Daily Devotions

Wednesday, July 23

Jesus - Life's Fullest Purpose

Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. - Acts 3:8

The lame man when healed didn't make for the nearest exit.  It wasn't a thankful handshake with Peter and then a hurried good-bye.  Instead he went with Peter and John into the temple.  He even stood by their sides the next day when the Jewish court investigated the incident.  All this already shows a reaction on his part, one that our verse sums up with the words, "praising God." We'd like to ask the man, "How long did you go on praising God in thankful faith?"  But that answer isn't given us.  It's enough to know that this healed man was using his life in thankful praise to God.

Late one night a pastor was called to the hospital.  As he walked down the semi-dark hall back to the intensive care unit, he almost collided with a man hurrying out.  The man took hold of the pastor's arm and with obvious joy in his face said, "She's going to make it. She's better, and she's going to make it."  Then the man hurried on.  The pastor had never met the man before and didn't know of whom he was speaking.  But that man had just received good news and had to share it.

Life's fullest purpose is to use it as that healed man did in praising the Savior.  One way I can do this is by sharing the best news I have - that because of Jesus, people can make it.  They don't have to die but can live forever.

Lord, as I go about life's daily business, use me

to tell others about their Savior.  Amen.

Thursday, July 24

Gracious Promises

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. - Romans 8:1

[God] justifies those who have faith in Jesus. - Romans 3:26

For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. - Hebrews 8:12

For those in Christ, these promises are not only a source of joy.  They are also the foundations of true courage.  You are guaranteed that your sins will be filtered through, hidden in, and screened out by the sacrifice of Jesus.  When God looks at you, he doesn't see you; he sees the One who surrounds you.  That means that failure is not a concern for you.  Your victory is secure.  How could you not be courageous?

Picture it this way.  Imagine that you are a ice-skater in competition.  You are in first place with one more round to go.  If you perform well, the trophy is yours.  You are nervous, anxious, and frightened.  Then, only minutes before your performance, your trainer rushes to you with the thrilling news: "You've already won! The judges tabulated the scores, and the person in second place can't catch you.  You are too far ahead."

Answer the big question of eternity, and the little questions of life fall into perspective.

Friday, July 25

Going to Church

I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord!" - Psalm 122:1

How do you view Sunday mornings?  Are you eager to gut up and go to church, or do you scrounge around for excuses to stay home and sleep in?

I cam across a pamphlet that said on the outside, "Ten Good Reasons for Staying Home From Church."  When I opened up the pamphlet , I found it was completely blank!  The message was clear. Except perhaps when a person is sick, there are no good reasons for staying home from church.

When we love other people we can't wait to be with them, talk to them, and listen to them talk to us!  We anticipate our moments together and plan to make the most of them.  We need to cultivate that same attitude toward church attendance.  We go to fellowship with God and his people.  If we plan to participate by praying, listening, taking notes on the sermon, and applying God's message to our lives, we will enjoy church going all the more!

God, I love to meet you in church!  Amen.

Saturday, July 26

Give Glory to God

I will glorify you name forever. - Psalm 86:12b

"Antiques for Sale." We often see this sign along the higthway as we travel.  Such signs lure us in to browse, and sometimes to buy.  We look with a discerning eye, comparing what we see with what we might have already at home.  We often come away convinced that we are rich with those possessions we already have.

We easily can be carried away with things - we even can worship them.  We always must be aware that every thing we have that is good was given to us by God.  God gave us life.  All our earthly good are ours on loan.  This includes our property, our time, and our energy.  And, as this psalm reminds us, we are given our security and rescue from the Lord as well.

There is one thing that we can give God.  In light of all that we receive.  We can give our praise!  In all we do, we need to give God glory.

Precious Lord, help us to know that everything we have

is yours.  We give you but your own, O Lord.  Amen.

Sunday, July 27

Something to Celebrate

He destined us in love to be His sons [and daughters] through Jesus Christ. - Ephesians 1:5a

Truly, we have much to celebrate as the sons and daughters of God.  We have, through Christ, become the recipients of God's whole treasure-house of spiritual gifts.  Even before we were born - before the world itself was made - we were destined to be His children.  Christ's death on the cross set us free from the Law's demands.  Reconciled to the divine family, we are now an integral part of God's plan to reconcile the whole world to Himself.

It is indeed something we cannot comprehend, but God created us and chose us to be His people, and this was Godd's purpose and possible for us through Jesus Christ.  Through Christ and His indwelling Spirit, the brand of God's ownership was burned indelibly into our hearts.  With the gracious gift of His Spirit come the guarantee that all of God's gifts, though at present unseen and little understood, are already ours and will be revealed to us in God's own time.

There is much to celebrate, but let us not forget that it could never have been possible except for the tragedy of the cross.  Our redemption, our restoration to God, was "through His blood," the blood of Jesus Christ.  Forgiveness, which is relatively easy for us to accept, must never be taken lightly.  It cost the agony of Calvary.  All the riches that we inherit as God's children are ours only because we are forgiven, and for the God paid a price - a price that we will never fully comprehend.

My God, I do embrace Your forgiveness offered through Jesus

Christ and the cross which He embraced on my behalf, and I 

celebrate this glorious gift and all the gifts which You have

lavished upon me.  In Jesus' name.  Amen.

Monday, July 28

A Prayer about Gospel Astonishment

To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. - Jude 1-2

Glorious Triune God, on this Lord's Day I'm overwhelmed as I ponder the immeasurable and irrepressible goodness of the life we have in Jesus.  Gospel astonishment pretty well describes what I'm feeling.  I want to shout and shut up at the same time.

You didn't just invite me to become a Christian; you called me and adopted me as your own child.  Now I call you Abba, Father, as the Holy Spirit continues to free my heart from acting like a homeless, fatherless orphan.  Thank you, Father, that because of the work of Jesus, you will never love me more than you do today and you will never love me less!  What wondrous love is this indeed!

Lord Jesus, help me to grasp you grasp of me.  I am both kept by you and kept for you.  Nothing can pull me from you hand or tear me from your heart.  Many times this seems too good to be true, but it is all the assurance I need to face the rest of my life, even the next hour.

Indeed, Holy Spirit, bring from the throne of grace nto my heart and story an abundance of mercy, for I am a foolish man; peace, for I am a broken man; and love, for I am a selfish man.  Be praised on this Lord's Day and every day, O glorious grace-full God! I pray in Jesus' exalted name.  Amen.

Tuesday, July 29

Our Love For God

Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. - 1 John 3:18

The taking over of the romantic love ideal into our relation to God had been extremely injurious to our Christian lives.  The idea that we should "fall in love" with God is ignoble, unscriptural, unworthy of us and certainly does no honor to the Most High God!

We do not come to love God by a sudden emotional visitation.  Love for God results from repentance, amendment of life and a fixed determination to love Him.  Then as God moves more perfectly into the focus of our hearts, our love for Him many indeed rise and swell within us till like a flood it sweeps everything before it.

But we should not wait for this intensity of feeling.  We are not responsible to feel but we are responsible to love, and true spiritual love begins in the will.

We should set our hearts to love God supremely, however cold or hard they may seem to be, and go on to confirm our love by happy and careful obedience to his Word.  Enjoyable emotions are sure to follow!

Wednesday, July 30

A Bumpy Road

To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake. - Philippians 1:29

When people tell me life is hard, I always reply, "Of course it is."  I find that answer more satisfying than anything else I can say.  Writer Charles Williams said, "The world is painful in any case; but it is quite unbearable if anybody gives us the idea that we are meant to be liking it."

The path by which God takes us often seems to lead away from what we perceive as our good, causing us to believe we've missed a turn and taken the wrong road.  That's because most of us have been taught to believe that if we're on the right track God's goodness will always translate into a life free of trouble.

But that's a pipe dream far removed from the biblical perspective.  God's love often leads us down roads where earthly comforts fail us.  Paul said, "To you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also suffer for His sake" (Philippians 1:29).  When we come to the end of all our dark valleys, we'll understand that every circumstance has been allowed for our ultimate good.

"No other route would have been as safe and a certain as the one by which we came," Bible teacher F. B. Meyer said.  "If only we could see the path as God has always seen it, we would have selected it as well."

If some darker lot be good,

Lord, teach us to endure

The sorrow, pain, or solitude

That makes the spirit pure. - Irons

No trial would cause us to despair if we knew God's reason for allowing it.

Thursday, July 31

Jesus Listens

When I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.  - Psalm 63:6, 8

So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. - 1 Peter 1:7

Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually! - Psalm 105:4

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. - Isaiah 41:10

My Savior- God,

My soul clings to You; Your right hand upholds me.  I know that You use difficult times to strengthen me spiritually.  Just as gold is refined by fire, so my faith is refined by trials - to prove that it is genuine.  As i cling to You in the midst of adversity, my faith grows stronger and I find comfort in You.  When I endure trials in dependence on You, I gain confidence that I can cope with future hardships.  More and more, I'm able to trust that You will always help me in my time of need.

In the middle of the night or in the midst of tough times, I remember that Your right hand is supporting me.  This hand that holds me up is super-strong; there's no limit to how much support You can provide.  So when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I won't give up.  Instead, I'll look to You and Your strength.

Your hand is not only powerful but righteous.  I love the assurance You give me in Your Word: "Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

In Your Powerful Name, Jesus,

Amen.

Friday, August 1

Master of the Morning

Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place? - Job 38:12

This is God's question to the human ego.  He has a way of reminding us of our limitations whenever we get tooo comfortable with our understanding.  When things just don't make sense to us, God reminds us that they don't have to.  We're not in charge.  Our understanding isn't key to the operation of this creation.  We can participate in it without being in control or knowing everything there is to know.  In fact, we must.  Control and omniscience are not option for us.

Why doe God so frequently put us in our place?  Because He has to.  We repeatedly grow out of our dependence on Him and try to manage things on our own.  We sometimes ask questions that implicitly accuse Him of being inept or unknowledgeable.  We seek to control our world and master our resources.  God has to remind us that we can't. That's His job.  Our role is dependence and trust.

That shouldn't make us feel too bad.  Righteous Job had to be reminded as well.  He got caught up in thinking his trials were all about him - what he had or had not done, or what he could do to get out of them.  He didn't realize that his trials were all about God and the true worth of worship.  Job's questions were presumptuous.  Sometimes, so are ours.

Do you have a tendency to want to control your environment?  Do you feel our of control when your situation gets out of hand?  That isn't a problem.  You were never in control anyway, no matter how much you thought you were.  God is our Master.  He commands the dawn and holds the vastness of His creation in His hand.  He has put everything in its place.  When our circumstances feel our of placwe, we are to go to Him.  The answer is always there, and we cannot be impatient for it.  The wisdom of God is entirely trustworthy.  Wait for it.  Believe in it.  Rest in knowledge that He will help you in His perfect timing.  He will break into your trial like the dawning of the day.

Saturday, August 2

Delivered into Your Hand

And the Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you." - Joshua 10:8

No greater confidence will ever come to you or to any other Christian than the confidence of knowing you are doing God's will.  God will not commission you to do anything without ensuring your success.  God assured Joshua that there was no reason to fear as he prepared to battle the Canaanites.  God would allow the Israelites to fight the battle, but the outcome was settled before they ever picked up their weapons.  What confidence this gave them as they fought!  Even though their enemies fought relentlessly, Joshua's army was certain of eventual victory.

God does not promise you victory in every task, you devise, but He does promise that you will be successful whenever you follow His will (Deut. 28:7, 25).  Does it appear that people are keeping you from obeying God's will?  Rest assured that God will not allow anyone or anything to prevent His children from accomplishing His purposes.

Be careful to evaluate success in the way that God does.  Perhaps He is working to produce His peacein your heart as you face troubling times.  Perhaps He is working to develop a forgiving spirit in you when others mistreat you.  Perhaps He is working to eliminate a particular sin in your life.  If you accept the world's understanding of victory, you may feel defeated.  If you look to see what God is accomplishing through your situation, you will find that He is succeeding.  When you face opposition but know you are doing what God has asked, have confidence that He will accomplish everything that He desires.

Sunday, August 3

The Pomegranate: An All-Purpose Tree

We pray [for you] in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in everyway: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. - Colossians 1:10

The pomegranate tree (along with the fig tree, the olive tree, and the vine) is mentioned in the Bible as an appreciated fruit tree.  Its pulpy fruit was very tasty.  Because of its eye appeal, pomegranates also were worked into the architectural design of Solomon's temple.  Embroidered pomegranates, alternating with golden bells, adorned the fringe of the high priest's robe.  With taste and eye appeal, the pomegranate was an all-purpose tree.

There are also all-purpose people, people of man facets, people of appealing character and pleasing personality.  Wherever God puts them in the orchard of His church, they bear fruit.  Undoubtedly Timothy was such a man.  He was not as talented as St. Paul, but certainly he was an excellent number two man.  Wherever St. Paul sent him - to Corinth, Philippi, or Thessalonica - he performed well.  He was flexible enough to adapt himself to many situations.

Dorcas, in Joppa, was another all-purpose Christian.  As a friend and helper of the poor, an artist with her seamstress needle, she "was always doing good and helping the poor" (Acts 9:36).  There is no church or community anywhere in the world that wouldn't like to have a Dorcas in its midst.

As "trees," we may not be able to grow apples made of real god, but we can be pomegranate trees, whose producivity and diversity of talents makes us welcome wherever we go.  We can be Christians who can serve wherever God puts us.  It is for this that Jesus Christ has redeemed us.

Prayer Suggestion:  Pray that God may find a place for you where you can serve with the gifts you have.

Monday, August 4

The Cedars of Lebanon: Good Timber

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen. - 2 Peter 3:18

The cedars of Lebanon around the Tyre and Sidon were highly prized.  The seafaring Phoenicians used the timber to make masts for their tall ships.  Solomon's temple in Jerusalem was built or these aromatic cedars.  The psalmist says, "The trees of the Lord are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted" (Psalm 104:16).

Notable visitors coming to ancient Tyre and Sidon must have admired these stately trees.  Elijah found refuge there (in nearby Zeraphath) during the famine in Israel, and St. Paul spent a week with Christians in Tyre while the ship in he was sailing was being unloaded.

But the greates guest ever in the area was Jesus.  We are told that He, under great pressure from the crowds, "withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon" (Matthew 15:21).  But He didn't have muc of a vacation.  While He was there, perhaps just beginning to admire the scenery - mountains, valleys, cedar forest - there came a Canaanite mother who sought His help for her demon-possessed daughter.

At another time Jesus came along to the north country when in the presence of three disciples He was transfigured - gloriously changed - on a mountaintop, perhaps Mount Hermon.  Ferom that height He could have seen the cedars of Lebanon.  Brought up in a carpenter's home and Himself a carpenter, Jesus would know good timber when He saw it.

Timber - the word is used also of people.  Individuals of quality and character are said to be person of good timber.  That is what our Lord wants everyone to be.  He went to the tree of the cross to redeem all people from sin,  and by His Spirit makes them the spiritual cedars of Lebanon from which to build His temple, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints.

Prayer Suggestion:  You want to be a growing Christian?  Ask the Holy Spirit to dwell in you and make you His temple.

Tuesday, August 5

The Fig Tree: Foliage and Fruit

[The godly man] is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever be does prospers. - Psalm 1:3

The fig tree is mentioned early in the Bible.  After Adam and Eve had sinned, they became aware of their nudity and tried to cover themselves with fig leaves.

Jesus, the second Adam, came into the world to undo the power and guilt of sin.  at the beginning of His ministry, He was introduced to one Nathanael, whom Philip was recruiting as a disciple.  But the Lord already knew him.  He said, "I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you" (John 1:48).

Using fig trees as illustration, Jesus taught His disciples many things about the kingdom of God.  He said, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree:  As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near" (Matthew 24:32).  So, the Lord said, there are signs of the times by which we can tell that He "is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:33).

A fig tree, however, is not fulfilling its purpose when it bears leaves but no fruit.  Jesus stressed that fact in an object lesson when He cursed a wayside fig tree that had only leaves.  On a fig tree the fruit appears before the leaves.  Consequently, if a tree if full of foliage but has no figs, it is a pretty good sign that it will never have any figs.

This presents us with an important truth about salvation:  People can not cover their sinfulness - their lack of the fruitfulness God desires - by wearing a patched-together, makeshift, fig-leaf apron of their own making.  They can stand before a holy God only when by faith they are dressed in the robe of Christ's righteousness.

Having the saving faith, people will not be like fig trees with leaves only but will bring forth the fruits of faith in the proper season.

Prayer Suggestion:  Pray that God may make you be like a tree that brings forth its fruit in its season.

Wednesday, August 6

The Olive Tree:  A Source of Goodness

Some of the branches have been broken off, and you, through a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root. - Romans 11:17

Olive trees are the source of many good products.  For example, olive oil was used medicinally by the Good Samaritan, who poured oil and win on the wounds of the injured man.  Olive oil was a lamp fuel, as used by the wise virgins in Jesus' parable.  In ceremonial rites, kings were anointed with it.  In general, fruitful olive groves were the picture of prosperity.  Such plenty was to be shared with the poor, as Moses said, "When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time.  Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow" (Deut. 24:20).

God's people are like olives trees - alive, fruitful, productive.  Far from being dead timber, they are, in the psalmist's words, "like an olive tree flourishing n the house of God" (Psalm 52:8).  They are that also in the home.  God promises them bliss and happiness in the family: "Your sons will be like olive shoots around your table" (Psalm 128:3).

In another word picture, St. Paul tells the Gentiles that they were once "separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenant of the promise" (Eph. 2:12).  They were like wild olive shoots, useless and unfruitful, which God grafted into His church and were made fruitful.  God blessed them and made them a blessing to others.

It wasn't easy.  To bring about this change, the Lord Jesus Christ has to suffer - had to go to Gethsemane to agonize.  (Significantly, "Gethsemane" means an olive press.)  There and on Calvary's cross, life was pressed out of Him so that we might have life and the energy we need to serve Him.

Prayer Suggestion:  Ask God, for Jesus' sake and by the power of His Spirit, to bless you and make you a blessing to many.

Thursday, August 7

The Palm Tree: An Emblem of Victory

Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. - 1 John 5:5

In Bible times, palm branches were symbol of joy and peace, of victory and triumph.  As such, they were used for festivals, for making booths during the week-long feast of tabernacles.

There was a special time when God's people used palm branches to express joy.  You know the story - how Jesus' friends welcomed Him to Jerusalem as the Messiah by singing and spreading palm branches along the road.  The occasion was Palm Sunday, a day still observed by Christians.

Palm branches symbolize the victory of Christians through their faith in Jesus Christ, the risen one. St. John write, "Everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).  The same apostle describes this triumph of Christians in a heavenly tableau scene in which he shows us "a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands" (Rev 7:9).

Palm trees, with their fruit (dates) and foliage, typify what Christians can do to give honor to Christ and to serve Him - serve Him by serving His brothers and siters with the fruits of their faith.  They can rejoice and sing.  they can hold up palm branches as tokens of their victory in Jesus Christ, who by His self-sacrifice on a cross and His rising from the tomb fulfilled all things necessary for their salvation.

Every time we see a palm, we remember the victory that Christ has won for us.

Prayer Suggestion:  Thank God for all the help He has given you in Christ to win life's battles, especially the battle over sin.

Friday, August 8

From Under the Juniper Tree

[Elijah] replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.  The Israelites have rejected Your covenant, broken down Your altars, and put Your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." - 1 Kings 19:10

The juniper tree, also know as a broom tree, has berrylike cones that yield an oil for medicinal use.  The ancients burned its wood to protect against plagues.

The prophet Elijah, sitting under a juniper tree, had need for a healing that no tree could impart.  He had completed a day's journey into the wilderness as he fled from King Ahab and Queen Jezebel because he had opposed Baal worship.  Fatigued and deeply depressed, he said, "I have had enough, Lord.  Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors" (1 Kings 19:4).

Undoubtedly we all know such feelings - the blues, the blahs.  Instead of verbalizing them while lying on a psychiatrist's couch, we may experience them while sitting under the proverbial juniper tree.  Life seems so out of focus.  We are on the run, trying to get away from our problems. We try the green spots, the oases of rest and recreation.  Finding no peace there, we try the desert, the isolated life of meditation and self-denial.  But perhaps even there we can't shake the feeling of uselessness, of failure, of frustration.  So we exclaim, "Enough of that, Lord! Let us die!"

What about this juniper tree experience?  We need to face our feelings and address ourselves to them, and we need to remember that depression is not unique; many others experience it.  And as many others before us, we can get out from under the juniper tree.  In Elijah's case, an angel provided food and drink, so that in the strength of this nourishment he could continue his 40-day and 40-night journey to Horeb, the mount of God.

God likewise strengthens us with His Word, the bread of life.  That Word leads us to another tree, the tree of the cross on which Jesus Christ gave His life so that God might enfold us in His fellowship.  Under the shelter of that tree we can rest.

Prayer Suggestion:  Ask God to give you a faith-life, working in you the Holy Spirit's fruit of love, joy, and peace.

Saturday, November 30

The Unchanging Christ: The Same Yesterday

The Unchanging Christ: The Same Yesterday

All of my life I have heard the plea for a relevant “new Christ for a new age.”

The truth is Jesus Christ is God’s final word to men in all ages. He is relevant for every age. He is “the same yesterday, today and forever” (Heb. 13:8).

The same Jesus sits today “on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3). He is the same person as He was when here on the earth.

When we read the words, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday” we are carried back to the long ages before He became flesh. I can point to a date, time, and place when I was born. However, Jesus did not begin to live when He was born in the flesh of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem. He simply changed His robes.

The apostle Paul tells us Jesus was in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God, divested Himself of His garments of glory that had been His from all eternity and clothed Himself in the garments of a common household slave in the flesh and was obedient unto death. He was God-man. He was fully God and fully human (Phil. 2:5-8).

The absolutely essential fact is He was the same in past eternity; He changes not.

I search for an absolute in an age of change; He changes not, and I therefore have security.

He came from the Father and He returned to the Father. He dwelt in the ageless past in the bosom of His eternal Father. The apostle John tells us, “in the beginning was the Word.” When everything else had a beginning He already existed and He had no beginning. His beginning had no beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men” (John 1:1-4).

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday . . .” His eternal existence is declared in these words, “in the beginning was the Word.” He is no vacillating whim of the age. “The Word was with God,” a distinct personality of the true and perfect deity because “the Word was God.” His personal relationship with the Father is unchangeable. He “was in the beginning with God,” and because of His resurrection and ascension, He still is in the presence of the Father in a perfect relationship.

Moreover, His understanding of man never needs to change. No one knows me like the one who made me. “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.” “In Him is life.”

Where would you turn for a relevant Christ that is not found in the historic Christ? Would you, like the modern self-made cults, turn to your own making, or to some new age “enlightenment”?

God in Christ has already become one of us in order to demonstrate His love for us, and to show us what God is really like. God came and revealed Himself to sinful and disobedient rebellious men.

I don’t need a greater “light.” I only need to respond to the One true and all supreme Lord of all creation. Why should I turn to some lesser “light”? All other spiritual lights are only creepy shadows of the one who masquerades as “the angel of light,” Satan himself.

We don’t have to look afar to discover what evil lurks within the heart of man. God has fully revealed Himself (Heb. 1:1-3), and man in his stubborn rebellion cries for something greater and better like selfish, pampered, narcissistic children whining for something new.

God has spoken. He has not changed and He will not. He is the same as He was yesterday, and I find stability for my soul and eternal peace with God. Because He is the same I have eternal security of a right relationship with Him, not of my self-making, or choosing, but in His all-sufficient wisdom and grace.

Because He is the same yesterday, I know that what He has said will still remain true for you and me today. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

That great truth will not change, because our Savior changes not. His word and eternal promises remain the same throughout all eternity. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Thank God.