Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

"Jesus Is Willing"

A man with leprosy came to [Jesus] and begged Him on his knees, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him. Mark 1:40-42
   

Years ago, I was leading a Christian tour to Egypt. We were awed by the sights and sounds of the country’s past power and present possibilities. There was, however, one thing that didn’t impress the “cleanliness-is-next-to-godliness” travelers—the dust and dirt we encountered everywhere. One lady, who was either more offended or outspoken than the rest, saw a child playing on what looked to be a village garbage dump. She spat out a challenge to those around her, “Why doesn’t her mother do something to clean up her little girl?”

The guide, a native Egyptian, overheard. He reached over, picked up his microphone, and calmly said, “Ladies and gentlemen, someone has asked, ‘Why would a mother allow her daughter to get so dirty?’ I can only tell you this: Visitors to our country hate dirt, but they don’t know or love the little children. Mothers of our country know and love their little children, but don’t hate the dirt. Until love for a child and hatred for dirt come together, these children are likely to remain as they are.” The bus got quiet after that—not because we were embarrassed, but because we were thinking that what the guide had said was really true: For positive change to happen in our world, our communities, families, churches, and lives, love and power need to come together.

Love and power have come together in Jesus Christ. Our heavenly Father, moved by love, sent His only Son to be born as one of us. As the omnipotent Son of God, Jesus was willing to live, suffer, die, and rise for us. Because power and love came together in the Savior, all who believe on Him are changed. No longer are they covered by sin. As Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11).

Reflecting the love of Christ, Christians are willing to do what they can to touch those souls who are still in sin, who don’t know the precious plan of salvation: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

[Soldier4Christ]

"Your Destiny"

Jesus replied, “Let us go somewhere else — to the nearby villages — so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Mark 1:38
   

The time was World War II. The place was a Jewish concentration camp in Hungary. Hundreds of prisoners were enslaved in the compound’s factory. Then, one day, everything changed. Allied bombs leveled the factory and cancelled all work … or so that’s what the prisoners thought. Surprisingly, the next day they were marched out to the factory as if nothing had happened. They were ordered to shovel a great pile of sand into carts and deliver it to the other end of the rubble. The next day the process was repeated, albeit in reverse. The same pile of sand was moved back and forth, day after day, after day.

Slowly a picture of their futile future became clear. One man broke down in tears and was dragged away. Another started screaming; he was beaten until he was quiet. One individual, a veteran of three years in the camp, ran toward the electrified fence.Prisoners shouted a warning; guards demanded he stop. He didn’t. These, the first of the living dead, were soon joined in their madness by others. The camp commandant slyly snorted that soon there would be no more need for the ovens. These men went mad because their lives had no purpose.

It is possible that you, or someone you know, feels that your life has no purpose, as if you have no future, no destiny. Confronted with the futility of a dark and dreary future, many end up feeling that life consists of only being born, suffering through the years, and dying. Such a fatalistic attitude leads to despair, depression, and a darkness of the soul. But your life does not have to be that way. The Lord God, who created you, has a plan that can bring light to your darkness and hope to your helplessness. According to God’s plan, it was His Son’s destiny to be born into this world so that, through His substitution, your destiny might be transformed.

Listen! Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). He was born into this world so that we, who walk in the darkness of fear and failure, sin and sadness, might be moved into the light. Does it sound like God is offering a different destiny than that which you thought was inevitable? He is! Let the Lord tie you into His plan. It’s a simple one: Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, as your Lord, as your Future.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Amazing Love"

The people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Mark 1:22
   

A good many years ago during a Massachusetts winter, a brother and sister were walking on the ice. He was nine and she was eleven. They hit a thin patch and fell through. Kicking to the surface, they yelled for help. Summoned by their screams, a man came running, dove into the icy water, and tried to help them both. Seeing his difficulty, the nine-year-old boy shouted, “Never mind me, save Annette.” That’s what happened. The man saved Annette. The boy died.

I’ve often wondered why the boy called, “Never mind me, save Annette.” Was it a rational decision? Did he debate the matter? After weighing the pros and cons, did he conclude he would rather see his sister saved than himself? There was no time. No, that boy — a Christian boy — instantly said what he did because it was part of him. From home, from church, from parents, or a teacher, he had learned to have Jesus as his authority. It’s not normal to say, “Never mind me, save Annette.” But it is possible when Jesus is the authority in your life.

In a similar situation, what would you do? I know most parents would sacrifice themselves for their children. There are some of you who would be willing to die for a good friend. But, sad to say, most of us, given a choice between saving ourselves and rescuing someone else, are really not that generous.

Knowing that the instinct for self-preservation is pretty powerful within us, we stand in awe of the great love Jesus has shown for us. Saint Paul, speaking for all who have seen the Savior, wrote in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus was born into this world not to save people who walked around with halos around their heads. He did not come to be the Divine Physician of those who were sound in both soul and body. He did not live His entire life, and die His undeserved death, to rescue those who had no need of His sacrifice.

Jesus did all that He did, so that sad, sorry sinners might have salvation. Even as He hung on the cross, He prayed to His Father, “Forgive them, for they don’t know what they’re doing.” We didn’t. I’m glad He did.

[Soldier4Christ]

"God’s Authority"

The people were amazed at His teaching, because He taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Mark 1:22
   

As a pastor, I drive a very sensible and most dependable Chevy. But when a friend offered me a ride in his Corvette, I jumped at the opportunity. That machine was beautiful to look at and, after some squirming, impressive to sit in. Riding a few inches off the ground, my friend put that contraption through its paces. In first gear, I was thrown back. In second gear, it felt like the G-force was stretching my face like that of astronauts during a blastoff. In third gear, we blew by a truck like he was standing still.

Then doing around a-thousand-million miles an hour (I may be exaggerating there), we came upon a parked police car. My friend quickly slowed down. The truck slowed down. Everybody slowed down, which is the point … that ’vette had power. The 18-wheeler with a big diesel engine had power. But the unmoving, unstarted, parked police car had authority.

Who is “the authority” in your life? I’m not asking who can make you afraid. A bully may terrorize and a dictator may intimidate, but they should never be the authority. A person’s “authority” should be that individual he respects and honors; that respect should be given, not because it is demanded or because of some real or imagined compulsion, but because it has been earned.

There is no one who deserves our honor more than Jesus. Those who heard Him would attest that He taught as one with authority. He taught people to love their enemies and do good to those who persecute. He told all who would listen that God wanted people to show their appreciation for His love by how they lived their lives and the sincerity of their hearts, not by the money they put into the temple treasury.

As important as His teachings were, Jesus’ authority is based on much more. Leaving His throne in heaven, Jesus came to earth and substituted Himself for sinners—that means all of us. There was no logic to His sacrifice. Nevertheless, because of His suffering, stripes, and crucifixion, all who trust in Him as Savior know that they are forgiven and life eternal is their future. It is the kind of thing that only a loving Lord would do. It’s the kind of action that gives Him authority worthy of our worship.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Kidnapped"

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Matthew 10:28
   

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

It is early Wednesday night. St. Louis’ news stations are broadcasting an “Amber Alert.” Somehow, 13-year-old William “Ben” Ownby from Beaufort, Missouri, disappeared in the few hundred yards between his house and the place where the school bus dropped him off.

Our hearts reach out to parents, family, and friends who are shocked that this mighty malevolence has, so unexpectedly, come crashing into their lives. We hurt for those who wrongly feel they failed to protect this child for whom they would gladly lay down their lives. Our minds fear for Ben as we think of the loneliness, the terror, the terrible things which might happen.

Tonight, tens of thousands are searching for a white truck seen speeding away. Now, with the sharing of this devotion, I ask that the prayers of tens of thousands be lifted to the Lord for the safe return of this child. (Rest assured, I will keep you informed when Ben’s situation is resolved.)

Having asked for your prayers in regard to Ben, I would now like to request them for the millions of other children who have been stolen from those who love them. Yes, I said millions.

This Sunday, as you go to church, see the children playing in your neighborhood, children whom Satan has managed to separate from the Savior who loves them; children who have no family of faith to support them. Look at them and realize, there is no “Amber Alert” being issued on their behalf; there are no rescue teams being sent out to recover them; there is no public outcry, and the media will never mention their names.

Even so, their souls are in jeopardy. At Christmas they hear about Santa but not the Savior. On Valentine’s Day they are told about physical love, but never Christ’s heaven-sent love. Without the resurrection, their Easter is nothing more than chocolate bunnies and a hunt for brightly colored eggs.

Will you not pray for these children whom Satan has so silently stolen away from the Savior? Will you not ask the Father to send His Holy Spirit upon those parents who are consumed by their child’s earthly future, but remain unconcerned about their little one’s eternal hope? Jesus said, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

[Soldier4Christ]

"Too Late"

...now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2b
   

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!

An “A” for honesty; an “F” for promptness.

Those are the grades I would give to Bob Nuranen. Bob recently returned a book he had borrowed from the Hancock, Michigan, library. He returned the book 47 years late. Bob explained, “I figured I'd better get it in before we waited another 10 years. Fifty-seven years would be embarrassing.”

That kind of story naturally brings forth a number of questions. I’ll try to answer them:

1. No, Bob didn’t finish the book. He only made it halfway through.
2. No, the book hadn’t been lost that entire time. Bob confessed that while his mother had originally misplaced the book; it showed up, every once in a while.
3. And YES, Bob did pay the late fees. He brought in a check for $171.32 to pay the fine which had accumulated since 1960.
4. No, Bob doesn’t hold the record for the most delinquent book returned. Jim Pavon recently returned a book to the Oakland, California, library which was due in August of 1927.

Still, if I claim the record for Jim, some of you will find a case even older. Truth be told, who holds the record isn’t that important. What is important is this: People procrastinate. You … me … people. We all procrastinate. My procrastination is this: it’s the second week of January, and I’m still putting off making my New Year’s resolutions. Your procrastination? If you want an answer to that one, ask your best friend. He or she be glad to tell you.

If they don’t put it off.

Now in the whole scheme of life, it doesn’t make much difference if you wait until Thanksgiving morning to take the turkey out of the freezer; you can always have scrambled eggs for dinner. Nor does it much matter if you’ve been banging the TV remote control on the arm of your easy chair rather than getting up to replace the dying batteries. These things don’t matter.

But procrastination does matter when it comes to a person’s faith.

“A-h-h-h-h,” I can almost hear you say with a sigh of relief. “You can’t get me there, Pastor; I’m already a Christian.” Good, I’m glad you are. By the Holy Spirit’s power you know and believe in Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world. You know that His life has given you eternal life; His death has conquered eternal death.

But …

Isn’t there somebody you know who is not a Christian? Isn’t there somebody, someone near and dear to you, somebody you’ve always intended to speak to about the Savior? Have you been procrastinating when it comes to sharing the Savior with that someone?

If so the Lord says, “now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” That’s God’s way of saying, “don’t procrastinate.”

I tell you what:

I’ll finish making my New Year’s resolutions, if you, today, go to that special person and say something like, “Hey, look, you’re important to me, and where you spend eternity is important too. I’d like to introduce you to Jesus.” And then, after you’ve picked them up off the floor, invite to pick them up for church this Sunday.

[Soldier4Christ]

"The President Is Dead"

Because I live, you also will live. John 14:19
   

“A great man has died.” With those words, the news media informed the United States, and the world, that President Gerald Ford, once the most powerful man in the world, had passed away. The days which followed were marked by coverage which included mourning crowds, moving eulogies and official ceremonies. Flags flying at half-staff marked quite a change in public opinion toward the ex-President who had once been roundly condemned by almost everyone.

Death changes things, doesn’t it?

“A great man has died.” On Good Friday, 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was murdered and his Secretary-of-State William Seward was attacked by a knife-wielding killer. Three days later on Easter Sunday, Seward, who had not been informed of Lincoln’s death, asked to have his bed moved closer to his hospital window. As he gazed upon the trees in bud, he saw the flag flying at half-staff on the War Department building. Slowly the significance of the flag began to dawn and Seward cried, “The President is dead." His nurse tried to deny it, but Seward knew his friend was gone. He began to cry uncontrollably, shaking and weeping until the bandages that held his wounds were soaked with tears and blood. The nation’s mourning of the assassinated President showed a turn around for a man who had been generally laughed at and despised.

Yes, death changes things.

“A great Man has died.” Almost 2,000 years ago Jesus Christ was nailed to a cross. But when Jesus gave up the Ghost no flags were lowered to half-mast. There was no great change in sentiment regarding His passing. Those who had hated and plotted His murder were glad of it and did their best to make sure Jesus wouldn’t be proclaimed a martyr. Those who had loved Him continued to do so as they privately mourned His passing.

Still, there is truth in the idea: “death changes things.”

Jesus’ death certainly changed things. Jesus’ death changed things because, unlike the end of Gerald Ford, or Abraham Lincoln, or every great man in history, Jesus didn’t stay dead. When death beckons rulers must step down from their thrones; generals must turn over their commands, and the powerful become weak. Only Jesus, God’s Son, the Savior was able to face death and have death back down. Which means while death changes things; Christ’s resurrection changes more. It’s something to remember as we see the flags at half-mast.

[Soldier4Christ]

"What Are You Worth? "

You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20
   

Some years ago, Harold J. Morowitz, a leading chemist, received a birthday card from his daughter. The card read, “According to biochemists, the materials of your body are worth only 98 cents!” Morowitz thought, “Is that really what I’m worth?” He got out his chemical catalog and began looking up the prices of all the body’s chemicals. What he found was surprising. At the time, hemoglobin was selling for $285 a gram. Insulin was marketed for $47.50 a gram. The price went climbing with less common items like alkaline phosphatase at $225 a gram.

The real shocker came when he got to a follicle-stimulating hormone that was a steal at $8 million a gram, and prolactin, the hormone that stimulates milk production for mothers. That hormone could be bought at $17.5 million a gram. To find out what he was worth, Morowitz began to figure. Starting with a 168-pound man, and subtracting 68% of that weight for water, he began his calculations. Morowitz figured his 168 pounds would be worth $6,000,015.44!

So, what do you think you’re worth? Point a camera at most folks and they run for cover, shouting, “I never take a good picture.” Ask someone if they will show you their driver’s license picture and they will say they’d sooner go to jail. Apparently we don’t think we’re worth too much. Most children spend a fair amount of their youth trying to figure out just how much they are loved. Most adults spend their years trying to find some kind of proof that they are valuable. So, what do you think you’re worth?

Although people’s opinions, both personal and public, might be divided as to your value or mine, there can be no doubt what God thinks we are worth. Seeing us, corrupted by our sins, the Lord loved us enough to send His Son into this world for the express purpose of saving us. By living a perfect life on our behalf, carrying our many transgressions, dying the death that we had earned, Jesus took our place and paid the price for our forgiveness.

Today, or maybe some tomorrow, your life may be filled with false friends who have forsaken you; pains that have plagued you; the behavior of others who have by word and action belittled you. When doubts about your value come creeping in, please look to the cross of Christ and see what He thought. In the final analysis, this judgment of our Savior is what counts most of all.

[Soldier4Christ]

"John, God’s Living Advertisement"

And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Mark 1:4
   

Years ago, a Christian baroness living in the highlands of Nairobi, Kenya, hired a young national to be her houseboy. After three months, he asked the baroness for a letter of reference. He wanted to work for a friendly sheik that lived some miles away. The baroness, not wishing the houseboy to leave, offered to increase his pay. The lad shared he was not moving on to receive a higher salary. Some time ago he had decided to become a Christian or a Muslim; it was that search which brought him to work for the baroness. He wanted to see how Christians lived. Now he was going to work for a believer in Islam. Then he would make his decision.

The young man wasn’t going to read Christianity’s Bible. He wasn’t going to look at his sins and see that only God’s Son could take away those sins. He was going to pick a faith solely on the basis of living advertisements. The baroness, realizing she had failed as a living advertisement for Jesus, was embarrassed. She could only say, ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’”

Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist came to be a living advertisement for Jesus, the Savior of the world. From before his birth until the day he died, John faithfully pointed to the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. It is a sad thing more Christians don’t realize that they, like John, are living advertisements to the Lord. Like little children who watch their parents, the unbelievers of this world are watching us, Jesus’ followers. Just as little children judge whether their parents are practicing what they preach, these searchers are constantly deciding the merits of the Lord by how we, His disciples, live our lives. If we say all the right things, but do all the wrong things, they will assume that Jesus has nothing to offer them and ignore His call to eternal life. That is tragic.

Knowing this, we, Christ’s people, need to avoid the hypocritical lifestyle of the baroness. We should never be compelled to say to the crowds of evaluating spectators, “Why didn’t you tell me you judged the Savior by what I do?” Because Jesus has suffered and sacrificed His life for us, we, with thankful hearts, are privileged to spend our days as living billboards advertising Jesus.

[Soldier4Christ]

"A Light in the Darkness"

The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. John 1:5
   

Nine-year-old Brent was in second grade when most children his age were in fourth. He was big, clumsy, and learning was always a struggle. But Brent was also a gentle child who would always defend the underdog, and was well liked by his classmates. Brent’s parents encouraged him to audition for the Sunday school Christmas service. He wanted to be a shepherd, but the teacher in charge of casting made him an innkeeper. She figured Brent’s size would lend believability to the role when he refused a room to the holy family. Mother and father helped with his lines and during rehearsals all came off without a hitch. Brent was firm telling Joseph, “There’s no room in the inn.”

The night of the service, the lights, costumes, and music touched Brent in a very special way. That’s why, when Joseph knocked on the painted cardboard door of the inn, Brent was ready. He opened the door and growled, “What do you want?” “We seek lodging,” Joseph replied. “Seek it elsewhere,” Brent said in a firm and deep voice. “There’s no room in the inn.” “Please, good innkeeper,” Joseph pleaded. “This is my wife, Mary. She is with child and is very tired. She needs a place to rest.”

There was a long pause as Brent looked at Mary. The teacher in charge was prepared. She whispered Brent’s line: “No! Be gone!” Brent remained silent. In the best of acting tradition, the couple playing Mary and Joseph acted as if nothing had happened. They turned and began to move into the darkness. That’s when Brent called out, “Don’t go! You can have my room.”

That night, while parents were rightly proud of their children, all were proud of Brent. They knew they had seen something wonderful in the selfless invitation of the young man. One student probably explained it best when she reflected: “We were acting in a program; but for Brent, Jesus was real.”

Is Jesus real for you? All around the world today, there are many who still live their lives in sin’s darkness. They never understand the wonderful truth of God’s love that came so naturally to the young innkeeper. They never see the reality of Jesus, God’s Light in the darkness. This day, He has come to the door of your heart. This day, if you have never had room for Him before, it is time by the Spirit’s power to call out: “Don’t go! Jesus, You can have my life.”

[Soldier4Christ]

"Jesus, Our King"

Endow the king with Your justice, O God, the royal son with Your righteousness. He will judge Your people in righteousness, Your afflicted ones with justice. Psalm 72:1-2
   

We might think that King Solomon, the author of this psalm, is referring to himself in this verse. He is, after all, the first king of Israel who is a “royal son.” He asked God for wisdom to judge the people in righteousness and was granted that wisdom by God. But the psalm goes on to talk about the king’s reign enduring “through all generations,” and we are led to ask, “Did Solomon really think he would live forever?” No, he was wiser than that.

Solomon knew he wasn’t the true King of Israel. Yes, he sat on the throne and everyone called him king, but the real King of Israel was God Himself. At his best, Solomon was only a pale imitation of the true King, and still his reputation spread to distant lands. Yet Solomon knew that one day one of his descendants would truly be endowed with God’s justice and righteousness, not because He was Solomon’s son, but because He was God’s Son.

This psalm ultimately points to the coming of Jesus who sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, with “all authority in heaven and on earth.” Christ Jesus rules in righteousness and judges according to His great mercy so that all who believe in Him will live under Him in His kingdom in everlasting blessedness.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Jesus, Our Redeemer"

Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles … For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength. 1 Corinthians 1:22-23, 25
   

The world falsely accuses Christians of making up stories about Jesus in order to make an ordinary man seem divine. Perhaps they recognize that their religions are all made-up stories and/or they cannot imagine … or simply accept … that the biblical account is true.

Yet if anyone were going to invent a false religion, they would certainly not make the divine Savior surrender Himself to His enemies and be led to His torturous execution like a helpless lamb. That would seem weak and shameful in the world’s eyes, but that is exactly what God did for us. Jesus was not ashamed to look weak and foolish because He knew that was the only way He could save us from our sins. So He did what He had to do: Jesus gave up His life on the cross to redeem us.

Of all the “strong” and “wise” religions the world might invent, no other religion has an answer to our sinfulness. Only Jesus has saved us from our sin through His death on the cross. Truly what the world considers God’s foolishness is wiser than man’s wisdom and what the world considers God’s weakness is stronger than man’s strength because we gain eternal salvation through Jesus.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Jesus, Our Savior"


[The LORD] said, “Surely they are My people, sons who will not be false to Me”; and so He became their Savior. Isaiah 63:8
   

You don’t have to read very far into the first books of the Bible to learn that the people of Israel did not live up to God’s expectations. The Lord Himself says as much just a couple sentences later in Isaiah 63. But that is one of the wonderful lessons of the Old Testament – God does not choose His people because they are any better or worse than others. God chooses them because they need a Savior.

God knows that we need a Savior, too, so He became that Savior for us in Jesus. Jesus accomplished our salvation for us, but we have not yet become those completely true and holy people. Instead, we live by faith, trusting that what God has begun in us will be brought to its completion when Christ returns (see Philippians 1:6).

The Israelites lived by faith, too, just as we do. But when they began to think that they were above such humilities, God called them to repentance through prophets like Isaiah. It’s good for all of us to remember that we will never outgrow the need to repent of our sin as long as we live. God does not tire of forgiveness. Christ will return and make us to be the holy people God wants us to be; but until that time we live by faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

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"Jesus, Our Promise Fulfilled"

“Sovereign Lord, as You have promised, You now dismiss Your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to Your people Israel.” Luke 2:29-32
   

Ever heard anyone say, “Now I can die happy”? Perhaps people are joking when they say that because there’s certainly nothing that could spoil a happy moment more than death itself. Simeon wasn’t joking, but then his expression of praise for God is much deeper than mere trivial emotion. While God had promised that Simeon would see the promised Christ before he died, Simeon wasn’t just happy that his own Savior had been born, he was praising God that this child, Jesus, would be the Savior for all people.

This was not a private pleasure for Simeon alone. As he testifies, God had prepared this in the sight of all people. God didn’t hide what He was doing. The term “middle” is still used when describing the location of Israel in the world, and from that “central” location God sent messengers to reveal God’s plan of salvation to the entire world. Though our eyes have not yet seen what Simeon saw, we have the promises of the Holy Scripture that we can believe until we behold Christ with our own eyes.

Like Simeon, we may live, and die, in peace because God keeps His promises and we have seen His salvation in Jesus.

[Soldier4Christ]

"Jesus, Our Brother"

Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. Hebrews 2:11
   

Jesus is not ashamed to call us His brothers and sisters; despite the horrible way some people treated Him while He walked on the earth. He endured torment in order to make us holy, so that we might be welcomed into His heavenly kingdom without stain or blemish or the effects of sin. Jesus endured the cross because He loves us and wants us to live together as a family for eternity. It is the most joyous meaning of the Christmas season that God became one of us to redeem us from the curse of the law; but that is not our only joy.

It is a great honor and a tremendous advantage that the Son of God is our brother. Jesus was not ashamed to be the brother of the murderous thieves who were crucified with Him, but because He forgave those who crucified Him, there is nothing too great for Him to forgive. This is an important truth to share with all sinners so that everyone might come to believe in Him as Savior. Our greatest benefit in having Jesus as our brother will be when He comes to judge the world according to His great merciful justice, where He will speak in our defense and take us to live with Him and share in His glorious heavenly inheritance.