glory to god

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Beholding His Glory

April 24, 2026April 24, 2026 krisshetter

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” – Psalm 19:1

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” – Revelation 4:11

On our first trip to the island of Kauai my husband surprised me with a helicopter tour. If you’ve ever visited Kauai, you’ll see a continuous stream of these whirlybirds as they circumvent the edge of the island. Besides the “average” beauty of this lusciously green island you’re flown over the “Grand Canyon of the Pacific.” After cresting the top of the mountain, you find yourself perched for just a moment as the helicopter begins its descent into an impossibly breathtaking amphitheater-shaped valley which falls into the azure, blue seas.

We were fortunate that upon reaching that crest, the skies cleared. The view laid out before me literally took my breath away. I could barely speak as the glory of God’s creation burst out in front of me in full technicolor.

God Revealed In Glory

In Romans 1 Paul exhorts Christians to not be ashamed of God and His glory. In fact, he says no one, not one person, has an excuse to not believe in God. Why? Because He has been revealed throughout all time in His creation.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Romans 1:20

This revelation of God’s glory became a regular topic between my father and I while we sat waiting for medical appointments. He wanted proof of God’s existence. I would point outside any window and remark, “There’s your proof.” And he would scoff. I would point out the beauty of the human eye, the statistical probability of a baby coming out just about perfect millions upon millions of times, the fact we have all we need to survive and then some. And he would still scoff.

Even knowing all this, and walking in a relationship with Jesus, I still forget at times how glorious God truly is. I question His decisions. I give Him advice on how to solve problems. I idolize things other than Him. Then the Holy Spirit taps my shoulder to remind me that I’m speaking to the great I AM, not just any Joe Blow.

“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” Isaiah 42:8

Our Big God

When my last church went astray with unbiblical teaching, I approached one of the pastors to gain understanding about their thinking. We had a lengthy conversation about a particular topic and then he asked me a curious question. “If I asked you why you believe what you believe are you going to just say, ‘because God said so?’” he inquired. I stood there stunned for a second and then firmly responded, “Yes.” In that moment, I realized how easily even spiritual leaders can shrink God to something manageable.

Last year I read a great little book called, “Your God Is Too Small, A guide for believers and skeptics alike” by J.B. Phillips. He addresses how believers fall into traps of defining God absent the truth of His glory. We make Him into a god of the familiar and every day. For example, we’ve probably heard people (like my father) smirk at the idea of Jesus being resurrected. “There’s no such thing as bringing someone back from the dead! That’s impossible!” Yet, that is exactly what God did.

Phillips discusses 11 types of “God” we create in our minds and in our prayer life. One might think of God as a policeman, always watching and searching for the evil we do. Or as a meek and mild Jesus who, according to some Super Bowl commercials, just wants to be loved and love in return. Others pray as though God never sees what we need – a hands-off god. While others worry He is a micromanager.

But all those are not the real God. The God of majesty and glory. Of power and might. The God of Revelation who commands the winds and seas. Who sends His angels to fight heavenly battles. The God of Daniel 7 whose throne is ablaze with flames with a river of fire come out before Him. The God who has 1,000s upon 1,000s attending Him in the heavens. That God can do the impossible.

Friend, is your god too small? Have you forgotten He is the God of sunrises and sunsets? He has intricately woven every animal, human and plant for His purposes. He is beyond time and our full understanding. And yet, He has invited us to be heirs to this glory through His Son, Jesus. What a glorious gift!

“We have seen that the Son of God created the world for this very end, to communicate Himself in an image of His own excellency. … When we behold the light and brightness of the sun, the golden edges of an evening cloud, or the beauteous (rain)bow, we behold the adumbrations of His glory and goodness; and in the blue sky, of his mildness and gentleness.” Jonathan Edwards

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High Fives

December 30, 2025 krisshetter

With one more day left in this year of 2025 I noticed this past post had a few looks today. I went back and read it myself. It made me realize that my only resolution for the coming year is to live a life where an unbeliever would have cause to ask me how or why…and my answer would be Jesus.

We should all live our lives as believers in every situation; sharing the Gospel to all we encounter. Let’s help bring a few more home this coming year.

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 15:5-6

The other night, just before we were about to go to bed, I looked over our Christmas shopping list to see who my husband still needed to check off. It caused me to ask him where a gift certificate was that had come in the mail the day before. It is an “old school” paper certificate for $100 to a local attraction. Thus began an all out search for this thin piece of paper.

At the same time, I know it sounds odd, I was also searching for a brand new bra that disappeared about a week ago. Since I don’t go around tossing my bra off outside my house I just knew it had to be inside somewhere! So, here we were at 9:00pm going through trash cans, drawers, paperwork, sheets, towels, etc searching for a piece of paper and a bra.

At one point my husband was ready to give up. He was going to call the shop the next day and ask for a duplicate gift certificate. He told me to just buy a new bra. But I’m not a quitter so we kept searching. At last, I looked in one last place for the gift certificate — the office recycling bin. And there it was stuck to an empty Christmas card envelope! Moments later my husband was digging around in the clothes hamper and he pulled out my bra displaying it like the Lion King Mufasa holding up the baby lion Simba. How I didn’t see it the other 10 times I looked in there I have no idea.

As we fell into bed laughing about our search I said, “We are practically like a Bible story — you know, the ones about the lost coins and the lost sheep! We didn’t give up and we finally found our precious things.”

As so often happens when I’m in the midst of writing, my everyday experiences lead me to ponder on the glory of God. In this instance, how He also never gives up. He goes into our trash heap of sins and pulls us from the depths. He seeks us out under the dust and brushes us off. He cleans us up and makes us righteous before Him through our faith in Jesus.

"And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:9-10

Christ not only welcomes us home but He runs to meet us like the father to the prodigal son. Through His bountiful mercy (not dishing out the punishment we deserve) and grace (giving us the love and justification we don’t deserve) He celebrates our entrance to His Holy Kingdom.

Think on the last time you lost something and finally found it. You may have performed a little, silly dance or shouted out in glee. Now imagine when you accepted Christ as your Savior how God must have danced in joy because He is a God of great celebration. While we can’t change someone’s mind about God, He can. He asks us to join with Him in the search effort. Imagine each time you share the message of your salvation with an unbeliever how God must be saying, “YES! LET’S DO THIS! Let’s bring another home!”

Give all honor, praise, and glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

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It’s Not You, It’s Him

March 10, 2025March 4, 2025 krisshetter

Philippians 1:6  “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

In a survey done a few years ago about what Christians believe, more than half (55%) agree that “everyone sins a little, but most people are good by nature.” I have to assume that when people answer questions like this, they’re thinking specifically about themselves and people they love. Because friend, if you believe this you haven’t poked your head outside in a while, like a long, long while. You haven’t been to a kid’s sports event. Apparently, you were asleep during the great toilet paper crisis of 2019. That’s just the small stuff. If you really want to know how good we humans are, read up on your national and international news. War, rampant fraud, poverty, murders, rapes, greed – getting the true picture of all that goodness?

Christians who believe they are basically good then must erase the need for Jesus. I suppose this error still works for that 55% since the survey also found that almost half (44%) say that Jesus was a great teacher, but he was not God. Thus, we don’t need anyone to come and save us from our sins, right? We don’t need anyone to clean us up, clothe us in majesty so we can stand righteously before the One True God.

That definitely wasn’t the prophet Isaiah when He was brought before God. Isaiah 6:5 shows us his situation — “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

Isaiah, when brought before God, saw how unworthy he truly was when compared to our Holy and Majestic God. My friends, it’s not until we realize we are just as unclean can the clean-up truly begin.

When we do, so many of us start working really, really hard at getting “cleaned up.” We clean and we clean. And like Lady Macbeth we cry out, ““Here’s yet a spot,” she cries, desperately rubbing. “Here’s the small drop of blood still.”” Her sin caused such guilt and shame she sleepwalks constantly washing her hands.

Oh, we may fool ourselves into thinking how much better we are for having gone (or thought about going) to church a few times, or even regularly. In fact, our piousness may ooze out of our pores. We give to the right causes (just enough not to hurt) and are righteously offended by other’s not-so-godly behavior. We volunteer (or at least we want to) and we wear our symbols of our faith. But still that spot won’t come out.

“Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? .... But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

If you recall my first post, “The Coat of the Holy Spirit” I wrote about three phases of sanctification:

You were sanctified (Justification)
You are being sanctified (Sanctification or Made Holy)
You will be sanctified (Glorification)

Of these, which are you to keep scrubbing away to get those spots out? This is, of course, a trick question. It’s all Him, not you. All He asks is for you to listen, trust and obey His Word.

So how have we been sanctified? By the sacrificial blood of Jesus Christ. He chose you before time began. Only the blood of Christ satisfies the requirement God has to give the guilty mercy and grace. Remember, we are ALL sinners. We all deserve death and eternal separation from the Most Holy God. The gift of Christ was given freely because “God so loved the world…” John 3:16.

“But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as first fruits to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13

You are being sanctified right now, even by reading this post! You are gaining wisdom (I hope), which was given by Christ to the disciples — to generations since, to me, pastors, teachers, fellow believers — imparted to you! The Holy Spirit, imputed to you by Christ, is living inside you opening your heart, your mind, your eyes and ears to God’s Word and promises.

“In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade.” 1 Peter 1:3

Lastly, you will be sanctified when we see Christ again and rise from the dead, fully healed, fully restored as God has planned since creation. How beautiful is that? A gift from our Creator to those who simply believe.

So, who is responsible for making us holy? The short answer is always Jesus. When we love Him, we desperately want to obey Him, to please Him with our love.

Thank you, LORD, for doing the work for us. For not having us make endless, pointless sacrifices to try and wash the spots off our souls. For being the only True God who loves us so much that He died for us. No other man-made gods have done the same. That is love. And for that we can be eternally grateful. Amen

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

This week’s question: Do you struggle with the word “obedience?” Why do you think God calls us to obedience to Him?

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Day 5 Gratitude

July 5, 2024July 5, 2024 krisshetter

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.  Ephesians 1:3-4

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens…. When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8: 1 & 3-4

Have you ever had someone do something for you that was unexpected and thoughtful? A few months ago, I was so sick with the flu I could barely walk from my bed to the bathroom. A friend of mine heard how sick I was and that day left a care package of healing teas at my door. It was a loving, unsolicited gesture — wanting to help nurse me back to good health

When I hear this beautiful song by Brandon Lake I am overwhelmed by God’s unwarranted love and care for me. I’m a sinner from way back. I’m a backsliding sinner. I will probably manage to say or do something today that I shouldn’t. Yet, the God of the universe, the Almighty One, still loves me and sees me and provides for me. He loves you too, fellow sinner.

His love is freely given. His offer of salvation is crowned upon us without us having to lift a finger. We need only to believe. No trying harder. No paying a fee. No list of things to accomplish. No shame. Just a heart that says, “I believe you and I want to have you as my Lord.” After that He infuses Himself with us through the Holy Spirit. The free gift of an ever present counselor, comforter and guide who reveals God’s will for our life.

How can we not get emotional over something so staggering, so loving, and so unexpected? We throw up our hands and praise Him over and over for the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ who died to cleanse us of the stain of sin. We shed tears knowing how much we don’t deserve this love yet are showered with it each day.

All I can say to that is Hallelujah and Amen!

Glorious Victory

December 30, 2023December 29, 2023 krisshetter

"Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours."  1 Chronicles 29:11

One of King David’s first steps, after he was crowned King of Israel, was to coalesce the people of Israel and bring back the Ark to Jerusalem. As it was brought into Jerusalem, a massive celebration commenced. It was as though the victor had finally arrived back home. David wore his finest clothing, thousands went about rejoicing and hundreds of musicians celebrated in song and dance. A magnificent spectacle to be sure!

David, in most of his years, looked upon the Lord with great reverence and fear. He prayed regularly for God’s favor to be upon him and the people. God, in turn, brought down enemy after enemy providing Israel with countless victories.

As King David made plans for the new temple to be built one would surmise that nothing could go wrong in this great kingdom. In fact, 1 Chronicles ends with the death of David and this statement:

"Then he died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor." 1 Chronicles 29:28

A man with great faith which led him to great obedience (with a few exceptions). Isn’t that something to which we should all aspire? We may not all be kings or queens, battling other countries in the name of the Lord. But, we have been placed in very specific circumstances by God with our own gifts. He wants us to experience that same sense of victory.

Too often we look around and think we are “nobodies” in this grand plan. We probably aren’t pastors, or Bible teachers. We aren’t accomplished missionaries or evangelists. We find ourselves frequently uncomfortable speaking God’s truth to our friends and family lest we damage relationships. How could we ever participate with God in victory like King David?

But David was just a boy to whom God made a promise. To whom God asked for faithfulness. It wasn’t David who made himself victorious, it was God. It was David who stayed close to God, honored Him, and glorified Him.

Throughout this last 30 days, I’ve learned that if I give God glory upon waking, if I give Him glory throughout my day, and if I give Him glory as I lay my head down on my pillow at night, He has made me victorious in so many ways. He helps me win the battle of self-doubt. His flag is planted as He destroys the fields of my pridefulness, envy and discord. He tears down the walls of worry and fear. With my heart, mind and body turned to Him, He makes me victorious!

Friend, Jesus may have arrived as a humble baby but He came to be our victorious Lord and King. God may not strike with thunder and lightning but He is doing a mighty and glorious work in our unseen parts. He asks us only to be faithful and rely on Him. He is making an army that looks like no other. One that, when this world is all said and done, will rule with Him in glory throughout the heavens and the earth. May we begin and end each day this coming year with one of King David’s prayers upon dedicating the Temple to the Lord Our God.

"Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. " 1 Chronicles 29:11-13

AMEN.

Thank you for joining me on this journey of 30 Days of Glory to God Alone! If you missed a post, be sure to check out the Soli Deo Gloria page.

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Rise & Shine

December 29, 2023 krisshetter

“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
    and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
    and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
    and his glory appears over you." Isaiah 60:1-2

Rise and shine and give God the glory! Those are the words I heard when I first woke this morning. You see I had told my husband last night, just before we went to sleep, that I had no idea what I was going to write about today. Zip, zilch, nada. But I wasn’t worried. I didn’t lay awake all night concerned about the words that had yet to come. Why? Because over a month ago I made the commitment to the Lord that I wouldn’t run ahead of Him in this project. I turned any worries I might have over to Him. So, last night I fell into a blissful sleep with the knowledge that our glorious Lord always comes through for us.

You read that correctly. He always comes through on His promises. He is always present to comfort us, to teach us, to protect and heal. The way He accomplishes this may not (and it usually doesn’t) look like how we imagined but, when we have faith in His love for us and we seek Him in every circumstance we will see Him at work.

Yesterday at lunch my friend and I shared the topics of what can keep us up at night: family strife, fears of illness, the state of the world, and even our pets. As the Lord has worked on the part of my body that brings me so much grief — my mind — He has shown me how to turn each thought over to Him in trust and prayer. To release my prideful ideas of control and be still of mind.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

That thief? He is the one keeping you up at night. He is the one that whispers that you must be the one to fix other people. He reminds you that death may be just around the corner. He reveals to you all your weaknesses and screw ups. He places the doubt of God’s sovereignty and love in your mind. He’s convincing you to expect bad things to happen. He’s the one telling you to clean up your act before you can come bow down before our Mighty and Glorious King. Ugh! I hate that guy! The king of lies.

"Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
    when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
    the Lord will be a light to me." Micah 7:8

Oh, yes we will rise! We will rise because when we pray, the glory of the Lord shines a light on the lies. Before we go to bed each night we turn every single thought over to Him and we don’t take it back. We put it in God’s holy lockbox. We pray for the hope of tomorrow. That the Lord will do a mighty work in our circumstances. Because Jesus came to slay that serpent and indwell in us the fruit of the spirit.

I heard in a podcast this morning that Israel’s enemies would try to defeat them by putting rocks in their fruitful wells. King David was said to have opened all the wells up in victory. That’s what we need to pray today. For the Lord not to fill us — as believers we already have the gift of the Spirit in us — but to remove all those rocks we have placed in our well. It may be bitterness, jealousy, fear, mistrust, anger or any number of negative thoughts and actions. We pray not to be filled but to break down those rocks and fully utilize the glorious gifts we’ve been given such as love, joy and especially peace.

Oh, that blissful peace. It’s what we yearn for each night we lay our heads to rest. My friends, it’s time to unblock our wells and give God the glory for all He has done and will do for you. The hope of today and tomorrow that He will be present in your life every single moment.

And when you rise, give God all glory and honor and power. Amen.

Knitted by God

December 28, 2023 krisshetter

"I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.” Isaiah 43:6-7

I’ve been thinking alot about babies lately — not because I want another (I’m way past that time!). Yes, the talk of Jesus coming to earth as a baby has been in my mind’s forefront but also my two-year old grandson and six-week old granddaughter had been staying with us for Christmas. Having had two daughters of my own I still find myself fascinated with pregnancy, childbirth, and the ever-changing process of growing up.

Even while I was pregnant years ago, I thought the concept of having a human being inside me was very odd and alien-like. The miracle of life seemed just that, a miracle. While too many people in our societies want to pretend that a life growing inside a woman is not … a life, I remain in awe of how a tiny swimming seed can push its way into a tiny egg and an explosion of life begins. What a wondrous miracle God came up with to continue His creation!

For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother's womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Psalm 139:13-15

While scientists pride themselves on the basic “how’s” of the creation of life they can never fully answer the “why’s.” Why does the tiny sperm swim up to the egg? Why does it find the egg and push its way through? Why do the cells begin to split? Why do the cells stop making new features of whatever creature they are creating?

My pondering led me to a different question about this glorious, God-given miracle we call human life. When does the mystery of consciousness begin? Any small amount of research will unveil the biases of scientists working in this arena. The idea of God’s creation of consciousness is seen as “make believe” (as written over and over by Dr. Ralph Lewis in his 5 part series in Psychology Today). Yet, even after studying this topic for many years, evolutionary biologists and psychologist can only make conjectures based on theories of animals that lived thousands if not millions of years ago. They reject the one, most simple answer – God’s miraculous work in us.

I did find an article on when the journey to consciousness may begin in babies. Again, however, it is based on the idea of what scientists presume must be in place physically before a human is deemed able to have consciousness.

But when does the magical journey of consciousness begin? Consciousness requires a sophisticated network of highly interconnected components, nerve cells. Its physical substrate, the thalamo-cortical complex that provides consciousness with its highly elaborate content, begins to be in place between the 24th and 28th week of gestation. Roughly two months later synchrony of the electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythm across both cortical hemispheres signals the onset of global neuronal integration. Thus, many of the circuit elements necessary for consciousness are in place by the third trimester.
Christof Koch, When Does Consciousness Arise in Human Babies? Scientific America

Friends, our glorious God, the creator of all things seen and UNSEEN has given humans the gift of consciousness. That, in turn, gifts us with creativity, planning, memory, higher emotions, and more. We can no more truly guess when this gift has been delivered to us than we can know when our souls have entered into our cells. Of course, many evolutionary biologists and atheists don’t believe we have souls either.

If we look at life simply as a compilation of mechanical-like parts joined together (somehow for some reason) to create a two-legged creature that can speak, then we ignore all the beautiful intricacies of our human existence. The nuances of love, of sadness, of joy, of peace, of fear, and of reverence.

Our Christian faith is not ignorant of the “how” we are knitted together. We can accept all the biological facts of our human bodies. We just have the key to why it all works. A God to whom we give all glory for being the greatest scientist and creator for all time.

All glory and honor and praise to God. Amen.

Shock & Awe

December 27, 2023December 26, 2023 krisshetter

"Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking." Ezekiel 1:28

At the beginning of our church’s Christmas Eve service they played a video of kids answering questions about Christmas. One question posed to them was: “How do you think you would react if angels came down to speak to you?” In their sweet innocence, all of the kids mimed being scared and in awe. They hadn’t sanitized and sweetened the idea of angels. They knew the Christmas story well of the shepherds in the field being visited by angels announcing the birth of Christ.

"And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people."'  Luke 2: 9-10

Those kids pictured the lowly shepherds looking toward the sky in fear of the mighty and glorious sight they were beholding. And although I can’t say what the angels looked like that day, if you look through the Bible and read the references to angels they are pretty scary and odd looking creatures.

Last night, we took my grandson to a local area which features street upon street of lights and handmade, large Christmas cards in their front yards. The homeowners take different cartoon themes and make clever Christmas sayings such as “Hakuna MaChristmas!” At one house there were four foot tall, pudgy Precious Moments angels placed all across the yard. Those sweet little cherubs with big doe-like eyes made into tiny statues. I couldn’t help but think how far we have ventured from the Bible’s “shock and awe” angels.

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back," Revelation 12:7

I don’t know about you but those angels don’t sound like doe-eyed cherubs. In fact, I recently heard a theologian remind us that every time we read about angels visiting someone here on earth they first proclaim, “do not be afraid!” Because of this, he also remarked that a true test of someone claiming to have been visited by an angel or even Jesus should state that fear was their first reaction. The glory of the Lord, whether in the form of angels, or the Lord Himself, is so great that even Moses had to be shielded from His great light! This makes it all the more amazing that God came as man so we could, in fact, see His face, touch Him, and just be with Him.

When I heard this “test of truth” statement it actually gave me comfort. You see, a few years ago I had a vision in which Jesus visited me and gave me clear instructions for some charity work. When I first tell someone about the vision this is how I describe it:

Suddenly, Jesus was standing next to me. I couldn’t look at Him because I was afraid if I did I might die. He was so gloriously bright. I could only peer at Him from the corner of my eye. While I was afraid, somehow He also comforted me. But at no time did I turn and fully look at Him. It was too much for me to take in.

Friends, so much of our Christian story is sanitized to be palpable and “user friendly.” We want Jesus to be our friend, not our glorious King. We want angels to sit on our shoulder cooing in our ears, not appearing and scaring us into action for the Lord. Our God is a god of such great glory that we should fall on our knees and bow our heads when we pray. Because we are not worthy of even being in His presence and yet, He sent His Son to wash us clean and allow us to participate in some of that glory. No man-made deity has ever wanted to share his glory, has ever expressed his love for his believers like the God of Abraham. For that alone we should give Him all glory and honor and thankfulness.

Soli Deo Gloria. Amen

Our Lovely God

December 26, 2023December 21, 2023 krisshetter

Therefore in the east give glory to the Lord; in the coastlands of the sea, give glory to the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. Isaiah 24:15

Today we bask in the glow of a Christ come to us in the form of a baby. A baby which held the power to defeat sin in His tiny hand. A baby that so terrified a king that he called for the deaths of all the young children in Bethlehem. A baby that drew people of all races, creed, religion, nationality to Him for the promise of peace through all eternity.

The other day I read part of a sermon by the renowned 18th century pastor, Jonathan Edwards. He became well known for glorifying God’s beauty and magnificence throughout his lifetime in sermon after sermon. Today I’d like to share a portion of his sermon titled, “Children Ought to Love the Lord Jesus Christ Above All” (Sermons and Discourses 1739-1742). It seems fitting in celebration of the birth of our Savior and a lesson for us all to carry in our minds and hearts.

“Christ is so lovely that the angels in heaven adore Him. Their hearts overflow with love for Him and they are continually, day and night without ceasing, praising Him and giving Him glory. He is so lovely that God the Father infinitely delights in Him.

Christ is His beloved Son, the brightness of His glory, whose beauty the Father continually sees with infinite delight, without ever being weary of beholding Him. And if the angels and God himself love Christ so much more than anyone or anything else, surely all children on earth ought to love Him above all things in this world.

Everything that is lovely in God the Father is in Jesus Christ, and everything that is lovely in any man is in Him. For He is man as well as God, and He is the holiest, most humble, and in every way the most excellent man that ever was. He is the true delight of heaven.

There is nothing in heaven, that glorious place, that is brighter or more lovely than Christ. By becoming man, He was as a flower springing up out of the earth, lovelier than any seen in all this world.

There is more goodness to be enjoyed in Christ than in anything or anyone in all the world. He is not only loving, but all sufficient for any need of humankind. There is enough provision in His person to supply all our wants and satisfy all our desires.”

To our God who created the glorious heavens and earth, to Him be all power and honor and majesty. Amen

Hope for All

December 25, 2023December 18, 2023 krisshetter

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

In my Bible Study groups we have talked occasionally of the need to be educated about major religions so that in speaking with folks about Christ we know their general beliefs and positions of faith. When obeying the commands to love our neighbors and make disciples of all nations we must be aware and sensitive to the distinctions between Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity. We’ve talked about missionary failures when believers enter into cultures too aggressively and trample on the very people we are tasked to love

Unfortunately, this history has caused many Christians to be overly cautious — thinking they shouldn’t ”push” their faith on people. The lack of apologetics and addressing the differences in religions in churches only makes this situation worse. If we truly believe in Jesus, if we seek to obey Him and therefore are promised peace and joy, then we must accept as truth His directive.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28:19

It’s not about just trying to get Jesus’ conversion numbers up for the next quarter so God will be pleased. No, it’s about sharing the truth and glory of Jesus’ message to the world. It’s about wanting so desperately for our friends, neighbors, loved ones, and even strangers to experience the fullness of life for all eternity. It’s about how we view conflict and strife and fear – praying for, yes even our enemies, to come live in peace.

On this Christmas Day, when we celebrate the most significant day in the history of the earth since it was created, we should re-commit ourselves to this mission. Why? Because today the God of all monotheistic religions came down from the heavens and choose to live among us. Not as a prophet, as the Jews, Muslims and Hindus would believe. As God. That should be earthshaking news. It seems so un-god like which is why those religions have a hard time believing it. But God, over and over in the Old Testament and Torah (which both the Jews and Muslims accept as Holy Scripture) shows Himself to be atypical of gods.

He choose the least of us to lead thousands. The sinner is the savior for an army. A woman outsmarts a king to avoid genocide. A farmer stands before a ruler issuing warnings. Musicians defeat a powerful army. A tiny nation is taken under His wings as loved. A baby is crowned a Savior for all people.

Today, a few thousand years ago, God came to tell us the best news we have ever needed. We don’t need to keep striving. We don’t need to give more money or kill a few doves or lambs. We don’t even need to be a “good person.” In fact, He came and pointed a finger at you and said, “Sinner, I love you.” All three other major religions — Judaism, Islam and Hinduism — require you to just work harder. Sacrifice more. And hope that you’ve done enough on one column to make it into heaven (as we lie about what we put on the other column). Their own scriptures tell them it’s impossible on our own. What a terribly hopeless way to live!

"Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." John 1:16-17

If we believe in God, no matter the name we put on our faith, then how can we not believe He can do anything? Including coming to earth as both God and a human baby. A baby, not born of kings and queens but of an every day woman. Yet another worldly view that God shatters and turns upside down.

My friends, when we think of believers in other religions we should find common ground first. And then, we reveal the glory and hope of the Lord — through grace alone, through Jesus alone. No other religion offers true hope. Their messiah is really themselves, as in Buddhism. The truth of human history is that we cannot save ourselves. It’s something we are miserable at accomplishing.

Jesus is the only spokesperson for the most beautiful message of God’s love. He holds out His hand to every single person and says, “You can’t, but I can.” So again, today commit or re-commit yourself to His commands. Pray for people who hate each other to turn to Jesus. Pray for people who hate you to accept His love. Pray for knowledge and wisdom. Pray for your neighbors who are devoted to a religion that requires them to run daily on a never ending wheel to earn their way into heaven. And thank God that He came, revealing His light as a child born in Bethlehem.

May all honor, glory and power be given to the One True King and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen