The Word

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“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14).

“I give you my word,” we sometimes say when making a promise. We say it because we want to be trusted, to have others take what we say as true. “I give you my word; I’ll do more of the housework,” says a concerned husband to his exhausted wife. “I give you my word; I’ll be there for you whenever you need help,” says one friend to another. “I give you my word; I’ll be at your soccer game,” says the young businessman to his daughter, who only wants her dad to be proud of her.

But what happens when we hear that phrase without seeing results? It’s emptied of meaning. Ultimately, we need to see someone keep their word before we’ll believe them when they say, “I give you my word.” It’s frustrating when people make promises and fail to keep them. Just ask that daughter of the young businessman who got called in to work and missed her soccer game. Broken promises hurt.

But when God makes a promise, he keeps it. He made a promise to right what we have done wrong. He promised forgiveness for our sins. He promised life rather than death. Then he kept his word by sending his only Son, Jesus Christ. To keep the promise of righting our wrongs, Jesus lived the holy life which we could not. To keep the promise of forgiving our sins, Jesus died the death we deserved. To keep the promise of giving us eternal life, Jesus rose from the dead. It is very fitting, then, that in John 1, Jesus is called the Word. He is God’s promises in action. He is the proof that God keeps his word. God said, “I give you my word,” when he made those promises. Then when he sent Jesus, he said, “I give you my Word.” Jesus made those promises reality.

God has made even more promises. He promises to help us when we are helpless, to strengthen us when we are weak, and to guide us when we are lost. Such promises are more than just nice thoughts or good intentions. God will keep them. They’re promises from the God who gave his Word, Jesus, and kept his word to save us.

Alpha & Omega

Alpha and Omega

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“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God,”who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).

It’s a growing trend for business to incorporate subliminal messages in their logos. A close look at the FedEx logo reveals an arrow signifying that FedEx is going somewhere. The Tostitos logo has the figures of two people dipping a chip in salsa. The Amazon logo has a smile connecting the letters A and Z in its name to indicate that you can find anything on their site from soup to nuts or should we say from A to Z. And when you look at their website, you can find just about anything you could ever imagine.

It’s interesting then that no less than three times in the book of Revelation, Jesus reveals himself as the Alpha and the Omega. One such time is in chapter 1 verse 8 where we read, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Alpha is the first letter in the Greek alphabet and Omega is the last letter. In other words, he is our A to Z. He is everything we need.

He meets our greatest need for forgiveness of sins with his own perfect life and subsequent suffering and death. He gives us faith to receive that forgiveness and all of the other blessings he connects to it, including salvation and eternal life. We can’t earn his forgiveness. We can’t go online to Amazon and buy it. Jesus simply gives it to us as a gift of his love.

From the beginning of our life to the end, he promises to be with us always. In times of trial and frustration, he supports and strengthens us. In grief and pain, he comforts us.  With times of joy, he blesses us. And he promises to meet all our needs for food, clothes, shelter, and companionship. We don’t have to wonder if he can or will. There’s no search bar where we have to type in the keywords of a product we’re looking for. Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega, promises in his Word to supply all that we could possibly need, in this life and in the next in heaven.

Son of God and Son of Man

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“The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35

“The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

People spend a lot of time, money and effort to get a title after their name. Masters, doctorates and other post-graduate programs are in high demand. The appeal is understandable. Titles such as Doctor, Professor and a host of others provide opportunities to better ourselves and our circumstances.

There was one who had the highest of all titles already at his birth. The Bible describes it this way: “The holy one to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). Jesus is holy. He is the true Son of God. The titles “Holy One” and “Son of God” indicate that all power, wisdom and authority belonged to Jesus at birth because as true God he possessed them from eternity. His name is above every name and over every title and authority that can be given.

But that did not stop Jesus from seeking another title. This one was decidedly a step down. It did not require a four-year graduate program or many evening classes. Rather, it required humble service. The Bible teaches, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus, who took the title Son of Man, did not come from heaven to earth to be waited on hand and foot. Rather, he came to take up our cause and to die a humble death on the cross—a death that should have been ours.

Give thanks that out of love for us, the one with the title Son of God was also willing to take the title Son of Man, in order to die for us on the cross. Our Savior Jesus is both true God and true Man. He is the perfect Savior we desperately needed—one who is holy and lived in our place and one whose innocent death counted for the whole world. Because Jesus loved us enough to do that for us, now through faith in him we have been given a new title as well: Child of God! Bear that title proudly and live your life for the One who gave it to you.

Oh God, Our Savior

Savior

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“Help us, O God our Savior, for the glory of your name; deliver us and forgive our sins for your name’s sake” (Psalm 79:9).

Help! It’s a simple word, and yet very difficult to say. It’s an admission of vulnerability, isn’t it? And nobody wants to be considered vulnerable. Help! It’s admitting that you just can’t get yourself out of whatever predicament, trouble or situation you’re in. You need someone to come and save you. So you have to swallow your pride, display some humility and admit that you can’t do it. You need help.

The man who wrote Psalm 79 was named Asaph. He lived almost 3000 years ago. He needed help, and so did everyone around him. Foreign nations had invaded his homeland of Israel and were trashing God’s reputation. God’s believers in that country needed help. So they went to God.

They knew they had not done anything to earn God’s help. In fact, part of the reason they needed help was because of their disobedience against God and his will. But they still turned to God because of his reputation: he is the God of salvation. They knew that God is in the business of helping. In fact, not only does he give help freely but he specializes in it. Only God could help them out of their difficulties in life. Only God could save them from their greatest difficulty—their sin. And they weren’t disappointed. God did save them from their enemies, but more importantly, he forgave their sin. That’s his reputation. He is the Savior.

God has the same reputation today. He is our Savior. That’s why God sent his Son into our world, an event we celebrate every Christmas. We needed God’s help desperately. We were separated from God. We had sinned. And we couldn’t help ourselves to get rid of our guilt. But God sent us a Savior. He forgives all our sin. What an astounding gift our Savior Jesus Christ is! God is in the business of helping. That is his reputation.

God is your Savior. You can call on him for help and deliverance. He promises his forgiveness and love. He will help you out of trouble. Call on your Savior for strength to carry your burdens. Look to your Lord Jesus for help. He, and he alone, can save you and help you. He, and only he, is your Savior.

Take a Closer Look

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Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44).

One of North America’s biggest diamond mines was discovered in a very unlikely place—in the far north of Canada. Up until a few years ago you couldn’t even give the land away. Composed almost entirely of granite covered by a glacier, it has some of the world’s harshest weather and sparsely populated countryside. But at times some of the most worthwhile things come to those who look past the exterior and take a closer look. That’s wise advice.

Jesus had similar advice in a story he once told. It was about a man on a walk who found a valuable treasure hidden and buried in a dusty, dirty field. An ordinary field is definitely not the backdrop Hollywood would pick for a movie about a hunt for buried treasure. There is nothing glamorous about a dirt field, and that’s just the point. The man would never have found the treasure had he not taken a closer look beneath the plain surface.

It’s easy to miss things. Jesus didn’t have the most glamorous life. He was born in a barn beside a Bethlehem hotel with a no vacancy sign out front. He worked with his hands as a carpenter and spent most of his life around common people. Nothing special, you might say, just like that dirty, barren little field. But wait, take a closer look.

When you dig below the surface of Jesus’ simple lifestyle, there is a great wealth of treasure. At Jesus’ birth, angels sang him lullabies and kings brought him presents to mark the entrance of the Savior into the world. Some of those common fellows with whom he hung around became his disciples, bringing a message of renewal and joy to the world. By his death you are given forgiveness for every missed opportunity and failed attempt—and from the guilt that comes along with them. What is more, by Jesus’ rising from the grave you are given the treasure of life forevermore in the joy of heaven. And every day of your life you don’t need to worry or be afraid because Jesus promises to watch over you and provide for your needs. Now those are true treasures!

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Certain Hope

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“If I were to say to you—I am absolutely, positively, guaranteed sure, no doubt about it, that when this life is over I am going to be with God in heaven forever—what would you say to that?”

“How can you, how can anyone be so sure?”

“Tell me, what makes you say that?”

“What makes you sure there even is a heaven, or for that matter, a hell? And how can you or anyone be so sure of going to heaven?”

It’s all because of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He came into this world and lived a perfect life, something God expected of you, me, and everyone.

He says, “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Leviticus 19:2).

Not a one of us has measured up to God’s expectations. “There is no one righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

But, Jesus Christ did measure up and he did it for me, for you, for everyone, as our substitute. He did what we couldn’t do in trying to live a perfect life. And God accepts what Jesus did—for us.

The evidence of this is discovered in his sufferings, death, and resurrection. On the cross Jesus endured the punishment for the sins of the whole world, the innocent for the guilty—that means you and me. “Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). And God accepted the sufferings and death of Jesus as payment in full for all our sins and wrongdoings.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is God’s declaration that Jesus is the Son of God, our Savior, the way to eternal life. “Jesus Christ our Lord was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:5).

Though we all must die because we are sinners, trusting in Jesus as our Savior, we will live again in heaven and rise again to eternal life. Jesus said “I am the resurrection and the life, he who believes in me though he dies yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:25-26).

This is what I believe. This is my certain hope—all because of Jesus Christ.  And it can be yours too, through faith in Jesus.

The Perfect Pearl

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Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:45, 46).

When someone you love is celebrating a birthday or another special occasion, you try to give them the perfect gift. But what makes your gift perfect? Is it perfect because it’s unique? Is it perfect because it fits the personality of the individual for whom you bought it?

What if you find the perfect gift only to discover that it’s beyond your budget? Would you sell your car, your house, everything you own to obtain THE perfect gift?

Jesus once told a parable about a pearl-dealer whose goal was to find the perfect pearl. When he found it, he sold all that he owned so he could buy his treasured find.

The perfect pearl represents the message of salvation found in the Bible. This message is perfect because it tells us everything we need to know for this life and the next. The Bible tells us that all have sinned and deserve God’s eternal punishment in hell. But the Bible also says that Jesus came to take that punishment. Because of Jesus our sins are paid for and forgiven!

This message is not only perfect; it’s one of a kind. There are plenty of places you can look for the answers to life’s questions, but the only place you’ll find the perfect pearl is in the Bible. The Bible appears to be like any other book, but within there is a precious message that exceeds everything we’ve known. It’s like the person who pries open an ordinary oyster shell and finds a glowing pearl nestled within that’s worth more than any other.

A pearl in an oyster shell! That’s often how God works. He comes to us in unlikely places to give us his love—places like a barn where the Son of God was born to be the world’s Savior, and a cross where Jesus willingly gave up his life to pay for our sins and win us a place in heaven. This message is God’s priceless, perfect gift for us!

Real Wealth

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Jesus told this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop . . . he said, ‘ . . .  I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”  But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’  This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God”(Luke 12:16-21).

“I need money!”
“How much money do you need?”
“Lots! Start with one and keep adding zeros till I say, ‘Stop.’ ”

Did you ever have a conversation like this? At times we dream about being very wealthy. What would we do? Quit our jobs? Buy a new car? Travel?

While it is fun to dream, the reality is that we are richer than most people in the world. Yet we may not feel rich, even though we have almost everything for maintaining a fairly comfortable lifestyle.  So why don’t we feel rich?

The main reason is because there’s something wrong with all of us. We have a sinful nature. It likes to twist things around in our minds so we constantly want more. And when we get more, our sinful nature still isn’t satisfied.

Jesus illustrates this in a story about a farmer who had a bumper crop one year. Instead of giving away the surplus to feed the hungry or to proclaim how generous God had been with him, he thought only of himself. He planned to build bigger barns and take life easy. But soon he died. All his accumulated wealth went to someone else, and he had to face God.

Acquiring a lot of wealth in this world is finally worthless without Jesus. He is our real wealth. The Bible says, “Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Jesus, the eternal Son of God, left heaven and humbled himself to become a man. He bore the punishment of our sin, including the greed that lurks within our sinful nature. The result of his poverty is that we are freely given the riches of forgiveness and life with God.

When we think about our lives, we have so much for which to thank God. Though we may not have all the worldly riches of our dreams, we have real wealth in Jesus!

He Has the Power to Heal

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“Lord, don’t trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed” (Luke 7:6,7).

It was an unlikely scene. A man of rank, a Roman centurion—a captain of 100 soldiers—sends an urgent message for help to a lowly Jewish rabbi named Jesus. The captain’s valued servant was on his deathbed. The physicians had exhausted their remedies. Time was running out. Jesus was his only hope.

This wasn’t a last-ditch cry of desperation, though. It was a prayer of trust. The centurion had heard about—maybe even witnessed—some of Jesus’ miracles. He was convinced that Jesus had the power to do anything. The Lord only needed to say the word, and the centurion’s servant would be healed. And that’s just what Jesus did.

Jesus still has the power to do anything. He cares about what we’re going through. He’s the only one who can really help. But like the centurion, we must admit that we are not worthy of his attention. God is holy. We are not holy. We fail him. We fail others. Why should he bother?

Every miracle showed God’s good intentions toward the unworthy. Each one was saying, “God loves you!” By delivering people from impossible problems, Jesus proved his power over the far greater problems of death and hell. Jesus exchanged his life for ours and paid the horrific penalty for every sin when he died on the cross. “God made Jesus who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Through Jesus, God declares us “not guilty.”

What are you facing today? Whatever it is, you matter deeply to Jesus. He has both the power and the desire to help. He has the wisdom and love to give us exactly what we need. He needs only to say the word.

With his Word Jesus also works the greatest miracle of all. He gives us the faith to trust in him. He makes us sure of his forgiveness. He gives us the confidence to trust him for everything.

Sharing Good News

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His life, torture. His neighbors, tormented. A man possessed.

Demons controlled his body. When strong men tried to subdue him, he fought and won. When officials tried to chain him, demonic power shattered iron. He screamed day and night and cut his flesh with rocks.

This man saw Jesus.

The demons saw Jesus.

The demons realized they were in trouble. Jesus drove the demons out of that tortured man.

This man was overwhelmed joy! He loved his Savior. He wanted to be with Jesus twenty-four hours a day. Jesus was about to leave. The man asked if he could come along.

Jesus says, “No.”

Cruel? Uncaring? Not at all. This man was specially qualified for a special job. Jesus said, “Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”

So many knew what that man had been like. What a unique opportunity for this new follower of Jesus to talk to the people who knew him best. His changed life was a living witness to the power of his Savior and the love of his Lord.

Your Lord has done amazing things for you. As the Holy Spirit leads you to be confident that in Jesus your sins are forgiven and eternal life is yours, you too want to follow Jesus.

“Can I come along?” you may ask. Jesus says to you, “You are specially qualified for a special job. Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you.”

Has the Lord placed very close to you opportunities to share the sobering news of sin and the calming reality of forgiveness? Do you have family members or coworkers, neighbors or friends who think that heaven can be theirs because of their good actions? Do you know people who are burdened by guilt and whose lives are a never-ending attempt to escape an accusing conscience?

You have words of divine warning. You have words of eternal comfort.

You know of ears which need to hear.

May the Lord give you patience, wisdom, confidence, and joy as you share the mercy God has shown to you.