The Lamp & The Light

The Lamp and The Light

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“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,

and light unto my path.”

Psalm 119:105, KJV

The Lord spoke the word, “Get out of here.” Albeit my paraphrase*, similar words became the lamp to direct Abram’s feet. They lit one step at a time to create a path to a greater light, “a land I will show you, and blessings greater than you can imagine.”*

One day, the Lord spoke his word to a scrawny ten-year-old little girl with blonde hair and freckles. “Get out of the darkness and see the light. I’ll show you the way.” Those weren’t the exact words. The little girl wouldn’t have understood them if that’s what was said. The preacher the Lord used to deliver God’s exact words to my heart was the Gospel. That day a lamp, a flickering light, pierced the sin and death residing in my heart when the evangelist spoke God’s word—

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God …

For the wages of sin is death …

behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Romans 3:23; 6:23a; 2 Corinthians 6:2c, KJV

The evangelist proceeded to say we are not promised another day, but we are promised,

“the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord …

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 6:23b;10:13, KJV

The Lord’s word lit the lamp of truth that moved my feet into the light’s path. That day, the Lord God began his work of salvation in me. From then until now, step by step the daily light he gives through the lamp of his word guides me to the greater light of his living Word.

Like Abraham, I don’t always know what lies in the path. When the darkness,

• the sin of my flesh,
• hard circumstances of life,
• when time brings no change to my circumstances,
• I go to the lamp that leads me to the Light.

The more I allow the lamp of God’s written word to guide my choices and speak the promises of the Lord to my heart, the brighter the Light grows.

As each step took Abram to the land of promise and abundance of blessings, each step we take, guided by God’s lamp, moves us to our goal that’s lighted by the glory of the living Word—Jesus Christ.

 “I press on toward the goal for the prize

of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus …

For our citizenship is in heaven,

from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior,

the Lord Jesus Christ;

who will transform the body of our humble state

into conformity with the body of His glory,

by the exertion of the power that He has

even to subject all things to Himself.”

Philippians 3:14, 20-21, NASB

The more we fuel the lamp in our hearts, the brighter the light of Christ shines forth from us—and the brighter his glorious light shines on our path.

If your steps are uncertain, you don’t know what the next step will reveal, don’t veer to the right or left. It’s even darker there. Instead, add some light to your step through the lamp of God’s word and keep your eyes on the light of the living Word at the end of the path. As the Apostle Paul states it—

“Be anxious for nothing,

but in everything

by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension,

shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7, NASB

As the Lord says to take that step, step. His peace will give you more light for the next step and each step takes you closer to the Light at the end of the path.

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*From Genesis 12:1-3

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The Woven Word

The Woven Word

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“O how love I thy law!

It is my meditation all the day.”

Psalm 119:97, KJV

The writer who penned these words did not have the whole word of God as we have today. He is referring to the first five books of our Bible. In the world of grace only, the idea of loving God’s law appears inconceivable. But this writer understood the value of the law as found in Moses’s books of the law. He knew that—

“Blessed is the man

• that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
• nor standeth in the way of sinners,
• nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
• But his delight is in the law of the LORD;
• and in his law doth he meditate day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2, KJV

The law of the Lord weaves his blessing into the lives of those who love his law and meditate on it day and night. The word becomes more than a passage to read but a life to live filled with  strong threads of truth, promise, and hope. The law points us to—

• the holy character of our Lord,
• our unholy character apart from the Lord,
• and the hope of Jesus Christ to renew our character in the holy image of God.

This writer possessed a love—a strong, unwavering inclination of the mind, a passionate attachment*—for the law. He wanted to know intimately the Lord God. God revealed himself to this one through the law. The man’s strong desire to know the Lord caused him to meditate on his word all the day. He determined to—

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”

Colossians 3:2, NASB

His meditation amounted to more than a moment’s thought. His thought weaved its way through his mind, his reasoning. From there the threads of reasoning became a pattern of passion in his heart. The thread of passionate love wove its way into his soul to tie into the will. There the Lord, through his word, would complete the pattern of a transformed life filled with truth, love, and blessing.

Jesus Christ fulfilled all the law of God. He is the law incarnate. Salvation never came by the law. Salvation has always been—

“For by grace are ye saved through faith;

and that not of yourselves:

it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV

The law points people to Christ.

“O how love I thy law! It is my meditation all the day.”

“Is the law then against the promises of God?

God forbid:

for if there had been a law given which could have given life,

verily righteousness should have been by the law.

But the scripture hath concluded all under sin,

that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ

might be given to them that believe …

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,

that we might be justified by faith.”

Galatians 4:21,23, KJV

The writer looked forward to see the promised One to come by meditating on the law. He believed the promises and the pictures given in the law. As he grew to know and understand the law, he grew in the knowledge of the one to come. As Abraham believed God and the Lord accounted him righteous, all who believe in the One who was to come, has come, and is to come, are counted as righteous.

“For he [God] hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us,

who [Jesus] knew no sin;

that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21, KJV

Today we have the living law fulfilled in us through Christ in us. We have more reason to be passionate about the law than the psalmist; more reason to weave the word into our minds as a ceaseless prayer of devotion that shapes the pattern of our life by the Spirit of Christ in us. For we are—

“they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit …

the fruit of the Spirit is

love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,

goodness, faith,

Meekness, temperance:

against such there is no law.”

Galatians 5:24-25, 22, KJV

How does loving the law or word of God shape your life? Has it been woven into your soul?

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*I used Vine’s Expository Dictionary for definitions.

According To His Word

According to Thy Word

“Let thy mercies come also unto me, O LORD, even thy salvation,

according to thy word.”

Psalm 119:41, KJV

The son of man stood bound before his judge—one unable to discern the living Word standing before him, the Son of God, the King of kings. Pilate asked Jesus if he was a king. Jesus answered with—

“Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world,

that I should bear witness unto the truth.

Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” John 18:36, KJV

Pilate replied, “What is truth?”

People continue to ask that question today. Like Pilate, the world searches for truth, but they are blind to the truth standing before them.

• Multitudes don’t believe it,
• twist it,
• fear to proclaim it,
• and walk away from it.

John, the apostle, wrote Jesus’s words stating, “Thy word is truth.”

Jesus, the living Word of God, said, “I am … the truth.” Not only did he make these statements, he lived the truth. He is truth.

When the psalmist asked the Lord to send his mercies and his salvation, according to his word, those same mercies he asked for, gave birth to hope. In his loving kindness, the Lord’s salvation has come to us. The truth has found it’s way into our hearts.

God’s grace lavishes us with his mercies—

payment for our sin debt,

cleansing from the sins of the past,

strength to live in victory over sin,

and eternal life.

• According to his word, and his word is truth,

“It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning:

great is thy faithfulness.

The LORD is my portion, saith my soul:

therefore will I hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:22-24, KJV

• According to his word and his word is truth,

“FOR WHOSOEVER SHALL CALL UPON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.” Romans 10:13, KJV

• According to his word, and his word is truth,

“Beloved, now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,we shall be like him;

for we shall see him as he is.

And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.” 1 John 3:2-3, KJV

• According to his word, and his word is truth,

“Being confident of this very thing,

that he which hath began a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Philippians 1:6, KJV

• According to his word, and his word is truth,

“In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself,

that where I am, there ye may be also …

I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” John 14:2-3, Matthew 28:20b, KJV

Truth does not have to be believed—it remains the truth. Truth can’t be twisted—for then it is no longer the truth. Fearing to speak the truth—will not prevent it from be revealed. Walking away from the truth—will not bring freedom but captivity.

• According to his word, and his word is truth,

“If ye continue in my word then are ye my disciples indeed;

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31b-32, KJV

If you, like Pilate, have asked, “What is truth?”,  according to his word, and his word is truth, Jesus is the truth. Know him and you will know truth. Truth never changes. Truth endures forever.

“The grass withereth,

the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever …

O give thanks unto the LORD;

for he is good:

for his mercy endureth for ever.”

Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 136:1, KJV

With his mercies come salvation.

Hope For the Hopeless

Hope for the Hopeless

Yesterday, my bible study revealed what I was sure would be my blog topic for today. A couple of phone calls lead my mind to the following verse and changed my topic.

“For what is the hope of the godless when he is cut off,

When God requires his life?”

Job 27:8, NASB

The rest of the chapter paints a bleak picture for the godless. In essence the answer is simple. The only hope for the godless lies solely in this life. If one dies godless, eternity will be godless, without hope. The state we die in is the state we live in for all eternity. For—

“For the wages of sin is death,

“but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23, NASB

“The hope of the righteous is gladness,

but the expectation of the wicked perishes.” Proverbs 10:28, NASB

“The desire of the righteous is only good,

But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.” Proverbs 11:23, NASB

• Eternal death,
• hopelessness,
• and wrath of God,

these are the reality of the one dying in a godless state. And not just any god has the authority, ability, or the desire to give hope to the godless. Hope, a sure hope, a positive end comes by one alone.

“”And there is salvation in no one else;

for there is no other name under heaven

that has been given among men, by which we must be saved …

That whosoever believeth in him should not perish,

but have eternal life …

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life,

and this life is in his Son.

He that hath the Son hath life;

and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.”

Acts 4:12, NASB; John 3:15, KJV;  1John 5:11,12, KJV

In a moment of decision the godless are turned to godliness, the hopeless to the full of hope. The decision comes by the grace of God through faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross, his death, burial, and resurrection.

“Repent therefore and return,

that your sins may be wiped away …”

“for He says,

“AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU,

AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU”;

behold, now is

“THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,”

behold, now is

“THE DAY OF SALVATION”

Acts 3:19a; 2Corinthians 6:2, NASB

The godless have a hope in this lifetime.

The hope is found in repenting—complete turning from being without God to being reconciled to God.

But when God requires the godless’ life, when it is cut off from this world, that is not the end but the open door to eternity.

When that door opens and life on this earth is no more—there is no more opportunity

• to be helped,
• no more acceptable time,
• no more day of salvation.

We are told in the last book of the Bible, the last chapter—

“Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong;

and let the one who is filthy, still be filthy;

and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness;

and let the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.”

“Behold, I am coming quickly,

and My reward is with Me,

to render to every man according to what he has done.”

Revelation 22:11,12, NASB

When the Lord comes for us, who we are will be who we are for all eternity—the godless will remain godless and the godly will remain godly. Receive the hope while hope is alive.

What is your hope?

His Ways, Our Praise

His Ways, Our Praise

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“Behold these are the fringes of His ways;

And how faint a word we hear of Him!

But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”

Job 26:14, NASB

The stars sprinkle their light throughout the night’s dark blanket. Thin silvery clouds swim past them and over the brighter light of the moon. The ocean tides come and go knowing how far they can travel. Our planet spins in its place day in and day out, held in place by nothing we can see. Job, in his anguish, worships his Creator, his God and concludes these things are only—

the fringes of His ways.

“For since the creation of the world,

His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature,

have been clearly seen,

being understood through what has been made,

so that they are without excuse …

To whom then will you liken Me

That I should be his equal?” says the Holy One.

Lift up your eyes on high

And see who has created these stars,

The One who leads forth their host by number,

He calls them all by name;

Because of the greatness of His might

and the strength of His power

Not one of them is missing.”

Romans 1:20, Isaiah 40:26,NASB

All of creation declares the power, wisdom, and presence of our God. Creation, also expresses the love of God for the ones created in his image. Greater than the witness of creation is his plan of salvation.

“For God has shut up all in disobedience

that He might show mercy to all.

Oh, the depth of the riches both

of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! …

In Him we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of our trespasses

according to the riches of his grace which He lavished upon us ..

Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness,

And for His wonders to the sons of men!”

Romans 11:32-33, Ephesians 1:7,8a, Psalm 107:8, NASB

Like Job we see only the fringes of His ways, but one day the mortal will put on immortality and though—

“For now we see in a mirror dimly,

but then face to face;

now I know in part,

but then I shall know fully

just as I also have been fully known. “

1Corinthians 13:12, NASB

When the darkness of night covers the earth with its blanket and the stars begin to sing praises to their creator, may we join their praise for—

“Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised;

And His greatness is unsearchable.

One generation shall praise thy works to another,

And shall declare thy mighty acts.”

Psalm 145:3,4, NASB

If the Lord calls the stars by name, and he does, then how much more can we believe he knows and calls us by name. He is ever with us, even as he was with Job. May we follow Job’s example and praise the Lord in good times and bad.

What moves your spirit to praise the Lord?

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The conclusion of today’s opening verse is planned for my next post.

The Pressing Question

The Most Pressing Question

“With friends like that, who needs enemies?” No, that isn’t the pressing question, but it is one we all have experienced or seen someone experience. Job had suffered more in his life than anyone of his day. Not only did he suffer loss of possessions, he walked through the death of his children, and because of his loss, he knew the sting of being accused of sinful behavior by his well-meaning but tactless, uncompassionate friends. Job’s suffering encompassed the physical, mental, and spiritual realms to the extent he asked,

“But how can a man be in the right before God?”

We have been there or know someone who has.

The pillows propped behind Mabel’s head helped her sit up so she could see out her bedroom window. “I enjoy watching the birds, especially the humming birds. They fight worse than my kids ever did.” She smiled.

Cancer had not diminished the beauty my mother-in-law knew as a young woman, or the loving spirit I had always known her to have.

Then, as Mabel picked up a letter from a friend like Job’s friends, laying in her lap, her expression grew solemn. “Do you believe it’s because of my sin, I’m dying? Do you see unforgiveness in me? This person says, if I’d confess my sin, and if I had faith I would be healed.”

Others I’ve known persecute themselves when trials come their way, wondering what they have done and even doubting their salvation. They were much like Job when he stated he could not answer for himself before God. Job had lived right before God—he knew it but didn’t know if it was enough. His dilemma wasn’t unlike the rich young ruler, who lived keeping the commandments but needed to ask Jesus,

“what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?”

Or the Philippian jailer who asked Paul and Silas,

Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Job believed he had no mediator to stand in for him. The rich young ruler didn’t receive the mediator’s answer, and the jailer—he heard of the mediator—

“And they said,

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,

and thou shalt be saved, and thy house …

For there is one God,

and one mediator between God and men,

the man Christ Jesus:

Who gave himself a ransom for all,

to be testified in due time …

Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost

that come unto God by him,

seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Acts 16:31; 1 Timothy 2:5-6,Hebrews7: 25, KJV

Job didn’t have the full revelation of our mediator. The rich young ruler refused the mediator standing before him. The jailer believed Jesus to be his mediator and was saved.

My mother-in-law had believed and received Jesus as her mediator many years before she lay in her bed facing death. Not many days later, her mediator received her. She was healed inside and out.

To answer Job’s question, “But how can a man be in the right before God?”—

“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved,”

When Jesus is the mediator between you and God, you can stand before the Father in Christ’s righteousness and know all is well. He is your best friend and the only one who makes you acceptable to God. Choose your friends carefully. And answer the most pressing question of your life. How can you be righteous before a holy, just, all-powerful, all-knowing God? It’s best to know the true answer before the testing comes.

Helmet of Salvation

Helmet of Salvation

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“Stand therefore … with truth … righteousness … the gospel of peace … the shield of faith …

And take the helmet of salvation …”

Ephesians 6:14-17a, KJV

Many today identify with the lamenting found in Psalm 42, where the psalmist’s tears  of despair flowed freely day and night, where the world mocked the existence of his God, and his enemies oppressed him. In the psalmist’s time of discouragement, he chided himself, and renewed his hope in the help/or salvation of the Lord. He set his mind straight and covered his soul with the helmet of salvation.

• “Why art thou cast down, O my soul?
• And why art thou disquieted in me?

hope thou in God:

for I shall yet praise him

for the help of his countenance.”

Psalm 42:5, KJV

The Lord God gives us protection against the discouragement and despair filling the world. If we listen to the news there is plenty to bring us down— if we don’t have on the helmet of salvation—the hope found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

“But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love;

and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

For God hath not appointed us to wrath,

but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us,

that, whether we wake or sleep,

we should live together with him.

Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11, KJV

The helmet of salvation is our assurance of an everlasting future with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, a present salvation we take comfort in, no matter what we face here—world events, personal tragedy and loss, sickness—we are anchored in hope.

A sure hope—

“Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul,

both sure and stedfast,

and which entereth into that within the veil:”

(Jesus’s death opened the holy place of God to all who will enter in.) Hebrews 6:19

A living hope—

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy

hath begotten us again unto a lively hope

by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled,

and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,”

I Peter 1:3,4

Doctors, counselors, pastors, and others can help us on the road to a life of hope through their medication, words, and prayers. But only One can bring full recovery from discouragement, depression, or despair by covering our soul with the helmet of salvation.

As the doctors, counselors, and pastors can’t help unless we go to them, neither does the heavenly Father’s help come without the asking. When Jesus delivers us from the power and penalty of sin by grace through faith in his death, He becomes our helmet of salvation—our soul’s covering against the downward spiral of discouragement.

The process of recovery begins with looking up, setting our mind—

“on things above, not on things on the earth.”

And asking ourselves the same questions and affirmations the psalmist wrote about—

• Why am I down or discouraged?
• Why should I worry about things I have no control over?
• Then remember—God is my God.
• Jesus Christ is my helmet of salvation.
• I have reason to hope.

Then we can say—

I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.

Finally, Stand in the truth … Walk in righteousness … Rest in the gospel of peace … Trust in your shield of faith … Wear hope as your helmet of salvation.

His Presence in us is our help, our helmet of salvation.

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How do you handle discouragement?

Completing Plans

“Finally brethren, rejoice,

be made complete, be comforted,

be like-minded, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11, NASB

Are your plans for Christmas completed? Shopping all done? Meals, family time, and worship all coordinated? Most importantly, have you received God’s completed plan for your salvation? Jesus’ birth promised to bring your completion.

Be made complete—The Savior has come.

“for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord …

He came to His own,

and those who were His own

did not receive Him.

But as many as received Him,

to them He gave the right to become children of God,

even to those who believe in His name

who were born not of blood,

nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man,

but of God …

For in Him all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form,

and in Him you have been made complete,

and He is the head over all rule and authority;”

Luke 2:11; John 1:11-13; Colossians 2:9,10; NASB

Be comforted—Jesus, God the Son, was—

The God who comforted the psalmist David. Sin twisted his heart, haunted his mind, and separated him from the fellowship of the God he sought, until David received the comfort that comes from forgiveness.

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven,

whose sin is covered!

How blessed is the man

to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit …

Be glad in the LORD and rejoice you righteous ones,

And shout for joy all you who are upright in heart.”

Psalm 32:1,2,11; NASB

He is our comfort now as we live in a world opposed to him, a world filled with trouble, and sin.

“For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance,

so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.”

2Corinthians 1:5; NASB

His comfort is to come, and it will be forever.

“And He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes;

and there shall no longer be any death;

there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;

the first things have passed away.

And He who sits on the throne said,

‘Behold, I am making all things new.’

And He said,

‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.’”

Revelation 21: 4,5, NASB

Christmas is He who was, stepping into the world that is—to bring us comfort from sin and complete the work of salvation in us.

Christmas is He who is to come and take us to our forever home with him.

For Thought: Have the troubles of life overshadowed the joy and comfort of your salvation? Keep your eyes on Jesus, who was, is, and is to come. Maybe you’ve never received salvation’s comfort through faith in Jesus. Today is the day of salvation. It is available for the receiving. Just ask and know the comfort and joy of Christmas—of being complete in Christ.

Our Prayer: Heavenly Father, keep our hearts and minds wrapped in the complete story of Christmas—the story of Jesus who is our salvation, our joy, and comfort. And may we all rejoice and bring you praise now and forever.

Salvation’s Midnight Story

“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many;

and unto them that look for him

shall he appear the second time

without sin unto salvation.”

Hebrews 9:28

As with any good story, Salvation has a beginning, a middle, and an ending, which we looked at in our previous post. But today we want to look at the end of the story of which we are told Jesus is the–

“author and finisher of our faith…”

A faith which looks for the coming of the Lord for his church. I believe that event is the beginning of the ending, and finds its climax when He brings his saints with him to set up his kingdom.

A Story:

“Everybody ready?”

The dozen teens nodded, but they darted their eyes from one to the other then back to me before scrambling into the van. We drove about 5 miles into the darkening hues of the sky. The nervous chatter hushed as the teens exited the van to discover a graveyard would be our meeting place – in the dark.

“Grab the blankets to sit on and the flashlights,” I called. With blankets, flashlights, and bibles in hand we trekked to the back side of the cemetery, away from the road and encircled by woods.

“Why here?” asked one teen.

”There is no better place to learn about what we call the rapture of the church than a graveyard,” I answered as I opened my bible to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. I began dramatically reading the events. I began in a hushed voice growing in volume–When I got to the middle of verse 17 it happened.

“For the Lord himself shall descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God…” Suddenly, bodies jerked in unison as a siren blared its warning filling the night with its eerie sound. Our eyes grew as round as the shadowed moon. The teens glanced at me and I read –

“and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

That was one lesson I don’t believe I or the teens will ever forget. And no, I didn’t plan the siren. But such will be the coming of the Lord for the salvation of his church.

Jesus’ first advent brought him to suffer –

“for sins, the just for the unjust,

that he might bring us to God,

being put to death in the flesh,

but quickened by the Spirit:”

1 Peter 3:18

When Christ comes for his church, he will come not to suffer sin but to consummate our salvation, for which we have waited –

“we ourselves groan within ourselves,

waiting for the adoption, to wit,

the redemption of our body.”

Romans 8:23.

We don’t know when this event will happen, but we know it will. And it will be sudden. The disciples expected Jesus’ return at any moment. I believe we should live in that expectancy, in a state of readiness.

“Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith…”

Hebrews 12:2

Jesus told his own story concerning 10 virgins who went to meet the bridegroom. Five foolish ones didn’t have oil in their lamps, the wise did. When the bridegroom came at the midnight hour, the foolish weren’t ready. But the wise –

“went in with him to the marriage:

and the door was shut.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying,

Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said,

Verily I say unto you, I know you not.”

Matthew 25:10-12

The moral of the story –

“Watch therefore,

for ye know neither the day nor the hour

wherein the Son of man cometh.”

(Matthew25:13)

The Promise:

“In my Father’s house are many mansions:

if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you.

And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again, and receive you unto myself;

that where I am, there ye may be also.”

John 14:2,3

Are you ready should Jesus come for his church at the midnight hour? Don’t go to sleep without being ready.

Christ’s First Word of the Gospel

“For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription,

TO THE UNKNOWN GOD,

whom therefore ye ignorantly worship

him declare I unto you …

And the times of this ignorance

God winked at;

but now commandeth all men every where to repent;”

Acts 17:23,20

If I asked my family to repeat a saying their dad uses often, I would be surprised if no one answered, “I am not stubborn. I am steadfast.” In many respects being steadfast can be good – steadfast in the truth; steadfast in walking with God; steadfast in loving others. These are good things, which do belong to my husband. But other things i.e. refusing to ask for help, refusing to read directions when the project before you lies in a shambles, or refusing to turn around when you’ve traveled miles in the wrong direction. Many of us identify with these things and the frustration accompanying them. Until, as a last resort, we turn from our own thinking and seek the help we need.

Many people hang on to a belief system they steadfastly refuse to turn from even when a mountain of proof shows they are going the wrong way, and they need to seek a different way. I read once, and I believe it was in David Guzik’s comments found on the Blue Letter Bible website, that the first word of the Gospel Jesus came preaching was, “repent.”

We don’t hear that word preached much anymore. It is one of those old time words, but it is where the Gospel begins.

“Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand …

Now after that John was put in prison,

Jesus came into Galilee,

preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

and saying,

The time is fulfilled,

and the kingdom of God is at hand:

repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:14,15

When the Lord God spoke to the prophet Ezekiel, He left us a good definition for repentance.

“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God.

• Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions;
• so iniquity shall not be your ruin.
• Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed:
• and make you a new heart and a new spirit:
• for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
• For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God:wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye.”(18:30-32)

Repentance turns from an old way of life –  to a new life due to a change in of the mind and heart. It is a turning away from a life filled with self to a life filled with Christ. Godly repentance is demonstrated in a new life found in turning away from the ways of the world, the lies of the world, and the ultimate death of the world and turning to –

Jesus Christ who says:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life:

no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:6

 Jesus began his earthly ministry preaching repentance. He gave instructions to his followers to continue preaching it.

“Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures. And said unto them,

Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer,

and to rise from the dead the third day:

And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached

in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”

Luke 24:45-47

After Christ’s ascension he appeared to John and preached repentance to five of the seven churches in Revelation. Also, in the last chapter of Revelation an angel says the call to repent stops when Christ returns. He tells the apostle John.

“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still;

and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still:

and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still:

and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”

Jesus then interjects the reason why:

“And, behold, I come quickly;

and my reward is with me,

to give every man according as his work shall be.”

There will not be time to repent when Jesus returns. Our eternity is sealed.

How do you define repentance?