Comings - Revelation 22:17

"The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' Let anyone who hears this say, 'Come.' Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life." There are two comings requested in this verse and they seem to be inclusive of one another. The first request is for Christ, the bridegroom, to come and is made by the bride, the Church, who is inhabited or indwelt by the Holy Spirit. But the invitation to come is also to those who have not yet come to faith in Christ and His salvation. And we can assume that the Spirit and the bride make this second request as well. Throughout the centuries, God’s people have waited for, prayed for, hoped for, and watched for Christ’s return. This intercession for Christ's soon return is clearly demonstrated in the closing words of John's revelation: "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" (vs. 20). But this blessed hope is an entirely evangelistic proposition because it's a shared hope! You can't want the Lord to come without wanting people to come to the Lord. Thus, the coming of the Lord is inclusive of the coming to the Lord. And when others come to believe in Christ, then they join in the matrimonial chorus of intercession for His soon return. With the coming of the new year let our prayer be "Come quickly, Lord Jesus" and let us put our prayers into action by inviting others to come to the Lord Jesus.

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know - Malachi 1:2

"I have always loved you,” says the Lord." Malachi wrote to the Jewish exiles that had resettled in Judah probably sometime during the reign of King Darius of Persia (521-486 BC). Malachi begins his oracle by conveying the simple truth that God has always loved Israel. Malachi's portrayal of the love relationship between God and Israel has covenant implications. God's love may be identified with God’s choice of Israel as His people. God chose Israel to be His people; consequently, God loved them. So God loves His chosen people and wants to enter into a love relationship (covenant) with them. As I put my little girl to bed one night, we sang (as we always do) the familiar children's song--"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so"--and I personalized it with her name. This particular night as we sang the song, it seemed that the Holy Spirit impressed upon me the reality of the words of this simple children's song--that God's love for me and my little children is the basis for our present and eternal existence--an everlasting covenant of love. It's what gives everything meaning. I had never realized the song made such a profound theological statement! In fact, in less than ten words both Malachi and the chorus of this song say everything I try to say in a year of Bible meditations: "Yes, Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so." That's the message I try to relate through two hundred and fifty or so blog posts as I work my way through a version of the Bible each year. Yet, no post I write can express the simple truth of the reality of God's love with such clarity (and so succinctly) as do the words to this song or Malachi's opening declaration. But I take consolation in the fact that though the message is simple and true because the Bible declares it, it's the "this I know" part that seems to take a lifetime to learn and develop. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, the Bible tells me so. Yet, do I believe this? And how does this belief impact my life? Thus, I must repeatedly reinforce this message of God's supreme and absolute love for me, my children, and all His people through daily Bible study and prayer (and blog posts) to fully know and experience its reality. "And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God" (Ephesians 3:18-19).

Holy Cooking Pots - Zechariah 14:20-21

"On that day even the harness bells of the horses will be inscribed with these words: Holy to the Lord. And the cooking pots in the Temple of the Lord will be as sacred as the basins used beside the altar. In fact, every cooking pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. All who come to worship will be free to use any of these pots to boil their sacrifices." The last chapter of the book of Zechariah closes with visions of both the salvation and judgment that occurs at the coming of God's universal Kingdom--"the day of the Lord." These last verses of the chapter and the book describe the pervasiveness of God's holiness in His Kingdom. So much so that even the inscription on the harness bells of horses and the cooking pots in the Temple will be holy. On the day of the Lord, the words inscribed on the plate on the turban worn by the high priest will be inscribed on horse bells. On that day, the pots and pans used to boil the meat or collect the ashes of animals sacrificed at the altar will become as holy as the bowls used to catch the blood of the slaughtered animal. But for common cooking pots to become holy and for horse bells to announce God's holiness, they must come into contact with something holy. Because God will dwell on the earth with His people on the day of the Lord, His holiness will transform even ordinary utensils into sacred vessels. God's presence makes the profane sacred, the ordinary extraordinary! God's presence sanctifies what is common and makes it special! Please Lord, make me a holy cooking pot! "We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves" (2 Corinthians 4:7).

Small Beginnings, Enormous Endings - Zechariah 4:10

"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin, to see the plumb line in Zerubbabel’s hand." When the first wave of Jewish exiles returned to Judea, they were enthusiastic about rebuilding the Temple that had been destroyed by the Babylonians nearly fifty years earlier. But when their efforts to start rebuilding the Temple were opposed and resisted by neighboring nations and internally by the current inhabitants of the land, the repatriated Jews became discouraged and the Temple continued to lie in ruins for almost twenty more years. Zechariah encouraged the Jews with a vision of the future. Within Zechariah’s sermons and visions were messages specifically addressed to the governor, Zerubbabel, the high priest, Jeshua, and the other priests. In this particular message God declared to Zerubbabel that He wanted to empower the Jews to rebuild the Temple and He would bless even the smallest effort to start--in this case, seeing Zerubbabel taking measurements for the blueprints of the Temple. God will bless small beginnings and turn them into enormous endings because even the littlest effort is an act of faith that God can bless. After all, it is not the power of your own will or strength that accomplishes great things--these enormous endings--for God, but it is the power of His Spirit working through you: "It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit" (vs. 6). During the Christmas season we are reminded that God works precisely in this way--turning small beginnings into enormous endings. When God came to earth to save humanity, the Savior was born in a barn and his parents used a feed trough for livestock as His cradle. Then they had to flee the country to prevent the child from being killed by a jealous and despotic king. And yet from these humble beginnings, the Kingdom of God was inaugurated and the redemption of humanity was accomplished! "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger" (Luke 2:10-12).

Why Does God Allow Evil? - Revelation 12:7-11

"Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, 'It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.'" This passage from John's revelation of the future indicates there is a rebellion against God that is of epochal or universal proportions. And this world and humanity are the battleground for this war. This passage explains that the dragon to which it refers is Satan and that he deceives the world and has a following of other angelic beings. Some interpret this time of the dragon's defeat and ejection from heaven as referring to the incarnation, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Nevertheless, three principles arise from this passage that help explain the presence of evil in the created order:

1. The events of this world are decreed and managed in heaven. God actively presides and rules over His created order. Thus, ultimate control and supreme authority over the universe emanate from God.
2. The evil that exists in this world is of cosmic proportions. The evil of this world transcends earthly events and its fundamental nature is ultimate insubordination to God's authority.
3. Evil is fundamentally a spiritual issue and, therefore, must be addressed in the spiritual realm.

Our ancestors effectively joined Satan's rebellion and so by being born human we are co-conspirators in this rebellion. God's justice system requires supreme restitution for the crime of rebellion, but Christ received the punishment for this high crime on behalf of all human beings. In other words, Christ has come to defeat the rebellion of Satan and those of humanity who join Satan in this rebellion against God's Kingdom: "But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil." (I John 3:8). While the mastermind of this rebellion, Satan, has enjoined humanity in his sedition, is it the result of a cosmic error in planning by God? An unintended consequence of free will? Collateral damage to the created order? Absolutely not! The redemption of human beings has always been God's plan since the creation of the world: "Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world" (Matthew 25:34). The redemption of humanity is not to fix any galactic mistake or oversight God made in creation. We know from the biblical record and from our own human experience that we often learn best by learning from our mistakes. The biblical narrative is replete with well-intentioned and some not-so-well-intentioned people not obeying God. Regrettably, people often better understand God’s will by not doing it! Mercy is better received by those in need of it! John's revelation clearly discloses that God wins! God ultimately defeats the evil that has infiltrated this world though He may allow it to reside for a time to advance His redemptive plan. God is almighty and His plan is supreme, even to the extent that He can use the evil acts committed by persons and even the devil himself to work His good purposes. It seems that God is best able to redeem people in a world that is occupied by evil.

Staying Focused - Nehemiah 6:15-16

"So on October 2 the wall was finished—just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Nehemiah Chapter 6 recounts the extraordinary political intrigue taking place behind the scenes attempting to prevent Nehemiah and the Jews from rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was intimidated and threatened by former political officials and even some of the Jewish leaders conspired with these former officials to have Nehemiah killed. Yet, despite all this opposition, Nehemiah was able to organize and spearhead an initiative to rebuild the walls around Jerusalem and complete the project in just fifty-two days! The speed and success of the reconstruction project testifies to the fact that with God's help His people can accomplish quite amazing things. Furthermore, Nehemiah remained remarkably focused on the task God had called him to do in spite of all the distraction. In fact, the more pressure that was applied to Nehemiah, the more determined and steadfast he became: "They were just trying to intimidate us, imagining that they could discourage us and stop the work. So I continued the work with even greater determination" (vs. 9). The focus on accomplishing God's plans and purposes demonstrated by Nehemiah requires that we are sure of our calling and certain that God is at work in us and through us. We must know and understand what God wants to do with our lives--His will--and He will give us the enabling power and staying power needed to accomplish our respective assignments. "I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us" (Philippians 3:13-14).

Solving Society's Problems - Nehemiah 5:15

"But because I feared God, I did not act that way." Nehemiah was the cup-bearer to the Persian king, Artaxerxes (465-424 BC). The cup-bearer was a trusted confidant of the king. When Nehemiah heard about setbacks in the reconstruction of Jerusalem, he requested the king's permission to return to Judea. Artaxerxes made Nehemiah governor of the province of Judea for twelve years. Nehemiah organized an effort to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Although he encountered both external and internal opposition, this major construction project was promptly completed. Severe financial distress for some people threatened progress on the wall's completion. Some farmers were diverting their efforts from growing crops to building the wall and required assistance in feeding their families. Some small landowners had mortgaged everything to survive and a famine in the land added to their hardship. And they were burdened by the tribute (taxes) they had to pay to the Persians. But to make matters worse, wealthy Jews were charging interest when they made loans to fellow Jews. Nehemiah was angry that the wealthy would charge their countrymen interest despite provisions in the Mosaic law that discouraged oppressing the poor and encouraged helping the less fortunate. Nehemiah himself was making loans of money and food to people without burdening them with interest and so he considered the actions of these wealthy Jews as counterproductive to their identity as God's chosen people. Nehemiah demanded these wealthy oppressors restore the property that had been mortgaged to them and repay the interest they had charged. This verse is the conclusion to Nehemiah's declaration that during his tenure as governor of Judea, he and the officials of his administration never exercised their authority to draw a food allowance from the local population because he feared God. In other words, Nehemiah respected people and helped the poor and oppressed because he feared God. Respect for God and His truth and reality builds and develops your conscience; it gives you compassion for people; it promotes peace among human beings. The fear of God places certain demands on our behavior and restrains us from acting out our worst human tendencies. A little more of the "fear of God" among people, especially people in power, would go a long way toward solving many of our society's problems! "Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10).

The Way to Revival - Haggai 1:14-15

"So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, on September 21 of the second year of King Darius’s reign." Many of the Jewish exiles returned to Judea in 538 BC after Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, issued a decreed permitting people who had been conquered and deported by the Babylonians to return to their homelands. Upon returning they immediately began work to rebuild the Temple. When they encountered resistance from the local inhabitants, they lost their enthusiasm for the project and the construction was neglected for almost twenty years. So God sent the prophet Haggai to motivate the repatriated Jews to complete the construction of the Temple. Haggai pointed out to them that their priorities had gotten messed up (vs. 9) and so there was no compelling concern for spiritual matters. But God stirred the hearts of the leaders and the people to revival and they responded by reviving the effort to restore the Temple. When Haggai called the people to spiritual renewal they obeyed his message: "Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord" (vs. 12). Once they began to put spiritual matters first and decided to obey God's will, then God was with them (vs. 13) and He evoked their enthusiasm for accomplishing His will to reconstruct the Temple. For spiritual revival to occur among us collectively, first we must individually make God's plans and purposes our main priority and actively respond to His calling. Then He will give us the zeal to accomplish His will! "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you" (Acts 1:8).

Why God Listens To You - Daniel 9:22-23

"Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding. The moment you began praying, a command was given. And now I am here to tell you what it was, for you are very precious to God. Listen carefully so that you can understand the meaning of your vision." In 539 BC Daniel was studying the book of Jeremiah and read where Jeremiah prophesied the desolation of Jerusalem would be for seventy years. Daniel may have calculated from the time of his own deportation in 605 BC that it was near the end of the seventy years. (The first wave of returning exiles actually began in 538 BC and the rebuilding of the Temple began almost immediately upon their arrival in Jerusalem. The returning Jews encountered resistance from the local inhabitants of Jerusalem and so the Temple wasn't completed until 515 BC, about seventy years after it was destroyed!) Then Daniel prays for the Jewish people in exile, confessing their disobedience and rebellion and pleading for their repatriation of Jerusalem and Judea. While Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel appeared to him and made the declaration in these verses. The command given to which Gabriel refers was either God's decree to end the Exile and return His people to Jerusalem and Judea or the command for Gabriel to go and explain the future to Daniel. Whatever the case, Gabriel affirms that he was sent there in response to Daniel's impassioned prayer. Gabriel explains that Daniel's prayer mattered to God because Daniel was precious to Him. An angelic appearance as a result of Daniel's prayers was repeated in Chapter 10 and in 10:11 and 10:19 an angel again tells Daniel that he was precious to God. Therefore, we know that God pays attention to the sincere prayers of His people. You are precious to God and this is why He listens to what you have to say to Him. "The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results" (James 5:16).

The Discipleship Determination Factor - Ezra 7:8-10

"Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in August of that year. He had arranged to leave Babylon on April 8, the first day of the new year, and he arrived at Jerusalem on August 4, for the gracious hand of his God was on him. This was because Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel." King Cyrus of Persia had allowed the Jews to return to their homeland in 538 BC. The returning Jews rebuilt the Temple and completed it in 515 BC, approximately 70 years after its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar (This Second Temple stood for approximately 585 years until the Roman army of Titus destroyed it in 70 AD.) In rebuilding the Temple, the Jews had encountered opposition from the local inhabitants of Jerusalem (other conquered people groups that had been resettled there by the Assyrians and Babylonians after the Jews were exiled). Ezra was a Jewish priest and scribe and an important Persian government official. Ezra traveled to Jerusalem in about 458 BC to bring articles for the Temple and to establish God's law and the laws of Persia. Ezra was accompanied by an entourage of over fifteen hundred men and their families, who traveled with Ezra to join the Jewish community in Jerusalem. Ezra was also accompanied by God's grace and blessing because he determined to study and obey God and to teach His law to God's chosen people. Isn't that pretty much the same thing as what we are supposed to do as disciples of Jesus? The variable in this equation of study, obey, teach equals blessing is the "determination" factor. Ezra determined to study and obey the law of God. He made a purposeful effort to seek and follow God! So God's blessing didn't happen to Ezra because he was a priest or scribe or by accident. Ezra made an intentional, deliberate decision to study and obey God's law and as a result God's gracious hand was on him. In other words, Ezra was somebody God could use because Ezra made himself available to accomplish God's will. "Go and make disciples of all the nations...Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you" (Matthew 28:19-20).

Ruling the World - Daniel 7:27

"Then the sovereignty, power, and greatness of all the kingdoms under heaven will be given to the holy people of the Most High. His kingdom will last forever, and all rulers will serve and obey him." In the book of Daniel the focus shifts from from a historical narrative to a prophetic narrative in Chapter 7, which records the first vision of Daniel. The vision used animal symbolism to tell the same story that was told in Nebuchadnezzar's dream in Chapter 2 about the future rise and fall of nations. Daniel makes it clear that world history culminates in the establishment of God's Kingdom: "As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed" (vs. 13-14). Not only does Daniel describe the establishment of God's Kingdom at the end of the world, but he reinforces the fact that God's people are co-rulers along with Jesus over God's new world--and he states it multiple times in this chapter (vs. 18, 22, and 27). To prepare you for eternity, God wants to hone your leadership skills in this life so you can help Him rule the world of the future!

Heavenly Graduation - Revelation 2:17

"Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give some of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it." The book of Revelation opens with a series of personal messages to the seven churches of Asia. Asia was a Roman province in the geographical area that is now western Turkey. The cities where the seven churches were located were joined by a road system that formed a geographical triangle. In Revelation the cities are listed and addressed in order along this geographical triangle from west to east. The message to the church at Pergamum, the third city in the series of messages, offers a warning to Christians not to be tempted to compromise their morality and faith in God. This verse is the conclusion to the message and is similar to the conclusion of each of the messages to the seven churches. However, the conclusion to the church at Pergamum includes the promise of a special gift from Jesus for those who are faithful until death. In fact, death is depicted as a sort of heavenly graduation and so those who are faithful until death are "victorious." In this message to the church at Pergamum, the graduates, the victorious ones, receive two graduation presents from Jesus: manna that has been stored away in heaven and a white stone with a new name given by Jesus engraved on it. The second gift is a very personal gift because the new name engraved on the white stone is only understood by the person receiving it. Thus, it can only be given by One who knows you personally and understands you completely. Think about it. You are an individual who is known personally by the King of the universe! Talk about having friends in high places! And he knows you so well and so intimately that He has given you a nickname based on His personal knowledge of you! I imagine that at some point in your life you completed certain educational requirements that entitled you to a diploma or degree and you probably looked forward  to the day when you would walk across the stage and receive your diploma with great anticipation. One day you will walk across the stage of eternity and enter into eternal life. And receiving a personal gift from Jesus makes that heavenly graduation ceremony a day to look forward to with great anticipation--a day to die for, but more importantly, a day to live faithfully and uncompromisingly for!

Eternal Beginnings - Daniel 2:35, 44

"The whole statue was crushed into small pieces of iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold. Then the wind blew them away without a trace, like chaff on a threshing floor. But the rock that knocked the statue down became a great mountain that covered the whole earth. That was the dream. Now we will tell the king what it means...the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. It will crush all these kingdoms into nothingness, and it will stand forever." When King Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream, God gave Daniel the ability to reveal the dream and its meaning to the king. Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a statue cast from different kinds of metal. The statue represented four world empires that in the future would each conquer one another and then be displaced by a Kingdom whose power and authority are derived from God. The Kingdom of God was inaugurated on earth by Jesus. Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God has come; it has entered into this present age and is at work in this world to bring about its future consummation. Although this world of human beings has not completely submitted to the rule and reign of God, one day in the future God’s Kingdom will reign supreme on this earth. While the rule and reign of God has entered into the present age largely unseen, it is nevertheless actively at work occupying the human race. The Kingdom of God is engendered by the Holy Spirit working individually and collectively within the citizens of God's Kingdom to transform their present life into eternal life. As a citizen of God's Kingdom, what you do with each day in this present life contributes to the plans and purposes of God's Kingdom now and forever. So eternal life begins today. Your life in this present age is the beginning of your eternal life! So live it well and for the glory of God, our King!

It's Hard To Be Humble - 2 Chronicles 31:21-22

"In this way, King Hezekiah handled the distribution throughout all Judah, doing what was pleasing and good in the sight of the Lord his God. In all that he did in the service of the Temple of God and in his efforts to follow God’s laws and commands, Hezekiah sought his God wholeheartedly. As a result, he was very successful." The reign of King Hezekiah of Judah as described in 2 Chronicles 31 and 32 was distinguished by his zeal to resume Temple worship and adherence to God's law. As a result of Hezekiah's devotion and obedience to God's will, he was successful in everything he did (vs. 32:30). Hezekiah was respected by the leaders of the surrounding nations and he engendered respect for God from these leaders, so much so that that they sent many gifts for the Temple and for King Hezekiah personally. When Hezekiah fell deathly ill, he prayed and God healed him and gave a miraculous sign (2 Kings 20:10-11 says God caused the sundial to go backwards ten steps!) Then Hezekiah became proud and God became angry with Hezekiah until he humbled himself and repented of his pride and God's anger did not befall him again during his lifetime (vs. 26). I can't help but believe the pride that Hezekiah exhibited in vs. 25 was the result of the acclaim he received from the leaders of the surrounding nations in vs. 23. It's hard to be humble when important and powerful people recognize your success! For Hezekiah, however, the consequences of success were duplicitous. On the one hand, he was doing something right--being obedient to God--to achieve success, but on the other hand he must have started thinking he was something he really was not because God was the real Force behind his success. Fortunately, Hezekiah's pride was mitigated by his repentance and humility, and God blessed him as a result. So, if the story of Hezekiah's reign is such a great success story, why am I belaboring his one little indiscretion? Why is it so important to avoid pride and to have humility, especially if God is making you successful? There are probably many reasons, not the least of which is that pride deceives you into thinking you're something that you're not. But the main reason I want to focus on humility is because humility is in God's character, and besides, it's the Christmas season! I know this sounds strange and, moreover, what does humility have to do with Christmas? Christmas reminds us and we even celebrate the fact that God humiliated Himself to redeem the humanity He so greatly loves. Yes, the Son of God, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, was born as a human being in a barn and His bassinet was a feed trough for livestock! It must be supremely hard for God to be humble, yet He is--for our sake! "So the Word became human and made his home among us" (John 1:14). (I realize it's a big theological leap from Hezekiah's pride to the baby Jesus in a manger, but during this season of the year it's hard to read my Bible and not find a Christmas story!)