Tag Archives: Jesus

Manna from Heaven

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The miraculous giving of manna by God to the Israelites in the desert is a beautiful picture of his provisions to us, his people. If we look closely we will see Jesus!

Manna came from heaven. The Jews didn’t plant or reap it, yet there it was every morning. They received exactly what they needed each day. It was sweet and satisfied their hunger.

Jesus told us he is the Bread of Life. Think about it. Everything that was true about manna in the Old Testament is true about our Lord. He came from heaven. We can’t do anything to earn his favor – we can only accept his grace. And he is all we need to face today.

Moses was instructed by God to take some of the manna and put it in a jar. He was to hide it away for safe keeping so that generations to come would have that tangible proof of God’s provisions. The jar eventually went into the Arc of the Covenant and went with the Jews wherever they traveled.

I was at a Bible study this week. They are studying the book of Revelation. In 2:17 God promises he will give the hidden manna to those who overcome, to the believers in Christ Jesus. Some of the women were adamant that that scripture referred to the jar of manna Moses had hidden away. We had quite a discussion as to where the jar is today. 

I think they were thinking way too small. I believe God revealed to John a most amazing and glorious truth. When we get to heaven we will have Jesus in the flesh. We will be in the presence of our Savior. I believe Moses’ manna will be forgotten when we see the Bread of Life standing there with his arms open, welcoming us home.

Dearest Lord, Thank you for Jesus, for grace, for the strength he so lovingly supplies for us to meet the challenges of every day. And, Father, thank you for your promise that one day we who know you as our Savior will actually be in your Presence. The Bread of Life will be ours for eternity. No longer hidden from our eyes. We will see you face to face. Oh glorious day!

I Will See God

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You remember Job, right? He was a good man who lost literally everything. We read that Job felt as though God was against him for some unknown reason. He said things like, God’s fury is against me, God’s troops attack me, God has stripped me of my honor.

Job had nothing left. Not his family. Not his possessions. Not his position in society. Not his health. He is at the lowest point known to man. 

And yet, believing God had unfairly targeted him, Job still put his hope in God. In Job 19:25-27 we read that Job believed one day he would bodily meet God face to face. He knew death is not an end, but a beginning. And Job was overwhelmed at the thought.

I think God would like us all to have that same excitement at the thought of meeting him face to face. Sure, heaven will be a beautiful place. Yes, our loved ones will be there. But I am pretty sure none of that will seem important when we actually see Jesus in the flesh.

Some people picture heaven as a cleaned-up earth. Tea parties. Long chats with the saints. Waving to Jesus as they pass him on a gold street. Worshiping God on Sundays like they do down here.

Do we understand the enormity of the truth that Jesus himself will be there? God the Father will gather us around his throne! Nothing and no one will be as important.

Are you overwhelmed with the thought of being with God in a very physical way – forever? Does the very idea of grasping Jesus’ hand give you chills of excitement? Think of it. We who know the Savior will look into those eyes and for the first time realize just how loved we really are. We will receive everything our longing hearts have desired. And from that moment on we will not want to be anywhere else. Ever.

Guilty?

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Every time I read what happened after Jacob’s death it makes me sad. His sons panicked. So they lied to Joseph about their father’s wishes.

“Dad said you should forgive us for being so mean to you when you were a kid. Don’t hurt us now that he’s gone. Dad wouldn’t like that.”

The Bible’s account of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers in Genesis 45 is a beautiful picture of forgiveness. Joseph brought his brothers and their families to Egypt, gave them the best land for grazing their livestock, and took care of them during the famine. How much more could Joseph have done to demonstrate the fact that all was forgiven?

But after all these years since they had been forgiven, Joseph’s brothers must have lived with guilt. It wasn’t Joseph’s forgiveness they needed. It was their own.

When I confess my sin God is faithful and just to forgive me and wash me clean. He promises never to remember my sin or use it against me – ever! But sometimes I live as though I am still guilty. It’s at those times I need to forgive myself. Denying that forgiveness doesn’t honor God. And it’s Satan’s weapon to hold me hostage to that sin.

But, you ask, don’t I deserve to feel guilty for the horrible things I’ve done, the people I have hurt? The answer is, “NO”! Oh, you deserved to feel those feelings before you confessed them to God and received his forgiveness But once you’ve done that you deserve what Jesus died to give you. A fresh start, clean and forgiven. 

I don’t believe we should forgive ourselves before we allow God to wash the sin away. But once we have repented and have been forgiven by God himself, we need to forgive ourselves and live our lives free from the burden of guilt. Think of it.

If you are living with guilt, I would encourage you to lay that heavy burden down at Jesus’ feet and walk away, free from it’s hold. Forgive yourself. Jesus did. 

Dear God, I pray that your people will see the lengths to which you went to forgive us. You died on the cross, you went to hell then rose again. You paid what we could not pay, then handed us a clean slate just for the asking. Forgive us when we think we need to punish ourselves for past sins that you have already forgiven and forgotten. Father, may each of us sinners repent of sin, accept your forgiveness, forgive ourselves as we have been forgiven, and live lives free of the chains of guilt. And may we, with each breath, honor you with obedience and allow you to fill us with your joy.

December 31

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Revelation 19-22

“It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (21:6-7)

John’s description of heaven in 21:11-21 is something, isn’t it? Jeweled foundations, a city of pure gold, twelve gates made of twelve single pearls. It sounds pretty amazing. But you know what thrills me more than all that glitters? Jesus will be there!!

Revelation 21:1 says there will be NO MORE SEA. Remember when Solomon built the temple in the Old Testament, the ark was surrounded by a trough filled with thousands of gallons of water? That was so no one could get to where God lived. 

But John tells us that in heaven there will no longer be that separation. God will be as accessible as a husband to a wife. I will be able to touch Jesus’ side, put my fingers in the holes left by the nails that hung him on the cross. When he wraps his arms around me I will feel his warmth. God will be my father and I will be his child. 

No more sea! No more separation! I will finally be in the presence of the One who loved me and gave himself for me. I will know him as I am know. Now that’s truly amazing!

I want to thank you for stopping by my blog in 2013. And if you went on this journey with me to read through the Bible this year, I trust your walk with the Lord has matured. I don’t feel God would have me continue this daily blog in 2014. I’m going to begin again tomorrow with Genesis 1 with the goal of reading the end of Revelation one year from today. And I will continue to journal what God is teaching me each day, but I won’t be posting every one.

I am going to keep this blog active, however, and if I feel led to share something I’ll add it to what is already here. And I will continue reading so many of your blogs, ones I look forward to and learn so much from.

My prayer is the same prayer I’ve said every day this year. And that is that you, dear ones, will make reading the Bible a priority every day. That you would open these precious pages with open hearts and minds and allow God to encourage or convict. I pray that you will find yourself eager to share your Savior with lost souls around you. As you read God’s Word, I pray that you will allow it to penetrate, to strengthen, to draw you closer to the Lord.

God bless you in 2014. I’m praying for you.

December 29

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Revelation 11-14

Reading the description of the dragon and the beast is frightening. Multiple heads and horns, a powerful tail, spewing water and eating babies. Feet like a bear and the mouth of a lion. And people bowing down to worship them. This is the stuff horror movies are made of.

I am reminded that Satan is serious about taking me to hell with him. He is not sitting around a campfire, pitchfork in hand, laughing it up with the demons. He is actively pursuing me. He and his legions are attacking me every day. Their weapons might include false teaching, what I watch on TV, disease, loss of job, envy, or any number of subtle and not so subtle tactics. But all are intended to shake my faith, to cause me to doubt, and to render me useless in sharing the gospel.

I’m not sure I’ve given Satan enough credit. He is a powerful enemy. That’s why Scripture tells us to guard our hearts, to put on the full armor of God. We are at war with a monster and I wonder how many of us give that a thought.

I want to be counted as one who is actively engaged in this war for my soul. I want to be one who will sing the new song, blameless because I’ve allowed Jesus’ blood to wash me. I want to stand with the saints before the throne of God because I have fought the good fight.

Satan should terrify us. The thought of him should drive us to our knees and cause us to run to the Savior for protection. Satan is serious about my soul. Am I?

Dear God, protect me. Help me to be aware of Satan’s attacks on my soul. And may he find me a formable opponent because I have put on your armor, I have guarded my heart and my mind, and I stand with you ready to fight. May I not underestimate his hatred for me. Defeat Satan in my life and in the lives of those reading this blog today. Keep us armed and ready to meet the enemy.

December 26

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I John 4-5; 2 John; 3 John, Revelation 1

In his letters, John is emphatic about the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh. This is a fitting subject one day after Christmas, isn’t it? John says in 1 John 4:2&3 that if you believe Jesus has come in the flesh, the Spirit within you is from God. And he says, if you don’t believe Jesus is God with us, the spirit within you is the antichrist. There doesn’t seem to be any middle ground.

As you read John’s letters you can’t help but notice a repeated theme. Love. Love of God toward man. Love for Jesus. Love for the Father. Love for one another. 

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16b)

We love because he first loved us. (verse 19)

This is love of God; to obey his commands. (1 John 5:3)

Is your life defined by love? Is your love for God evident in the way you live, set apart, holy, obedient? Do you love others? And do they recognize your love by the way you treat them with kindness and respect?

If God is love and if he lives in us who have accepted his grace, love will be a natural outpouring of his Spirit within us. God demonstrated his love for us when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, when he went to the cross and shed his blood so each of us could be forgiven, and when he rose again. We demonstrate our love for him by our obedience.

Dear God, thank you for Jesus who is God in the flesh. Thank you for the privilege of celebrating his birth. But may we not forget why he came. May we remember the cross. And may each of us accept the forgiveness your death purchased. I pray that you will find us demonstrating our love for you by the things we do, the places we go, the words we say, even the thoughts we think. How can we help but love you when you loved us so!

December 25

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Hebrews 13; I John 1-3

Jesus is born! God became flesh and blood. He didn’t come as an adult, or even to a family with prestige. God humbled himself and started life as an infant, just like we did. He was helpless, totally dependent on others. His mom fed him when he was hungry and changed his diaper when it was wet and messy. Mary and Joseph heard Jesus’ first words. Did he say, “Mama”, or “Dada”? They watched Jesus take his first steps on chubby, wobbly little legs and held his hand when they crossed the street. They kissed his boo-boos and read him bed time stories. God himself became one of us!

John reminds us that this same Jesus, who we know as Christ, who died so we might have life, who rose again and ascended into heaven, is coming again. John wants us to be able to face him on that day confident and unashamed.

Today we celebrate the birth of the Savior. Do you know him? How has Jesus’ birth effected you in 2013? Have you accepted his grace? Have you invited him into your life? And do you represent him well by your actions, your words, your love for one another?

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God. And that is what we are! (I John 3:1)

Provided by the One whose birth we celebrate today.

Dearest Jesus, I am glad we set apart this day to remember your birth into our world. At least for one day a year, the entire world stops and honors you, even if many don’t get it. May we who do get it, who are your children because of your love and your sacrifice, not get caught up in the presents and the parties. May we recognize what it cost you to be born that day. May we not forget that the baby we celebrate grew up and 33 years later suffered and died because of our sin. And may we live our lives in such a way that when you return… and you will return… we will be able to meet you with confidence. I  pray that in this season of remembering, many will come to you and accept you into their lives, repent of sin, and follow you. That’s why you came in the first place. Happy Birthday, Jesus.

December 24

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Hebrews 10:19-12:29

The “Hall of Faith” is included in the passages we read today. We saw the accounts of the people listed here for ourselves as we read through the Bible in 2013. People like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses whose stories many of us were taught since we were children. Others we read about who might not have been as familiar like Rahab, Barak, Jephthah and others who also lived lives of faith. I hope you can identify people in your own life who display faith in God as they go about the day-to-day. And I pray they would add your name to their own list.

Think about Joseph’s faith – or Mary’s. What we are celebrating today and tomorrow was something that could have resulted in great shame for Joseph and death for Mary had they not had faith that what God told them was true. Think about the early church and the faith they demonstrated by being baptized publicly to identify themselves with Jesus. 

We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. The reality of the blessings that result from having faith in God should not be denied.

What does having faith look like in each of us on the Christmas Eve, 2013? Hebrews 12 says we should throw off sin and run. We should fix our eyes on Jesus, grow up, and not lose heart. The faith we stand on is sure and solid and true, if we put our faith in God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

I pray that everyone reading this blog will have faith in God, believe His Word, and accept His Son. And I pray that our faith will serve as a part of the cloud of witnesses people are seeing and be drawn to the Savior, too.

May you know the joy, the confidence, the blessings, and the love that come from having faith in the One we celebrate this Christmas.

 

December 22

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Hebrews 2-6

I love milk. My mom used to tell me that, as a two year old, I would snatch my sister’s bottle if Mom wasn’t looking. These days I have learned to drink low fat milk, but every once in a while I buy just a little of the good stuff and drink it like an alcoholic falling off the wagon.

I love milk! But I enjoy steak and potatoes, chicken, pasta, and well… you know. Limiting my diet to milk was fine when I was an infant. But I’m certainly not limiting myself to milk today.

Is that what’s happening in the Church today? Are too many Christians living on just milk? People hear a lot of sermons about God’s love, about the Good Shepherd, about Jesus who pulled little children on his lap, healed blind people and raised the dead. Many Christians are allowing their pastors or some TV preacher be their only source of food, like a baby who lays in his mother’s arms and receives the only nourishment he gets.

Too many of us don’t devour God’s Word for ourselves. The writer of Hebrews tells us Scripture is “sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. (4:12)

The Bible reveals sin, lays us bare, beats us up and forces us to our knees before a holy God. It hurts. It refines. 

Just look at what is going on right now. We are getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the darling little baby in the manger surrounded by cows and sheep, shepherds and angels, and his young mother gazing into that adorable face. Isn’t he cute?

Well, let me tell you about this precious baby. Scripture tells us he grew up to defeat sin, to die a horrible death because you and I disgusted him. He preached about the holiness of God and the fact that you and I just don’t measure up. We aren’t good and capable. We are depraved sinners who he will have no problem sending to hell unless we humble ourselves and accept his grace. Christmas isn’t just about love. It’s about sin.

That’s hard to hear. But, my friend we need to grow up. We are at war here and I am afraid we are an army of infants. Believe me when I say Satan is loving that.

I hope you will take charge of your faith in 2014. I pray that each of us will be students of God’s Word, we will study it, meditate on it, memorize it, pray over it. May we allow it to cut us, penetrate our inner most being and reveal those things for which Christ died. Simply put, may we grow up.

God is holy. He demands holiness of us. Trust me, that’s a command an infant can’t obey.

God, I know you love us more than we can imagine. I know you loved us so much you came to live among us and die so that we could be forgiven when we come to you. But, God I know you don’t stop there. You hate sin. Sin makes you sick and angry. Sin separates us from you and you hate that more than anything. Forgive us when we would rather concentrate on your love and ignore the elephant in the room. We are sinners. And without your saving grace we will go to hell for eternity. God, if some reading this today need to accept you as their Savior, I pray they will do that right now. For those of us who know you but need to grow up, I pray that you will point that out to us. Then, Father give us the courage to do it. We want to be able soldiers in your army. Feed us a little meat today and help us digest it for Jesus’ sake.

December 21

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2 Timothy 2-4; Hebrews 1

I love baseball. I am a die-hard Cleveland Indians’ fan and am one of my nephew’s biggest fans whether he is on the mound, behind the plate, or covering second on his high school’s team. 

I played softball for a lot of years. But the older I got, the longer it took me to get from one base to the next. So I came up with a great idea. If the goal of every batter is to wind up at home plate, it makes more sense to hit the ball, then run to third. Why waste time and effort and take the chance of making an out while going to first, then second, then third in order to get home? I figured if I cut out the first two steps I’d have a better chance of scoring.

Well, that might seem logical to someone who doesn’t know the game. But the game has rules. And so does life. Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:5 that an athlete doesn’t receive the victor’s crown unless he competes according to the rules. He is talking about the Gospel, about God’s Word. 

Here is the condensed version:

1.  You are I are sinners. There is no one righteous – not even one.

2.  The wages, or the result of sin is death, hell, eternal separation from God.

3.  You and I can never be good enough to erase the sins we’ve committed. We need a Savior.

4.  Jesus lived, died, rose again, and ascended into heaven so that anyone who accepts his grace can be saved from the sentence of hell.

5.  There is no other name by which we can be saved. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life and no one can get to God except through him. Period.

You might be tempted to take another route. But, just like in baseball, if you hit the ball and go to third… you will be out. God has put it all out there, he wrote and rewrote the rules in every book of the Bible. There is no excuse. And like it or not, there is just no other way.

Heavenly Father, I thank you once again for your written Word, the Bible in which you have so lovingly spelled out the rules. May we recognize our helpless condition and turn to you. May we confess our sins, accept your grace, and live lives that honor you in every way. Forgive us if we are tempted to take short cuts. I pray you will find us, the soldiers in your army, the athletes on your team, pleasing our commander, our coach, our Savior and Lord by following your rules.