A few months ago I had an interesting visit from a couple of older Jehovah Witnesses.  They were polite and so was I.  They wanted to talk about the tragic world situation; I wanted to talk
about Jesus.  I told them that I didn’t want to dwell on the past because I would be inclined to talk about the many unfulfilled prophecies of the Jehovah Witness writings, but I would talk about my future with Jesus Christ who came to earth fully God and fully man, died on the cross for my sins, and has given me, through my acceptance of Him, assurance of an eternity in heaven.  We had a little discussion after that, but they seemed less inclined to stay on our porch.

We didn’t even get into the biggest sticking point between Christianity and every other “religion” in the world-  the deity of Christ.  All the major religions believe in the person of Christ, but they do not see Him as God incarnate.  Skeptics say that the trinity and the deity of Christ are not overtly mentioned in the Bible, but the overall body of evidence is overwhelming- Jesus is part of the triune Godhead and He, in fact, is God.   Let’s just look at a few of the many verses that illustrate this truth.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  John 1:1

The cults try to change the translation of this verse, but language scholars are in agreement that this is how this verse should be translated.  We not only see that Jesus was “In the beginning” but that He was God in the beginning.  Jesus was not just a god, but He is God.  That is a huge difference.

John also tells us that there is only one God, and that there will never be another god, or anyone equal to Him. The Jews became angry and wanted to kill Jesus for calling God His personal Father, and making Himself EQUAL to God (John 5:18). Jesus also said the words, “I and the Father are one,” and the Jewish leaders picked up stones to kill Him. When Jesus asked them for which miracle were they stoning Him, they replied, “We are not stoning you for any of these, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”  Christ does not disagree with them, but replies, “Do not believe me unless I do what my Father does. But if I do it, even though you do not believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” (John 10:30-38)

Even Christ’s followers referred to Jesus as God.  After Thomas touched the resurrected Christ he said to him, “My Lord and my God!”  (John 20:28)  He addresses Jesus as Jehovah God, and even though worship is reserved for God alone, Jesus does not correct Thomas.  He accepts the worship. Christ had made it very clear throughout His ministry that we are to ONLY worship God (Matthew 4:10), yet He accepts worship from His disciples (Matthew 28:9), from the crowds (John 9:35-38), and even from the angels in Heaven (Hebrews 1:6).  That is a lot of worship that either He deserves or deserves to be stoned for.

Jesus spoke and acted as God.  He openly accepted worship, forgave sins, counted Himself equal to God, performed miracles, met all prophecies regarding his coming and as Paul said “He was all the fullness of God in bodily form.” Jesus was not just a teacher or good man.  If that were the case, He was a bad man because He falsely portrayed Himself as worthy of worship.  Worse yet, He would have allowed millions to put total trust in His words for eternal life.  Do I understand His deity completely? No, but I believe the scriptures clearly teach it and it is imperative in knowing the true Christ.  As He Himself said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by me.” To accept Him is to accept Him for Who He is.

Like I told my JW visitors as they left, there is nothing more awesome or reassuring than knowing the great God of this universe became a man on my behalf, died for my sins, and as God incarnate undid what man has done by giving us access to the Father.  No one else has ever claimed what He claimed; No one else has ever done what He did. He is what makes what believers believe, believable.

“Declaring the end from the beginning…saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” Isaiah 46:10

There is a famous military motto: “No plan of war survives first contact with the enemy.” This holds true in every human conflict because it is impossible to know for certain how one’s enemy will react or what circumstances may intervene to change any planned course of action, but this is not true of God.

I recently heard a story of man who was asked to trade shifts on his job so his co-worker could go to church event the next day.  An explosion took place at the factory and the man who had gone to work was killed.   Friends of the man who was spared saw this as God’s providence, but what of the man who was killed.? Was God uninvolved on his behalf?  Of course, as we look at the verse above, we know this is not the case.

So what explains it?

In a way, trying to explain the unfathomable mind of God with our small minds is pretty fruitless, but we continue to try.  In fact, I am going to try right now.  I see it this way.  God’s view of our lives is not limited in any way.  He knows the past, the future, those around us, those coming after us, He knows all things.  We don’t.   His decisions are made with all the possible information available.  We look at life through the wrong end of a telescope and see just a tiny picture of all there is to see.  Not so with God.  He sees the big picture.  His decisions are based on all this world contains.   

We see life in big events, both tragic and triumphant, and through those events we try to evaluate the degree of God’s love and power.  But life is not just a few major happenings, but thousands and thousands of smaller, every day incidents all in full view of God’s eye.   To argue with God’s providence in one instance is to ignore many,  many more known and unknown daily doings that have an effect on hundreds of people.  

Our lives are a quiet pool being pelted constantly with different sized stones resulting outgoing ripples that affect everyone around us and many others.  God’s love and mercy are shown hundreds of times in our lives and others all day long, every day, in every place.    There is not a single event that does not have far reaching consequences, including that broken shoe lace I got this morning.   God the Master Networker brings all things together, even our free choice, into a world of His good pleasure that in the long run is for our good, as well.

I am reminded of the story of the only survivor of a shipwreck who washed up on a small uninhabited island. He cried out to God to save him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a rough hut and put his few possessions in it. But then one day, after hunting for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; he was stung with grief.  Early the next day, though, a ship drew near the island and rescued him.

“How did you know I was here?” he asked the crew.

“We saw your smoke signal,” they replied.

Though it may not seem so now, your present difficulty may be instrumental to your future happiness.  Only God sees the whole picture and can turn flames into a smoke signal.

God does not wonder what the future holds and we can be assured that God does not worry about his purposes coming to fruition.  God’s plans are never frustrated, foiled, or even hindered.  His word declares His purposes, His designs, and His works.  He does not just describe the things that will come to pass, He has declared them and designed them.

His counsel shall stand and he ultimately will overrule wickedness for the good of his people and the glory of His name.  His plans are not changed with first contact with the enemy because nothing surprises Him.  That is the kind of commander we want to put our faith in, trust our lives to, and follow wherever He might lead.

“The meek also shall increase their joy in The Lord.” Isaiah 29:19

Meekness is not a momentary decision, but a way of life. It is an intentional daily decision to set our own desires aside and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit within us. Someone has described biblical meekness as “putting the bit in your own mouth and handing the reigns over to God.” It is an humble attention to and acceptance of the will of God.

Meekness is often mistaken for weakness, but those two things are much different.  Where weakness is a lack of strength, meekness actually a show of great strength under God’s control. Meekness without God might very well be weakness, but in God’s hands it is powerful beyond understanding. Cultures have turned on the meekness of great men and women. Hearts have been changed.  Circumstances have been controlled. Pain has been alleviated.

Meekness is a balm that heals when revenge cannot.  Meekness is great faith, great commitment, and great determination to follow in the steps of Christ.  Christ did not
weakly go to the cross, but in meekness.

He faced it accepting the will of the Father.  We too, are required on a daily basis to live a meek life before God. When he requires sacrifice, meekness trusts completely and gives willingly. When he demands obedience, meekness ignores selfish desires, crucifies personal ambition, and performs joyfully the good will of God.  When we desire to do what would please us, meekness allows us to do what is pleasing to God.

It is for this reason that the joy of the meek will continually increase. The meek can find comfort in personal circumstances that the weak cannot find. The meek’s happiness is not derived from fleeting popularity; their fulfillment does not come from public success; their pleasure is not obtained in vengeance or revenge. The meek know when to advance and when to step back.  The meek will stand strong they should and not just when it feels good.

D.L. Moody was the most famous evangelist in the world in the late 1800s. People came from around the world to attend his Bible Conferences in Northfield, Massachusetts. One year a large group of pastors from Europe were among the attendees. They were given rooms in the dormitory of the Bible school. As was the custom in Europe, the men put their shoes outside the door of their room, expecting them to be cleaned and polished by servants during the night.

Of course there were no servants in the American dorm, but as Moody was walking through the halls and praying for his guests, he saw the shoes and realized what had happened. He mentioned the problem to a few of his students, but none of them offered to help. Moody gathered up the shoes and took them back to his own room where he began to clean and polish each pair. Moody told no one what he had done, but a friend who interrupted him in the middle of shining the shoes and helped him finish the task later told the story of what had happened. Despite the  praise and fame he received because of God’s blessing on his life and ministry, Moody remained a humble man.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God and King of Heaven, had the right to honor, praise, and worship. Yet to be our Saviour, He laid all of His privileges aside and became a lowly servant. We often hear people talk of living as Jesus lived, and while He truly is the model for us to follow, many who speak of following Him are unwilling to give up their rights and reflect His humility. We will never be like Jesus unless we are humble and lowly.

The meek find their joy in The Lord- in their trust of The Lord.  As the meek trust God more, the more they have of Him, the more they have of Him,  the more they know of Him, the more they know of Him, the more their joy is increased, and the more their joy is increased, the more they understand the difference between weakness and meekness- the more they understand how to be strong but not wrong.

Without Christ we will always be confused about meekness truly is.  Without Christ we will constantly be guessing what to do in any given situation.   It is thought by many that meekness robs us of nobility, but I would say that it is the very essence of nobility.  Nothing more noble has ever been done than Christ’s humble sacrifice on the cross.  Nothing has taken more strength.   God did not say the weak would inherit the earth, but He did make another promise. I think we all know what that was.

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.” Hebrews 10:25

Most of us have a need for some type of community. We may feel the need to isolate at times, but we will eventually desire some kind of interaction with others. Many studies have found that suicide rates, child abuse, criminal activity are all greater in neighborhoods where there is a lack of positive community involvement. Even in prisons, whether it be during war or in the penal system, one of the worst punishments for most prisoners is solitary confinement. As one writer has said, “Isolation is a health hazard.”

The Bible has a lot to say about our need to belong. God said at the very beginning, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18) Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12:27, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” Since we are part of a body, we should work in conjunction with one another so that the body can function fully. It would be foolish for one part to say to another “I don’t need you,” or even for it to say, “You don’t need me.” Our bodies are remarkable. Each part contributes in some way to the rest of the parts. The body might still function if one part is missing, but not as fully as it could. When we lose a limb or sight or even an organ, our functioning is affected. We either have to replace that part or another part of the body has to pick up the slack.

When my brother was playing football at U of O he had to have a muscle removed in his leg after an injury. It was the muscle that controls up and down foot movement (like tapping your foot). The doctors said that he would have “flop foot” the rest of his life. Well, miraculously, the other muscles in his foot took over that missing function and he is fine now (not as good as before, but fine). The other muscles in his leg took over the job of raising his foot. But now the other muscles in his leg must do double duty. Because they must do their own job and something else, they fatigue faster and hurt sooner. Also, since that muscle is gone, his nerves are more exposed and if he is hit on the leg it is incredibly painful because there is no muscle to protect it. Again, he functions, but not at full capacity- not as he was intended to function.

The verse in Hebrews encourages us to regularly gather together with other believers. This isn’t just a nice idea. There are very practical reasons for doing so. We all have gifts. By sharing our gifts with others we can build others up and encourage them. We, in turn, are built up in our faith by being with others who believe. Like my brothers leg, if we do not share our gifts with others, the slack will have to be picked up somewhere else by someone else. A muscle that is not used atrophies and will eventually die. When that happens, the muscle is useless and that part of the body is left to try and function without or until something else takes over. Both the muscle and the body are lesser for it.

We can believe that we do not need Christian fellowship, but according to God’s Word that is a mistake. Paul compares us to the body for a reason. It would be selfish if my right arm had a mind of its own and just decided it didn’t want to be part of me any longer. It would not be good for me or my right arm. Both would be left crippled. We can always say we don’t need anyone else, but what about those who need us? What about the encouragement others may need that only we can fulfill? Christians who live in isolation often atrophy and through time become weak and sometimes even useless. Being a functioning part of the body strengthens us and we become more and more useful to the rest of the body.

As Christians we can have much of our need for belonging met in God, but we also need the fellowship and the encouragement of others. Jesus is our all, but sometimes it is just good to be around someone with skin on. So let us avail ourselves of the opportunity to fellowship with others so that we can be functioning at our full potential in the Body of Christ. We are meant to complement each other, which means to make complete. Let’s do everything we can to make the body as full functioning as possible. The world certainly needs to see Christ’s church strong and whole in these uncertain times.

“Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.” 1 Corinthians 16:13

What is courage? Courage has been defined as bravery, but that is a pretty simplistic definition. Some have tried to explain it in a little more detail. One writer defined it as fear “that has said its prayers.” Mark Twain said, “Courage is the mastery of fear, not the absence of fear.” A courageous person is not someone who is fearless. (That is, in most cases, a stupid person.) A courageous person is someone who can control his or her fear and then do the right thing. It is overcoming the fear that we naturally have.

We see courage on display among those who are first responders. Certainly the soldiers serving our country display courage every day. These kinds of people tend to go toward danger rather than away because… well, because that is what they do. That’s their job.

Besides the courage fire fighters and soldiers show, there are other kinds of courage, too. There is moral courage, which is the ability to do right in the face of opposition or discouragement. We are faced with these kinds of situations much more often than we are faced with saving a child from a burning building. Everyday we will be tested to do the right thing and tempted to do the wrong. Having moral courage means being honest and having integrity. It means that we don’t cheat on the test, on our taxes or on others. Moral courage is honoring others by honoring our word, even when we don’t feel like it. It is saying our yes, is yes, and our no, is no, and not turning a yes into a no just because it is convenient for us.

It also takes courage to follow Jesus Christ. We are living in an ABC culture today: Anything But Christ. People are fine with whatever we believe, unless we say, “I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe the Bible is the Word of God.” Suddenly we will have joined group of backward intolerants who at the best are laughed at and at the worst become public enemy number one. It takes courage to stand up for Jesus Christ. In some countries it takes the kind of courage we see in first responders because in the foreign field, many are truly running toward danger. Here, in most cases, we merely face discomfort. Of course, in some cases people might face job loss or public ridicule or more. But let’s face it, bullying is not the same as bullets.

We need more moral courage today or we will find ourselves in the same place that the rest of the world is in. Courage starts in our daily lives with the little things. I used to tell the athletes I coached that they needed to work as hard as they could in practice because victory over the little things in practice when there was no opponent prepared them for victory over the bigger things when there is an opponent. If we cannot stand for right in the face of little opposition, how will we ever stand against the real enemies.

A boy was trying to impress a girl he liked by saying, “I will climb the highest mountain, swim the swiftest river, and cross the driest desert for you, and I will come over tomorrow if it is not raining.” Can we show great things for God in great trials, if we struggle to do simple things for Him in everyday life? We all want to believe we are courageous, but courage is action, not just belief. We must stand firm in the faith. We must be courageous. We must be strong. That’s our job.