Freedom is Good News Part 84

“In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)  What is trouble?  This word “trouble” is from a Greek word that literally means “pressure – that which burdens the human spirit”.  There are many things which, in this world, burden our spirits.  There are a lot of things that can get us down.  And yet we are living in what is arguably the wealthy nation in the history of mankind.  Even the poorest of us have more than 80% of the people in this world.

Having said that, I do not remember anyone, who is going through a trial, actually quote that scripture.  The first step in relieving a pressure, turning from a sin, relinquishing an evil thought or finding peace in ones strife filled life, is to quote the Word of God.  How do I know this?  Let’s look at Matthew 4:1-11; this is the episode where Jesus, having been led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, went without food for forty days and nights.  I believe we are familiar with the story; Satan came to tempt Him; “If you are the Son of God, turn these stones into bread.”  What was Jesus response?  “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”  End of discussion!

Second temptation: Satan took Him to the highest point of the temple in Jerusalem and said, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.  For it is written: ‘He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”  Ah ha!!  Satan can quote scripture too!  But Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the LORD your God to the test.’”

Let us stop here for a second.  Concerning the stones into bread, Jesus quoted from Deut. 8:3.  In the second temptation, Satan quote from Psalm 91:11, 12 – but he did not quote it in its entirety; Satan left out an important part, the angels are “to guard you in all your ways … you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”  And so Jesus answers him from Deut. 6:16.  Sometimes Satan is straight forward and sometimes he is deceptive.  But Jesus knew what He had to do.

In the third temptation, Satan takes Jesus to a high mountain to show Him the kingdoms of the world and then says to Jesus, “All this I will give you, if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus did not argue with Satan as to who had ownership of all things, but immediately, He said to him, “Away from me Satan!  For it is written: ‘Worship the LORD your God and serve Him alone.’”  And so the Devil left Jesus and we are told that the angels came and attended Him.

Isn’t it interesting what quoting scripture will do?  The temptations and trials that our Savior endured just melted away in the face of Him quoting from the Book of Life; God’s word!   And He has left for us an example that we might do as He has done.

More on this in the next article!

Freedom is Good News Part 83

What is your take on the Word of God?  And by that I mean the entirety of the bible; from Genesis to Revelation.  This book is the essential reference work for our lives – and by that I mean every one of us in every aspect of our lives!  It is the book of life!

Can you imagine a scientist - say a chemist - trying to formulate some new product in the lab and not having access to any reference works?  From carpenters, plumbers and mechanics; to chemists, engineers and doctors, we need to learn our trades and specialties from the works of those who’s knowledge has preceded us. 

God has not only preceded us, He is from eternity and he is the one who created us.  And just as the automotive engineer has written a manual to let us know how the car should be maintained, God has a “manual” to let us know how our lives should be maintained.

So, what is your take on the Word of God?  I had an individual once tell me “it’s just a book of one’s own interpretation – you think it means one thing and I think it means something else”.  My answer to him was a question: “Have you read the bible?”  No he hadn’t.  Well, my friend (he was my nephew) until you read the bible and then tell me that you still believe the way you do, I must consider your view as one that lacks wisdom.  And so I must say the same to anyone who has never read the Word of God. 

Shall we just pay lip service to our Creator?  What did Jesus say concerning this?  “You hypocrites, Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: ‘These people honor me with their lips but their hearts are far from me.  They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9) 

The bible is not an easy read.  But one thing I tried to teach my children is that the most worth-while things in life take the most work; there really are few easy answers.  And that is a hard lesson to learn.  We live in a culture that teaches us that our comfort and happiness are the most important things to us today.  And yet we, who call ourselves Christians, must understand that this world is just a temporary existence to train us and get us ready for an existence that is beyond our comprehension; an eternal existence of glory.  What does the Word of God say?  “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)  “Our light and momentary troubles are preparing us for an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)

I leave you with one final scripture, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints and His incomparable great power for us who believe.” Your homework assignment is to find the whereabouts of that scripture!!

Freedom is Good News Part 82

“They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.”  There is much to be said about this scripture for it is, in essence, the over-riding covenant of God with man!

In the past two articles, we have been looking at a scripture at the end of the book of Revelation, chapter 21:1-4, and considering the good news there-in.  We now come to the scripture quoted above which is in many ways the crux of the gospel – the good news of the Kingdom of God!!

This statement; “They will be My people and I will be their God”, is found as a thread that runs through-out the entirety of the bible.  We see it as God’s everlasting covenant made with Abraham in the book of Genesis 17:7-8.  We see it in Exodus 6:7 where God reiterates to Moses His everlasting promise to His people Israel. And again in Exodus 29:45-46 we see this statement as it will be written in Revelation 21.  It is spelled out in detail in Deuteronomy 26:16-19.  And Jeremiah points out the words of this everlasting covenant seven times in his book of prophecy.  And to show its future application unto the end time, Zechariah tells us this: “I will refine them like silver and test them like gold.  They will call on My name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God’”. (Note the future tense used here.)

Paul picks up this thread in 2 Corinthians 6:16, “… For we are the temple of the living God.  As God has said, ‘I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God and they will be my people.’”  The writer of Hebrews quotes from Jeremiah in connection with this everlasting covenant, “I will be their God and they will be My people”. (Heb. 8:10)  There are many more instances of this most important statement through-out the bible.  Would that we had the time and the room to explore each and every time this covenant statement appears in scripture.

Some may ask the very good question, “Is this a statement of the old or the new covenant?”  In short, allow me to be somewhat glib, and answer, yes!  This statement of covenant is an everlasting one and embodies the entirety of the bible.  Our God is an awesome God and He, himself, tells us that He does not change. (Malachi 3:6)  In Hebrews 13:8 He tells us that He is “the same yesterday and today and forever”.  In James 1:17 we read, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

The great God of the universe wants to be our God.  He wants us to choose Him as our God.  He wants us to live our lives as though we were His people.  He tells us this in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  Really, what could be more beautiful than to have such a relationship with our God who tells us that He is “abounding in lovingkindness”?

Freedom is Good News Part 81

The apostle John is banished to the island of Patmos and, while there, receives several visions from God.  He is told to write down the things he has seen and we know these writings as the book of Revelation.  In our previous article I picked up on the very last vision that John saw and quoted from chapter 21concerning a new heaven and a new earth and how the Holy City, New Jerusalem, came down to this new earth from God.  As a side note I might mention that the word for “new” has the connotation of renewed or refreshed; i.e. new in quality.

We are told that this New Jerusalem has been “prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.”  With this in mind let’s go to Ephesians 5:32; Paul is discussing the duties of a husband and wife just prior to this scripture and tells us that “This (the idea of a marriage) is a profound mystery – but I am talking about Christ and the church.”  Ah!  So this beautifully dressed bride is an analogy of the church and her relationship to the Savior!  A little earlier in Ephesians 5 Paul writes this, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing of water with the word and to present her to Himself, the church in splendor, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.”  Isn’t this a beautiful analogy?  Those who have committed themselves to Christ (i.e. the church) have a future free of guilt and filled with splendor and holiness.  They are the bride “beautifully dressed for her husband.”  And as we perhaps contemplate this, we are told by John that “Now the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them.”

Let’s take a moment here to consider this.  I know that there are some who disdain the bible.  They think it is just a bunch of tales told by men.  Really??  Has a man ever told a tale quite like the one told in the book of Revelation?  Has any man ever proclaimed that there was a new heaven and earth and that a new city would be brought forth as a bride?  If God is not the builder of all things, certainly one could not believe that a man was.  If indeed the universe exists, certainly it did not build itself.  I for one do not have enough faith to believe that kind of a fairy tale.  This is an issue that must be dealt with.  And we are left with the task of dealing with it.  It really is life or death and I for one chose life.

“Now the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them.  They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God.”  As I read these words, I see that there is power in them.  This statement is something to behold.  God wants to dwell with His people - the one that I instinctively know created the universe and gives life to mankind has a mind and a will to desire a dwelling with His creatures.  And what else?  John then says, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away”.

I get goose bumps contemplating the things of my God!!

Freedom is Good News Part 80

Picking up from our last article, we see that Jesus says, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6)  Notice that He did not say, “I will show you the way, reveal to you the truth and give you life.”  This is a very significant detail.  We see a very similar thing when Jesus spoke with Martha, the sister of Lazarus who had just died.  He told her, “I am the resurrection and the life.” 

The spiritual reality here is that God does not just give us gifts; He is the gift.  Our God is the sum of all things and He has given all this to His Son.  Jesus tells us this in verse 11 “Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”  There is a relationship here that goes beyond our human understanding.  And yet we are called into that relationship as Jesus offers up His prayer in chapter 17; we see in verse 21, “As you are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me … may they be one as we are one; I in them and you in me.”

Jesus did not just give us these words and then go off to heaven to be with the Father, leaving us to wonder what He meant and so fend for ourselves.  No, he tells us, starting in 14:15, “If you love me you will obey what I command and I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to abide with you forever – the Spirit of Truth.”  This same “Counselor” is spoken of in verse 26, “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, which the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  Wow!  What a promise.  Please remember that we started this study with the words, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:53) 

Going back to 16:16 Jesus says to the disciples, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”  The disciples were confused about this statement and it brought them some grief.  But Jesus told them, “Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy.”

And so in chapter 17 Jesus offers up that most famous prayer: for Himself (verses 1-5), for the disciples (verses 6-19) and for us who believe (verses 20-26).  Jesus ends this prayer with these words, “I have made your name known to them, and will continue to make it known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

It is the time of year to reflect upon these things.  There are a thousand lessons in these few chapters.  But of a truth, the greatest lesson is found when the two Marys go to the tomb, see the stone rolled away and encounter two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning.  And the two men said, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here; He has risen!” (Luke 24:1-6)

Freedom is Good News Part 79

The final instructions given to the disciples before Jesus was arrested, tried, tortured and crucified are found in John 13 – 17.  Let’s not forget how we started looking into these chapters.  We began, several articles ago, by considering what to do when trouble strikes. The answer I put forth came from Jesus mouth  “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:53) 

When we find that trouble has struck, the salve we should apply is the peace found in our Savior.  Paul tells us, “the peace that comes from God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)

 “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.”  Let’s take a look at some more of “these things”. 

At the start of chapter 14, Jesus tells the disciples they should not let their hearts be troubled.  I suppose if we consider ourselves to be His disciples, we should take this to heart.  But it’s hard to do sometimes when all we find around us are troubles, dilemmas and heartaches.  Jesus then tells us that He is going to His Father’s house so as to prepare a place for us and then says that He will come back for us “that you may abide where I am”.  This is a sign of the betrothal.  In ancient Israel, after a marriage had been arranged by the fathers, the groom would not see his prospective bride again until he had built for them a home.  When this house met the father’s expectations, the wedding date would be set, the wedding take place and the groom would take his new bride to this abode he had built.

“Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns.  Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb had come, and His bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Rev. 19:6-8)

In John 14:4, at the end of this segment, Jesus says, “You are aware of where I am going and you are aware of the way.”  A somewhat cryptic statement; to which Thomas (you know – doubting Thomas; or as some call him, “honest Thomas”) replies, “Lord, we are not aware of where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

Are you a disciple of Jesus?  Are you one who calls Him Lord and Master?  Is He your teacher?  Only you can truthfully answer these questions and only you may understand the answer to Thomas; do you know the way?

“Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me’”.  Jesus gave the answer and Jesus is the answer.  More on this next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 78

Slightly past the mid-point of the Book of John we have, what may arguably be called, some of the most important chapters in the Bible.  Chapters 13 through 17 contain the final instructions of Jesus to His apostles while He walked this earth in the flesh.  They take place during His last Passover meal.  In fact, He tells them in Luke 22:15-16, “With eagerness have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.  For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”  This is an interesting statement for it tells us that He will partake of the Passover again and that it will find a final fulfillment in the kingdom!!  So when we call it the “last supper” we must realize it was actually the Passover and also, Jesus will partake of it in the kingdom of God.  But, we are getting ahead of ourselves. 

In our previous article we were talking about Jesus washing the disciple’s feet and how that might be quite significant for us.  There are lessons that our Savior is continually striving to teach His followers and here we are 2000 years later, striving to be those followers. 

First lesson: Jesus is exampling for us humility and taking upon Himself (our Lord and Teacher) the servants role of washing the feet of those invited to a banquet.  But He goes further than this in that He specifically tells us that we should do “as I have done for you”.  I know that many people will reason this away and apply it to how we should be humble servants in our daily lives.  There is nothing wrong with serving our brothers and sisters in Christ but He did say we would be blessed if we did as He did.

Lesson 2: Peter in his first epistle, tells us, “You as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood.”  Later on he says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation.”  Did you get that?  There is a priesthood that awaits the called out ones of God!!  What does this have to do with washing the feet of our brethren?  Moses (a type of Christ in the Old Testament) is told by God to wash the newly ordained priesthood (a type of those called out ones in the Old Testament) and then later tells this priesthood to wash their hands and feet as they minister at the sanctuary.  (Paul tells us that these things were written down as examples for us. – 1 Cor. 10:11).  Today, we are that sanctuary and we are the servants/ministers of God!!

Lesson 3: Perhaps a much deeper lesson than humility and cleansing is also intended.  When Jesus told Peter that he did not now realize what He was doing and then said, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me”, Jesus was referring to the cross.  In fact, Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him (Jesus)”.  Our participation with Christ is a relational thing.  Jesus told us to, “Pick up our cross and follow Him.”  In all things that He did, He wants us to do likewise.  “He humbled Himself, obediently, even to death on the cross.” (Phil. 2:8)

Whew!!  Lots to think about here; until next time, keep your eyes on the good news.

Freedom is Good News Part 77

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:53)  We ended our previous article by quoting this scripture which comes at the end of John 16.  The appearance of these words at this point is quite significant.

But, let’s go back to the very start of this whole episode and see where Luke, the writer of the third gospel begins.  Luke 22:8, “Jesus sent Peter and John saying, ‘Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.’ … When the hour came, Jesus and His apostles reclined at the table.  And He said to them, ‘With eagerness have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.’”

As we piece this story together, we see from John 13 that about the first thing Jesus did, before the Passover meal, was to wash His disciple’s feet.  What was meant by this act?  Well, when Jesus finished this task, He says in verse 14, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet; I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  So Jesus sets an example for us. 

Today, in the 21st century, we have many means of keeping our feet clean.  His admonition to us, who read these words today, must have much more meaning than making sure our brethren have clean feet!  Let’s go back and take a deeper look at this activity.

In the process of washing feet, Jesus came to Peter who questioned his Lord’s actions.  First of all, in ancient Jewish traditions, this just was not done.  A disciple was not to question the actions or motivation of the Rabbi!  But Jesus was very gentle with Peter as He answered him, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but after you will understand.”  In today’s vernacular, I suppose we might say that Peter was always quick to “open mouth – insert foot”.  Peter replied, “No, you shall never wash my feet.”  If questioning a Rabbi was a dubious action, commanding the Rabbi was quite unheard of!

Again Jesus was gentle but firm, (don’t we wish our bosses today were as gentle as the Savior was?).  “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”  Uh-oh!  “Don’t stop with my feet, but wash my hands and head as well”, was Peter’s reply.

Many have said that this foot washing was done to show the humility Jesus was exampling for us and there is something to that.  This task was to be accomplished by the lowest servant of the house.  But I believe that there is more to it.  Jesus said to Peter that he had already had a bath (a reference to baptism) and so “his whole body was clean” (13:10).  Friends, there is a profound lesson for us here, but we must (God willing) leave it for the next article. 

Remember, in Christ Jesus we have PEACE!!

Freedom is Good News Part 76

We pick up where we left off in our previous article.  And as I have pondered this topic of trouble over the past week, into my thoughts came one of God’s servants, our dear brother, the servant of God, the Apostle Paul.  Listen, if you will, to his litany of troubles: “I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the 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 in the open sea, and 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 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 been cold and naked.  Beside everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)

Ok, so I do not really have any troubles!! 

The bible teaches us that we should not compare ourselves one to another.  If we feel the need to compare ourselves to anyone, it must be to our Savior, Jesus Christ, who was, “… despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised and we esteemed Him not.  Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.  But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed. … And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth, He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.” (Isaiah 53:3-7)

Maybe it’s a good time to consider how good we really have it.  Two men, Paul and Jesus, suffered greatly on our account.  One, Paul, desired so much to bring the good news to all men and we have his example, his testimony and his teachings in our bibles; bibles that have been purchased by us for the equivalence of one or two hour’s wage.  The other, Jesus; He not only brought the good news; He was the good news.  I guess, with spring approaching, it is a good time to ponder the sacrifice that our Savior made for us.

Until next time, let us rejoice and not be troubled by the things of this world.  Jesus said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart, I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:53)

Freedom is Good News Part 75

What should we do when trouble strikes?  I suppose one must define “trouble”.  Like everything else in this world, we all see trouble in differing lights.  And depending upon our own personal situation in life, we might rate trouble higher or lower.  For instance, suppose you receive notice that your home insurance is going up – that can be labeled as trouble.  But last week your boss was feeling generous and gave you a healthy raise in pay.  On the other hand you just learned last week that you will be laid off and the possibilities for getting a good job are slim.  On a scale of one to ten, the first case might be a 1 or 2 but the second case is scarier and is a 6 or 7.

I just finished reading a book entitled, “The Auschwitz Escape” by Joel Rosenberg.  I’m sure we are all aware of what happened at Auschwitz during the early 1940s.  So why didn’t the Jews rebel?  Because they thought their trouble was at a level of 4 or 5.  Getting on the trains, they thought they were going to a concentration camp to work in factories helping to supply the German war machine.  “All will be back to normal after the war.”  Shortly after they arrived, they saw that their trouble was off the scale of 1 through 10.  As one prisoner put it, “The only way out is in ashes up the chimney”.  Death and cremation was all that was in store.  I have never ever seen nor imagined that magnitude of trouble.

And so trouble, in varying degrees, comes upon us all.  What should we do when trouble strikes?  The bible has a lot to say concerning trouble.  And I am sure you are way ahead of me on this one.  The number one answer to my question is to seek God. 

As I ponder this topic, my mind turns to a statement that Jacob made after he had come to Egypt and to his long lost son Joseph, who was now second in command to Pharaoh in Egypt.  Joseph then brings him into Pharaoh’s presence.  (This episode is found in Genesis 47.)  Pharaoh’s first question to Jacob is a curious one, “How old are you?” he asked.  And Jacobs answer is equally curious, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.  My years have been few and difficult.”  The story of Jacob’s short (130 years) and difficult life begins in Genesis 25:21 and end with his death at the end of chapter 49.  It is a long section of scripture devoted to one man and  his family but it gives us quite a picture of Jacob as a self- serving twin son of Isaac who encounters many troubles and difficulties, to a repentant patriarch who seeks the God of his fathers and then confesses that this God is his God.

Where are you in your short and difficult life?  I believe I have said this before but it is true that we have a tendency to seek God only when we have difficulties and troubles.  A very wise man once said to me, “Seek God when things are good and perhaps you won’t have to see many troubles”. 

This world can be full of troubles.  I think back to my first attempt at an article for this venue and consider the fact that sometimes we just need good news.  God willing we will consider the topic of trouble and its anecdote, seeking the face of our God.

Freedom is Good News Part 74

I grew up in a branch of Christianity that discouraged the reading of the bible.  Today, I am amazed at this attempted hindrance!  It wasn’t until I was 26 years of age that I picked up a bible to read.  This was due to a challenge given to me by a co-worker.  It had been about eight years since I had attended any type of church services and he told me about something in the scriptures that I did not believe.  I located a bible, read the passage and realized (from the pages of the bible) that my friend was correct.  This was indeed a life changing moment for me.  Without trying to be judgmental, I saw that I had been deceived.

From that moment on, I wanted to know what the Word of God said and so I read.  Were there other things that I had believed in error?  Yes!  But why am I mentioning this in an article concerning good news today?  Because, the good news for me, has been that I have come to love God’s word more and more.  It is a pure joy and a real blessing to find extra time on my hands and then fill that time with reading God’s word.

I know that statement might seem strange in today’s world.  People have a tendency to fill their extra time with every secular activity under the sun.  And there is nothing wrong with many of the activities we have surrounding us these days.  I have noticed that we have a lot of “extra time” on our hands, -too.  Oh, I know we are so busy these days, how could one ever say we have extra time?  It has been my observation that our excessive busyness is really only the many secular activities we partake of.  I could make a list of the inane things we do these days but I’m sure you are well aware of your own list.

So, where is this discussion going you ask?  It comes full circle to where we were two articles ago – it has to do with (and let me take a line from that article) “Reading in God’s word by yourself is always a good thing to do, but reading out loud with another is a wonderful way to gain understanding and share the blessings of God’s word.”

There is a saying today that goes something like this, “the truly worthwhile things in life never come easy”.  The bible I have sitting in front of me, as I write this, has just short of 1700 pages.  I must admit, that is a lot of book.  And some of it (OK a lot of it) can be hard to understand.  But it does contain the thoughts of God!  And that is the “good news”.  God has given us an anthology of books that contain instruction, history, stories, allegories, poetry, letters, prophecy and wisdom.  Who could ask for more? 

In conclusion let me just say this, our Heavenly Father is honored by our reading His word – yes, honored!  And, you guessed it; that is good news. 

Freedom is Good News Part 73

“Shout with joy to God, all the earth!  Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious!”  Psalm 66:1-2.

We continue to look at the Psalm we began in last article.  Let’s consider that last phrase, “make His praise glorious!”  Have you ever wondered how we might make our praise of God, glorious?  Well the secret is in the word “glorious”.  The Hebrew for this word is “Kabod” and it literally means “a great quantity or weight of a thing”.  Many times in scripture we find it written that God has glory or that He is glorious.  In Psalm 19:1 we read, “The heavens declare the glory of God”.  Have you ever looked up at the stars on a clear dark night?  I cannot take my eyes off of them.  If it’s summertime I just want to lie under the canopy of stars and experience the awesomeness of God’s creation.

The “great quantity” of stars gives us an inkling of the glory of God!  I can praise God from my innermost being – yes, I can make His praise glorious.

Verse 3 & 4:  “Say to God, ‘how awesome are your deeds!’  So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.  All the earth bows down to you; they sing praise to you, they sing praise to your name.”  Here we are at the beginning of February, and if you are like me you can’t wait for the first daffodil to poke its head out of the ground; then come the tulips and the lilacs; then the clematis, and on and on the flowers continue.  They give beauty to our eyes and precious scent to our noses.  Oh the wonders of God’s creation – it’s no surprise that David desires all the earth to bow down before Him.

David continues in this Psalm by asking us to “Come and see what God has done, how awesome His works in man’s behalf!  He reflects upon some of the awesome deeds that God did for David’s ancestors – the parting of the Red Sea for one, and he even praises God for some of the trials they and he went though.  He says, “We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance”.  It is not during good times that God teaches us the deep lessons of life.  No, it is more often in the trials and problems of life that God teaches us the profound lessons and then brings us to that “place of abundance”. 

These are the lessons that stay with us.  These are the lessons that we must cherish.  James tells us to “Count it all joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.  Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be perfect and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4)

This Psalm 66 ends with the words, “Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld His love from me!” 

More good news to come – stay tuned!!

Freedom is Good News Part 72

Sally and I are in the process of reading through the Psalms together.  Reading in God’s word by your self is always a good thing to do, but reading out loud with another is a wonderful way to gain understanding and share the blessings of God’s word.  The Book of Proverbs 27:17 says this, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”  As one of us is reading, the other might ask to stop because something caught their eye: A discussion follows and both of us have learned something new. 

God’s word is amazing, in that when this happens, there is an inner joy that nothing in this world can duplicate.  My prayer for you, my readers, is that when you pick up God’s word to read the next time, you will find a brand new nugget of wisdom and knowledge and have this same joy. 

Do this sometime soon: fathers and mothers, read to the family in the evening after supper.  Turn the TV off, put down the phones and tablets, etc. and pick up God’s word.  Read to the whole family and make it a fun time!  But you’re not sure where to start?  Let me help with that.  Start with Psalm 66.  You don’t have to read the whole thing, then close the bible and let everyone go their own way.  No, just start with a portion of this Psalm – a few verses perhaps (you don’t want to overwhelm anyone); and close with a short prayer.  Perhaps the kids may even have a question or two for discussion.  Honoring God in this way as a family will reap some very precious blessings.

Well, let’s look at Psalm 66 and see what we may find:  “Shout with joy to God, all the earth!  Sing the glory of His name; make His praise glorious!”  This is verse one and two.  What a beautiful start to a Psalm.  We have three verbs here: shout, sing and make.  That first verb is expanded in the King James Version of the bible to “Make a joyful noise”.  First of all, I must confess, my northern European background seems to inhibit me from literally shouting for joy.  But I know that God hears my heart and in my heart I have often shouted to God with joy. 

The second verb is “sing” or as in the KJV “sing forth”.  Now here is where I can follow the instructions.  I like to sing!  I do not have a great voice but as someone once said, “God gave me this voice and He’s going to have to listen to it!”  God is pleased with song and especially ones that give “glory to His name”.  The Psalms have many places where we are admonished to sing.

The third verb is “make”.  But it is not just make anything, but “make His praise glorious”.  This is an interesting Hebrew word.  The basic meaning of “to make” is to “put something somewhere”.  And what does this Psalm tell us to put somewhere?  We are to put our praise for Him in a glorious way.

We will (God willing) look into this some more next time.

Freedom is Good News Part 71

We have been engaged, for the past couple of articles, in Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians found in Eph. 1:16-20.  This is not his only prayer for this church group.  We find a second prayer in chapter 3 verses14 through 19.  In the book of Romans Paul offers two short prayers for that church in 15:5-6 and 13.  He offers two short prayers for the Philippians in 1:3-4 and 9-11.  For the Colossians, he offers a prayer in 1:9-14.  In both letters to the Thessalonians there are prayers: 1 Thes. 3:12-13 & 5:23 and 2 Thes. 1:11-12 & 2:16-17.

Why do I mention them?  I think it is instructive to read the things that Paul thought were important for the churches.  In my own prayer life I will usually pray for the physical and emotional needs of a friend or brother, (health, finances or mental wellbeing) but I tend to forget the spiritual needs which are perhaps of greater importance.

We all have needs and wants.  In our congregation we have a prayer book that is passed around during our worship service so that requests for prayers may be written down.  Toward the end of services the written requests are read aloud and a prayer is offered for them.  Most often the prayer requests mention family members, acquaintances, co-workers and members of the congregation.  The concerns mentioned are most often physical.  It is the physical realm of which we are most aware and so it is there that we usually focus our time and efforts.  But, is it not in the spiritual realm of our lives that things are of utmost importance?  Yes – one’s need to “walk worthy of the calling we have received” (Eph. 4:1) so as to serve God in our lives, must come before the physical requests we have.

And what about ourselves?  Do we remember to pray for ourselves?  Do we need spiritual enlightenment, wisdom, better knowledge of the path God wants us to walk or an understanding of God’s word?  Or how about the joy and peace in our lives to overflow with love for God and for our neighbor.  Do we find ourselves getting angry, offended, or filled with pride and vanity?  It is hard to pray for someone else if we are in a bad mood or filled with vanity.

Perhaps I have mentioned this before but I liken it to the speech the stewardess gives before each and every flight; “In case of a loss of oxygen in the cabin, a mask will drop from the compartment above you.  Make sure you place the mask on yourself first so that you may be able to help a child or neighbor with theirs.”  I suppose it should be obvious, but if we are struggling with a lack of oxygen, we are no good to ourselves or others.  And so it is in the spiritual realm.  We need to be in a good relationship with our heavenly Father so as to better help a friend who needs us to pray for them.

I have given you many references to Paul’s prayers.  I encourage you to get your bible and read all of them.  Perhaps in your on-going reading, you may find other prayers that Paul or Peter or one of the other writers in the bible used.  I find these prayers very uplifting.  And that is good news.

Freedom is Good News Part 70

“That you may know … the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints”; this is where we ended our discussion of Paul’s prayer to the Ephesian church in our last article.  Do you understand the riches that may be yours as one of God’s called out ones?  First of all, God owns all things.  Psalm 24 verse 1 tells us, “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”  That is a good start, but in reality, God is creator over the entire universe – over all things visible and invisible and He owns it all!

In Matthew 25:31-36, Jesus tells us a parable concerning His kingdom.  In it He separates the sheep from the goats.  The sheep (on His right) have fed the hungry, given drink to the thirsty, clothed the naked and visited the sick (I believe we are familiar with this parable).  The point of this is that the sheep are told, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.”  Let me state it this way, the riches of His glorious inheritance is the kingdom of God!!  This is why, in Matthew 6:33, we are told, “seek first the kingdom and its righteousness and all things will be given to you.”

God is working with us today in order to prepare us for this inheritance.  In another scripture, Jesus tells us that, “everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father of mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29)  Let me ask you something, how long is eternal life?  And again, how big is God’s kingdom?  What kind of work does God have for us to do?  In Isaiah 9:6-7, in speaking of our Savior, Isaiah says, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given … and of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end.  He will reign on David’s throne … with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever.”  In Luke 19:17 Jesus says, “Because you have been trustworthy in a small matter, take charge of ten cities.”  This parable concerns us, His servants.

Friends, there is much more to say concerning our inheritance, but let us move on to the third petition of Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church;  “That you may know … His incomparably great power for us who believe.”  At this, Paul goes on to describe this great power; “That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms.”  I don’t know about you but I am completely blown away when I consider that God can take a lifeless piece of flesh, the synapsis in the brain have ceased, the body has grown cold, no blood is flowing because the heart has stopped and yet by the word of His mouth, life enters the body and resurrection occurs.  This is His incredibly great power for us who believe.  A new body, one that is indestructible, that will inherit His kingdom, a kingdom that will exist forever; this is the hope to which He has called us and to which Paul desires that the eyes of our heart may be enlightened!

Good news indeed!!!

Freedom is Good News Part 69

In almost all of Paul’s letters to the churches, he includes a prayer for them.  Let’s take a look at one the prayers that Paul includes to the church in Ephesus.  “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.” (Eph. 1:18)  Some time ago we talked about how we all need God’s help in having our hearts opened to His enlightenment. 

The Word of God can sometimes be a mystery.  I have, in the past, likened it to a jig-saw puzzle – you need to put this piece in place before you can see where this other piece fits.  So it was for me when I began reading the bible almost 42 years ago.  Friends and brethren, there are still many pieces lying on the “table” that I haven’t fit into place yet.  And there are some pieces that seemed to fit many years ago, but as I learn, read and studied, I realize they were in the wrong spot!  My admonition to you – don’t ever be afraid to question your knowledge of God’s word.  May God enlighten the eyes of all of our hearts!

The first petition of Paul’s prayer is: “That you may know the hope to which He has called you…”  This is an interesting request by Paul for his beloved brethren in Ephesus.  At first blush one may wonder why they did not understand the hope of their calling.  But I must ask the question, “Do you?”  The Greek word Paul uses here is an interesting one.  There are two words used in Greek for “knowledge”.  Without getting too deep here, one simply means, “an inception or progress in knowledge”; as in, “I am coming to a knowledge of Spanish”.  In other words, it’s an ongoing thing.  While the one Paul uses in this prayer (oida) suggests “fullness of knowledge”.  This “hope” to which we are called, must be fully known or better said, fully understood.  This is a much stronger word. 

Sometimes we might look at the word “hope” as a “maybe kind of word”, “I’m going fishing and I hope to catch some fish; maybe I will catch some and maybe I won’t”.  But the hope that God calls His children to is never a maybe thing.  This word that Paul uses here has a meaning of “having a favorable expectation with assurance”.  We can expect a certain outcome and we are assured of it.  Paul wants God to give his readers a true and full knowledge that His promise is assured.  In other words, no doubts! 

The second petition that Paul prays is that you may know “the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints”.  No strange Greek word here.  We all know what an inheritance is.  God has promised us a portion of His estate.  Wow!  I mentioned to a group recently that in the known universe, if God wanted to divide equally among the 7 billion residents of the earth, all the stars, each of us could have 2 trillion of them.  That’s a lot!!!  But His inheritance to His children is worth even more than that. 

Stay tuned, there’s a lot more to talk about.

Freedom is Good News Part 68

We have been looking at a section of the 73rd Psalm these past few articles – verses 23 through 26.  Last week we considered Asaph’s statement that God will guide him with His counsel and so now we come to a very uplifting statement.  The verse reads like this:  “You guide me with your counsel and afterward you will receive me into glory.”  It is God who guides us and it is God who will receive us!

I know there are a lot of people who do not believe in God and there are a lot of people who do not accept the God of these Holy Scriptures and there are a lot of people who are not interested in reading or studying about God in these Holy Scriptures.  But as for me, I’m with Asaph on this!  I desire God to guide me and I desire God to lead me, take me, and receive me into glory.  I have never been ashamed to tell my heavenly Father that I love Him and that I desire to have Him guide me into His glory!  And do you know why?

It’s because I’m with Asaph on this and his next lines in this Psalm are my lines: “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.”  I believe that when I enter into His glory, when I at last see my God face to face, when I bow before Him on His throne, I will be amazed that I ever held anything in this world as having any worth!!!  Jobs, cars, houses, clothes, entertainment, whatever it may have been that grabbed my attention when instead I could have been drawing nearer to my God and my Savior. 

Oh, I am like Asaph; letting my feet almost slip and envying others – losing my foothold because I took my eyes off the true prize, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  And this takes me back to where we started this journey into Asaph’s Psalm.  If you have been paying close attention there is a tremendous lesson here.  You might remember that several weeks ago I made this bold statement, “In the letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote, ‘…seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.’  In short, I can unequivocally say that this scripture is the answer to the entire topic of this column.  And when I say ‘this column’ I do not mean just this present article.  I am talking of our entire search for “good news!!”

The reality of having God in our lives must be second to nothing else.  For “Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”  I will leave it to you to read the remainder of the Psalm.  Asaph’s testimony is worthy of your reading.

We have a lot of responsibility with the word of God.  We may gain knowledge and we may gain understanding but what will we do with them?

Freedom is Good News Part 67

We began looking into a portion of the 73rd Psalm two articles ago.  , “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.”  These are two beautiful sentiments expressed by the Psalmist Asaph as he repents for his thoughts that were causing him to sin.  His next line in this Psalm is very informative, “You guide me with your counsel”.  What is it worth to you to be guided by the counsel of the one who has created all things, “visible and invisible”?  To be guided by the one who sees the big picture of all that happens here on earth? 

Perhaps we should ask the man, Job.  Remember, he was the man who lost all his earthly possessions and his health and then pondered why God had left him so.  Near the end of the book of Job we find him very humbly replying to God, “I know that you can do all things; that no plan of yours can be thwarted.… Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know… therefore I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6)  And so Job was blessed immensely.

Or perhaps Isaiah the prophet may instruct us in the worth of God’s guidance.  “Behold your God!  Behold the Sovereign LORD comes with power and His arm rules for Him… He tends His flock like a shepherd… He gently leads those who have young…. For who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed Him as His counselor?  Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the right way?  Who was it that taught Him knowledge or showed Him the path of understanding?”  (Isaiah 40:9-14)

Yes, God is the one to guide us by His counsel!  But will we listen?  Down through the ages people have spurned the counsel of God.  Our very first “parents”, Adam and Eve had but one commandment that God told them to obey and they failed – they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  God brought Abraham into the land of promise and yet when adversity came, he packed up and moved into Egypt for a while.  Israel, time and time again forsook the counsel of God – they halted from going into the land that God had brought them to, they grumbled and complained afterward as they wandered in the wilderness. 

I could go on with example after example, but the question remains: will we listen to the counsel of God?  Let us not forget that in his statement, Asaph doesn’t pray that God will guide him by His counsel but, in faith, he acknowledges that God does guide him.  So how do we realize that God will guide us?  Solomon, in Proverbs 3:4 says this, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.”  Let me put two and two together; if we acknowledge God in all our ways, He will guide us and thus make our paths straight.

Do you acknowledge God in all your ways?  Do you listen for His counsel in your life?

Oh, there still is a lot more to come concerning this 73rd Psalm.  Stay tuned!!

Freedom is Good News Part 66

“Yet I am always with you…” says Asaph in Psalm 73:23.  I really appreciate the way this is stated.  Asaph does not say that God is always with him; but that he is always with God and that makes all the difference.  The one thing we must always keep in mind is that it is not about us, it is always about God!  What do I mean by this?  In the scheme of things universal, we humans are of little import when compared to the greatness, the splendor, the majesty and the awesomeness of the Almighty God we serve.  Our God is supreme, He is sovereign, He has created and rules over a universe that is beyond man’s comprehension.  And yet He allows us to “always be with Him”.

Near the end of our last article, I stated that Asaph “opens up his heart to us in a very humble way” and his statement here continues the humility as he bows before God through the written word of a poem.  Both James and Peter, in their respective letters, tell us that “God gives grace to the humble but resists the proud”.  Asaph is in need of God’s grace and he knows it.  He has allowed his heart to wander into dangerous territory, “But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold, for I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (73:2&3)  The Psalmist reveals his thoughts and struggles in the first half of the Psalm and then confesses that he did not understand these things “till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.” (Verse 17)  What a beautiful turning point!  True prayer takes us into the very throne room of God.

 “Yet I am always with you…”  Are you always with God?  Is He your first thought in times of trouble and in times of sorrow?  Is He your first thought in times of blessing and in time of joy?  We humans walk through this life as though we were in charge.  Have you ever had the thought “I’ll call upon God when I need Him”, rather than humbly telling your Heavenly Father that you are always with Him?  This short statement by Asaph tells us that he knew God was a God of mercy and compassion. 

The next statement in this Psalm emphasizes that Asaph really knew how beautiful a relationship with God could be, “you hold me by my right hand”.  What is it like for an infant, just learning to walk, to know that Mom or Dad has its hand firmly in theirs?  Sometimes it is just enough to know that someone will hold our hand.  And when we would compare ourselves to the God we serve, we must admit that we are indeed, just learning to walk.  Praise be to God that He is abounding in lovingkindness.

 And yes there still is a lot more to come concerning this 73rd Psalm.  Stay tuned!!

Freedom is Good News Part 65

Why do the anchors on television networks tell us every night, with serious faces, that they have “breaking news”?  Why do they show us over and over again scenes of wreckage and carnage from some recent disaster, whether natural or man-made?  Why? They know we are interested.  They know we are attracted.  And they, of course, want our attention.  The only thing we have to offer these news outlets is our attention.  The more we pay attention, the more value they can claim.

OK, we all intrinsically know this but why is it so?  Why are we attracted?  I suppose one answer might be its just human nature.  Perhaps it’s just our desire to gawk or maybe it’s our compassion for those who may be suffering.  And compassion for suffering is a good thing if it draws us to do something – even if it is just our heartfelt prayer.

In the letter to the Colossians, Paul wrote, “…seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”  In short, I can unequivocally say that this scripture is the answer to the entire topic of this column.  And when I say “this column” I do not mean just this present article.  I am talking of our entire search for “good news”!!

There are many instances, in the bible, of people who went astray from their relationship with God because they did not continue with this very simple formula written down by the Apostle Paul for us.  It would do us all some good to consider this when pulled into the doldrums through some nightly news drama. 

“Seek those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.”  The quickest way for us to enter that journey is by prayer.  True prayer takes us into the very throne room of God.  We enter by the hand of our Savior, the Son of God!  Listen to the prayer of the Psalmist, a man named Asaph; this is from the 73rd Psalm, “Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.  You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.  For whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.  My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psm. 73:23-26)  I am not very proficient at memorizing scripture but this is one of the few I have committed to memory. 

Maybe we should take a longer look at this.  It is filled with good news and may be of help when we find ourselves becoming glum.  It would be a very good thing if you would read the entire Psalm so as to see why Asaph wrote these later verses.  This man opens up his heart to us in a very humble way as he tells us of his sin in envying the wicked.  There is a lot more to come concerning this 73rd Psalm.  Stay tuned!!