Recognizing His Messengers

We’ll see many angels this Christmas season. They will be perched on top of Christmas trees and floating on greeting cards. Some of us will also hear angels—singing in Sunday School programs, wearing white robes with gold or silver accents, sporting a tinsel halo.

Have you ever wondered what the Angel Gabriel looked like when he came to Mary in Galilee? Luke’s account does not suggest anything unusual about his appearance. It only records that Mary was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. (Lk. 1:29b NKJV)

Maybe everyone knew how angels looked during Bible times, but I doubt it. The important thing is that Mary accepted Gabriel as God’s messenger. She listened when he spoke and she received his Word for her. She responded in faith when she said, Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word. (v. 38)

God speaks to His people in many ways. Will we recognize His messengers to us this Christmas season? Will we hear Him when He speaks?

Originally published December 4, 1992.

Become Human Again?

Someone once said that God became flesh—came to earth as a baby—so people can truly become human again. That might seem like a strange idea. But because we are sinners, our humanity or human-ness often falls short of what it should be. Jesus came to change that.

Jesus lived His entire life in perfect harmony with Father God the way God intended all people to live. Through His perfect life and His death, Jesus brings us life. When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, the angel said, And she [ Mary] will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. (Mt. 1:21 NKJV)

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we receive a portion of His life—as much of Him as we can accept by faith. Our fallen human nature is always a disappointment. When we look at Him and His life in faith, we reach out to grasp a higher, more complete life ourselves. God’s power in us can overrule our baser instincts. He changes people who follow Him into people who are more fully human.

Originally published December 18, 1992.

An Exciting Interruption

Interruptions are breaks in the flow or action. Sometimes interruptions are disturbing, but sometimes they are delightful. In fact, interruptions can even be catalysts or sparks for revelation or whatever God has at the moment.

It is only reasonable that many exciting interruptions occurred in the life of Jesus—because He Himself is the most exciting interruption of all times. God entered the ebb and flow of human life and changed both individuals and history.

On one occasion, Jesus was on the way to heal the daughter of a ruler in the synagogue named Jairus. Jairus had sought Jesus, saying, My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come. . . . (Mk. 5:23b NKJV)

The ministry of Jesus was popular at the time—but the huge crowds that followed Him often milled about with no concern for people who were lost in the crowd and seemed insignificant. One such person was a woman afflicted by a flow of blood for twelve years. (v. 25b) No one paid attention to her or her need. The only way she could receive from God was to press forward—to interrupt Jesus when He was on His way to do something that others thought was more important.

Jesus did go with Jairus to heal the little girl—He raised her from the dead. That was important. But first He responded to the woman and the interruption she imposed. He said, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction. (v. 34)

Originally published May 1, 1992.

Faith Is the Substance

Faith is an elusive concept. A dictionary defines it as, belief, and trust in, and loyalty to God.

The book of Hebrews provides another definition: Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (Heb. 11:1 NKJV)

How do we trust in a God we cannot see? For truly, no one sees, has seen, or will see God. And that is not all bad. If God could be proven, faith would be unnecessary. But what is this elusive faith?

Perhaps we have difficulty with defining faith because we try to describe it as a mental choice or position. We check our thoughts to see whether we have faith. Our thoughts might reveal our status, but they will not help us find or understand faith.

Neither the Bible nor the dictionary approach faith as the thoughts of the mind. For faith is primarily a choice of the heart and a position of the heart. The heart chooses to believe or not believe depending upon its desires. When the heart chooses God, faith becomes reality in the life of a believer.

Originally published February 28, 1992.
Picture: Como Park Conservatory, St. Paul, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

A Living Hope

When Nicodemus came with questions in the night, Jesus said to him, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (Jn. 3:3b NIV)

Nicodemus did not understand the idea of being born again. And he did not understand that spiritual life is a gift.

But in the Old Testament, God had revealed this truth through the prophet Ezekiel. God said He would remove sin and place a fresh, clean heart and spirit in people who turn to Him. (Ezekiel 36)

Receiving a new heart is equivalent to being born again. But Nicodemus either had not learned or did not understand Ezekiel’s prophecy. He did not know that God gives new hearts—and that they cannot be earned. New hearts come by grace through faith.

Peter called the transformation that occurs when a person receives a new heart a new birth into a living hope. (I Pet. 1:3a) When we receive Jesus, He brings His life. We are born again. We experience a new birth. And we walk in a living hope because He lives within us.

Originally published July 29, 1983.

To Have the Kingdom

If something is at hand, it is nearby. We should be able to reach out and grasp it with our fingers. Jesus' directions to His disciples were, And as you go, preach, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Mt. 10:7 NKJV)

If the kingdom of heaven is truly at hand, it has to be more than eternal life in paradise. It must exist not only in the future, but also in the present. The people of Palestine were probably more interested in a physical kingdom apart from the Roman Empire than in an elusive concept they could not understand. Perhaps some even thought He was talking about a physical kingdom, but such a possibility was hardly something at hand.

So what is this elusive but nearby kingdom? As we move deeper into the story, we learn Jesus is the King of heaven. We learn our ability to walk with Him determines our ability to walk in the present-day, nearby, spiritual kingdom of heaven. He said, Therefore, whoever confesses Me before men, him I will confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before him, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven. (v. 32)

Most of us have trouble reaching out to receive the kingdom of heaven, even when we do walk with Jesus. The concept is alien to our mindsets—we are too focused on the physical realities to think about spiritual realities.

But there are great promises for those who move in God's kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, Freely you have received, freely give. (v. 8b) He always has more for His children and He always rules with His kingdom laws of love and grace.

Originally published July 26, 1991.

I Did Not Hide

To stand one’s ground in the face of persecution—or even ridicule—requires faith and strength. But sometimes, as when the prophet Isaiah withstood hostile attacks, he turned his suffering into prophetic revelation. Writing about himself, he prophesied of Jesus: I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. (Is. 50:6 NIV)

It is difficult to fathom the horror of that type of experience. Yet Christians throughout history have suffered intense persecution. The end of Isaiah's story is not happy. Tradition tells us he is the man referred to in Hebrews 11:37 who was sawed in two.

Most of Jesus' apostles were martyrs. Paul submitted to jail rather than deny God’s revelation—and tradition tells us he also died as a martyr. And the sad reality is that many suffer today for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah shared a message of commitment: I have set my face like a flint. . . . (Is. 50:7b) Although he did not experience victory while he lived, he looked beyond life to His God, to the One who offers ultimate victory.

Originally published September 20, 1985.
Picture: Lois's garden, Spokane, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

"I Poured Out My Soul"

Why is it hard to admit failure and disappointment? Psychologists tell us it is dangerous to stuff such feelings because, when we do, they eat away at our internal strengths.

There is a Biblical alternative. We see it in Hannah, wife of Elkannah. She thought herself a failure when she couldn’t produce a child. She might have suppressed her disappointment for some time, but eventually she wept.

Hannah’s husband tried to console her by asking her to stop weeping. That might have been a convenient solution for Elkanah, but it would have been detrimental for Hannah.

God responded to the depths of Hannah’s sorrow. When she yielded to weeping, she released pent-up emotions and she directed her sorrows to the One who could help. The Bible says, she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. (I Sam. 1:10 NKJV) She said of the experience, [I] poured out my soul. . . . (v. 15)

Eli the priest did not understand and was judgmental until she spoke to him. Then he understood and responded to Hannah with a word from God. Hannah received the word in faith and, when she did, God set her free from the burden of failure.

Originally published January 17, 1992.
Picture: Como Park, St. Paul, MN, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

Respond to the Call

Deborah was one of the early judges or governmental leaders of the Israelites after they settled in Canaan. She was also a prophetess, and she met the needs of the people as she sat under a Palm tree. Truly, these were primitive people living in primitive times—but they responded to a woman’s leadership.

When Israel was called to fight a Canaanite commander named Sisera, Deborah knew it was a time to exercise a different type of leadership. She became a military leader, and in this new position she called for a united effort by reaching out to all twelve tribes of Israel.

Some responded and some did not, but with her general named Barak, she led the army into battle. Then another woman, a woman named Jael , entered the story by responding to the call as well. She killed the enemy general!

When it was over—and when the battle was won through the efforts of many and through the initiatives of two women—Deborah sang a song of victory. She mentioned those who failed to respond: there was much searching of heart . . . Why did you stay among the campfires. . . ? (Judges 5:15c,16a NIV) She emphasized those who came forward to join: When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves—praise the Lord! (v. 2)

God had encouraged the people and given them the faith, wisdom, and strength they needed to prevail. Deborah had reason to rejoice.

Originally published July 29, 1988.
Picture: Commercial landscape, Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

Give Me This Mountain

Caleb was fearless during the early days of Israel’s wandering through the Wilderness. As one of twelve spies sent into Canaan, he recommended taking immediate possession of the land.

Because that didn’t happen, Moses promised Caleb that he would receive land as an inheritance for him and his children when they eventually did enter—because he had, “wholly followed the Lord.” (Josh. 14:9b NKJV)

For forty years Caleb wandered through the wilderness with the rest of the Israelites, but his faith remained strong and he did not forget the promise. But when they finally entered Canaan, Moses was dead. And so Caleb approached his friend Joshua and said, As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me. Now therefore, give me this mountain. . . . (v. 11a,12a)

Caleb did not think the task would be small—he even reminded Joshua of the giant Anakim who lived in fortified cities. But he declared God would be with him and he would defeat them.

Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb. . . . (v. 13a) And Caleb, fearless for the glory of God, did what he said he would do. He conquered a mountain.

Originally published June 5, 1987.

Only Be Strong

It’s never easy to replace a strong leader. Joshua had served as Moses’ assistant during the Israelites 40 years in the wilderness. As the assistant, Joshua witnessed multiple miracles. He led the Israelites in battle. He even entered the cloud of God’s presence with Moses when they climbed up Mount Sinai. Joshua received the best training possible.

But Moses had carried all the authority and all the responsibility. After Moses died, when Joshua assumed the position of leadership, Joshua responded as a normal human responds. He was afraid and he felt weighed down by the burden and challenge.

God prepared Joshua by speaking a Word into his heart that specifically addressed his fear: Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land. . . . (Josh. 1:6a NKJV)

Remarkable things happen inside a person who hears and believes God’s Word. Joshua got the message, and the people were ready for his leadership. They said, All that you command us we will do . . . Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you.” (v. 16a,17a)

And so, when the time came to cross the Jordan and enter Canaan, Joshua was ready. He provided the leadership necessary for his army and for the people.

Originally published September 4, 1987.
Picture: Commercial display, Grand Forks, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

Enter Into God's Rest

The Israelites who followed Moses into the Wilderness were actively engaged in doing God's work. They were His chosen vessels. Nevertheless, Scripture tells us, The messge they heard was of no value to them because those who heard it did not combine it with faith. (Heb. 4:2 NIV)

That is a sad statement. Hebrews 11:6 enlarges the concept. It reads, without faith it is impossibel to please God. God is looking for people who believe that He is real and who will come to Him in faith. The Israelites repeatedly failed to come to Him or to ask for help. They murmured against Moses instead.

The rewards of faith are not based on actitity or great works. Faith acknowledges and accepts our inability to earn any merit before a perfect God. He calls His people to seek Him and trust Him. Today, in our time frame, our hope is to look to Jesus, to His life, His death, and His resurrection.

There remains then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work. . . . (Heb. 4:9 LB)

Originally published September 23, 1983.

Faith Made Complete

The Bible tells us God tested Abraham by telling him, Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering. (Gen. 22:1-3 NIV)

Many years earlier Abraham had met and responded to this God who was different than the pagan gods. Pagan gods demanded human sacrifice, but the God Abraham knew and loved did not. Now Abraham’s God seemed to require the very thing He had abhorred. How could Abraham understand that it was God speaking?

We cannot fathom such an event. Difficult as it must have been, Abraham obeyed. Early the next morning he and Isaac set off on a three-day journey with two servants and a donkey to carry supplies.

Centuries later James used this story to illustrate the relationship between faith and deeds when he says, You see that his [Abraham’s] faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. . . . (Jas. 2:22)

Sometimes God comes to us and seems to ask the impossible. Will we obey?

When the voice of God told Abraham that he should not offer his son but rather a ram caught in a thicket, he obeyed again. In his obedience, he learned once again that he could trust his Friend.

But Abraham did not know God's plan when he began his journey. His part was trusting his friend. He had to walk by faith.

Originally published November 9, 1984.

Picture: From Patty's garden, 2008. Photo by Solveig.

The Work of God

After Jesus fed five thousand people with five small loaves of bread and two fish, the people wanted more. They waited until morning and then they followed Him across Lake Capernaeum. We would assume they were eager to seek God and wanted to hear more of His teaching—or that they were impressed by the miracles.

Jesus knew their hearts. He said, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. (Jn. 6:26b NIV)

Apparently, miracles do not persuade people to seek God or teach them to trust Him. In fact, almost all of Jesus’ contemporaries were aware of His ministry and the many miracles He performed, yet many did not believe in Him. Miracles even seemed to harden the hearts of the Pharisees and Saducees.

God meets physical needs, but He especially desires to fill spiritual needs because they are the foundation for life with Him. Jesus said, Do not work for food that spoils . . . The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (v. 27a,29)

Originally published August 9, 1985.
Picture: Tulips, Fargo, 2009. Photo by Solveig.

God's Ability to Do

Faith is essential. The book of Hebrews says, without faith it is impossible to please [God]. (Heb. 11:6a NKJV)

But the concept of faith is hard to understand. By itself, faith saves no one unless it’s grounded in God’s grace. In fact, faith—believing—in the wrong thing is useless, vain, and harmful. By ourselves, we can’t come to the right type of faith. Our sin nature keeps interfering. Our reality is that we can’t even come to God and talk with Him unless we have faith.

That’s why we need grace. And grace isn’t easy to understand, either.

A common definition—one ‘oft repeated—is, Grace is God’s ability to do in us what we can’t do by ourselves. And because God desires faith, He gives people who come to Him the ability to receive faith. He sent the Holy Spirit to create the miracle of faith in our hearts.

Paul said, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God . . . . (Eph. 2:8) God’s gift of faith and God’s many other gifts are His grace.

Originally published August 17, 1990.
Picture: Daffodils, Patty's garden. Photo by Solveig.

Mercy for Doubters

Unbelief—doubting God’s Word—is an underlying cause of sin and it plagues everyone at times.

Thomas' doubt is a familiar story, but doubt is a deep-seated problem that affects every aspect of a Christian’s life. In an entirely different setting, Jesus did not rebuke the boy’s father who cried, “I believe, help me overcome my unbelief.” (Mk. 9:24b NIV) Is this not the cry of all human hearts at times?

After Jesus’ death, His disciples acknowledged and addressed problems stemming from unbelief. Verse 22 of the short book of Jude reads, Be merciful to those who doubt. . . . (NIV)

Honest doubters can become honest seekers. When we doubt, if we approach our struggles with open hearts, we can experience God’s mercy. He helps us face our doubt and leave it behind. Then we can turn to Him in faith.

Praise God for mercy.

Originally published July 22, 1983

People Who Love Him

Thomas had trouble believing Jesus was resurrected from the dead. When the other disciples insisted Jesus had appeared to them, Thomas declared, “Except I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” (Jn. 20:25b KJV)

A graphic statement of resistance and unbelief. And yet, Thomas loved Jesus and he couldn’t get past his desire to be with Jesus—he even wanted to be with the other disciples as all of them struggled to find their way in their strange new circumstances.

Jesus knew about Thomas’ statement of unbelief, but He also knew Thomas’ heart. And Jesus goes out of His way to reveal Himself to people who love Him.

When Jesus came to the group again, Thomas was present. Then Jesus spoke directly to Thomas. “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing.” (v. 27)

Thomas, emotionally overcome by the encounter, answered and said unto Him, “My Lord and my God.” (v. 28b) His unbelief was shattered by a Word from God.

Originally published May 12, 1989.
Picture: Roses, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2008. Photo by Solveig.

With the Eye of Faith

Jesus put a great deal of effort into the disciples. They were His trainees. Before He died, He said to Father God, “They were Yours. You gave them to Me . . . Now they have known all things which you have given Me are from You.” (Jn. 17:6b,7 NKJV)

Jesus said that even when He knew the disciples did not understand much of what He was saying to them. He even knew they would scatter at the time of His crucifixion. Yet He invested in the disciples because His Father told Him to—and because He believed His Father. He continued to pray and to work according to His Father’s Word concerning them.

Jesus looked at the disciples with the eye of faith, seeing not only who they were at the time, but who they would become. He believed they would develop into mature apostles. He even believed, in spite of how it seemed, that His time with them was bearing fruit, “Oh righteous Father!” he said, “The world has not known You . . . and these have known that You sent Me.” (v. 25)

Originally published November 30, 1990.

As You Have Believed

A Roman centurion came to Jesus when a beloved servant was painfully tormented. Because the centurion was Roman, he would have had only limited knowledge of God’s Word. And it would have been against his background and training to seek help from an obscure rabbi of an occupied nation.

But the man had a need, and he was impressed by Jesus—by the nature and the character of Jesus’ ministry. So he approached, not expecting special consideration, asking that Jesus, “only speak a word. . . .” (Mt. 8: NKJV) He believed Jesus could help him by healing his servant from a distance.

Jesus marveled at the man’s faith. He saw the centurion as a forerunner of multitudes of Gentiles—of people outside the nation of Israel—who would turn to God: “many will come from east and west,” Jesus said, “and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven . . . Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” (v. 11,13b)

Originally published May 4, 1990.
Picture: Desert landscape, Las Vegas, NV, 2008. Photo by Solveig.

A Different Criterion

Many groups set up criteria for achieving favor with God—for attaining salvation. These criteria range from accepting a set of doctrines—to living within prescribed behavior codes—to performing initiation rites, etc.

Jesus had a different criterion. He said, “And this is eternal life, that they [His followers] may know You . . . For I have given them the words which you have give Me; and they have received Him . . . and they have believed. . . .” (Jn. 17:3,8 NKJV)

According to this prayer of Jesus, salvation is knowing God by faith—not knowing about Him, but knowing Him. Knowing implies relationship. And because relationships include interaction, salvation includes interaction. It means approaching God—meeting with Him, speaking with Him—personally hearing and receiving His Word in the heart.

Jesus prayed further, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their Word.” (v. 20) We’re included in His prayer.

Originally published January 18, 1991.