Not All Resurrections Are Flawless 

I thought I had witnessed a resurrection. My “smartwatch” that I wear to keep track of the number of steps I take each day had apparently died. The fatal incident had occurred while I was finishing some yardwork with others at our church. I concluded that it must have been the result of water getting on the sensitive instrument as I was using a leaky hose pipe. At first, I couldn’t get it to power up at all. However, after a day or two, it showed a few signs of life but with numerous quirks in its readout. At the suggestion of a couple of other people, I buried the watch in a small pile of rice in an attempt to draw out any remaining moisture. Afterwards I thought this procedure had been successful. I was ready to declare a resurrection. Everything seemed to be working normally. But it didn’t last. Soon my watch started exhibiting signs that there was still a problem and ended up dying again.

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus this weekend, I am thankful that it wasn’t a temporary or flawed event. Jesus didn’t rise only to die again. As He declared in a vision to John, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:18). The writer of Hebrews points out the importance of the fact that Jesus is a great high priest who lives forever, in contrast to human priests who only served for a short time before passing on from this life. “But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:24-25). The good news is that we still serve a living Savior today. He is even now alive and interceding for us before His heavenly Father.

Additionally, His resurrection wasn’t faulty in any way. It was perfect and complete. Jesus was raised from the dead in glory and power. And the Bible tells us that we will experience a similar resurrection one day. The remains of these physical bodies will be transformed into a glorious creation fit for eternity. “The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (I Corinthians 15:42-44). As Jesus rose to live forever, so will we.

Unfortunately, the promise of our resurrection isn’t good news for everyone. While we all will be raised to live forever, the condition in which we spend eternity is dependent on how we responded to God’s grace during our years on earth. Jesus declared, “For the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth – those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:28-29). We will be resurrected to face either the joys and blessings of God’s favor or the awful consequences of His judgment. It all depends on whether or not we put our faith in the resurrected Christ as the only One who can save us from our sins. Did we do good – receive God’s grace through Jesus and let Jesus enable us to live a holy life? Or did we do evil – reject God’s gift of salvation and live for ourselves?

Put your faith in the resurrected Jesus today, so that you can be assured not just of living forever like Him, but living gloriously in His presence and in God’s favor.   

 

Seek To Fly Higher with the Lord 

Last week I was driving along the highway when I witnessed the vehicle approaching me in the oncoming lane strike a bird as it attempted to fly across the road. When I looked in my rearview mirror, I could see the creature laying on the pavement, either stunned or dead. It appeared to be the same kind of bird I had seen on previous occasions exhibit the same kind of low-flying, daredevilish behavior. It was one of those beautiful red cardinals. I have often noticed this particular species’ propensity to fly low to the ground. In some areas, it isn’t a problem. However, when it is crossing a busy highway, this practice can tend to have fatal results. I think I have even hit one or two of them myself over the years.

I sadly thought, “If only those birds would fly a few feet higher they would avoid the danger.” It wouldn’t take much. They wouldn’t have to soar high in the sky as I saw a hawk majestically doing over our church property recently. If they would just aim a little higher, they could survive their encounter with the cars and trucks speeding down the road.

The same could be said for some of us who are seeking to follow Jesus. We tend to fly too low, putting ourselves in danger while missing out on the blessings of a higher experience. In some cases, it may be people who are having a hard time separating themselves from the ungodly aspects of the world. They choose to fly low – to stay as close to this world and its temporary pleasures as they can while still trying to follow the Lord at the same time. If they keep going that way, allowing the world to have such a strong downward pull on them, they are very likely to crash.

However, for others of us, it may not be the attraction to the world that is holding us down but simply the lack of understanding or lack of faith that a higher flight is possible. We have surrendered to the idea that we have no choice but to fly low as believers. We emphasize the fact that we are only human and have all these sinful tendencies. We submit to the non-biblical notion that sinning has to be a constant part of our lives weighing us down. We think we can’t rise above it, so all we can do is fly low while depending on God’s forgiveness for our inability to go any higher. We have been taught, or have otherwise concluded, that God’s commands about being holy, having a pure heart, loving Him with all our hearts, loving our enemies, being Christlike, and various other directives that lift up a high standard are unattainable in this life.  

Some of us need to recognize that God calls us to fly higher than that. We need to have greater faith in what God can do in our lives. We need to believe His word when it calls us to a higher experience. It isn’t just talking about how God perceives us due to what Jesus did for us on the cross, as wonderful as that is. But it is also referring to the real changes He can actually make in our hearts and our behavior so that we can be the godly people He calls us to be. That also comes only through Christ, not through our efforts. However, it is a real change that gives us greater victory over sin and enables us to live more consistently in line with God’s will for us.

Don’t settle for a lower and more precarious existence. Trust Jesus to help you fly higher and to become more like Him.

 

Look for God’s Appointments in Your Life 

Last weekend I saw a commercial that contained the statement, “Some things are too obvious to be a coincidence.” That declaration expressed how I felt about something which I had experienced just a few days prior to viewing the ad. I had come away from it with the clear sense that God had orchestrated the encounter.

It began routinely enough as I took my wife’s vehicle to get it serviced. As I was waiting on the work to be done, another man entered the establishment asking if he could hang around until the nearby car rental business opened. He came into the waiting area, we exchanged greetings, and almost immediately he asked if I was a pastor and suggested that I looked familiar to him. As it turned out, he had read my newspaper columns regularly, even making numerous copies of one in particular that he had distributed to people over the years. This fresh revelation of someone finding my writing to be meaningful even to the point of sharing it with others came at a time when I needed such encouragement. However, the story doesn’t stop there.

 After further conversation, I discovered that the reason this gentleman was getting a rental car was because he was traveling to attend a Christian writer’s conference. He was in the process of writing his first book and seeking to get it published. Therefore I was able to share some of my experiences with him and hopefully was of some assistance as he pursued this new endeavor. So not only had he encouraged me, but possibly I was a blessing to him in some way too. Before this man departed to procure his car, we took a moment to pray for each other. I was left with a joyful assurance that the Lord had brought us together that morning.

Don’t get the wrong impression. Such obviously God-directed meetings aren’t a daily occurrence for me. This was the clearest such event I had experienced in a while. However, I do believe God is daily directing the steps of His followers and often setting up encounters with other people whether or not they are as evident as this one was to me. I did not have any specific guidance from God that led me to the car shop that day. My being there was because our vehicle needed some attention. However, I had prayed that morning, as I usually do, for the Lord’s direction about what I would do that day. In contrast, the other man involved told me how he had specifically prayed for where God wanted him to go while he was waiting for the rental car business to open. He felt a definite divine push to go where he went.  

The point is that the Lord has places for us to be and people to meet each day. It may come as part of our everyday routine, or it may happen as the Holy Spirit nudges us in some unusual direction. We need to be seeking His guidance, receptive to His leading, expecting opportunities, and ready to walk through the doors He opens for us. It may be that He wants to use you to be a help and blessing to someone, or it could be that He wants to send someone to you who will encourage or bless you in some way.

When I walked into that car shop, the man behind the counter asked if I had an appointment. I told him that I didn’t. However, I found out that God had set up a different kind of appointment for me that day. He has appointments for you too. Look for them as you cross paths with people each day. Those encounters aren’t just coincidences.

 

Let Jesus Be Your Everyday Companion 

Recently my wife and I ate dinner at a rather expensive restaurant which we had never visited before. The only reason we were dining there at this point was due to my wife having won a gift card for that establishment through a contest on a Christian music radio station. It was great food and an enjoyable experience, but because of the cost I am not sure we will do it again, unless we can win another gift card. When we made our online reservation, the website asked if we were coming there because we were celebrating some kind of special occasion, listing several specific options, such as a birthday or anniversary. We ended up selecting one of the last-mentioned choices – “just because”. Apparently this business considers itself to be geared more for an occasional experience rather than being a restaurant customers will tend to visit on a regular basis.

As Easter approaches in a few weeks, we are reminded how some people see church in a similar manner. It isn’t their regular hangout, but they will visit there for special events or significant occasions, such as Easter, Christmas, weddings, or funerals. They may find those encounters to be meaningful, but don’t intend to make it a part of their everyday lives. Those of us who are regular worshipers should welcome those visitors and seek to make the most of those opportunities for the Lord to impact their lives while they are there.

However, this isn’t just the way some people view attending church, but how some look at God or Jesus in general. They treat Him more as someone to resort to in certain specific situations rather than as an everyday companion. When they get sick or receive bad news from a medical test, they suddenly remember Him and reach out to Him. When they get hit by other trials in life, they start looking for Him and His help. Maybe they haven’t given much thought to Him in a while, but at a funeral or in a hospital they are reminded of Him. They aren’t willing to pay the cost of discomfort and guilt over their neglect of Him or their disobedience to Him in most cases, but in those situations they are willing to endure it for a moment before returning back to their usual world where God is either ignored or relegated to a rarely-opened closet in the back corner of their lives.

The good news is that the Lord never intended to be our expensive restaurant for special occasions. He wants to be our neighborhood diner or our family kitchen. He desires for us to come and dine with Him every day. He wants to free us from the guilt that makes us feel bad when we encounter Him. He can replace it with peace and joy as we come into a right relationship with Him. We don’t even have to go to any particular location to find Jesus. He comes right to our door. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Jesus can be our ever-present guest. He can be with us wherever we go. We can draw strength from Him throughout our day. We can lean on Him when we need support. We can feed on His word. We can look to Him for courage, comfort, and hope.

Jesus isn’t just someone to resort to at the end of life or on some special occasion. He can be our Savior, Friend, and Lord every day and every hour. Open up the door of your heart and experience Him for yourself.

 

Share Your Faith with the Fearful  

As I looked at some pictures my daughter had posted of her family visiting a show involving robotic dinosaurs, one of those photos stood out to me. Her older son and his same-aged cousin were pretending to be scared of the prehistoric creatures surrounding them, posing for the photo-op with terrified looks on their faces. Meanwhile her younger son was clinging to his mother with an uneasy expression on his face. His fear and uncertainty appeared to be more genuine. While others feigned being scared, he was experiencing some degree of the real thing.

Sometimes we are the ones who struggle with fear as we face the trials and uncertainties of life today. However, as followers of Jesus, we are often reminded that we don’t need to be afraid. If we know the Lord as our Savior, are confident that God is still the King who is in control of everything, and are assured of a home in heaven, we can often face our scary circumstances and ferocious-looking adversaries with faith, courage, and peace. Sometimes we are right there with Jesus, sleeping peacefully in the boat while the storm is raging all around us.

On those occasions when we stand boldly in the face of this world’s terrors, knowing that they can only do so much to us – that ultimately we are safe in the arms of God, let’s not forget about those around us who may not share our fearless spirit. As the time seems to be getting closer when Jesus will return, we may be looking forward to it and praying with the apostle John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20). Nevertheless, there are others who are uneasy, if not terrified, about such a prospect. They know they are not ready to meet this One who will be coming to execute final judgment on the inhabitants of the world. Likewise, as we see the moral decline and resulting deterioration of our society, we can be confident that no matter how bad it gets, the Lord will be with us and will see us through it. However, there are those around us who are discovering that the things they tend to lean on for support are unreliable and may let them down. Such realizations can be unsettling. In the midst of uncertainty about tomorrow, we know that our futures are secure as long as we are in a right relationship with Christ. Meanwhile, the future can look scary and bleak to those who don’t have that hope.

 So on those occasions when we are experiencing victory over fear ourselves, let’s not forget about those around us who are still struggling with it. How can we be a help to them through those times? Sometimes we may simply need to be there – to be present as someone they can lean on or hold tightly to, as my young grandson was clinging to his mother in the presence of those dinosaurs. However, we can often offer more than temporal comfort. We can point others toward the reason for our faith, peace, and hope. We can encourage them to put their trust in the same Savior whom we are trusting. We can share about our own relationship with Christ and let others know they can have a similar experience. We can remind people that God is still on His throne fulfilling His plans and purposes, even if we may not fully understand them. We can comfort and encourage others with the same comfort God has given us.   

Our world can be a troubling place at times. Even when we are living by faith instead of fear, others may not be. Let’s seek to be an encourager and help to those who are fearful.

 

Jesus Should Be Our Main Influencer  

On her recent birthday, my wife received a precious video message featuring our youngest grandson. He was wishing her a happy birthday, telling her that he loved her, and blew her a kiss. However, at only two years of age, he wasn’t doing this without some needed guidance. His father was nearby cueing him on what to say and do. Nevertheless, our grandson followed those directions willingly and gladly, as if his words and actions truly expressed what was in his heart and mind had he been able to initiate it all by himself.

 From what or whom are we taking our cues? I am not suggesting that we aren’t capable of thinking for ourselves and of expressing our thoughts through what we say and do. However, we all are influenced by sources outside of ourselves. As followers of Jesus, we should primarily be taking our cues from Him. And I am not just talking about what we think Jesus would do in a given situation. We should be living in accordance with the written Word He has provided for us, as well as obeying the promptings of His Spirit who lives within us.

God’s Word is a faithful guide for us to live by. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17). Additionally, Jesus declared that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth (John 16:13). The Bible states that “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14). Therefore, as believers, we should be receiving and following guidance from the Bible and the Holy Spirit.

 I am concerned that many who profess to be Christians today are taking their cues primarily from other sources. Many are being influenced more by our culture with its changing viewpoints rather than the eternal truths of God. Some are allowing themselves to be deceived and led down less-than-Christlike pathways by their favorite podcaster, news personality, or political leader. There are those who are letting themselves be guided more by what it means to be a “conservative”, a member of a particular political party, an “independent”, or an “evangelical”, or a member of a particular denomination, instead of being directed by what it means to be a Spirit-led follower of Jesus.

I am not suggesting that we mindlessly repeat some biblical mantra or robotically submit to behave in whatever way the Lord directs, as if we are marionettes whose strings are being pulled by the Lord. However, we do let God’s Word and His Spirit guide us. We listen. We obey. And like my grandson did in his video message, we make it our own. God’s will becomes our will. His desires become what we want. We don’t follow His directions with a grudging heart as if it is some unpleasant burden. We do it gladly. We know that it is good, right, and true. And we know that it is best for us and best for carrying out God’s purposes.

Be careful whom you are letting influence you today. While we need to be informed about what is going on in our world, we need to stay attuned to what the Lord says about it all, including how we should live and respond to these circumstances in which we find ourselves. Study His Word. Listen to that small voice of His Spirit. Let them be your main guide as we journey through this different and challenging world today. Always take your cues from the Lord.

 

Does the Lord Still Heal the Sick Today?  

It seems that currently there are many cases of people suffering from viruses and other sicknesses making the rounds. It raises questions related to the subject of divine healing. What can and should we expect when it comes to prayers for healing and the idea of God instantaneously and miraculously delivering people from their physical ailments? While we can’t thoroughly explore the subject in this brief format, here are a few points to ponder.

The Bible reveals that God can miraculously heal people. Such miracles were part of Jesus’ ministry. So we shouldn’t deny its reality or downplay its possibility. However, just because Jesus did it, does that mean divine healing is still available to us today? Consider the fact that Jesus gave His disciples the authority to heal sicknesses. We see such miracles taking place in connections with Jesus’ followers after His death and resurrection. Paul refers to the possibility of believers being given a gift of healing. And in the book of James, it talks about the sick being healed as others anoint them with oil and pray for them. While some people claim such miracles were limited to a certain time period, I see no evidence of that in scripture. I believe the Lord can still heal today.

The Bible also affirms that the Lord can heal all kinds of diseases. No case is too hard for Him. Jesus healed lepers, the blind, the lame, and various other ailments. Some of those had no cures and were considered hopeless cases. I believe there is still no sickness beyond the Lord’s ability to heal – not cancer or Alzheimer’s or heart disease or Covid. Isn’t that wonderful news?

However, the scriptural record indicates that Jesus didn’t instantaneously and miraculously heal everyone. He could have, but He didn’t. There were times when He healed all who were brought to Him. Nevertheless, He didn’t heal every sick person He came upon. Consider the case of the man He healed at the pool of Bethesda (see John 5:1-15). It appears that Jesus only healed the one man even though there were multitudes of sick people gathered at that location. So while divine healing is possible and available to us today, God doesn’t always choose to work that way. Instead, He may help us experience healing over time, not only as we continue to pray about it, but also as we make use of the medical professionals and medicines He has provided or us. We should also keep in mind that God can use such times of suffering to strengthen us and develop godly character in us.  As with Paul’s “thorn in the flesh”, sometimes God gives us the grace to endure the suffering.

Neither is such miraculous healing dependent on having enough faith. Faith can be an important factor when it comes to healing. When Jesus healed people, He sometimes pointed out their faith. Likewise, when Jesus went back to His hometown area, He was unable to do many miracles there because of their unbelief. The lack of faith can certainly be a hindrance to the Lord healing us. However, I would hesitate to fault Paul for a lack of faith in not experiencing healing from His “thorn in the flesh” or in the fact that he records having left a sick co-worker behind on one occasion. Why didn’t Paul miraculously heal him? It is further evidence that God’s will and purposes do not always include miraculous healing.

So as we deal with sickness in ourselves or in others, let’s be open to the possibility of divine healing and make it a matter of prayer, However, as with all prayer, we need to seek God’s will and submit to His plans and purposes, whether it is to heal instantaneously and miraculously or not.