I imagine the Day After the Crucifixion of Christ may have felt to be the longest day of His disciples’ lives. While Jesus was still alive and even as He hung dying on the cross, I think they still “held out for a miracle.” But when He took His last breath and the spear was thrust through His heart, it must have crushed the disciples as they buried Him just as any ordinary man.  Following the rush of turmoil and violence on Crucifixion Day, in the stillness of the Sabbath, I can imagine the despair and disappointment, the death of every expectation and hope. Whatever plans the disciples had for “ruling and reigning” in Jesus’ Kingdom on earth had come to an end.  I might have packed up to go home to Emmaus, too. 

But that day was the True Sabbath. “It is Finished” was the cry. All the Work had been done. What was once ruined was now restored. What was once off-limits to man Jesus opened the way. We now rest in His Finished Work and wait for His Promised Resurrection. But the day must have seemed so long. And the thing that Jesus said again and again about “rising on the third day” was just incomprehensible to the disciples. The words did not compute.

On a much smaller scale in significance is our longest days. It seems we are constantly brought to “death” experiences where we’ve watched something in us or in our lives come to a brutal end. Though we have heard and received a promised word that everything will work out for good, we can’t even imagine how the promise will be fulfilled. How, Lord? But we have an advantage over the disciples since we know what happened on the Third Day. There IS the overcoming over death! He IS the resurrection and the LIFE! While man rested, Christ overcame. So, while we can’t see with our physical eyes what our enthroned Savior is doing as He rules over all, we choose to put our confidence in Him. That is faith. And though we have experienced how Jesus works things out in un-thought-of ways in the past, we seem to still struggle with it in present trials.

So how do we approach our present longest day experience when have heard His word and have not yet seen the demonstration of God’s power? Seize the opportunity. Once the Third Day dawns, the opportunity for faith comes to an end for Christ appears! He is the author and finisher of faith. It will all be turned into sight! So, today if you hear His voice do not harden your heart! Today is the day for salvation — in faith. We may be considered fools by the world for giving ourselves to Him in response to His call, but we have everything to gain and we have gained everything. By faith, the Spirit is indeed make real to us the unseen Christ in Whom is all our hope. He brings to an end our vain efforts and worrying and reveals and makes real to us what He has already done. 

Dear Lord, we repent of our unbelief, we turn from the world and our own ways and turn to You. You suffered and died on the Cross that my sins my be forgiven. You rose from the grave because you are the Son of God. In view of your soon Return, have Your way in me. Help me to walk in your ways and fulfill in me all that is in Your heart. And without faith, it is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6) Our opportunity for faith will end when Christ returns. Will He find us faithful?

Last night, we read over the portion of Luke on the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:25-37. Every year we go through this passage, new light dawns on our hearts. Andrew brought out some key points including the fact that what the Good Samaritan did is not in us to do. This is so very true.

This recorded conversation is initiated by a lawyer that wanted to put our Lord Jesus to the test by asking about inheriting eternal life. This is very reminiscent of the rich young ruler’s inquiry regarding inheriting eternal life. When the Lord responds with a question regarding what the Law says regarding this, the lawyer quotes Leviticus and Deuteronomy, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.“ In true lawyer fashion, he responds with, “and who is my neighbor?”

I was considering the state of mind of this lawyer. For him to ask this means that he is quite confident of his “righteousness” according to the law and was challenging the Lord or putting his own righteousness on display. It is most striking that the Lord gives him an illustration of the “eternal life” at the same time. “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?”

In the parable, there is no controversy that Jesus is the good neighbor, the Samaritan. Why does the Lord use a lowly Samaritan in the parable? At that time, Samaritans were like the “scum of the earth,” and the Lord likened himself to the “scum of the earth.” WHY? Especially addressing someone who is quite elevated in society, why would he not liken himself to a doctor (He is the Great Physician), or a ruler (He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords)? The neighbor being loved is the man beaten, robbed, and left for dead. Putting ourselves in the parable, that would be us. Jesus had compassion on us when sin beat us and robbed us of our humanity and usefulness to God and left us for dead. Jesus came to us, bandaged our wounds (by His stripes we are healed) by pouring oil and wine on the wounds, put us on his own beast and brought as to the inn (a type of the church as Agnes so wonderfully brought out), and took care of us. This is the life of Christ, it cannot be done by imitation without His life. There are many in society that have outward good works, but their works cannot bring others to eternal life. And how often is the compassion born out of a lowly spirit like Christ’s?

In the lawyer’s eyes, there is probably no one more lowly than a Samaritan, and I don’t believe that he would aspire to be one. Can we show mercy in such a way that is born out of utter humility and lack of self? Today, charity and self-promotion are primarily inextricably intertwined. How many gifts to hospitals and universities are anonymous? Why are all your university buildings and departments named after someone? We can do good and kind things, but we could not feign humility. I believe the Lord Jesus gave to the lawyer, and therefore to us, an impossible task. “Go and do the same.”

Well, what is impossible with man is possible with God. We can never do as the Samaritan in the parable did, not in ourselves, but He can do this in us. Just as the rich young ruler could not give all his wealth away, neither could this lawyer make himself out to be a Samaritan. When the Lord asked him which of the three proved to be a neighbor to the one who fell into the robbers’ hands, the lawyer’s response was, “the one who showed mercy towards him.” He could have said, “the Samaritan” but he couldn’t. Just as the children of Israel found it impossible to keep the law of Moses, there is absolutely no way we can live according to Jesus’ example as He lived a much higher righteousness than the law of Moses. EXCEPT, that He comes in and lives His life out in us. Glory to God! How does the Lord Jesus live His life out in us? We have a great example in pure-blood Benjamite religious leader, Saul. When the Lord’s life came into him, he gave up his credentials when he saw them as garbage in light of knowing Christ. When we read what he suffered, we wonder how he could go through it all. He actually acknowledged that he had become scum of the earth (1 Corinthians 4) for the sake of the Lord. And yet, the “scum of the earth” addressed king and governors as led by Christ and experienced horrific trials and abuse and miraculous deliverance and healing even as he became all things to all people that he might bring some to the inn. We read in his letters written while imprisoned for his faith in Christ, encouragement, love, and hope. How is that possible… eternal life in Christ. Jesus is the Good neighbor in us. In His time, in His way, for His purpose, He will work out His life in us that will unmistakably be manifested as the life of the One who gave Himself up for us.

A dear FB friend recently posted a link regarding a canine 9-11 Word Trade Center hero named Daisy. Daisy’s story was so touching but turned out to be a fabrication. Well, the link below tells of Roselle, the seeing-eye guide dog whose heroics at the WTC might possibly be the basis of Daisy’s fictional story. This loyal canine saved her unsighted companion and numerous others as she led them down 78 flights of stairs in darkened stairwells on that fateful day. Roselle’s true story is no less compelling and her human companion happens to be an UCI alum!

The loyal and loving animal companions. It seems that there were several devoted four-legged furry friends featured in various internet posts these weeks. A couple of days ago, in our daily reading, we came upon a particularly notable beast of burden, Balaam’s donkey in the book of Numbers. Actually, I’m not sure what to make of Balaam. He was gifted to be able to receive and to speak out a word from God, but he was obviously most interested in financial gain and ultimately provided the Moabites the evil advice that Balak sought for to bring down the Israelites. But I think there is something very noble about his insightful donkey. The portion in Numbers 23-24 records how the “diviner” could not see the angel of the Lord with drawn sword and yet his lowly donkey could, not just once, but three times. Does the love of money make one blind? Though the donkey was struck for her life-saving acts, she was loyal to her master and endured it for his sake. What’s interesting is that the angel was intending to spare the donkey and told Balaam so.

We have to remember that the animals, great and small were all created for God’s good pleasure as well. And the Lord Jesus Himself is called the Lamb of God and the Lion of Judah. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is often symbolized as the gentle dove. Perhaps for those who resist the truth of the Creator for mankind might consider the reality of the Creator for the animals. Animals often override the instinct for self-preservation in their interactions with mankind. There are numerous stories about military and service dogs, even pets, dogs and cats who put their own lives in danger for the sake of their human companions. If these creatures act above and beyond the sum of their instinctive behaviors, how does evolutionary theory account for that? The man most endowed with divine wisdom and reason peppers the Proverbs with examples from the animal kingdom, like the industrious ant, the rank and file locusts, and the soaring eagle.

The Lord Jesus Himself when with the disciples gives the most telling example of God’s care for the animals. The Lord reminds us, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Luke 12:6-7. Every “insignificant” sparrow is remembered by God. Whenever we consider creation and the universe, we are impressed with the magnitude of God’s power and wisdom. More than that, we must appreciate the magnitude of His love and mercy and put ourselves on the receiving end of His love and mercy (by faith). If God cares for the sparrows, then surely, we need to trust His loving care for us. Even the hairs on our heads are numbered!

Creation waits eagerly for the Children of God to be revealed. (Romans 8:19) Can hardly wait!

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/6/prweb8608483.htm

Three years ago today, the family wrapped up a blessed vacation in Maui. Wonderful in so many ways. Susanna and I were “left behind” at the Maui Airport as the higher priority stand-by passengers filled up all the available seats on the first of two returning flights of the day. The stress of missing the last flight of the day became insignificant as we listened to the announcement of a pending tsunami coming from Japan, and that cooperation was requested in getting all the passengers boarded as quickly as possible. Very eerie. I believe we took the last two seats, and it wasn’t until we returned to California that the magnitude of the tsunami in Japan was realized in the images and videos that streamed on the internet and on television.

I remember it hitting me on all levels, spiritual to visceral. The images were difficult to take in and there was the sense that the end is very near. The tsunami in the Indian Ocean in 2004 seemed more remote as the images and footage of the devastation were rarer.  But in Japan, everything seemed so recognizable, towns like ours, better than ours, flushed out into the ocean as the footage rolled. What took centuries to build and had been neatly maintained turned into splinters and debris field with surging, unrelenting waves. Wood, hay, and stubble. Then the attention focused on Fukushima. Suddenly, Japan’s problem became China’s, and Korea’s, and Russia’s, and Taiwan’s and the world’s. But it’s always been that way. Nothing happens in isolation. For good or ill.

And in those days, just as when 9-11 hit in 2001, our hearts turned to God, and we acknowledged our mortality and the destructibility of all that we once considered indestructible. But now, we have seen too much. Mass shootings one following another on the news. One picture of a missing teenager after another on Facebook. Domestic violence filled with unspeakable and unimaginable horrors. Brutality of governments against their own people. It’s hard not to despair. It’s hard not to lose heart. It’s hard not to become indifferent, numbed, calloused. What can we do that would make a difference anyway?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

“Apart from Me,” the Lord Jesus said, “you can do nothing.” (John 15:5b) And looking at the lives of all the people recorded in the Bible, those that seemed to have made the greatest impact were the ones who could do nothing in themselves. That should be our encouragement. In the simplest way, they obeyed God as He commanded. Moreover, some did so with initial reluctance and protestation and fear and trepidation, and it took encouragement and empowering on the part of Almighty God for them to accept the charge. That should be our encouragement. God did not use people who in their own strength act out of their own initiative. Look at Moses in his “prime.” And when Moses thought he was at the end of his life (Psalm 90:10), he tried hard to prove to God how unworthy he was for the task. But what mighty things God did through him when Moses took every step in simple obedience and intimate fellowship with God. Did he not abide with God and God with him?  And in his singular act of going beyond God’s command, he dishonored God and it prevented Moses from entering the Promised Land. Jonah in Nineveh. He did not want to go warn the people of Nineveh when God commanded him. He headed for the opposite direction. And in the belly of the fish, Jonah recognized God’s resurrection power to bring him out of the death waters and that he had a vow to pay. In His great mercy, God re-issued the command and Jonah faithfully announced the proclamation of the destruction to come. “Yet forty days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Would we think this gospel to be “too negative,” and “too simple?” It was an eight-word message. Truly the word of God is spirit and is life. God caused the entire wicked city, from the king on down to fast and to repent in sackcloth and ashes. And as they repented, God relented. Ananias of Damascus. Ananias was faithful to obey God’s command to go to Saul of Tarsus and speak the words God put in his mouth. (Acts 9) With his simple, “Here I am, Lord,” the Lord directed him to go via the street called Straight to the house of Judas. After a request for clarification of Saul’s identity, Ananias did just that, conveying not only the message but the love of God (“Brother” Saul, as Bro. Ted pointed out).

“He who abides in Me and I in him shall bear much fruit.” (John 15:5a) “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit.” (John 15:8) The nation of Israel marched out of the bondage of Egypt. The 120,000 souls of Nineveh were saved. A command was given to one Saul of Tarsus that opened his eyes to the Body of Christ. No obedience is too great or too small. In all aspects of our lives, God is working. Let us not resist the Holy Spirit. Let us relent. We don’t have to “do something for God.” That would not do. Only the Son can do the Father’s will.  It is just our abiding in the Son, responding with a “Here I am, Lord,” that anything that would please the Father can be accomplished. Apart from the Son, there is nothing. In the Son, powerless and good-as-dead human beings may glorify God the Father. Amazing.

At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself. “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.” (Ezekiel 3:16-21 NIV)

This seems so harsh to Ezekiel. He is called to warn those who are obstinate and stubborn, a rebellious house, people who are ready to silence him. Why does the Sovereign Lord bother to send one prophet after another to his rebellious people? He loves her. In chapter 16, we see Jerusalem as God sees — His beloved that He has lovingly rescued from abandonment. And yet, despite the love lavished upon her, she has forsaken her Beloved and gone after the idolatrous world who shamefully abuse her. Jerusalem has become the adulterous wife.

In these chapters, we catch a glimpse of how it is that at the close of this Age, the Church is the Bride of Christ, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem. Though it is up to each of us individually to respond to God’s call and heed His warnings in the Scriptures, we will miss the point if our eyes are merely on ourselves and our responsibilities. How can we please God except that we appreciate that He is waiting for His Bride. He has given Himself for her, not merely that you and I are saved from our sins, but that we are redeemed for our part in the Bride of Christ. It is so much bigger than ourselves, we must get past focusing on our own salvation.

So, we need to turn from our evil ways, be faithful to sound the warning, and much more, let the Spirit work on us that the Bride may be prepared for our Lord and King. Do we love Him?

The times are alarming. The warnings severe. But the tenderness for Jerusalem is seen in His word. Only God’s beloved corporately can satisfy God’s heart or continue to grieve His heart.

Was strengthened and convicted by the Word the Lord spoke to us at the weekend conference regarding Hannah. Many verses in 1 Samuel chapter 1 came alive with new meaning to me. Sincerely appreciate the Lord speaking through Bro. Peter. One of these verses has been resonating in me and spoke to my heart. Verse 18. After Hannah had poured out her soul in prayer to the Lord, petitioned for a son to give back to the Lord, followed Eli’s answer to her in the affirmative: “And she said, ‘Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.’ So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

Anyone there at the conference on Friday night heard the scenes described of Elkanah’s household. Bitterness and misery from every angle. A man and two wives is not the design of God, and whenever we find ourselves outside of God’s design in any way, invariably, bitterness and misery follows. But we find in verse 18, provoked and miserable Hannah a changed woman. She appears to be full of faith, trusting the Lord that not only was her petition heard by God, but that Eli’s confirming word was enough. She went her way able to eat and with a changed countenance. We should all be like Hannah, that after pouring our souls out to God, be able to go our way no longer sad.

I was considering the many people who had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus in the Scriptures and how they departed from his presence. Do they all go their way no longer sad like Hannah? Well, the Bible mentions someone who left sad. The rich young ruler. In Matthew 19:22, it says that he went away sad. We are familiar with his story. He came to seek the Lord for eternal life. When the Lord at first told him that he needed to keep the commandments, he very confidently replied that he’s kept the commandments from his youth. Perhaps, some of us who grew up in Christian homes and have been good boys and girls might be in the same position as this rich young ruler. But he wondered if it was enough. Well, the Lord cared for this young man and gave him the opportunity to follow Him. “Sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven, and come, follow Me.” Truly, the offer of a lifetime to be the Lord’s disciple, but not only did he not stay with the Lord, he went away grieved, because he owned a lot of property.

Well, we have been told that the Lord Jesus wanted this rich young ruler to acknowledge that what the Lord asked of him was impossible to him. Certainly, Jesus did not need his money, but here was the opportunity for the rich young ruler to confess his inability and to lay hold of Christ’s overcoming ability. The Lord could do this in him, but he was not willing to do this and he was not willing to be made willing. He considered his wealth more dear than eternal life (who is eternal life?) and did not give the Lord the opportunity to work the willingness out in him.

For the rich young ruler, it was his wealth; for us, perhaps it is something else. Is there something specific that has such a hold on us that we are willing to give up eternal life in order to keep this thing? In this defining moment of the young ruler’s life, there were only two outcomes possible. One, let Christ be Master and yield to the the Lord his love of money and thereby master over his love of money. Two, be His own Master, don’t yield to the Lord and thereby become the slave to his love of money. Let Christ be master or let the love of money be master. We are told by the Lord, we cannot serve two masters. Even a proper young man who kept all the commandments stumbled over just one thing.

Perhaps we don’t have his problem. Money is often the culprit but it doesn’t have to be. What is God pointing out in your life? In my life? A sinful desire? A not-sinful desire? Perhaps everything else in your life is great, everyone thinks that you are such a good young man or woman, but there is something you hold dear, and perhaps you hold more dear than even the Lord. And as much as you have tried to overcome it yourself, there is no denying it.

Remember Hannah. Like we heard, she could have allowed the desire for a child (not sinful, very legitimate) be master over her. She was nearly defined by her desperation for a son. But as she prayed, she was granted revelation and a changed heart before the fulfillment of her petition. The revelation was that the Lord needed this baby, and her needs were wondrously linked up with the Lord’s needs. And THIS baby that she desperately wanted should be given back to God for God’s need. Wow, God’s revelation and His enabling all at the same time. The Lord granted her the willingness to give up what she wanted more than anything else in the world. Impossible? This child was surely more dear to her than Iife itself. So, in her surrendering of Samuel, even before Samuel was born, God granted her to enjoy peace, joy, faith, overcoming power. Many babies were born at that time of the Judges, even to Elkanah, but God gave Samuel to Hannah. Whatever we would hold more dear than the Lord Himself becomes our master, becomes our identity. Just like the rich young ruler, all of our otherwise good behavior will not even things out. He could not follow both Christ AND his love of money, and so he left the Lord with his wealth intact — but grieved. At least he did not deceive himself that he could have both. And yet when Hannah left the temple after giving up her yet-to-be-born son to the Lord all the days of his life, she chose God’s needs above her own desperate needs and walked away no longer sad. To the world, the logical expected end of the encounters of Hannah and the rich young ruler ought to have been reversed. Does not the wisdom of this world tell us that we would be so happy if we only get what we want and live our lives according to our desires. Be you.The Lord did not force the rich young ruler to give up his riches and follow Him. The Lord allowed him to choose to leave unchanged — and miserable. God respects our will. How could this be so? Yet it is so. Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, whoever loses his life shall preserve it. (Luke 17:33) Divine logic. And God’s enemy is a liar and the father of lies.

How blinded we have been, shut in with what concerns us,

  while God’s house lieth waste, Lord break through overturn us.