April 5 – Only Way to the Only God

“ And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” – Mark 13:13 (ESV)

There are consequences to perpetuating the name of Jesus. We know the honor and respect God’s name deserves, the same for the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. The Father sent the Son, Jesus, to earth to live a human’s life as a human and experience the life of the people He created. He encountered temptations and all physical effects that we encounter. But Jesus did all this without sin. He followed His Father’s will in every action, every thought, and every word. When His time on earth was coming to an end Jesus spoke to His disciples. The hate of the enemies of Christ was building to a climax to kill Him. He said that they too would experience that hate. Why? Because when they proclaimed their faith in Him and the Gospel message, the world would turn on them.  They were to be His sent ones – Apostles, and in obedience to their call, the world would hate them because they proclaimed the name of Jesus.  Not only the Apostles but all of us who follow Jesus as the only Way to the only God will also be hated by some for the name of Jesus.  

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December 7 – Cure for Weariness

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:3 (NASB)

We hear many remarking how difficult this year has been and nearly everyone has been affected by the chaos in our world. They’re hoping next year will be better and are eager for this year to be over. How can we know if it will be any better? We can know that Jesus experienced much worse in His life for our sake. These words were written to encourage us when we are tempted to give up when the going gets really tough. The verse just before this one encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ our Savior which will help us to avoid giving up. Some may be tempted to think that it is not worth all the trouble involved in following close to the Lord. Then we should remember that Jesus came to earth to do his Father's will and He encountered a lot of suffering. The leaders of the people hated Him and were hostile to Jesus and eventually killed him. But He endured it all, shame and death on the cross, and now He is in heaven's glory and we'll be there someday too. Let's fix our eyes on Him today.

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June 20 – Sin and Righteousness; Oil and Water

“You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows. -Psalm 45:7  (NASB)

We really have no option to embrace that which is evil.  We are commanded  to hate sin. Wickedness, or sin is prevalent in nearly every form of entertainment, especially on television or at the movie theater.  We’re not suggesting every movie or television program is evil or promotes wickedness because there are those which are intended to combat the forces of evil.  In Hebrews we learn that Jesus is our perfect High Priest because He was tempted in every way just as we are but did not sin.  We, with the power of God through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us are also able to stand firm against the devil’s temptations.  But we need to train ourselves to recognize it wherever it is.  If we compromise this command, we will lose the ability to discern when we are being tempted to accept wickedness in the content of any and all media. Jesus faced temptation three times; from Satan in the wilderness after 40 days of fasting (Matthew 4:1), by Satan through the words of Peter (Matthew 16:23), and in the Garden just before His arrest. We are commanded  to hate sin. If we do not, do we truly love righteousness?

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December 4 – Cure for Weariness

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:3 (NASB)

These words were written to encourage Christians when they are tempted to give up trying to reach some goal in their life. The verse just before this one encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ our Savior which will help us to avoid giving up. Sometimes we may be tempted to think that it is not worth all the trouble involved in following close to the Lord. Then we should remember that Jesus came to earth to do his Father's will and He encountered a lot of suffering. The leaders of the people hated Him and were hostile to Jesus and eventually killed him. But He endured it all, shame and death on the cross, and now He is in heaven's glory and we'll be there someday too. Let's fix our eyes on Him today.