Read the Whole Letter

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not face away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5--One Sentence)

 

Here is an eleven point sermon in one sentence.  What a letter the Holy Spirit wrote in Peter.  In just one sentence we read of "abundant mercy, a living hope, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead-- an incorruptible, undefiled, unfading, reserved-in-heaven-for-us inheritance."  He tells us that we "are kept by the power of God through faith," and this keeping power is for a salvation which is not only a "now" salvation, but one yet "to be revealed in the last time."  This will get you going better than any cup of coffee. 

 

If you have never done it, I highly recommend that you read entire Books of the Bible at one sitting.  I recently read straight through Peter's Epistles.   They are not only great "Gospel" Epistles, but some of the greatest "how to" Books of the Bible. 

 

During the communist era, Sarah and I were in a family camp in Poland.  Under communism, the Christian family was under severe attack, an attack which was unlike that of a people in a "free" society.  They asked me to do teaching on the family, with emphasis on husband and wife relationship.  I remember thinking in preparation, "What should I use?"  The Holy Spirit took me to 1 Peter.  Read through it in one sitting-------------- and you will know why.

 

Father, in Jesus' Name, I pray that Your Word will always be my first reaction.  Amen.

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Don't Give Up Reading

"The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and wrath.  He takes revenge on all who oppose him and furiously destroys his enemies!  The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished.  He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm.  The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet.  At His command the oceans and rivers dry up, the lush pastures of Bashan and Carmel fade, and the green forests of Lebanon wilt.  In His presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away....Who can stand before his fierce anger?  His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence.  The LORD is good.  When trouble comes, he is a strong refuge.  And He knows everyone who trusts in Him."  (From Nahum, Chapter 1--NLT)

 

Henny Youngman once said, "When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."  Are religious people today saying, "When I read about judgment, holiness, denying myself, obedience, I gave up reading the Bible? 

 

My texts for the devotionals come from my Bible reading, not my "agenda."  I do not pick and choose what my flesh desires.  If I did, there would be absolutely no hope for me.  I would just live in the same delusion in which much of humanity lives.  My only hope for survival in life, and at the "Judgment Seat of Christ" is to be full of and obedient to "the whole counsel of God." 

 

The Medieval Believer, Jerome, says of Nahum, "The prophecy belongs to the close of the world and the comfort of the saints therein, so that whatsoever they see in the world, they may hold cheap, as passing away and perishing and prepare themselves for the Day of Judgment."  Don't engage in selective reading; it will lead to a "delusional salvation."  Just as your body needs many vitamins and minerals, so your soul needs the many "Words" of God.  There is only one salvation which saves, delivers, and keeps to the end.  It is the Salvation which is Jesus Christ, all of Jesus Christ, the rebuke, the warnings, the holiness, the obedience, the comfort, the peace. 

 

The last very last passage of the Bible says, "....And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."  Our salvation is Jesus Christ, His Blood, His Body, His Word, His Holiness, His Everything.  "Drink ye, all of it!"

 

Father, in Jesus' Name, "How I love Thy law."  May it be "my meditation all the day."  Amen.    

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Our God is Not Just A God "Of The Hills"

"Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, 'Their gods are gods of the hills.  Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.'"  (1 Kings 20:23)

 

In other words, "Their gods are limited gods."  This was a grave military mistake for the Syrians.  First, there were no "gods" in Israel.  There was and is the One, True, and Living God.  Secondly, since when is the Living Triune God of the Universe limited to "the hills?"  The passage reveals that the Syrians then went on to tell themselves they could defeat the Israelites "in the plain," and made plans to do so.  Score: Jews 2, Syrians 0.

 

I remember during a prayer time many years ago, I was praying for the Church in the Soviet Bloc nations.  During the prayer, Father knew what was going on in my "subconscious" mind.  "I know that the Lord God could deal with horses and chariots, but I'm not sure about ICBMs."  Of course, if someone other than our Father would have told me I was limiting God "to the hills," I would have, just as you, denied it to the hilt.  But deep down, we all battle the "gods-of-the-hills" syndrome.

 

The Living Triune God, revealed solely in Jesus Christ, is no god of limitation.  He is the God of all, of everything.  If you have lost, or are losing a battle, don't give up and think the battle is outside of Jesus' power.  Nothing is.  No one is.  He is God of "the hills," God "in the plain," the sea, the air; God of the "wherevers" and the "whoevers."  Jesus is Captain of "the Armies of Heaven."  His Blood at the Cross, His Death, His Burial, His Resurrection, His Ascension, as one Final Victory over Satan and his demonic horde, have guaranteed victory to all who surrender to Him.  No matter where you go today, to "the hills" or to "the plain," He is standing there as, "Christos Victor."

 

Father, in Jesus' Name, Write on my heart that "God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God"-------- "the hills" and "the plain" notwithstanding.  Amen.   

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"Sufferings...Are Not Worth Being Compared With The Glory"

"[But what of that?]  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!." (Romans 8:18-- Amplified Bible)

 

The, "what of that," refers to the previous verse which says, "only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory."  Okay, suffering precedes glory.  Then, if you look at the verse after our text, you will see that "the glory" has something to do with "the revealing of the sons of God," which, by the way, has not yet been fulfilled.  And right in the middle- "The sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory which is to come."   

 

There is no doubt that throughout the entire "God-Breathed" Word the message is, "The best is yet to come."  The fact that most religious people do not want a message like this reveals just how carnal they really are.  Paul said, "And if we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world" (NLT).  Could this be why there are so many "miserable" Christians?  Take heed.  Those who are looking "in this life only" for the glory in Jesus Christ may not endure "the sufferings," and finally say, "It's just not worth it."  

 

The Word of God is not saying that there is no joy, peace, or victory now.  Jesus is simply saying that when the storms come, when the suffering seems unbearable, when everyone abandons you, take courage.  "What we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later."(NLT)

 

Father, in Jesus' Name, if it pleases You, give me a glimpse of "the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!"  Amen. 

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