On another site...

This week and next, I'll be writing daily for another site. I probably won't post everything here. Doesn't make sense, at least not to me, to duplicate my posts. I may change my mind later, but for now, if you want to read my daily meanderings, go to www.barclaypress.com and on the 'Conversation Cafe' drop down menu, click on 'A Daily Journal.' From April 30th to May 11th - weekdays only - that will give you access to my thoughts. Enough said.

Well, one more thing. I wrote an article several years ago on this site. It was interesting to read it again while snooping around tonight.

Craziness I'd love to join...

I met three great guys today. Jim, Larry and Charles (he's the RV driver) were a pleasure to talk to. Polite. Quick with a smile. These three are part of a four-biker team (John and Ed, the other two cyclists, were on their bikes when I poked my head into their RV) crossing the US from California to Maine to raise money for various charities. They've been averaging somewhere around 60 miles each day. They hope to be done with their trek and safely back home before Father's Day. Today they stopped in Argonia on their way to Winfield where they plan to spend the night. They visited the River Park and stopped in at the city building.

Sound crazy to you? I'd love to join them in their insanity. (Sigh!) Maybe some day I'll get to do something similar. For now, I'll have to settle for watching their progress at 4oldguys.com. Safe and flat-free travel guys!

Perfect

Let me explain something about God. His purpose in your life is to make you more and more like Jesus.

You may have heard Romans 8:28 before. It says, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." (NIV)

Sound vaguely familiar? It seems to make it onto everyone’s list of must-memorize verses. I think I learned it as a kid in Sunday School. What I didn't learn as a kid, and what you may still not understand, is what that word good means in practical terms. It doesn't mean that everything in my life or yours will be peachy. What good means here is not good as we would normally define it. What good means, in Paul’s mind and in God’s, is explained in the Romans 8:29. Read these two verses together.

Romans 8:28-29, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." (NIV)

What God considers good is this: whatever it takes to conform you to the likeness of Jesus, His Son. For Philip the evangelist in Acts 8 that was obeying God’s command to take a walk on a certain road and win an Ethiopian eunuch to the Lord. For Job that was enduring great pain and loss.

For you? For me? Whatever it takes to conform us to the likeness of Jesus.

Let me make sure you understand. Everything that comes your way on any given day is filtered through this sieve by God. "What can I do to conform my child to the likeness of Jesus? What good can I do in my child today?"

That’s how you need to understand Romans 8:28. It’s how God intends you to understand it. Hear his voice when you read: "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

Now take a look at what Paul writes in Romans 11:33-36. The apostle praises God saying, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ‘Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?’ ‘Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." (NIV) In another translation it reads, "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back? For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen." (NLT)

Let me ask you this: what do you see here? Do you see a foolish God who makes silly choices? Do you see a cruel God who enjoys piling on trouble? Do you see a weak God who has no power to produce good in your life?

No! In these verses we see a God who can be trusted. We see a God who is perfect in knowledge. We see a God who is perfect in wisdom. We see a God who is perfect in his judgments, in his decisions. We see a God who is perfect in his ways, in his methods, his actions.

Okay, it’s confession time. How many of you worry? Listen to your perfect God’s words. He speaks through His Son to every worrywart. Don’t miss this.

Matthew 6:25-34, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (NIV)

Trust God! He’s perfect in knowledge. He’s perfect in wisdom. His decisions are perfect. His methods and the actions he takes are perfect. What can’t this God handle without your help? Stop your worrying? God has a perfect plan for every tomorrow. So live joyfully for him today.

How many of you complain? Listen to your perfect God’s words. He speaks through his prophet Isaiah to every grumbler. Don’t miss this.

Isaiah 40:25-31, "‘To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?’ says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God’? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (NIV)

Trust God and silence your whining! He’s perfect in knowledge. He’s perfect in wisdom. His decisions are perfect. His methods and the actions he takes are perfect. Does God really need your opinion? Stop complaining. Rejoice in the good plan God has for you. Thank him for the way he’s making you more like Jesus.

How many of you fear? Listen to your perfect God’s words. He speaks through his servant John to every coward. Don’t miss this.

1 John 4:16-18, "God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (NIV)

Trust God and do not be afraid! He’s perfect in knowledge. He’s perfect in wisdom. His decisions are perfect. His methods and the actions he takes are perfect. What is there to fear? Stop your cowering. God will see you through every difficulty and deliver you safely to your heavenly home when the time is right – make that, when the time is perfect. Not a second earlier. Not a second later.

Do you believe that God is perfect in every way? I do and knowing that brings me comfort. It causes me to trust. It brings me great joy. I urge you to trust the perfectly wise, perfectly loving, perfectly powerful God.

"Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? And who could ever give him so much that he would have to pay it back? For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory evermore. Amen." (Romans 11:33-36, NLT)

To receive my once or twice weekly message via email and join the "webmessage" discussion group, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages (there are well over 100) are available at www.associate.com/groups/webmessage.

On having a perfect day...

I woke up this morning and among the first thoughts through my head was this thought: “It’s Thursday and God has perfect things in store for you today.”

Now I’ve been thinking a lot about the praise song Paul throws in at the end of Romans 11 over the past few weeks – God’s perfect knowledge, perfect wisdom, perfect decisions, perfect methods – so it wasn’t a totally random thought, but it was a bit out of the ordinary as far as early morning revelations go.

Think about it. Everything that happens to me today will be perfect. Same for you. Perfect. God is going to perfectly accomplish his purposes in your life and mine today. That produces joy in me. Hope it does the same in you.

Without the resurrection...

Early last month, the Discovery Channel broadcast a James Cameron documentary, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” which used reenactments and expert testimony to “prove” that “Christ was buried in Jerusalem with his mother, father, wife (Mary Magdalene), and son, Judah.” (“Truth Wins Out,” WORLD, March 17, 2007)

The show created quite a stir on Christian radio. I heard Dick Bott and Hank Hanegraff both talking about it.

Thankfully, Mr. Cameron’s claims not withstanding, there is little credible evidence that this particular burial cave holds the remains of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Completely secular scientists, experts in archaeology, came out against the program’s assertions. Let me read a short excerpt from the March 17, 2007, WORLD magazine article, “Truth Wins Out.”

“William Dever, considered by many the leading U.S. scholar on biblical archeology, told The Washington Post, ‘I’m not a Christian. I’m not a believer. I don’t have a dog in this fight. I’ve known about these ossuaries for many years and so have many other archaeologists, and none of us thought it was much of a story, because these are rather common Jewish names from that period.’ Others noted that the ossuary was the resting place for a middle-class Jewish family – a description that everyone agrees does not fit that of Jesus’ family. Still others dispute whether the names at the grave are even fully readable. Practically every archeologist outside of the ones Cameron interviewed dismissed the film as shoddy science at best and willful manipulation with a profit motive at worst.”

Some of you may be thinking, “So what? What if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead? Does it really matter? Why worry about someone claiming to have found the tomb of Jesus? Who cares?”

I do. And every believer ought to. If the tomb of Jesus were actually discovered, it would mean the death of Christianity. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:14. “...if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (NIV)

The resurrection matters. We lose everything, but that’s such a vague statement. Let’s get specific. What exactly do we lose if the resurrection is disproved?

We lose is our salvation.

The blood of Jesus takes away our sin. We say that, but it’s only true if Jesus is, in fact, the sinless Son of God. If he’s just a man, his death is pointless. Only a perfect sacrifice would satisfy God’s wrath.

And how do we know Jesus is more than just a man? We know it by his resurrection. Look at what Paul writes at the beginning of Romans. “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God – the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:1-4, NIV)
Did you see it? Jesus’ resurrection from the dead proves he’s God’s Son.

If Jesus was not raised from the dead he is not the Son of God. If he is not the Son of God, we have no salvation. Salvation is the first thing we lose if there is no resurrection.

We lose our intercessor, our advocate.

Paul writes in Romans 8:33-34. “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (NIV)

Jesus is at the right had of God interceding for us. When Satan accuses, Jesus, our attorney, counters his charges. “Forgiven. Taken care of. Blood-covered. Cleansed.” We are not condemned because Jesus is alive in heaven pleading our case day-in and day-out.

If Jesus was not raised from the dead we have no intercessor. We are condemned, separated from the love of God.

We lose the Holy Spirit.

On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus spoke some of the most powerful and comforting words. John recorded them for us. John 16:5-7, “Now I am going to him who sent me, yet none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief. But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.” (NIV)

If Jesus did not rise from the dead, if his bones are still in some tomb somewhere, he is not in heaven and the Holy Spirit is not here to help us. We are alone. We cannot discern truth. We are without counsel or comfort. We cannot convince others to believe. We are deaf to God’s voice. We are blind to his will. We cannot obey God. We have no power over sin. We are pitiful.

If Jesus was not raised from the dead, the Holy Spirit is not here. We are without help.

We lose hope.

Jesus spoke these words of comfort to his disciples long ago. They are for us today. John 14:1-3, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (NIV)

Jesus is interceding for us in heaven – we covered that earlier – but he’s doing more. He’s making a perfect eternal dwelling place for every believer. He’s getting heaven ready for you and me.

Friends, this life is stinky at times. It’s full of pain and trouble. But something better is coming.

In Revelation 21:1-4, we find John’s description of what God showed him. “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” (NIV)

If Jesus was not raised from the dead, heaven is just a fanciful place we dreamed up. If Jesus is still dead, we will not rise.

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!’” (Luke 24:1-6, NIV)

Jesus is alive, my friends. We who believe have salvation, forgiveness, mercy. We who believe have an intercessor before God’s throne. We are not condemned. We who believe have a Counselor, the Holy Spirit of God who lives in us and guides and empowers us. We who believe have hope. We will live eternally in heaven.

The resurrection has taken place. The women were not the only ones who saw Jesus alive. The twelve saw him – Thomas after doubting. Hundreds of others were witnesses of his resurrection as well. Paul reveals these truths in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8. “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.” (NIV)

So it all comes down to this: do you believe? Since Jesus has been raised from the dead, we know he is the Son of God. All must turn to him for salvation. “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:18, NIV)

Those are Jesus’ words, the words of God’s one and only Son. He urges you, I urge you, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:31, NIV) Hear God’s voice as he speaks through his word! Acts 2:21, “...everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (NIV) Acts 4:12, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” (NIV)

There’s no way around it. You must believe. It’s God’s command to you. Will you obey today and be saved? Or will you walk away ignoring God’s great gift of salvation from your sin? If you do that, you will be condemned forever. Believe!

To receive my once or twice weekly message via email and join the "webmessage" discussion group, send a blank email to webmessage-subscribe@associate.com. Past messages (there are well over 100) are available at www.associate.com/groups/webmessage.