The Sword of Justice

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Tuesday, July 31, 2018

The wicked plot against the godly; they snarl at them in defiance.  But the Lord just laughs, for he sees their day of judgment coming.  The wicked draw their swords and string their bows to kill the poor and the oppressed, to slaughter those who do right.   But their swords will stab their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.  It is better to be godly and have little than to be evil and rich.  For the strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly.  Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever.  They will not be disgraced in hard times; even in famine they will have more than enough.  But the wicked will die.  The Lord’s enemies are like flowers in a field—they will disappear like smoke.  The wicked borrow and never repay, but the godly are generous givers.  Those the Lord blesses will possess the land, but those he curses will die.  

Psalm 37:12-22^(NLT)

Questions come to pastors; some are pretty basic, while others are snarky or traps.  The snarky and trap questions are like the questions the Pharisees asked Jesus.  There was never an easy answer.  A simple “yes” or “no” would simply be a platform from which they could convict the one who gave the answer.  It’s the old have you stopped beating your wife ruse.  They questioned Jesus to either discredit him as an uneducated hick, or as an evil insurrectionist.  But, none of it worked, because the questions were manufactured in Hell; Jesus was more than smart and full of peace, He was God incarnate.  When it came to Pharisees vs. Jesus, it wasn’t much of a battle!

The question I get most often is (in one form or another) the same one Job asked:

“Why do the wicked prosper, growing old and powerful?  They live to see their children grow up and settle down, and they enjoy their grandchildren.  Their homes are safe from every fear, and God does not punish them.  

Job 21:7-9^(NLT)

Job asked the question and the Psalmist gives the only answer faith needs – God really does judge sin and wrongdoing; it’s just that God is on His own time table, and is not particularly influenced by whether we approve or not.  God’s justice is fair, complete, and totally above our understanding. 

The fact is that we are better off just trusting God, than having complete knowledge of His schedule.  In fact, we are told in Scripture that we are held accountable for what we know.  Imagine how that would work out if you understood everything God was doing.  You would be accountable for making decisions like God, and that game rarely turns out well.  It’s not that ignorance is desirable (some prefer its bliss).  After all, we are created with a natural curiosity, and are told in Proverbs to get wisdom.

But, while much can be said (and has been) about all this, let’s just cut to the answer the Psalmist gives us – God has no perspiration on his upper lip over the evil and upheaval, of rebellious humans.  He sees their day of judgment coming and, as a longsuffering, hopeful father, God holds out the offer of grace if they will but accept it.  God’s desire for the one who practices evil is to return to Him.  God does not desire the destruction of the wicked.  He hates that they will fall on their own sword of plots and greed.  He didn’t create them just to destroy them.  But God is bound by His nature and will not tolerate unrepentant sin; justice is as certain as gravity!

For You Today

If your questions tend toward this why wonderment Job also asked, here’s a question to pose before you ask why God doesn’t judge the wicked right now….

God, how come you didn’t judge me right now?

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Hope - Despair

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Monday, July 30, 2018

For we live by believing and not by seeing.   

2 Corinthians 5:7^(NLT)

I’ve still got the dog tags from my stint in the U.S. Army.  Every soldier wears these for identification in case you’re wounded or dead and need to be identified.  There is a line on the tag which is for religious information; mine read no preference.  After all, I was 19, and knew everything.  I was in ignorance…literally.  I identified as an agnostic, one who couldn’t be said to be an atheist, but rather chose to simply say nobody can actually know if there is a god or not.  The word’s etymology says it all.  In ancient Greek gnosis is knowledge; if you put an “a” in front it turns into a negative (a·gnosis), and it simply designates the opposite of knowledge.  An agnostic says you’re against knowing!  How appropriate for a 19-year-old know-it-all!

Scripture declares that our faith (everyone has at least a seed of faith) is what will produce hope (as opposed to despair).  Faith, nurtured and given a chance to grow, naturally moves towards He who IS hope, Jesus Christ, crucified, buried, resurrected on the third day, ascended to the Father in Heaven, and coming again to judge the quick and the dead.

Now, at 19, this slow learner wasn’t ready to understand that, or admit it.  It was “safer” (so I thought in my 19-year-old wisdom) to toddle off to Vietnam with agent orange, bullets and bombs, and anti-personnel mines everywhere you walk, with any faith-belief system placed on-hold. Because, in my chosen ignorance – agnosticism, knowledge that you KNOW you can’t know anyway…well, the reality is, I just didn’t want to think my parents might be right.  The government had issued me a flak jacket, helmet, and M-14 rifle; that seemed a whole lot more protection than a god I couldn’t see.  I had 19-year-old wisdom, after all, and anyone that wise understands, it’s all up to chance, and the strong are the ones who survive and get it done.

Fast forward a half-century.

I’m a lot older now…and just a little wiser than that kid getting on a plane for Vietnam.  What I discovered in the interim is two-fold:

1.      It is only by the grace of the God I put on-hold that I was not killed that year in my agnostic wisdom and woke-up in hell.

2.      Even if a person is struggling with faith in God, choosing to believe what you cannot seem to prove is smarter than just ignoring Him with a fancy-sounding name, like agnostic.

There are, after all, only two possibilities:

1.      There is no god…it’s all as Karl Marx phrased it, that religion is the opiate of the masses, just a pacifier to suck-on to get through life without going mad.

2.      There is God…and, as Creator and Sustainer of all life, He is personal and has a prior claim on our lives, so we’d better get our stuff together and honor Him.

But, even putting aside the agnostic’s chief rationale, that you really can’t know for sure that God exists, there is a firm footing to be gained in choosing to believe anyway.  That footing (believe it or not) is Karl Marx – the opiate, (drug, if you will) of faith does indeed produce hope.  And hope is a whole lot lovelier than despair to walk around with, even if there isn’t a God.

From one who has been on both sides of that equation – I choose hope; I choose faith in God. 

And, incidentally, when I chose to walk by faith, and not by my willful agnosticism, a wonderful thing happened; my faith grew into hope in the faith once-delivered to the saints.  And I understood agnosticism is just as empty-headed as it implies.  You can know He is real, and His love will keep you with assurance that you are His, and loved.

For You Today

By the way, did you know Karl Marx was right at this point:  without acting on our faith, trusting in the God we can’t see – life will not make any sense, and will lead you to despair, and the ultimate choice for the agnostic or atheist – opting out.  There is a long list[2] of well-known people living against-faith who have done that – Ernest Hemmingway, Robyn Williams, and Anthony Bourdain, just to name a few.  In the end their disposition is not much different than one of the most famous – Judas Iscariot.

So, here’s the advice on struggling with faith – do what John Wesley, founder of Methodism, was advised by Peter Boehler[3] a wise Moravian missionary.  Wesley was struggling to have faith; Boehler said:  Preach faith until you have faith. 

So, my friend, walk by faith until your need for sight disappears!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] 23 Lists (celebrities who have committed suicide)

[3] See Boehler on Wikipedia.com

It's the Circle of Life

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Thursday, July 26, 2018

You learned about the Good News from Epaphras, our beloved co-worker.  He is Christ’s faithful servant, and he is helping us on your behalf.  He has told us about the love for others that the Holy Spirit has given you.  So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you.  We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  Colossians 1:7-10^(NLT)

In the Walt Disney animated movie Lion King[2] Mufasa is teaching his son, Prince Simba all about life.  One of the taglines is:  The greatest adventure of all is finding our place in the circle of life.[3]  Simba is told to respect the antelope.  Confused, Simba questions Mufasa:  Um, Dad, don’t we EAT the antelope?  Dad agrees, but then reminds his cub that lions also die and return to the ground to become the grass antelopes eat.  This is the circle of life. 

Mufasa’s wisdom aside (after all, there are holes in his metaphysics – just ask Rafiki, the baboon who plays the shaman clergy seer if there is more to it than blood, sinew and bones returning to the ground); well…aside from the Lion King’s life-circle lesson, there is a spiritual circle of life that Paul holds up for us in his letter to the Colossian believers.

Paul had done much work at Colossae, bringing pagans to Christ.  Epaphras, at Paul’s direction, had been dispatched to the region to help form the new church after Paul left.  Epaphras reported back to Paul that the believers there were growing in their love for God and service to people.  In responding Paul shared his joy at their growth, and how he was praying daily for their continued growth in understanding God’s Word, so they would bear even greater fruit for the kingdom. 

In so many ways this is the Christian, or spiritual circle of life.  The Gospel is shared, a seed is planted.  One comes alongside to nurture that seed of faith, as it grows into a fruitful Kingdom vine. 

It was that way for me (and probably you).  My parents loved Jesus and his church.  They passed this love along to me.  Even in my far country Prodigal son days, I could run far from God, but never out from under Mom and Dad’s prayers.  In due time the faith seedling survived the storm, began to grow on the bread of life, and began to bear fruit.

When your faith survives adolescence, and you begin to exhibit the signs of maturing, the circle of life ceases to be linear…just passed down from leader to follower; it commences bending in an arc to reach wider and deeper.  I’m not just a son, brother, cousin, and uncle…I am a father, grandfather, and…heaven help me…great-grandfather!  At my age I can’t help looking back; it’s been a lot of years since the faith once-delivered to the saints[4] was first told to me at my mother’s knee.  That faith was deepened in Sunday School every week.  It was sharpened in worship, tested in the world, and began to bear fruit as the Spirit worked within to change and grow a seedling into something fit for the Owner of the Vineyard to use.

This is the circle of true life.  It’s not the jungle, or the African plain, eating and being eaten; this is the surrender of the soul, dying to self, living in Christ.

In the movie, Simba the young lion king had ducked out on his responsibility to actually BE king.  Simba was rebuked by Rafiki (the baboon preacher).  Rafiki told Simba to think about the circle of life, then reminded him:  You have become less than you ARE!

That is a challenge to change…to look up and BE changed.

For You Today

We all need a Rafiki to remind us to be what God is calling us to be.  So, let’s have Paul’s benediction ring in our ears today:

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.  Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit.  All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.  Colossians 1:7-10^(NLT)

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  I, Hot Dog Wolf [GFDL, from Wikimedia Commons

[2] ©1994 Disney Productions

[3] Ibid. & IMDB

[4] Jude 1:3

Balancing Act

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Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach.  This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them!  So Jesus told them this story:  “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do?  Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders.  When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’  In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!  Luke 15:1-7^(NLT)

This parable of Jesus’ sets up the classic balancing act between actions and attitudes.  Both are important, and both usually criticized in a tug of war between the good children and the bad ones.  And, depending on which side of that line you stand, both are dangerous.

The “Good” Ones

The Pharisees, keepers of all things religious, are the obedience-driven “good children”.  In Jesus’ other parable about this conflict, the Pharisees, religious leaders and teachers of God’s Law, they would be the stay-at-home elder brother (as opposed to the bad son who wasted his father’s estate in the far country).  The religious, obeying, do-gooders were performance-driven conformers; they dotted all the i’s and crossed all the t’s.  Their resume’s were inscrutable; their attitudes were horrible, condemning everything that walked…except themselves!

The “Wild-child” Ones

The wild children of the world have a problem with authority figures, something you see in abundance with the Pharisees.  When Pharisees exercise control, the predictable reaction is rebellion.  Wild children can detect a Pharisaical fussbudget’s horrible attitude in a heartbeat…and they want none of it!

The irony of these two types of people represented in Luke’s Gospel account is that neither is all right, and, obviously, neither is all wrong.  The Pharisees –a title almost always spoken with a slight bit of spit-out-of-the-mouth disgust – are seen as wanting to ruin the party, sucking the fun out of life, while the wild, rebellious ones are duly chastised for their lack of obedience, but silently admired for their I-gotta-be-me rebellious ways. 

Putting aside which side you and I may occupy, let’s ask the question this morning: 

If neither the Pharisee, nor the Wild-child is all right or all wrong…

what do we make of what God expects here?

Well, take your preferences and prejudices out of the equation and consider; is obedience to God wrong?  Ask again, is a positive attitude of life is good, and meant to be enjoyed wrong?  The answer is always “yes” AND “no”. 

When your obedience is like a Pharisee, obeying every commandment and, at the same time, despising the fact that you must obey, because you know all those people who aren’t obeying are out there having a good time, and it tweaks you so much to be the good child, that you must condemn everything the wild children are doing…you need an attitude adjustment.

On the other hand, when being a wild-child, disobeying just because you despise the good children who do obey, and then you see how empty the life can be apart from a relationship with God, and it drives you to step up your game with more and bigger disobedience, just because you’re gonna show them you were right to reject them…well, you need a performance review!

And so, the balancing act becomes surrendering your inner Pharisee AND your outer wild-child ways to God’s Spirit, so that the growing humility (Christlikeness) God wants to grow in you destroys your criticizing and allows you to really start living.

The problem with a Pharisee or a wild-child is the balancing act between obeying and not obeying is too difficult to be handled by amateurs; sin is just too strong without the cleansing of blood…and we are unable to be cleansed when we stand on ONLY our own two feet.  This is what Paul meant when he said it was only when he was weak that he was actually strong[2].

For You Today

There is nothing wrong with obedience, and there is nothing good about disobedience.  Those are merely indicators of where you stand on the scale of whether a heart has been surrendered to the love of Christ, or a heart trying to navigate life all on your own. 

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] 2 Corinthians 12:10

Paul's Legacy

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Tuesday, July 24, 2018

But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.  When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears.  I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.  I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.  I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.  “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem.  I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.  But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.  “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.  I declare today that I have been faithful.  If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.  “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders.  I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.  Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.  Watch out!  Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.  “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.  

Acts 20:17-32^(NLT)

Final, or parting words are memorable only when the life and words match-up.  Nathan Hale was a patriot who declared:  I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.  The first deacon of the church, Stephen’s last words were of forgiveness for those who were stoning him:  As they stoned him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” He fell to his knees, shouting, “Lord, don’t charge them with this sin!” And with that, he died.  Acts 7:59-60^(NLT)

While this passage does not record the final words of Paul’s life, they are his parting words to the Christians at Miletus, and all the Asian continent before heading off to Jerusalem.  This was the pathway that would ultimately lead to Paul’s execution – but also his greatest impact for the Kingdom of God.

In this address are:

·      Paul recalling his work in that area to bring the Gospel, overcoming hardship and opposition

·      The call of God’s Spirit to endure even worse as he presses on to Jerusalem

·      An assurance that this was a one-way-ticket; the Apostle would never see them again, and…

·      Paul’s clear heart; his legacy included telling them everything he knew about God and Christ, along with a warning to guard against any enemy that would steal that teaching, or their faith.

All the way to the end – finishing the course – that is what this apostle, a man sent by God to do the work of God, did.  And, in this beginning of the earthly end for Paul, his concern is that whatever legacy he left, it would include first and foremost, the souls of those God entrusted to his pastoral care.

Frankly, a preacher who does not feel this burning inside for those to whom she or he preaches, and those to whom God has sent him or her, is no preacher of the Gospel of Jesus.  To be called of God is to despise one’s own life for the sake of another’s.  It is what Jesus did on the cross; it is that to which Jesus calls his disciples:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.  Matthew 16:24^(NLT)

For You Today

Daily, piece by piece, you are stitching-together the legacy you will leave some day.  Whatever “words” you say at the end will not change what you do today. 

For a genuine disciple of Jesus Christ, the marching order today is as unchanging as the course of the sun, moon, and stars; pick up the cross and follow.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

Before You Even Ask

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Friday, July 20, 2018

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them.  I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.  But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.  Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.  “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do.  They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”  Matthew 6:5-8^(NLT)

For the last couple of years every time I looked at the roof on our house, I tried to imagine what it’s like to sleep in a homeless shelter.  After more than 18 years in the same place, those shingles must be feeling old.  I imagine they’re just like everything else I’ve ever thought I owned; they own me.  And they choose to break, disappear, rust-out, short-out, or just plain die-out roughly 32 seconds after the warranty runs-out!  We bought the house new in 2000, so I know the care we’ve taken to keep things up.  But, shingles are exposed to everything. 

Last month I thought my dreams had come true; more accurately, my nightmares – the ones where the sheriff’s deputy comes to haul me off to debtor’s prison because I can’t pay the bill for the new roof. 

After a particularly strong rainstorm I noticed a stain on the bedroom ceiling.  My heart got that sinking-into-the-abyss feeling.  It’s that feeling you get when the repair estimate has more numbers than your complete phone number, area code and all.  So, I climbed into the attic and searched for wet spots or any sign of water migration.  Nada!  

With faint heart I picked up the phone to call the insurance claim office.  Now, if you’ve ever had to call your insurance company to check on whether you’re covered for something, you know where I’m headed with this.  But I never got there, because the voice on the other end said:  I’ll send someone right out!

Huh?  Was this the Twilight Zone, or what?  Insurance companies are not that friendly.  Often the good hands are just getting a good grip to slap you down a rung or two.  But the guy actually showed up. 

Then he climbed up on the roof (which I was sure was just a ploy to find out what I did or didn’t do so they could deny the claim).  He took pictures up there (evidence for the judge and the debtor’s prison people, no doubt).  Then he went to his truck, came back with the pictures and a claim form.  I was ready to offer my wrists for the handcuffs, but he showed me the pictures and said – that must’ve been some hail storm!

I must have mumbled something profound, like:  Uhm…. what hailstorm?  He pointed to his pictures that showed chalk line circles on a whole bunch of my shingles and said:  the storm that did that!  Then the guy handed me a check for half the roof replacement and said:  give me a call when the roofer is about done and I’ll get you the other half.  He walked back to his truck, got in and yelled out:  Have a better day, today. 

He was half-way down the street when I finally processed what had just happened.  I felt my neck artery to see if I still had a pulse, because I know my heart had gone the way of everything else I own under warranty…stone cold useless.  It wasn’t until I deposited the check and the bank people didn’t laugh at me, that I finally started to believe the nightmare had become that sweet dream I’d always heard about.

As I write this there is pounding on my roof.  The guys are almost done, and even they haven’t littered my yard with the wrappers from McDonald’s, or even smoked a single cigarette, or downed a fifth of Jack Daniels.  To boot, one guy just walked past the study window sweeping off the back patio. 

I like this dream!

To the point – I’ve been worrying about that roof.  I’ve been worrying more about the $11,000 it would take to replace it, and where I’d ever get that kind of money.  But it seems my worrying was misplaced; it seems I’ve got a Father who has all kinds of access to stuff…even where the hail lands. 

And so, even before I thought to ask, His answer was on the way.

For You Today

Your Heavenly Father knows exactly what you need; and he knows exactly when you need it; and he understands just how much the bill will be…even before you ask.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Russell Brownworth’s camera

Eternal Witness

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Friday, July 20, 2018

I have found my servant David.  I have anointed him with my holy oil.  I will steady him with my hand; with my powerful arm I will make him strong.  His enemies will not defeat him, nor will the wicked overpower him.  I will beat down his adversaries before him and destroy those who hate him.  My faithfulness and unfailing love will be with him, and by my authority he will grow in power.  I will extend his rule over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.  And he will call out to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’  I will make him my firstborn son, the mightiest king on earth.  I will love him and be kind to him forever; my covenant with him will never end.  I will preserve an heir for him; his throne will be as endless as the days of heaven.  But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating.  But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him.  No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back a single word I said.  I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie:  His dynasty will go on forever; his kingdom will endure as the sun.  It will be as eternal as the moon, my faithful witness in the sky!” Interlude  Psalm 89:20-37^(NLT)

In a recent conversation with a fellow pastor I was sharing one aspect of God’s call to ministry on my life, a particular aspect of preaching that calls us to the surrendered life.  Here’s what I said:  If you go back and read every one of my sermons, since day one in ministry, you’ll find the theme is repenting of who we have been and surrendering to God’s will. 

Now that is certainly part of Scripture’s content and intent; that we bow before God’s prior claim on our lives and be obedient to His will.  Notice that the promise made to King David is a throne forever – an eternal dynasty, David’s descendants ruling forever. 

But, and there IS a but, and actually there are two of them; they are all about the conditional nature of God’s promise:

The first “but” is concerning future obedience:

But if his descendants forsake my instructions and fail to obey my regulations, if they do not obey my decrees and fail to keep my commands, then I will punish their sin with the rod, and their disobedience with beating. 

A reality about the lovingkindness and promises of God is that you’d better handle them with holy hands; even though God’s promises are eternal, and God cannot lie, you cannot behave with impunity towards a holy God and expect Heaven will be silent.  Like the old-time preacher put it – people who get saved and then go on to live like a child of Hell think they’ve got fire insurance; that dog won’t hunt!

The second “but” is a reassurance that chastisement will not cancel God’s promises:

But I will never stop loving him nor fail to keep my promise to him. 

God always has a way to work out his promises, despite our unwillingness to cooperate.

In the case of David, God promised that his descendants would carry out God’s rule forever, even though David messed up, and the Kingdom of Israel, as well as David’s family fell apart for a season.  God, who sees from a much higher perspective than humans, understood this would happen and, even in his original promise to David, promised an eternal witness to this promise. 

The completion of God’s eternal witness of a promise to David (as well as Adam[2]) was fulfilled in a manger.  It seems out of the root of Jesse’s stump[3] the lineage of David, produced a king, born in a manger, the Lamb of God.  And in the cross, Jesus regained the holy ground of the throne of eternal witness God promised. 

Speaking to David, the great ancestor of Jesus, the eternal king, God had said He would never take back his promise – not a single word! 

For You Today

Perhaps you, like David, have messed up some of God’s promises, and you’re feeling the effects of a woodshed experience, the rod of correction.  Don’t mistake that for God going back on his promises to you.  To the contrary…He’s just getting started; His promises are always fulfilled. 

So, surrender; reboot, restart, and live the life!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day. 

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[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] Genesis 3:15

[3] Isaiah 53