Blog

Jesus’ physical presence there was a brand new thing that had never happened before. The old ways have become irrelevant. The LETTER of the law shifted to the SPIRIT of the law. The physical curse was replaced with the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus changed EVERYTHING.

Which is more important: the “little while” that the wicked will reign on this cursed planet? Or all of eternity when “the humble will inherit the land and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity?” (v.11) Take heart, friends, eternity lasts much longer than our paltry 75 or so years here in this place.

It’s not enough to acknowledge the miracles. The demons obviously also believe in Christ’s deity (and they tremble, we are told in James 2:19). Salvation comes when it gets personal, when we understand, as Peter did, that we are sinful and in need of Christ’s salvation. Only when we understand that are we willing to leave everything and follow. When we really understand that, our entire lives are changed.

But Jesus’ mission was never a physical one. His mission is still in effect today and it affects every single one of us. It is US who are spiritually poor, captives, blind, and oppressed. Jesus came to give us the good news that He can give us sight and set us free!

It is good to be familiar with the Scriptures. That is why I read through the Bible cover to cover every year and have my nose in it every day. That is why I am trying to encourage others to do the same. Getting into the Bible has changed my life for the better in so many ways. The deeper I immerse myself into it, the more it transforms my life. It is truly life to my soul.

But how many of us would be willing to just blindly follow God’s lead? Would we be willing to pack up in a moment’s notice without having any idea where we are going or how long we are going to be traveling? (How ever would we know how many outfits to pack?!) Would we follow? Or would we grumble as the Israelites did in Numbers 11?

Trolls have always existed. David described them right there in Psalms 35. This is nothing new. Take courage in knowing that we are suffering nothing that believers haven’t experienced before. We must strand strong and continue forward without cowardice against those who tell us we are “anti-science” because we believe that life begins at conception and that God created two genders. Don’t fear the “godless jesters” who mock Christians for our belief in Jesus and accuse us of believing in fairy tales. They cannot harm our souls. God is the one who “rescues our soul from their ravages” so that we are able to “give [God] thanks in the great congregation” (publicly) and “praise [God] among a mighty people.” (v.18)

We are created to long for God. Our souls recognize that we are incomplete. Most of us spend our lives running around trying to satisfy that emptiness within us — through money, relationships, power, material things, adventures, etc. But if we’re honest, we never quite get there. Nothing ever completely satisfies. Even things that might make us feel ecstatically happy at first eventually fade and bore us.

The angels worship God. They love Jesus. How happy they were to announce His birth. They are waiting, just as we are, for His triumphant return. “Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.”

The timeline is interesting. Abraham lived approximately 2000 years before Jesus. David live 1000 years before Jesus. And here we are 2000 years later, waiting for the remaining Biblical prophecies to come to pass. They most certainly WILL come to pass some day. And God seems to like to do things every thousand years or so…. Come, Lord Jesus!