Tag: king jesus

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Day 28 Stand

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Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.  They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.  John 15:20-21
Praise be to the Lord for he showed me the wonders of his love when I was in a city under siege.  Psalm 31:21

One of my church pastors provided me with not only an “ah ha” moment a few weeks ago during his sermon on Philippians but also a “duh” revelation.  Here’s what he said,  “We have to remember the letters written by Paul to the churches were not written to individuals but to the church body as whole.”  As readers and students of scripture we can get caught up thinking a verse was speaking directly to me and my life.  

It’s an important change of perspective, especially these days when folks who call themselves Christians promote the idea that we don’t need to go to church.  Or we can just do church by watching it on TV.  Not only are we directed in scripture to be part of a body of believers we are also to actively participate in that community.

But why?  Let’s first look at what happened to those of us who lived in areas where our churches were shut down during COVID — some for two years.  People became disconnected, dispirited, lonely and worse.  Be completely honest, watching someone on TV preach the Word is not the same as being in the same room with other believers.  We get distracted, make a snack, check our phones, etc.  Instead of exiting the doors and talking with those who just listened to a powerful message.  Sharing our questions, our revelations, or how the message truly lifted us.

When we don’t have that community, we also don’t have the support to sustain us when trouble hits.  Standing in the face of trials even when it seems almost unbearable.  We don’t have the ability to look around at all the faces of those who know and love Jesus like we do.

God provides every opportunity to help us when darkness wants to have its hand on our lives.  When the world calls us crazy, we can stand firm and announce, “there’s quite a few of us crazies and we celebrate our God and Savior every week across the world!”  

Just like we can forget the epistles were written to bodies of people, we can also forget every word written to encourage and support them was done so because they were facing trials –greater than any westernized church today.  If they could stand while facing death for even meeting, for proclaiming that Jesus is King, then we can stand too.  Let’s do it in community, together.

Click here to listen to today’s song: Stand

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Day 10 Jireh

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I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.  The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.  I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:9-11
For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us. Isaiah 33:22

Have you ever wondered why we need a constant intercessor in our lives if Jesus came and did the work of forgiveness for sins on the cross?  Why, if I’ve been forgiven, do I need someone to keep taking my repentance to God?  I’ve been reading Dane Ortlund’s book, Gentle and Lowly: The heart of Christ for sinners and sufferers.  In the margin on one page about intercession I wrote, “Good question!”  The answer, written out in subsequent pages was beautiful and revealing.  But it’s these short examples which solidified the answer:

Think of an older brother cheering on his younger brother in a track meet. Even if, in that final stretch, the younger brother is well out ahead and will certainly win the race, does the older brother sit back, quiet, complacently satisfied? Not at all — he’s yelling at the top of his lungs exclamations of encouragement, of affirmations, of celebration, of victory, of solidarity. He cannot be quieted. “

Picture a glider, pulled up into the sky by an airplane, soon to be released to float down to earth.  We are that glider; Christ is the plane.  But He never disengages.  He never lets go, wishing us well, hoping we can glide the rest of the way into heaven.  He carries us all the way.”

When Jesus calls himself our shepherd He means it for life.  Once He gathers us up into His flock he doesn’t stop caring for us, feeding us, protecting us, and cheering us on.  We go astray from God’s Law looking for better grass and He calls us back.  He provides everything we need until the sun goes down on our life and we are united in heaven.  He is continuously bringing us before the Father with joy.

This is a love more than most of us can imagine.  He loved us while we were still sinners – because that’s what we still are every single day.  And He keeps rinsing us off and standing beside us before a Holy God.  He is enough for us.   Because He is all we need to stand before God, we can believe we are enough too. 

Click here to listen: Jireh

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Rise & Shine

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“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.

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Shock & Awe

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"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

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Planting His Flag

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O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger... O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! Psalm 8: 1-2 & 9

Close your eyes and picture the scene of Jesus’ birth. It’s probably nighttime with Mary and Joseph and the little baby laying peacefully in a straw-laden manger. A cow and lamb may fill the empty spaces of the room. Above is a bright light shining down on the small structure. It’s the scene shown over and over throughout the earth in church Christmas stories, front yard manger displays, Instagram and Facebook posts, and even blow up Christmas decorations. 

I’ll be honest, until just recently I was “all in” with that peaceful, sweet panorama unfolding before me. Lately, however, as I’ve learned more about Old Testament prophecy, the history of the actual way of life and traditions of people in Judea, and the necessity of seeing Jesus as King, my picture has changed. And right on cue, just before I sat down to write this an Instagram post featuring Christian singer Phil Wickham popped up on my screen singing “Manger Throne.”

Glory be to You alone
King who reigns from a manger throne
My life, my praise, everything I own
To Jesus the King on a manger throne

Phil Wickham, Manger Throne chorus

Tied with our verse today I see the amazing and glorious God at work splitting the heavens apart for His entry with all majesty and power. I also see Him mending the world with humility and grace; a baby wrapped in basic, cotton cloth quietly sleeping. He is the Lion of Judah and the Lamb all at once.

So often the nativity scene shows no one touching the baby. Mary sits by with hands clasped either in prayer, reverence or delight. A curious posture for a mom with a newborn. She is possibly remembering the promise from God’s angel. That this sweet little child will be the Savior for all mankind.  A promise that would seem too hard to completely grasp. As a mother myself, a promise that also might terrify me.

Jesus didn’t just come quietly into the world. It may have looked that way to us humans. But the battle God will have victory over is not just in this physical world but the spiritual realm. Jesus, the King — when He arrived that day — threw down the proverbial gauntlet. The demons knew. They immediately went to work trying to eliminate Him.  The angels worked on God’s behalf to protect Jesus until He was ready to take evil on Himself. 

This weekend, as you go about your day and see the nativity scenes in your home or around town, close your eyes and create a new picture. A picture of the King riding down to a little town called Bethlehem and planting His Holy flag in a manger. Declaring in glory and majesty that He shall reign, forever more!

Soli Deo Gloria. Amen.

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The Child Who Saves Us

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"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

In 1850, Sir John Everett Millais, a painter of distinction during the pre-Raphaelite tradition, put on display at the Royal Academy his first important religious subject. The meticulously detailed painting unveiled a scene that would cause outrage across all Britain. Millais was viciously attacked by the press, with The Times describing the painting as “revolting.”

You might think with such a vehemently negative reaction the painting featured some heresy surrounding Jesus. Maybe in some compromising position with busty women. You would be very wrong. This painting that caused Charles Dickens to be one of its harshest critics depicted Jesus as a young boy in his father’s carpenter shop. Sounds fairly innocuous doesn’t it? Here’s how The Times further described this piece of art.

The Times objected to the way in which the artist had dared to depict the Holy Family as ordinary, lowly people in a humble carpenter’s shop with no conceivable omission of misery, of dirt, or even disease.” 

Frances Fowle of the Tate Museum

When we think on the glory of God so often we may equate it with blinding majesty and immense power. We must not forget however, the greatest wielding of that power after creating the heavens and the earth, was to decide to humble Himself and become fully man and fully God.  He didn’t come and swoop down on a winged creature scaring the living daylights out of us (that’s coming later, though!). He didn’t come shaking the ground with a vast army blowing trumpets (again, He will one day). No, He came as the gentlest of all humans — a helpless baby.

"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them." Luke 2:6-7

No magnificent purple robe with gold threads woven among the jewels for this King. Simple, cotton cloths. If you believe in Jesus, if you believe the eyewitnesses who told of these real events, then you must see how incredibly amazing this was. God laying on some hay in a borrowed room with real human parents cooing at Him!

What really disturbed people about Millais’ painting was that the adolescent Jesus is shown having cut his hand on a nail. Blood is seen dripping from the center of his hand to the top of his foot. Do you grasp the imagery the painter is putting forth? But the critics complained that Jesus wouldn’t get hurt. He was too godly and lofty for that. He wouldn’t need a mom to comfort Him and a father to bandage His hand. I mean, this was God for heaven sake! 

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 5:14-15

God set Himself among us so we can know His character better. We can see how He dealt with temptation and trials and even pain. We can watch Him celebrate just like us. And yet be so much more than us. Yes, He is our great teacher. But He is also the only one who can be our Savior for all eternity. He has thought of every detail from our creation, to our salvation and our sanctification. He dampened His glory so that we could look upon Him without fear and trembling. Yet doing so makes Him more amazing!

My friends, many of you may have watched the series, The Chosen. In one episode and scene, Jesus is camping out and carving various toys, bowls, and utensils. He is chopping wood and building fires. He’s eating food He prepared. Just like us. As evening draws near Jesus looks at His worn hands and touches a wound caused by a broken blister. He takes a strip of cotton fabric and wraps His hand to protect it. He then lays His head down in His tiny tent and prays to His Father. 

As I watched that scene I was struck by the side of Jesus I really never paid that much attention to — Jesus the man. And I was opened up to God’s glory — suddenly more aware of how great His love is for us. That He would send His son, a tiny baby who became a child loved by His earthly parents, and then a man who gave His life to save my soul.  I think if I had live in 1850 and viewed Mr. Millais’ painting I would have had this same reaction.  And shook my head perplexed on how such supposedly great minds could miss the glory of the Lord.

Soli Deo Gloria. Amen

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Knitted with God

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Praise the Lord, you his servants;
    praise the name of the Lord.
2 Let the name of the Lord be praised,
    both now and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

4 The Lord is exalted over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the Lord our God,
    the One who sits enthroned on high,
6 who stoops down to look
    on the heavens and the earth?

7 He raises the poor from the dust
    and lifts the needy from the ash heap;
8 he seats them with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
9 He settles the childless woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord. Psalm 113

Last month my husband and I were blessed to become grandparents of a beautiful baby girl. Born on my birthday, the Lord blessed me even more with giving me the gift of being with my daughter as she went into labor and then holding this precious baby just hours after she entered the world! With two daughters of our own I still find myself amazed by the gift of life — how God creates us, weaves us so intricately in a mother’s womb.

A couple of friends and I are doing an advent study and we were tasked during the first week to go back to the book of Genesis. On day 4, we read Genesis 3:14-24 and were asked to list the consequences of Adam, Eve’s and the serpent’s sins. We were also to identify God’s mercy in this passage. Awhile back I heard a lesson about this section of Genesis. On how God gave Adam and Eve both curses and blessings. When you view this text in this way you discover something different that the usual reading. Here’s what He said to Eve:

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
    with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16.

We all answered that God cursed her with painful childbirth and that her husband would be “the boss.” If we take this verse as a stand alone that’s what we get, done. However, in the context of the whole creation story, let me point out two blessings.

  1. The only way beings had been created until that time was by God’s miraculous actions. Breathing life into Adam and then taking a piece of Adam and creating Eve. Now Eve will be blessed with herself creating new life. She will be God’s vessel for all humanity. What an incredible gift!
  2. When God created Eve, she was a companion, a helper, so that Adam wouldn’t be alone. With God’s speech to Eve He has introduced love and desire. A marriage, rather than just a friendship. A lifelong covenant with another human being!

Without this curse/blessing for Eve we wouldn’t have the long line of woman who, even in their old and seemingly barren years, gave birth to the line of the future King. And then, of course we come to Mary, Jesus’ mother. Her womb holds the special place of Jesus’ first earthly home. With God’s DNA and that of Joseph and Mary’s woven together to create the God/Man. What a beautiful and glorious gift to all women-kind!

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47     and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49     for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name. Luke 1: 46-49

Although Mary was Jesus’ first earthly abode where God did His glorious weaving work, here’s the message I heard preached today: “The Holy Spirit, who lives in us, is leveraging the glory of God to weave our frayed hearts back together.”

Isn’t that a wonderful promise? A gift from Jesus as He left this earthly home to join His father in heaven, the Holy Spirit lives in all who say “I believe.” The glory of God is living in our wombs, in our hearts, in our very souls. Our pastor stated, “He takes the promise of peace and calms our hearts.” He is the God who never leaves us because He has brought His glory to dwell inside us! Oh mighty God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords thank you for this gift of life, this gift of your ever presence.

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27

Thanks be to God for the blessings He bestowed on Eve that day. And may all Glory, Honor and Power be given to Him alone. Amen

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31 Days of God’s Wisdom

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“Love the Lord with all your minds heart and soul.” Matthew 22:37

It seems when we Christians talk about our faith these days it’s so frequently focused on feelings, emotions – “from the heart.”  And while Jesus will ultimately be the judge of our heart’s true commitment, He also asks us to use the rest of our bodies to honor God.  It’s not enough to feel God we need to know and obey God.  Why? Because His Words are designed to guide us through this temporary life as best possible.  We want to become skillful not just at making a living but in making a life that is in line with our Holy Father.  Many of us have experienced life outside those guardrails – sometimes on a daily occurrence.  When we are rash with our decisions or emotions, quick to be angry, quick to take up the latest idea or get rich scheme, quick to enter into relationships without good judgment, we easily find ourselves outside God’s protective ways.

The words “wise” and “wisdom” are used 125 times in the 31 chapters of the book of Proverbs.  It sounds as though someone might be trying to get a point across to us!  Wisdom literature in the Bible includes Proverbs, Job and Ecclesiastes.  But for this series I’ll be focusing only on Proverbs.  You’ll notice there’s 31 chapters – perfect for a one month study of God’s messages to us about living life in His guardrails.  

But first and foremost, we need a right relationship with our Creator. Meaning we accept God in His three persons (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) as one God who created the universe and everything in it.  And that Jesus came as fully man and fully human to be the final, complete sacrifice to cleanse us of our sins.  In this way we may come before God, our King, as righteous.  He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent in our lives.  There is one way on this path and that one way is open to everyone who believes in Him.

Second, we have an assertion of a moral law operating in the world and there will be divine justice.  None of which has to do with IQ, wealth or even education.  There is an expectation by God to follow His moral laws.  And everyone, believers and non-believers, will be judged upon their death.

If we do not have these two foundations, then the seeking of wisdom has no foundation itself.  Without a moral King to guide us then we are guiding ourselves.  And we know how well that usually turns out!  Our selfish souls seek ease, seek comfort, seek pleasure above all.  Without an understanding and acceptance of a final, universal judgment then what does it all matter?  If you read back into ancient history, peoples without God sacrificed children to meet their desires.  They performed all sorts of sexually immoral acts (especially on women) to please their desires.  Murdered without out conscience.  It was the formation of God’s people through Abraham and Moses that brought God’s moral law back down to earth.  Setting us back on the path toward God’s future Eden on Earth.

And so, through people like King Solomon He spoke.  The king had asked God for wisdom and it was granted (1 King 3:5-14).  It is believed King Solomon spoke 3,000 proverbs during his reign.  The beauty of the proverbs selected for this book is that none of them are in conflict.  All cultures have their sayings – quick summaries of lessons.  But many times, they conflict with each other!  (“Look before you leap!” vs “He who hesitates is lost.”) God’s words are never opposed to each other.  

Toward the end of his reign, King Solomon turned to the folly he so frequently spoke to avoid and disregarded his own wisdom – proving we need to stay close to God at all times. In fact, God warned him when He gave Solomon this gift: “And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your father David walked, then I will enlighten your days.” A good reminder to never take a day off from following God.

Proverbs are not promises.  They are generalized statements of what is usually true.  So, if you find a proverb that you want to disagree with first remind yourself that we humans are sinful people.  And second, God seeks to bring us into His ideal world.  We are practicing to live in our final home – the New Eden.

If you haven’t signed up to receive your 31 Days of God’s Wisdom, make sure you subscribe today!  After entering your email information below, check your inbox for your confirmation link.  Thank you for joining me on this journey and be sure to share with your friends, neighbors, co-workers and family! Blessings to you for wisdom, Kris

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Our Outward Reverence

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“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.” 1 Corinthians 3:18

“Holy Spirit, today as I stand looking into my closet in deciding what to wear today help me to not only have an inward Christ-like life but also an outward one so that I may completely glorify God in all I show the world. Amen”

I know it’s not fashionable or even politically correct these days to say things like, “the clothes make the man (or woman) but in the not too distant past this was understood as fact.  This well documented human behavior actually acknowledges a role in what our outward appearance says to the world.  You may think things have changed because of culture or “at home work” but human psychology is a pretty stubborn thing. Don’t take my word for it.  

“Through our clothing, we can send each other silent cues that signal to others how we expect them to treat us. This works because we tend to make very quick assessments of situations and people and put them into categories that we already understand. This cognitive shortcut, known as representative bias, saves us precious computational energy.” 

Sarah C. Newcomb Ph.D., Psychology Today

And in a 2012 study done through Northwestern University, researchers found that wearing certain clothes exerts influence through symbolic meaning.  So, when, as Christians, we leave the house each day do we ever consider what message we are sending out to our neighbors, the folks at the grocery store, at church or at the beach by our clothing choices?  That’s not to say we should be covered head to toe in some sort of hijab – the Bible doesn’t ask that of us women.  

“20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:20

Jesus wants us to present ourselves with honor in front of God.  That means we clean ourselves off and cover our private bits up.  When my youngest was home from college her last summer she wanted to find a modest one piece bathing suit.  Quite the change from her bikini days.  When asked why, she said she wanted to be more modestly dressed around her Christian boyfriend.  That’s the Holy Spirit work in a believer!  

Friend, when we leave our homes and go out into the world, we are God’s representatives.  And when we attend church, we should present our best as though receiving an audience in front of the king.  We glorify Him through our modesty of outward appearance and exuberance of inward love.

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Salvation

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For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

It seems there’s a lot of talk these days about “end times.”  Since the world received the words of Christ about eternal salvation and His return, people of all centuries have determined “this is it.”  And although I do agree with Christian teacher Joyce Meyer that “we are closer to the return than we were yesterday,” we can never know when that day  will actually arrive.   We can only prepare.  

During the last year I’ve enjoyed digging deeper into what the gift of salvation really means for us and what it doesn’t.  It isn’t something we can earn but it is something we must take action on to receive.   It isn’t something we can lose but it is something we are expected to behave like we have received.  It was given in blood by Jesus yet He gives us forgiveness and grace for having to shed it.  

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.  Isaiah 12:2

When we recount the scene of Jesus’ crucifixion, we can easily imagine the dirt and grime and blood. The sweat and the tears.  The pain and sadness.  A perfect man, our God clothed in flesh without blemish torn apart by the sins of those past, present and future. And as God always likes to do, He suddenly flips the script.  At Jesus’ last breath the veil between earth and heaven is torn wide open.  We who actively seek out the Lord and place Him as king of our lives now have an intercessor to present our dirty souls cleansed.  Not just our hands but our hearts will be spit shined for when we meet the King.   Sparkling creations meeting the glorious Creator.  Thank you, Jesus.