Be There!

Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 19:9

It was almost thirty years ago, but I am still embarrassed when I remember it. Our family had been invited to dinner by some folks at our church and we simply forgot to go. It was no small thing because there were seven of us in our family at the time and since it was before the days of cell phones they had no way to contact us to see why we didn’t make it!

Because of the death of Jesus Christ every man, woman and child is invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Many people never put on the Robe of Righteousness that Jesus provided by His death. They may have heard the Gospel, but because of so many distractions in this world they never show up before Him to become a disciple of Jesus.

The invitation to the wedding supper of the Lamb is beyond amazing. Never forget that each day is another day of preparation for that feast. Live every day so that when that day comes for the wedding feast of the Lamb you will be there!

Love and Obedience

1 If I speak human or angelic languages
but do not have love,
I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

2 If I have [the gift of] prophecy
and understand all mysteries
and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith
so that I can move mountains
but do not have love, I am nothing.

3 And if I donate all my goods to feed the poor,
and if I give my body in order to boast
but do not have love, I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The greatest thing about my mother was this: My mother loved me more than I could ever know. I was convinced of this as a kid and now as an old man I still know it was true. I never questioned her love for me. Every day as a child I experienced evidences of her love for me. Was she perfect? Of course not, but she was perfect in her love for me.

The greatest thing about God is this: God loves me more than I could ever know. I was first convinced of this as a child and now as an old man I still know it is true. I really have never questioned His love for me. Every day I experience evidences of His love for me. Is He perfect? Of course He is and He is also perfect in His love for me.

These verses simply say that if you “have it all” but don’t have love then you have nothing. But if you have love then you truly “have it all.”

Remember Jesus did not say “Keep God’s commandments.” He said “Love God and keep His commandments.” Never remove love from obedience!

Free and Obedient!

Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt.

Joshua 5:5

Did you come out of the slavery of Egypt or were you born in the wilderness? Even though the people in Egypt were enslaved they were able to circumcise their sons. Even though the people in the wilderness were free they were either not able or simply did not circumcise them.

Freedom can cause you to neglect the commands of God. The constraints of God’s will often slip off when we experience deliverance from the slavery of sin.

Before they could enter the land they had to once again become completely obedient to the Lord. I must examine my life before today’s battle starts and be sure I am an obedient follower of Jesus!

Eating Right!

 "Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates.

Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

Revelation 22:14-15

My mother always told me that it is important to “eat right.” By that she meant that you must not only eat regularly, but you must also eat the right thing. This may sound a bit silly, but my mother’s sugar cookies and her spaghetti were my favorites.

The beginning and end of mankind’s time on this earth involved eating the wrong thing and eating the right thing. When Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil they set in motion the forces Hell to drag us all away from fellowship with God. When Jesus said that we must eat His flesh and drink His blood He was saying that to sustain us in this world and bring us safely home to Heaven we must eat the right thing. Jesus is the right thing!

Eternal life in Heaven will be supported by eating from the Tree of Life! It was in the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve lost the right to eat of it. It will be in Heaven and because Jesus has washed our robes in His blood we will be able to eat of the Tree of Life and live forever!

The next time you pray before a meal remember the eternal significance of eating the right thing!

God Will Be Glorified!

“Rejoice over her, heaven,
and you saints, apostles, and prophets,
because God has executed your judgment on her!”

Revelation 18:20

You can rejoice when God judges the wicked. Never forget though that the judgment of God comes against those He created and those for whom Jesus died on the Cross. That is a very difficult reality. It is the heart of the controversy surrounding the free will of man. Free will seems only appropriate for God Himself. How can created beings be endowed by their Creator with the ability to rebel and reject the one who formed them in the first place? Indeed that is a mystery.

But this is where even rebellion against God reveals His Majestic Glory. God has placed us in a window of choice in the timeline of eternity. We give Him glory and show His majesty even when we sin! It is only by God’s Sovereign choice that we can choose to obey or rebel. Remember that darkness always bears witness to the glory of the light.

God will be glorified by your life. You will either glorify Him because of your obedience or by demonstrating His reality in your rebellion. Either way, He will be glorified!

Brainstorming with God!

 

“None of the good promises the Lord had made to the house of Israel failed. Everything was fulfilled.”

Joshua 21:45

An utterly sold out follower of Jesus who lives in a third world country made a statement that keeps reverberating in my head. He said “Every time I pray, my prayer is answered!”

The truth of Almighty God is simple. God keeps all of His promises and answers all of my prayers. Sometimes I find it hard to perceive that what I am seeing is the fulfillment of His promise and sometimes the answer to my prayer is “no” or even “not now.” But the living God always keeps His promises and always answers prayer.

We have defined “answered prayer” by saying it is when God does what I want Him to do. The Bible does say that He will give us what we need, but what loving father gives his child something that is hurtful or even deadly. If the answer to your prayers is always “yes” when you ask God for something, then you are not fellowshipping with Him enough and you are not seeking to know His mind about enough matters in your life.

A number of years ago I was involved in an organization that recognized the value of “brainstorming.” We would meet to discuss an issue and agree that everything was “on the table.” No idea was “stupid.” If we were not rejecting even most of the ideas, then we were not really brainstorming. Out of those sessions came some really important concepts.

When you pray do you agonize to pray exactly the “right thing” so that God will say yes to your prayer? Do you pray as if you are submitting a formal proposal to a foundation from which you are looking for funding? Or do you converse with the Creator of the universe? Do you tell God what you think even when you know He must disagree and do you listen for His input? If you only pray what you know God already believes then why does He need to answer your prayer? Of course, it is a wonderful thing to pray scripture but never be afraid to step into deep water with God. Remember Abraham’s conversation with God about Sodom and Gomorrah and don’t forget when Moses convinced God not to destroy the people in the desert.

What Comes Next?

1 As Jesus left and was going out of the temple complex, His disciples came up and called His attention to the temple buildings.
2 Then He replied to them, "Don't you see all these things? I assure you: Not one stone will be left here on another that will not be thrown down!"
Matthew 24:1-2
The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem is a fact of history. The Romans destroyed the temple in AD 70. But amazingly they did not finish the job. When Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple he said that not one stone would be left on another. Look at the Wailing Wall! All the stones have not yet been thrown down.
If these words of Jesus are true, then there is much more to come in Jerusalem! The destruction of the temple was not completed because there are obviously a number of stones that have not yet been thrown down.