times, it won’t be that way forever. The Lord knows your every need, and He will not fail to supply and care for you as you continue to hold on through the storms and trust Him.}

_{Look to Him for comfort and guidance and have faith that there is hope in any situation. There are no limits to His love and the miracles He can perform to bring fullness of life to each and every one of His children.—Maria Fontaine}

_{“I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”—Ephesians 3:17–198}

_{A prayer for battling depression}

_{Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that You never change, even when everything around me is changing and unpredictable.9 Thank You that You are stable, even when I feel so very unstable. It feels like Satan has been whipping me around! Please sustain me, protect me, and enable me to stand…}

_{Please lead me to the right source for help. Thank You for understanding what I am going through,10 and thank You that Your Word tells me that even Your Son went through hard times emotionally. There were times that He was distressed, grieved, faced loneliness, experienced deep sorrow, and after the death of John He went into isolation.11 He cried in prayer,12 and at times He was overwhelmingly sad.13 …}

_{Thank You for the grace that You have provided.14 I pray You will use this difficult time to cause me to go deeper in my relationship with You. … Thank You for how You are going to use this time in my life and for all You are doing through this depression. Thank You that You have allowed my weakness to manifest itself in the form of depression, so that You can work more of Your image into my life.}

_{Thank You that I am not defined by this weakness. Since I am Your child, I am defined by what You accomplished on the cross. Because of Christ’s death on the cross, I can wake up every morning and live life knowing that no matter what I do, think, say, or feel—the cross covers it. Because You offered up Your own beloved Son, I can have peace with You and can face each day with fresh hope and grace. Help me to focus on what is true, and not focus on how I feel. As I sit before the cross, help me to gain a new appreciation for what it actually means for me on a daily basis.}

_{Help me to embrace my weakness as a gift. Remind me that my weakness allows You to work through me even when I am so very weak and feel as though I can do nothing.15 Through this time, I pray that You would enlarge my heart that I might love and obey You, and love others more deeply. Amen.—Gina Smith16}

_{Published on Anchor September 2022. Read by Lenore Welsh.

Music by Michael Dooley.}

₁_{Hebrews 13:5 NLT.}

₂_{Romans 8:38 NLT.}

₃_NLT.

₄_{https://www.cru.org/us/en/blog/life-and-relationships/emotions/to-the-depressed-christian.html.}

₅_{Proverbs 18:14 ESV.}

₆_{Philippians 4:7.}

₇_{Ecclesiastes 3:1.}

₈_NIV.

₉_{Hebrews 13:8.}

₁₀_{Hebrews 4:15.}

₁₁_{Matthew 14:13.}

₁₂_{Hebrews 5:7–9.}

₁₃_{Isaiah 53:3.}

₁₄_{Hebrews 4:16.}

₁₅_{2 Corinthians 12:9.}

₁₆_{https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/a-prayer-for-when-you-battle-depression.html.}

Are You a Good Christ?

September 26, 2022

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 9:07

Download Audio (8.3MB)

The Lord often reminds us about the need to be more like Him in order to be clearer representations of His love and Spirit to our brothers and sisters and to the world. This post has several articles that provide excellent food for thought about our calling and the example we provide for others. It is beneficial to take a few minutes to meditate on how we can be more like Jesus and manifest more of the fruits of His Spirit in our lives.

By Francis Chan, Catalyst

I think it’s time we stop asking ourselves the question: “Am I a good Christian?” We live in a time when the term “Christian” has been so diluted that millions of immoral but nice people genuinely consider themselves “good Christians.” We have reduced the idea of a good Christian to someone who believes in Jesus, loves his or her family, and attends church regularly. Others will label you a good Christian even though your life has no semblance of likeness to the way Christ spent His days on earth. Perhaps we should start asking the question: “Am I a good Christ?” In other words, do I look anything like Jesus? This question never even entered my mind until a friend of mine made a passing comment to me one day.

Dan is a longtime friend of mine who described a trip to Tijuana, Mexico, with a pastor named Von. Dan didn’t speak of the awful living conditions of those who made their homes amidst the rubbish. He spoke of the compassion, sacrifice, and love that he witnessed in Von’s words and actions as he held these malnourished and unwashed children.

Then he made the statement that sent me reeling: “The day I spent with Von was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus.”

Dan explained that the whole experience was so eerie because he kept thinking to himself: “If Jesus were still walking on earth in the flesh, this is what it would feel like to walk alongside of Him!”

After that discussion, I kept wondering if anyone had ever said that about me, “The day I spent with Francis was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus.” The answer was an obvious “no.” Would any honest person say that about you? What bothered me was not that I hadn’t “arrived,” but that I wasn’t even heading in the right direction. I wasn’t striving to become the kind of person who could be mistaken for Jesus Christ. …

So how did Jesus live? You could make a list of character traits to compare yourself to, but it would be far more beneficial to simply read through one of the Gospels. After you get a bird’s-eye view of the life of Christ, do the same with your own…

May we make it our goal to someday have someone say of us: “The time I spent with ______ was the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to walking with Jesus.”

As Christians, we often complain about how antagonistic people are toward Jesus. Personally, I’m not sure that they’re really rejecting Him. Maybe they just haven’t seen Him.

(Jesus:) Truly living what you believe in is an important part of your witness. Your message can be enlightening and truth-filled, but people will often gauge the power and verity of your message by the manifestation of that truth in your life. As followers of Me, as My disciples, it’s part of your commission to be a living example of your faith. Your actions should reflect My love, Spirit, and truth. Essentially, the way you live is a manifestation of what you believe.

Humble messengers

The Lord has been so merciful to us. He called and chose us out of all the billions of people on Earth. We have a message and ministry of truth that can meet the need of every heart and that can give the eternal solution to the problems of humankind. We personally commune with the Creator of the universe and can experience and understand His deep, unconditional love for us and for the lost.

However, it can be a temptation to equate the greatness of the message with the messengers who bear it. We should stand up for His truth and what God has done for us and what He can do for others. We should advertise the riches that He has awaiting those who are willing to accept Jesus’ sacrifice for sin on the cross. But we, the messengers, bow our heads in humility as we acknowledge that we are nothing in ourselves.

As Peter once said, “As individuals, we are no better than anyone else in the world. We’re just privileged with a high calling, and with that calling comes responsibility—the responsibility to love, to be like Jesus, to be an embodiment of His Spirit to others.”

Our work and witness for Him is all only His grace. We have to abide in Him to bring forth fruit, as without Him, we can do nothing.¹ We must know deep down in our hearts and throughout every fiber of our being how much we need Jesus working in our lives. It’s only Jesus that works through us to change lives, from start to finish!

We, of ourselves, are not anything mighty. In fact, over the years, the Lord has seen fit to allow us to stumble and make mistakes. He knew we would have to decrease so that He could increase. We would have to be humbled so that He could be exalted. He and His message have to be lifted up.

He has a message to impart to people today, and He chose you for this job.² He’s chosen you to convey a message to a world that is in shambles and is going down fast: a message that is the truth, but hard for some to hear; a message that is for everyone, but a message that only the desperate in spirit will be able to receive; a message that will convict and direct the wandering truth seekers to Jesus.

We are among the carriers of the great message that God has for the world today—His humble messengers that He’s chosen to work through for today. He makes us little so His greatness can be seen. We’re not great, but He is. His message is great. He uses His humble messengers to promote His greatness.

Called and committed to serve

I love reading about the great Christians of the past—distant and more recent—and their love for Jesus that gave them faith to go wherever He led them. Do you know what made these Christians great? It was their obedience to His call for their lives—and their callings were diverse indeed! Not all were missionaries, pastors, or songwriters; not all worked in orphanages or with lepers. Some were businessmen, some were politicians, some were cowboys, some were homemakers, some were called to a ministry of prayer.

Not all were called to far-flung fields. Some were called to stay right where they were in their neighborhood or hometown. Some were very young when they felt called to work for the Lord, others were older; some died young while serving the Lord, others at a ripe old age. Some accomplished seemingly bigger tasks and others seemingly smaller ones. However, because they did whatever God asked of them, they were used by Him to help others. They were amongst “God’s greats” because they wholeheartedly fulfilled God’s call.

They encourage us with their examples, and their testimonies can help us to persevere in our calling and to be faithful to run the race the Lord has called us to. We can admire their conviction, their desire to follow the Lord, and their commitment to what they believed to be His will for their lives. Taking time to meditate on the lives of these men and women can stir your faith and encourage you in your service for the Lord.

Some aspects of their lives are different from ours, of course, but the principles of sacrifice and hard work are common for dedicated Christians. Faith in the face of difficulty is a quality of Christians past and present that we can emulate in our lives.

Compiled from the writings of Maria Fontaine, originally posted in 2009. Adapted and republished September 2022. Read by Lenore Welsh.

¹ John 15:5.

² John 15:16.

The Effects of Christianity (Part 2)

The Effects of Christianity

Peter Amsterdam

2019-04-16

(Points from this article were taken from How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt ¹)

In this Easter season, we continue to look at the profound effects that Christianity has had on the course of human history since the death and resurrection of Jesus. This article will focus on the fundamental change that Christianity wrought regarding the dignity and status of women.

Throughout the reign of the Roman Empire, women lived under the law of patria potestas, which declared that the paterfamilias (male head of the family) had absolute authority over his children, even adult ones. Married women remained under the authority of their father unless the marriage was a manus marriage, which meant that the woman ceased to be under the authority of her father and came under the control of her husband. As such, a husband could legally physically chastise his wife. If she committed adultery, he could kill her; if she committed some other serious offense, the husband was generally required to get the consent of his extended family before killing her. A manus marriage gave the man complete authority over his wife, so that she only had the legal status of an adopted daughter.

Women were not allowed to speak in public settings. All places of authority, such as city councils, the senate, and legal courts were only accessible to men. If women had any legal questions or complaints, they had to convey them to their husbands or fathers, who would take the matter to the proper authorities on the woman’s behalf, as women were required to remain silent on such matters. In general, women were held in very low regard.

In the Jewish culture throughout the rabbinic era (400 BC to 300 AD), there also existed a strong bias against women. They weren’t allowed to testify in court, as they were considered unreliable witnesses. They were likewise barred from all public speaking. They weren’t allowed to read the Torah out loud in the synagogues. One rabbinic teaching proclaimed that it was “shameful” to hear a woman’s voice in public among men.² Synagogue worship was conducted by men. Women in attendance were separated from the men by a partition.

Some Jewish women were confined to their homes, and didn’t even approach the outer door of their homes. Young women remained in parts of the house specified as the women’s quarters to avoid being seen by men, and when they had (women) visitors, they would host them only in these parts of the home. Married women in rural areas had a bit more freedom of movement, as they helped their husbands do the farming. However, it was considered inappropriate for them to work or travel alone. Any income a married woman may have received, including inheritances, belonged to her husband.

Throughout the Gospels, we find that Jesus had a very different attitude toward women than was customary at that time, one which raised their status. Through both His teachings and actions, He rebuffed the common beliefs and practices which espoused that women were inferior to men. One example is His interaction with the Samaritan woman in the Gospel of John. At that time, Jews didn’t interact with the Samaritans at all, yet Jesus requested that she give Him a drink from the well. She was surprised and wondered why He would ask her to give Him a drink, as the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans.³ Jesus not only ignored the fact that she was a Samaritan, but He also spoke with a woman in public, which contravened the oral law (Jewish religious laws which were not included in the original Laws of Moses but were added over the centuries): He who talks with a woman [in public] brings evil upon himself.⁴ A similar rabbinic teaching stated that a man may not converse with a woman in the marketplace.⁵

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record that women followed Jesus, which was very unusual at that time, as other Jewish teachers and rabbis did not have women disciples.

The twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.⁶

There were also women [at His crucifixion] looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.⁷

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared first to women, and instructed them to tell the rest of His disciples that He had risen.

After the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. … But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” … And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”⁸

The early church followed Jesus’ precedent, ignoring cultural norms regarding women. Women played an important role in the church, as seen in the Epistles of Paul stating that they had churches in their homes. In the letter to Philemon, he addresses Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house.⁹ Nympha was a woman who had a church in her home in Laodicea.¹⁰ He referred to Prisca and her husband Aquila, who had a church in their house, as my fellow workers in Christ Jesus.¹¹

In the book of Romans, Paul wrote: I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae.¹² The Greek word translated as servant is diakonos, which is sometimes translated in the Epistles as deacon and other times as minister. Paul refers to himself as diakonos numerous times in the Epistles. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace.¹³ Paul used the same Greek word diakonos when referring to his co-workers and co-leaders. He referred to Tychicus as a faithful minister in the Lord ¹⁴ and Epaphras as a faithful minister of Christ.¹⁵ So when he commended Phoebe as a diakonos of the church, it appears that Paul was acknowledging that she was a deacon or minister within the church.

Paul made the point that within Christianity, there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.¹⁶ Jesus, Paul, and the early church worked against the concept of keeping women secluded, silent, subservient, and segregated in worship.

Jesus’ message of salvation resonated with women in the early church, so much so that early church historians maintain that generally women were more active in the church than men were. St. Chrysostom, in the fourth century, said:

The women of those days [early apostolic church] were more spirited than men.

The historian W. E. H. Lecky stated:

In the ages of persecution female figures occupy many of the foremost places and ranks of martyrdom.¹⁷

German church historian and theologian Leopold Zscharnack wrote:

Christendom dare not forget that it was primarily the female sex that for the greater part brought about its rapid growth. It was the evangelistic zeal of women in the early years of the church, and later, which won the weak and the mighty.¹⁸

In the early centuries, women outnumbered men in the church, and thus some of them married unbelieving men. When they did, the overwhelming majority of children from these “mixed marriages” were raised within the church.¹⁹

For the first 150 years of Christianity, women were highly regarded within and very important to the church. Sadly, after that time, some of the church leaders began to revert to the practices and attitudes of the Romans relating to women, and women were slowly excluded from leadership roles within the church. Over the next three centuries, church leaders incorporated views of the inferiority of women into general Christian understanding.

Clement of Alexandria (d. 215) taught that every woman should blush because she is a woman.²⁰ Tertullian (d. 220) said:

You [Eve] are the devil’s gateway … You destroyed so easily God’s image, man. On account of your desert, that is death, even the Son of God had to die.²¹

Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem (d. 386) argued that women were to pray in church by only moving their lips. He wrote:

Let her pray, and her lips move, but let not her voice be heard.²²

These attitudes were both misguided and wrong.

Even with these distorted attitudes toward women, there were still many ways in which women were on equal footing with men within the church throughout that time. For example, women received the same instruction as men when becoming members of the church, they were baptized in the same fashion as men, they participated equally with men in receiving communion, and they prayed and stood with men in the same worship setting.²³

While there was some divergence from what the New Testament taught across the centuries, there were also major legal changes for the better concerning women throughout the territory of the Roman Empire. Within a half-century of Christianity being legalized, Emperor Valentinian l repealed the one-thousand-year-old patria potestas in 374 AD so that the paterfamilias no longer had absolute authority over his wife or children.

Women were granted substantially the same rights as men in control of their property … They also received the right of guardianship over their children, who previously were the sole possession of men.²⁴

This also meant that women had a choice in who they married, instead of having their husband chosen by their father, which had been the case in ancient times. This also allowed them to marry later. Because of Paul’s teachings, husbands started seeing their wives as partners, both spiritually and practically. Today, women in the Western world are no longer compelled to marry someone they don’t want to, neither can they be legally compelled to marry as a child bride—as still happens in some places in our world.

During Jesus’ lifetime, and before, many ancient societies, especially in the Middle East, allowed polygyny (a man being married to more than one woman at the same time). Many of the Jewish patriarchs and kings such as Abraham, Jacob, David, Solomon, and others had multiple wives. While Jesus entered a world that accepted polygyny, when He spoke of marriage, it was invariably in the context of monogamy.

Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.²⁵

Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents…²⁶

St. Paul seems to add support to the concept of monogamy when he writes that bishops/overseers should be the husband of one wife.

Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife.²⁷

The literal translation from the Greek of “the husband of one wife” is “one-woman man.” While there are other possible ways of interpreting what Paul wrote, historically the understanding leans toward monogamy in marriage. A number of the early Church Fathers in the second and third centuries wrote against polygamous marriage. When marriage is mentioned in the New Testament, it is understood to refer to monogamous marriage. The Christian view of marriage as comprising a monogamous relationship has permeated the laws of Western society.

In the Gospels, we see that Jesus had compassion for women who were widows. He raised a widow’s son from the dead,²⁸ denounced the Pharisees for taking financial advantage of widows,²⁹ and commended the poor widow who sacrificially gave two mites as an offering to the temple.³⁰ The apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, instructed the Ephesian church to honor widowed mothers, and in the Epistle of James we read,

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.³¹

In the early second century Ignatius, the bishop of Antioch, wrote:

Let not the widows be neglected. Be thou, after the Lord, their protector and friend.³²

Later, widows were often chosen to be deaconesses in the church.

Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and the salvation it brought to those who believe in Him has made a monumental difference in countless lives over the centuries. His example and teaching caused His disciples and the early church to accord a higher level of dignity, freedom, and rights to women. Therefore, women today in countries which have been influenced by Christianity for the most part have more freedom, opportunity, and human worth than in countries without that influence.

(To read the next article in this series, click here.)

Notes

¹ Alvin J. Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004).

² Berakhoth 24a.

³ John 4:7–9.

⁴ Aboth 1.5.

⁵ Berakhoth 43b.

⁶ Luke 8:1–3.

⁷ Mark 15:40–41.

⁸ Matthew 28:1, 5–6, 9–10.

⁹ Philemon 1:1–2.

¹⁰ Colossians 4:15.

¹¹ Romans 16:3. See also 1 Corinthians 16:19.

¹² Romans 16:1.

¹³ Ephesians 3:7.

¹⁴ Ephesians 6:21.

¹⁵ Colossians 1:7.

¹⁶ Galatians 3:28.

¹⁷ W. E. H. Lecky, History of European Morals: From Augustus to Charlemagne (New York: D. Appleton, 1927), 73.

¹⁸ Leopold Zscharnack, Der Dienst der Frau in den ersten Jabrhunderten der christlich Kirche (Gottingen: n.p., 1902), 19.

¹⁹ Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996), 127.

²⁰ Instructor 3.11.

²¹ On the Apparel of Women 1.1.

²² Procatechesis 14.

²³ Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World, 110.

²⁴ William C. Morey, Outlines of Roman Law (New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1894), 150–151.

²⁵ Matthew 19:5.

²⁶ Luke 18:29.

²⁷ 1 Timothy 3:2.

²⁸ Luke 7:11–15.

²⁹ Mark 12:40.

³⁰ Luke 21:2–3.

³¹ 1 Timothy 5:3–4, James 1:27.

³² Ignatius, “The Epistle of Ignatius to Polycarp,” in The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 1:94.

The Effects of Christianity (Part 1)

The Effects of Christianity

Peter Amsterdam

2019-04-09

(Points from this article were taken from How Christianity Changed the World by Alvin J. Schmidt ¹)

With the approach of Easter—the celebration of Jesus conquering death by rising from the grave to bring salvation to the world—it seems an opportune time to look at the positive effect Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection has had on humanity in the two thousand years since. When Jesus laid down His life so that those who believe in Him can enter into an eternal relationship with God, He changed the lives and eternal destinies of billions of people. Through the lives of those who believed in and followed Him, He brought great change to the whole world. This short series will explore some of the ways in which Christians and Christianity have made the world a better place.

Of course, many Christian values originated from the Jewish Torah (the Old Testament in Christian Bibles), but Christianity has been the major vehicle for the spreading of Judeo-Christian culture, and is also the means by which the message of salvation through Christ has been spread throughout the world.

Value of Human Life

Jesus was born at a time in history when the Roman Empire ruled much of the known world. As such, the moral standards of Rome permeated much of society. The Romans held a low view of human life. A person was regarded as having value only if he contributed to the political fabric of society. This is seen in several ways in the Roman world, such as the practices of infanticide, gladiatorial games, and suicide.

The early Christians, on the other hand, held a more sacred view of human life, as they believed what Scripture teaches about the value of life and that human beings are made in the image of God.

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.²

You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.³

They understood that God honored human life by sending His Son to become incarnate as a human being:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. … And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.⁴

Because God values human life, the early Christians understood that life was to be honored and protected.

Infanticide and Child Abandonment

The killing of newborn children soon after birth was common in the Greco-Roman world. Infants were killed for a variety of reasons, such as due to being born deformed or frail, unwanted, or because the parents felt they couldn’t afford to care for the child. The Roman philosopher and statesman Seneca wrote, mad dogs we knock on the head … unnatural progeny we destroy; we drown even children who at birth are weakly and abnormal.⁵ Often the means of killing an unwanted child was through exposure, the abandoning of newborn children on the side of the road or on dung heaps or in garbage dumps.

To Christians, infanticide was murder, and early Christian writings condemned it. The Didache (written between 85 and 110 AD) stated, Thou shalt not … commit infanticide. Christians throughout the first four centuries AD did not have the political power to put a stop to the infanticide commonly practiced in Roman times, and were themselves suffering persecution and martyrdom. However, during that period Christians often took abandoned babies into their own homes or placed them with other believers, who cared for them and often adopted them. This differed from many non-Christians, who would sell abandoned children into slavery. In 374 AD, the Emperor Valentinian formally outlawed infanticide due to the influence of a Christian bishop. While infanticide was never fully eradicated in the Roman Empire, Christians continued to condemn it. After the fall of Rome, when separate countries developed in Europe over the centuries, infanticide was no longer a common or legal practice.

Gladiatorial Games

Another example of the low view of human life in ancient times is the gladiatorial games in which gladiators fought, often to death, as a form of entertainment. These popular events were held in arenas throughout the empire from 105 BC to 404 AD, the largest of which was the Roman Colosseum. It is estimated that 500,000 people were killed in the Colosseum alone. At times, 30–50 thousand spectators would watch these games. The Emperor Trajan (98–117 AD) held gladiatorial games which lasted four months, during which ten thousand gladiators fought, resulting in thousands of them being killed—all for entertainment. (Eventually, persecuted Christian martyrs were killed for their faith in the Colosseum.)

Christians of the time were appalled by the heinous disregard for human life and blatant disregard of God’s command, “You shall not murder.” Church leaders condemned these games because they shed human blood, and they admonished Christians not to attend. As Christianity grew, it was eventually recognized as an official religion, when the Emperor Constantine I issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Christian emperors such as Theodosius the Great and Honorius eventually banned gladiatorial games throughout the Roman Empire. In his book about life in Rome, Author Jerome Carcopino stated that the butcheries of the arena were stopped at the command of Christian emperors.⁶ W. E. H. Lecky wrote:

There is scarcely any single reform so important in the moral history of mankind as the suppression of the gladiatorial shows, a feat that must be almost exclusively ascribed to the Christian church.⁷

Human Sacrifice

Throughout Old Testament times, we read of societies which practiced human sacrifice. Child sacrifice was common among the followers of Baal in Canaan. In the vicinity of the ancient city of Megiddo in northern Israel, archeologists discovered the remains of infants who had been sacrificed in the temple of Ashtoreth during the rule of Ahab and Jezebel.⁸ Some fallen kings in Israel turned away from God and sacrificed their own sons to the Canaanite god Moloch.⁹ Such human sacrifice wasn’t limited to the Canaanites or the fallen kings of Israel. While human sacrifice was outlawed throughout the Roman Empire by Jesus’ time, Christians encountered it centuries later in pagan lands. For example, before the gospel was brought to them by St. Patrick, the Irish people sacrificed prisoners of war to war gods and newborns to the harvest gods.¹⁰ Human sacrifice was common among pagan Prussians and Lithuanians until the thirteenth century. This came to an end because of Christian influence.

Suicide

In Roman times, the taking of one’s life was often considered an act of self-glory, and suicide was widely practiced. Many well-known Roman philosophers and writers, as well as some Roman emperors, committed suicide. It was also used as a punishment, as emperors sometimes ordered people they were displeased with to “open your veins.” While there was no prohibition on Roman citizens taking their lives, it wasn’t allowed for slaves, as they were considered property; nor for soldiers, unless they were surrounded by adversaries on the battlefield.

Christians preached that since God is the giver and creator of life, it is His prerogative only to end a person’s life. Christian leaders in the third and fourth centuries, such as Clement of Alexandria, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Eusebius, opposed suicide. Church councils from the fourth through the fourteenth centuries also opposed it. Thomas Aquinas wrote that taking one’s life was morally wrong because it was a sin against nature:

Everyone naturally loves himself; suicide also injured the community of which man is an integral part; it was a sin against God’s gift of life.¹¹

For more about suicide, see Living Christianity: The Ten Commandments (Safeguarding Human Life, Part 3).

In the Roman world of Jesus’ day, the value placed on human life was very low. The killing or abandoning of newborn children didn’t to our knowledge evoke moral outrage. Taking one’s own life was not generally understood to be morally wrong. Watching gladiators killing one another for the purpose of entertainment was considered normal. (Of course, today there are many movies and television shows which egregiously portray violence, death, and murder; a difference is that while they may not be spiritually healthy to view, the death portrayed in them is acting, and not actual death.)

Life was cheap in ancient times. However, as Christianity started to spread throughout the Roman Empire, the value placed on life began to increase. The message that human life was sacred and the understanding that taking the life of an innocent human being was morally wrong took root. The impact of the Christian message over the centuries brought about a moral understanding regarding human life which has spread throughout the world, and has helped to change the world.

(To read the next article in this series, click here.)

Note

¹ Alvin J. Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004).

² Genesis 1:27.

³ Psalm 8:5.

⁴ John 1:1–2, 14.

⁵ Lucius Annaeus Seneca, On Anger 1.15.2.

⁶ Jerome Carcopino, Daily Life in Ancient Rome (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1940), 247.

⁷ W. E. H. Lecky, History of European Morals: From Augustus to Charlemagne (New York: D. Appleton, 1927), 73.

⁸ H. H. Halley, Halley’s Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1965), 198, 206.

⁹ 2 Kings 16:3, 21:6.

¹⁰ Thomas Cahill, “Ending Human Sacrifice,” Christian History 60 (1998): 16.

¹¹ Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province (Westminster, MD: Christian Classics, 1948), 2:1463.

How God Can Use Pain for My Good

September 23, 2022

By Rick Warren

Pain is inevitable. We know that Jesus never promised us an easy life, but he did promise he’d be with us. So how do we learn something from our pain rather than waste it? In this message, Pastor Rick kicks off a new series where we’ll learn the reasons we experience pain.

Run time for this video is 41 minutes. Download an outline for the talk here.

https://youtu.be/esb8F4vB9xE

(We will post the next part of this series next Friday.)

Life Balance Check, Part 3: Exercise

September 22, 2022

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 13:16

Download Audio (12.1MB)

Exercise is not a new topic; there’s been a lot of buzz about exercise for the last few decades, and we have addressed it in earlier posts and publications. But recently, one of my coworkers did some research on exercise, and some of the points in that material gave me some new insight and boosted my conviction about exercise.

The many benefits of exercise

We know exercise is good for us.

Of all the things we as physicians can recommend for health, few provide as much benefit as physical activity. In 2015, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges put out a report calling exercise a “miracle cure.”¹

Regular exercise is the only well-established fountain of youth, and it’s free.²

Over the past two decades, research has shown that exercise reduces the risk of heart attack, helps control weight, decreases inflammation, lowers the risk of developing diabetes and certain cancers, increases the chances of survival after a heart attack, lifts mood, slows the decline of sexual performance and prolongs independent living in the very old.

“It’s really hard to find something that is not improved with exercise,” said Michael J. Blaha, a preventive cardiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital and a researcher in the field. “Everyone can benefit from it. Even at higher age, when you’re at increased risk of dying, exercise is able to add time to your life.”³

The excerpts above provide a hefty list of the benefits of exercise. Articles cite other medical studies that suggest that exercise can also:

slow aging
lower blood pressure
improve sleep quality
improve mental health, help relieve depression and anxiety
help older people maintain short-term memory
strengthen bones, reduce or even reverse bone loss
contribute to a more attractive physique
ease the pain and stiffness of arthritis
reduce chances of heart attack or stroke
boost work performance

This next article is particularly interesting:

Over the past decade, social scientists have quietly amassed compelling evidence suggesting that there is another, more immediate benefit of regular exercise: its impact on the way we think.

Studies indicate that our mental firepower is directly linked to our physical regimen. … Consider the following cognitive benefits, all of which you can expect as a result of incorporating regular exercise into your routine: Improved concentration, sharper memory, faster learning, prolonged mental stamina, enhanced creativity, lower stress.⁴

Not exercising is dangerous

Along with knowing how important exercise is and how many benefits it brings us, we also know there can be serious repercussions if we don’t exercise:

Chronic diseases and conditions—such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and arthritis—are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems. …

Health risk behaviors are unhealthy behaviors you can change. Four of these health risk behaviors—lack of exercise or physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, and drinking too much alcohol—cause much of the illness, suffering, and early death related to chronic diseases and conditions.⁵

If there are so many benefits to exercising and so many serious health risks from not exercising, and we have to admit this is not new information to us, then why do so many of us not exercise more and more regularly?

“How do I find the time?”

I’d say probably the number one excuse is that we think we don’t have time. It can help to reframe it from a broader perspective:

What prevents us from exercising more often? For many of us, the answer is simple: We don’t have the time. In fairness, this is a legitimate explanation.

But let’s be clear: What we really mean when we say we don’t have time for an activity is that we don’t consider it a priority given the time we have available.

Instead of viewing exercise as something we do for ourselves—a personal indulgence that takes us away from our work—it’s time we started considering physical activity as part of the work itself. The alternative, which involves processing information more slowly, forgetting more often, and getting easily frustrated, makes us less effective at our jobs and harder to get along with for our colleagues.

Regardless of how you go about incorporating exercise into your routine, reframing it as part of your job makes it a lot easier to make time for it. Remember, you’re not abandoning work. On the contrary: You’re ensuring that the hours you put in have value.⁶

“I don’t like to exercise!”

Another thing that might keep many of us from exercising is that we just don’t like it. Naturally, if this is our frame of mind, we’re going to dread exercise. That leads to procrastination, excuses, and delays.

I found the following excerpt very encouraging. It provided new information for me that is motivational.

Michelle Segar directs the Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center at the University of Michigan. …

Though it seems counterintuitive, studies have shown that people whose goals are weight loss and better health tend to spend the least amount of time exercising. Rather, immediate rewards that enhance daily life—more energy, a better mood, less stress and more opportunity to connect with friends and family—offer far more motivation, Dr. Segar and others have found.

“I like to think of physical activity as a way to revitalize and renew ourselves, as fuel to better enjoy and succeed at what matters most,” she said. …

Also important is giving oneself permission to make self-care through physical activity a priority. Dr. Segar wrote: “When we do not prioritize our own self-care because we are busy serving others, our energy is not replenished. Instead, we are exhausted, and our ability to be there for anyone or anything else is compromised.”…

Citing a “paradox of self-care,” Dr. Segar wrote, “The more energy you give to caring for yourself, the more energy you have for everything else.”⁷

Everything counts, and it all adds up

Thinking of exercise as a means of revitalizing and renewing myself was motivating and invigorating. This next part of the article was also helpful, as it introduced a new concept that I had not considered—“everything counts, it all adds up.”

Instead of the recommended half hour a day or 10-minute doses of moderate exercise three times a day on most days, Dr. Segar suggests focusing on the idea that “everything counts”—taking the stairs instead of the elevator, weeding the garden, dancing, even walking to the water cooler.

“We should count any and every opportunity to move that exists in the space of our lives as valid movement worth doing,” she wrote.⁸

I think we could all think of various ways we could incorporate more “movement” into our daily activities. It’s okay to start slow—just start! Don’t push it so much that it’s miserable or you risk injury. And remember, it will get easier. Then you’ll start to enjoy it.

Sitting is the new smoking—the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle

One last bit of information that was eye-opening to me was about how dangerous a sedentary lifestyle can be. You might have heard the term “sitting is the new smoking.” Here is a bit of information on this:

The Los Angeles Times recently interviewed Dr. James Levine, director of the Mayo Clinic-Arizona State University Obesity Solutions Initiative and inventor of the treadmill desk. Levine has been studying the adverse effects of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles for years and has summed up his findings in two sentences.

“Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death.” …

Researchers have found and continue to find evidence that prolonged sitting increases the risk of developing several serious illnesses like various types of cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Another reason the smoking analogy is relevant is that studies have repeatedly shown the effects of long-term sitting are not reversible through exercise or other good habits. Sitting, like smoking, is very clearly bad for our health, and the only way to minimize the risk is to limit the time we spend on our butts each day.⁹

Research findings indicate that excessive sitting is bad and even worse if it is accumulated in lengthy, uninterrupted bouts throughout the day. Any extended sitting—such as at a desk or behind the wheel—can be harmful. Spending a few hours a week at the gym or engaged in moderate or vigorous activity doesn’t seem to significantly offset the risk. The solution seems to be less sitting and engaging in more movement overall.

Here is another article about how regular movement is the key:

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women’s heart health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York said, “The more we sit, the worse it is. The longer the duration of sitting, the more negative the impact on our cardiovascular health.”

Steinbaum said moving around every 30 minutes is recommended.

“The first time we do this, the positive effects are immediate,” she said. “We need to pay more attention to moving.”

“If you have a job or lifestyle where you have to sit for prolonged periods, the best suggestion I can make is to take a movement break every half hour,” said Keith Diaz, an associate research scientist in the Columbia University Department of Medicine. “Our findings suggest this one behavior change could reduce your risk of death.”¹⁰

Exercise and movement are a challenge for many of us, but for numerous reasons it is important that we do it. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The first wealth is health.”

If you have everything else but you are in poor health, due largely or in part to neglecting to take care of your physical well-being, it can spawn a number of problems over time, and then it diminishes your ability to enjoy life’s other blessings. Health is one of those blessings that requires that we intentionally invest in it. Granted, we are all getting older, and age is often accompanied by illness or health challenges. But we can do our part to keep ourselves strong and healthy, and we will benefit from that investment of time, energy, and discipline with an improved quality of life.

Originally published September 2019. Excerpted and republished September 2022.
Read by Jon Marc.

¹ Aaron E. Carroll, “Closest Thing to a Wonder Drug? Try Exercise,” The New York Times, June 20, 2016.

² Jane E. Brody, “Even More Reasons to Get a Move On,” The New York Times, March 2, 2010.

³ David Brown, “We all know exercise makes you live longer. But this will actually get you off the couch,” Washington Post, February 22, 2016.

⁴ Ron Friedman, “Regular Exercise Is Part of Your Job,” Harvard Business Review, October 3, 2014.

⁵ Chronic Disease Overview, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

⁶ Friedman, “Regular Exercise Is Part of Your Job.”

⁷ Jane E. Brody, “Rethinking Exercise as a Source of Immediate Rewards,” The New York Times, July 20, 2015.

⁸ Brody, “Rethinking Exercise.”

⁹ Diana Gerstacker, “Sitting Is the New Smoking: Ways a Sedentary Lifestyle Is Killing You,” The Active Times (Huffington Post), September 29, 2014.

¹⁰ “Study: Sitting too long could lead to early death,” CNN, September 13, 2017.

06 – Life for the Survivors

From the End to Eternity

Scott MacGregor

2008-01-01

Before we continue with our discussion of the Millennium we need to go back to the very beginning of history, to the Garden of Eden and the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve sinned by listening to the Devil in the form of a serpent and disobeyed God’s command to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They were then driven out of the Garden of Eden, at which time God pronounced a series of curses, which remain in effect to this day.

So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children; your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”

Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

Genesis 3:14–19

These punishments and handicaps are collectively known as the Curse, and it doesn’t get totally lifted until the New Earth is created at the end of the Millennium. (Revelation 22:3)

However, it appears from other verses, some of which we will cover in this chapter, that the Curse is partially lifted during the Millennium.

The genealogies of Genesis show men living to almost 1000 years of age before Noah’s Flood (circa 2300 B.C.). But after that, people began dying at a considerably younger age. Noah still lived to be 950 years old, but Shem, the only son of Noah that an age at death is listed for, died when he was 600. Abraham, who came along 500 years later, only lived to 170. Then by King David’s time at around 1000 B.C., life expectancy was about 70 years. “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away” (Psalm 90:10).

A natural lifespan of around 70 is still close to the average today. The reason for this shorter lifespan is not specifically known. Some think it is environmental, that the effect of a greater concentration of cosmic rays hitting the Earth means a faster aging process. Others think it might have more to do with a genetic change due to the narrowing of the human gene pool down to only the eight survivors of the Flood. But whatever the cause, in the Millennium, apparently the longevity humankind enjoyed before the Flood will be restored.

The humans who survive into the Millennium are still going to be living in natural physical bodies and still have children, and still die. Death isn’t finally abolished until the end of these 1000 years. “For He [Jesus] must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:25–26).

However, people are going to go back and live more naturally and more quietly and more slowly. All indications are that during the Millennium there will be much less disease and sickness, and people will live much longer than they do today. The Bible says that if anybody dies at 100 years old, they’ll call him just a child.

No more shall an infant from there live but a few days, nor an old man who has not fulfilled his days; for the child shall die one hundred years old. … They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for as the days of a tree, so shall be the days of My people. And My elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth children for trouble; for they shall be the descendants of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.

Isaiah 65:20–23

People won’t be dying at the rate they do today, and will live to be much older. However, the Earth won’t become overpopulated because the number of people who survive into the Millennium will not be that large and there are indications from the Scriptures that the birth rate will slow down as well.

There will be no more enmity between man and the animals, or among the animals themselves.

The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, and the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6–9)

Since there’s nothing that will hurt nor destroy, then it would follow that there will be no venomous snakes or other harmful pests and insects. The thorns and the thistles and the briar and all kinds of creatures that are poisonous, even poisonous flowers and grasses and so on, all these cursed things will be eliminated. Possibly a lot of them will be completely eliminated, although it does say that dust will be the serpent’s food (Isaiah 65:25), and that children will be playing in the vicinity of vipers and cobras. So it seems there are still snakes of some variety, although they are presumably no longer poisonous.

After the Flood, God told humankind to eat meat to give them greater strength so that they could survive the rigors of life outside the Garden of Eden. But in the Millennium, if nothing is going to bring pain and hurt, then it would seem that the killing of livestock and game for meat is no longer going to occur. Therefore we can assume that people will revert to the vegetarian diet that was maintained before the Flood. And not only humankind, but all the carnivorous animals will also revert to a herbivorous diet. It appears that the conditions which will make it possible for people to live for hundreds of years will also result in humankind and the carnivorous animals no longer needing meat to survive.

Although much of the Curse will have been removed during the Millennium for those who obey, there will still be conditions.

And it shall come to pass that everyone who is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. And it shall be that whichever of the families of the Earth do not come up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, on them there will be no rain. If the family of Egypt will not come up and enter in, they shall have no rain; they shall receive the plague with which the Lord strikes the nations who do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. This shall be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not come up to keep the Feast of Tabernacles.

Zechariah 14:16–19

The Feast of Tabernacles is an old Jewish festival that was observed on the fifteenth day of the seventh month to commemorate the wandering of Israel in the wilderness. We don’t know if this is the actual feast that is being celebrated in the Millennium or whether this is symbolic, or whether everyone will need to travel to the physical city of Jerusalem yearly to celebrate it, but what is clear is that those who do not recognize the Lord’s authority and worship Him will suffer as a result.

Apparently another part of the Curse or consequence of the Fall of Man was a change in the climate. Adam and Eve were created naked, and they needed no clothes until they sinned and left the Garden. Then God had to clothe them with furs and skins of animals. It must have either suddenly turned cold or it was cold outside of the Garden. With the curse being alleviated, the climate in the Millennium is likely to be more pleasant overall. As far as we know, the North and South Poles will be frozen and there will probably be tropical and temperate zones. However, the extremes of weather we experience today will most likely be moderated except in specific instances where the Lord will use droughts and possibly other extreme weather conditions as punishments on errant peoples.

Interspersed among the prophecies of Isaiah and other prophets are tantalizing glimpses of what the restored Earth shall look like.

The wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice, even with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the excellency of our God.

Isaiah 35:1–2

God will restore the arid plains and deserts to their former fertile nature, and they will become lush with vegetation. They will be as glorious as Lebanon once was, when it was covered with beautiful forests of giant cedar trees.

One of the major problems in our current age is the continuing depletion of our potable and fresh water resources. But it looks like the Lord is going to reverse that trend.

For waters shall burst forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. The parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water; in the habitation of jackals, where each lay, there shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

The poor and needy seek water, but there is none, their tongues fail for thirst. I, the Lord, will hear them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, the myrtle and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine and the box tree together, that they may see and know, and consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Isaiah 35:6–7; 41:17–20

In addition to these physical changes that will make our Earth better, many of today’s problems will be solved by the removal of our spiritual enemy, the Devil, and all his forces and their evil influences, and the curses they had brought upon the Earth (Revelation 20:1–3; Jude 6). All of these will have been conquered and banished from the Earth during this 1000-year period, so even the natural forces of creation are no longer struggling to survive against their satanic enemies and the Devil’s pests as they are today.

Imagine a life without the enemy of our souls and his afflictions and diseases, and pests and poisonous plants and vicious animals and sadistic wars and the rush of the mad rat race to get ahead. Imagine life in a near perfect environment with all the so-called natural problems and curses, storms, and catastrophes mostly eliminated. No more bugs and blights to eat the crops and destroy the produce. Very little disease and sickness to sap people’s energies; no more fighting the elements, the heat and cold and storms of a hostile environment of destructive forces.

Humankind will be tremendously relieved from so many of these threats of stress and strain, and the rush and pressures of the past that caused so many illnesses as well. Everything will move slowly, safely, leisurely, easily, and pleasurably, with little or no danger at all.

It’s going to be like Heaven on Earth!

God Will Take Care of You

September 20, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 12:23

Download Audio (11.3MB)

When you put your faith in Christ, God commissions himself to protect, provide, and care for you.¹ God always provides for his children, though often it is not in the way we expect or hope.

The challenge is for us to see his provision and care, even when it is different than we expect. Because God is God, his ways are higher than our ways.² But he graciously gives us insight into what he is doing in the Scriptures. …

We ask God for many things, but the greatest thing we could ever receive from him has already been given. What God has given us in the gospel is light years ahead of every other provision and care we could ever seek from him. When we trust in Christ, we have decisively secured for us every ultimately good thing from him. It’s just a matter of time. …

Hebrews 11 gives us two different perspectives on God’s provision and care for us. Some, by faith, came through this life victorious, while others lost their lives. Both are commended for their mighty faith.

God does not always provide and care for us in ways we might expect in this life. The Bible does not promise this. Peter, James, John, and Paul gave their very lives for the gospel. They viewed the gospel as a treasure not to be lost at any cost. They suffered gladly because they had something in the gospel that had far more worth.

This life is fleeting. This life is fragile. This life is but a vapor’s breath. The next life, the age to come, is where all God’s provision and care for us will ultimately make sense and come together as a whole.

We may not receive healing in this life, but we will receive perfect healing in eternity. We may not see answers to our greatest prayers in this life, but we will receive fully in eternity. Some days God’s provision and care may seem distant, but it will be ever-present in eternity. We long for our world to stop raging and be at peace, but ultimate peace will only come in eternity.

Our hearts ache under the pressures of this life, but it is only because we were made for another world. We are sojourners and aliens on this earth. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”³—Matt Brown⁴

God will provide

We see the evidence of God’s provision from the very beginning of creation. He provided abundant food and the perfect environment in the Garden of Eden, then the water, manna, and quail for the Israelites, the ram taking Isaac’s place as the sacrifice, and the future provision of a new heaven and earth. God continues to provide for us daily (although not always in the ways we have in mind!).

God provides for both our daily spiritual and physical needs. … He promises to provide for us continually along our life’s path, walking beside us with love and encouragement.

One of the many names for God is Jehovah Jireh—The Lord will provide. It comes from the story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22.

God tests Abraham by telling him to sacrifice his beloved and longed-for only son. God knew Abraham’s heart and the outcome; Abraham did not. However, we see only obedience, faith, and trust from Abraham. When Isaac asks his father, “Where is the lamb?” for the sacrifice, Abraham replies, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”⁵

Abraham believed God’s promise of an entire nation of descendants through Isaac, even if it meant raising Isaac from the dead. No wonder he’s called the “Father of our faith.” He had unwavering faith and trust in God’s promises; even going so far as giving up his own son.

When God provided the ram for the sacrifice, Abraham “called that place ‘The Lord Will Provide.’ And to this day it is said, on the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”⁶

God is still at work arranging provisions for us today. We can trust that His provisions will come at the exact moment, just like Abraham, when we need them. …

Every blessing, every good thing, and every enjoyable experience we have been gifted has come from Him. He is truly your Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides.—AnnMarie⁷

Resting in His promises

Our natural tendency is to look beyond today and stress about tomorrow, which we cannot even control nor do anything about. Jesus knew we’d be like this, which is why He said, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”⁸

He then goes on to ask a rhetorical question, “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life.”⁹ The obvious answer is we can’t add a single hour; but on the contrary, worry and anxiety can shorten our lifespan, as it creates stress and weakens our immune system. … Jesus concludes this paragraph by commanding us all, “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”¹⁰ …

When we have anxieties come upon us, and we all will, then we are to be “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”¹¹ This means “all” anxieties … not just most of them. Easy to say, but so very hard to do, I admit.

If you’re worried about anything at all, try to think of the creatures of the earth. Paul tells us,“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”¹²

God promises those who are His that they can depend upon Him in all circumstances and at all times. Since we know that God does not change,¹³ what makes us think that He will do anything less for us than He did for those of ancient times?

Just as He told Jacob, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you,”¹⁴ and just as He told Moses when faced by the powerful Egyptian army, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.”¹⁵

He tells us today, “Do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”¹⁶ Trust Him, believe Him, and know with a certainty that God cares for you and will take care of you just like He did yesterday, just like He will today, and just like He will tomorrow.—Jack Wellman¹⁷

I will always care for you

I told My disciples that every hair of their heads was counted and that not one sparrow falls to the ground without My Father knowing about it. I told them that they didn’t need to worry about their material needs, that if they trusted and followed Me, I would make sure their needs were met.

This may sound unrealistic in today’s materialistic world, where the pursuit of money seems more important than ever. Times have changed, but My promises have not. They are just as sure today as they were 2,000 years ago. Seek first the kingdom of God and obey the Word to the best of your ability, and My Father will provide everything you need.¹⁸

When you love Me and are trying to follow My example of loving and caring for others, God will take care of you. That doesn’t mean, though, that you can expect a life of luxury and ease. The tough times are also part of your heavenly Father’s plan to shape your character. And just as an earthly father doesn’t automatically give his children everything they want, My Father doesn’t necessarily give you everything you want. He gives you what you need and what He knows is best for you—not only best for your immediate physical needs, but more importantly for your immortal spirit.—Jesus

Published on Anchor September 2022. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
Music by John Listen.

¹ Philippians 4:19.

² Isaiah 55:9.

³ 1 Peter 2:9.

⁴ https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/four-truths-about-gods-provision.

⁵ Genesis 22:8 NIV.

⁶ Genesis 22:14 NIV.

⁷ https://busyblessedwomen.com/god-will-provide.

⁸ Matthew 6:25.

⁹ Matthew 6:27.

¹⁰ Matthew 6:34.

¹¹ 1 Peter 5:7.

¹² Philippians 4:6.

¹³ Hebrews 13:8.

¹⁴ Genesis 28:15.

¹⁵ Exodus 14:13.

¹⁶ Matthew 6:34.

¹⁷ https://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-god-taking-care-of-you.

¹⁸ Matthew 10:29–30; 6:33.

Only One Way

September 19, 2022

By David Brandt Berg

Audio length: 8:15

Download Audio (7.5MB)

The hardest words in the English language are “I was wrong.” After many years, I discovered that I was still under the delusion of the doctrine of concision—part works and part grace—because of the promises I thought God had made to flesh-and-blood Israel. Of course, I knew they could only be saved in the Spirit by the Spirit, but I still thought God was going to fulfill all those wonderful promises that He made to Israel—to a flesh-and-blood Israel—to the natural children of Abraham. But that’s not what He was talking about.

The most clinching argument I had was that the promise was to be fulfilled to literal Israel, and it was a literal land when He spoke to both Abraham and then Jacob: “For all the land which thou seest will I give unto thee and thy seed.”¹ But I finally understood Paul and his Epistles and the point he was making. I had a craving to thoroughly study the teachings of Paul when I realized that salvation is not by natural inheritance—but only by grace and only through Jesus.

If you haven’t got the truth, if you haven’t got the right interpretation, but you sincerely desire to know the truth, God sometimes has to take away from you what you think is right before He can show you the truth. He has to smash your idols. And He smashed one of the biggest idols I ever had!

Prophecies are fulfilled about all kinds of people that God prophesies about, which are predictions of the future about what is going to happen. But the promises of God are very different. Promises of blessing and good and salvation are made only to His spiritual children who have come to Him through Jesus and by grace. Not of works, lest any man should boast.²

“For God is no respecter of persons.”³ That verse used to bother me in my doctrine that God was going to give some slight preference to Jews, that they had some slight edge over the Gentiles because they were the flesh-and-blood children of Abraham. But there’s no such thing as a Jewish Christian, any more than there’s such a thing as a Gentile Christian, or a black Christian, or a white Christian, or a male or a female Christian. Neither is there any such thing as a bond Christian or a free Christian, for all are one in Christ Jesus.⁴

You are a Christian, period! And if you’re a Christian, you’re neither male nor female, bond nor free, Jew nor Gentile in God’s eyes. God doesn’t see your color, your nationality, your sex, or any other characteristic. God sees nothing but the blood of Jesus Christ and the blood-washed soul. “I’m determined to see no man among you save Jesus only.”⁵ It’s only Jesus! That’s the only difference God sees. You’re either saved or you’re lost; you’re either a child of God or you’re not.

If you’re a Christian, that’s all God sees. He only sees Jesus in you—Christ in you, the only hope of glory.⁶ It doesn’t matter what nationality you are, your ethnicity or your skin color or what sex you are or what social status you are or what father you had. He’s your Father and you’re His child, and that’s all that matters, because of Jesus. All glory be to Jesus!

And if you give the slightest bit, one infinitesimal, slight fraction of an iota of credit to the fact that you are Jewish or of a certain race or nationality or anything else, and that makes you a little more Christian than somebody else, or a little more in line for God’s blessing, you’re deceived, because there is no such thing. There’s no kind of in-between class of people who are part saved, and God’s going to partly bless them because they’re the natural children of Abraham or any other characteristic. Provided, of course, that they accept Jesus.

Some Jewish Christians I’ve met are just like I was. I felt for years that somehow because I’m a little bit Jewish by heritage, I’m a special kind of Christian. I thought that made me a partly Jewish Christian, and I was bound to get the blessing of God a little bit more than the Gentiles.

Galatians 3 says: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” And the next verse goes on to say: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”⁷ This subject is almost without beginning or end, it’s so big! The 26th verse of the same chapter says: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ.”

But even with this, some say, “Yes, that’s true! We are all children of faith by Christ Jesus. I know that I believe in grace, not in works. But nevertheless I, as a Jew, am just a little bit more favored child of God than the Gentiles. I’m just a little bit more blessed by God. God’s a little partial to me because I’m one of His flesh-and-blood children—not only a spiritual child, but a flesh-and-blood child.”

God has no flesh-and-blood children. There’s no such thing! We Jews are not more special to God than any other child of God. He’s not more partial to us, and He’s going to no more favor us than any other dear believer in Jesus! We haven’t got the edge on anybody. God bless Paul, he makes it absolutely clear. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female.” He keeps repeating this word “neither” so we won’t misunderstand it or lose track of the thought. “For ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” There’s no difference! There’s no such thing as a Jewish Christian or a Gentile Christian.

The Apostle Paul makes no exception. He states that once you become a Christian, you’re no longer a Jew nor a Greek, nor bond nor free, nor male nor female. Now you’re just a Christian—one in Christ—one body. The flesh doesn’t enter into it in any way, shape, or form whatsoever, no matter whose blood flows through your veins. And now that you’re a Christian, you belong to Jesus. You are a part of His body—the body of Christ.⁸

You’re no longer Abraham’s, Moses’, Elijah’s, or anything else—you belong to Jesus. You’re just part of Him. It’s all Jesus. Forget the rest! It’s the body of Christ that matters—all the saved in His Son, all those who love Jesus.

Jesus is the only door, and once you’ve gone through the door, it’s only Jesus. You might as well leave all the rest behind, because it doesn’t mean a thing to God anymore! It’s not about being Jewish or Gentile, or black or white, or rich or poor—it’s all about Jesus and His saving grace!

Originally published January 1971. Adapted and republished September 2022.
Read by Jerry Paladino.

¹ Genesis 13:15.

² Ephesians 2:9.

³ Acts 10:34.

⁴ Galatians 3:28.

⁵ 1 Corinthians 2:2.

⁶ Colossians 1:27.

⁷ Galatians 3:29.

⁸ 1 Corinthians 12:27.

19: The Battle of Armageddon

A Study of Revelation: Revelation Chapter 19

A Study of Revelation

David Brandt Berg

1981-05-01

“And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are His judgments: for He hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of His servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

“And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye His servants, and ye that fear Him, both small and great. And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

“And he saith unto me, Write, blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns; and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and His name is called The Word of God.

“And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

“And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.

“And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him that sat on the horse, and against His army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both (Antichrist and false prophet) were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Amen.

So reads the nineteenth chapter of this final book of the Bible, the book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John. A very remarkable passage, one of the longest in this book and one of the most fearsome, and yet not really one of the most complicated. The seventeenth chapter was one of the most symbolic and complicated and significant, which really requires interpretation. But this one, though long, is fairly simple; it’s obvious what’s happening.

In the eighteenth chapter we studied the witch and the monster: the great whore Babylon and the great seven-headed monster, the Beast with ten horns on the last head. We saw the destruction, the fall of the world system of the Great Whore, Babylon, materialism, wealth, riches, power, mammon, money. You name it—she’s it, the woman who all kings of the earth and all nations worship. But she’s finally completely destroyed in that eighteenth chapter.

We’re getting sort of little cameos now of the separate magnified events of the endtime. Actually we have already had the Rapture of the saints and the wrath of God, and even the Battle of Armageddon has already been predicted and we’ve had a little preview of it. But now after the Tribulation, the great world system is destroyed, Babylon the Great, the Great Whore that deceived the nations and caused the whole earth to worship her and desire her, because she is the great religion of the world—materialism.—Wealth, power, riches, that after which most men lust and covet.

The religion of this world is not Judaism or Christianity, or Islam, Buddhism, or animism. The greatest religion of the world is this harlot that rules over the kings of the earth. She is the goddess of things, the goddess of wealth, the goddess of possessions, the goddess of materialism—mammon.

In chapter 18 she was totally destroyed. Not by God, though it was ordained by God, but by her final great lover, the Antichrist himself.—The Devil-man, Satan incarnate who merely used her to gain power and to become the dictator of the world with a one-world government by uniting all the religions of the world behind him to promote him.

Having attained that power and having achieved that position at the pinnacle and peak of world power, the greatest world dictator the world has ever known, to rule the entire world in a one-world government of the Antichrist, the Devil has finally accomplished his purpose. He no longer needs the Whore, the world money system and its materialistic worship. Now he is going to demand not just the worship of things—which he has persuaded man to worship for millenniums. For thousands of years, he has persuaded mankind to worship things and idols and images and selfishness.

Many self-help speakers today promote worship of self—self-realization. “Get into yourself, discover yourself. Find self! You are your own god!” People begin to worship themselves and love themselves above God—“lovers of self rather than lovers of God,” as the apostle says (2 Timothy 3:2–4).

He’s going to set up his image in Jerusalem in the holiest of all holy places to the world’s three greatest religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. He is going to say, “Behold, I am thy God, O Israel. Behold, I am thy God, O Christians. Behold, I am thy God, O Islam. Worship me. I am the god of this world now. I’ve deceived you and led you astray all these years, but now you’re mine and I’m your god and you’ll worship me because I’ve destroyed all the rest of your gods and religions. Now you must worship me in person.”

Then he won’t need the Whore anymore. He destroys her and the great world economic system, the great world commercial and capitalistic system, the whole works, and he makes it a kingdom of hell on earth, a kingdom of the Devil himself in person, and declares that he is God—something he always wanted to be. He tried to steal the position of God in heaven. But, of course, he was nothing compared to God, and so God forced him out of power completely and he was cast out and down to the earth at the time of the Great Tribulation to tribulate and trouble the world for their sins.

Satan himself having destroyed the whore and the world system and having insisted that everyone worship his image, the image of this Beast, or be killed, and bear his name or number or mark in their foreheads or hands or starve, now rules supreme as the god of this world, demanding worship.

But something else is about to happen! Just at the hour when he thinks he has everything under control—at last he’s worshipped by the whole world as God and he sits in the temple of God, saying that he is God—suddenly, BOOM! Like a bolt from the blue, something happens. Jesus comes and snatches all His children out of this world, all believers, all those who love God and who refused the mark of the beast and refused to worship the Beast, preferred even to die than to worship him.—For which reason many will be killed and martyred because they will rebel against him and reject him and refuse him, those who really love Jesus.—Christ their Savior, and God their Father.

So the Resurrection takes place, and all the saved who were dead come to life and all those saved who are still alive are raised into the air to meet Jesus in the clouds. A wonderful miracle has taken place and God’s own have all been removed from this earth, and then horrible wrath is poured out upon those left behind.

In chapter 19 after the wonderful Resurrection and Rapture of the saints, they are in heaven with the Lord enjoying the great marriage feast of the Lamb, the great wedding of His Bride, the entire true church of God, believers in Christ, all of them counted as one great bride though they are composed of millions, marrying Jesus at this great celebration in heaven, this wedding feast that’s going to be one of the greatest parties ever held!

While that wonderful party is going on in heaven, described in the first part of this passage, hell on earth, the wrath of God, is going on below. Where the saved are, in the first part of the nineteenth chapter, there’s only beauty and saints and the power of God and the praise of the Lord at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, with everyone clothed in beautiful fine linen.

They’re all praising God, thanking God for the great victory over the Enemy. They have been released and rescued out of this hell on earth, and they’re in heaven with Jesus having a wonderful party, the Marriage Supper, and a wonderful time while God dumps His judgments upon their wicked enemies they left behind.

Finally, He says, “Now we are going to mount our great white horses in the sky and return to the earth like ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky.’” That old song always gave me a thrill, and reminded me of the Battle of Armageddon as the Ghost Riders come charging out of the sky on white horses to conquer the Devil and Antichrist, and his false prophet, his false propaganda system, and destroy his evil idol, the Image of the Beast, and the seat of his kingdom and all of his followers, all those who took the Mark of the Beast in their head or palm or hand.

We’re going to ride out of the sky with Jesus on white horses. It says he saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, the horse on which sits Jesus, the Faithful and the True, and in righteousness He doth judge and make war.

We’re going to come riding out of the sky, ghost riders from the sky. An invasion from outer space, aliens now to this world! Man worries about an invasion of aliens from outer space, and that’s what’s going to happen. We are going to be the aliens. We’re going to come riding out of the sky on great white horses and destroy the satanic kingdom of hell on earth, and then we’re going to set up the kingdom of heaven on earth, the kingdom of God, and restore earth to the beauty of the Garden of Eden.

His followers are going to rule over whatever people may have been blessed to survive both the wrath of man and the Tribulation and the wrath of God Himself. Those who have survived will be privileged and blessed of God to have managed to live through all that into the kingdom of God. We will be the rulers of this earth with Jesus and we shall rule and reign with Him together upon the earth, God’s Word says, with a rod of iron—by force. They are going to be compelled to obey God and compelled to do that which is right, and “righteousness shall cover the earth as the waters cover the seas” (Isaiah 11:9).

There’s going to be a great millennium of righteousness, a thousand-year period of the restored Garden of Eden upon earth. But first of all we have to destroy the Antichrist kingdom. We’re going to have to destroy Satan and the Antichrist, the false prophet, his propaganda system, his great image of himself, and all those who followed the Beast.

Jesus invites the beasts and the fowls of the air, the vultures, to come and feast upon the bodies of these terrible people who rebelled against God and who tried to fight God to the very last. Even after all of His judgments, after He did so many mighty miracles and caught His people out of the grave and off the surface of the earth into the sky to be with Him in heaven! They hate Him all the more, fight Him all the more. So He finally comes back with His followers and destroys their whole kingdom. Copyright © 1981 The Family International.

An Evidential Faith

A compilation

2020-06-23

Many people today assume that a Christian’s faith in God is what might be defined as blind faith. This is the idea that belief is based on … well, just belief. In other words, there is no evidence or logical reason to believe something, it’s just “faith.” In other words, faith is simply a subjective feeling or emotional response to the idea that God exists.

The idea that faith is “blind” is found throughout our culture. For example, in the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana, played by Harrison Ford, must retrieve the Holy Grail of Christ to save the life of his father (Sean Connery). He makes it through a long corridor of deadly obstacles only to find himself standing on the edge of a deep chasm. He hesitates, but finally takes a “step of faith” and finds, to his surprise, he is actually walking on a camouflaged footbridge. This scene illustrates the popular notion that “faith” means believing something that you can’t see. It was only after Indy “blindly” stepped out that he felt and saw the solid bridge leading across the chasm…

What does the Bible mean by faith? The main verse in the Bible defining faith is found in Hebrews 11:1… Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…

[W]hat is meant by the word “faith”? The original Greek word means “firm persuasion,” or “a conviction based upon hearing.” This carries the meaning of forensic evidence, which is the kind of evidence used in a court of law. Far from being an irrational belief, faith in this sense is the height of reasonableness, the result of weighing the evidence and reaching a logical conclusion in light of the facts.

The Apostle Paul used the idea of forensic evidence in his speech in Athens. In Acts 17:31, Paul was speaking to the pagan leaders of this major Greek city. He said, “For he [God] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man [Jesus] he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead” (emphasis mine).

The “proof” Paul referred to was the kind of testimony or facts presented during a court trial. He is saying that the evidence for Jesus rising from the dead is the same sort of evidence used to convince the jury of the guilt or innocence of the defendant…

The second word to look at in more detail is “substance.” This word refers to something that is “set under” something else as a support. This means there is something substantial that supports one’s faith. … It’s not a “step in the dark,” it’s a step into the light! …

What we find when we examine a biblical definition of the word “faith” is totally different from what many people assume. It turns out not to be “blind” belief, but a personal conviction based on solid evidence.—From Summit Ministries¹

God’s pursuit of humankind

We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.

I was an atheist at one time. And like many atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don’t believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people … to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded.

To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life.

I didn’t realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself, and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn’t escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God’s existence, my prayer began with, “Okay, you win…” It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.

I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, “I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued.” C. S. Lewis said he remembered, “…night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England.”

Lewis went on to write a book titled Surprised by Joy as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God’s existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me…

God does not force us to believe in him, though he could. Instead, he has provided sufficient proof of his existence for us to willingly respond to him. The earth’s perfect distance from the sun, the unique chemical properties of water, the human brain, DNA, the number of people who attest to knowing God, the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there, the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ.—Marilyn Adamson ²

You are the proof

Our faith is not built on supernatural, miraculous manifestations of the spirit world. One of the proofs you can see today is the proof you see in the faces of the witnesses. As a witness you become the living Word of God. We’re all little Jesuses, in a way, because we all have the Spirit of Christ. We all have Jesus in our hearts, we manifest the love of Christ, so we’re all supposed to be like Him.

You are Christ’s, He says; you belong to Him.³ Your body is His. Your mind, your heart, your life. You are His living Word now. Just as Jesus was the Word of God when He was on earth, you carry the Word of God and the word of salvation.

As Dwight L. Moody said, “The only Bible the world reads is bound in shoe leather.” People often say, “I see a light on your face! I see something in you that I’ve never seen before!” That’s a little confirmation God gives.

Someone has said, “You can’t prove God exists. You can’t put God in a test tube and prove to me that God is.” I want to tell you that He’s put Himself in you and you are living, visible proof that there is a God, just like His creation. Your very bodies are the proof that there’s a God. Your love, the light in your eyes and on your faces, and the wonderful spirit that people see in you proves not only that there’s a God but that God loves them. You’re living proof!

Every one of you is the living proof of salvation. You’re all proof not only that there’s a God, which the whole world can see by His creation, but that Jesus saves! They can look at you and see the living proof.—David Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor June 2020. Read by Reuben Ruchevsky. Music by John Listen.

¹ https://www.summit.org/resources/articles/is-faith-blind.

² https://www.everystudent.com/features/isthere.html.

³ 1 Corinthians 3:23.

Understanding and Expressing Love

September 16, 2022

By Dr. Gary Chapman

One of our deepest emotional needs is to feel loved by the significant people in our lives. The 5 Love Languages is designed to help you effectively communicate love. What makes one person feel loved will not make another person feel loved. We must discover and speak each other’s love language. Whatever season you find yourself in, I want to give you the confidence you need to connect profoundly with the ones you love. It is my sincere hope and belief that the love language concept and related resources will help you love better and grow closer—starting right now.

Run time for this video is 45 minutes.

https://youtu.be/3SYVSqaFo-E

God in the World

September 15, 2022

By John Lincoln Brandt

Audio length: 11:04

Download Audio (10.1MB)

“In the beginning, God.”—Genesis 1:1

The sentence, “In the beginning, God,” stands like an archway at the beginning of the universe. In the beginning of heaven, God; in the beginning of the earth, God; in the beginning of time, God; in the beginning of man, God; in the beginning of the Bible, God; in the beginning of salvation, God.

Looking back at the universe to the time when the chaotic mists hung across the morning of creation, we see streaking their silvery summits that infinite word, “God.” Looking above us at the stars of the heavens, and contemplating their number and magnitude, and the power that created and sustains them, we think of “God.” Looking forward into the infinite future, toward which all are traveling, we meet with “God.”

The idea of God is the center of the spiritual universe. It is the focal point of human thought. It is the answer to the soul’s thirst. It is the universal prayer. It is the greatest idea in the world. It is the idea that overwhelms us; that humbles us; that exalts us, that saves us; that inspires us, and that makes us believe in our immortality. It is the keynote to religious progress.

Sooner or later every person will rise or fall according to his or her conception of God. The idea of God has been an inspiration to every noble service and has marched the good and great in their acts of kindness and philanthropy.

Unfortunately, our God has been depicted in a light that is neither attractive nor designed to constrain us to love him. In Art he is too frequently represented as being seated in a rigid and formal manner upon a straight-backed chair, with eyes gazing into space, with a crown upon his head, with his feet resting upon a globe as if to make him the terrible ruler of the earth.

In Science, he has too frequently been represented not as a person—not as a Father, with a heart to love, not with ears to hear the cries of his children, not with lips to pardon our sins, not with eyes to look tenderly upon our misgivings—but as something that is unreal and intangible, and with no personality.

In Philosophy he is too frequently represented as having created the world, and then leaving it to its own devices; leaving it to go whirling through space in obedience to the laws of Nature; leaving the race without hope, without prayer, without permission to approach the throne of grace.

In Pantheism, God is made identical with the universe—therefore, he is a flower, or a stone, or a tree, or light, or heat, or earth, or heavens, or the aggregate of all these; a God without thought and emotion; a God without tenderness and love; a God without interest in the affairs of men.

In History, he has frequently been represented as a conquering King, ruling the people by his iron will; as a Judge, executing the laws; as a Master subjugating his slaves; a God whose wrath must be appeased and whose favor must be won by the offering of sacrifices.

But we rejoice that in Christ we have a new conception of God. Jesus taught us to say, “Our Father.” It was the enunciation of the great truth of the universal Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. Neither Art, nor Science, nor Philosophy, nor Pantheism, nor History had taught such a comprehensive view of our God. It is a new idea of God that came through the Revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ; an idea of God that brings together in one family all that dwell upon the face of the earth; an idea that levels all castes and ranks of men; an idea that brings peace and good-will to men; an idea that binds all races and colors together in one common bond of sympathy; an idea that saint and sinner, bond and free, Greek and Barbarian, may accept with all heart and soul.

We love to entertain this idea of God. We may apprehend this idea of “Our Father,” though not be able to comprehend the fullness of its meaning. The Bible assumes that God exists, and that every man’s conscience is a witness to that fact; with this idea in view, we love to think of God as being in the world and the world belonging to him, and that in him we live, and move and have our being.¹

Satan has been in the world and claimed it and ruled it as the prince of the powers of darkness. He laid claim to it when he led Jesus up into the Mount and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and offered them to him if he would bow down and worship him; but we rejoice that the power of Satan has been broken, and people have turned from Satan unto God. Great conquerors have been in the world and endeavored to govern it. Men of wealth have tried to buy it; monopolists have attempted to monopolize it; kings have endeavored to rule it; but every effort to control the earth has been such a failure that the inscription could be written over the hearts of the usurpers that is written over the door of the Royal Exchange of London: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.”

God is in the world as its Creator. The Scriptures tell us that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” “Thou hast made the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts, the earth with all things thereon, the seas and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all.”² “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place and hangeth the earth upon nothing.”³

“He hath made everything beautiful in its time.”⁴ “The Spirit of the Lord hath made me; the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”⁵ “It is he that made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”⁶ “He giveth to all life and breath and all things, and hath made of one blood all nations to dwell upon the face of the earth and hath the times afore appointed and the bounds of their habitations.”⁷

There is design in Nature, and design presupposes a designer. A ship presupposes a ship-builder; a watch a watch-maker; a world a world-designer and world-maker. A world-designer is a thinker, and that Thinker is God—the Creator of the universe. Man has made wonderful things; great are the beauties of art and wonders of science, and yet, notwithstanding all their beauty and finish, there is not one of them that can equal the delicacy of the little flower or surpass the beauty of the gorgeous sunset, or the grandeur of the star-gemmed heavens. Not even the greatest of God’s children, though he be taxed to the utmost—though his life depended upon it—could make a blade of grass. God is in the harmony, law, order, intelligence, design, relation of cause to effect, adaptation of means to an end and purpose of all Nature.

Therefore, let us sum up the whole matter and hear the conclusion of the whole discussion: Our God is great, holy, wise, good, powerful and merciful. He is in the world in its creation, preservation, history and redemption. Are you prepared to meet your God? If not, I entreat you, by his love and mercy, prepare to meet him. Make ready while you have the opportunity; accept the invitation while it is being given; obey his will and consecrate yourself, body, soul, and spirit, to his service today!

John Lincoln Brandt (1860–1946) was the father of Virginia Brandt Berg. Excerpted from Soul Saving Revival Sermons, originally published in 1907.
Read by Simon Peterson.

¹ Acts 17:28.

² Nehemiah 9:6.

³ Job 26:7.

⁴ Ecclesiastes 3:11.

⁵ Job 33:4.

⁶ Psalm 100:3.

⁷ Acts 17:25–26.

I Want to Change

September 14, 2022

By John W.

When I got saved, I didn’t know much about sin. I thought I was trying to be a good guy and not hurt anybody. I was trying to find a way to make this world a better place. And then, through my years as a missionary, I tried to do the same. But with time I learned more about my weaknesses and how they hurt Jesus and others and me, too. When people would tell me when I did something wrong, it helped me to change. In later years, when we lived more on our own, I didn’t have much safeguarding other than from my wife. As a result, I depended more on the Lord. He showed me more about my shortcomings and it made me want to change.

I was aware of my longstanding weaknesses and I didn’t want to fall back into them anymore. The Anchor post “The Transformation” was very helpful along that line: Only through an inner spiritual transformation do we gain the strength to fight vigorously the evils of the world in a humble and loving spirit. I wanted to become the kind of people who routinely and easily walk in the goodness and power of Jesus, our Master. For this, a process of “spiritual formation”—really, transformation—is required. I realized that [transformation] rarely happens overnight. It involves training, testing, and time. I held on to the fact that the Author of life is also the Transformer of life.

I realized that the Lord wanted me to get rid of anything in my life that hindered me from being more like Him and letting Him work through me. I couldn’t fight this battle on my own. I needed help. So, I confessed my sins and asked for prayer, not just from my wife but also from trustworthy prayer warriors. I claimed a verse which is usually used in connection with salvation. Well, I needed salvation from my sins. Confession is made unto salvation.¹ And I claimed the old classic: Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.²

I sought the same mercy that Paul received in his battles with his sins: Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.³

Charles Price wrote: Paul writes in Romans 7:23, ‘I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.’ This ‘law of sin’ works with a bias towards that which is wrong, and the acts of sin we commit are symptomatic of our corrupt nature. And then he quotes a beautiful promise of how Jesus delivers us from our sins: He [Jesus] will save his people from their sins.⁴

One of my besetting sins ⁵ is my temper and getting upset when things go wrong. It is rooted in self-righteousness and is detrimental. When people do something wrong and hurt me, others, or things, I easily overreact. I lived in central Africa for many years, and things went wrong all the time! It was a great training ground to learn this very lesson, how to stay calm and even praise God when things go wrong; praising Him for all the great things He does in spite of all the troubles we face.

Paul says: And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me. I apply this to my spiritual thorns in the flesh. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. ⁶ I asked more than thrice. In fact, every morning I ask Jesus to help me and fill me with His love and patience and whatever I need help with at the time. And he said unto me, my grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me… That’s my only hope, His strength. What an attitude to have when things get rough and tough: Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.⁷ That’s my goal, to be glad, to glory, and take pleasure when troubles come.

Fighting temptation and evil must be quite important to the Lord, as He built that into His short sample prayer for us: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.⁸ He’s the only one who can give us the victory. For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.⁹ I haven’t arrived yet and never will in this life, especially when I think about verses like Love suffers long and is kind¹⁰ or Love your enemies.¹¹ But I’m encouraged that things are slowly improving, and when I fall again, I apologize, ask for prayer, and go on. It’s actually helpful to fall from time to time as it keeps me humble and draws me closer to Jesus.

So, to summarize my lessons:

Recognize and admit my weaknesses
Ask for prayer from others and ask Jesus for His help
Claim scriptures to hold on to during this time of change
When slipping again, apologize, ask for prayer, and move on
With time, improvement is coming, and Jesus can come through more

And in closing, the Lord showed me another good reason to fight my weaknesses. It sets me free! Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.¹² I don’t want to be addicted to anything—food, pleasure, things, my work, success, whatever. I don’t want my happiness to depend on anything but Jesus. And I know, if I do my part, He gives me what I need. Real happiness, joy, and fulfillment in life only come from Him. He promised that when we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts.¹³ That’s quite an incentive! That makes me want to change.

¹ Romans 10:10 KJV.

² James 5:16.

³ 1 Timothy 1:15–16.

⁴ Matthew 1:21.

⁵ Hebrews 12:1.

⁶ 2 Corinthians 12:7–8.

⁷ 2 Corinthians 12:9–10.

⁸ Matthew 6:13.

⁹ Philippians 2:13.

¹⁰ 1 Corinthians 13:4.

¹¹ Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27, 35.

¹² Galatians 5:1.

¹³ Psalm 37:4.

The Art of Waiting on the Lord

September 13, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 14:15

Download Audio (13MB)

“In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.”—Psalm 5:3¹

When you ask God for help, you can wait with expectation.

You pray to a God who honors his promises. He is a good Father who always gives you what you need. When you wait expectantly, you demonstrate faith by believing God will do what he has promised.

Expectation isn’t entitlement. Entitlement says, “I will get what I need from God because I deserve it, I’ve earned it. I’ve read my Bible five times this week and have been to church twice, so God has to give me what I need.” Expectation says, “God will give me what I need because of who he is.”

Waiting expectantly isn’t easy, especially when you feel powerless. When you are trusting God to do the impossible—in your marriage, career, or relationships—and his timing feels too slow, it’s hard to keep trusting him.

Don’t be discouraged, and don’t give up! Even though you don’t know why God hasn’t answered your prayers, you can trust him to keep his promise. God is always in control; he is never surprised, and no one is more powerful than him. Your biggest problems are small to him.

While you are waiting, God is working. He is building your faith, teaching you his truth, drawing you closer to himself, and making you more like Christ. God knows what you need better than you do.

Follow David’s example: Keep making your requests to God and waiting expectantly for him to answer.—Rick Warren²

Trust and wait

“Wait on the LORD: Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: Wait, I say, on the LORD.”³ … Patient, confident trust in the Lord is the central idea of the exhortation to wait on the Lord. The entire Psalm 27 is a prayer to God for help. It beautifully illustrates the meaning of waiting on the Lord. Throughout the psalm’s eloquent lines, David expresses authentic faith and courageous trust in God, based on his confident expectation that the Lord will rescue and save him in his time of trouble.

First, we see that we can wait on the Lord by trusting in Him. David expressed great confidence in the Lord, who was his light, salvation, and stronghold.⁴…

We can wait on the Lord by seeking Him. David conveyed his trust in the Lord by longing to be with Him, to commune in God’s presence and worship in His temple: “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.”⁵…

We can wait on the Lord through prayer, as David did in eager expectation of deliverance.⁶ David asked God for wisdom, direction, and protection, wholly believing he would “see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.”⁷ Those who wait on the Lord can fully expect Him to fulfill their hope: “Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame.”⁸

Waiting on the Lord involves the confident expectation of a positive result in which we place a great hope. This expectation is based on knowledge of and trust in God. … We must be confident of who God is and what He is capable of doing. Those who wait on the Lord do not lose heart in their prayers: “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”⁹ Waiting on the Lord renews our strength.¹⁰

Waiting on the Lord by trusting, seeking, and praying establishes our faith and brings serenity and stability: “I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the LORD and put their trust in him.”¹¹ As this passage affirms, waiting on the Lord is also a testimony to others who will see our faith and, as a result, put their trust in God.

Waiting on the Lord brings God’s blessings: “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.”¹²

Sometimes we might feel as though the Lord does not see or hear us—that He’s not answering our prayers. During these moments, we can put our complete faith and trust in the living God. We can wait on the Lord in eager anticipation, knowing that He is with us and in control of our lives. He will do what He has promised. He will rescue and save us. He is always working for our good, even when we don’t feel Him.¹³ Through patient, courageous, active trusting, seeking, and prayer, we can learn to wait on the Lord.—GotQuestions.org¹⁴

Worth waiting for

Over the years I have seen some dear friends of mine be marvelously blessed by the Lord. Some of these same loved ones and co-workers have gone through what seemed to be a series of incredibly trying times. They faced a lot of difficulty, disappointment, and unfulfilled desires and dreams.

I attended a wedding celebration for one of these friends. She had gotten married in another country, and so she and her husband were celebrating their marriage with those of us who weren’t able to attend the actual ceremony. I felt so much joy seeing them together, along with their beautiful baby daughter. She had desperately wanted a family for many years, but it just wasn’t happening, and of course that was a huge test for her—but she continued to hold on to the Lord and trust.

And now, after years of waiting, the Lord had brought the right man into her life—and brought her into his. As hard as I know it was for her to wait all those years, it was worth it. She now has a wonderful husband and a beautiful baby.

Seeing her so happy, as well as thinking about others who have come through long spells of waiting or ongoing tests, increases my faith to trust God when times are bad, or when I’m going through a difficult period. Each of these had passed through their own particular “valley of the shadow of death”¹⁵ which was full of difficulties, discouragement, and circumstances that couldn’t easily be changed. In some cases, there was no way out but to wait, and to trust that, in time, things would change for the better.

Each one persevered through their difficulties. They held on to the Lord in faith and prayer, they didn’t give up, and they crossed the valley and came out on the other side. Those difficulties eventually passed. Their particular valleys took a long time to travel through—years, in some cases. Some came out of their battles wounded, and they needed time to heal. But each one held on, didn’t give up, and is better and happier for it.

I was reminded of a low time in my life, when I was faced with personal difficulties, which were the most trying I had faced until that point. There was nothing I could do to remedy the situation except to pray and trust God for the outcome—that He would either change the situation or give me the grace to make it through. Thankfully, He did both.

Most trials and tribulations don’t pass immediately; sometimes they last a very long time. In the midst of it you may feel as if you’re being ripped apart, and sometimes all you can do is cry out to Jesus and hold on desperately to the promises in His Word. There is new life after passing through that valley of seeming death. And it’s worth holding on for, worth waiting for, worth fighting for.—Peter Amsterdam

Struggling to wait

When we understand God is good, we can trust He has good in store for us. When we know Him as the sovereign Lord over our prayers, plans and hopes, we can believe He wants our best. When we wait for God to act on our behalf, we receive the fullness of His blessings.

Maybe you are struggling to wait for God’s best. Everything in your heart, mind or flesh may be crying out for a shortcut—one that will relieve the pressures of life right now.

When you’re tempted to run ahead of God’s best, He’s never further away than an arrow prayer. Help me. Save me. Comfort me. God loves to hear your short, sweet prayers of trust. As you lean on God instead of your own desires, He’ll act on your behalf.

Though you can’t hear, perceive or see God’s master plan for your life, you can trust Him today in your struggles. Surrender all your hopes and desires to Him. Keep praying for as long as it takes. His presence will be an incomparable comfort if you choose to wait.

Lord, I believe You have Your best in mind for me. When my desires crave what is second-best, remind me to cry out to You. Help me trust that if I wait for You to act, I’ll see You reveal an amazing, custom-made plan. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.—Sarah Geringer ¹⁶

Published on Anchor September 2022. Read by John Laurence. Music by John Listen.

¹ NIV.

² https://pastors.com/god-is-working-while-youre-waiting.

³ Psalm 27:14 KJV.

⁴ Psalm 27:1–2.

⁵ Psalm 27:4.

⁶ Psalm 27:7–14.

⁷ Psalm 27:11–13.

⁸ Psalm 25:3 ESV.

⁹ 1 John 5:14.

¹⁰ Isaiah 40:31.

¹¹ Psalm 40:1–3

¹² Isaiah 64:4; see also 1 Corinthians 2:9.

¹³ Romans 8:28.

¹⁴ https://www.gotquestions.org/wait-on-the-Lord.html.

¹⁵ Psalm 23:4.

¹⁶ https://proverbs31.org/read/devotions/full-post/2020/06/26/waiting-for-gods-best.

Finding His Appointment in Times of Disappointment

September 12, 2022

Words from Jesus

Audio length: 13:12

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I know it is hard at times for you to see My purpose in allowing disappointments in your life. But as you turn to Me and give thanks to Me in all things, and look to Me to carry you through, I renew your hope and remind you of the bigger-picture purpose for your life. When you make the choice to glorify Me in all things and at all times, you experience My grace and the strength to carry you through.

I can use the ashes of disappointment to help you to come to better know My grace and glory. As you look to Me for My grace and give thanks in all things, the voice of praise and thanksgiving will usher you into the light of a brighter day of renewed hope.

To you, My children, who know Me and love Me, all things will work together for good. Trust that My ways are higher than your ways and that I do all things well concerning My children.

My Spirit in you

My dear one, I do not condemn you for your faults and weaknesses. Your human failures do not make Me love you less. Remember that I know everything about you. I see every time that you come to Me and cry out to Me in desperation for My answers and My help. Your desire to do better and your willingness to grow and change, and your desperation to pray and seek My face for personal answers to your problems do not distance you from Me; they draw you closer.

I understand how much you want to do the right thing, and your disappointment when things don’t turn out as you had hoped in spite of your best efforts. But that’s why you need Me and My Spirit working in you. You don’t have the strength in yourself to be humble, loving, or wise. No one has enough strength in themselves, for this strength comes from My Spirit in you. The only way to have such strength is to receive it from Me.

Steppingstones

You can turn what seems like an albatross in your life into a blessing. You can turn what seems to be a hindrance and source of trials into a closer connection to Me and My Spirit. You can turn your weakness into a strength. These things are possible with Me if you can believe.

These weak areas in your life have kept you humble and desperate with Me, as you have yielded and sought Me for answers. You have learned compassion for others who suffer, as you can feel the heartaches of those you pray for and weep with those who weep, and you are touched with the afflictions of those who suffer.

When you are aware of your need of Me and are desperate for My help with your problems, then you are much more desperate in prayer for others. Your weaknesses and mistakes are not failures, but can be steppingstones toward progress and growth.

My footsteps

My precious one, I know it is your sincere desire and prayer to walk in My footsteps. Therefore, don’t be surprised at the burdens and the heaviness of heart that will touch you from time to time, as you experience My compassion and love for others.

I wept. I wept for the burdens. I wept for the trials. I wept when I saw My loved ones fall and stumble. I wept, and I was moved with compassion upon them. I wept, yet my sorrows brought Me to My Father’s loving arms on the wings of desperate prayer. These difficult times are meant for you to learn to truly cast your burden on Me, and as you do so, your faith will grow.

A catalyst

The sufferings, trials, distresses or tribulations that you experience can serve as catalysts that lead you to greater awareness of My presence and My love for you, that you may grow in a closer walk with Me. Know in your heart that all things will work together for good for My children who love Me. Remember that I have numbered even the very hairs of your head.

As you choose to take a stand of faith and give thanks in all things, you will experience My strength and grace to overcome. For this is the victory that overcomes the world—your faith.¹

Suffering and tribulation are often a catalyst that draws you close to Me, as you seek Me. As you call upon Me for every happening and need in your life, I pour My grace upon you. Through these events that you often see as suffering and tribulation, I lead you into a closer walk with Me. These events can become blessings in disguise, as you are moved into a position where I am able to pour My grace upon you, that through My grace you may come to know Me more intimately and experience My glory.

The glory

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.² If you could fathom even an infinitesimal speck of what this means, you would not doubt My workings in your life for one moment. All power, glory, and majesty are in My hand.

If you could only see the glorious future that I have prepared for you, you would not look upon times of suffering, trials, and tribulation as something to be dreaded. You would look to Me with eyes of gladness and the voice of thanksgiving and find strength, that through these you might come to know My glory.

Give thanks to Me in all things, even when you can’t see anything good in the situation you are facing. In your trials and suffering, My beloved, seek to come to know Me in a greater way than in times past, so that through these, My power and glory may rest upon you and your faith will be strengthened. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world.

Chosen and ordained

You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain.³ But you must have patience and wait for the doors to open. Then after you have done the will of God, you will receive the promise.

Always remember that I love you and care for you, and My desire for you is that you will find complete fulfillment in Me, and that you will find joy unspeakable as you delight yourself in Me.

I have much in store for you, so hold on! When you feel that you can’t go on, cling to Me and My Word, and I will supply the strength and faith and patience you need to endure. I see your sacrifices, I see your tears, and I will reward you for all your labors of love. Therefore, take courage and keep on believing, for the answer is on its way.

The hope and the future

As you glorify Me in all things and give thanks in all things, you can rest in the hope for the future I have promised you. When you face suffering, trials, and disappointments, you can find shelter in My grace as a way of escape. Remember that I have promised to always make a way of escape that you can bear whatever earthly trials you face.

Trials and distresses are steppingstones to My grace and the passageway to glory. I do not allow troubles so you will be cast down into a deep pit with no way out. I do not allow disappointment so that you will shut yourself within high walls of sorrow and grief. Problems and disappointments can draw you closer to Me, so that you can experience My power and strength, and My glory can rest upon you.

All things that you face in life are meant to bring you into closer communion with Me. I will give you treasures from the darkness and reveal to you hidden riches from the secret places so that you may know that I am the Lord your God who calls you by your name.⁴

Your disappointments become My holy appointments as you draw close to Me and glorify Me in all things. I do all things well toward you, My beloved, in lovingkindness and in righteousness. In the day when righteousness will be poured down and cover the earth, you will rejoice forevermore and dwell in eternal joy.

Originally published in 1997. Adapted and republished September 2022.
Read by Simon Peterson. Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ 1 John 5:4.

² Matthew 28:18.

³ John 15:16.

⁴ Isaiah 45:3.

03 – Living Christianity: The Blessings of Obedience to God

Living Christianity

Peter Amsterdam

2018-10-16

Each of us is regularly faced with making both moral and nonmoral decisions. Choosing what food to order at a restaurant, what color to paint your bedroom, whether or not to buy a new pair of gloves, for example, are nonmoral decisions—they are morally neutral, as there is no ethical value attached to them. They are just a matter of personal preference. Most of our day-to-day decisions fall into this category. However, at times we are faced with making decisions of a moral nature. Do I exaggerate my level of education on my résumé? Do I deliberately lie in order to get out of a difficult decision? Should I support my government’s decision to fight an unjust war?

The moral and ethical choices we make play a large role in our relationships with God and others. As believers, the foundation of our ethics is the Bible. A life that is lived in service to God finds its ethical compass within Scripture, and through obedience to its teachings we find the joy of pleasing the Lord.

Both the Old and New Testaments teach that obedience to God brings blessings to one’s life, and that sin brings negative consequences. They also teach that each of us sin: None is righteous, no, not one.¹

As believers, we want to please God by living in obedience to His Word; yet, as sinful human beings, we aren’t able to fully obey all that Scripture teaches. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.² In spite of our natural, human inclination toward sin, Scripture teaches that if we endeavor to glorify God through our actions, we will receive His blessings. What do those blessings look like? Let’s take a look.³

The blessing of His love and fellowship.

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.⁴

If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.⁵

The joy and delight of God’s presence.

In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.⁶

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.⁷

The joy of expressing our love for God through obedience to His Word.

If you love me, you will keep my commandments.⁸

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.⁹

This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.¹⁰

The blessing of pleasing God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus said:

He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.¹¹

Elsewhere in the Gospels, at the time of Jesus’ baptism, God said:

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.¹²

Jesus pleased His Father.

Throughout the Epistles, we read about conducting ourselves in a manner that pleases God, as Jesus did.

He [Jesus] received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”¹³

We are called to please God through our actions.

Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.¹⁴

It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.¹⁵

Try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.¹⁶

Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.¹⁷

Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.¹⁸

Brothers, we ask and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God, just as you are doing, that you do so more and more.¹⁹

How do we live in a way that pleases God? By doing our best to apply the principles of His Word to our lives, and allowing the fruit of those principles to flow through our actions, resulting in the “good works” which God’s Word directs us to do.

We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.²⁰

Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.²¹

They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share.²²

The blessing of being effective in our example and witness. When our words and actions are guided by Scripture, they will be moral and ethical and therefore honorable. The apostle Peter wrote:

Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.²³

If we act with Christlikeness, then even those who may dislike us or who speak against us will still see the good we do and perhaps be moved by it. Peter also expressed this concept when he wrote:²⁴

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct.²⁵

The blessing of God being more attentive to us. Scripture teaches that we receive additional blessings from God when we make an effort to avoid evil.

Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.²⁶

We read about having confidence when we come before God in prayer with a clear conscience and live what Scripture teaches.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.²⁷

The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way.²⁸

The joy of a clear conscience. The apostle Paul directed Timothy to train people to keep a good conscience before God.

The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.²⁹

He also instructed him to fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith.³⁰ Of course, having a good conscience requires striving to live in obedience to God’s Word and resisting the temptation to sin.

The blessing of peace. The apostle Paul wrote that practicing what he taught would bring God’s peace.

What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.³¹

In the book of Isaiah we read something similar.

Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea.³²

The blessing of avoiding God’s discipline. Scripture compares God’s loving discipline of His children to that of an earthly father who disciplines his children when they are disobedient. Such discipline is an act of love, as its goal is to correct the child for wrongdoing in order to teach them the right way to conduct themselves. In the book of Revelation, we hear Jesus say:

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.³³

In Hebrews, we read:

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.³⁴

If we get off track, God’s discipline is a blessing. However, it is even better to live in a way that makes it unnecessary to receive His discipline.

The blessing of experiencing a foretaste of heaven. The Bible tells us that there will be no sin or disobedience in the heavenly city to come:

Nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.³⁵

Life there will be lived in complete alignment with God’s standards and love, and nothing unrighteous will be present.

We are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.³⁶

If we live in obedience to what God commands in Scripture, then in a sense we will have a foretaste of what heaven will be like.

The blessing of heavenly reward. The Epistles show that salvation is a free gift from God. They also teach that there are degrees of reward for believers in the life to come, and that those rewards are related to how we live on earth.

Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.³⁷

We will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.³⁸

When we stand before the Lord and give account for our lives, it will be a time of blessing and reward for those who loved and obeyed Him. The book of Revelation speaks of the time for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear your name, both small and great.³⁹

It’s not easy to live in obedience to God’s Word, but when we do, we encounter His blessings. In the next article, we will explore the effects and consequences of sin in our lives.

(To read the next article in this series, click here.)

Note

¹ Romans 3:10.

² Romans 3:23.

³ The following points are condensed from Wayne Grudem’s Christian Ethics (Wheaton: Crossway, 2018), chapter 5.

⁴ John 15:10.

⁵ John 14:23.

⁶ Psalm 16:11.

⁷ Psalm 36:7–8.

⁸ John 14:15.

⁹ John 14:21.

¹⁰ 1 John 5:3.

¹¹ John 8:29.

¹² Matthew 3:17. See also Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22, Matthew 17:5.

¹³ 2 Peter 1:17.

¹⁴ Colossians 1:10.

¹⁵ Philippians 2:13.

¹⁶ Ephesians 5:10.

¹⁷ Hebrews 13:16.

¹⁸ 2 Corinthians 5:9.

¹⁹ 1 Thessalonians 4:1.

²⁰ Ephesians 2:10.

²¹ Matthew 5:16.

²² 1 Timothy 6:18.

²³ 1 Peter 2:12.

²⁴ For more on women’s role in the New Testament generally, and in regard to marriage specifically, see Women of Faith, parts 1–4.

²⁵ 1 Peter 3:1–2.

²⁶ 1 Peter 3:10–12.

²⁷ 1 John 3:21–22.

²⁸ Psalm 37:23.

²⁹ 1 Timothy 1:5 NAS.

³⁰ 1 Timothy 1:18–19 NIV.

³¹ Philippians 4:9.

³² Isaiah 48:18.

³³ Revelation 3:19.

³⁴ Hebrews 12:11.

³⁵ Revelation 21:27.

³⁶ 2 Peter 3:13.

³⁷ 2 Corinthians 5:9–10.

³⁸ Romans 14:10–12.

³⁹ Revelation 11:18.

Doctor Has Near-Death Experience That Transforms His Life

September 9, 2022

100 Huntley Street

When Mark McDonough was a teen, a catastrophic fire claimed the lives of his mother and younger brother. It also left Mark with burns on over 65 percent of his body. During a long and painful recovery, his faltering faith in God was strengthened by a remarkable near-death experience. Inspired to pursue a career as a plastic surgeon to help those who suffer as he has, McDonough has overcome numerous other adversities on his journey, including addiction and a stroke. Now he shares his incredible true story of survival and perseverance to bring hope and healing to those dealing with great physical and emotional pain.

Run time for this video is 15 minutes.

https://youtu.be/sv0ZPnXU-9E

Life Balance Check, Part 2: Health

September 8, 2022

By Peter Amsterdam

Audio length: 10:27

Download Audio (9.5MB)

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”—3 John 2¹

Our bodies are an amazing gift from God, and it is our duty to Him to take care of them. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are not our own.²

In respecting and taking care of our bodies, we are respecting God. Honoring God’s laws of health puts us in the best position to be healthy, mobile, active, and live a vibrant life as we seek to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.

As Parker Palmer wrote,

Self-care is never a selfish act—it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer others. Anytime we can … give it the care it requires, we do it not only for ourselves but for the many others whose lives we touch.³

Highlights from Effortless Healing

From time to time, I come across an article or a book that brings new insight and gives me a boost of encouragement or some new information regarding health, which results in renewed motivation. One such book that was recommended to me is Effortless Healing—9 Simple Ways to Sidestep Illness, Shed Excess Weight, and Help Your Body Fix Itself, by Dr. Joseph Mercola, a New York Times bestselling author.⁴

The beauty of this book is its simplicity—it feels doable. It provides information that is simple, affordable, and easy to put into practice. Mercola lists nine main health-supporting categories that he suggests are helpful to maintaining good health. The categories are:

Drink plenty of pure water.
Eat lots of vegetables.
Burn fat for fuel. (Add healthy fats to your diet—such as coconut oil, olive oil, butter, eggs, avocados, and nuts.)
Exercise.
Get sun for sufficient Vitamin D.
Maintain your gut flora to protect your immune system. (Take probiotics or eat fermented foods.)
Get sufficient sleep.
Discharge negative energy in your body by going barefoot on the earth (“grounding” for about 20 minutes a day).
Avoid unhealthy “health foods.” (Such things as sugar-filled yogurt, boxed cereals, sports drinks, etc.)

Obviously, this is not the all in all about health, and there are other good resources, but this information is basic and not overwhelming. Dr. Mercola’s point of view is that these are key focuses for good health. Of course, there are many schools of thought concerning health and diet, but I found Dr. Mercola’s key points beneficial. They gave me a starting point and I have benefited by focusing on the ones that I have been most in need of.

“Good night, sleep tight!”

I want to elaborate a bit on sleep. In the past, I struggled to get enough sleep. I was often exhausted throughout the day, which was likely due to my not allowing enough time for sleep. The following comments from Arianna Huffington rang true to me. She wrote this after she had collapsed from exhaustion, a fall that resulted in a broken cheekbone.

We live under this collective delusion that sleep is optional and that people are busy and have important things to do, and that sleep is something that we can basically shortchange ourselves of.

It’s a little bit like going back to the 1950s and people believing that smoking is glamorous, and you had doctors advertising cigarettes on television. Sleep deprivation is the new smoking, affecting our health, affecting our productivity, and affecting our happiness.

I remember all of the times I’ve been jet-lagged and sleep-deprived, and it’s hard to bring joy to your life. It’s hard to be grateful. It’s hard to enjoy what you’re doing. That on top of the health problems and the productivity problems means that we really need to course-correct both as individuals and as a culture.⁵

Charles Czeisler, a sleep specialist, agrees.

“Missing a night’s sleep degrades our neurobehavioral performance”—that is, our mental acuity—”by the equivalent to being legally drunk,” he says. And, he warns, “this doesn’t only apply if you miss one night’s sleep completely; you’ll see similar effects if you simply sleep too little each night over time.”⁶

Don’t be afraid of the doctor

At different times in your life, you may need medical attention. And if you have a health condition that requires medical care or ongoing treatment or preventive treatment, it’s important to invest the time, attention, and finances needed to take care of it rather than dismissing it.

Some of us might need to reevaluate our reluctance to see a doctor and to take on a more positive view of the help they can give. We should also be careful about self-diagnosis. A health problem might be something simple, or it could be something serious that needs attention; therefore, it’s recommended to get regular medical checkups. While going to the doctor’s office in order to get an overall health check isn’t my favorite activity, I’ve made a point to try to get a yearly checkup, and doing so has been helpful. It’s generally better for doctors to find that you have a medical issue at an early stage, and having yearly checkups can facilitate that.

Generally speaking, men in particular don’t like to go to the doctor.

USA Today reports:

A tight schedule. Ignorance is bliss. Uncomfortable physical exams. According to a survey commissioned by Orlando Health, those are the top three reasons why men don’t go to the doctor.⁷

Anna Almendrala reports:

A new online survey commissioned by the Orlando Health hospital system hints at why men may be so reluctant to see doctors. According to the survey results, a mix of busyness, fear, shame and discomfort kept them out of the doctor’s office.⁸

Guys, if you are reluctant to have medical checkups, you should ask the Lord to help you to get over your reluctance—and that goes for any of you women who may be avoiding trips to the doctor as well. Having a yearly exam with basic blood work that shows where you stand with the most important health markers such as blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, etc., is very helpful and can either show that all is well or can help you catch a health problem before it becomes serious.

The heavenly perspective

No matter how well we take care of our bodies, we are, of course, all going to die. The goal is to live our lives as best we can, in obedience to God’s Word and practical health guidelines, for as long as the Lord wills. When it comes our time to pass on to the next world, I’m sure we all want to do so knowing that, to the best of our ability, we took care of God’s gift to us, our body.

Here’s a relevant excerpt on this topic:

In Psalm 39, David prays: “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”⁹ From his wise prayer we learn the following:

One: We do not know the brevity of life. Most of us think we have more time than we do. We are seldom ready for the end to come. Maybe next week or next month, but not today.

Two: Only God can reveal the shortness of life to us in a convincing way. This is why David makes this a prayer rather than an observation.

Three: If we do not ask God to impress on us the brevity of our lives, we will waste our days. If we do, we will value our time with urgency.

After asking God to help him understand the brevity of his life, David prayed, “I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.”¹⁰ His admission calls to mind an old Jewish parable.

A famous rabbi lived very simply, inhabiting a small hut with only a cot, desk, chair, and lamp for furnishings. An American tourist came to visit the rabbi and commented on his sparse lifestyle.

The rabbi replied to the tourist, “I don’t see many possessions with you today.” The tourist explained, “But I’m only passing through.”

The rabbi said, “So am I.”¹¹

Lord help each of us to take good care of our bodies as we “pass through” this life on our way to the next. May we be faithful and diligent to do so, by God’s grace.

Originally published August 2019. Adapted and republished September 2022.
Read by Jon Marc.

¹ ESV.

² Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV).

³ Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation (John Wiley & Sons, 2015), 25.

⁴ The book is by Harmony Crown, 2016. The website is https://www.mercola.com/.

⁵ Nancy Trejos, “Arianna Huffington’s tips for sleeping and beating jet lag,” USA TODAY, June 14, 2016.

⁶ Brett Arends, “A Full Night’s Sleep Can Really Pay Off,” Wall Street Journal, September 18, 2014.

⁷ Samantha Nelson, “Coast-to-coast tour asks men to drop excuses about their health,” USA Today, June 15, 2016.

⁸ Anna Almendrala, “Here’s Why Men Don’t Like Going To The Doctor,” Huffington Post, June 13, 2016.

⁹ Psalm 39:4.

¹⁰ Psalm 39:12.

¹¹ Jim Denison, The Denison Forum, February 9, 2018, https://www.christianheadlines.com/columnists/denison-forum/down-syndrome-child-is-gerber-s-spokesbaby-of-the-year.html

Be Like Daniel

September 7, 2022

By Arianna Freelen

My granny told me throughout my adolescent years, “Be like Daniel.” As we ended our phone conversations, as I hurried off to school, before my Saturday track meets, as I walked out the door with my date, her words were an ever-present reminder. She had a way of taking the most profound thoughts and condensing them into the simplest of phrases. While I understood some of what she meant at the time, it’s taken the last few years to come to fully value the depth of her wisdom.

The America (or Italy!) I have known my entire life is no more. Driven by politics over relationships, we find the great tapestry of our nation hanging on by a few worn-out threads. I am finding myself enraged by the actions of both sides. I am worried about what the future holds for my children. I am disheartened by all the noise. And I am broken over the divide we all find ourselves in.

This afternoon I wept as I watched the news. Is this really what America has become? Are we really allowing our country to be torn to shreds from sensational news coverage, social media posts, and a virus that has affected all of us in some way? Have we really allowed our nation to implode from within? The core of who we are—the UNITED States of America—utterly divided?

Tears ran down my face as I rocked my newborn son. How do I raise him and his sisters in such a tumultuous climate? What will life look like for them going forward?

As I continued to rock, my sweet granny’s southern tone filled my ears: “Be like Daniel.” So I turned to Daniel 6. Daniel had just learned that his worship would sentence him to death in the lion’s den. While many know this portion of Scripture from the Sunday school lessons, Daniel is saved from the lions. It is his response to the decree that warrants such a profound statement to serve as a reminder to us all.

When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously. —Daniel 6:10

“As he had done previously.”

Be like Daniel, Arianna.

Daniel was guaranteed the consequences of going about life the same, yet he didn’t waver in his commitment to worship. He didn’t mourn the loss of his right to pray; he prayed as he had previously done. He didn’t deny the punishment that was to come; he fixed his eyes on Jerusalem as he had previously done, remembering his identity as God’s chosen people. He didn’t fear death; he worshipped as he had previously done.

He remembered Who was in control.

He remembered Who alone he worshipped.

He responded by doing just as he had done previously.

Be like Daniel.

Friends, I don’t know where you find yourselves tonight. There’s a good chance that, while we may all align differently on the political spectrum, we all find ourselves grieved by what has taken place today. Collectively, we mourn the state of our nation.

I don’t know where you stand with Jesus Christ. I don’t know what you believe and hold to. But I can tell you—my response going forward will be to do as I have previously done.

To raise my children to know and honor God, as warriors for His Truth, as soldiers of compassion and love for all made in His image, and as seekers of righteousness in a fallen world. To walk with my husband, hand-in-hand, proclaiming the gospel in our words and deeds, creating a home that is a sanctuary of praise for our Father and a refuge of hope for those in need. To go about my days reading His Word, being refined by His Truth, transformed by His holiness, forever reminded that He holds our days in His hands.

I do not know what tomorrow holds. I do not know what life looks like ten years from now. I do not know how our nation will even go forward from here. But I can be like Daniel. Amid the dark news of today, I can respond by doing as I have always done—surrendered to the will of the Father, worshipping Him no matter what looms ahead. And in so doing, I can raise yet another generation to respond the same.

On the darkest of days.
When the world is more divided than ever.
When fear overwhelms.
“Be like Daniel.”

Fix your eyes on Him (Jesus)
Fall on your knees before Him.
Pray, give thanks, and worship your God.
Just as you have done.

The God who shut the mouths of lions for Daniel holds the future in His hands. We need not fear. We simply must respond and do as we have previously done. (We need to be like Daniel and put God first in everything we do and say.)¹

¹ Copied from a Facebook post by Arianna Freelen.

Heaven: Our Eternal Home

September 6, 2022

A compilation

Audio length: 14:12

Download Audio (13MB)

“No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”—1 Corinthians 2:9

What a breathtaking verse! Do you see what it says? Heaven is beyond our imagination. We cannot envision it. At our most creative moment, at our deepest thought, at our highest level, we still cannot fathom eternity.

Try this. Imagine a perfect world. Whatever that means to you, imagine it. Does that mean peace? Then envision absolute tranquility. Does a perfect world imply joy? Then create your highest happiness. Will a perfect world have love? If so, ponder a place where love has no bounds.

Whatever heaven means to you, imagine it. Get it firmly fixed in your mind. Delight in it. Dream about it. Long for it. And then smile as the Father reminds you, No one has ever imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.

Anything you imagine is inadequate. Anything anyone imagines is inadequate. No one has come close. No one.

Think of all the songs about heaven. All the artists’ portrayals. All the lessons preached, poems written, and chapters drafted. When it comes to describing heaven, we are all happy failures. It’s beyond us. …

And imagine seeing God. Finally, to gaze in the face of your Father. To feel the Father’s gaze upon you. Neither will ever cease.

He will do what he promised he would do. I will make all things new, he promised. I will restore what was taken. I will restore your years drooped on crutches and trapped in wheelchairs. I will restore the smiles faded by hurt. I will replay the symphonies unheard by deaf ears and the sunsets unseen by blind eyes.

The mute will sing. The poor will feast. The wounds will heal. I will make all things new. I will restore all things. The child snatched by disease will run to your arms. The freedom lost to oppression will dance in your heart. The peace of a pure heart will be my gift to you.

I will make all things new. New hope. New faith. And most of all new Love. The Love of which all other loves speak. The Love before which all other loves pale. The Love you have sought in a thousand ports in a thousand nights … this Love of mine, will be yours.¹—Max Lucado²

A glorious inheritance

“Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.’”—Revelation 14:13

The Bible promises that in Heaven we will receive a glorious inheritance—the inheritance of eternal life in all its fullness.

Can you imagine answering a knock on your door to find someone notifying you that you had inherited a kingdom? It is inconceivable. But for the believer in Jesus, this is exactly what happens when you open the door of your heart and invite Christ to come inside and dwell within you. He promises to share the wealth of His riches, power, and glory with you.

Inheritance is a biblical truth (mentioned over two hundred times) that will be fulfilled completely in Heaven. God has chosen us to be His own inheritance—His very own people.³ He has also chosen “our inheritance for us.”⁴ Heirloom chests can burn in a few minutes, but we will receive “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.”⁵

God told the priests of Israel that they would not inherit any land—for He would be their inheritance.⁶ This was looking forward to the New Testament promise that Christ’s church—a holy priesthood—would inherit eternal life in Christ.

The book of Ephesians speaks specifically about the inheritance we can look forward to in Heaven: the “unsearchable riches” of God’s grace ⁷; “his glorious riches”⁸; and “his incomparably great power.”⁹ The things we inherit on earth may be a great blessing—or a terrible curse. Countless lives have been ruined by riches left to irresponsible heirs. However, as children of the King, our inheritance will not spoil, nor will it spoil us.

Let’s give “thanks to the Father, who has qualified [us] to share in the inheritance.”¹⁰ What a wonderful promise!—Billy Graham¹¹

Hope of heaven

“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”—Revelation 21:4

According to Scripture, Heaven is a far better place than what is here on earth. Heaven is a very large place. It has jeweled walls, jeweled foundations, and jeweled gates. Heaven is a place of the purest light and unfettered liberty.

Important also to consider is the quality of life that is offered in Heaven. The Scripture is very forthcoming when it assures us that Heaven is and will be a place where there will not be any tears. What will it be like to live where there is no more sorrow? Many people, like me, live in constant pain and discomfort, but in Heaven there will be no more of it.

And, according to the biblical info, there will be no more death. … According to the Psalmist, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” But, the most comforting consideration of all is that Heaven is where Jesus Christ is. He said, “I go to prepare a place for you … that where I am you may be also.”

According to the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:19, without the hope of Heaven, we would be “people most miserable.” Every day, physical death overcomes people dear and precious to us. But, the Lord provides the sure hope of Heaven—for our comfort.—Ron Branch

Citizenship in heaven

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.”—Hebrews 11:13

There is a wonderful scripture about this in the third chapter of Philippians that says, “But what things were gain to me, these I counted loss for Christ.” Paul was saying that such things were just nothing, he counted them loss! They weren’t worth anything compared to what he received in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul went on to say: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”¹²

We’re here on business for the King, and our real citizenship isn’t here. You cannot be true to that heavenly citizenship and have so much time absorbed with the affairs of this world, even with the present world crises. If we really believe our citizenship is in heaven we’ll not become so attached to this world or absorbed in every little news about its tragic condition. Because its fears drive us to tension, its troubles cause us loss of time and sleep, time that we could spend in prayer.

Dearly beloved, there are so many of the world to tend to the world’s affairs. Our time and strength and money must be cast on the side of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the side of things eternal. Our attitude as a citizen of heaven is to be detached from this world, not attached to it! Not to be conformed to this world, though we be well informed, but we are to be transformed by our living in the things that are eternal and in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, and living in obedience to His Word.¹³

We must have a deep realization that we are living for eternity and not for time, and our heavenly citizenship can never be put in a secondary place. Eternal things call so earnestly today because the Lord is needing every soldier, and that soldier cannot entangle himself in the things of this world. We can’t thoughtlessly give ourselves to the temporal because we are defeated spiritually by all this hubbub about us. If we could but see the events of life framed in the ultimate results that they lead to, what a change there would be in our lives and in our sense of values. God help us that we might keep the divine perspective clear!

Philippians 3:20 states that our citizenship is in heaven, “from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” Are you looking for Him and for His coming as He has promised? Or are you looking at TV and the news and all these other things so much that your affections are not set upon the things that are above, but they are set upon the things that are upon the earth?¹⁴

Hebrews 13:14 states, “We have here no continuing city, but we look for one to come.” Won’t you accept the words of these scriptures and believe that in the Lord Jesus Christ you can have a supply of His strength, power, and wisdom, to take an active part in His service, in the affairs of the heavenly kingdom where your real citizenship is?

God’s Word says, “He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.”¹⁵ That’s where your life is!—Virginia Brandt Berg

Published on Anchor September 2022. Read by Gabriel Garcia Valdivieso.
Music by Michael Dooley.

¹ See Revelation 21:5.

² https://maxlucado.com/heaven-gods-highest-hope.

³ Psalm 33:12.

⁴ Psalm 47:4.

⁵ 1 Peter 1:4.

⁶ Ezekiel 44:28.

⁷ Ephesians 3:8.

⁸ Ephesians 3:16.

⁹ Ephesians 1:19.

¹⁰ Colossians 1:12.

¹¹ The Heaven Answer Book (Harper Collins, 2012).

¹² Philippians 3:20–21 NKJV.

¹³ Romans 12:2.

¹⁴ Colossians 3:2.

¹⁵ John 5:24.

When We Need Him Most

September 5, 2022

By Maria Fontaine

Audio length: 13:15

Download Audio (12.1MB)

No one wants to go through pain and suffering in any form. We enjoy the fun experiences, the times of joy and fulfillment, the times when everything is uplifting and contentment fills our hearts.

But the fact is that we need both the uplifting times and the struggles, the victories to encourage us and the tests to help us learn, the times of rejoicing in His blessings and the times when we have to trust Him to bring us through what looks unbearable.

The Father didn’t take Jesus’ struggles away. He had to trust His heavenly Father to bring Him through them and to bring greater good out of them. Jesus didn’t enjoy the sufferings of this life any more than we do, but He faced them in full trust even unto torture and death. I think that is the most perfect example of what faith is in this life.

Jesus asks us to walk even as He walked, laying down our lives for the brethren and being an example of His love for this world. Just as He trusted His Father, Jesus asks us to trust Him. His Word promises to cause all things, no matter how they seem to us in the moment, to work together for good for us because we love Him and are called according to His purpose. This is what the faith life is about.

Circumstances or obtaining the results that we want are not what our faith should be anchored to, because the conditions in this life are bound to shift and change. What looks ideal today may not look that way tomorrow.

If our faith is determined by what looks best in the moment, then it’s like the house built on sand instead of the solid “rock” of God’s love for us. Either way, the storms will come, the winds of troubles will howl, and the bolts of lightning will threaten, but we have nothing to fear when we are certain that His love will bring us through in the end.

Many of you know Mark of Faithy, a dear longtime missionary and Indian national. A number of years ago, Mark developed Parkinson’s disease. In spite of the physical difficulties and challenges this illness poses, he chose to carry on helping others. Mark didn’t demand an immediate miracle to prove that Jesus loved him or that he had great faith, nor did he take a passive stance of accepting that his condition couldn’t be changed.

He knew that Jesus had given him a job to do, and no matter how overwhelming things looked in the physical or whether he saw his healing manifested or not, he would not abandon his calling.

Faith in God isn’t about seeing the outcome we think is best, it’s about trusting the Lord for what He knows is best. It’s trusting in His love, His wisdom, and His promises to work everything together for the greatest good.

We are here in this earth life to learn and grow. The tests and trials of our lives help us to do just that. Jesus has promised to never give us more than we can bear.¹ Our part is to trust Him. If we can’t place our trust in the one who created us in love, who can we trust?

Your knees may buckle at times, like Jesus’ knees did under the weight of the cross that the Father asked Him to bear for our sakes. But, like Jesus did with the Father, as we also seek God’s help, the strength and determination to keep trusting Him will be provided, one step at a time.

Several years ago, I was corresponding with Mark, and I asked him if he would be willing to write up his testimony for me and his experiences related to Parkinson’s. I had been praying for him and I wanted to better understand what he was going through. He graciously acquiesced to my request.

Here is his account:

I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2005, and the Lord has kept me amazingly well all these years.

I want to backtrack and share a spiritual experience that I had not long after my diagnosis. When I first found out that I had Parkinson’s, it threw me for a loop emotionally. Though I tried to put on a brave front, I was really hurting on the inside and struggled with thoughts like, “Why me, Lord? What have I done wrong that I have this disease? Are You judging me?” Mostly questions of that nature.

When you check on the net about Parkinson’s, it’s actually quite depressing. For one, there is no known cure for it, and the medicines available are only able to control the symptoms. The dosage of the medicine has to be increased every six months. Parkinson’s does not kill people; it just degenerates you and your body until eventually you need to have people to help you for even the mundane things. It paints a pretty morbid picture.

After about six months of going through these severe battles, one day during my prayer time I saw Jesus. He was looking at me with compassion and said, “Why are you worrying so much? I love you and will be with you always. Either I will heal you or I will carry you, so please stop worrying!”

That day was a real turning point for me. I knew that if I was healed, I would be fine, or if He carried me in His arms, I would still be fine. I felt the heavy weight of anxiety and pressure and condemnation being lifted off me.

Jesus has been carrying me ever since. The days when I need my strength, He gives it to me, and when I don’t need it, He doesn’t supply it. A few years ago, I used to do seminars with my son at schools and colleges for teachers, students, and parents. There would be days when my hands would shake just holding a glass of water. But when it was time to go up on stage to lead the seminar, my hands would stop shaking and would never shake for the three hours that I was holding the mike in my hand!

Jesus has continued to carry me. It’s only been in the last years that the Parkinson’s has progressed to stage two. Most people get to stage two much earlier. I hunch a lot these days as my nerves are pulling inward and my lower back often hurts. It has been affecting my speech, and now I tend to stammer when I talk. But He still carries me and I’m able to continue to help others.

This speech slur is very frustrating, and people I meet for the first time have to really tune in to understand me clearly. I have to battle these things on a daily basis, but somehow His grace matches my need. In my follow-up classes I print the lessons I teach to our friends and have them read them. I only talk when I need to explain what is being said. Nevertheless, He gives me strength to carry on. I always find that His grace is sufficient!

(Maria:) When Mark looks at himself, he sees a broken body that is helpless without Jesus to carry him. When the Lord looks at Mark, this is what He sees:

When I look at you, Mark, I see a powerful and dedicated fighter for Me. We’ve come through many battles together. You’ve claimed many miracles in order to overcome whatever stood between you and a soul who needed the truth. You have been determined to bring the truth to others in love, and you have.

I know how hard it is for you in the present fight to begin each new day with conviction and faith. When you look at your broken body, you once again have to cast into My hands all the struggles that may come and tell Me, “Nevertheless, not my will but Thine be done.”

It takes great faith to trust Me. At times you may feel weary in well-doing, but you keep getting up and persevering. Each time you do, you grow stronger. It’s because you have kept going for Me that you have helped transform so many lives. Those are the facts.

So many who were feeling that they could not go on have caught sight of your determination to live for Me and have chosen not to give up. What at times have seemed to you like setbacks have changed many lives. You’ve given so many others hope and conviction, at a point in their lives when nothing less could have stirred their hearts.

Every step you take, hard as it may be, becomes a footprint for others to follow. Every effort in giving when it seems unbearable, or smiling when you feel like weeping, draws others closer to My joy. Those last grains of meal and drops of oil that you need for yourself, yet you share them in My name with others who are in the depths of despair, are the essence of true greatness in My kingdom.

I don’t look at what you give but what is left afterward, and you have truly given all again and again. When these times are over, I will give you all in return, more than your heart can imagine and your mind can comprehend. In the midst of the hard times of the moment, it can be challenging to picture how such weakness and frailty can become far greater strength, but you cling to Me each day.

I am closer to you than anyone else could ever be. In this life, the love I have for you and all My faithful ones would be impossible to express fully because the world couldn’t contain it. I don’t just take away the troubles, because that would prevent you from reaching the glory that these things are a path to. This earthly realm can seem so upside down sometimes. So, let’s keep walking together, arms around each other as I steady and strengthen and encourage you, day by day and hour by hour until the day when My arms will lift you fully into My kingdom.

You are endeavoring to walk as I walked and have borne the hardships of this world with patience and trust and humility. As a result, there is laid up for you such wonders that these times of suffering will fade into unimportance and be washed away in unimaginable joy. You are a fighter, and there are still more lives to touch and broken and lost hearts to restore. Your pace, though slower, is exactly suited to those who I bring to you.

I have prepared you to fulfill My plan and purpose in reaching the ones who need you most at this time. I was willing to live and die for each life that you touch. Each one is that precious to Me. What we go through together to reach some people can be difficult, but that is what love is willing to do.

No price is too high to bring a soul into My kingdom. The love that burns in your heart is My love and your love. Together we won’t stop until they are gathered into the fold. Your love for My children will spill over into the next life, the Millennium and beyond, because our hearts are knit together as one.

Let’s continue to pray for Mark and one another as we continue to follow Jesus to the best of our ability in spite of life’s setbacks. I received another note from Mark that I’d like to close with. He wrote:

Jesus has been so good to me. I do have a lot of pain in my lower back and it has increased over time, as I am a bit more hunched over. Please pray that my back will get straight once again. But compared to so many others, I suffer from much less pain and discomfort than most. I was used to being so strong prior to Parkinson’s, but God’s love has been so wonderful to me.

Sometimes I get all excited and make plans about traveling to many places and all the things that I want to do for the Lord and with my kids and friends before I go to heaven. When in reality, I can only walk about 500 meters or less before I have to sit for a while. But the thing that really amazes me is how the Lord has helped me to do many of those things that I desire to do, by providing me with places to sit every 250 meters! Ha! He always has His “ways” in the wilderness and His “rivers” in the desert!

“Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”—2 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV

Originally published August 2019. Adapted and republished September 2022.
Read by Carol Andrews.

¹ 1 Corinthians 10:13.

God’s Idea of Righteousness

David Brandt Berg

2015-08-20

There is no goodness except God.¹ God is the only one who is good. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”² Everybody’s bad except those who have the goodness of God, the love of God, and the righteousness of God. God’s Word says that all other righteousness, man’s righteousness, your own righteousness, your own goodness, is like filthy rags. “We are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags.”³ In other words, God says if you don’t have His goodness, which is true goodness, true holiness, real love, real mercy, you have nothing but a filthy rag!

God’s idea of righteousness is the pitiful, hopeless, lost, humble, sinful sinner who knows he needs God. Those He came to save. “He came not to call the righteous to repentance, but sinners.”⁴ So God’s idea of goodness is godliness—a sinner who knows he needs God and depends on Him for salvation—not the self-righteous who think they can save themselves by their own goodness.

God’s idea of saintliness is not sinless perfection, self-righteousness. It’s a sinner saved by grace, a sinner who has no perfection, no righteousness of his own at all, but is totally dependent on the grace, love, and mercy of God by faith. Believe it or not, those are the only saints—there are no others.

God knows you’re anything but perfect and can’t be perfect and never will be perfect, and usually you’re pretty much of a mess, like the rest of us. So the only question, the only standard, is: Do you depend on the Lord, trust Him and His grace and His love and His mercy and give Him all the glory and the credit? If there’s anything good you ever do, do you give Him the glory? Do you say, “Thank Jesus; don’t thank me. Thank the Lord. It’s all the Lord!”

That’s what the Lord looks to as saintliness, the person who knows he’s a sinner and therefore gives God all the glory if anything good comes of what he’s done. As Paul said, “I know that in me, my flesh, dwelleth no good thing.”⁵ There’s nothing good about me or my flesh; anything good is only the Lord. That’s sainthood!

David—a sinning saint

The greatest men in the Bible were guys who made terrible mistakes and realized they were sinners, that they needed God. I never got much encouragement from those who were so perfect, like Enoch, who walked so close to God that he got completely out of touch with humanity, so God had to take him out of this world. I take a lot more heart from the pathetic stories of the drunks and the harlots and the publicans and the sinners who came to Jesus for love and mercy.

In fact, one of the worst characters in the Bible is my greatest inspiration. One of the most wicked men in the entire Bible, who was a murderer, an adulterer, and a liar, but whom God turned around and called a man after His own heart, King David.⁶

The most encouraging thing about David’s example was not his perfectionism but his human failures, sins, and shortcomings, which gave God a chance to get all the glory and show there’s hope for me—and you. I always figured if God could forgive even as bad a guy as David, surely He could forgive me. I think King David has been an encouragement to a lot of people—to know how much mercy God has and how much forgiveness He has, how good He can be if you’ll really repent like David did.

He was one of the biggest sinners in the Bible and did some horrible things. But look what a marvelous change occurred in him when the Lord really humbled him. It came through a humbling of his spiritual pride.

But he had to be completely exposed—his wickedness and his sins and his weaknesses. He was sitting up there on his throne so high and mighty and seemingly so perfect and righteous. The prophet Nathan came along and pointed the finger at him and said, “Thou art the man.”⁷ “You’re the wicked one, the sinner.” And then the judgments of God began to fall and he lost everything, everything but Bathsheba; she stuck by him. He was absolutely stripped except for a few loyal friends and followers.

A guy couldn’t have gone down in worse defeat than King David did. And the worst of all his sins was that he had become a hypocrite because he covered up all of his other sins and pretended to be so righteous, judging other people’s problems. That’s when the prophet came along and exposed him.

He apparently had a lot of spiritual pride that had to be humbled, because look what a great hero he was to begin with. Even as a little boy he was a great hero. He even fought and killed a lion and a bear to protect his sheep.⁸ Then all Israel knew what a great hero he was when he killed Goliath, the giant. They were praising his name above King Saul, saying, “Saul hath slain his thousands, but David his tens of thousands.”⁹ It could be that he was quite proud, which is no doubt why the Lord had to finally really humble him and disgrace him and debase him down to the bottom before he finally became humble and sympathetic to others and wrote those marvelous Psalms.

So David is a dandy bad example, yet a great example of a great man who was apparently lifted up in pride for a while and thereby got into great sin and thereby had to have a great humbling, a great judgment, a great confession, and a terrible stripping of everything.

His was a great sin and it was a great dealing of God with him for his iniquity, but it was also a great repentance, and as a result, a great forgiveness. But it cost him the child of the wife that was dearest to him, Bathsheba. But praise God, as a result of his repentance through having gone through that soul agony of the loss of that first child of Bathsheba, God forgave, and in His mercy gave him another one named Solomon, who became a very great king, the wisest and richest Israel ever knew.

Though they were great sins, he had a great repentance, and therefore God had a great forgiveness for him. And from that squeezing and twisting of David’s life came forth the sweet honey of the Psalms and the fragrance of his praises to the Lord for His mercy. It was all God and all grace, and none of himself or his own righteousness—a lesson that has been an encouragement to other great sinners like me and you ever since.

“I will have mercy and not sacrifice”

“And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with Him and His disciples. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto His disciples, ‘Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?’ But when Jesus heard that, He said unto them, ‘They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’”¹⁰

Jesus said to go back and learn what God meant when He said, “I will have mercy and not sacrifice.”¹¹ In other words, “I would rather see you have love and not just a sacrificial, dutiful, law-keeping offering of sacrifices and duties. I’d rather see you give love to others than be self-righteous.”

I think we all need to apply this to ourselves. We all need to learn what that means. We all need to ask Him in all humility to help us have mercy on others, knowing that we ourselves must also be forgiven for many sins. Remembering continually what sinners we are and how many mistakes we’ve made helps greatly to keep us humble and to avoid that spirit of self-righteous pride which causes us to criticize and condemn others.

If you’ll remember that no one is perfect, including you, you’ll help others to do the best they can, as you’d like them to do to you. It helps to always remember we’re all sinners and we all make mistakes and that we must “forgive one another even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven us.”¹²

The only way we can be patient with others is to know what a hopeless case we are ourselves. You’ll be much more merciful to others if you realize how much you also need mercy. When you need a lot of forgiveness and you need a lot of mercy, it sure helps you to extend it to others.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”¹³ If you can’t forgive, you can’t have real love or real humility; you can’t have mercy, because love is forgiveness and mercy.

“Above all things have fervent love one toward another.”¹⁴

Compiled from the writings of David Brandt Berg, originally published March 1986. Adapted and republished August 2015. Read by Jon Marc.

¹ Matthew 19:17.

² Romans 3:23.

³ Isaiah 64:6.

⁴ Matthew 9:13.

⁵ Romans 7:18.

⁶ Acts 13:22.

⁷ 2 Samuel 12.

⁸ 1 Samuel 17:34–37.

⁹ 1 Samuel 18:7–9.

¹⁰ Matthew 9:10–13.

¹¹ Hosea 6:6.

¹² Ephesians 4:32.

¹³ Matthew 6:12–15.

¹⁴ 1 Peter 4:8.

Jesus—His Life and Message: The End of the Gospel of John (Part 1)

By Peter Amsterdam

August 30, 2022

The last chapter of the Gospel of John begins with an appearance of the risen Christ in Galilee.

After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way.¹

The Sea of Tiberias, more commonly called the Sea of Galilee, is in northern Israel. We’re not told how long it had been since Jesus was last with the disciples or since He had told Thomas to put his finger in Jesus’ wound.² However, some time had passed, as the disciples had left Jerusalem and gone north to the region of Galilee, and Jesus appeared to His disciples there.

Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.³

A number of disciples (at least seven) were together in Galilee—Peter, Thomas, Nathanael, James and John (the sons of Zebedee), along with two others who are not named.

Peter decided to go fishing, which had been his occupation before meeting Jesus. The other disciples who were with him decided to join him. There is no indication that Peter or the others were thinking of returning to their fishing business; it is likely that it was a spontaneous idea which they all agreed to. The disciples went out, though we’re not told from where. They embarked in the boat, though we’re not told whom the boat belonged to. Though they fished through the night, they caught nothing.

Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.”⁴

Jesus stood on the edge of the lake at dawn. We’re not told how He came there, and it may be that He suddenly appeared, similar to how earlier He had appeared to His disciples behind closed doors.⁵ The disciples didn’t recognize Him, just as Mary Magdalene didn’t recognize Him earlier in this Gospel ⁶ and the two disciples who were on their way to Emmaus didn’t know it was Jesus who was walking with them.⁷ Jesus asked them if they had any fish, and they responded that they had none. Having fished throughout the night without catching anything was probably rather disappointing.

He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.⁸

As Jesus was on the shore and the disciples were some distance out in the water, Jesus probably had to yell His instructions to cast the net on the opposite side of the boat. The men did as He instructed, and they found that the catch of fish was so large that they were unable to bring it into the boat.

That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea.⁹

The disciple whom Jesus loved was likely the apostle John. John recognized Jesus, and told Peter that it was Jesus who had called out and asked them about the fish and who instructed them to cast the net on the right side of the boat. Upon hearing that, Peter put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work. This doesn’t necessarily mean that Peter was doing his work in the boat while naked. One author explains: It is, however, not at all certain that Peter was wearing nothing whatever, as the English would lead us to expect. Standard lexicons cite passages where the word means “without an outer garment,” “dressed in one’s underwear.” The probability is that here the word means that parts of the body normally covered were exposed so that Peter was not naked, but rather “stripped for work.” This may mean that he wore a loincloth, or perhaps a sleeveless tunic that would not impede his movements.¹⁰

The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off.¹¹

Only Peter left the boat and swam ashore. The others remained in the boat and did the work to get the large catch of fish to the shore. They were about two hundred cubits (KJV) or 94 meters from the shore. Instead of trying to pull the net full of fish into the boat, which would have likely caused it to capsize or sink, they hauled it to the shore.

When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”¹²

Upon disembarking from the boat, the disciples saw that there was a charcoal fire burning with some fish cooking on it, along with some bread. It seems that the amount of fish on the charcoal fire wasn’t enough to feed all who were present, so Jesus instructed them to add some of the fish they had just hauled in.

So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.¹³

In response to Jesus’ instruction to bring some of the fish that they caught, Peter, who had jumped out of the boat and swam to the shore, apparently went back onto the boat to organize the hauling of the net full of fish to the shore. We are told that the fish were big ones, and that there were 153 of them. Earlier in history, some Christian teachers had various interpretations of the significance of the number 153, such as this being the number of the kinds of fish which were in existence. It’s most likely that this was the actual number of fish which were caught. The fish were counted perhaps so that they could be equally distributed to the seven or more disciples who were fishing together.

Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.¹⁴

Jesus invited them to eat the morning meal with Him. There is no record of their response; rather we are told that no one would ask Him “Who are you?” as they knew it was Jesus.¹⁵

Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish.¹⁶

Jesus distributed the bread and fish to His disciples, which started the meal. He said nothing more until after the meal was finished, which will be covered in the next article.

The author of this Gospel states:

This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.¹⁷

He reminds us that this is the third time Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. This likely refers to His being with the eleven disciples or at least most of them, as there are other references when He met with Mary Magdalene, with the disciples without Thomas, and one time with Thomas. But this is the third time He appeared to a larger group of disciples.