God's Deep Secrets

[1]

Friday, January 11, 2019

When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan.  For I decided that while I was with you I would forget everything except Jesus Christ, the one who was crucified.  I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.  And my message and my preaching were very plain.  Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit.  I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.  Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.  No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God—his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.  But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.  That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”  But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit.  For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.  1 Corinthians 2:1-10(NLT)

Mystery and secrets – have I got your attention now?  Musterion is the Greek word Paul used that we translate as “mystery”; it isn’t something hard to understand or figure out…it’s quite simple, once you have the key.

I never liked the way the entertainment industry teases you with coming attractions; they sensationalize next week’s show with what promises to be the best, ever!  Then, they manage to come up with an unashamed tease for the following week that will be the best ever…ever!  All clouds, little rain!  

God, unlike Hollywood, however, always delivers on His promises.  The difference is that God reveals the key to the secret before he asks the question.  God showed up in a manger as our answer to life’s riddle about death, life and what can be done about our lives; then he asked the question:  Do you believe?

When Paul showed up in Corinth he’d had enough of intellectual debate with scholars and the elite.  Paul decided he’d simply declare the unambiguous Gospel, unencumbered by big words.  He told his listeners how Jesus came to us, was crucified by us, rose from the dead to save us, and is coming back for us.

This is hardly a James Patterson mystery novel, or a Steven King story, or a Stephen Hawking physics theorem; it’s plain enough for a child to understand.  Therein is the difference between what we humans usually trust, promises from human experience (what we can see, but don’t understand and can’t fix), over gifts from heaven (what we can’t see because we refuse to see, and don’t need to fix, only accept).

Why we refuse to accept the simple, unvarnished truth about God’s deep secrets of Jesus being the answer to our problems, personal, cultural, and eternal, is a complete mystery to me!

For You Today

Are you confused by why we have so much violence, anger, hatred, and separation in our world?  It’s no mystery in a culture rejecting Christ!

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

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com

Lenten Walk - Part 17

[1]

Friday, March 9, 2018

Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river.  One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, “How long will it be until these shocking events are over?”  The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took a solemn oath by the One who lives forever, saying, “It will go on for a time, times, and half a time.  When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened.”  I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant.  So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”  But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end.  Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials.  But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand.  Only those who are wise will know what it means.  

Daniel 12:5-10^(NLT)

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan.  And this is the plan:  At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth.  Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.  Ephesians 1:9-11^(NLT)

Much of what Daniel recorded is apocalyptic, casting a vision for (what was for him) the future conclusion of God’s plan for all humankind.  It didn’t make much sense to him, but the LORD explained to Daniel it was going to be like our government’s secrets – sealed and out of sight until a later date.

Fast forward six centuries and God’s prophecy to Daniel is beginning to be unveiled through the Apostle Paul.  That plan is to bring all of God’s mysterious, free grace to bear on all creation.  Like an incredibly wealthy father gathering his children, grands, and all the cousins by the dozens for a final blessing and distribution of the wealth, God, at the time of His choosing, will conclude history with the grandest possible blessing.  God will draw His children to Himself – God’s very presence is the ultimate and utmost blessing; there is nothing greater possible. 

This is the somewhat veiled theme of the Lenten Season – that we have little to fear as we walk, even through the valley of the shadow of death, for God has an immutable plan that will result in endless fellowship between Himself and all who love Him.

The fact is, you need that on the Lenten pathway that leads through Golgotha a few weeks from now.  You need that when your job is at risk, or the doctor uses the “C” word.  You need that when you get served divorce papers out of the blue.  You need that when you get a call from the hospital and the first words are:  your daughter.  You need God’s plan to which you can cling when life comes undone.

And life does come undone!  Have you notitced these past 3 weeks the picture on this devotion?  It’s a path through the dense woods; woods that surround the path, and hang-over the path, casting shadows over everything.  At the end of the path, almost out of sight, there is a man…walking.  This is a metaphor for walking through life in all of its’ uncertainty. 

Stephen King would love this path.  America’s premier author of suspense and horror sees a path like this, and his creative juices give birth to fear.  Some of his quotes belong on this path:

Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.

The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.[2]

Life’s pathway can be bright at times…sometimes the dark, scary patches seem to win!                                                  

For You Today

Lent is a time to declare God’s light, no matter how many shadows try to say otherwise!

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

Go to VIDEO

---

[1] Title Image:  Courtesy of Pixabay.com

[2] StephenKing.com