Jesus’ Coming Is at Just the Right Time

Did any of you have problems with items you had purchased online getting delivered to you in time for Christmas? In spite of ordering weeks before and receiving repeated assurances that those packages were on their way, as that deadline approached I was still waiting for a couple of gifts. I know of some people who had to do last minute shopping when they got word that their online purchases weren’t going to make it in time. I understand part of the problem this year was due to the combination of a heavier volume of online purchases and the effects of our Covid-19 situation on delivery services. Failed promises, unmet expectations, and late deliveries can be very stressful and disappointing when it comes to Christmas shopping.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, there were likely many people who were experiencing similar disappointment in God concerning His promise of sending a savior into the world. It appeared that such a deliverer for God’s people was sorely needed. And the promise had been given repeatedly over the course of hundreds of years. Nevertheless, that special delivery from God had not arrived. In the midst of expectations of His coming, there was likely skepticism and doubts about it ever being fulfilled.

However, the Bible declares that God’s gift of His Son was not past due. As a matter of fact, it was right on time. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son…” (Galatians 4:4). God knew when everything was in place and the conditions were right for delivering His special package to the world. Even though many people thought it was long overdue, Jesus’ coming as our Savior took place exactly when needed and according to God’s plan.

As we look ahead to Christ’s Second Coming, we need to have the same confident assurance. With everything that’s going on in the world today, many believers are looking expectantly for Jesus’ return. Some think it’s long overdue in light of the spiritual condition of our society and the impending judgment of a holy God. But there are others who may have given up on the idea altogether. After all, it’s been so long since the promise was made. Many of our predecessors who have thought it would take place during their lifetimes have been disappointed, so why should we think we may be the ones to experience it?

Whenever Jesus comes back, it will be right on schedule – God’s schedule, not ours. Some of us may hope it will happen soon in order for us to be spared the hardships that appear to be looming on the horizon. Others may be praying that it doesn’t happen for a while out of concern for lost loved ones and friends. While there are those who believe it could take place at any moment, others of us believe the Bible indicates there are still some events which may need to take place first. We shouldn’t be surprised if the Church has to go through the purifying fires of tribulation and persecution in order to get it ready for Christ’s return. We need to be making our own personal preparations for facing Jesus by making sure we’re trusting Him as our Savior and submitting to His lordship over our lives. Additionally, we need to be busy doing the work that the Lord has given His Church to do until His return. 

Just as sure as Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He’s coming again. And we need to be getting ready. Whether or not He comes when we think He should do so, He will come exactly when God plans, and He will be right on time.

 

Jesus Came to Prepare His Bride

   

Today is my parents’ sixty-seventh wedding anniversary. I had a hard time finding a good card this year to fully express my gratitude to them and to express my heartfelt sentiments of congratulations. So I settled for a lighthearted one instead that might provide them with a little laugh. I’m giving them one of those simple cards with a familiar message you’ve probably seen. It says, “Happy Anniversary to you and your better half.” Then on the inside it adds, “You two can decide who’s who.” Even after sixty-seven years, that could still stir up a little debate.

We don’t typically think of a wedding in relation to Christmas unless we chose to get married around that time. Even then we don’t usually connect the union of a bride and groom to the birth of Jesus which we are celebrating. However, maybe we should. The Bible certainly draws a link between the two. One of the main reasons Jesus came into this world was to get us ready for our wedding. What am I talking about?

One of the primary analogies Scripture uses to depict our relationship with Christ is that of a bride and groom or a wife and husband. Our relationship should be one of love, devotion, commitment, and faithfulness, much like in a marriage. At the end of this age, Christ will return for His bride, the Church. The book of Revelation pictures our union with Christ at that time as a marriage: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready” (Revelation 19:7).

Are we getting ready for our wedding? Think about how a bride goes to such efforts to prepare for her wedding day. Are we seeking to make ourselves presentable and pleasing to our Groom? We can’t do it in ourselves. Therefore Jesus came into this world in order to make us the fit bride He calls us to be. Look at how the Bible describes it: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

We often think of the purpose of Jesus’ birth in relation to His death on the cross – that He came in order to give His life. That’s true, but let’s not stop there. This passage in Ephesians indicates that the reason He gave Himself for us is to prepare us for our wedding with Him. He calls us to be a pure, holy, glorious church – a calling which we’re falling woefully short of today. The only way we can become such a beautiful bride is through Christ transforming us based on what He did for us at the cross where He died as the sacrifice for our sins. He came so that we can be cleansed of our sins. He came not only to forgive us and make us appear clean in Him, but also to actually transform us, our character, and our behavior to become a more holy people. Right now we should be experiencing an ongoing change in our lives as our Groom keeps working to get rid of any spots or wrinkles in our lives and in His church as a whole to make us an unblemished bride.

There is no doubt who will always be the better half in our relationship with Christ. However, He came to make us a better bride. Let’s cooperate with Him as He gets us ready for our wedding.

Warning: The Baby Jesus Is Our King

One day last week I was scrolling through my newsfeed on social media when I came upon an image that had been blocked with the warning message that it might contain violent or graphic material. When I saw who posted the photo, it didn’t make sense. This person is connected to a church I’ve visited a few times and I had frequently seen her posts online. They have never been objectionable and often contain Biblical quotations or other Christian material. My first thought was whether it might be some picture of Jesus’ crucifixion or some other biblical scene that could be considered violent or too graphic for some people. My curiosity was definitely aroused. Therefore I clicked on the image to view it in spite of the warning. I immediately recognized it as one I had seen before. Do you know what it was? Maybe you’ve seen this image yourself. It’s a depiction of Santa Claus kneeling beside the manger of baby Jesus. What in that scene could be considered violent or graphic? Obviously, nothing. Some people might chalk this up to an innocent mistake. However, based on an increasing number of other alleged incidents in recent times, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is just another example of censorship being practiced against Christians and their expressions of faith.

 What is even remotely objectionable about Santa Claus kneeling at the manger? Maybe it’s the implication that Jesus is more than a cute little baby whose birth we celebrate this time of year. He is God in the flesh who is worthy of our worship. He is the King of all kings, the One we all should kneel before and submit to. Many people in this world don’t want to bow or yield to anyone’s authority over them including the Son of God. Unfortunately, that concept can even disturb a lot of churchgoers. They acknowledge Jesus, maybe even recognize Him as the Savior, but they don’t want to submit to Him as the Ruler over their lives.

The Bible affirms that God has so exalted Jesus “and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). It’s appropriate for Santa Claus to be depicted as kneeling before Christ. We all should bow before Him and recognize that He is Lord and King. If we refuse to willingly do so now, one day we will acknowledge that truth with great regret and sorrow as we find ourselves standing before His throne of judgment.

However, this incident of apparent censorship reminds us of the challenges followers of Christ are facing as our culture and nation is rapidly transforming, and much of that change is not in a positive direction.  We can’t take for granted that people around us know the true meaning of Christmas. We need to keep making the effort to communicate the message of Christ and the purpose of His coming to those who need to hear it. We should not be surprised when opposition surfaces. We should look for ways to overcome efforts to hinder our abilities to share the truth.

Jesus is King. He is above Santa, the President (and President-elect) of the United States, your favorite athlete or celebrity, and whoever else we tend to exalt, including ourselves. So let’s honor Him and bow before Him as our King. There is nothing inappropriate about doing so. It’s those who refuse to do so who should receive the warning.

 

Christ’s Birth Should Stir Up a Little Excitement

   

The day after Thanksgiving we received the news that our seventh grandchild is on the way. This announcement had added significance since it will be the first child born to our son and his wife. While the whole family was excited about this newly-revealed information, my eighty-six-year-old mom won the prize for the best reaction. It was similar to ones you may have viewed on America’s Funniest Videos. She repeatedly screamed in delight, while throwing in a few “hallelujahs” and “praise the Lords”. At one point she made a comment along the lines of, “I wasn’t sure I’d live to see this.”

 Maybe her response and the sentiment she expressed is reminiscent of how some people might have felt about the birth of Jesus. Simeon was a devout man who had been looking for the Messiah for a long time. However, somehow the Holy Spirit had revealed to him that he would not die before he had laid his eyes on this long-awaited Savior. So when Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus into the temple for a customary ritual, Simeon realized that this was the Christ. You can hear the excitement in his proclamation as he realized his hope had been fulfilled: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32).

Or what about Anna? She was a quite elderly lady, a prophetess, who served God at the temple. When she walked in on this scene and realized what it meant, she began to thank the Lord and spread the news to others who had been looking for the arrival of this special child. I don’t picture her as doing this quietly or calmly. I wouldn’t be surprised if she squealed with delight and loudly praised the Lord in similar fashion to my mom.

As we remember and celebrate the coming of our Savior into the world this season, let’s guard against having a matter-of-fact attitude about this special event. It’s probably not a new revelation to most of us. We’ve known about and commemorated this birth most of our lives. Nevertheless, the thought of what took place as God lovingly took on flesh in order to save us from our sins should still touch our hearts and stir our souls. We should still feel some degree of excitement, awe, and wonder at the idea of what God did for us on that unique occasion. It ought to still produce a “hallelujah” or “praise the Lord” bursting forth from our lips at times.

If we’ve lost that enthusiasm over the Incarnation then maybe we need to remind ourselves of the facts. Let’s remember how lost and hopeless we were without Christ. Let’s not forget the condemnation we were under as those who had sinned against a holy God. Let’s remember that we were on a road leading to sin and hell with no way we could get off that doomed pathway ourselves. Then our Savior came to rescue us. He took our condemnation on Himself. He made a way for us to find peace with God. He came to give us life and provide us a home in heaven.

We may not scream with joy every time we think about Jesus’ birth, but neither should we go through this season being unaffected by its truth. Let’s get a little excited about it. Joy to the World! The Lord is come! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

 

Manifest a Spirit Worthy of Your Calling

   

As we now move fully into the holiday season, it will be interesting to see how much of that “spirit” we typically associate with this season gets manifested this year. I’m referring especially to the enhanced attitude and expressions of kindness and generosity that are often more prevalent as we make our way through these weeks leading up to Christmas. As we face the challenges of a pandemic, the prospect of some of our treasured traditions being altered to some extent, and the increasingly divisive and turbulent climate in our society, will we continue to add fuel to the fire or will we be a channel for reducing some of that heat by manifesting a different spirit?

This isn’t only a question for us to consider through the holiday season, but one we need to think about as we generally look ahead to the future and evaluate how we as followers of Christ should conduct ourselves as we move forward from where we find ourselves today. It’s easy for Christians to blame the unbelievers and a lost world for the current status of our society. However, I believe we have to accept a good measure of fault ourselves. We haven’t set a very good example for the world to notice. We have to admit that we often have fallen short of being the light-bearers, the truth-tellers, and the holy people of Christlike character and conduct who should be positively impacting those around us. And in this current explosive atmosphere, we tend to act more like those who don’t share our faith in Christ rather than conducting ourselves in ways that might bring honor to God and be a witness to the world around us. For example, it should concern us to hear people invoke the name of Christ one moment but then turn around and use foul or crude language to denounce someone with whom they disagree concerning some of our political and social controversies. It should especially be of concern if you realize that person is you.

The Apostle Paul exhorts us “to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1). He was addressing the Church – the body of believers in general. As Christians we’ve all been called to follow Christ and should live in ways consistent with that calling. In case we have any doubts as to what that includes, Paul went on to mention a few specifics – “with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3). He closes this same chapter by stating: “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (4:31-32).

Does this describe how we’re dealing with our circumstances today? I’m afraid that too many Christians have allowed themselves to be influenced by unbelievers with whom they may agree politically or about social issues, but whose conduct understandably doesn’t line up to biblical standards. We can’t expect them to act like Christians if they don’t know Christ and don’t have His grace at their disposal to enable them to behave differently. But we do. And we can do better. We can fight the evils of our day while often finding allies in that battle who may not be believers. However, we don’t have to imitate their unredeemed behavior or fight with the same spirit they manifest.  We can still walk worthy of our calling while voicing our concerns, pointing out injustices, and battling against evil.

So let’s seek to manifest that different, more Christlike spirit as we go through this holiday season and beyond.

 

Are We Ready to Give Thanks?

  

One of my young grandson’s recently did something at his preschool for which he was appropriately reprimanded. When he refused to apologize to the other student involved, he was put in “time-out” until he was prepared to own up to his wrongdoing. After a few minutes in that disciplinary position, he was once again approached by his teacher asking him if we was ready to say “I’m sorry.” He responded, “No, I’m not ready yet.” I guess he was being honest about his feelings, but was obviously letting his stubbornness get in the way of what he knew he needed to do.

As we approach this special time we’ve set aside each year for expressing our gratitude, are you ready to say, “Thank You, Lord”? In light of the year we’ve been having, will some of us find it more difficult not only to say the words we know are appropriate but also to truly feel a sense of gratefulness in our hearts for what the Lord has done for us? As Thanksgiving Day draws near, are some of us having to honestly admit, “I’m not ready yet”? I’m not talking about not being ready to get together with family, to prepare a big meal, or jump into the midst of another holiday season. I’m referring to the fact that some of us may not be ready to set aside how we feel about all that has been going in our world over these past months and sincerely express thanks to the Lord.

Many of us know that we still have reason to be grateful. We can mentally count our blessings and remind ourselves that our situations could be worse. However, in spite of what we know, we’re finding it difficult to pull away from the prevailing atmosphere full of complaints, disappointments, fears, and anxieties over constantly having to adjust our lives from what has been our normal for so long. We know we should be thankful, but we’re just not ready yet.

May I encourage us all, including myself, to spend these next few days seeking to get ourselves ready – to prepare our hearts and move more in the direction of gratitude? It may not be easy to distance ourselves from some of the whining we’ve become so accustomed to participating in. It may be difficult not to succumb to the worry that is generated as we’re being constantly bombarded with fear-provoking news. We’ve been in such a negative environment for so many months, it may be hard to break free from its overpowering influence which seems to always be present and weighing us down. Nevertheless, with God’s help, let’s try.

In spite of the terrible loss of life from Covid-19, if you’re reading this, you’re still alive, breathing, and here to see another day. Be thankful for that. In spite of one or more empty chairs at your Thanksgiving celebration this year, be grateful for the people who still fill up those other seats around your table. Even though we may be hurting financially, look at what you do have and be thankful. In spite of the direction our nation seems to be going, let’s be grateful for the freedoms we still have and the opportunities before us to be lights in the darkness. In spite of all the uncertainties of what the future holds, we as believers can be thankful because we know that the Lord will be with us whatever comes our way.

We know we still have good reason to be thankful, even during this challenging year. Let’s not stubbornly refuse to admit it. Let’s get ready to give thanks this week and try to maintain that spirit more consistently as we move forward.

It’s Never Hopeless with God in the Picture

 

A couple of weeks ago someone’s Halloween decoration caught my eye as I was driving through the far side of our neighborhood. There was a skeleton lying on the ground, or at least the major components of such a figure. I’m not sure if all the bones were present and some may have been disconnected. Behind that somber scene was a sign posted with the message “No Hope” spray painted in red letters. Then again, maybe that wasn’t a Halloween decoration at all. Could it have been someone’s response to all that’s been happening to us in the year 2020? Or there are others who might be ready to erect such a display after the results of the recent election. Or maybe that sentiment expresses the mindset of other people as they deal with some personal difficulties in their lives. Whatever the case, it would be hard to picture the concept of hopelessness any better than by means of a dead, dry, scattered bunch of bones…unless you factor God into the equation.

 The Bible tells us about a time when God gave His prophet Ezekiel a vision of a valley full of dry bones. Than He asked him a simple question: “Can these bones live?” Ezekiel gave a rather wise answer. He knew how impossible the situation looked, but He also knew whom He was dealing with. Therefore he responded, “O Lord God, You know.” If you know the story (and if you don’t, check out Ezekiel 37), you will remember that the Lord proceeded to cause those disconnected bones to come together to form whole skeletons. Then he put flesh and skin back on those bones, resulting in a bunch of lifeless corpses. Finally God put breath into those bodies, causing them to live and stand on their feet. A valley-full of dry bones had been transformed into a vast, living army.

What was the point of this vision? The people of Israel had lost hope. They were captives in a foreign land and didn’t see any chance of restoration. However, God encouraged them with this message that He could bring life to the deadest and driest of old bones. He told them that He would bring them out of their graves. “I will put my Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land” (Ezekiel 37:14). No matter how bleak their circumstances appeared, there was still hope in the Lord.

Maybe some of us need to be reminded of that same truth today. As we look at the direction of our society, nation, and world in general, we may not see very many reasons for hope. We see the skeletons of past glories, spiritual deadness where once there was life, and even dry bones scattered across the landscape of the Lord’s church. Nevertheless we serve the same God whom Ezekiel encountered. Maybe recent difficulties and disappointments are reminding us to make sure we’re not placing our hope in man, in political leaders, in religious organizations, or in anything other than the Lord. Our hope is in Him.

Might the Lord be asking us the same question He asked Ezekiel – “Can these bones live?” I don’t know if the dry bones of our nation will be resurrected. Certainly God is able to do it. However, it may need to start with new life in the church. Let’s seek for the Lord to put His Spirit in us, to fill us with fresh life, and to restore us to what we need to be as His people. Yes, it looks to be hard, challenging, and almost impossible. But hopeless? Not with God. Not with the One who can bring dead bones to life.