We Can Look Forward to Seeing Jesus 

I was sitting in our living room when I heard the familiar sound of my wife’s phone ringing. However, this wasn’t the ringtone for a normal call. It was the audio notification her device gives her when she is a receiving a video call. Knowing that such events are usually instigated by one of our children and often includes one or more of our grandchildren, I hurried into the room where my wife sat in order to get in on the encounter. Sure enough, when the picture came up on her phone, there was our seven-month-old grandson. As we began to talk to him, he smiled at us. Several times during this electronic visit, he reached out for the phone, as if he was trying to grab hold of us through that device. Near the end of the call, he even leaned over to plant a slobbery kiss on our image on the phone screen. We enjoy those opportunities to interact with members of our family when we are separated by distance, but it still isn’t as good as face-to-face meetings when we can actually feel those hugs and kisses.

Similarly, our interactions with Jesus in this life have their limitations. We weren’t privileged to be there when He was present in a physical body on this earth. We didn’t get to literally see His face, talk to Him, walk with Him, and lovingly lean against Him as the apostles did. On the other hand, our opportunities to interact with the resurrected Christ are in some ways greater than those who followed Him during His brief incarnation. Instead of being limited by time and space, now the Spirit of Jesus is always with us. He actually lives in us. Therefore we can enjoy His fellowship no matter the time, place, or situation. However, it still falls short of seeing Him face-to-face. We can sense His presence, but we typically don’t see Him with our eyes. We can talk to Him in prayer and hear Him speaking to us through His Word, His impressions on our minds, and various other ways He lets us know His will. His voice isn’t usually audible, but it still communicates to us. Yet even in those moments when He seems so close, we realize we are still looking through that glass dimly.

Won’t it be wonderful when that changes? If we are trusting Jesus as our Savior, we have heaven to look forward to once this life is over. Many of us are anticipating reunions with loved ones who have made that journey ahead of us. Nevertheless, the greatest encounter we will experience in that new state of existence will be when we actually see Jesus. As a well-known song suggests, I can only imagine. I don’t know if we will be bowing, leaping, shouting, or so caught up in the moment that no sound will be able escape our lips. But the divide between life and death that has kept us at a distance from our Savior will be removed. We will not only sense His presence; we will see Him. We will not just hear His words in our hearts, we will hear His voice. We will not only feel His touch on our soul, we will be able to feel Him actually touch us, hug us, and hold us close.

While I enjoy those video calls from my grandchildren, I treasure even more those times when we are together in person. Likewise, as much as we enjoy Jesus’ presence now, we can anticipate it rising to a whole new level one day when we are with Him. I hope you are trusting Him as your Savior and can look forward to that experience too.    

 

Have a Godly Impact on Your Family 

Recently I attended a Grandparents Day at the Christian school where one of my young grandsons is a student. During part of the program, the grandparents were reminded of the influential role they can play in the lives of their grandchildren. The staff commended those who had impacted their families for Christ by their teaching and example. It reminded me of the many times I have heard people point to the great influence a godly grandmother or grandfather had on their lives, specifically in their eventually putting their faith in the Lord.

Paul pointed out such a heritage in relation to his young co-worker, Timothy. “When I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also” (II Timothy 1:5). Timothy’s faith fell in line with that of his grandmother and mother before him. However, let’s not get the mistaken idea that such faith is inherited or is somehow automatically attributed to us due to our parent’s or grandparent’s relationship with the Lord. While we can be grateful if we were blessed to be raised in a family with a Christian heritage, such a circumstance doesn’t mean that we are necessarily believers ourselves. Those family members can have a huge effect on us, but we still have to come to the point of repentance and trust in Jesus in our own hearts and minds. We cannot enter into God’s kingdom riding on the wings of someone else’s faith. We have to personally respond to the love of Jesus that took Him to the cross as the sacrifice for our sins.

So even though our faith can’t guarantee that our offspring will follow in our footsteps, we can still exert a significant influence on them that might help lead them in that direction. After God gave his commands to the Israelites concerning how they were to live their lives, He declared, “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). This passage reminds us that we have a God-given responsibility to teach God’s Word and His will to our children and grandchildren. However, it needs to be more than simply going through religious exercises with them. Our faith should show in the way it affects our own lives. Our family should be able to see in us a living example of love, faith, trust, purity, faithfulness, truthfulness, and other Christlike characteristics. They should see how our relationship with Jesus plays out in our everyday lives and in how we relate to other people. It is more than teaching them Bible verses, although it can include such practices. It is living out those truths in front of them.

Of course, praying for our children and grandchildren is also a large part of our influence. This is something that may go unseen by others, but God knows and hears those prayers. He can do things in the hearts, minds, and lives of our offspring that we can’t do. He can be with them when we are many miles away. The prayers of a parent or grandparent may be the greatest influence we can exert.

Let’s not miss this wonderful opportunity God has given us. Through our words, example, and prayers, let’s seek to have a godly impact on our families.

 

Trust the Lord with Financial Concerns 

It is that season again. We went to get our taxes figured up from last year. We were hoping to buck the trend of higher payments, especially since we had some bigger medical expenses we could deduct. However, we came away from the process disappointed. It seems like our tax burden keeps growing each year. When we combine that with some other unusual expenses we have incurred recently, along with the prospect of several other big costly house projects coming up in the near future, it can seem overwhelming.

Personal finances is one of those areas that can test our faith. It takes trust in the Lord from the arena of the abstract and theoretical to a very practical part of our daily lives. We profess to believe that the Lord is able to supply our needs. We claim to be walking by faith. We say that we trust Him to take care of us. However, when the bank account is dwindling and the bills are piling up, does that profession hold up in how we deal with those circumstances? Do we let fear and worry get the best of us? Or do we let our faith provide us with a calm assurance and peace of mind as we move forward?

Jesus talked quite a bit about the subject of money. He knew the significant role it can play in our lives, both for good and for bad. He warned us that it can become our master, usurping God’s rightful place in our lives. He pointed us to the more important treasures, the ones that have eternal significance, calling upon us to seek those more than earthly treasures. And in the midst of His teachings on finances and material possessions in the Sermon on the Mount, He commands us not to worry.  

As I looked over that portion of scripture again in Matthew 6, I noticed several encouraging truths. First of all, God knows what is going on in your life, including your needs and your finances. “Therefore do not worry…For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (6:31-32). God knows what is going on. He sees your current needs, and He can see the ones coming up down the road. He sees the big bills and the small paychecks, the regular expenses and the unexpected ones that will pop up. He knows what you really need, not just what you might want or wish for. He knows and He cares.

Secondly, the Lord promises to provide for our needs. “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (6:33). If we will keep trusting Him, making Him the priority of our lives, and living in obedience to His will, He will take care of our material necessities.

Additionally, the Lord encourages us to simply take things one day at a time. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (6:34). Instead of worrying about all the possible expenditures we see coming up in the months ahead, let’s just take it one step at a time. Take care of what you need to do today. Trust the Lord to provide for today’s necessities. Don’t get overwhelmed by thinking of all the future possibilities and problems. We may need to plan and make some adjustments. However, we don’t need to try to carry tomorrow’s burden today.

Money issues can weigh heavy on our hearts at times, but we can entrust those matters to the Lord. He knows, He cares, and He is able to help us. Keep trusting Him while putting Him first in your life, and let Him bless you with His peace.

 

Don’t Ignore God’s Warnings 

Last Sunday morning I noticed a brightly-colored roll of tape setting on the curb of our church parking lot. At first I thought it was the kind used at a crime scene, causing me to imagine if some police activity might have taken place there as a result of a wild Saturday night. However, a second look revealed that it was actually caution tape, the type that might be employed to warn of a hole in the ground, an unstable structure, or some other kind of danger around a work site. I checked our security cameras to see if I could discover the reason for its presence. It seems that someone had used our empty parking lot the previous afternoon to set up a couple of traffic cones with that tape stretched across them to form an appropriate spot for someone to practice parallel parking. This tape that normally warns of dire consequences was simply being used as a suggested boundary or guide to help someone prepare for a driver’s test. Therefore if the car had gone past the tape, it wouldn’t have fallen into a sinkhole or been in any real danger. 

 Unfortunately this is the way some people view the warnings and cautions God gives us, often in connection with His commands. He graciously lets us know that there are negative consequences if we choose to behave certain ways. He warns us that there are repercussions if we disobey His will. He reveals that there will be a day of judgment in which we will have to give an account of ourselves before a holy God. These truths aren’t hidden or difficult to see. Like that brightly-colored tape, God has loudly proclaimed it and plastered it upon the pages of His inspired Word. We have been clearly warned.

Nevertheless, many people tend to see God’s warnings as simply suggestions or guidelines that can be treated very casually. They view them as options rather than necessities. They may recognize that they might miss out on something good by not heeding His warnings, but they don’t believe a loving God would really cause them to suffer any serious consequences, certainly not any kind of eternal judgment. They don’t see any significant danger in going past God’s boundaries.

Even believers need to be careful about taking God’s cautions too lightly. Even though our works and obedience don’t save us, we should not presume on His grace. Let’s not fool ourselves into believing that it doesn’t matter how we live or whether or not we pay attention to God’s commands and their accompanying warnings. Too many people aren’t totally submitting themselves to God’s will for their lives but are relying on the idea that He will forgive them or already has forgiven them for whatever they might do or fail to do. Even for believers, there can be serious consequences if we ignore God’s clear warnings about how we should live our lives.

God doesn’t sound His warnings because He desires to restrict our freedom or spoil our fun. He is trying to keep us from harm. He knows what is best for us. His commands aren’t to keep us from enjoying ourselves. What He told Israel applies to us as well: “What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good?” (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). God’s commands and warnings are “for our good.” So let’s not ignore them or casually walk past those divine boundaries. Disobeying God has consequences. Let’s not forget it.

 

Live in the Power of the Holy Spirit 

As I continued my previously-mentioned project of cleaning up our basement, I recently came upon my old Daisy BB gun from my youth. I recall the last time I tried shooting this rifle, it was woefully lacking in power. Instead of the tiny metal ball zipping across my yard and pinging off a tree, it pitifully traveled a few short feet before softly falling to the ground. It definitely posed no threat to birds, other small wildlife, or even little boys whose moms were afraid that using such a toy might result in the loss of their child’s eye. I asked someone more knowledgeable about such items if it might be possible for it to be repaired and have its power restored. He suggested the remedy might be as simple as oiling the gun, or at least that would be a good place to start.

A similar diagnosis might hold true for followers of Jesus who are lacking power in their lives. It could be a lack of oil. Interestingly, oil is generally regarded as being used in the Bible as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The parallel can be seen in several passages of scripture. Maybe the most notable one is taken from Isaiah but later quoted by Jesus in reference to Himself. It begins, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor…” (Isaiah 61:1). It appears to connect the practice of anointing with oil to the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life.

The Bible definitely associates the Holy Spirit with the kind of power that is needed in the life of a believer. In one of his letters, Paul prayed for his fellow Christians “to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16). The power we need within us to be faithful to Jesus, to do His will, and to overcome temptation finds its source in the Holy Spirit. If we have put our trust in Jesus as our Savior, the Holy Spirit is already living within us. However, we need to yield to His leading and surrender to the work He wants to do in our hearts to the point that we fulfill the command to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18). It is no coincidence that when Jesus overcame the temptations of Satan in the wilderness, subsequently He was described as returning “in the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14). We need that same power of the Spirit if we are going to be victorious over temptation and sin.

Jesus even more strongly affirmed this connection between the Holy Spirit and power in the instructions He gave His disciples after His resurrection. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). His followers received both the Spirit and the promised power on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. This power not only strengthened them to be more godly men, but it also made them more effective witnesses and provided them with spiritual power through the use of the gifts that the Spirit gave them to use in serving the Lord. Those Spirit-filled believers weren’t weakly surviving while making little impact on the world. They were powerfully taking the fight to the enemy and turning their world upside down for Jesus.

If we are lacking that power in our lives, maybe we need to check our oil. First of all, is the Holy Spirit living in us as a result of our trusting Jesus as our Savior? If so, are we fully surrendered to Him and letting Him fill us? Let’s not be weak-shooting BB guns. Let’s be powerful, influential Spirit-directed instruments of the Lord.