Endure

His Glorious Return {Matthew 24}

12:00 PM



Matthew 24


As we bring this turbulent year of 2020 to a close, the holiday season is a much needed time of joy, thankfulness, and festivities. And as we celebrate the glorious birth of our Savior, it is also the perfect time to celebrate His soon glorious return. So even though Matthew 24 is full of warnings about the trials and tribulations that will mark the sign of His coming and the end of the age, it also contains some pretty awesome promises of God. Promises we can hold dear to our hearts in every season! 


“The One who endures to the end will be saved” (vs. 13)- Jesus made it clear that the life of a Christian will be filled with trials, persecution, and peril. Yet for those who stand strong in their faith until the end, no matter the circumstances, God promises deliverance from their enemies and a life spent by His side filled with eternal love and peace.


“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.” (vs. 22)- The heart of man is inherently wicked and hell bent on destruction. Yet God gives us His loving promise to save those He calls His own. If not for His mercy, not only during the tribulation but each day, man in his wickedness would destroy every living thing.


“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” (vs. 35)- All things have a shelf life. Even our current heaven and earth will pass away for new magnificent ones. But one thing that will never change is the Word of God. For His words are true and everlasting. They bring light and life to a darkened world. And we can trust God’s promise of not one word uttered by Him ever passing away without being fulfilled.


“Blessed is that slave whom his master so doing when he comes.” (vs. 46)- Jesus is our great Master, and has appointed us to continue His work on earth until He returns. That means we are to continue sharing the Good News of Christ and working for the kingdom of God. And in return, when we stand before the Lord  face to face, He promises to reward our efforts with blessings beyond imagining!


One of the things I love most about God is His great love for us. There is nothing we can do, buy, or earn to climb our way to the Father. So He climbed down to us. Our mighty King traded His majestic throne in heaven for a bed of wood and hay. The Lamb of God came as a humble, helpless child, but the Lion of Judah will return as our conquering King and Ruler of all. So as I give thanks this season for the birth of my Savior, I will equally give thanks for His promises and soon glorious return! 






Forgiveness

A Quick Decision Can Lead To Lasting Consequences {Matthew 14}

2:05 PM

 



Matthew 14


When Herod the Great died, each of his sons became a ruler, also called a “tetrarch”, over 1/4 of his kingdom. His son, Herod Antipas, governed over the areas of Galilee and Perea. Herod had a half brother named Philip. While in Rome visiting Philip, Herod met Herodias, the wife of Philip, and the two fell madly in love. And that forbidden love led Herod to make a decision that resulted in the murder of a beloved man of God, John the Baptist. a decision Herod deeply regretted.


John the Baptist had a ministry near the Jordan river. There he preached the coming of the promised Messiah, and baptized people in the name of the Lord. When John learned of the union between Herod and Herodias, who had since divorced their respective spouses to marry each other, he preached against the marriage. Such a union was forbidden in Jewish law. Herodias was furious over John’s public disapproval, and had Herod throw John in prison. In her hatred, Herodias wanted John dead, but Herod, being afraid of a rebellion by the Jews, refused. And so Herodias tricked Herod into murdering John and presenting his head to her on a platter. Caught up in desire and running on passion, caused Herod to make a decision that would haunt him the rest of his life.


Even the best of us fall victim to making mistakes in the passion of a moment that can lead to a lifetime of consequences. I think of Moses who in a fit of anger sinned against God and lost his chance to enter the promised land. (Deut. 32:51-52) Or David who in the heat of desire slept with another man’s wife, resulting in murder and the death of David’s son. (2 Sam. 12:13-18) And Samson who in a moment of frustration told the secret to his God given strength, causing him to be captured, blinded, and killed. (Judges 13-16)


We all make decisions in the heat of the moment that end up as mistakes. We all fall short and need forgiveness daily. Fortunately, God’s grace comes in an abundant supply. The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and filled with unfailing love. He does not accuse, nor remain angry forever. He does not deal harshly with us, but instead is faithful to forgive our never-ending sins. (Psalm 103:8, 1 John 1:9) And although God may let us reap the consequences from the decisions we make, His unfailing love for us is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. A love in full display through His Son Jesus Christ who, regardless of the mistakes we’ve made, stands ready to welcome us with open arms and not a pointed finger.




Atonement of Jesus

Where God Meets Man (Hebrews 2)

3:47 AM




Hebrews 2 

Have you ever wondered why you matter to the Almighy?  “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him.” (v6) 

This week we are focusing on the atonement provided by Jesus.  The Bible has many references to man’s desperate need for such atonement.  There was a time when man knew the joy of meeting with God and having an intimate relationship with Him. But, even before Adam, there was sin and evil. Satan had already been cast out of God’s presence and sadly, man abused the freedom of choice that God gave him. Man chose to be deceived by Satan and take on a sinful nature as well. God could have given up on man and left him in the hopelessness of his poor choices. But He chose instead to provide a means of atonement and to give you and I the gift of choice as well.  

Man became isolated away from God because of sin. But, Jesus became the hinge that opened that closed door and allowed man to enjoy God’s presence and sweet fellowship again.  “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself” (2 Cor. 5:19) 
The sacrificial system of the OT taught that there had to be atonement for sin. But goats and lambs were not perfect sacrifices and man in his sinful state could not be reconciled to God on his own merit or effort. Jesus, however, was willing to be that perfect sacrifice, stepping out of the glory of heaven to become flesh and blood himself so he could give every man opportunity to be saved and reconciled to God.  

“But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” (v9) 
By tasting death, he freed us from the power of death. Not only did Adam’s disobedience bring physical death to man, but also spiritual death. This spiritual death became like a closed door that Satan had imprisoned us behind. Jesus came to show us the love of God and provide an open door back to God. He became human “like us” so that He could serve as our High Priest, mediating on our behalf between us and God.  
“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” (v17) 
 
Jesus provided propitiation by becoming God’s mercy seat.  
“The mercy seat was the golden lid or the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest sprinkled the sacrificial blood of an innocent victim to atone for the broken Law. The tables of stone on which were written the holy Law were kept in the Ark. The sprinkled blood covered the broken Law and made possible a meeting place between God and the sinner. “(Don Stewart)  
Isn’t it amazing the lengths that God would be willing to go to give us opportunity for atonement? He sent us atonement through his beloved son, Jesus. "For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all . . . (1 Timothy 2:5-6) 
Praise be to Jesus, who became one of us to bring us back into fellowship with God. 

God's grace

Reflections From Roxanna~God's Grace and Mercy

6:00 AM


“The Lord is good to all, and His mercies are over all His works.” (Ps. 145:9)

The Bible tells us that God is good, true, and His mercy great and everlasting. And in His goodness He is, "Compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin" (Ex. 34:6-7) Romans 2:4 instructs us that such goodness and mercy should lead us to have hearts of repentance. “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4)

What does it mean that God is merciful? Augustus Hopkins Strong is quoted as saying, “Mercy is that eternal principle which leads Him to seek the temporal good and eternal salvation of those who have opposed themselves to His will, even at the cost of the infinite self-sacrifice.”

In His goodness, God not only shows mercy, but He bestows upon us His many forms of grace. they include:

Saving Grace- the supernatural gift of the undeserved and unmerited favor of God given to believers through Christ by Faith 

Living Grace- the supernatural ability to live each day in God's will, allowing us to both endure and conquer sin

Suffering Grace- the the supernatural strength provided by God to endure any and all suffering.

Giving Grace- the supernatural desire to share what God has given to you with his Church  and his people.

Dying Grace- the supernatural comfort that God gives to His saints

The One true God is good, and great are His mercies!

Blessings, 
Roxanna

Becky Austin

God’s Merciful Rest (Hebrews 4)

2:38 AM



Hebrews 4

Since Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, life has been full of struggles and toil. Life requires that we carry many burdens, face many challenges and it certainly will weary our sin laden souls. But, God did not leave us to this fate. In His mercy, he extended us grace and offered us rest for our weary souls. He offered us an eternal hope for a life reunited with Him and full of amazing promise and hope. 

I remember vividly looking at a witnessing tract when I was a child called “One Way”. It had few words, mostly pictures. It started with a mass of people moving forward, stained with sin, headed to hell. But, there were signs pointing to a side corridor that said "God’s free gift” and “Love Gift Inside”. Three young people entered and saw the story of the gospel depicted on the walls. One of the young people, rejected the love offered in that story and left to rejoin the mass of people without God. Two of the young people, however accepted the gift with sincerity of heart. They went up a flight of stairs and were greeted by God the Father, Jesus and HolySpirit. They ran into their outstretched arms. It was such a joyous celebratory moment and it always comforted me. Of course, I felt sorry for the young boy who had walked away.  

Hebrews 4 reminds me of that simple story. God offers to the tired, weary, burdened society His free gift of love through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. He wants us to believe and accept His salvation. He wants to give us rest. But, sadly, many choose to reject what He so lovingly offers and must be judged accordingly.  
For those of us, however, who recognize our need for Christ, we are gifted with a very personable, unique, intimate relationship with Jesus. He knows each person He breathes life into and the same gift of salvation is always freely offered.  He knows every sinful thing about us, and yet He offers us comfort, deliverance from sin, and most importantly, He offers us rest. What incredible Grace and Mercy! He is always knowledgeable of what is going on in our lives and yet He is empathetic and willing to intercede on our behalf.  “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (v15)  Because of who He is and what He has done, we can know Him intimately and be encouraged to seek Him without fear of rejection.  
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (v16) 
  
"Thou lovest me, in spite of all my failure, 
Thou knowest all my weakness and my sin; 
But Thou did'st die on Calv'ry to redeem me, 
To cleanse and make me white as snow within. 
Thine is a love, unsearchable, eternal, 
And many waters cannot quench Thy love; 
Such love as Thou dost bear the guilty sinner, 
Caused Thee to leave Thy glorious throne above. 
Thou lovest me, a wretched, failing creature, 
Unworthy, but Thy worthiness I claim; 
Thy robe of righteousness is my salvation, 
I pin my faith on Thy most precious Name. 
Thou lovest me before the world's foundation, 
"Chosen in Him" before the moon and sun, 
Eternal love has marked out all my pathway, 
And will direct 'till life on earth is done. 
Thou lovest me, and Thou art interceding, 
And ever working all things for my good, 
O help me Lord, to rest upon Thy promise, 
Rejoicing in Thy ways, not understood. 
Thou lovest me, Ah! marvel of all ages, 
Such wondrous love! we'll never understand; 
But we can thankfully with joy receive it, 
Enjoying blessings from Thy blessed hand. 
O may we rest upon Thy love more fully! 
And trust Thee for the needs of every day, 
Assured Thy goodness, and Thy lovingkindness, 
With mercies will surround my path alway. 
  —Lois Beckwit