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I have been spending time in 2 Peter 3, thinking about the coming of the Day of the Lord.  Yes, Peter says, scoffers will come and say nothing ever changes, but they forget that change can happen instantly and dramatically as it did in the Day of the Flood.  They also forget that God does not measure things as we do, we are bound by the constraints of time, and He is free in eternity.  God is patient and wants as many as will answer His call to be saved.  The Lord’s patience means salvation.  [Verses 1-9, 15]

Then in verse 10 a little word really caught my attention.  It is the four-letter word “WILL.”  I was suddenly enthralled by that little word as I read on in verses 10-13.

“The day of the Lord WILL come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens WILL pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves WILL disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it WILL be found to deserve judgment…. On that day, he WILL set the heavens on fire, and the elements WILL melt away in the flames.” [emphasis added]

Wow.  WILL is one powerful word.  This WILL is based in the WILL of God.  God has determined these things WILL happen.  The day of the Lord WILL come suddenly and without warning, the same way a thief strikes.

God has said the earth itself WILL change, it WILL be destroyed by fire, by the judgment of God and everything that has been affected by the sin of mankind will be gone in a flash.  Suddenly “we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.”  [vs13]

We fail to comprehend how much of life has been affected by sin.  Our thought patterns, our society, our customs, our politics, our consciences have all been influenced by sin.  Even the earth we live on has felt the effects, buildings crumble in time, we are subjected to hurricanes, fires, lightning, freezing blizzards and blasting heat, earthquakes and famines and all manners of destruction.  All are the result of sin and its curse of death.

Yet God promises that one day all things WILL be made new.  Nothing that sin has touched, in the heavens or on this earth WILL remain.  Everything WILL be made new in righteousness.  God hasten the day when this faith shall be sight.

It was late evening, too early for bed but too late to start anything. Bob was watching another of his westerns on television. Usually I can just tune it out, but not this night. So, I moved into the bonus room. This is my quiet room. Bob seldom goes in there because he’s not comfortable on that couch or chair.

As I sat there thinking about whether to listen to music or watch a video, I was suddenly alive with the awareness of how much God loves me.  I hadn’t done anything. I wasn’t praising or worshipping. I wasn’t reading my Bible. I admit I wasn’t even thinking about God.

I was just sitting there in the quiet and God suddenly wrapped His arms of love around me, and I knew that I knew my Father was “hugging His child.”

This morning, I was reading Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3 in the New Living Testament and came to a dead stop at verses 18-19.

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.” [Ephesians 3:18-19 NLT]

“May you experience the love of Christ….” Other translations say to “know the love of Christ.”

That word translated as “know” or “experience” means “to know, especially through personal experience.”

I am never going to understand why God loves me. As Paul says, “it is too great to understand fully,” but the other night in that quiet room, God allowed me to know (experience) the love of Christ in a way that I can barely explain. PTL

As I watch the Summer Olympics I am remembering how much I loved to play sports when I was young. I could run fairly fast as a young girl. I remember there was one girl that could always beat me. She was really fast. When she was in the race I always came in second. I loved playing softball, volleyball, and basketball, until I blew out my knee. I loved to bowl. When it came time to choose teammates, I might not be chosen first, but I was always picked in the top three or four.

I never wanted to be left standing on the sidelines waiting for one of the teams to choose me. It hasn’t changed much as I have aged. I still don’t want to be left standing on the sidelines. I imagine these Olympic athletes are also glad to be chosen.

One of the most magnificent phrases in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians comes in the opening verses. First, he said that we have been blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Then he goes on, “for he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

The word chosen in the original Greek means, “chosen once for all.” We have been chosen out of this world, once for all, to be God’s own peculiar treasure. Jesus reminded His disciples in John 16 that they had not chosen Him, but He had chosen them.

Does that mean God picks and chooses just a few and the rest of the world can go to hell in a hand basket?  Does it mean God overrides our own free will to choose so that we respond to Him? I don’t think so. But again, I cannot explain the mind of God and how this all works in His Divine Plan.

I do know that it is God’s desire that all come to salvation in Christ, but God is not foolish, He knows all will not respond to his call.

I used to wonder how God could forget what I once was, especially when it is so hard for me to forget … but this verse comforts me. I was chosen in Christ before creation to be holy and without blame before Him in love. God saw the finished product in Christ before I was even created.

This is one of the greatest of all riches found in Christ!

Temptation. It happens to all of us. While we are in this life, we are going to be tempted. Let’s remember, however, temptation itself is not a sin. Hebrews 4:15 tells us that “[Jesus] has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin.”  (You can read about His temptation in the opening verses of Matthew 4 & Luke 4.)

Jesus was absolutely sinless and yet suffered temptation. Very often temptation hits us at the point of our weaknesses. We are tempted to drink, or watch pornography, or get angry, or indulge in the weaknesses of our flesh. We usually expect temptation in those areas.

Other times we are tempted at the point of our strengths. If we have much talent, we are led by the enemy of our soul to pride. If we are influential, we might be tempted to use that to manipulate others. If we have successes, we often are tempted toward self-reliance.

Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread to satisfy his physical hunger at the end of a 40-day fast. The enemy wouldn’t bother us with that temptation because he already knows we don’t have the capability of turning rocks into dinner rolls.

I remember hearing Rick Warren say that God will never get angry with you for being tempted. In fact, God’s promise is exactly the opposite, He promises to help, “God is faithful. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”   [1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT]

Father, thank you for the promise to lead us away from temptation. Thank you for the power of Your Spirit in us. Amen

Welcome! Welcome is such a common word that we probably don’t give it much thought. We use it without really thinking about it. I looked up the definition and it says it is a word that can be used to express kindness, gratitude, or appreciation. It also means someone or something that is wanted or invited.

Welcome comes from an Old English word “wilcuma,” which means “one whose coming is pleasing.”

As I sat in church last Sunday, that is what I felt, welcomed. The moment I stepped through the front door, Pastor Paco greeted me with a smile and a hug. As I walked through the lobby, there were more smiles and more hugs.

This is a young and lively church. I am older and my tempo is definitely a lot less lively, but still, this family of God was glad to see me. To be welcomed is a marvelous experience.

Ever wonder what life was like for the prodigal son (Luke 15) after his father welcomed him home? I wonder if he opened his heart and his life to other prodigals. Oh, I know it was a parable, a story told to illustrate a point, but what if he had been a real person. How would his father’s “welcome” have changed his life?

Let’s admit, we are all prodigals. We were all welcomed home by the Father … and as Jesus said, “there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” [Luke 15:7]

Hopefully, we are all now welcomed by the family of God … and welcoming to those other prodigals who come along beside us.

Someone reminded me recently how much I love grace! And how it has always been my deepest desire to live and speak grace into the lives of others.

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.  He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.” [Ephesians 1:5-7 NLT]

God poured out His grace upon us and made us His sons and daughters through the sacrifice of His son. He forgave our sins, setting us free from all guilt and shame.

But Grace is not just what came to us initially, it is a constant source of strength. Paul wrote: “But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. However, I worked more than any of them, yet not I, but God’s grace that was with me.” [1Corinthians 15:10 HCSB]

There is nothing in me that can do anything for God apart from His effective grace that works within me. I brought nothing into this relationship except my rebellion and sin. I was impoverished with nothing to offer except an empty vessel for Him to fill and work through. Then His grace flooded my soul. And continues to flood my soul.

That old song, “A Sinner Saved by Grace,” defines my life. Now I can boldly proclaim that because of His grace, “I am what I am” – a Child of God! A Daughter of the King of Glory.

Luke 22:43-44: “An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

I cannot even imagine the intensity and mental pressure arising from my LORD’s struggle in Gethsemane. How tremendous was the weight of the sin and punishment in that cup of wrath that was set before Him that He sweated drops of blood? The agony of Christ simply poured out onto the ground. Jesus could not even have continued in His prayer if an angel from heaven had not been sent by His Father to strengthen Him.

As I read those two verses I am touched deep in my soul. Words cannot even describe how I feel. When I consider that my Savior, God’s Son, endured all this for me, I can barely breathe.

How often have my thoughts of the cross been simply routine. The story has become so familiar that I sometimes glibly recount it. It ceases to make me pause, gasp, and fall to my knees.

I know I am saved. I know I have been adopted into the Father’s house, a child of God. I know all my sins are forgiven. I know God has promised me good things. I know heaven is mine. I know … I know.  But do I really KNOW what all this cost my LORD?

Father forgive me for taking Your Son’s sacrifice lightly. Forgive me for my complacency and disrespect. Help me to better know the cost of my salvation. Amen.

“’Abba, Father,’ he said, ‘everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me.’” [Mark 14:36]

I am awestruck by the honesty of this prayer. Jesus knew what was ahead of Him. Like any man, the trials and torture and crucifixion would have been a fearful experience, but the part that seems to have troubled Him the most was that “cup” of God’s wrath. He would have to drain that “cup” to its bitter dregs, taking upon Himself the sins of the world in their most horrendous punishment … and in the process experiencing a separation from His Father. How that all transpired cannot even be understood by us, it is a mystery that we may never be able to unravel.

Knowing all this, Jesus was honest with His Father. “Father, You can do anything and everything, is there is any other way that salvation can be accomplished apart from my drinking this cup of degradation and wrath?”

The writer of Hebrews tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” [12:2]

“…who for the joy set before him endured the cross.”  That joy was the open door of salvation He would accomplish for us. But understand, there was no joy that night in Gethsemane. This was an hour of darkness and agony. It was a time of honest intercession … “take this cup from me.”

Let’s be authentic in our approach to God and in our pleas. God is not impressed by our pretense that we have it all together, but He will respond to us in our honesty and in our desperation.

I am finishing up the month of February focusing on our spiritual hearts. There are five risk factors contained in the Scriptures that we need to heed. Yesterday it was a warning against hardening our hearts before the LORD (often a failure to remember all that God has done for us.)

Today, it’s guarding against developing a complaining, grumbling, and murmuring spirit. Multiple times in the scriptures we are warned about this.  “Do everything without grumbling ….” [Philippians 2:14, also Exodus 16:3, John 6:43]

Complaining can take the form of fault-finding, murmuring, griping, and grumbling. It can also take the form of taking offense and entitlement. Complaining is a major occupation of our culture. As a society we are much more focused on fault-finding than virtue-finding. We love to complain.

I remember an incident from a few years ago. Our family visited a popular restaurant on a very busy holiday. Our waitress was a delight. She stayed attentive to our needs, updated us on timing of meal delivery, and never seemed “rushed” when it was apparent there was every reason to be.  I was so impressed I praised her by name to the restaurant company in an email.

A few weeks later I got a letter and a special “manager’s gift card” in the mail for $50. When we redeemed it at another meal, a manager quickly came to our table and asked if our “service was better than last time.”

After some confusion and explanation, the manager said the company gave those special manager’s gift cards to the people who complained about their service or meal. He was shocked that someone actually sent in a praise report.

That is a sad commentary on our society. It is even more sad (and risky to our spiritual hearts) when we allow that attitude to invade our spiritual walk.

I wonder who picks out the verse-of-the-day that is sent to my email? I often see patterns–Scriptures that speak of the Incarnation during the Christmas season or Redemption during the Easter Season. But sometimes I can’t find any reason why that verse ended up applied to that day.

Maybe the person who picks out the verse-of-the-day really needed to hear that Scripture and just decided the rest of us should too.

What greeted me this morning was James 1:2-3: “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” [HCSB]

The NKJV commands us to “count it all joy,” while, the NLT provides another way of looking at James’ command. “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”

No matter how I look at these verses, I doubt very much if I have ever (initially) faced any trial or trouble as an opportunity for great joy. I usually attribute opportunities for great joy to other types of experiences.

Usually, I find the “great joy” when the trial is behind me. I can see how my God was faithful, how my faith grew, how much stronger my endurance. But James is unmistakable. We are not to wait until the end of the trial to count it all joy, we are to count it all joy at the beginning.

Anticipating eagerly how God will prove Himself faithful to us amid the various trials and troubles is the avenue for experiencing the great joy at the beginning.