New Food for the New Place

Joshua 5:11, 12

Every day of a believer’s life, they are to find their spiritual nourishment in the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. When the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the land of Canaan, they “did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover” (Joshua 5:11). The “old corn” was the standing corn in Canaan, while the manna that they had grown accustomed to “ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more” (verse 12). Once they had food readily available, there was no need for the heavenly manna to continue to fall.

The difference between the old corn and the manna is a type of two periods in the life of Christ. The manna is representative of Jesus giving His flesh for mankind. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). This points to Christ’s life on earth, better called a “wilderness experience”. The manna was a necessity in the wilderness, but the believer is no longer a wanderer.

This is why the old corn represents something greater. You and I are eating from the standing corn, that which is a finished work. Food that befits our new place can be comprehended not in the lifestyle of Jesus, but in the final period of His life, His resurrection. “For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you” (2 Corinthians 13:4).

As recipients of the New Covenant, you and I have new food for a new place. The old corn is Christ as risen and glorified of the Father, seated forever at God’s right hand. There is no need for a new revelation every day of our lives, though it is good to eat every day. Christ’s finished work is complete and the believer need only rest in it each day.

The Apostle Paul spoke of people in the church as being at different levels in their ability to consume spiritual food. He said that some were drinking “milk” when they ought to be eating “meat”. The manna would be considered the “milk”. In these individuals, they need something emotional and enormous everyday in order to function. There is a lack of spiritual development in them, and there is very little rest.

Other saints, of whom I hope you claim to be, are eating the “meat” of the covenant. They comprehend Christ’s finished work and revel in the power of the resurrected life. They do not need an emotional experience each and every day, for they rest even in the midst of storms.

You are in a new place today believer, so consume a new food. Knowing what Jesus would do in a situation is helpful, but there is more to living this life than knowing Jesus’ actions. Swallow by faith the meat of His resurrection, and let His life-giving power carry you as you grow in Him.

The Grace of Life

1 Peter 3:6, 7

The gift of life is a tremendous example of God’s grace. “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God has graced us with life and all good things. Our health, our sanity, our physical bodies, etc., are all because of the wonderful gift that God has given to us.

How to improve the life we have is a repeated concern of the Word of God. Jesus told us that He came so that we might have life and have it more abundant (John 10:10). This abundant life has nothing to do with heaven, but is to be had now by every believer. Peter gives advice to men and women as to how to live in the grace of this life to its fullest, specifically within the context of husband and wife.

He starts with the wife, calling her a daughter of Sara (1 Peter 3:6). Sara is the only person in the Bible to whom the Lord restored their youth while they were in their old age. If you are a daughter of Sara then you have grace upon your physical frame. Every woman should “Amen” that! There is a condition that says, “As long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement”. The doing well that the Apostle speaks of is qualified at the end, “not afraid with any amazement”. Doing well is not fearing the husband or the Lord. Living in trembling fear of your husband robs you of the joy of having your youth in your old age. The same principle applies towards your heavenly Father.

Husbands, we are next, being told to dwell with our wives, “according to knowledge” (1 Peter 3:7). “Knowledge” here is the Greek word “nossos” which means, “common sense”. We are to apply common sense to our dealings with our wives, which will cause us to honor her. Common sense should direct us to love and protect her as one who is “the weaker vessel” (verse 7). This is no insult ladies; for you were taken from man’s side, thus it is in his God-given instinct to shelter you under his arm. If he applies the common sense that God gave him, he will do this naturally.

The husband and wife are “heirs together of the grace of life”. Life is lived to its fullest when a man and woman share their hearts, minds and bodies. This is God’s design and it is fought against by the enemy with great force. Marriages between both saints and sinners are fought with equal fervor by Satan for marriage is instituted by God, and he wants to do all that he can to ruin couples from experiencing the grace of life.

Finally, all men should pay particularly close attention to the last phrase of verse 7: “that your prayers be not hindered”. When we pay honor to our wife and protect her as the weaker vessel, we ensure that our prayers get through to the Father. If you are giving no honor to your wife; abusing her verbally, ignoring her needs or treating her disrespectfully, then you are placing a hindrance between your prayers and heaven. I want nothing to stop my cries from going to my Father, so I want to honor my wife to the fullest, and I know that you do too.

Perfect marriages are not possible, because we act imperfectly, but we serve a perfect God who has designed a perfect union. Dwell according to this knowledge and enjoy the grace of life together.

Watching From Heaven

Revelation 6:9-11

Everyone either has lost a loved one, or will lose one; it is a brutal fact of life. The hope of an afterlife is what pushes many people forward through those horrible moments of loss, with the assurance that they will meet that person again. Paul confirmed this with, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

In Revelation 6, John is shown the opening of the seven seals in heaven. With the opening of the fifth seal, he sees the martyred remnant, under the altar of god, slain for the testimony which they held (Revelation 6:9). He hears them crying out to God to judge and avenge their blood, even asking the Lord how long He is going to wait to do so. In our endless quest to learn something from the prophetic, sometimes we overlook the most obvious things. This story teaches us something about the souls in heaven.

How do these martyrs know that the Lord has not already avenged their deaths? They must have the ability to see what is transpiring on the earth, and they are still concerned about it. When I was younger, I remember hearing it preached that heaven is so much better than earth that no one in heaven could possibly be concerned about what is happening here. I even remember asking a preacher if saints in heaven were watching us to see what happens, and he said, “It is so good over there, they don’t care what we are doing here”. That makes heaven sound good, but it doesn’t say much for how my dead loved ones feel about me!

It makes no sense that God would make heaven so much different than what we are accustomed to. Consider that God created both the heavens and earth and that prior to the fall of man in the Garden, the earth was a perfect place with no curse on it of any kind. This earth that we live on is often a very beautiful place; so beautiful in fact that it can nearly take your breath away. Imagine the scenery with the curse and the death lifted away, and you are envisioning God’s ultimate design. Heaven will be wonderful, but it most certainly will not be isolated.

The martyrs of Revelation 6 retained a very earthly interest. They were watching the events on earth with great attention, and they still possessed emotions about the world that they had left behind. These saints even petitioned God for what was happening on the earth. This does not sound like a group of people who could not care less about what happens to their loved ones.

Jesus told us that when a sinner repents, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God” (Luke 15:10). Notice that the joy is “in the presence of the angels”, not necessarily coming from the angels themselves. Who in heaven would be so excited about a sinner coming home? Angels have no investment in the salvation of souls, for they can neither share the gospel nor understand the feeling of being born-again. Only those who have gone on before us can understand the joy of sins forgiven. Those who left this life, still believing for that lost son or wayward grandson, would have joy, “in the presence of angels” when they look to the earth and see that child repent.

Take heart in the knowledge that if your loved one knew Jesus Christ and they have slipped the bonds of this earth, they are not gone forever. You will be reunited someday around the throne of God, so live in a way today that will make those in the presence of angels rejoice.

New Food for the New Place

Joshua 5:11, 12

Every day of a believer’s life, they are to find their spiritual nourishment in the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. When the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the land of Canaan, they “did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover” (Joshua 5:11). The “old corn” was the standing corn in Canaan, while the manna that they had grown accustomed to “ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more” (verse 12). Once they had food readily available, there was no need for the heavenly manna to continue to fall.

The difference between the old corn and the manna is a type of two periods in the life of Christ. The manna is representative of Jesus giving His flesh for mankind. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). This points to Christ’s life on earth, better called a “wilderness experience”. The manna was a necessity in the wilderness, but the believer is no longer a wanderer.

This is why the old corn represents something greater. You and I are eating from the standing corn, that which is a finished work. Food that befits our new place can be comprehended not in the lifestyle of Jesus, but in the final period of His life, His resurrection. “For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you” (2 Corinthians 13:4).

As recipients of the New Covenant, you and I have new food for a new place. The old corn is Christ as risen and glorified of the Father, seated forever at God’s right hand. There is no need for a new revelation every day of our lives, though it is good to eat every day. Christ’s finished work is complete and the believer need only rest in it each day.

The Apostle Paul spoke of people in the church as being at different levels in their ability to consume spiritual food. He said that some were drinking “milk” when they ought to be eating “meat”. The manna would be considered the “milk”. In these individuals, they need something emotional and enormous everyday in order to function. There is a lack of spiritual development in them, and there is very little rest.

Other saints, of whom I hope you claim to be, are eating the “meat” of the covenant. They comprehend Christ’s finished work and revel in the power of the resurrected life. They do not need an emotional experience each and every day, for they rest even in the midst of storms.

You are in a new place today believer, so consume a new food. Knowing what Jesus would do in a situation is helpful, but there is more to living this life than knowing Jesus’ actions. Swallow by faith the meat of His resurrection, and let His life-giving power carry you as you grow in Him.

The Grace of Life

1 Peter 3:6, 7

The gift of life is a tremendous example of God’s grace. “For in him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God has graced us with life and all good things. Our health, our sanity, our physical bodies, etc., are all because of the wonderful gift that God has given to us.

How to improve the life we have is a repeated concern of the Word of God. Jesus told us that He came so that we might have life and have it more abundant (John 10:10). This abundant life has nothing to do with heaven, but is to be had now by every believer. Peter gives advice to men and women as to how to live in the grace of this life to its fullest, specifically within the context of husband and wife.

He starts with the wife, calling her a daughter of Sara (1 Peter 3:6). Sara is the only person in the Bible to whom the Lord restored their youth while they were in their old age. If you are a daughter of Sara then you have grace upon your physical frame. Every woman should “Amen” that! There is a condition that says, “As long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement”. The doing well that the Apostle speaks of is qualified at the end, “not afraid with any amazement”. Doing well is not fearing the husband or the Lord. Living in trembling fear of your husband robs you of the joy of having your youth in your old age. The same principle applies towards your heavenly Father.

Husbands, we are next, being told to dwell with our wives, “according to knowledge” (1 Peter 3:7). “Knowledge” here is the Greek word “nossos” which means, “common sense”. We are to apply common sense to our dealings with our wives, which will cause us to honor her. Common sense should direct us to love and protect her as one who is “the weaker vessel” (verse 7). This is no insult ladies; for you were taken from man’s side, thus it is in his God-given instinct to shelter you under his arm. If he applies the common sense that God gave him, he will do this naturally.

The husband and wife are “heirs together of the grace of life”. Life is lived to its fullest when a man and woman share their hearts, minds and bodies. This is God’s design and it is fought against by the enemy with great force. Marriages between both saints and sinners are fought with equal fervor by Satan for marriage is instituted by God, and he wants to do all that he can to ruin couples from experiencing the grace of life.

Finally, all men should pay particularly close attention to the last phrase of verse 7: “that your prayers be not hindered”. When we pay honor to our wife and protect her as the weaker vessel, we ensure that our prayers get through to the Father. If you are giving no honor to your wife; abusing her verbally, ignoring her needs or treating her disrespectfully, then you are placing a hindrance between your prayers and heaven. I want nothing to stop my cries from going to my Father, so I want to honor my wife to the fullest, and I know that you do too.

Perfect marriages are not possible, because we act imperfectly, but we serve a perfect God who has designed a perfect union. Dwell according to this knowledge and enjoy the grace of life together.

Watching From Heaven

Revelation 6:9-11

Everyone either has lost a loved one, or will lose one; it is a brutal fact of life. The hope of an afterlife is what pushes many people forward through those horrible moments of loss, with the assurance that they will meet that person again. Paul confirmed this with, “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

In Revelation 6, John is shown the opening of the seven seals in heaven. With the opening of the fifth seal, he sees the martyred remnant, under the altar of god, slain for the testimony which they held (Revelation 6:9). He hears them crying out to God to judge and avenge their blood, even asking the Lord how long He is going to wait to do so. In our endless quest to learn something from the prophetic, sometimes we overlook the most obvious things. This story teaches us something about the souls in heaven.

How do these martyrs know that the Lord has not already avenged their deaths? They must have the ability to see what is transpiring on the earth, and they are still concerned about it. When I was younger, I remember hearing it preached that heaven is so much better than earth that no one in heaven could possibly be concerned about what is happening here. I even remember asking a preacher if saints in heaven were watching us to see what happens, and he said, “It is so good over there, they don’t care what we are doing here”. That makes heaven sound good, but it doesn’t say much for how my dead loved ones feel about me!

It makes no sense that God would make heaven so much different than what we are accustomed to. Consider that God created both the heavens and earth and that prior to the fall of man in the Garden, the earth was a perfect place with no curse on it of any kind. This earth that we live on is often a very beautiful place; so beautiful in fact that it can nearly take your breath away. Imagine the scenery with the curse and the death lifted away, and you are envisioning God’s ultimate design. Heaven will be wonderful, but it most certainly will not be isolated.

The martyrs of Revelation 6 retained a very earthly interest. They were watching the events on earth with great attention, and they still possessed emotions about the world that they had left behind. These saints even petitioned God for what was happening on the earth. This does not sound like a group of people who could not care less about what happens to their loved ones.

Jesus told us that when a sinner repents, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God” (Luke 15:10). Notice that the joy is “in the presence of the angels”, not necessarily coming from the angels themselves. Who in heaven would be so excited about a sinner coming home? Angels have no investment in the salvation of souls, for they can neither share the gospel nor understand the feeling of being born-again. Only those who have gone on before us can understand the joy of sins forgiven. Those who left this life, still believing for that lost son or wayward grandson, would have joy, “in the presence of angels” when they look to the earth and see that child repent.

Take heart in the knowledge that if your loved one knew Jesus Christ and they have slipped the bonds of this earth, they are not gone forever. You will be reunited someday around the throne of God, so live in a way today that will make those in the presence of angels rejoice.

New Food for the New Place

Joshua 5:11, 12

Every day of a believer’s life, they are to find their spiritual nourishment in the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. When the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan and entered the land of Canaan, they “did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover” (Joshua 5:11). The “old corn” was the standing corn in Canaan, while the manna that they had grown accustomed to “ceased on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel manna any more” (verse 12). Once they had food readily available, there was no need for the heavenly manna to continue to fall.

The difference between the old corn and the manna is a type of two periods in the life of Christ. The manna is representative of Jesus giving His flesh for mankind. “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world” (John 6:51). This points to Christ’s life on earth, better called a “wilderness experience”. The manna was a necessity in the wilderness, but the believer is no longer a wanderer.

This is why the old corn represents something greater. You and I are eating from the standing corn, that which is a finished work. Food that befits our new place can be comprehended not in the lifestyle of Jesus, but in the final period of His life, His resurrection. “For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you” (2 Corinthians 13:4).

As recipients of the New Covenant, you and I have new food for a new place. The old corn is Christ as risen and glorified of the Father, seated forever at God’s right hand. There is no need for a new revelation every day of our lives, though it is good to eat every day. Christ’s finished work is complete and the believer need only rest in it each day.

The Apostle Paul spoke of people in the church as being at different levels in their ability to consume spiritual food. He said that some were drinking “milk” when they ought to be eating “meat”. The manna would be considered the “milk”. In these individuals, they need something emotional and enormous everyday in order to function. There is a lack of spiritual development in them, and there is very little rest.

Other saints, of whom I hope you claim to be, are eating the “meat” of the covenant. They comprehend Christ’s finished work and revel in the power of the resurrected life. They do not need an emotional experience each and every day, for they rest even in the midst of storms.

You are in a new place today believer, so consume a new food. Knowing what Jesus would do in a situation is helpful, but there is more to living this life than knowing Jesus’ actions. Swallow by faith the meat of His resurrection, and let His life-giving power carry you as you grow in Him.