Month: August 2013

For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you—if a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.  Titus 1:5-9

Titus, one of the young men who accompanied the Apostle Paul on many of his missionary journeys, first came to Christ as a Greek in the city of Antioch. At the time of this writing, was now on the island of Crete, just south of Greece. The church in Crete was probably the result of Paul and Titus ministry after Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome. And so we read that he left Titus there to “set in order” the things that  needed immediate attention, and appoint elders in every city as Paul directed him. And because of the nature of the citizens there,  Titus, and those whom he made apostolic delegates to do the work of ministry were to be transformed by the Word of God, in which everyone who were listening to them, or watching and observing them, would see exemplary character qualities that every leader in the church is to have. The word “blameless” does not mean sinless perfection but to a personal life that is beyond legitimate accusation and public scandal. In more detailed character, the elder or appointed one by God in ministry is to be integral not only in public ministry, but is to have integrity in the home. If a husband is loving his wife as Christ loves the church, and has given himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25), and as a father is bringing up his children in the training and admonition of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4), this speaks of a man who is consistently both inwardly and outwardly devoted and faithful to his wife, and is raising his children to have saving faith in Christ, who reflects it in their conduct and decision making skills. Again, the ministry leaders cannot just preach the Word, but also has to be living out what it says.

In the background of the this letter, we can discover the kind of persons the Cretans were. In one of the most unusual passages in the New Testament, the apostle quotes from one of the most popular ancient writers of their day, a secular Greek poet who describes these people among whom young Titus had to share the gospel to. He says, One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons” (Titus 1:12). Paul is giving Titus his insight for what he may be up against and wants him to understand the formidable nature of the problem he may one day have to face. Yet, even with a daunting task as this, God is faithful to any of us with the enigma of sharing our faith with harden people. Jesus Christ, and His atoning shed blood for the remission of sins is for everyone, we must not ever think that someone we cross paths with is not worthy to receive the good news of the gospel. Because truthfully, none of us are ever worthy. God’s grace makes us worthy, we are nothing more than sinners who have been saved by grace. And therefore, when we share our testimony, we humbly agree, that it is through His offer of mercy and grace that I received my salvation. This puts us all on even ground.

But hospitable, a lover of what is good—The word for “hospitable” actually means “a lover of strangers.” A Christian is to have a love for others that is not hypocritical, but rather of the same genuineness of that of Christ. Our actions should be motivated by our love for God, and demonstrated by our love for others.

Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught—Sound biblical doctrine not only should be taught but also adhered to with deep conviction. The faithful teaching and defending of Scripture against false teachers, with encouragement for more godliness and courage to confront sin and error, on those who contradict what we believe in. When the church has a problem, often times it is because the world is invading the church, instead of the church invading the world. It is only by sound biblical doctrinal teaching are we able to resist the sinful things of this world. Church fellowship, Bible studies, and of course worship, both public congregational and private worship of the Lord is needed. Our hearts will fall victim to whatever corrupted forces is allowed to enter in. We must be on guard against false teachings, and worldliness that wants to consume our passion for Christ. If the mind is defiled, it cannot accurately inform the conscience, and so the conscience cannot warn the person. When our conscience is accurately and fully infused with God’s Word of truth, it functions in the way  that God designed it, with a warning system to help us turn to God, and His Holy Spirit who enables us to know all truth. Sound also means “healthy,” Paul uses it nine times in these pastoral epistles, and always with the meaning that truth produces well being. True and pure doctrine was to be required of all who spoke to the church. Any who fell short of that were to be rebuked.

Beloved friend, Being a steward of the Lord in whatever capacity, whether you are a Sunday school teacher, and usher, or an elder in the church. God requires stewards that they be found faithfully fulfilling their calling. The most essential character trait of a follower of Christ, is a humble reverence to obey His Word like that of a faithful servant to his master. There are many who profess to believe in God, but only those whose life is marked by a inward change, those whose life is now governed by the Word of God. Jesus aim was not to gather appreciative crowds, but to make true disciples. He never adapted the message of the gospel to majority preferences, but always plainly declared the high cost of discipleship. He made demands to discourage those who were only half-hearted and not genuine in their faith.

Prayer: Lord, teach me how to love the way You love. Where I need to be healed, delivered, changed, matured, or made whole, I invite You Lord to do that in me. Help me walk in righteousness and integrity before You, and those whom You put into my life. Teach me Your ways and enable me to obey Your commandments and be about doing only what pleases You. For Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and for my good. In Jesus name, Amen.

May the Lord bless your walk with Him today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, “Give us water, that we may drink.” So Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the Lord?” And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained against Moses, and said, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me!” And the Lord said to Moses, “Go on before the people, and take with you some of the elders of Israel. Also take in your hand your rod with which you struck the river, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock in Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. So he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contention of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”   Exodus 17:1-7

The only thing worse than having a physical need unmet, is having a physical need without faith. Moses leading them to a waterless site, the children of Israel contended with him to the point of doubting God was with him. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? If we don’t get what we want when we want it, God is not blessing us. Moses saw this as really tempting God. And so intense was their pressing him, Moses thought they were going to stone him. Anyone in leadership knows how hard it can be to please people. If fact, the term “Customer service” has really a different meaning for us today. Whether you are dealing with federal government, and or state officials, or just plain old department store employees, it is hard to find persons who are looking out for your best interests. But here is where our faith intersects with reasoning. God knows what we need and if your a child of His, His promise is to never leave us or forsake us. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) For us today, those who are living and abiding in Christ, can be content in every situation because of this promise. It gives 5 negatives in describing this statement of promise, the impossibility of Christ ever deserting believers. It’s like saying: “There is absolutely no way whatsoever that I will ever, ever leave you.”

Now the leadership of Moses being tested, led him to turn to God in prayer. Our faith is tested on the principle of addressing our concerns to the Lord, then having the faith to believe He knows exactly what I need, and when I need it. His timing is perfect. God is never late. Nor does He ever give us more than we can handle. Apparently the murmurings and complaints of the Israelites was an on going thing, where it led Moses to prayer, they didn’t seem to want to cry out to God. No, they saw it as their chance to put blame on Moses, to the point of even questioning if God was really leading them.

I see a great need in our families today. Whoever is in leadership, We need to be in constant prayer over the needs of our families. Faith and trust in the Lord and His Words of promise, will ward off seeds of doubt and despair that often if left unrepented from, will breed roots of bitterness. This is destructive behavior that is demonic in nature, because it wants to destroy what God wants to build up. Strong healthy Christian families are not without trial of testing, but it is the exercise of our faith and trusting in what Jesus Christ has done for us, He who is the Author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) wants us trusting in His provision for our lives. Whatever the need may be, we tend to think of the physical need as even more important than the spiritual need. And brethren guess what? God will never put your physical need before your spiritual need. He knows you need water to live, daily bread for sustenance for strength for endurance. Through the eyes of faith are we to look at our circumstances. Am I trusting in the Lord for what I need today? This biblical view point is what will carry you and those you love through the difficult times in which we live. Though Moses may have been upset with the Israelites, there is no indication that God was upset with them, for food and water are both of our most important physical needs, therefore are natural needs for us to have. I think it is when we react to our situations with anger, that is where we are not using our right to exercise faith, and be in prayer to God for what we need. So Moses, like our life needs to be, was characterized by prayer.

Behold, I will stand before you at the rock in Horeb—By these words in His instruction to Moses, the Lord reinforced both the position of Moses in leadership, and Himself as ahead of him and His presence to act of his behalf. Even to the miraculous intervention which occurred through out their wilderness journey. Through the circumstances they experienced, Israel had learned how God provided food and water for them. They had to learn through warfare, both physical and spiritual warfare that God would bring them victory over their enemies in the promised land. These same lessons are for us to learn.

Beloved friend, There before us is our Old Testament example of living by faith and not by sight. Paul wrote to the Corinthian church: “I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of the spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (1 Corinthians 10:1-4) And it was Jesus Himself who said, “If any man thirsts let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)  But for us today, Jesus is glorified, He died for our sins, and He rose and conquered the grave on our behalf. Now anyone who has a hunger and thirst for Him, will be satisfied, will taste the victory of eternal life. And even now, as we live in this world, has the promise of every spiritual blessing in Christ has already been given to us (Ephesians 1:3). So go forth today, and speak to the Rock: Don’t let your heart be troubled, God invites us to speak to the Rock as a man speaks to his friend and be comforted by His love for you.

May the Lord bless your walk with Him today!

 

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentleness {moderation} be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.          Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord—Paul’s familiar theme through out the whole epistle which has already been heard in chaps. 1 & 2. This however, is the first time he adds “in the Lord.” This signifies where the believer’s joy exists—a sphere that is unrelated to circumstances of life, but rather to the unchangeable and never ending relationship to the sovereign Lord. And let us not forget where Paul was during this time in his life, in a Roman prison cell. This is one of four prison epistles or letters Paul had been allowed to write while being a prisoner in Rome. The others were Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon. Paul was guarded by soldiers (Acts 28:16), was permitted to receive visitors (Acts 28:30), and had opportunity to preach the gospel (Acts 28:31). None of which ever enabled Paul to view his life as a failed attempt for witnessing for Christ. In fact, everywhere Paul went, people heard the gospel to the point of members of Caesar’s elite palace guard, were getting saved being chained to Paul. In fact Paul never referred himself as a prisoner of Rome, but in fact referenced himself along with Timothy as bondservants of Jesus Christ. There is always cause for us to rejoice in the Lord if you are a Christian today. We can rejoice that He wrote my/our names in His Book of Life before the foundation of the world. Yet, I know there are real times of sorrow and sadness in our lives. Times of despair and constant pain, I’m not disclaiming how hard and difficult it is to ignore this fact. But for the person whom looks to Christ, and Him alone, God has a way of bringing to us comfort by His Spirit that has a most profound effect upon us. That often times by choosing to rely upon the Lord, will rise up within us a joy that is so unspeakable, that when seen upon the face of the Lord’s afflicted one’s, it cannot be denied. For it is supernatural and comes from Jesus Himself, For He is near, at hand.

Let your gentleness {your moderation} be known to all men—This is a word picture of the attitude of “moderation” which implies “peace under pressure” and refers to the calm and deliberate strength with which we meet the disquieting circumstances of our life today. Our world’s disappointing ways, friends we’ve relied upon who have now let us down, relationships: marriages and families which have splintered. Yet, we can still have peace. How you may say? By remembering that the Lord is at hand—Jesus tells His disciples in the gospel of John 16: “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (v.33) So really He is saying, “Don’t get too involved in the things of this world, it’s politics, or religious political correctness. These things will bring tribulation. Know rather, that I am near, and I will be coming again soon.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God—The answer for worry is prayer. Fret or worry is an indicator that we have not brought our problems to the Lord. Think of what it means to be plagued with burdens and then bringing them to the highest authority man has to bring them to. You can’t get any higher authority for which to bring your concerns to than to the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Who breathed the breath of life into man, who spoke into existence the universe as we know it, yet cares enough about us to know every strand of hair on our heads. He knows when one sparrow has fallen to the ground, and says to us: “Therefore I say to you, ‘do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than birds?” (Luke 12:22-24) So it is with prayer and commitment that I bring those things to God in prayer. I personally begin when I arise from bed, I start thanking the Lord for another day. I ask for His guiding me by His Spirit, for His filling me with His Spirit, then as I begin my day I read a few Scriptures and ask Him to bring to my memory His promises that I may need through out my day. Everyone who is a believer is different in how you cast your cares on the Lord. But its those things that make me prone to worry, or cause me to be afraid of, these very things I need to be bringing to the Lord. I realize that once I’ve committed these concerns into His hands, they are His now, they belong to Him and He will work out those things for His glory and for my good. For sure it is not for my glory. It is never for my own personal pleasure as often times I may not like the way things are in my life. Here is where I put my trust in Him, by saying, “Father, not my will, but Your will be done in this matter.” God is in control, and thank God I’m not. If I only could rely upon myself, if I were in control of my own circumstances I probably wouldn’t be writing these words today. I would have for sure messed things up a long time ago. All of these years the steadfast and sovereign Lord has enabled me to find confident strength and trust in His ways for my life. Teaching me to trust in God even when I can’t see the way.

Peace of God—An inner calm and tranquility is promised to the believer who has a thankful heart and displays an attitude of trust in the Lord. An unwavering peace in all my circumstances because the sovereign Lord has taken my circumstances and is working all things because He is able for my good (Romans 8:28), and my faith and trust in Him is growing and maturing in His likeness as His Spirit is working in my life. Transforming me into the image of Christ. Far from it as to being perfect and sinless, but nevertheless has been at work in me yesterday, today, and will be tomorrow when I arise Lord willing. If this all sounds too good, or perhaps too easy in my complexity of life? Just believe that God’s peace surpasses all understanding in its divine origin of peace. It transcends human intellect, and gives us powerful discerning insight and awareness of the nearness of the Lord.

Beloved friend, Paul was making a reference to the whole of man that can have peace today, even in the most trying circumstances, because our peace is in the Person of Jesus Christ. He has overcome this world by paying the ransom for us by dying for our sins which had previously separated us from a relationship with God. But now has restored us to Himself through His sacrifice. Believing by faith that this was done so we can have peace in our lives today. If you are still in doubt, why don’t you try once more? Cast your cares upon Him who cares for the things which concern us. Don’t be lacking today of something God so freely gives to anyone who asks. He loves you with an eternal love that can be depended upon with all of your life’s cares.

May the Lord bless your walk with Him today!

 

 

No one has ever seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 1 John 4:12-16

When we first read “No one has seen God at any time.” You may think, “What about Moses? And I would say, well, I have to believe John writing here, that no man has ever seen God at any time. What about Moses? The Scriptures tell us that Moses was only able to see the afterglow. God says, “You can’t see Me Moses, or you will surely die. I will place you here in the cleft of this rock and I’ll pass by. And I will cover you with My hand while I pass by. Then I will take away My hand, and you shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen” (Exodus 33:19-23).  And the grace of God was radiate on the face of Moses, so much that he had to put a veil over his face. Jesus said on the Sermon on the mount, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” But before I can see God, I have to have a new glorified body, which the Bible says is promised to every believer in Christ. So the saying is true, in this mortal flesh, this old body will not be able to see God at any time. But, If we love one another, God dwells in us, and His love is perfected in us. And that is a work of the Holy Spirit within our lives. Perfecting us in the love of God. John introduces us to the third of five reasons Christians love: Because love is the heart of a Christian’s witness. Nobody can see God loving since His love is invisible. Jesus no longer is in the world to manifest God’s love, the only demonstration of God’s love then is the love of God in the church. It’s a huge part of our testimony, that God’s love has gotten a hold on me. And As I yield to the Holy Spirit that dwells in me, as I am filled with the Spirit so that work of His love for me is ultimately perfecting God’s love in my life. That I will indeed love as He loves.

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world—In chapter 1 of this Book 1 John, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life (v.1). That we might have fellowship with the disciples who were with Jesus, and were eyewitnesses of His death, and resurrection; The purpose of His coming: That He might take away our sins—Now here again he gives another reason for His coming: ” That He might be the Savior of the world.”

Whoever confesses—The importance that Jesus is the Son of God, and (a) son of God as the Mormons would make Him, one of many. Or as the Jehovah Witnesses would make , a son of God. Our testimony is that Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God the Father, and God dwells in Him, and He in God. That is truly what separates millions of people in our world today. We all can’t be right. The Scriptures must be interpreted correctly, for the consequences are eternal. And dealing with these truths, how can we know who is right? There are a lot of false prophets in the world that have come. Jesus, before He went to the cross, had been preparing His disciples for what was to come. “I still have many things to say to you, but you can not bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”  (John 16:12-13) This verse points to the supernatural revelation of all truth by which God has revealed Himself in Christ. In the Old Testament which speaks of His coming, and the New Testament claims of His deity.

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us—-Let me point something out on what the Scriptures say that is not love. Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good (Romans 12:9).  A Christ-like love Christians are to have is to be shown purely and in sincerity. And is to be without self-centeredness and without hypocrisy. I’ve said here before: People are not going to care how much you know, until they know how much you care. This kind of love is seen in Christ, and is revealed to us through the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Another reference about love is: Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5); Paul was revealing to Timothy what he is to be revealing to the church; Because the goal of preaching the truth and warning of error is to call men to true salvation in Christ, which produces a love for God from a purified heart (1 Peter 1:22), and a cleansed conscience (Hebrews 10:14), and genuine faith (Hebrews 10:22). This is the love of choice and the will that is characterized by self-denial and self-sacrifice for the benefit of others, which is always the mark of true Christianity.

Beloved friend, God is love. Indeed and for sure. But love that is without truth is not love at all. People are so quick to judge what God is like by believing a lie of God’s judgment as taking away their freedom of choice. They will not be told what they can or cannot do in this life, even though everything about this life involves the consequences we face when choose not obey the law, nor the commandments of God. In 1 John chapter 5 we read, For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome (v.3). In contrast to the burdensome man-made religious traditions of the Jewish leaders (Matthew 23:4), the yoke of Jesus is easy and the burden is light to follow and learn from Him (Matthew 11:28-30). Let us be in that place of victory over sin and the deceitful lusts of this world, and be about our Father’s business of sharing our faith in Jesus Christ. He is coming soon! There is no denying it in our world today. Every believer should have their eyes on Christ, and His love for them will make a difference in the lives of those who need to know these truths who are all around us.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.  1 Timothy 2:1-7

I want to talk about our Mediator, our Lord Jesus Christ. For this is merely one of His titles, and yet, we could not live without His intervention for us, He is our Comforter, He is our Healer, but today I’d like focus on this passage brought to us by Paul, because it is the right time for us to know these truths.

The Ephesian church had evidently stopped praying for the lost, since Paul urged Timothy who was their pastor, to make it a priority again. I believe that it is important that we pray for our leaders in government. Our apathetic view some Christians have toward government officials who have failed us in their promises  cannot be what we make our decisions by. Or justify it as the reason they won’t even register to vote. No, If you are a Christian today, your viewpoint has to be biblically correct. And Paul here is exhorting us to begin by praying for these people we have in authority over us. Supplications—The Greek word is from a root word that means “to lack,” “to be deprived,” or “to be without.” So we can say, “This kind of prayer subject occurs because of need.” Now the purpose of the prayers is that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. The real purpose of government is not to tax people, but to preserve what is good. All laws were meant to be designed to preserve what is good, yet, because of all the evil influences and powers in government in our world, government actually is ordained to preserve what is good, by keeping out all of the evil influences. So what has happened instead? Study your history books and you will see it is true over and over again. Most governments begin with high ideals of preservation of good for the people, but in time, the corrupt forces moved in. The laws were liberalized to where good was no longer being preserved but evil was being allowed, being tolerated and then being protected by laws. We are at that stage in the United States today, where evil is being protected by law.

The lost have a great need of salvation, and believers should always be asking the Lord to meet that need. And so why not ask the Lord to bring more Christian believers in government leadership positions, it could be the only way for God to preserve our nation from its self destruction. Intercession—This word comes from a root word meaning “to fall in with someone,” or “to draw near so as to speak intimately.” The verb from which this word derives is used of Christ’s and the Holy Spirit’s intercession for believers (Romans 8:26) and in (Hebrews 7:25). Paul is saying, That the Ephesian Christian’s is to have compassion for the lost, to understand the depths of their pain and suffering by coming intimately to God pleading for their salvation and conversion. That they all would live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness. Shouldn’t that be our prayers today?

How many of us know of someone who is suffering by the consequences of their lives? Yet, without ever coming to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, they will perish in their sins. Sad, so sad that people who have this great need of peace in their life, won’t come to the One who offers us His peace. And so we know that this is good and acceptable in the sight of our all seeing God, and our Savior, who desires all men to be saved. Who also desires that all men should come to the knowledge of truth. And what is truth?

There is one God—There is no other way of salvation (Acts 4:12); hence there is many gods in our world today, but there is only one God for those who are lost can be saved! And one Mediator between God and men—This refers to someone who intervenes between two parties to resolve a conflict or ratify a contract, or in this case a covenant. Jesus Christ is the only Mediator who can restore peace between God and sinners (Hebrews 8:6, 9:15, 12:24). We can remember from the Book of Job, of all of his afflictions, his loss of possessions, children, his own health. Lying in misery even his own wife told him, “Why don’t you just curse God and die!” Then we read his friends came to comfort him. But rather than bring him comfort, they became accusers, and condemners. The gist of which was to say to Job, “Why don’t you just confess your sins and get right with God?” Job saw the enormous task of trying to bridge the great gulf between God the infinite One, and man the finite one. The only way Job could see it happening is that there be a source of mediation between God and man. Someone who can touch God and touch man. Jesus Christ is that Mediator who comes between us and God, by giving Himself as a ransom as our substitutionary death for believers, which He did willingly, and to fulfill the purpose for which He came to our world for; That we may have our relationship to God restored and be in right standing before Him on the Day of judgment. How thankful every Christian should be, that we have Jesus Christ interceding for us as we live our lives in this world. Even when we blow it, and sin against God, He intercedes for us to Father, that we might be restored into right fellowship again with Him. Jesus stands between God and me/us who are believers, and puts His nail scarred hand upon God, and reaches down and puts His hand upon us, and brings us in touch with God. Amazing is the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus our Lord. Simply amazing grace!

Beloved friend, Now what does that mean? That means if you who are reading this want to come to God today, you don’t get there because of me, or any Pastor/teacher, were not the mediator between God and you. If you want to come to God today, you must go to Jesus Christ, He alone is the mediator between God and man. You can’t get there praying to saints, or the virgin Mary, or any other entity. There is only one mediator, the Man Christ Jesus. And He alone can bring you into touch with God. He said in the gospel of John, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: and no man comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)

May the Lord bless your walk with Him today!