Eclipse of the Son

Eclipse of the Son

On Monday, August 21, 2017, many people in a narrow band across the United States of America witnessed a total eclipse of the sun. Amazingly, the light from the enormous star at the center of our solar system was completely blocked out by a small dark sphere approximately 1/400th its size. The perfect alignment brought about by orbital dynamics, and the relative size and distance between the three heavenly bodies involved in this celestial event, created the illusion that the moon was as big as the sun. For a few moments, it was night in the middle of the day. But regardless of how things appeared, the sun was still shining brightly.

God is like that. No matter how dark things may seem, no matter what sin has ensnared us, He is still there. His truth, power, love and mercy are always shining brightly.

• Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
• John 8:12 Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

Satan is a liar. He wants everyone to doubt God’s truth, power, love and mercy. Satan is a thief. If you are a follower of Jesus, he wants to steal the joy and peace you have as a child of God. If you have not surrendered to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, he wants to keep you in the dark.

When the sin of unbelief eclipses the light of God in a person's life, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the only answer!

• John 12:46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

Even when it seems the light of God is not shining in your life, He is there! Followers of Jesus walk in the light. Christians follow Jesus to a place where sin casts no shadow. The precious blood of Jesus paid the debt for all our sins. For Christians, regardless of how we feel or how things seem, there is no eclipse of the Son!

• 1 John 1:5-7 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

For those whose lives are darkened by sin, run to the light – run to Jesus. God longs to be in a reconciled relationship with you – this is only possible through Jesus!!!

• 1 Timothy 2:3-4 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Every person sins (falls short of God’s standards and statutes). But for those who have made Jesus Lord of their lives, their sin debt has already been paid in full!

An eclipse of the sun is a

cool experience!

An eclipse of the Son is a

catastrophic existence!!

Prayer

Loving, gracious, merciful Father, I pray that the brightness of Your glory and the truth of Your Word will bring light to those in darkness. Please set the captives free. May the light of Your love melt the hearts of those who have rejected You. May the truth of Your Word enlighten those who have not heard. I pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Misplaced

Misplaced

Recently I misplaced a pair of scissors that normally resides on my desk. My mistake was discovered when I needed them, reached for them, but discovered they weren’t in their spot. From there, what started as a casual glance around my desktop, grew into a search of my entire office space. Still no scissors. Abandoning the simple task that required the scissors, broadening my search to other parts of the house, ignoring the other scissors I came across during the search (multiple pairs), I became fixated on finding them. I pushed aside other more important tasks and duties to satisfy my obsession with finding MY scissors.

Fortunately, my misplaced priorities were short-lived. I used another pair of scissors I had come across and took care of the task that initiated this entire incident. But I have to confess, over the next couple of weeks, the thought of the misplaced scissors was distracting and led to several follow up searches for them and a couple of discussions with others that may have ‘borrowed’ them.

• Mark 8:35-36 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?

Jesus made clear that our natural tendencies will lead us in the wrong direction – away from Him. Whether it is self-preservation, the search for happiness, the desire for possessions, or any number of other distractions and misplaced priorities, what good are they if they don’t bring us closer to Him?

The way I responded to misplaced scissors is a simple but real example of how we often focus on the wrong things. In a very real sense, we become slaves to our passions and priorities – and often at a great price.

• Romans 6:20-21 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

If you have not surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, now is the time to turn and surrender all that you are to Him. He died to pay the debt for your sin and rose from the dead to set you free from whatever misplaced loyalties, distractions, fears or beliefs stand between you and eternal life in Heaven.

• Romans 10:9-10 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, but have allowed commitments, distractions or misplaced priorities to draw your time and attention away from Him, fall to your knees and recommit your whole life to His love and purposes.

• Revelation 2:4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

Whoever you are, whatever your circumstances, look to Jesus for truth, love and peace. He is the only way to reconciliation with God and eternal life in Heaven.

• John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
• Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

By the way, about two weeks after realizing my scissors were misplaced, I found them right where I left them. Unlike my scissors, Jesus is not just sitting around waiting to be found. He loves you and is actively seeking a personal and everlasting relationship with you. Pray to Him for direction, strength and endurance.

Prayer

Holy Father in Heaven, may the truth and relevance of Your Word change hearts and change lives. Help us to make Jesus the Savior and Lord of our lives. Thank You for Your perfect plan and eternal love. I pray these things in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Walking With God

Walking With God

I am not what you would call a serious hiker. But I truly enjoy walking on mountainous forest trails – especially when my wife is with me. I don’t think I have ever been on a hike that I didn’t enjoy. And quite honestly, the more difficult the hike, the more I tend to enjoy it (I really like the challenge). On a recent hike, I started thinking about some different factors that impact how satisfying these walks are for me. Here are a few of the things I came up with.

The Conditions – Humidity and Temperature

• Since I typically go on relatively short hikes that are part of a daily outing, overall the weather doesn’t play a huge role in my hiking experience. I can and do avoid extreme weather. However, when the temperature and humidity are high, there is a significant impact to my comfort and endurance.

The Course – Hills and Terrain

• Wooded mountain trails are the best!  I enjoy the scenery and the challenge of making it up the next hill. I have never been rock climbing and I avoid extremely difficult or dangerous trails, but I love mountain views and the beauty of rugged trails.

The Commitment – Horsepower and Time

• How hard am I willing to work to get up the next hill? How many hours am I willing to stay out on the trail? Meeting a goal, overcoming a physical challenge, enjoying the health and ability I still have to enjoy the outdoors – these are very satisfying to me.

The Company – Her

• Spending time with my wife is one of the most important and pleasurable things I do. When we are out on a hike together, whether we are talking or being quiet, holding hands or walking one behind the other, her presence and companionship are comforting, fun and extremely enjoyable.

I am very serious about being a follower of Jesus Christ. But I don’t enjoy seeing the devastation to individuals and families caused by the Godlessness of this sin ridden world – especially when I consider family and friends that don’t know Christ as Savior. I don’t think there has been a day since I surrendered to Christ that my heart hasn’t broken for those who have rejected or who haven’t heard the good news about Jesus. And quite honestly, the more horrendous the sin I hear about and see, the more it weighs on me (I really hate the wiles of Satan, the ways of the world and the weaknesses of the flesh). Often, as I walk with God, I think about some of the different factors that impact how challenging this walk is for me. Here are a few of the things the Bible has to say about this.

The Conditions – Hatred and Temptation

• John 15:18-19 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
• Simply put, Christians don’t fit in. Those who don’t know and accept the truth hate it. It is tempting for followers of Jesus to try to fit in. It is an important and significant challenge to faithfully represent Christ in all settings and situations.

The Course – Hindrances and Tribulations

• Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
• There is always something or someone trying to pull us away from Christ – this is not an easy path. It would be easy to fall; but as challenging as it can be, I am indebted to God for my eternal life and I long to live it in a way that brings Him glory and draws others closer to Him.

The Commitment – Honor and Tenacity

• Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
• A great thing about the Bible are the true stories it tells about God honoring men and women over the centuries. With sin and Satan crouching at the door, living a Godly life takes commitment and endurance that we just don’t have on our own. But with God, in Christ, all things are possible.

The Company – Him

• John 14:23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
• As a born again child of God, He lives in us! His presence transforms us. He teaches, comforts, challenges and empowers us. With and through Him, we are up to any challenge. Our relationship with God is the single most important part of our lives (now and in eternity).

Hiking is a nice hobby. Walking with God defines who we are, what we do and why we do it.

• Micah 6:8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
• How we walk – righteously, mercifully and humbly.
• We are to walk with God!
• Colossians 1:10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
• The results of our walk – we please Him, we work for Him and we grow in our knowledge of Him.
• We are to walk like Christ.

My wife and I can and do decide when and where we will hike. And once we are on the trail, we make decisions about how far to go, which path to take and how long we will keep going. We are focused on our personal goals when we hike (exercise, enjoyment, relaxation, etc.). But walking with God is about obedience to Him and His desires. Regardless of the challenges encountered on the trails He places us on, each person must make personal decisions about trusting Him, submitting to Him and obeying Him. He has given us His Word, His Holy Spirit and His church – just what we need to overcome any obstacle and achieve His purposes.

Prayer

Holy Father, please enable and encourage those who love You to walk with You and for You. Please use Your children to share Your truth with those who don’t know You. Please draw many more to walk with You – getting them off the path to Hell and on the path to Heaven. I praise You and pray to You in the name of Christ my Lord and Savior. Amen.