2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Readers,
Each day when approach the task before me, I pray that the Lord will put His words in me to share with you. He is never less than awesome in the way He works. This is the both the 114th and the last message in this “Who Is God?” series. This number of messages in one series about Him is testament to His greatness. It surely has nothing to do with talent on my part. In addition to that, He gives me more subjects for future messages, something far beyond my own capabilities without Him. God has revealed His heart of good to me in so many ways recently. I have seen how He has guided the hands and minds of surgeons to perform life-saving miracles not possible thirty years ago. You all know that He did this recently in preserving the life of my dear friend, Audrey Morris. I have seen Him grant travel mercies to many people who are close to me. He gives talent to ordinary people to help others through unimaginable challenges to their faith. It would take this entire message to list all the marvelous things that Jehovah Shammah, the Lord is there, does for us every day of our lives. He directs me to share a few more citations today that allow us to see His heart of love and affection for us.
REV 21: 1-5, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The first heaven and the first earth disappeared, and the sea vanished. And I saw the Holy City, a new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared and ready, like a bride dressed to meet her husband. I heard a loud voice speaking from the throne: Now God’s home is with mankind! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God, Himself, will be with them and He will be their God. He will wipe away all tears from their eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief, crying, or pain. The old things have disappeared. Then the One Who sits on the throne said, ‘And now, I make all things new.’” This passage is, of course, a part of the vision of John in Revelation. It is part of the promise that our Abba makes for the future of all who endure in faith. The things described here defy the limitations of Newtonian and Einsteinian physics. That is because they are supernatural and do not need to be held under such limitations. God is so much greater than man. These things are not only our hopes and dreams for eternity; they are God’s. He has never wanted anything more than for mankind to be perfected to the point where they can dwell eternally with Him in joy and close fellowship. He has repeatedly told us that He wants to be our God and for us to be His people with His law firmly written in our hearts [EX 20: 5-6; DT 5: 9-10; DT 6: 4-5; IS 43: 1; IS 49: 15-16; JER 31: 33-34; RO 8: 14, 16-17; 1 COR 1: 30; 1 COR 8: 3; EPH 1: 13-14; 2 TIM 2: 19; REV 3: 5]. While this is a long list of citations, I hope you will take the time to look them up. You will be blessed by the consistency of this message and also by the love of God which is behind it.
The Psalmist in PS 29: 9 reminds us of our responsibility to respond to God’s love appropriately. “Until He comes, may everything in His temple, my body and yours, say glory to the Lord.” Paul ardently reveals His faithful heart in urging what he does in 1 COR 16: 22. “Whoever does not love the Lord-a curse on him! Maranatha [Aramiac word meaning]-our Lord come!” Do you feel the urgent desire for that meeting in air as Paul did? I know that I do. The only ones who have negative thoughts at contemplating the time of the rapture are those whose spiritual houses are not in order or those who have rejected Christ outright. MT 24: 36 tells us in Christ’s own words, “No one knows, however, when that day and hour will come-neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, the Father alone knows.” 1 THESS 5: 2 supports that, leaving us the message of urgency Jehovah Shammah wants us to have. “For you yourselves know very well that the Day of the Lord will come as a thief comes at night.” In His infinite wisdom, our Lord has left the element of faith for us to invoke in heeding this wake up call to act righteously, living “in Christ.” We are equipped with the tools we need to deal with challenges to our faith successfully and are both encouraged and commanded to use them with courage and trust in God. Our obedience in this matter will yield immeasurable blessings.
Did you know that Christ answered Paul’s urgent plea of “Marantha?” Look at the words of REV 22: 7, 10, 12, & 20. (7) “’Listen!’ says Jesus. ‘I am coming soon. Happy are those who obey the prophetic words in this book [the Bible].’ (12) “’Listen!’ says Jesus. ‘I am coming soon! I will bring My rewards with Me, to give each one according to what He has done.’ (10) “And He said to me [John], ‘Do not keep the prophetic words of this book secret, because the time is near when all this will happen.’” (20) “He who gives his testimony to all this say, ‘Yes, indeed! I am come soon!’ ‘So be it. Come, Lord Jesus!’”
PRAYER: O Lord, throughout Your word, You have revealed Your profoundly heartfelt desire to be our God and for us to be Your people. For that to happen, we must respond to Your sovereignty in our lives with faithfulness, trust, obedience, courage, and moral responsibility. These things were not natural to us, because we are born in sin. However, Your desire for us to act with them is so great that You sacrificed Your only Son, a Son Who is perfect, on the cross for us. Still, most of the people on earth have rejected this sacrifice. Our prayer today, is that many more of those people who still haven’t accepted Your grace will. We, Jew or Gentile, who are the remnant who have already come to faith, pledge to remain trusting, obedient, and faithful. Those of us who are Jews, privileged to know Who their Messiah really is at this time, dedicate ourselves to the extra responsibility You have given us to spread the Good News and set an example pleasing to You for the remaining Jews. Dearest Jehovah Shammah, we believe Your promise that Christ will come for all believers. In humility and reverence for You, we pledge our willingness to have Your leadership and acknowledge Your life-giving presence in our lives. We offer You our adoration, worship, obedience, trust, glory, honor, loyalty, praise and thanks. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, the Lord leads me to write about a wonderful little book by Pastor Bruce Wilkinson that I read recently. It is called the Prayer of Jabez and contains a powerful and useful message for all of us. The Lord has given me 114 messages, all filled with His love for us, to share. I stand in utter amazement that even this many messages don’t have it all. His love for each and every one of us can’t be measured. When we recall it at times of loneliness, illness, or other strife in our lives, we can be buoyed up, strengthened, and comforted by the most powerful force in the universe--God! With that support behind us, how can we fail? Meditate on that wonderful idea and know that He carries us when we cannot walk for ourselves. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn