A New Day

2 Corinthians 6: 1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

There is nothing like the morning, (to a morning person, I suppose – which I am.) The first glimmer of what is to come is quite special. If you’ve never tried it, I highly recommend you get up before the birds to spend some quiet time with the Lord. Particularly at that time of the day, there is no one else around to make any noise – save for the cars and trucks on the distant highway – and the Lord can easily have your full attention.

Isn’t it great that THIS is the day of salvation? HIS accepted time – HIS day of salvation? I wouldn’t want to miss a minute of it!

Can you imagine what it must have been like to live in the previous day, when all that existed was the promise of THIS day? How privileged we are to live in the day of Christ Jesus, when He has been fully defined. How blessed we are not to have to wonder what Messiah would be like when He comes – and when would He?

No, we’re the ones God’s providence has shined upon, those who know the One who is to come – those who live in THE day - His day - the day of salvation.

The day of salvation is a marvelous day, a day in which the rays of sunlight break through all the early morning clouds, and a day in which all of creation is fresh and misty and gloriously beautiful. There has never been a day like this in which to live…

And this is what Paul is saying. “Hey, pay attention! This is the day of SALVATION!” The old days are done, they’ve given way. So why would you choose to live any longer in the old ways?

Do you not know Christ is risen from the grave?! Do you not know death is dead and life is eternal?! Do you not know the hand that is outstretched to you – for you?

I can’t help but think about what went through the mind of Mary Magdalene on that early morning of the New Day. It is quite remarkable to see the risen Lord - and - just as many in history have also done - she failed to immediately recognize Him. But when He spoke in concern for her weeping she saw Him for Who He was – she reached out to cling to Him with all she was worth. This is what Paul is encouraging us to…Never let Jesus go!

-  Pastor Bill

Growth

2 Corinthians 5:7 For we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences. 12 For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 16Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Walking by faith and not by sight is a renewing kind of thing to do with your life. Of course, most people walk by faith in many areas of their lives without really realizing it. That chair, for instance - which you sat on – was unproven until you sat on it by faith. The car you drove today, do you know how it started? Do you know how an internal-combustion engine works? Nope…just accept it by faith.

Hebrews 11:1 says that, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So, that means walking by faith means walking a life of hope that is based upon the substance of things we have seen before, while trusting the evidence for things we haven’t seen just yet – but will.

The substance, I suppose, could be said to be how we have seen the Lord work in the past. (That gives us hope for how He will also work in the future.) The evidence of things not seen? That would be the Holy Spirit; Whom God has given us as a “guarantee.” (See 2 Cor 5:5.)

So, we have plenty to go on…to walk by, when it comes to faith - even though walking in faith is never very comfortable. But, walking by faith is not about comfort, it is about growth. I think about those recorded by history to have walked toward their own funeral pyre, sentenced to death for simply expressing their faith in Christ. While I have always been amazed at any story I have ever heard about those who allowed themselves to be burned alive rather than renounce their “faith,” I can also say I understand what that was all about. I have no desire to be tested in like manner, but when our trust, (based upon the life of the Holy Spirit within,) is in the FACT that being absent from this body means being present with Christ – then we know we can walk through anything.

-  Pastor Bill

Unveiled

2 Cor 3:5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we use great boldness of speech--13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ.15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

In the words of John Newton, the former slave-trader who became converted to Jesus Christ, and whose life was dramatically changed by the experience, “I once was blind, but now I see.” In one short statement of awesome clarity, Newton’s song, ‘Amazing Grace,’ expresses the grand scope of all theological truth contained in the 66 books of the Bible.

This is why ‘Amazing Grace’ is such a favorite of all those who have gone through the conversion experience to Jesus Christ, but also for those who have not. There is such truth in the words that even those who have not experienced conversion identify with what is being sung because of the connection to the heart provided by the Holy Spirit through the words being sung.

It really makes you wonder why anyone who senses ‘blindness’ in their life – as the words found in ‘Amazing Grace’ provide  ample evidence – would choose to remain willfully blind.

Until we remember who the source of the blindness is: Satan. (See 2 Cor 4:3-4)

How fascinating Paul draws this comparison between the veil Moses wore when he came down from meeting with God, to the veil hung to keep all but the high priest out of the Holy of Holies, to the veil Satan keeps before the ‘eyes of the heart’ of the unconverted, leaving them blind to the truth. Only the Holy Spirit of God can remove that veil through faith in Jesus Christ. That God would allow us sight when we deserve eternal blindness truly is “amazing grace” for all who have received their sight.

-  Pastor Bill

Selfless

2 Cor 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation. 8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, 10who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us, 11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many. 12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you. 

One of the greatest evidences of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a man or woman is the development of ‘selflessness.’

Selflessness runs totally contrary to one of the strongest desires of the flesh, recognized as selfishness. Selflessness and selfishness are at complete and total opposite ends of the spectrum. (There are also degrees of each which exist along that spectrum, but the apostle Paul is completely at the end of the scale.) He is what we might call a ‘fanatic for Christ.’

Some teach life in Christ as a kind of utopia on earth, wherein we are to expect health and wealth and unbridled joy and peace in our lives. You have probably already discovered that manner of teaching is far from truthful, and can lead to broken hearts and ruined expectations.

Paul, on the other hand, teaches and demonstrates a life walking through the fire of this world, facing everything that comes his way with a pre-meditated determination to bear up under it or to die – whichever the Lord wills. This is clearly extraordinary, not only for his willingness to bear up and not to back down, but also for the wisdom he expresses as his reason for doing so – and that reason is: Me. It is: You. Paul had something to deliver, and that was the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He didn’t care what it cost him in years or in pain-free existence, he cared for those who would hear and be saved. He knew what his sufferings would produce, and we see the evidence all around us today. It is called the world-wide church, founded in large part by a selfless Spirit-filled man named ‘Paul.’

-  Pastor Bill

The Promise of Praise

Psalm 150:1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty firmament! 2 Praise Him for His mighty acts; Praise Him according to His excellent greatness! 3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

The Book of Psalms concludes with nothing but praise. 6 straight psalms of praise conclude the compilation of 150 songs. Is this accidental – or a circumstantial happenstance? Absolutely not!

Methinks it has something to do with our nature, and the nature of God.

We are so prone to be inwardly focused, and everything about praise is outward. So the Book of Psalms concludes with us being forced to focus outside of ourselves. Each of these psalms, from 145 to 150 begin and end with the phrase, “Praise the Lord!” (Or as we also know it, “Hallelujah!”)

If you think back to the happiest times of your life, what moments would you list? May I suggest they are moments that are outwardly-focused? Your marriage, the birth of a child…some great victory at your school, or perhaps in the office?

You see, it is very rare when we have any happiness at all that is internally-derived. The things that bring the most joy into our lives come from the outside.

Indeed, the more inwardly-focused we become, the more likely we are to become depressed – about our situation, or about our condition. We cloister ourselves away in darkened rooms to contemplate our “sorrows.” We develop a ‘woe is me’ mindset really quickly because the more we look inside ourselves the less we find. A sense of ‘emptiness’ ensues…

But the Lord knows our frame, and He has just the thing we need. We are designed to PRAISE - just as we are designed to worship - to take our eyes off ourselves, and to place our eyes upon our God, our King, our Creator. And it is only in the final arrival we make of praising the Lord that this sense of completion takes place. Praising a winning touchdown doesn’t do it, or does praising our favorite musician or actor in a performance setting. We need to be about praising God – and Lord knows we need it!

We are made to hunger and thirst for that which satisfies. The True and Living God is the Only One who can! Praise the Lord! The promise of praise is fulfillment. Richness. Blessing. And a very true connection to eternal life.

-  Pastor Bill

From Beginning to End

Psalm 139:2 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. 13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; When I awake, I am still with You. 19 Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men. 20 For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies. 23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139 is regarded as David’s most artistic, his most poetic, his most beautiful Psalm of all. It is not only majestic, but deeply personal in scope – especially regarding God’s regard for man, and His ultimate plan.

It really begins at the beginning doesn’t it? God stands over the creation process of each one, crafting us in fearful and wonderful fashion – the most intricate, delicate and marvelous of all of His creation. The only ones He is crafting to resemble Himself, that in a quite amazing way, when we see the face of man we see the face of God, reflected.

And so God takes every precaution with man. Think of all the plans the Lord had as He crafted David. Think of how important David’s life would be in the history of the world. Can’t you just imagine the smile on God’s face as He crafted David’s face? A face which would be at once a beautiful baby – a mother’s crowning joy – and at the same time a face that would one day defeat Goliath, and then lead men into battle, for conquests greater than any Israel had ever known. That was in the beginning, even before the beginning.

And God continued to think of David always, His thoughts more than the grains of sand of all the beaches on the face of the earth. A staggering thing, if you stop to think about it literally – as it is expressed.

But the grandest plan of all God had in mind from the beginning, was to lead David along “the way everlasting.” On this point, and about this plan, we may rest assured God smiled more broadly than over any of His precious thoughts. The thought that one day, one fine day, David would be coming home – and that the Lord Himself would not only preserve, but save. And He holds those very same thoughts for me and you too.

-  Pastor Bill

Hand-Crafted

Psalm 134:1 A Song of Ascents. Behold, bless the Lord, All you servants of the Lord, Who by night stand in the house of the Lord! 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, And bless the Lord. 3 The Lord who made heaven and earth Bless you from Zion!

When we have made something, we like to deservedly take pride in what we have done.

It starts at a very early age. “Look at me daddy!” is one of the earliest sentences we learn to form with our mouths. While putting words together to form a complete thought is an impressive feat in itself, we really want the focus to be on what we have done.

A paper hat? A crayon-colored pony? “Just looky!”

There is definitely something revelatory about human nature involved in all of this. Our desire - innate or otherwise - to be creative. Our desire to create something valuable. Our desire to be NOTICED for what we have wrought with our hands.

Have you ever studied your hands to see what marvelous tools you are employing to create whatever it is you are creating? I’m not talking about the mechanical pencil, or the exacto-knife, or the wonderfully-sharp scissors you are holding – I’m talking about the handy items on the ends of your arms. (Your hands themselves.)

What a marvelous creation they are, with opposable thumbs and all. We can reach out and grab just about anything we can lift that isn’t too hot or too cold. We can draw. We can cut. We can knead. We can paste. We can sculpt.

And when we have finished, we get to the good part. “Look at me, daddy!”

Sadly, some go all their lives without any sort of appreciative acknowledgment from their earthly fathers, or mothers either for that matter. (Though this problem seems more likely to be said of fathers.) I just want my father to see what I have done, and to see that I am a good son. That I am capable of being worthy of my dad’s love.

Somewhere along the way it occurs to each of us to look down at our hands. As time goes by this gets more and more interesting. Every day, I see more of my father’s hands by appearance at the end of my arms. I see the aging process played out, as the skin gets thin and wrinkly, and the veins begin to bulge out on the back of them. “There’s my dad. These hands look exactly like my father’s hands looked.” And then it occurs to me that it is not so important what I can do with these hands, but that these hands reveal whose son I am. Now I know why my dad smiled so much whenever I completed a project.

-  Pastor Bill