Monthly Archives: March 2024

MOLLY AND ME – MY CHAMPION

Christian Life, ,

Molly is my self-appointed guardian. I guess it’s in the nature of a dog to protect. Since I’m her owner and much bigger than her, it’s my responsibility to care for and protect her, but she has somehow reversed the roles.

When I’m at home, she uses her rotweiler bark to ward off would-be invaders, be they real or imagined, be they warm-blooded humans of any shape or colour, or cold-blooded “critters” of any smell or size.

Her pet hate is the domestic worker who comes to clean my landlady’s house every second week, because she wields a mop or broom. We are under house arrest until she leaves because Molly wants to eat her.

She also hates the gardening service men because they invade our property with their noisy machines when they cut the grass.

Neighbours’ dogs fall into the category of “enemies” as well. She treats little ones with disdain and big ones with ferocious barking… as long as they are on the other side of the gate!

Molly isn’t even afraid of thunder. She just keeps barking fearlessly until the noise goes away!

When I am not at home, she goes to ground, time out, day off, all duty suspended, immobile ’til Mom gets home. She refuses all attention and only comes back to life when she hears my car coming up the driveway or the gate being opened.

Molly is worth her weight in gold. My champion saved me from disaster when she barked a warning that my gas stove, unknown to me, was shooting a flame of fire from underneath the cooker top.

Of course, her size makes a huge difference. When there is any real danger, Mom takes over. Face to face with a real dog either turns her into a high-pitched barking/squeaking coward if it’s big, or a sharp, warning yapper if it’s small. Hairs on the back stand up and the adrenaline rushes in.

Thank you, Molly. You’re a trouper! Your intentions are all good.

If Molly thinks she is able to protect me, what about God, our great heavenly Father? He has made an endless number of promises to His children to see the enemy off and guard us from harm and danger of every kind, and does a much better job than Molly ever can.

‭Psalms 121:3-8 NLT‬
[3] “He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. [4] Indeed, he who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. [5] The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. [6] The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. [7] The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. [8] The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.”

If there were no other promise in the Bible, this one would be enough to give us complete confidence in Him.

Not only does God Himself watch over us but He has also assigns angels to be on duty as well.

‭Psalms 91:9-12 NLT‬
[9]”If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, [10] no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. [11] For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. [12] They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.”

God never sleeps, never takes time out or a day off. His angels are on duty 24/7, waiting for His command.

‭Psalms 103:19-21 NLT‬
[19]” The Lord has made the heavens his throne; from there he rules over everything. [20] Praise the Lord, you angels, you mighty ones who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. [21] Yes, praise the Lord, you armies of angels who serve him and do his will!”

‭Jude 1:24-25 NLT‬
[24] “Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault. [25] All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power, and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen.”

So why, then, should we ever be afraid? If nothing else, Molly is a very effective “early warning system”, false alarms or not. How much better our God who watches over us moment by moment!

MOLLY AND ME – MY DELIGHT

Christian Life, ,

Molly is a cute little dog. She is no longer pretty, somewhat misshapen with back paws that point inward, front paws that point outward and hump of fat on her chest so low it drags on the ground. Her legs are super short, her body super long, but she has deep brown eyes, and her gaze at me soft and loving.

Her muzzle is turning white, and her dappled coat, always red-brown and shiny, is becoming more marked with white as she grows older. However, she is still exuberant (at times) and bouncy as she chases her ball or darts after “prey” which includes frogs and geckoes… and hadidahs!

Molly does crazy things like sleeping on my dirty laundry and entertain herself by rolling around on her back in her bed. She loves squeaky toys but ends up destroying the sqeak because she thinks it’s “prey”!

With all her crazy features and funny behaviour, I delight in her. As old as she is, she will always be my “baby girl”. She is always in my thoughts. When I go shopping, I look for ways to “spoil” her with little treats. She is a big part of my small world.

If I delight so much in a little animal, how much more does God delight in us, His crazy and funny children!

Zephaniah says that God sings a wild and exuberant song to express His delight in us.

‭Zephaniah 3:17 NLT‬
[17] For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.”

The Hebrew word, Rinnah – meaning a ringing cry, can be translated as “Shouts of joy, singing in triumph”, a sort of victory cry.

Is it possible that God sings and dances over us because He is so happy? What could delight Him so much that He sings a crazy song?

Look at this verse…

‭Psalms 5:12 NIV‬
[12] “Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

The Hebrew word “ratson”, meaning favour or goodwill, can also be translated “delight”. God surrounds and protects us with His delight.

One usually never stops thinking about the person in whom one delights. No matter what one is doing, one’s thoughts soon stray back to one’s beloved. David said that God’s thoughts about us are more than the grains of sand.

I walk past a pile of building sand on my daily excursion with Molly. I try to think what it would be like to sit down and count the grains! Impossible! That’s a silly idea because David was simply trying to tell us that God’s thoughts about every one of His children are too many to be counted.

Why is God so delighted with His children?

Firstly, I think, because His daring plan to rescue us has worked. Think of the millions, perhaps billions of lost sons and daughters through the centuries, who have come back home to God because they have believed in Jesus.

Secondly, I think, because God is delighted with the finished product. He has worked hard, through our lives on earth, to recreate us in the image of His Son. He wants us all to be exact replicas of Jesus. It will happen when we come face to face with our Saviour.

‭1 John 3:2 NLT‬
[2] “Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.”

The Father is crazy about Jesus. He wants us all to be like Him.

‭Matthew 3:16-17 NLT‬
[16] “After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

He gave the Son His Spirit without measure.

‭John 3:34-35 NLT‬
[34] “For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. [35] The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands.”

Thirdly, if God surrounds us with His delightful thoughts about us in such volume that they can’t be counted, then He wants us to be completely secure and protected until He calls us home.

‭John 10:27-30 NLT‬
[27]” My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, [29] for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. [30] The Father and I are one.”

If that’s God’s view of us, then we should also be dancing and singing with delight because we should be as crazy about God as He is crazy about us.

THESE WERE WRITTEN – 30

Bible Study, ,

John 20:30 – 31 NLT‬
[30] “The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. [31] But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.”

In no other gospel but John’s did the writer state so clearly the purpose of his book. One of John’s themes was “believe”, recording some of the miracles Jesus did that led people to believe in Him.

Jesus’ miracles were not primarily intended to produce faith. We know from Scripture that even God’s own people did not trust Him despite His miracles. The religious leaders in Jesus’ day rejected Him in the face of the overwhelming evidence of what He did. They repeadedly demanded signs to prove His claims but they refused to believe the many obvious signs to His deity.

So, what, then, was the purpose of His miracles? In John’s final words, he remarks that all the books in the world could not contain all the miracles Jesus did!

‭John 21:25 NLT‬
[25] “Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written.”

Now that’s a very bold statement! John was probably attempting to convey the magnitude of the demonstration of His miracle power during the time of His earthly life. Why did He do miracles? He was certainly not trying to create a sensation or to win a popularity contest. Quite the opposite! He often tried to escape the attention of people who clamoured after Him for miracles.

However, if His miracles were not intended to produce faith, what was their purpose apart from helping suffering people in their distress or even overriding nature like storms and water? Miracles certainly demonstrated His compassion for people in distress but… there was no way He could heal everyone who was sick or disabled.

John points us in the right direction. The miracles Jesus did were evidence that He is who He claimed to be… the Messiah, the Son of God. You see, faith in Jesus because of miracles does not save us. Faith in Jesus because He is who He is, the Son of God, is the bedrock of our salvation.

Our faith in Jesus, unlike the attitude of many who try to use Him for their own ends, is a commitment to Jesus as our Lord, our supreme authority, who rules in every detail of our lives. We submit unconditionally to Him, believing in His right to rule over us because He made us and because He bought us with His own blood.

This perspective is what puts Jesus in His rightful place. Miracles fit into God’s greater purpose to recreate us in the image of Jesus. If He chooses to intervene miraculously in our circumstances, it is His will that
overrides our desires, always working for our good in all things, good or bad, to hone our unwavering confidence in Him.

Unfortunately, this truth that miracles are signs, not reasons for faith in Jesus, is what exposes so much deception behind the “healing campaign” ministry that attracts many unsuspecting people today. “Come and get your healing!” they proclaim, as though healing is the be-all and end-all of who Jesus is – a servant who waits on us when we need Him, and nothing more.

If Jesus’ miracles do not lead us to believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then they have not served their purpose. Saving faith, producing new birth and miraculous transformation by the power of the Holy Spirit, comes through faith in Him and issues in what Jesus called “life”.

Life is, for God’s people, a new dimension. We have been transferred from “death” to “life”, from the death zone where Satan dominated and drove us to live by the dictates of our old sinful nature. Our sinful way of life proved that we were spiritually dead and under God’s judgment.

“But now…” we have life if we believe in Jesus. Our union with Him passes His life into us like branches in a vine, producing the fruit of that life, His own nature at work in us. This is a miracle but it is the fruit, not the root of faith.

So, let’s put Jesus’ miracles in their correct perspective. Miracles are the witness that Jesus is God’s Son, and we believe in Him, unconditionally, to be to us….

‭Hebrews 12:2b NLT‬
[2] “… the champion who initiates and perfects our faith….”

We believe in Him, not because of His miracles but because His miracles convince us that He is who He is, the Messiah, the Son of God.

‭1 John 5:11-12 NLT‬
[11] “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. [12] Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.”

“MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS” – 29

Bible Study, ,

John 21:18-20 NLT‬
[18] “I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don’t want to go.” [19] Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, “Follow me.” [20] Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?”‭
[21] Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”
[22] Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.”

Why did John include this little exchange betwee Peter and Jesus? Was it the final bit of competition between Peter and John rearing its ugly head before Pentecost?

Jesus showed us, in His magnificent high priestly prayer, how priceless unity between His followers was to Him. He paid with His blood to bring warring humans together in a new bond of love. Jew and Gentile, implacable enemies even under the Old Covenant, unified into one body, one species, bound together by the power of the Holy Spirit to love one another as Jesus loved them.

However, the Holy Spirit was yet to come, and Jesus’ disciples were yet to experience His transforming power through His indwelling presence. The Spirit would deal with their petty quarrelling and competition once for all when He came.

Until then, Jesus was fed up with the selfish, competitive attitude that poked its head out through Peter’s words. His sharp rebuke, “Mind your own business, Peter!” would ring in Peter’s ears every time he was tempted to elevate himself above others.

Spiritual competitiveness is still rife in the church today, a sign that the flesh still dominates and muddies relationships in Jesus’ body. Paul had to deal with this same carnal behaviour in the Corinthian church.

‭1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT‬
[10]”I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose.”

‭‭1 Corinthians 3:1-4 NLT‬
[1] “Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in Christ. [2] I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, [3] for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world? [4] When one of you says, “I am a follower of Paul,” and another says, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you acting just like people of the world?”

The competitive spirit still reigns where church leaders elevate themselves above others by claiming functions and titles which give them “authority” over fellow believers, not sanctioned in Scripture. This is not evidence of the Holy Spirit’s activity but rather the absence of His leading in these situations.

Our role in relationships is to protect love and preserve unity by ruthlessly killing the flesh through our obedience to the Spirit.

‭Romans 8:12-14 NLT‬
[12] “Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. [13] For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. [14] For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

Competitiveness of any kind is a work of the flesh, causing division and quenching the Holy Spirit’s work in Christ’s body. God’s solution, through Paul, is imperative.

‭Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT‬
[11]” Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. [12] Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. [13] This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. [14] Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. [15] Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. [16] He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”

So, when it comes to God’s doing in others, “Mind your own business!” As Owald Chambers wrote, in his book, “My Utmost for His Highest”, “No saint dare interfere in the discipline of suffering of another saint.”

What a way for the John to conclude his magnificent gospel! That’s the power of God at work in us, demolishing the flesh to recreate in us the image of Jesus.

LAST WORDS -26

Bible Study, ,

Matthew 27:50 NIV‬
[50] “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.”

‭Luke 23:46 NIV‬
[46] “Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

‭Mark 15:37 NIV‬
[37] “With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.”

John 19:30 NIV‬
[30] “When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

The last words of a dying soul… sometimes the most important words ever spoken by that person.

Jesus’ last words – two of the gospels record His words; all four record an unusual phenomenon. The last words of a dying person are usually whispered, hardly audible, like the last flicker of a dying flame. Sometimes the hearers are left with a mystery, the last cryptic sentence left incomplete as the last breath fails.

Not Jesus!

All four gospels declare that Jesus spoke audibly, even shouted out His last words. How is it possible for a man to shout, suspended from a wooden stake by nails in his hands and feet, and slowly dying from suffocation because he is too weak to lift his weight on mangled feet to breathe?

Jesus did it!

He had a message too important for the world to hear, to whisper or lose in His dying. Two profound sentences no one must miss!

“IT IS FINISHED” in Greek “tetelestai” an accounting term meaning “paid in full” …. Account closed…. Delete from the record! Whichever term conveys the truth that the debtor is no longer obligated to pay another cent because his debt has been fully paid, no need for instalments, obliterated from the record book… that’s what Jesus meant! Sin’s debt was fully paid by the one who had no debt of His own.

However, we can broaden the meaning of “tetelestai” to include every detail of what Jesus finished when He died in the cross.

God’s wrath against sin and sinners – finished!
Sin’s debt – finished!
Fogiveness achieved – finished!
God’s perfect nature, mercy, shown to sinners – finished!
Jew and Gentile reconciled – finished!
Gentiles brought near by the blood of Christ – finished!
God’s plan of salvation – finished!
Sinners transformed by faith through grace, into His image – finished!
Transferred from darkness to light, Satan to God – finished!
The righteousness of God revealed – finished!
All God’s promises made available to believers – finished!
The law as a way of salvation – finished!
The Holy Spirit poured out – finished!
Heaven opened – finished!
Access to the Father – finished!
Surrounded by God’s love and favour – finished!

And so much more! The cross was Jesus’ last word on sin.

His second utterance, recorded by Luke, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit,” open our understanding to another facet of Jesus’ death… resurrection!

His death, without the resurrection, would have left us with two unthinkable conclusions,

  1. That Jesus’ sacrifice was ineffective because He was an imperfect lamb,

‭Hebrews 10:11 NLT‬
[11] “Under the old covenant, the priest stands and ministers before the altar day after day, offering the same sacrifices again and again, which can never take away sins.”

But…

‭Hebrews 10:14 NLT‬
[14] “For by that one offering he (Jesus) forever made perfect those who are being made holy.”

‭Hebrews 9:14 NLT‬
[14] “Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.”

  1. That we have no hope of eternal life,…

1 Corinthians 15:14 NIV‬
[14]”And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…
[17] And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins…
[19] If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied…. “

But…

‭1 Corinthians 15:20 NIV‬
[20]”…Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep…
[22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive… [23] But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

Jesus became the firstfruits offering by His death. Let me explain.

‭Under the Old Covenant, the firstfruits of the harvest and the firstborn of the flocks and herds belonged to God. The first portion of the harvest had to be offered to God as a” “terumah” – a firstfruits offering. Firstborn animals were sacrificed or bought back by paying a price. Firstborn sons were bought back for a price.

The terumah offering guaranteed God’s blessing on the full harvest.

‭Proverbs 3:9-10 NIV‬
[9] Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; [10] then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

The ritual of the terumah was to lift it up as a wave or heave offering and then place it in the hands of the high priest. It was to be God’s provision for the high priest and his family.

Jesus became the terumah offering by fulfilling the ritual of being lifted up…

‭John 3:14-15 NIV‬
[14] “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, [15] that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

‭John 12:32 NIV‬
[32] And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

… And placing Himself in the hands of the Father.

‭Luke 23:46 NIV‬
[46] “Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.”

So, Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the terumah, spoke His last word on death, and guaranteed the full harvest of the resurrection.

‭1 Corinthians 15:20-23 NIV‬
[20] “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. [21] For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. [22] For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. [23] But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.”

How significant, then, were Jesus’ last words, sealing, by His death and resurrection, the destiny of all who believe in Him!

Hebrews 9:26b-28 NIV‬
[26]… “But he has appeared once for all at the culmination of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. [27] Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, [28] so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”