Words Of Christ Devotions

[nChrist]

May 26

Foxes have Holes

Luk_9:57-58

Jesus seems to have a curious way about potential disciples.  He has a habit of turning away volunteers—and drafting the least likely people.  This passage is a good example.  Matthew's Gospel tells us that this man was a teacher of the Law, one who would know the Old Testament intimately.  Christ gently exposes his failings, and turns him away.  It is instructive to see the difference in their views.

"I"

Here is a man who is confident of his worth.  Why shouldn't he be?  His society honors him as a teacher of the Law of Moses.   We have no reason to believe him a hypocrite.  Why, then, does Jesus turn him away?

He came to do God a favor.  This sounds noble and indeed pious, and he probably thought it was.  Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and the Cross;  with that, no man can put God in his debt.

It was his own idea—he thought it up.  He saw an opportunity and put himself forward.  This was not God's plan.

"Willing"

There is no doubt he was willing.  The problem is, he wasn't called.  We are to play the part God assigns for us;  even the Apostles did not choose their own service.

He was willing—but he had not counted the cost.  He had not thought it out to the very end.

"Follow"

His conception was geographic—a tour of the Holy Land, if you like.  It didn't matter to him what city they were in.  But—had he known it—it did matter what state he was in.

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem.  To him, this is not just a geographic point.  It symbolizes what Christ has left behind:  his heavenly glory and splendor.  It symbolizes what he is going to: suffering and death.  That is a destination this man had not contemplated.

The man's measure was taken and found wanting.  Perhaps that is true of all of us.  Christ bids us count the cost of joining the kingdom of God.  It will cost you all you have, all you are.  It will give you all you could rightly desire and all you could rightly be.  A severe choice;  but is it really a difficult one?

____________________

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[nChrist]

May 31

Cryptic Words

Joh_7:32-36

One of God's most disturbing habits—at least to the serious scholar—is the use of cryptic prophecy.  It has two key characteristics:

You can derive some sense from it now—but no meaning that is clearly understandable.  It is a present puzzle.

But after the event, you see clearly what was meant.

By this method God teaches us two things:

First, that he is in definite control of the future.  The universe and all time are his.

Second, so you will understand the difference between the God who knows and the man who thinks he does.

It is just barely possible that Revelation contains one or two passages like this.  This should give pause to those who know the complete explanation of that book.

In this instance, however, it clearly shows us that Jesus, the Christ, is indeed God in the flesh—for he follows that same irritating habit.  In this passage he foretells not only his death, but also his resurrection and ascension.  A close examination of the passage will also bring out some other points:

"Where I am"

Did you notice the tense of the verb?  Not "where I will be" but "where I am."  This may be a veiled reference to his Godhood (the "I AM" of the Old Testament) but it certainly means this:  he is with the Father—always was, always will be, for he is eternal.

"I go"

Not "I will be forced to go" but simply "I go."  No one forces the Christ, for God is omnipotent.  His trip to the Cross of Calvary was voluntary.  He did it out of love, not out of necessity.

"You cannot come"

Again, present tense.  It means you cannot come to him and you never could and never will—unless he makes a way.  Of our own efforts we can never achieve heaven;  we cannot by our own merit see the face of God.  We are sinners;  only grace can make a way.

"You will look for me"

The Day will come—a day when the world will look for Jesus, the gentle Savior, and find nothing but Jesus, the Christ of glory, coming to judge the living and the dead.  No notice will be served, but the signs of the times will be evident.  Perhaps we should say, the signs of the times are evident?

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 1

Living Water

Joh_7:37-52

There is in this simple proclamation a deep lesson on how the Gospel of Jesus Christ works:

Jesus cries aloud—the Gospel is not a secret to be whispered but a truth to be shouted.

He cries to one and all—for indeed, it is the will of God that all should be saved.  For that reason alone we should cry the Gospel to all we can.

He cries on the last day of the Feast—a symbol of the patience of God, who will cry out to man until the very last day.

Our reaction

Jesus cries out—to the thirsty.  What does that mean?  Do you not remember that "blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled."?  The cry of Jesus reaches those who thirst for righteousness—whether they are those who try to live a good life, and desire its perfection, or those who are the worst of sinners, seeking to be clean.  Christ forces no one to accept the call of the Gospel;  he seeks those who are willing, those who desire intensely.

Note, please, that the route to these  living waters is clearly marked:  they
come from Jesus himself, and no other source.  No collection of good deeds, no chanting of a creed, no brilliance of doctrine will bring living water—the only source is Jesus himself.

The result

The result is Living Water, flowing out from the saved.  The writer John tells us what this means:  the Holy Spirit.  But see another subtlety:  there are "streams" of this living water, not just a stream.   Would these not be the fruits of the Spirit:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?

The supply is more than adequate, and never failing.  The streams themselves are numberless, and flowing abundantly.  They flow out from the believer to bless those around.  The only real question left is this:  will you thirst?  Will you thirst for the things of God?  When a man is thirsty, nothing else matters but water.  When a Christian is thirsty for the things of God, nothing else should matter but the Holy Spirit.  But—praise God—we may ask the Father who gives the Spirit abundantly.  Are you thirsty?

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 2

Woman, In Adultery

Joh_8:1-11

The earliest manuscripts sometimes left this story out.  It is easy to see why;  the immature mind might have taken this as approval of adultery.   That entirely misses the point.  It must be stated that there is no sense of approval for adultery.  It must also be stated that there are worse sins.

St Augustine has pointed out an interesting history, based upon this verse:
(Psa 45:4 NIV)  In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.

The Pharisees have tried the assault upon his truth, and failed;  they have assaulted him about his humility, and lost, and now they must assault his righteousness.  So they construct this clever trap.  Will the Friend of Sinners call for the wrath of God as expressed in the Law of Moses?

An answer in truth, humility and righteousness

As if Jesus was answering not just this assault but the previous ones, his reply contains truth, humility and righteousness.

Truth

The truth is simple:  these people were sinners too.  We are apt to forget this (how many of you condemned President Clinton for his affair?)  But Jesus does not point this out in anger;  just in fact.

Humility

If there is a prime characteristic of humility, it is that it does not pass judgment.  That Jesus did not pass judgment on the woman is clear, but notice also:

He does not ask, "Where is the man?"  Therefore he does not pass judgment on him.

He does not even pass judgment upon the Pharisees!  Rather, he points out the truth, and gives them time to repent.

Righteousness

Righteousness is not neglected.  Having dismissed the Pharisees, he tells the woman to leave her life of sin.  There is no thought that she has done no wrong;  rather, mercy has triumphed over judgment.  Mercy is unnecessary for the sinless.  The sinner counts it precious.

The same problem arises for the Christian today.  Are we so sure of our own righteousness that we can condemn others?  We must examine ourselves for truth, humility and righteousness.

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 3

Light of the World

Joh_8:12-20

One of the most difficult moments in high school comes when you encounter the word "trigonometry."  It seems horribly abstract and useless, full of theorems to prove with no value whatever.  But seen from the light of later years, it appears the universe runs on sines and cosines—with an occasional tangent thrown in.

Mathematics, especially the more abstract variety, tends to divide the world into those who understand and therefore see the use of it, and those who don't—and don't.

Jesus Christ is like that.  Those who know him, those who love him, see no difficulty at all in calling him the light of the world.  It is obvious that he is.  Those who don't know him can't understand what this phrase might mean.  So let us look at the light of the world in ways clear to those who love him:

Light—full brilliance

To say that Jesus is the light of the world is to say that in him is found the full brilliance of God the Father.  The Bible assures us that he is the "exact representation" of God, and that includes the glory of God.

Light—which cannot be impure

Any material object can be made dirty;  just ask the mother of a toddler.  But light cannot;  it is therefore the symbol of purity.  In this sense we see in the light of the world the holiness of God.

Light—for revelation

Sometimes, no matter how familiar you are with the house, you have to turn on a light to find something—or avoid stumbling over it.  When you have the light, things become clear which otherwise remain darkened.  Jesus is like that;  with him the things of God become clear.  Otherwise, they remain a mystery.

Light of life

Jesus explicitly tells us he is the light of life—which tells us that, as light itself can only be changed or absorbed, never destroyed, that the life in him is eternal.

There is one other thing we must note.  He is "the" light of the world.  God the Father, holiness, revelation and life can be found in no one else.  It is fashionable today to say, "all religions are equally true."  Which means they are equally false.  Truth does not carry this characteristic;  it is a single valued function, as the mathematicians might say.  Come to the Light of the World, and you will indeed see.

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 4

Die In Your Sins

Joh_8:21-30

The phrasing here—that a man could "die in his sins" - has become unpopular.  Hellfire and brimstone preaching is out;  the Gentle Jesus is proclaimed.  But this misses an important point.

Jesus Christ is the creator of all things;  all things were made by him and through him.  He therefore cannot be "of this world" anymore than the potter can be the pot.  But the rest of us can certainly be "of this world" - for we were born to it.

Those of this world would be well warned to be familiar with the Old Testament thought on this.  God is described as merciful, and one way that mercy is shown is that he does not visit the sins of the fathers on the children—each man dies "for his own sin."  Unlike the kings of the time, who had a habit of wiping out not only their enemies but their enemies' families, God deals with us individually.

So what does it mean, to "die in your sins?"

It means to die without a mediator between you and the Holy God—no one to plead your case, to argue your cause.

It means to die without the Atonement—no way to pay for the sins of your life.
It means to face the Holy and Sovereign God with no hope.  It means, therefore, to be condemned to hell.

But there is hope.  If you will look carefully at your Bible, you will note that the words following the phrase "I Am" are in italics.  That means they are not there in the original.  They are supplied by the translators.  Without them, the phrases carry a double meaning—for "I AM" is the name of God.  Therefore, Christ is the self-existent one, in fundamental union with God the Father, and as the Author of Life itself he can offer such life to us.

How?  He tells us here that when he is "lifted up" they would know.  He is speaking, of course, of the Crucifixion, when he was lifted up on a Cross.  It is no accident that the symbol of Christianity is a cross, for in the Cross we have life from the Author of Life.  In the Cross he became our great Mediator, pleading our case before the Father.  In the Cross he became our Atonement, and paid for our sins, in full.  In the Cross—and only in the Cross—we can face the Holy God, the pure one, and not be condemned but welcomed.  Welcomed?  Yes, but not for our own good deeds and merits, but because the Son of God was lifted up—and we were drawn to Him.

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 6

Testing Time

Joh_8:33-47

My doctor is a careful man.  Sometimes he will make his pronouncements by simple observation ("you need to lose some weight") but other times he will order up a medical test.  Some things are not immediately open to observation, but by some test they may be measured.

These tests run after a pattern.  Some form of stress or some sort of pharmaceutical is given, and the reaction of the body is measured.  For example, I've taken a fasting blood sugar test.  No food for several hours, let's see what his blood sugar looks like.  There is also the treadmill test;  running in place, let's see how his heart reacts.  It is the reaction which is measured, and being measured, diagnosis performed.

Spiritually, it is much the same way.  A bank robber with a gun or a prostitute in "uniform" is open to observation, but other spiritual maladies require some testing.  The basic test is a fairly simple one:  the presence of a true Christian, one who loves God deeply.  Here we see Jesus as the ultimate example of that test.  And the results?

If you love God

You would love Jesus, and those who love him, for you would see in them the kind of person you love.

You would rejoice to hear the truth

You would recognize the authority of Jesus (and of his church)

If you do not love God

Jesus and his disciples become hateful to you.

You want them to be quiet—politically correct thought only!

The only authority possible is man;  God has nothing to say.

Does this seem familiar?  Consider homosexuality.  For six thousand years this vile practice has been called what it is:  sin.  But today man calls it virtue—and despises those who think otherwise.  Our culture says there can be no debate;  man has spoken.

Or consider abortion.  From the time of the ancients who threw their children into the fire of Molech (for much the same reasons we sanction abortion) this has been murder.  Now it's "choice."  It is still sin;  that is a fact which cannot be changed no matter how much we are "politically correct."  The test has been made;  the reaction observed—and the patient is dying.

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 7

I AM

Joh_8:48-59

This passage is the end of a bitter argument between Jesus and the Pharisees.  It is interesting for several reasons:

Unlike all others with whom Jesus debates, these men claim to be the authorities on God.  Jesus says they're wrong, taking God's name in vain, hypocrites—and does so sternly.  To no other sinners does Jesus react like this.

The argument does not wander about—Jesus leads them by degrees to his ultimate statement:  "I AM."

Is it not curious how some will not see?  Like Pharaoh in Egypt, their hearts are continually hardened.

Unlike the gentle Lord of forgiveness, you can see here that Jesus is the one escalating the argument.  He's the one who's forcing them to deal with his claims.

Just what are those claims?

He very clearly implies that he is superior to the common victor over mankind:  death.  If you keep his commandments you will not see death, he says.  That he is referring to the second death at his return is not clear—but his power over death is definitely claimed here.

He says that God the Father glorifies him.  No one is superior to God;  how then could God glorify this Jesus?

He also says that he knows God the Father—personally, if you will—and keeps his commandments.  In other words, he is sinless, perfect.

He ends the argument with the stunning statement that before Abraham was (meaning, came into being) "I AM."  It is the name of God, given to Moses.  It is the statement that only God can make.  It is a clear claim:  this Jesus of Nazareth is claiming to be none other than God Almighty.

Many today think of "gentle Jesus" as the good teacher, the fellow who said some marvelous things, but otherwise just a man.  You cannot read this section and come anywhere close to that conclusion.  As C. S. Lewis once put it, he is either liar, lunatic or Lord.  If one of the first two, he should be cast into the dustbin of history.  Man has often tried to toss him there, but it seems the dustbin just isn't big enough to hold him.  The choice is not optional:  just who do you say that Jesus is?

____________________

Words Of Christ Devotions

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[nChrist]

June 9

Mary and Martha

Luk_10:38-42

In the daily walk of the Christian we find two strains:  the contemplative—study, prayer, meditation—and the active—service, charity and good works.  The works are visible, and it is easy to neglect the contemplative for the active.  But if you must choose, choose the contemplative—for this is the best.  "One thing is needed," says our Lord.

That one thing is this:  to sit at Jesus' feet.  All else flows from our personal devotion to him.  The gesture itself means so much:

Submission

It is the gesture of submission, the gesture that says, "I am the student, you are the Master."  To be in submission is to completely recognize, acknowledge and follow the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  It is to be obedient to his commands.  In this there is life.

Faith

It is the gesture of faith, for it acknowledges the Teacher as the one whose very presence puts aside all other duties.  Who has the words of life, but Jesus?  Who else ever claimed the power to put on hold the religious duties of the day—just because He had arrived?  To sit at his feet is to acknowledge this—the faith.

Discipleship

Do you sit at his feet merely to decorate?  No—you sit to learn.  Therefore you think learning of him a good thing.  If a good thing, then share it with your neighbors—make disciples of all nations!

Service

What, sitting at his feet implies service?  Yes indeed, for faith without works is dead.  "The sons of Mary lay their troubles on the Lord," said Kipling, "and the Lord, He lays them on the sons of Martha."  Pick up your share of the load.

Love

Is there any position which a woman can assume which more completely says, "adoration," than to sit at a man's feet?  It says, "Just to be with you is joy."  It is a gesture of true love, and it is the gesture that the Christian should run to make.

Christian, does your life in the faith seem dull and scratchy?  Perhaps it is because, like Martha, you are trying to work when you should be at his feet.  Do you study?  Meditate on his word?  Seek his face in prayer?  Add to your habits the gesture of submission, faith, discipleship, service and love—sit at his feet.  In your mind place yourself there;  it is the one thing needed.

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 10

Persistence

Luk_11:5-13

This passage often gives rise to a misconception about prayer.  The idea is put forward that Jesus is saying that you have nag, pester and bite after God to get him to do anything.  That's not the case;  Jesus is giving us a contrast between men and God, not a similarity.  His argument is pretty simple.  Look, even when friendship fails, if you are persistent, your friend will give you what you need.  Therefore—since God is good and we are sinners—how much more generously will God treat us!

But Jesus does give us a clue as to how God answers prayer.  Let's take it step by step.

Ask

There is a subtle question answered here.  So many of us say, "God knows my needs;  God knows what's on my heart.  So why do I have to pray about it?  Isn't his knowledge sufficient?"  Here Christ tells you it is not.  If only in obedience to command, you should ask.  More than that, God knows what's good for you—and what's good for you is a deep trusting relationship with Him.  How will you develop that if you will not ask?

Seek

OK, I've asked.   Now what?  To seek means to look for.  Look for what?  Perhaps you ought to look for the answer to your prayer that God has already supplied.  So many of us sit back and wait for God to gift wrap the answer for us and then throw a party to present it to us.  If you have the faith that he has supplied your every need, then you will be willing to go out and look for it.   Seeking is act of faith, not an act of doubt.

Knock

So having sought, what will you find?  Sometimes you will find all arranged for you;  sometimes God will work his mighty power in such way that all who see say, "this was the hand of God."  But sometimes he arranges matters differently.  He puts the door in front of you and tells you to knock on it.  Have you ever set a challenge before your children so that they might grow?  God cares for you in the same way.

We must remember that God is not a cosmic blessing machine, if only we could find the right magic formula.  He is our heavenly Father, and he loves us.  Loving us, he desires us to know him deeply.  He uses prayer not only to hear us, but to cause us to seek and knock—and love him more deeply.

____________________

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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
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[nChrist]

June 11

House Divided

Luk_11:14-26

In this familiar saying (Lincoln quoted this in his famous "House Divided" speech before the Civil War) there are the answers to three of the more common misconceptions about Christ and his Church.  We take them in their common form:
"Can't I be a good person without being a Christian?"

One is tempted to respond, "Why would you want to?"  But the answer to the question is simply, "No."  Suppose you have some besetting problem, a sin, which dominates your life.  By your own efforts, self discipline and whatever aid the world can give you, let us suppose you throw it out and triumph over it.  This is good—but our Lord tells you what happens next.  Satan is not through with you;  if lust will not do, then greed; if not greed, then pride—for the seven spirits here could indeed be the Seven Deadly Sins.  Satan's object is to have you "safe" - the word in the original means "at peace" - quiet and comfortable in your life of sin.  He will not quit until he has succeeded—or you have found the Strong Man who throws him out, taking his armor (his ability to fight).

"Aren't Satan and Jesus equal and opposite?  Really, is there a difference?"
The picture here is quite clear.  Jesus is the "strong man" who throws out Satan;  Satan does not throw out Jesus.  You have to do that if you want Satan back.  There is a difference between right and wrong;  the victory is already decided.

"I don't really have to make up my mind about this, right?  After all, God will forgive me for an honest mistake."

Calvin Coolidge had it right:  "Sometimes being open minded is just being too lazy to make up your mind."  As verse 23 makes clear, you have already decided.  You are either with Christ or against him.

The matter is fairly simple.  Can you choose to make an honest mistake?  No, you can't.  You can make it out of ignorance—but if you're reading this, you're not ignorant any more.  You can make it because you're misled (not if this author can help it).  But you cannot know about Jesus and then decide, "I'll just make an honest mistake."  Jesus' words were not a challenge;  they were a statement of fact.   You're either with him, or against him.

Not to decide is to decide.  You cannot wage spiritual warfare in a half-hearted manner.  The fence you want to sit on is topped with Satan's spikes.

____________________

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[nChrist]

June 12

Family

Luk_11:27-28

It is a curious thing:  throughout our record in the Gospels, Mary, the mother of Jesus, does not display any greater understanding of our Lord and his mission than any of the disciples.  After the period of birth and childhood, we hear very little of her.   What we do hear does not indicate any special knowledge or insight.  It is as if God knew her faith, and made no further explanations.

But we can understand the woman in this passage.  Have you ever had the privilege of someone coming up to you and telling you how well behaved your children are?  They are paying you the compliment that comes from the assumption that you must have done something right.  How much more, then, the praise due someone who would raise up one like Jesus?

Jesus does not rebuke this thought., but he sets it in its proper place.  We can draw no conclusion from this passage about Mary—but we can concerning ourselves.  The essence of the matter is simple:  even Jesus' own mother (who has been called "Blessed" since the earliest days of the church) is not blessed compared to those who hear and obey the word of God.  God is no respecter of persons.  We often think that a person has to be specially chosen to be blessed by God.  Christ makes it very clear here that this is not the case.  God blesses the one who hears and obeys.

Hear

That we need to hear the word of God would seem to be obvious, but so many of us think otherwise.  We have so many other things to do on a Sunday morning!  Besides, we know all that, right?  We need to see the wisdom in the thought, "Men need not so much to be taught as to be reminded."  Your mother knew what she was doing when she repeated herself so much.

Obey

But a thousand sermons will do you no good without obedience.  Indeed, it is better to hear nothing than to hear and not obey.  So many come to church to get their minimum weekly requirement of righteousness, as if it were a pill to take to ward off spiritual disease.  It is not so.

Hearing enlightens the mind and refines the obedience, and obedience is the habit of the heart which welcomes the hearing.  Each fertilizes the other.  If you do both, then our Lord assures you that you will indeed be blessed.  So look about your life:  if blessing is missing, do you not see that hearing and obedience are also?  If you hear and obey, you will know why.

____________________

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
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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]

June 13

Greater than Solomon

Luk_11:29-32

One of the sure signs that Christ claimed to be divine is here:  he claimed to be greater than Solomon.  Solomon was the comparison point to the Jews, but we can see much of Christ by the comparison:

Wisdom

Solomon was stated to be the wisest of men, the wisest of kings.  People came great distances to hear his wisdom.  But what is that to the wisdom of God?  And if wise, why do you keep your dilemmas and problems from Jesus?

Great books

Solomon wrote most of Proverbs as well as Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon (a great love poem).  But in Jesus we find the Living Word of God, the ultimate love story, ever ready for our time and place.

Great ruler

The kingdom of Israel reached its height under Solomon;  its greatest  extent.  But this kingdom ended;  the kingdom of Christ will never end.  How sad that so many of us are so restive under his rule.

Great works

Solomon built the Temple of the Name, the most magnificent building of antiquity.  As with the pyramids, his men moved huge blocks of stone to do this.  Jesus is the one through whom all things were made;  the Creator.  We marvel at the works of the ancients;  do we pay due homage to the one who created all things?

Great wealth

Solomon was so wealthy it was said that silver was almost worthless during his reign—it was so abundant.  Our Lord is Lord of the universe;  do we trust him to provide for his children's needs?

Prince of Peace

Solomon's very name means peace.  God granted him a reign of peace, with no wars.  Jesus is the peace between us and God, tearing down the wall that divides us from God the Father.  So many of us seek peace—in all the wrong places.

Do you lack wisdom?  Ask Him.  Do you seek love?  He is love.  Not satisfied with your leaders?  Try the King of Kings.  Do great works impress you?  Stand bareheaded in a desert night.  Do you fear for your provision?  Lean on the one to whom all things belong.  Do you seek peace?  It is found in no one else.

____________________

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
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(The goal of Rick Meyer is to distribute excellent Bible Study
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of charge, and that goal gets closer by the day.)
____________________

[nChrist]

June 14

The Lamp

Luk_11:33-36

Q.  How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?
A.  One—but the bulb must really WANT  to change.

OK, it's a lousy joke.  But it reflects a truth that is shown in this passage.  If the light that is within you—the intent of your heart, your will, your understanding—is dark, there is no point trying to see.

Jesus has a gift for hyperbole.  The phrase "place where it will be hidden"  (cellar, in other translations) is a translation of the Greek word from which we get our word "crypt."  If you don't want to see the truth, your understanding is about at useful as a light bulb in a coffin.

The eye, in the physical realm, is the primary instrument by which we understand things.  We say things like, "I see what you mean."  This shows us the important of "seeing" in the physical sense—and also in the spiritual sense.  But if you can't see—or won't see—then what good are eyes?

In the spiritual realm the same is true.  If you can't, or much more likely won't, see the evidence you will never be convinced.  It's stunning how our society has become accustomed to "debunking," "deconstructing" or otherwise treating all spiritual truth with a cynicism that refuses to see.  We, as a society, have decided that there can be no truth.  Therefore, the evidence for it becomes invisible.

The result is simple but not surprising.  Since we can see no truth, we assert that there is none.  Since our eyes are darkened to the truth, we cannot see it, and therefore we have concluded it doesn't exist.   But how were our eyes darkened?  By the brilliant assumption that truth can't exist—and notice how easily it is now proven.

Facts, however, are nasty things.  They can be debunked, done away with, deconstructed and ridiculed—but like Edgar Allen Poe's cats, prematurely interred, they come back howling.  And with an equal capacity for upsetting the fine haired logic of the politically correct.

So much depends upon your willingness to see.  The universe is nothing but a collection of bright images on your eyeballs, if you will it to be so.  But open those eyes, and imagine what you might see!

Q.  How many atheists does it take to change a light bulb
A.  One.  But they still don't see the light.

[nChrist]

June 15

Woe to You

Luk_11:37-54

This passage contains the seven-fold test for hypocrisy.  Take out a number two pencil, and begin:

Inside and outside

Are you more concerned with how you appear than what you are?  Do clothes make the man (or the woman?)  Is respectability much more desirable than righteousness?

Small and large

If the devil is in the details, then God is in the magnificent.  Do you worry about the tiny details of your Christian life—do I have perfect attendance?  Did I give the "right" amount of money?  Do I say "Amen" at just the right moment? - to the neglect of the larger things, such as Christian charity, forgiveness and repentance?  Jesus does not condemn the small details—only the lack of the major items.  The good is the enemy of the best.

Teacher's trap

Do you tell others of their sinfulness, encouraging them to repent, working on their guilt—and all the while you don't take your own advice?  Just when was the last time you repented of something—and when was the last time you told someone else to?

Important places

Does the church owe you respect?  Are you one who can always be counted on to pray out loud, work on the right committees—but never pray in silence, alone?

Other man's burden

Does the unwed mother know of your disapproval while your wife wonders where you were last night?

Traditional villainy

We've never had a ministry to the poor;  we've never had a ministry to the immigrant; we've never had a ministry to the homeless—and now it's a tradition, so we never will?

Key to knowledge

You know that the Scriptures are a high and sacred mystery, well beyond the understanding of the ordinary mortal—and you want to keep it that way?  After all, "Scripture Wizard" is a wonderful title.

OK, put your pencils down.  How did we do?  Did the tradition of the church triumph over the will of God?  See how the anger of Christ is stirred by such things!  The matter is not trivial.  Let a man examine himself—and thoroughly, too.

____________________

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.)
____________________