Now and Then

“For God so loved the word that He gave

His only begotten Son, that whoever

believes in Him should not perish but have

everlasting life.” 

     John 3:16 (NKJV)

“He who believes in the Son has everlasting

life; and he who does not believe the Son

shall not see life, but the wrath of God

abides on him.”

     John 3:36 (NKJV)

This virus seems to have highlighted people's natural fear of death.  As believers, we don’t look forward to death but we should not fear it because death is merely the portal to heaven.  We should live with our spiritual suitcases packed and ready because we know where we’re going when our earthly lives are finished.  It's important to be prepared every day for our last day, when we will stand before our Lord and give an account for how we lived. This should cause us to fear God but not fear death as long as we are in Christ, because we have the glorious promise of eternal life with Him.

God's word promises that whoever believes in the Lord Jesus “has” everlasting life.  Not that we “will have” eternal life but that we "have" it when we believe. If we’ve accepted Jesus as our Savior and Lord, then we are “partakers” of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Because Christ is eternal, we share in His eternal life when we become children of God through His salvation. From what I've read, this is a now and then reality—we experience the divine quality of eternal life now when our new life begins and we abide in Christ, and then we will possess the full manifestation of eternal life at our death.

Let's make sure we're prepared every day and live in light of the eternity we share now and will enjoy in the future with our great God.

Thursday Devotional - Trust the results to God

There are a lot of unknowns these days. We don’t know if we and our loved ones will remain healthy, we don’t know what plans we can make for the summer, we don’t even know what groceries we’ll be able to get in our next pick-up order!

We do know God is Sovereign, in control, sees all and is active. Last week we saw Paul demonstrate his active and courageous faith by sending his nephew to the commander to tell him about the plots to kill him. Paul did what he could with the information provided and trusted God with the outcome.

God had the commander act quickly to protect Paul.

Acts 23:23-24, ²³ Then he called two of his centurions and ordered them, “Get ready a detachment of two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen to go to Caesarea at nine tonight. ²⁴ Provide horses for Paul so that he may be taken safely to Governor Felix.”

470 armed men protected Paul all the way to Caesarea! God was going to fulfill His plan to have him testify in Rome (Acts 23:11)!  

We can trust God with our lives, too, as we actively follow His commands and direction. I think right now that means wisely using the information we know to protect ourselves our family and those around us from the virus. If we must go somewhere, we can follow the laws of wearing masks and keeping the recommended social distance.

My sister and her family were planning to come for a visit in June. However, we are all praying for direction to make a wise decision. We want to be like Paul, wisely using the information we have and then trusting God with the result.

Where do you need to trust God for provision or direction? How will you be like Paul? Let’s not react in fear nor sit back and do nothing, but respond in active faith and then trust the results to God!   

Alice

Details ... Hello?

“And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:
the Tabernacle;
the Ark of the Covenant;
the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement;
all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;
the table and its utensils;
the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories;
the incense altar;
the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils;
the washbasin with its stand;
the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests;
the anointing oil;
the fragrant incense for the Holy Place.
The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you.”  Exodus 31:6-11

I was born again when I was given the humbled opportunity to write devotions over fifteen years ago.  However, God has intentionally been with me all my life.  I’m aware of this now, and while I marvel at the plans He has for my life, I love to look back to recognize the level of detail He instructed me with even when I did not even know.  One of those moments is His introducing me to a man who I realize now was my first spiritual mentor.

Rev. Dr. Frederick G. Sampson was a pastor of one of the largest churches in Detroit, and he took an interest in me because my mother had attended there shortly after I started college and a decade before I gave my life to Christ.  He had a gift of simplifying who God was, and while never a member of his church, I would often go to hear him speak.  He was indeed a scholar of God’s word, and his sermons were both meticulously delivered and never boring.  Imagine listening to someone for well over an hour as a teenager and never being bored.  The one thing that I loved about his sermons was the way he ensured a point was not missed by doing this subtle 3-5 second pause after a statement and then saying, “Hello?”  Then he would repeat it again as the congregation roared its approval confirming they did not lose sight of the details being said in the lesson.

God’s attention to detail ensures we can see His path for us.  In the journey of Moses, today’s scripture is from the middle of the 31^st chapter, which is seven chapters past my last devotion.  Why?  The entire 25^th through 30^th chapters is devoted to specific instructions on building the Ark of the Covenant between God and Israel and additional construction.  It is fascinating reading because of the depth and detail of what God wanted.  From types of offerings for the Tabernacle (Side note: my mentor’s church was Tabernacle Missionary Baptist), the materials and measurements of the Ark, the clothing to be worn by priest and its material, and even to the ingredients of the anointing oil, God made clear His intention not only for what was to happen then but also to foretell the future mentioning Joshua and his children prominently in His plans.  Needless to say, this was not haphazard production.  It was God showing His wealth of knowledge and dominion over His Kingdom and people.  The verses today are the culmination of those instructions noting He even blessed individuals with the talents to be used for His will to be done.  Details.  Tons of details.  I can appreciate that thinking how it took me a full day to build an entertainment center the first time.  I thought I knew where something fit without reading the instructions carefully only to find I needed to disassemble it because I missed a detail.  God often gives us instruction through His word, and we might have to correct ourselves because we missed a detail and God taps us on the shoulder saying, “No.  This way.”  As a person who focuses on the big picture, I’m grateful to His level of detail that keeps me focused on Him and His plans as well.

God perfects the imperfections in our lives to ensure His instructions are followed.  We are not always great in following them, but we have someone who intercedes for us in Jesus Christ to straighten things out.  When speaking of the coming of Christ, John The Baptist said:

Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.  Luke 3:5-6 (NKJV)

Thus, while we may make mistakes, we trust in Christ for he is the perfecter of our faith.  Let us focus more on God, His word, and walking closer to Him in our faith.  What instruction might you be ignoring today?  Who can mentor you when God’s instruction doesn’t make sense?  My prayer is we are both sensitive and aware of God’s attention to detail in guiding us righteously.  Hello?  Amen.  😊

Faith of the Fathers

The three Patriarchs of the people of Israel were amazing examples of faith. Yet, it's difficult to beat the example of Abraham offering Isaac in obedience to the One promising him children. This event is recorded in detail in Genesis 22. God tested Abraham. In the Hebrew, this word for "test" can refer to temptations as well as qualitative tests.

The word used in the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (Septuagint) is also used by the writer of Hebrews in 11:17 for "test". It refers to testing to determine quality, and sometimes originates from ill will (temptation). God does this sort of thing with us, but we are not to do such things with Him (Luke 4:12, quoting Deuteronomy 6:16). The Pharisees did this sort of testing of Jesus constantly.

So, here's the way the writer of Hebrews uses it:

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; it was he to whom it was said, “IN ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS SHALL BE CALLED.” He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type. (Hebrews 11:17-19 NASB)

Think through this test for a second. In Genesis 21, God has had Abraham send away Hagar and Abraham's son Ishmael, telling Abraham that Isaac would be the "child of promise". Now, "some time later", this same Yahweh calls on Abraham to kill Isaac, specifically calling out both Isaac, and the special relationship between he and Abraham. Think about that for a second. It should give you chills. It should give you some pause for a moment, possibly even doubt. Because behind this story is the reader's reaction of "what might my Savior ask of me?" And that's a very good question.

The test of Abraham is of his quality of belief. God had promised that He would fulfill Abraham's promise through Isaac. So, Abraham had to decide whether he would believe this God even when He seemed capricious. Did Abraham believe that this God would make good on a promise even when He seemed to be reneging? Do you?

When things aren't going well, do you still believe in the goodness of our Savior? When it's no longer "fun", when it's taking too long, when you are actually being persecuted and suffering, will you persist in your belief of the goodness of your Creator? Is Jesus still on His throne interceding for you? Is the Father still caring for you? Is the Spirit of the Living God still residing within you? Do you still believe, even when it's not convenient, popular, fun, or even safe? What if persisting in belief and being obedient actually costs you something precious?

It's easy to answer "yes" in the abstract imagination of "what might be". I suspect that I have a limit to my faith. I don't know where it is, exactly, but I suspect it wouldn't be very difficult to find. I have spent time doubting my Savior. I have spent time behaving as if He was't real, His promises weren't sure, and as if He didn't truly love me. For some peculiar reason, He still forgives me. I can't answer the above questions with absolute confidence because I haven't been tested to the extremes of my faith, not yet, but my day is coming.

How about you?