Words Of Christ Devotions

[nChrist]

September 13

False Prophets

Mat_24:23-28

One of the problems in dealing with the obvious is that it is, well, so obvious.
Christ has that problem here.  Virtually all interpreters, ancient and modern, consider this passage to refer to the time of Christ's return to earth.  No prophetic event is so longed for as this, and rightly so.  The timing of this event has been speculated upon by many writers;  most of them have the good sense to end by stating that no one really knows.

That does not mean, however, that when He returns we might miss the event.  That we shall not!  It will be obvious to all.  But because God has not stated a time, those who are evil will use this uncertainty to deceive.

First, the end comes in a time of great tribulation.  Whatever interpretation of prophecy followed, the time of the end will be a time of great trouble.  In such times men look for divine deliverance—and therefore they are much easier to deceive.  The false prophet, the false Christ sound much more reasonable in time of distress than in the cynical times of ease.

The claim will be made, and evidence will appear, for great miracles and accomplishments.  We need to be on our guard;  miracles alone are not the sign of Christ.  A miracle without righteousness is still evil;  by their fruits we shall know them.  But the counterfeit always looks as close as possible to the real thing.

Of course, these prophets and Christs have to be somewhere—just not anywhere too close ("He's praying in the desert") or too visible ("He's in his secret temple").  You have been warned.

Modern translations use the word "vultures" in verse 28;  ancient writers, knowing the Greek, saw this word as "eagles."  Basing themselves on Isaiah 40:31, they saw this passage as a direct prophecy of the resurrection of the saints, leaving behind the evil corpse of this world and all false religion.  Modern translators take a somewhat different view.  But whichever view one might take, we may say this for certain:

When He returns, there will be no further doubt about it.

When He returns, there will be no further time to repent.

So we had best get ready now!

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 14

Coming of the Son of Man

Mat_24:29-31

There is a certain form of terror which is magnified by dignity.  Our courts of law are constructed and conducted to show the majesty of the law.  This is so that lawbreakers will understand that they are not dealing as one ruffian to another, but that they should be awed by the majesty of the law, and know themselves as sinners.  Unfortunately, this does not always achieve the desired effect.

There will be no such deficiency at the coming of the Lord.  The signs given here are astronomical.  Whether you take them literally or figuratively makes no difference.  They are meant to convince you that there will be no doubt on the day.  If the light of the sun was eclipsed at the Crucifixion, how much more shall it be overwhelmed by the glory of His return?

What will be the "sign of the Son of man?"  No one can truly say, but it will force the great division of mankind.

Those who are the children of God, saved by grace, will rejoice.  The angels will be sent out with great ceremony to gather up God's children and take them to Him.

Those who remain will mourn—nothing is left for them but to face the Judgment Day.  They will face it without an advocate such as we have.

Indeed, Peter tells us that physical reality as we know it will be dissolved, and true reality revealed.  Only the Creator could do this, and He has promised to do so.

Such things are revealed to the church.  Sometimes this is difficult to explain to the non-Christian because it seems so unlikely.  After all, nothing like it has happened before, right?  We need to remember two things:

The universe is not eternal.  It had a beginning;  all know that.  If a beginning, will it not have an end?

It seems constant now, but that is just a reflection of its Creator.  He is eternal; His laws are constant.  But if He says it will end in a certain way, who could possibly know better?  The universe testifies to His faithfulness and truth by those same constant laws of nature.

The specifics of His return may be debated.  What matters is what we do with the time left.  Are there those who have not heard the Gospel?  Would you have them in mourning on that great day because you did not tell them the Good News?

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 15

No One Knows the Time

Mat_24:32-41

It was late at night.  I was returning home in the wee hours after a night of computer installations.  The radio was tuned to a Christian station, and I heard one of the weirdest programs in memory.  The title was something like, "88 Reasons Why Jesus Is Coming Back in 1988."  The announcer came on afterward and said, "I don't know how this program got on our station—but if I were you, I'd wait until 1989 to buy that book.  It should be at quite a discount by then."

Since the time of Pentecost there have been those in the church who have attempted to calculate the time of the return.  Augustine, meditating on the fall of Rome, was sure that the time was "at hand."  He was not the last.

Others look at the phrase "this generation" and conclude much from it.

Some think it refers to the generation which saw the Crucifixion and the fall of Jerusalem.

Others (today) are sure that only one generation  (70 years) can take place since the founding of modern Israel (1948).

(There is another solution.  Chrysostom, based on the prophetic 24th Psalm, says this is the generation of the faithful.)

Who can say?  Christ tells us that even He does not know the hour.  If this is so, we might ask what else he does not know.  It is a futile question;  what he has told us is sufficient.  Indeed,

Heaven and earth will pass away;  they are contingent things.   They do not need to exist, and will one day be banished.

But the words of Christ are necessary things in themselves;  they are the words of life.  They must exist, and cannot be destroyed,

Christ, in his majestic lordship over the church, has chosen not to know the time.  Nor has he chosen to allow us to know it.  He knows what evil use we would make of that knowledge.  Think of the number of people who would be reading books on repentance the night before His return!

The statement is one which shows the intense closeness of Christ and his church.  We are told that we are the body of Christ.  Paul tells us that we, the church, have the mind of Christ.  If we cannot know, he will not know, for we have that mind.  So our Lord waits with us in expectation, sharing our unknown.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 16

Be On The Alert

Mar_13:33-37

Somewhere, in the inner, secret, hidden recesses of every teachers' college, is the source of the trouble:  the professor who invented the pop quiz.  The terror of every student, any teacher who uses this technique immediately provokes his students to guess when the next one will be.  Does he give them on Tuesdays?  Study Monday night.

Of course, the teacher is trying to provoke the student into solving this problem by the simplest and most direct method:  be ready at any time.  Know the material.  Learn what you're supposed to.  But students are lazy, and look for the "easy" way.  The easy way often isn't.

We are given a similar warning here.  Jesus tells us he says it to everyone:  "Watch!"  He goes to some length:

Each of the servants—that's us—has an assigned task.  The question is not "Were you doing great things when I returned" but rather "Were you doing your assigned task?"  Stick to your task;  if you have none, seek it.

But the doorkeeper (King James, "porter") has a specific responsibility.  Those who are pastors and teachers are to be especially alert.

All of us are to continue to do this through "the watches of the night."  This may be applied in two ways:

First, it may be applied to the church as a whole.  Many Christians have gone home in the last two millennia, and still our Lord has not returned.  It is tempting to say, "We must have misunderstood that passage."  The challenge is to remain faithful until he returns—not three quarters of the way.

It also applies to us as individuals.  It is not given to most of us to know the hour of our death.  Therefore, we do not know the hour we will face our Lord.  An old rabbi, asked what was the best day on which to repent, said, "The last day of your life."  "But how can one know which is the last day?"  "That is why one should repent every day."

Do not think that because you made a good beginning in the faith that you have fulfilled everything.  We must each go on until the end—either until we die, or until He returns.  Death or his return, either is the most important "pop quiz" possible.  The best way to be prepared for this test is to have done the work beforehand—the assignments He has made.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 17

An Evil Servant

Mat_24:45-51

We must understand this passage to apply to church leaders, especially pastors.  Those who are placed over the church are given specific authority with which to perform their tasks, and with that authority comes the temptation of abuse of authority.

Against this, our Lord requires two things of his church leaders.  Both are essential for those who would be a pastor or elder:

Faithfulness—the word might be translated "trustworthiness" as well.  It is that aspect of character which assures us that the leader will not neglect his duties, but will continue on.  This should be the foundation of a pastor's character.

Wisdom—the word might also be translated "discretion."  It's that sense of dealing with "people problems" which combines intelligence with good intent.  A pastor who can't keep his mouth shut at the right time will soon find out the reason for this requirement.

The duties of such a man (or woman) are simple.  As Christ said to Peter, "Feed my sheep."  We can understand this in two ways:

We can take it quite literally.  The early church recorded its troubles in feeding the widows;  the church to this day is still to feed the hungry.  In such matters we require both honest accounting for the funds (faithfulness) and wisdom in the use of those funds.

More commonly we would see this in the spiritual sense.  The flock is to be fed "at the proper time."  The pastor or teacher is not to be too sophisticated to be understood, nor too simple for attention.  The right things, said the right way, at the right time.  It is not a trivial task.

To such pastors belongs honor and prestige, which is fitting to the duties given.  Greatness in the kingdom comes from service.  But this can be abused.  In modern terms we might see two employees here:

One managed the department well while the boss was gone;  when he returned, this one got a big promotion.

The other abused his expense account and caused morale in the department to drop.  He got fired.

The greater the responsibility, the greater the risk. But take heart, pastors.  To eliminate that risk, you need nothing more than faithfulness and wisdom—to the end.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 18

Wise and Foolish Virgins

Mat_25:1-13

It is just possible that we're reading a blonde joke here.

The story would be a homey one to Christ's hearers.  We can imagine that in this day of arranged weddings the bridegroom goes away to another city to collect his bride.  He brings her back for the wedding feast in his home town.  Now, there are no clocks or telephones, so the only thing the wedding party can do is wait up for them.  How dumb not to think they might be late!

The moral of the story is clear, too.  These ten virgins are a picture of the church.  Everything looks nice—pretty girls and all—but mixed in with those who are wise are those who are foolish.  How shall we interpret this?  Remember that our Lord told us (Matthew 5:16) that our good works are to shine before men.  Let this oil represent good works, then, and see what we learn:

First, note that all the virgins got drowsy and slept.  In the same way, all of us die, unless the Lord returns first.  So our good works do not make us immortal in our bodies, nor can we tell wise from foolish by the manner of death.  The matter is only revealed at His coming.

The wise do not part with some of their oil.  This means that we cannot rely on the good deeds of others to cover for us.  Indeed, seeing others do good deeds ("I went to a great church") only adds to the accusation.  If you saw, why did you not imitate?

The foolish had their good deeds too—but those deeds did not last to the end.  They may have started out well in their Christian life, but at some time they stopped, and their light failed.

They deceived themselves into thinking, "I'll get by;  something will turn up; I can borrow some."  Nothing is so terrible as this false confidence.

When did they realize their mistake?  When it was too late.  The message was delivered to them in a phrase that is repeated in many of these parables:  "I do not know you."

"Keep watch," our Lord says.  The word in the original carries with it the idea of collecting your thoughts and being mentally alert.  My mother used to shout, "Pay attention!"  That's the prevention of the phrase, "I do not know you."

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 19

Parable of the Talents

Mat_25:14-30

There is an unfortunate translation in this passage.  The "talent" is either a unit of weight or of money, depending upon the time in which it is referenced.  In this time, it is a unit of money.  The parable may be extended to talent (or ability) in the English sense, but it is first and foremost about money.  It loses nothing in being applied to our word talent, but so often we assume it really doesn't have anything to do with money.  This is not so.  Our Lord is talking about "coinage of the realm."  This is a parable about our giving to the poor.

First, note that the day of reckoning is not immediate.  Some of us have had managers who liked to check every little detail, every day.  Our Lord is not like that.  His plan is to have us mature in his guidance, not stagnate in rules and regulations.  Reckoning, though later, is sure.

See, too, that it is no use evaluating other Christians on what they do—for we do not know what our Lord gave them.  The first two servants received the same commendation—because they produced at the same ratio.  We would see only the results.   There is a word of warning in this, too:  the greater the gift God has given you, the greater the reckoning.

But perhaps you pity the servant who only received one talent.  Remember, even one talent from such a Master is a great gift, for he is generous beyond all mankind.  We are without excuse.  If God has blessed you with wealth, he will call you to account for its use.

So what about the servant with the one talent?

Is it not the case that the fabulously wealthy often are the most charitable?  An embarrassment of riches?

More than that:  those who are moderately wealthy seem to want to cling to the money throughout life.

See how our Lord condemns this:  he calls the man wicked—of an evil heart.  He calls him lazy—and to one who built his fortune the hard way, is there any greater condemnation?  He calls him worthless—fit to be fired, if he were an employee in our day.

But who is this person with one talent?  Consider this:  People in the United States of America are in the top 5% of the wealthy of this world.  The typical American is the one-talent man.

We have been warned.  Let us listen, and be generous.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 21

Preparation

Mar_14:12-16

The night is coming on.  Judas has gone out to betray his Lord, and the disciples inquire as to where Jesus would celebrate the Passover feast.  It is in calm confidence that Jesus prepares for his death, in accordance with the pattern set forth in the Old Testament, to become our Passover lamb.

There is much debate as to the timing and order of events during the last week before the Crucifixion.  Scholars debate as to when this must have occurred.  But note, please, the disciples do not ask "when?"  They do ask "where?"

There are capable men among the disciples.  They are all adults;  they know how to prepare for the Passover, being devout Jews.  But they don't volunteer to take care of the matter for their Master.  They simply ask him, "where?"  This is an example to us.  Many of us are capable people too, and very fond of telling God how we will take care of things for him.  We need to imitate the simple faith the disciples had—and the comprehension they had of the completeness of God's will—and ask, "Where?"

Like the coin in the fish's mouth, Jesus gives them directions which might seem absurd.  The city is teeming with people;  how does he know they won't find the wrong man with a pot?  The very mundane nature of the directions is there to show us that every little detail is in God's hands.  Not a hair from our heads, not a step by our feet, not a thought or a wish escapes his knowledge.  It is as if he said, "Don't worry;  I know the guy with the pot, too.  He'll be on time."

The clue is so ordinary that it might test the faith of any of the disciples.  But Christ leaves nothing undone;  he sends two of them.  As he sent out the seventy two by two, so that one might encourage the other, so now he sends two disciples.  A solitary disciple might lose heart and wonder, "Is that the one?"  But two will encourage each other.

There is work to be done in the upper room.  The Lord is coming, and the Passover must be prepared.  It is mundane work, but those assigned performed it.

We too may say, "The Lord is coming."  Not this time to be our Passover lamb, but rather to drink again the wine of the kingdom upon his return in glorious triumph.  Until then, we must encourage each other, seeking the will of God in even the smallest of things.  When we find it, we must do it.  We don't know who these two were;  we only know they did their task.  May the same be said of each of us.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 22

Earnest Desire

Luk_22:14-16

Some think that being Jesus must have been easy.  After all, they say, he's God—what's the problem?  God can do anything.

God can do anything—including sharing our humanity.  Recall that our Lord is fully human as well as divine.

He is passionate—a man who could drive the money changers from the Temple in anger;  a man who wept over the grave of his friend Lazarus.

He knows fear—could you read the scene in the Garden and not feel the fear of death upon him?  Courage is not the absence of fear;  it is the overcoming of fear.  He knew both courage and fear.

Here he shows us that he is a man of desire.  Athletes sometimes call this "heart" - that great desire that will not allow the body to quit.  It comes from deep within a man.

Where did this earnest, eager desire come from?

First, this is the Creator—the Artist of Artists.  He created Passover 1500 years earlier to draw the picture of the ultimate in love and sacrifice.  That picture he is now about to complete.

As man, he keeps the Law so that he might complete that Law.  There is a sense of work about to be finished.  The last miles of a journey are often the sweetest.

"I delight to do your will."  He and the Father are one, so much so that God's will is his own.  God delights in loving his children;  Christ delights in doing the Father's will.

"Mission accomplished."  He came to die, to be a sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  This Passover is a picture of that, but it is also the "beginning of the end."  The sense of accomplishment at hand is a strong motivation.

We are the imitators of Christ.  We must ask ourselves:

Are we eager to complete the work he has given to us?

Will we go on until the end?

Do we delight in doing God's will?

Can we see "well done, good and faithful servant" coming from our Master?

Perhaps if we can answer "Yes" to these questions, we can share the eagerness of our Lord.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 23

Washing the Disciples' Feet

Joh_13:1-20

There comes a moment of reflection when the doctor tells you that you have only so long to live.  Sometimes they tell you explicitly;  sometimes they ask only if you've filled out certain paperwork.  But it means the same thing:  you're going to die.

Jesus knew that here.  More than that, he also knew the one who had sold him out, and was to betray him.  He knew, he reflected and he acted.  He got up, got a towel and water, and washed the disciples' feet.

Kindly note:  that includes the feet of Judas, the betrayer.  There are great lessons for us here:

If Jesus washed the feet of his own betrayer, then how can we deny grace to any sinner?  How could we refuse forgiveness to anyone?

If our Lord, the name above all names, humbled himself to the point of washing his enemy's feet, then what service is there that we are too good to perform?

Indeed, if ever there was an example to banish pride from the heart of the Christian, this is it.

Peter seems to rebel at this.  He has the sense that most of us have, that some things are too good to stoop too low.  Look at it this way:  the hands that cleansed the lepers, gave sight to the blind, raised the dead—should these hands be used to wash feet?  Our Lord says there is no use too low for the hands of a servant of God.

There is a tender moment in here.  "I am not referring to all of you."  Jesus, even at this last hour, is giving the betrayer a chance to repent.  He is telling him that He knows all about it, that nothing can be concealed from the Holy One, and even yet there is room for repentance.

This is love in its purest form:  to wash the feet of your enemy, and to give him one last chance to repent.

How, then, should we be treating our enemies?  Do we go to God in prayer asking for their destruction?  Do we curse them in our sleep, or bless them in our prayers?  With this example before us, just how loving do we appear?

More than that, consider what great love He has for us.  If he would do this for the one who betrayed him, then surely his grace will be sufficient for each of us.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 24

Knowing the Betrayer

Joh_13:21-30

"There but for the grace of God go I."

It's a familiar phrase, and one intended to express sympathy with some poor soul whose misfortune or missteps have brought him to ruin.  It's become a cliché in our language.  Clichés usually are there for a reason;  we should examine the reason behind this one in the person of Judas.

Begin with the character of the one whom he betrayed.  It is not enough to note that this is the sinless man, the Christ, the Holy One, God in the flesh.  This is also a man whom Judas called Master for three years, sharing the itinerant preacher's life, the conflicts and the miracles.  Even at the last moment, knowing what it is that Judas is about to do, he says, "do so quickly."

Perhaps this is like taking a bandage off a patch of skin with hair—best done quickly to get it over with.  Who would want the agony to linger?

It may also be that Jesus wants to make sure the betrayal happens on this Passover night, to fulfill the law.

But note that none of the other disciples know what Jesus is talking about.  Jesus certainly could have explained it to them, but he was unwilling to parade another man's sins.

Even to the last Jesus would not make a public spectacle out of Judas in front of his comrades.  Is this one last grace?

Perhaps so;  perhaps it is one last appeal to Judas.  He is stepping out to do a terrible thing in a terrible way.  In that society, if you shared a meal with someone, you could argue with them, but such a betrayal would be utterly graceless.  The contrast between Christ giving Judas the bread—a sign of favor from the host—and Judas betraying him that way could not be more pronounced.

We know from parallel accounts that the disciples asked themselves, "Is it I?"  Each heard the accusation and looked within—and saw a man capable of being a Judas.  That was an honest night!  Each man knew, in his heart, he could be capable of betraying the Man he loved.  Is there any greater testimony to the hold of sin over mankind?  We too must acknowledge that hold over us.  But — praise God! - that hold is broken at the Cross.  Is there any greater testimony to the love of God?

"There but for the grace of God."  - see now the limitless power of that grace, and let it flow through your heart.

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 25

Confer a Kingdom

Luk_22:24-30

Mama Bright made spaghetti.  Not the dull, pasta and tomato paste stuff you get in a restaurant today—spaghetti sauce does not come from a jar.  It comes from a huge pot, bubbling on the stove, never turned off, always ready to use and probably cooking since just after World War II.  (Mama Bright was a war bride from Italy).  And when her son's teenage friend came in, there was only one question:  "Have you eaten?"  (Meaning to a pair of thirteen year old boys:  "Have you eaten in the last three minutes?")   It would have been impolite to refuse, and it was delightful to accept the invitation.

I imagine the great feast of the Lamb to have some of her spaghetti as one of the dishes, for it fed you, welcomed you, made you part of the family and honored you all at once.  A friend of the Son is always welcome.

We were good friends.  We shared our lunches, our joys and our sorrows with each other.  So it is with Jesus and his friends here.  But he gives no earthly banquet;  his is divine:

Do you stand by Him in his trials?  Do you share his suffering?  Then you are a welcome guest at his feast.

And like his Father, his feast is well out of proportion to anything you have ever done for him.  Your sufferings for him are trivial compared to the bounty to come.

You will eat and drink at his table.  In this time, that was a sign of great favor.  It meant that you could walk in to the great man's house, recline at the table and begin to eat.  It's a sign of being in the family.  Ask my teenagers;  they have the foraging rights to my refrigerator.

And—he tells the Apostles—they will judge the twelve tribes.  He tells us we will reign with Him.  What can this mean?  We cannot be certain, but we know that—like everything else God does—it will be glorious.

It all comes back to your relationship with Jesus.  Do you suffer for him?  Do you take the grief that the world dishes out because you are a Christian?  If you weren't a Christian, would your suffering lessen?  Then you have suffered for him—and with him.  You are his friend, like one of the family.  The day is coming—may it be soon, Lord—when his eternal wedding feast will begin, and we are invited.  Keep pressing on;  do not be downhearted—the party is coming!

____________________

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[nChrist]

September 26

Peter's Denial, Part One

Luk_22:31-34

In Hollywood they are called "extras."  They are the people who are paid to be the crowd in the scene.  They may be dressed as pioneers, Indians, ancient Egyptians or modern businessmen, but they have one key characteristic:  they are part of the scenery.  They are the human equivalent of interchangeable parts.

Did you ever feel like that?  That you were just another number in the system, another interchangeable part?   That's how Satan wants to treat you.  The word "you" in verse 31, in the Greek original, is plural.  Satan views us as just so many grains of wheat, all interchangeable, to be run through the sieve to sort out the choice ones—for consumption.

Christ views us quite differently.  He knows quite well what Peter is going to do—and the repentance and restoration to follow.  So He has gone to the Father to personally ask for this child of his, that his faith would not fail.  He cares for us, knowing each one of us, for He loves us.

Lesson by example

Peter is one of my favorites, if only for his impetuous nature and fiery temper.  There is a heart in the man, and the Lord made that heart a great one.  Peter is about to fail his Lord.  That happens to all of us at one time or another.  The real test is, what next?

Some of us, after our failures, try to hide them.  We come to church with our plastic masks on our faces.  Everything is fine, and don't ask about yesterday.  We're grateful for organ music in communion, for then no one can hear the mumbled repentance.

Some of us, even when asked, deny our failures.  They never happened;  it's too embarrassing.

Some of us go to extremes:  we leave a local church congregation for another;  move away or stop coming to church altogether—after forgiveness!

But what does our Lord instruct us to do after our repentance?  The example is here in Peter's life:  he tells us to encourage our brothers.  Is there anything so powerful in testimony as the word of a former drug addict giving praise to God for his repentance?  So when (not if) you fail, and you repent and come back to God, share that experience with your brothers.  After all, we need all the help we can get—we're sinners.

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[nChrist]

September 28

Change in Marching Orders

Luk_22:35-38

This passage is seldom the subject for a sermon, for it seems that Christ has contradicted himself.  Remember the first time he sent the disciples out?

They were to take no "purse" - that is, no money, nor were they to beg for money as was often done in those days.  God provided for their monetary needs as they went from town to town.

They were to take no "bag"- backpack, my kids would say.  Nothing in which to tote your stuff.  This makes the walk a little lighter, but you do begin to wonder about the toothbrush.  The disciples didn't need this either.

So, traveling that lightly, how did they do?  God provided for their every need;  they lacked nothing.  It was an experience which taught them how to trust God for their daily needs while doing his work.

But now our Lord gives them the opposite commands:

He tells them to take money with them.  Often we take up collections for missionaries;  but that just shows the point:  they didn't go out to the mission field with a full wallet.  They went out relying on God.  Here Jesus tells them otherwise.

He tells them to take a bag—something to carry their stuff in.  Before, they weren't even to worry about the stuff, let alone a bag to put it in.

Ominously, he tells them to take a sword.  The Prince of Peace counsels his disciples to pack a pistol.

Why?

You can see why this has puzzled the preachers.  What's wrong here?  The answer is simple:  for the next three days they will be without Jesus Christ.  He has taught them well to depend upon him in all circumstances, always looking to him as one who will prevail.  But now comes the time of the Crucifixion, and Jesus will not be able to care for them.  Until the Resurrection they will be without hope.  Without hope, they must take what comfort they can from the world—money, possessions and power.

That's us:  without Jesus, there is no hope.  Without him, get all the money you can, a big bag for your stuff and a sword to defend it.  Ah– but with Him—it's just so much excess baggage.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
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[nChrist]

September 30

Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled

Joh_14:1-4

We live near Disneyland.  We have relatives who don't.  This can be interesting.
Until recently, we had no real problem with this, for our children were all at home, and hospitality would have been sleeping bags on the floor.  But the rooms are opening up as the children leave home, and we expect to be offering hospitality as need might arise.  It comes with living in the area.  But those who come know that they will not be staying in a palace.  The food will be ample but plain;  the artwork children's drawings on the refrigerator.

Now, suppose for the moment you were invited to visit the Queen of England.  You would not make reservations at a motel down the road;  you would naturally expect to stay at Buckingham Palace.  You would also expect to be, well, staying in a palace.  You would expect the furnishings, the food, the service to be absolutely the best.  After all, your hostess would be the Queen of England.  It would not be the same as staying at our house!

Let us  extend the comparison.  Are you afraid of dying and death?  Then listen to the words of our Lord here:  "Do not let your hearts be troubled."  The disciples were no doubt discouraged and downhearted by the talk of Christ's leaving.  In his encouragement to them we can find encouragement too.

When you die, your spirit leaves its temple—your body.  Your spirit, perforce, must have another place to stay.  Our Lord tells us that there is room at his Father's palace, and that you are invited.

Consider it!  The King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the one before whom all monarchy pales into nothing, has invited us to join him for eternity at his palace.  He invites us to dine at his table, to live in the rooms of his palace.

The invitation is not for a short time, but for eternity.  If you expect little from my hospitality, and much from the hospitality of the Queen of England, how much more should you expect from the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?

Do you still fear the passage to his palace?  Be relieved;  his own Son is our guide.  He will return and take us there Himself.

But understand this:  if your spirit will not dwell there, it must take the only other option:  the place prepared for Satan and his angels.  As God has prepared a place for those he loves, he has also prepared a place for Satan—called hell.

The rooms there are uncomfortable, for the thermostat is stuck on high heat.  A wise traveler plans ahead, carefully selecting his destination.  Be wise;  choose carefully.  It's forever.

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

Dist. Worldwide in the Great Freeware Bible Study package called
e-Sword by Rick Meyer: http://www.e-sword.net/downloads.html
Full Featured - Outstanding - Completely FREE - No Strings Attached

(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
Software to every country on earth in their own language FREE
of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________