Category: angel

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Tomb Visitors

John 20 As Mary went to the disciples with the message that Christ had risen, only two left the “safety” of the upper room to see if what she said could be true. What motivated them to go? The two that ran were Peter and John, and as it would be, Peter again shows us his character of wanting to be first and wanting answers to his questions. How about you or I? Do we step ahead of others to find the answers?

Today, as I was reading the news, another article came up about the injured soccer player. She is a devout atheist and again railed at God. How tragic and how unlike our disciples. She refuses the gift of salvation, but Peter and John seek answers. Truly, 2 Cor 4:4 is very true: “The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ.”

Peter and John found part of their answer but left before Jesus could reveal Himself. However, Mary stood by and found it in the risen Christ. Don’t you wonder if the disciples had waited there instead of returning to the upper room, they too might have encountered the “gardener,” the True Gardener, Jesus risen from the dead?

If only that soccer player would wait to see and hear the Gardener’s voice, she too could say as John: I believed. How about you?

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Decisions, Decisions

Matthew 1 How would you respond if you had heard the news of your fiancee’s pregnancy and you knew it was not from you? Joseph was obviously very distressed as he was a man of integrity. Matthew records these words about him: “a righteous man,..he did not want to disgrace her,” He took these words to heart but did not act unrighteously as that would be against his character. We can learn much from Joseph, just as his namesake in the book of Genesis. Both men reveal that time spent pondering leads to righteous decision-making, and Joseph did just that. Matthew records that he contemplated what to do so as not to disgrace Mary. Do we model our thinking and actions after Joseph? Do we take time to stop and consider the other person, or do we hastily decide? Joseph did the right thing. It was during his time of contemplation that God spoke to him about how to respond righteously and the understanding he should take. It was after that, and only after that, Joseph took Mary as his betrothed to be his wife.

I cannot imagine being in the position of either Mary or Joseph. God’s ways are not our ways, so says Isaiah. [Is 55:8-9] Take time today to consider and to contemplate your decisions.

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A Crisis of Belief Has Consequences

Luke 1; John 1:1-14 Malachi has passed off the scene, and 400 years of silence have taken place. The people have waited for the Messenger about whom Malachi spoke. Perhaps they had read and reread the scroll that had been prepared listing the names of those who respected and honored the Lord. [Mal 3:16] But God has been busy even when we think He is not. And so, into this time frame, the angel Gabriel stuns the elderly priest Zechariah with news that God has heard, and God has answered. He sent Gabriel with news that God sees the possible, even to awakening a dormant womb.

Zechariah listens as Gabriel says that their prayers have been heard! Elizabeth will have a son, and they are to call him John, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; be a Nazarite and anointed with the Holy Spirit—even before he is born! But Zechariah has a crisis of belief, and Gabriel silences him until John is born.

Sometimes, we pray and pray, and it seems like heaven’s door is closed permanently, but this story reminds us to never stop praying and never stop thinking God doesn’t hear or care. Beware of being an unbelieving Zechariah that ended up being silenced until John’s birth. 

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Persevere in Prayer

Daniel 10-12 We have been asking how patient we are, and these chapters show us Daniel patiently waits for answers about the vision he has received. He wants an answer, and we, too, want answers. Are we willing to wait for God to answer, or are we like many who start strong but then fall away? How diligently do we pray for the lost or for understanding of things we do not understand?

God has heard in heaven and sends an answer, but as so often is the case, the answer comes only after meeting an adversary who seeks to delay the answer. We, too, start praying, but then after much waiting, no answer has come. What we may not realize is that there is a battle going on behind the scenes between good and evil. Paul wrote to the Ephesians about this and told them to put on their spiritual armor and stand firm. Take a lesson from Daniel. We pray, God hears, but the adversary seeks to undermine and even circumvent that answer. Can God not intervene? Yes! God sends Michael, the mighty angelic being, to stop the adversary, and that may be true for us.

Trust God to send in his angelic forces to help us in our spiritual battles. Put on the spiritual armor and stand firm. 

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A Crisis of Belief

When God speaks, do you have a crisis of belief

Judges 13-15 Back in the day of the Judges, the Israelites were excited when a baby was coming, but for some, like Mrs. Manoah, there was only sadness because she was barren. Was she sitting out in the field bemoaning her plight? Did God look down from heaven and say that there is a godly woman who needs a child? God knows the heart of women; men too, but this story is about a woman:

Whatever the circumstances were, she was out in the field, and Mr. Manoah was “house sitting.” What was he doing? Watching the sports channel? Anyway, he missed the blessing, but she was granted an audience with the Angel of the Lord.

Is there a time I miss the blessing because I am in the wrong place at the wrong time?

Enter God’s grace and patience. The Angel of the Lord appears again, and this time both parents-to-be are granted God’s vision and blessing. Excitedly, Mr. Manoah prepares a feast, and the Angel tells him to expect a child soon. Then unexpectedly, the Angel disappears, and Mr. Manoah has a “crisis of belief.” 🙁 “We will certainly die because we have seen a supernatural being.” In light of all that has happened, Mrs. Manoah gathers up her skirts, looks him in the eye, and says: LOOK! If the Lord wanted to kill us, don’t you think he would have done it then? “rolling eyes here”

You know God has a way of sharing his blessings, but we must be prepared and believe God when they come.

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Start and finish strong…give God the glory

Judges 5-8 God is gracious to show us through the story of Gideon that we face two enemies: fear and pride. [Prov. 29:25]. In the story of Gideon, we see how Gideon’s fear of enemies led him to compromise and drew him away from giving God the glory. Yet, God was gracious and told him to sneak into the enemy’s camp, where he heard: The Sword of the Lord and Gideon. Still, after the battle, instead of reminding the other tribes that God was the Victor, he collects gold to make an ephod which became a snare to the nation and his family.

Sin is ugly! Pride is ugly! 

Do we forget this part of the story and only tell of the victory? There is a lesson here for us and our children. When God is gracious to lead us to victory, don’t take that glory to ourselves. God is jealous, and He will not share His glory with another. [Is. 42:8]

We must determine to finish strong and give God the glory. He who humbles himself, God will exalt, [Luke 14:11] and the contrast is also true.

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Are we trying to hide from God?

fear is a snare

Judges 6-7 Why is it that we think we must be the strongest, bravest, and wisest for God to use us? We are not all Braveheart; some are like Monk, the fearful detective. Solomon understood this: Ecc 9:11 Again, I observed this on the earth: The race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest; wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge—for time and chance may overcome them all.

Gideon came from the smallest clan, and he was just like Monk, exceedingly fearful. He was so afraid that when the Angel of the Lord found him, he was hiding in the winepress so the Midianites wouldn’t find him. How like us. We often find ourselves hiding so God “can’t” find us. But nothing is hidden from the eyes of God, and He wanted to prove a point, and that point was; you don’t need to be the bravest, strongest, or most wise. You just need to be available. True, Gideon wanted a sign, but ultimately, he led the nation to a victory over their enemies.

Where are we hiding? Will we allow the Angel of the Lord to find us?

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Compromise’s Consequences

compromise

Gen 19-21 God established boundaries for the land and for the people. In fact, after the colossal blunder of Adam and Eve and their compromise regarding God’s established boundary, He graciously put angelic forces at the entrance lest they seek to return.

Fast forward to these chapters in Genesis, and we see that men often compromise to suit their preferences. It only takes one step to make the next easier. It is like ignoring a crack in a wall and putting off the correction, thinking no more significant damage will happen. Unlike Joseph, who determined, “How could I do such a great evil and sin against God,” [Gen 39:9] Lot compromised his integrity. Lot decided to look with his eyes just as Eve had. That one step led to him moving from the land where his sheep were grazing to the city of Sodom. He then became part and parcel of that city. Then Lot offered his daughters to enraged men, and later his drunkenness led to incest. Did Lot realize what he had done? It seems he did [2Pet 2:7], yet just as with us, the sin of compromise has consequences that we often don’t realize until too late, just like the crack in the wall.

Even in this sordid tale, we see that God honored the prayer of Abraham to save the righteous. [James 5:15]  How often does God do that for us? Do you have an Abraham praying for you, so you do not compromise your godly principles?

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Angels or Christ?

Angel or Christ

Hebrews 1-4 It is Christmas time, and we spend exorbitant amounts of money to decorate our homes with Christmas trees. Usually, but not always, we place an angel at the tip-top. In reading these chapters, the early believers did much the same in their worship by elevating angels over Christ. He wrote to remind them that angels are merely ministering spirits. They are NOT the Son.

Over and over, as we have read the letters to the early believers, we have seen that the NT authors repeatedly remind their readers to stand firm and elevate Christ! The unknown author of Hebrews continues that train of thought; Christ must always be pre-eminent. He, not angels, came to earth to die for the people’s sins so that He could be their High Priest! He warns them to stand firm and not to harden their hearts. Did they, and do we get the point? Angels are ministering spirits; they are NOT the Son.

This Christmas, do I keep Christ first? When I look at my tree, do I see an angel there just as decoration? Is Christ first?

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God is God!

God is God

Acts 11 and 12 Beware…you are NOT God!

Incredibly since we began this journey in January, we have met men who think they can control life and all that pertains to it! In Exodus, we met Pharaoh, who said, “Who is this God that I should obey him. [Ex 5:2] and in Daniel, we met a blustering king who gave all credit to himself, not God. [Daniel 4:33] Now, fast forward to the NT, where the religious leaders think they can contain these Jesus followers/disciples through threats and death, but this “Jesus thing” keeps growing and taking over the whole world. Acts 12 reveals to us King Herod, who thinks he can stop what the religious leaders could not by killing the apostle James by the sword. When that brought glee to them, he imprisoned Peter yet an angel opens prison doors and frees Peter to go and preach the gospel!

All of these have either not known or have forgotten this principle: Isa 42:8 “I am the Lord! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else.” And so Herod meets God:  “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.” [Acts 12:23]

God is God, and there is none other. Give Him glory and praise for if you do not, one day you will realize too late this principle: “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and confess Jesus as Lord,” [Phil 2:10-11]

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