High Alert!

As Rosh Hashanah approaches each year (just two weeks from this Friday) I always get a little excited. "Confidence is high," is the military jargon for it. And it's a "high watch day" according to Bible prophecy experts.

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. Also known as The Feast of Trumpets, it marks the day the universe was created and when Adam and Eve were created. It is also called The Day of Judgement or Remembrance. 

A distinctive feature of this high holy day is the blowing of trumpets, or the shofar (a ram's horn).

Why is this particular Jewish holiday of interest to the Christian? Well....

Jesus to the disciples: "Let not your hearts be troubled. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that where I am you may be also." John 14:2-3

Jesus said that He is coming back to get His disciples. That we may be where He is. Where's that? Heaven. When is He coming?

The Apostle Paul: "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

The twinkling of an eye? That's pretty quick! And a trumpet will sound? Yep. And the dead will be raised? Mhmm. And we....we'll be changed?? Uh huh.

"According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18

As we go through today or tomorrow, or however many days remain until His return, let us be encouraged by Jesus' words.

"I will come back."

And I hope it's soon.

Pop Quiz Hot Shot!

Do you remember back in school when we'd walk into class, sit down in our chairs, and then hear the teacher say those horrifying words?: "Pop quiz!"

Didn't you hate those? I was never prepared for those things. One thing they 

did though - those pop quizzes told the teacher exactly how much you knew, right then and there.

Well God gave Moses a pop quiz of his own in the Old Testament. And Moses failed it.

This test came in two parts. The first (the setup) takes place shortly after the Israelites had left Egypt. They were thirsty and were whining and complaining to Moses about it. Here's what God told Moses to do:

"The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” - Exodus 17:5-6

Note the key words in bold.

The second part (the actual test) occured years later as the Israelites were about to enter the promised land. Everyone was thirsty and complaining once again.

"The Lord said to Moses, “Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water."

What's different between Part 1 and Part 2? The staff was there. The water and the rock were present. But where was God? God had stood in front of Moses the first time, but not the second. Hmm.

And here's the pop quiz. Although God told Moses to "take the staff," God never told him to use it. God said, "speak to that rock."

Moses disobeyed God. In fact he was SO upset with the Israelites, and his sister Miriam had just died, he forgot to give glory to God for the water.

"He (Moses)and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” - Numbers 20:10

I'm sure Moses wasn't himself that day but he implied that it was himself and Aaron who brought them the water and not God. When the pop quiz came, Moses failed it and he paid for it.

“Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” - Numbers 20:12

After leading them for 40 years.

Everyday we can be tested by God in some way. Do we follow His commands? Or do we do things our own way, assuming or hoping that God would approve?

"No one is good but God alone." - Mark 10:18

Got Bread?

How often do you eat? Morning? Noon? Night? All of the above? Or do you only eat once each week? Each month? Umm... you're not hungry?

Of course my opening question is about Jesus. He is our daily bread.

"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread." - Matthew 6:9-11

Our daily bread. Jesus is the bread of life.

"I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst." - John 6:35

In the Old Testament book of Exodus we read how God kept His people alive in the wilderness. He gave them mana to eat.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day." - Exodus 16:4

God gave them 'bread from heaven' every day. The bread represented what God would later provide in Jesus.

And how often do we need Jesus in our lives? Every day. So why do we leave our Bibles sitting on the shelf? Do we think we know it all? The Bible is a big book! Lots of bread to digest.

God wants us to read it every day.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates." - Deuteronomy 6:6-9

"They are not just idle words for you. They are your life." - Deuteronomy 32:47

"Experts" (whoever THEY are) tell us that the average human can survive anywhere from 8 to 21 days without food (bread). Three days without water.

Jesus has plenty to eat and drink. It's in His Word. He has plenty to eat. So, what are we waiting for? Aren't you hungry?

"Take and eat." - Matthew 26:26

We Deserve It!

Do you think that we deserve to be happy? A great many people on the Internet seem to feel that way. But do we deserve it?

First, what does the word 'deserve' mean?

To be worthy of; merit: synonym: earn

Earn? Now wait a minute. According to the news, people deserve to have their student loans paid off. Did they earn something I'm not aware of?

The news also tells us that people who want to change their sex deserve to do so. How did they earn that? I think the word 'deserve' is being misused here. Or am I getting confused?

Hmm. I wonder what the Bible says that we deserve?

Deuteronomy 22:5 - "the wicked deserves to be beaten."

1 Samuel 26:16 - "As the Lord lives, you deserve to die."

Psalm 28:4 - "Render to them what they deserve!"

None of this is sounding good. The fact is that "we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23).

"The wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)

Wages! Now there's something we can earn. By doing actual work! Go back up to that definition of 'deserve.'

We can be deserving of what we earn. That's called wages. And the wages for our sin is death. We are all deserving of death when we stand in front of Jesus one day. We have earned death because of our sins.

What hope do we have then?

Friend, let me tell you about God's grace.

"Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." - Ephesians 2:4-9

If you haven't allowed Jesus into your life yet, what are waiting for? Death? Uhh...

Spiritual Anemia

I went to the doctor last week with symptoms of low energy and dizziness. They took some of my blood and called me later that day with the results.

"You're anemic," the nurse said. "We need you to take 325mg of iron each day and we'll check you again in four weeks."

Hmm. Low iron level. Maybe I should chew on some nails or eat more steak?

That got me thinking. What do they do to concrete to make it stronger? They add steel (iron) to it. Rebar we call it, in the construction industry.

How do we add "rebar" to our walk with Jesus? How do we add strength to our faith?

Read God's Word, the Bible. Study it. Memorize it. Having scripture at the ready can strengthen us when we feel spiritually weak. 

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." - Proverbs 27:17

Do you have a friend who keeps you sharp, spiritually? Do you talk about God together? Do you share one another's burdens? Do you pray together?

May God provide you with such a person if you have a need.

I started taking an iron supplement and now I am starting to feel better. If we supplement our faith by reading God's Word we will be spiritually stronger in no time.

"He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak." - Isaiah 40:29

Empty Arms

When someone we love is suffering it can be one of the most empty feelings we will ever experience. It's incredibly draining. It's like wanting to give someone a hug but our arms are sadly empty.

There is a strong desire in the heart of the Christian to 'ease their pain'. Our only problem is that we ourselves don't have the power to do so. And that is why we pray. Because God DOES have that power.

Is there someone in your life who is suffering or in pain? Do you feel helpless? You're not alone. James had some good advice for us in God's Word.

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray." - James 5:13

He then goes on to deliver this promise a few verses later:

"And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up." - James 5:15

The Prayer of Faith. What is that? Isn't ALL prayer a 'prayer of faith?'

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." - James 5:16

Where do I get "effectual fervent prayer?" And if my prayers don't get answered, does that mean that I am not righteous?

The thing we need to remember about prayer is that prayer is a request, not a command. If our prayer is pleasing to God, and if it is within His will, then the prayer request will be more likely to get God's attention.

But if what we desire in prayer is NOT granted, then we also need to be accepting of that result as well. Whether we like it or not.

I have a young friend who is suffering right now. I have prayed for her these past few days. Constantly, it seems. What if God doesn't heal her?

That's the wrong question to be asking. Here's the REAL question.

How will God be glorified in whatever happens to my friend? Well, my prayer has become continual and deeply personal. That brings glory to God. He has heard my prayer, and will continue to hear them.

But God's healing of my friend is up to Him. And to her. Perhaps she has been made to suffer because of her refusal to fully, and finally, trust God. And if she does that, won't we all be singing God's praises?

Will my pain and prayers for my friend be worth it if she finally trusts God? Absolutely! And isn't her finally placing her faith and hope in Jesus worth far more in God's eyes than any physical healing?

To God be the glory!

To God Be The Glory - Northern Baptist Association

The Arch of Faith

Have you ever considered a stone arch? It is a perfect illustration for God, the master builder, and for us humans, the stones.

To build an arch we first need a designer/ creator. Someone to determine width and height and to select and shape the stones. And we also need someone to do the actual building. That's God the Father.

Next, we need some unseen forces - gravity and friction. That's the Holy Spirit. Helping bind together all the essential elements.

Now we are ready to start construction. But first we need a few 'special' stones. The beginning stones of any arch are called springers. On one side we have Adam, the beginning of mankind. On the otherside we have The Law - Moses.

All of the intermediate stones are called voussoirs. That's us.

Here's a partial construction materials list for our 'arch of faith.'

God the Father - designer, creator, essential, the constructor, stone shaper

Adam (springer) - the first man, the Hebrew word of 'man', sinner, beginning

Abraham (voussoir) - 'faith credited as righteousness', the first covenant

Moses (springer) - the Deliverer, the law, murderer, head

David (voussoir) - "a man after my own heart," adulterer, murderer, King, leader

Mary (voussoir) - virgin, bride, "the church", submissive, obedient

The Thief on the Cross (voussoir) - us, by faith alone, submissive in death, totally dependant on God's mercy and grace

Jesus - (Keystone) Savior, King, teacher, example, the last Adam, essential, new covenant

Building an arch requires support during construction, something to hold it all up until the keystone (Jesus) makes His appearance. That's called faith.

It also requires a 'stone shaper.' Someone to chisel us into the exact shape needed. We stones come in all shapes, sizes and colors. But God can use us all for his glory.

Here's a short video of a young couple constructing and arch bridge. It's beautiful. It's a wonderful illustration for God's design for us humans to cross from death to life through faith in Jesus. Our Bridge.

"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy." - Psalm 61:1-3

Dry Stone Bridge

In The Clouds

Our family was at a reunion in Michigan this past weekend. After the big lunchtime get together was over, we returned to the farm and were all sitting on the back porch, talking. Then someone said, "Time for dinner!" And just like that, I was suddenly alone.

"How can we possibly be hungry after all the food we just ate a few hours ago?!" I thought to myself. Yet, here we are.

That's when I looked up and took this picture. The clouds we moving right to left and a nice breeze was blowing too. Very peaceful. 

It is written, "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen." - Revelation 1:7

I quickly scanned all of the clouds. Nothing. Rats.

Are we ever-watchful? Are we always looking for Jesus? I sure am. I didn't always feel this way. But lately, I find myself thinking about His return more and more. And personally, I can't wait!

"Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory." - Mark 13:26

"Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord." - 1 Thessalonians 14:7

I have heard people say, "What a beautiful, sunshiny day! There's not a cloud in the sky. " I'm thinking, "Sunny, with an increasing chance of clouds" sounds better.

"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His." - Philippians 3: 20-21

Too Late

While driving on a four-lane highway this week something happened that can best be described by the words, "That was close."

The car in front of me and I were slowly passing an SUV, and the semi in front of him. Situation normal. Nothing to see here, right?

Suddenly, from under the semi, came an entire shredded tire. The SUV next to me had no choice but to run over it. Which he did. Boom!

The SUV driver had no choice because he was following too close behind the semi. And traveling at 70 mph, he had no chance to step on the brakes either.

A few moments later we all saw a car parked on the right side of the road. The driver was jacking up his trailer, which was missing a tire.

This situation could have ended really badly. Thankfully it didn't. But it made me think. How quickly life can change.

A former youth group kid was living a good life. Suddenly, she learns one of her children has leukemia. Boom!

My brother in law wasn't feeling good last month so he went to the doctor. Boom! Open heart surgery has been scheduled.

We don't really think about stuff like this but it happens everyday to someone. Sometimes someone we love.

Do you know Jesus? Is He the Lord of your life? Have you submitted to His will and given up your own? I pray that, if you haven't surrendered your heart to Jesus, that you would do so today. Because one day....

Boom!

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." - John 3:36

"Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life." - 1 John 5:12

Sword Fighting

Have you ever watched the news and thought, "How can these people not understand what's going on? Well.....

"None of the wicked will understand but the wise will undersrand. At the end of the days you will rest but then you will rise to receive your alotted inheritance." - Daniel 12:10

If we only look at things through a political lense, Democrats can't understand why Republicans can't see things their way. And the opposite is also true. Those darned Republicans cannot understand Democrats and THEIR viewpoints.

I'm not calling one side or the other "wicked" here. This is just and example. However, there IS wickedness in this world and it's part of our job, as followers of Jesus, to recognize it, call it out, and fight against it.

How can you tell if a $20 bill is counterfeit or real? Hold it up next to a real $20 bill. Compare. Discern the differences.

Reading the Bible lets us know what God's will is. "His good, pleasing and perfect will" (Romans 12:2) Our job as Christians is to adjust OUR thinking to align with HIS.

That is why it is hard for us to watch people looting stores or walking off with armloads of steaks without paying. It's wicked. It's against God's will. "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15).

It is because "we understand" that the things going on in the world these days upset us. It's good that we are upset. If we aren't, we are part of the problem.

All these things happening in rhe news rights now are prophesied in the Bible. We should know that and understand that. Once we realize that these things have to happen, according to God's word, it's a little easier to deal with.

But God also calls us to prepare ourselves for this battle. If you do not believe in the One True God, if you do not pray or read the Bible, you are going into this battle unarmed.

Ephesians 6:17 calls the Bible "the sword of the Spirit." Pick it up and use it.

Take Up Your Sword - VBS

Refiner's Fire

I love the quiet that the early morning brings. It's so easy to read God's Word  .... and to be set on fire by it.

For example: 1st Peter 4.....

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." - 1 Peter 4:8

What does that mean exactly? I get the 'love each other' part. That's the first and greatest commandment.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30-31

But 'love covers over a multitude of sins.' What does THAT mean?

Our first clue is found in 1st John ....

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8

So, God covers over a multitude of sins? Oh, yes. And His name is Jesus! He died for our sins.

But the verse from 1st John implies that it is OUR love of others that does the covering. Our 'covering love' can be summed up  in one word.

Forgiveness.

Do we love others enough to forgive them? Our love for others should overpower any wrongs people have done to us.

That's all part of God's refining process in our lives. We should pray to be refined - transformed into the image of Jesus.

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." - Matthew 6:14

Let us start out the week with a spirit of forgiveness and see if a grace-filled life doesn't follow.

Refiner's Fire - The Worship Project

Keep Reading

'Coffee cup verses' - short, meaningful Bible verses .... that can really screw up our theology.

We can get into trouble if we take just one verse and let it stand all alone by itself. What led up to that verse? What came after it?

Sometimes a parable can be related to the previous story. And without that background information it's hard to understand the parable.

Here's an example that loses its full meaning because someone inserted chapter breaks and verse numbers ro make things easier to read.

Jesus and Peter are talking. Jesus has just told the disciples that where He is going they cannot follow. 

"Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!" - John 13:37-38

That's where the chapter ends. It sounds like Jesus really let Peter have it, doesn't it? But the original text had no chapter break here and the story still continues in John 14 where we find Jesus reassuring His disciples in this way.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." - John 14:1-3

See what I mean? It's the same story, only by continuing to read, with no chapter break, we learn that although Jesus rebuked Peter, He also has compassion for him and the rest of the disciples.

Matthew 7 is another example. Jesus says "Do not judge" but then He goes on to explain about righteous judgement and then says "then you will see clearly" .... to judge.

The Bible can seem difficult to understand sometimes. But if we keep reading it, and do a little research, our understanding of it will increase.

What's In A Name?

What does your name mean? Did you know that in the Hebrew language, a person's name actually means something? For example, the name Jesus actually means "God (Yahweh) saves." The name Emmanuel literally means "God with us."

There are numerous examples of this cool fact in the Bible. Did you know that the Hebrew word for 'man' is Adam?

When the Old Testament says, "son of man," it is really saying, " Son of Adam."

“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him." - Daniel 7:13

The "Son of Man," the Son of Adam, is Jesus. The "Ancient of Days" is God the Father.

There are two lineages of Jesus written in the New Testament. One is found in the Book of Matthew (ch1v1-17). The other is in Luke (ch3v23-38). Matthew's lineage is through Solomon (to Joseph) and the Luke's lineage is through Nathan (to Mary).

Remember now than each person's name in those listings of Jesus' relatives actually means something. What if the meanings of all those names were all written down and read? Would those meanings then tell a story?

Oh, my... Do they ever! And the story is all about Jesus.

I challenge you to watch this video. You will be amazed and blessed by it.

Here's a taste....

He will be a .... 'red man' or 'earth man' (Adam) whose purpose is 'to set something in place' (Seth) He became a 'mortal man' (Enosh) 'to make a nest' (Cainan) 'dedicated' (Enoch) to 'their death' (Methuselah) 'to be low' (Lamech) 'to give 'rest' (Noah) .... and on it goes.

Watch the video....

Lineage of Majesty - Eric Ludy