Green Pastures and Still Waters

Psalms 23:2

Our Good Shepherd promises to provide for all of our needs in placing the sheep at rest in green pastures and leading us beside still waters. God has always desired to place His people in a place of rest, both now and forever. Look at His promise through the Prophet Ezekiel:

“I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.” (Ezekiel 34:14-16)

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” shows that the sheep have been convinced that it is safe to lie down. Without a faithful shepherd, the sheep can never relax enough to lie down; for fear that the predator will take them. Jesus promises to give His life for the sheep if need be, so there is comfort in relaxing.

The Hebrew phrase here denotes ‘pastures of tender grass’, showing not only safety and security but ease of consumption. Our Lord loves to feed us, but He also loves to DO IT ALL! All we must do is take of the manna and eat it; there need be no effort on our part. See Jesus in the scriptures and do not grind His glory out of them. Some wrangle with passages until they have removed the loveliness of Jesus. Feast on His Word and it will fill your soul.

Another Hebrew phrase ‘waters of quietness’ is translated into English, “still waters”. Our Lord leads us to waters which we can easily drink from, without fear of being carried away on troubled waves. The ‘still waters’ are a type of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus calls the “Comforter”. He washes us over with gentle waves of love and forgiveness. Just as Jesus washed the dirt from the disciples’ feet, the Spirit in us speaks words of comfort into us to help our spirit to relax. The still water is an essential part of our dietary requirements, for as water is the life source to all living things, the Spirit is that life source to the believer.

Note the leadership of the shepherd in this verse. It is His job to find a place of rest for me and it is also His job to find fresh water. He has accomplished both in His Son at the cross. Christ hung His head and died so that I could find a place of rest with Him there. He gave His body and His blood so that I would always have to eat and drink. Our rest is in His rest and our food is in His body.

Look around today, and you will see your green pastures. They may come in segments; moments for you to revel in being His child. Listen for the gentle sounds of His still waters. They will refresh your soul. He placed them there just for you.

New Every Morning

Lamentations 3:22, 23

The mercy of the Lord is a beautiful thing. His mercy ensures us that we will not get what our actions certainly deserve. Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations states that it is only due to the mercy of the Lord that we are not consumed. The writer of Hebrews tells us that our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), and John the Baptist told us that Jesus would burn the chaff with unquenchable fire (Luke 3:17), so God surely holds the power to get rid of us. Why then, does God show mercy?

The end of verse 22 gives us both the answer to our question, and insight into the heartbeat of God, “because his compassions fail not”. God shows mercy because He is compassionate. He loves mankind so much that He holds back the flood waters of judgment, just so man can have another opportunity to turn to Him.

Christ’s death on the cross took the brunt of God’s fury against sin. Now, all who will accept Christ are free from that wrath. God delays sending Jesus back to get His church so that one more sinner might come home. For the one who will leave the 99 sheep in the fold to go and find the one, this is precisely within character.

Jeremiah goes on to explain that God’s compassions are not just feelings, but rather they are tangible things. He tells us that they are “new every morning” (verse 23). All good gifts come from the Father above (James 1:17), so we can view even the smallest blessing in our life as “His compassions”. Just like the manna in the wilderness for the Old Testament saints, Christ is the manna for the believer. He is pure white and tastes like honey (Exodus 16:31), and you will never be left wanting when you trust Him as your redeemer. Every day He is there with a fresh supply of goodness and mercy for you, requiring only that you take from Him.

How can we possibly pay the Lord back for this wonderful mercy, grace and goodness? Some say that you should witness to pay Him back, bringing souls into the kingdom. Witnessing for the Lord is great, but you could win everyone that you ever meet until you die and you could never pay the Lord back for His grace. Others tell you to give, and you could give until you have nothing else, and God still has the streets of heaven paved in gold, with or without your money. Actually, anything that you get by payment is achieved by your own works, and salvation is free. Is there a way to pay Him for His wonderful mercies, new every morning?

David asked the same question, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12). Those benefits could be called the compassions of the Lord that are new every morning, given by a God who is faithful to do so (Lamentations 3:23). David answers his own question with, “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:13). He learns that the only way to pay God back is to take more of God’s goodness. You and I are pleasing to the Lord when we feast at the table of God’s mercy and compassion.

Recognize the faithfulness of the Father all around you today and feast on the manna from heaven, because it is new every morning. Go in Him!

I Am Not Ashamed of Good News

Romans 1:16, 17

The word “gospel” means, “good news”. When Paul speaks of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is speaking of the good news of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. What Christ did at Calvary was so awesome, so wonderful, so complete, that it must be considered not only good news, but the best news that the world could ever hear.

Paul was beginning to take criticism and false accusations because he was preaching so much good news (Romans 3:8), but he had become convinced that there was no other way of salvation for Gentile or Jew. Because of that he decides that he will not be ashamed to speak this truth again (Romans 1:16). If the great Apostle Paul was not ashamed to preach of a good God, who loves you unconditionally, then why would we fear this message?

The good news is the power of God to see people saved. Paul writes one chapter later, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His goodness leads men to change their minds about God. When Peter falls on his face at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8), do you think this admission came after a hell, fire and brimstone message on the sinful condition of Peter’s heart? No! It came after Jesus blessed Peter’s fishing party with so many fish that their nets broke from the load. It was Jesus’ goodness that caused Peter to repent.

The word “salvation” implies “deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and wholeness”. The good news not only saves you from an eternity in hell, but it makes you whole while you are here. Jesus promised us not only eternal life but abundant life (John 10:10). We are to reign in this life, now! (Romans 5:17)

Some people fear the message of pure grace because they worry that grace preaching will not teach people to live right. Paul says in Romans 1:17 that when we are saved, God’s righteousness is revealed in us “from faith to faith”. As we continue our faith walk, He brings His holiness out of us. Holiness cannot be added on the outside, it must come out of the heart, and the grace that is in us will teach us how to produce the results that we have always wanted.

Paul concludes these two verses by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”. As Christians, we are not living to pile up good marks with God, so that we can get into the pearly gates. Nor are we shunning the evil so that we are not tainted by the sin of the world. Our lives are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and His finished work. In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we live our lives through Him (1 John 4:9). This is only possible by simple faith in Jesus, because we are near sin, and sometimes we commit it. We do not always do the good and shun the evil, though we desire to so fervently. It is for these reasons that our lives must be lived out through faith in Jesus.

Let grace bring wholeness and rest to your life today. Realize that as your faith continues in Christ, His righteousness will come out in the way that you live that life. Relax in Jesus, for He has saved your soul. Peace go with you today.

The Gospels

The word “gospel” means “good news”, thus the term “the gospels” speaks of the “good news” of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Each gospel contains a different biographical glimpse of the Son of God, with different angles here and there to give us a thorough picture of His life and death and resurrection. The fact that these 4 books contain differences should only lend to their authenticity, for who would believe them if they said the exact same thing, and why would we need 4 of them?

Each gospel has a purpose and a theme, and each one presents Jesus in a slightly different way. These 4 different looks comprise the 4 faces of Jesus, with each one corresponding to the “four beasts full of eyes” found in heaven in Revelation 4:6. There is also a corresponding color with each gospel, represented by the four colors of the tabernacle curtains, hanging on four pillars: linen (white), blue, purple and scarlet (Exodus 26:1). Jesus’ life gives substance to the shadow of the tabernacle.

Let’s look at each gospel and see some fascinating types of our Lord Jesus:

Matthew – Jesus is presented as King of the Jews, which is why His Sermon on the Mount appears only here, as it dealt with the very law that the Jews strived so hard to keep. A King needs a genealogy, thus one is included, showing us that Jesus belongs on the throne of Israel through the bloodline of king’s David and Solomon through His earthly father Joseph. He is here seen as the Lion with the color being purple, the color of royalty.

Mark – Jesus is the Ox, colored red just like the sacrificial red heifer of the Old Testament (Numbers 19), and as an ox, He is presented as Servant in Mark. A servant has no need of a genealogy so this gospel does not include one. Servants are also to be seen but not heard, which is why there is much activity by Jesus but not much commentary in this book. There are also very few things in Mark that do not appear in another gospel, for there is to be nothing extraordinary about a servant. This representation is obviously very special to the heart of the Savior as He is found still wearing a golden apron until this hour in heaven, ever the servant at heart (Revelation 1:13).

Luke – Jesus is the Son of Man, with that phrase appearing in this book more than any other. Luke deals more with the humanity of Jesus, thus the corresponding face of a Man in Revelation 4:7. The virgin birth is given in detail and a full genealogy is recorded, as any human would have done. This time the bloodline runs through his mother, showing us that he is royalty (a descendent of David) on both sides of the family. He is represented as the color blue in this book, as that is perfect divinity.

John – Jesus as God. From the very beginning, John is different, showing Jesus as being one with the Father. God has no genealogy so John does not give one and God is perfectly unique from man, thus every chapter of John contains something that is found in no other gospel. As God is above all that is on earth, the Eagle soars in the heavens with the color white representing God’s perfect purity.

These are four snap-shots of one life, each showing us another face of Jesus. He was the veil of the tabernacle, and His life is a perfect picture of that. The author of Hebrews said that we go through the veil to get to God, “that is to say, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Go through the gospels to see Jesus and you are “going through His flesh”. It is a wonderful journey no matter how many times you take it.

Good Days

1 Peter 3:10

Though the world that we live in may be tossed with financial woe, and the people around us seem nervous for their future, the saint trusts in a certain God. We find that it is possible, through the finished work of Jesus to love our life and to rest in the wonderful moments of knowing our Savior.

The Apostle Peter felt the same way, giving us a way to “love life, and see good days” (1 Peter 3:10). In order to have this happen in our lives we are to “let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:” (3:10). “Guile” is craftiness or deceit; so Peter is instructing us to speak that which is good and honest.

Paul warned the believer about speaking evil, saying that it should be “put away from you” (Ephesians 4:31). He also gave us an example of what evil speaking might sound like, and it is not “cursing” or telling dirty jokes. Paul said, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 3:29). When we communicate with others without using the grace and mercy of God in our speech and in our approach, Paul says that this is “corrupt communication”. How many times have we spoken to people with a judgmental attitude, administering law and works into their lives?

When we speak to one another in this manner we grieve the Holy Spirit of God (3:30). The Holy Spirit wishes to minister grace to each person that we come in contact with, but He is limited by the words that come out of our mouths. Don’t grieve His design and desire by saying things to others that are not covered over by the grace of Jesus Christ.

As we minister these words of hope and grace into people’s lives, we begin to love life and see good days (1 Peter 3:10). One of the reasons that we love life more when we minister grace to others is because we begin to rest in the grace that God has for us. Actually, it is impossible to minister pure grace to those in your life if you do not have an understanding and acceptance for grace in your own heart. Life is “worth the living” when you rest in His finished work.

Note that Peter says that you will “see good days”, not “a good day”. When we are resting in Christ, ministering His grace to the world around us, it is not just an occasional day of happiness in Jesus, but there are multiple “good days”. In contrast, when Paul tells the believer to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the tricks of the devil, he says that he is preparing us for the “evil day” (Ephesians 6:13). In the world there is an evil day, but in Christ there are good days!

Accept His mercy and grace towards you, and then minister that into someone’s life and watch your good days increase. May these “good days” begin today!

The New Prophecy

1 Kings 17:18

When we think of prophecy, we often think of the telling of future events to warn people about what is to come or to tell them what to do to prepare. This idea sounds a lot like fortune telling or psychic readings, which the world uses to try to see into tomorrow. For the believer, we have no need for someone to read our palms or stare into a crystal ball, for the Holy Spirit has revealed the hidden things to us (1 Corinthians 2:9, 10). In fact, Paul states further that we have not received the spirit of the world, “but the spirit which is of God; that we might know all things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Deeper into his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul tells us the definition of a New Testament prophecy, stating that it will edify, exhort and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). To edify is to build up; exhort is to encourage; comfort is to calm and console. All prophecy will do one or all of these things to a believer. It will build up your spirit man and encourage you to continue onward and it will calm your raging soul.

When you hear something that is called prophecy that does not build your up or encourage you or calm and console you then you are hearing the voice of condemnation and judgment. This voice cannot come to you from your Father, for He has already judged everything in the body of Christ. If this be the case, then why does this type of “prophecy” still exist?

To understand why we still hear gloom and doom prophesied to us, we must first see that this type of prophecy previously existed. When Old Testament prophets spoke, they warned of impending judgment due to increased sin and iniquity. Their style was to warn mankind about the path that they were on, but this warning was due to the fact that the Old Covenant demanded that man pay for his own breaking of the law. Since Jesus came and completely fulfilled the law and all of its demands (Matthew 5:17), there is no more warning against man’s continued failures.

Old Testament prophecy did what the widow of Zarephath was scared of; it pronounced judgment and called sin to remembrance. When her son died, “She said unto Elijah, ‘What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?’” (1 Kings 17:18). The fact that she asks this question lets us know that the reputation of prophets was to remind people of the things that they had done wrong and to pronounce the judgment of God upon them.

Believer, rejoice that your sins are not being called to remembrance anymore, because Jesus has washed them all away!

Believe You Will See Good

Psalms 27:13, 14

It is easy to parcel out advice to others when they are going through tough times and things are rosy in your own life. In fact, we tend to give our most flowery advice when there is nothing but roses in our own garden. That advice makes life no easier for the person going through it, and it probably makes them wish that you had kept it to yourself. Though we advise in love and with concern, sometimes we sound as if we have all of the answers, and no one really does.

We can rest assured that the answers are found in the person of Jesus Christ. He does not have the answer; He is the answer! For believers, we have a steady, fixed point on our horizon, so that we can remain stable even though the boat rocks on the waves. Because we know that He loves us and cares for us, we believe for good things even in the midst of bad times.

“Hope” is the confident expectation of good. When we have hope we are confidently expecting that our God is going to make things work together for our good. Paul gave us this promise, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). How do we know that they are going to work out for our good? Because He spared not His Son and He freely gives us all things (8:32).

The Psalmist David said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13). In a very trying time in his life, David has come to the end of his sanity. He claims that he would have fainted, and given up if he had not believed to see God’s goodness. He does not claim to have already seen this goodness, but rather he believes that he will see this goodness. He has a confident expectation of good things. His faith is anchored in God’s ability to do good things and he does not need to see the circumstances change to believe that they will.

If an Old Testament saint can have this kind of faith, what more can a New Testament saint have? David did not have the divine nature of Christ living in him, nor did he have the finished work of the cross to bring him perpetual victory. Yet this saint of the faith believed that God both could and would do all that needed to be done. So confident was David that he gave us this advice, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalms 37:14).

David refers to God by the name “LORD” which is Yahweh or Jehovah. It means, “Covenant keeper”. David is saying that God is bound by covenant to take care of you so keep your confidence in Him. If he did not believe this, he knew that he was done, but by believing that he would someday see good, he could keep going.

Don’t wait until you see good to believe that God is good. Believe that you will see good, even when you are seeing bad. When you have this kind of faith, you can speak to your mountain and see it cast into the sea. Our mountains are obstacles for us, but nothing for God. Trust Him that He is good and that He wants to show His goodness in the land of the living.

New DNA

Titus 3:5
What separates us from the other religions of the world is the spiritual re-birth of those who are born again. Some try to split Christianity into two camps: the Christian and the Born-Again. They theorize that the Christian believes in treating others well and being a good citizen, tolerant and wholesome, while the Born-Agains are fanatics who evangelize others and take hard-line stances. In truth, they are not mutually exclusive. Jesus said that we cannot see the kingdom of God, “Except a man be born again” (John 3:3). Any separation of the two is a result of man influencing true Christianity with his own devices.

Paul said that we are saved according to the mercy of God, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5). This excludes the idea that true Christianity is found in doing your best or in being your best. He also mentions the “washing of regeneration”, introducing us to a concept that is crucial to the understanding of the transformative powers of faith in Christ.

The Greek word for ‘regeneration’ is “paliggenesia”, meaning, “spiritual rebirth, renovation”. It is the New Covenant version of Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus, “you must be born again”. Nicodemus found the idea impossible, as no one could re-enter their mother’s womb and start over again, but of course Jesus was referring to a spiritual rebirth.

Even the world warms up to the idea of someone being “reborn”. An actor can fall out of Hollywood’s favor, drop to rock bottom, reform and make a comeback picture and the tabloids will say that they have been “reborn”. People love these kinds of stories and they are quite common. While the world has their own version of “born again”, for the believer it excludes trips to rehab, Botox and plastic surgery. For the saint it is being born again “of spirit” (John 3:6).

Paul’s use of “regeneration” speaks of us becoming a completely new person, “by the renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit in us turns us into someone completely different. It could be said that when you are born again, the Holy Spirit gives you a new DNA sequence, one in which you have the desires of your new Father instead of your old.

I am not insinuating that we have an actual new set of DNA when we are saved, but I do believe that all of the old passions and desires that were passed onto us from our earthly families are no longer relevant whenever the regeneration of the Holy Ghost takes place in our life. If your earthly father had a drinking problem, then it is stands to reason that you have a propensity to want to drink and to be dominated by drinking. However, your heavenly Father has no such problem, and He has transformed you and “re-gened” you into the image of His Son. We can no longer blame our heritage for our problems, for we have a spiritual heritage that stretches all the way to Calvary.

If you are not walking in the fullness of your new spiritual identity, then it is because you are not fully awake as to who you really are in Christ. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus, so walk whole and free!

Green Pastures and Still Waters

Psalms 23:2

Our Good Shepherd promises to provide for all of our needs in placing the sheep at rest in green pastures and leading us beside still waters. God has always desired to place His people in a place of rest, both now and forever. Look at His promise through the Prophet Ezekiel:

“I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.” (Ezekiel 34:14-16)

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” shows that the sheep have been convinced that it is safe to lie down. Without a faithful shepherd, the sheep can never relax enough to lie down; for fear that the predator will take them. Jesus promises to give His life for the sheep if need be, so there is comfort in relaxing.

The Hebrew phrase here denotes ‘pastures of tender grass’, showing not only safety and security but ease of consumption. Our Lord loves to feed us, but He also loves to DO IT ALL! All we must do is take of the manna and eat it; there need be no effort on our part. See Jesus in the scriptures and do not grind His glory out of them. Some wrangle with passages until they have removed the loveliness of Jesus. Feast on His Word and it will fill your soul.

Another Hebrew phrase ‘waters of quietness’ is translated into English, “still waters”. Our Lord leads us to waters which we can easily drink from, without fear of being carried away on troubled waves. The ‘still waters’ are a type of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus calls the “Comforter”. He washes us over with gentle waves of love and forgiveness. Just as Jesus washed the dirt from the disciples’ feet, the Spirit in us speaks words of comfort into us to help our spirit to relax. The still water is an essential part of our dietary requirements, for as water is the life source to all living things, the Spirit is that life source to the believer.

Note the leadership of the shepherd in this verse. It is His job to find a place of rest for me and it is also His job to find fresh water. He has accomplished both in His Son at the cross. Christ hung His head and died so that I could find a place of rest with Him there. He gave His body and His blood so that I would always have to eat and drink. Our rest is in His rest and our food is in His body.

Look around today, and you will see your green pastures. They may come in segments; moments for you to revel in being His child. Listen for the gentle sounds of His still waters. They will refresh your soul. He placed them there just for you.

New Every Morning

Lamentations 3:22, 23

The mercy of the Lord is a beautiful thing. His mercy ensures us that we will not get what our actions certainly deserve. Jeremiah, the author of Lamentations states that it is only due to the mercy of the Lord that we are not consumed. The writer of Hebrews tells us that our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), and John the Baptist told us that Jesus would burn the chaff with unquenchable fire (Luke 3:17), so God surely holds the power to get rid of us. Why then, does God show mercy?

The end of verse 22 gives us both the answer to our question, and insight into the heartbeat of God, “because his compassions fail not”. God shows mercy because He is compassionate. He loves mankind so much that He holds back the flood waters of judgment, just so man can have another opportunity to turn to Him.

Christ’s death on the cross took the brunt of God’s fury against sin. Now, all who will accept Christ are free from that wrath. God delays sending Jesus back to get His church so that one more sinner might come home. For the one who will leave the 99 sheep in the fold to go and find the one, this is precisely within character.

Jeremiah goes on to explain that God’s compassions are not just feelings, but rather they are tangible things. He tells us that they are “new every morning” (verse 23). All good gifts come from the Father above (James 1:17), so we can view even the smallest blessing in our life as “His compassions”. Just like the manna in the wilderness for the Old Testament saints, Christ is the manna for the believer. He is pure white and tastes like honey (Exodus 16:31), and you will never be left wanting when you trust Him as your redeemer. Every day He is there with a fresh supply of goodness and mercy for you, requiring only that you take from Him.

How can we possibly pay the Lord back for this wonderful mercy, grace and goodness? Some say that you should witness to pay Him back, bringing souls into the kingdom. Witnessing for the Lord is great, but you could win everyone that you ever meet until you die and you could never pay the Lord back for His grace. Others tell you to give, and you could give until you have nothing else, and God still has the streets of heaven paved in gold, with or without your money. Actually, anything that you get by payment is achieved by your own works, and salvation is free. Is there a way to pay Him for His wonderful mercies, new every morning?

David asked the same question, “What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?” (Psalm 116:12). Those benefits could be called the compassions of the Lord that are new every morning, given by a God who is faithful to do so (Lamentations 3:23). David answers his own question with, “I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord” (Psalm 116:13). He learns that the only way to pay God back is to take more of God’s goodness. You and I are pleasing to the Lord when we feast at the table of God’s mercy and compassion.

Recognize the faithfulness of the Father all around you today and feast on the manna from heaven, because it is new every morning. Go in Him!

I Am Not Ashamed of Good News

Romans 1:16, 17

The word “gospel” means, “good news”. When Paul speaks of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is speaking of the good news of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. What Christ did at Calvary was so awesome, so wonderful, so complete, that it must be considered not only good news, but the best news that the world could ever hear.

Paul was beginning to take criticism and false accusations because he was preaching so much good news (Romans 3:8), but he had become convinced that there was no other way of salvation for Gentile or Jew. Because of that he decides that he will not be ashamed to speak this truth again (Romans 1:16). If the great Apostle Paul was not ashamed to preach of a good God, who loves you unconditionally, then why would we fear this message?

The good news is the power of God to see people saved. Paul writes one chapter later, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His goodness leads men to change their minds about God. When Peter falls on his face at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8), do you think this admission came after a hell, fire and brimstone message on the sinful condition of Peter’s heart? No! It came after Jesus blessed Peter’s fishing party with so many fish that their nets broke from the load. It was Jesus’ goodness that caused Peter to repent.

The word “salvation” implies “deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and wholeness”. The good news not only saves you from an eternity in hell, but it makes you whole while you are here. Jesus promised us not only eternal life but abundant life (John 10:10). We are to reign in this life, now! (Romans 5:17)

Some people fear the message of pure grace because they worry that grace preaching will not teach people to live right. Paul says in Romans 1:17 that when we are saved, God’s righteousness is revealed in us “from faith to faith”. As we continue our faith walk, He brings His holiness out of us. Holiness cannot be added on the outside, it must come out of the heart, and the grace that is in us will teach us how to produce the results that we have always wanted.

Paul concludes these two verses by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”. As Christians, we are not living to pile up good marks with God, so that we can get into the pearly gates. Nor are we shunning the evil so that we are not tainted by the sin of the world. Our lives are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and His finished work. In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we live our lives through Him (1 John 4:9). This is only possible by simple faith in Jesus, because we are near sin, and sometimes we commit it. We do not always do the good and shun the evil, though we desire to so fervently. It is for these reasons that our lives must be lived out through faith in Jesus.

Let grace bring wholeness and rest to your life today. Realize that as your faith continues in Christ, His righteousness will come out in the way that you live that life. Relax in Jesus, for He has saved your soul. Peace go with you today.

The Gospels

The word “gospel” means “good news”, thus the term “the gospels” speaks of the “good news” of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Each gospel contains a different biographical glimpse of the Son of God, with different angles here and there to give us a thorough picture of His life and death and resurrection. The fact that these 4 books contain differences should only lend to their authenticity, for who would believe them if they said the exact same thing, and why would we need 4 of them?

Each gospel has a purpose and a theme, and each one presents Jesus in a slightly different way. These 4 different looks comprise the 4 faces of Jesus, with each one corresponding to the “four beasts full of eyes” found in heaven in Revelation 4:6. There is also a corresponding color with each gospel, represented by the four colors of the tabernacle curtains, hanging on four pillars: linen (white), blue, purple and scarlet (Exodus 26:1). Jesus’ life gives substance to the shadow of the tabernacle.

Let’s look at each gospel and see some fascinating types of our Lord Jesus:

Matthew – Jesus is presented as King of the Jews, which is why His Sermon on the Mount appears only here, as it dealt with the very law that the Jews strived so hard to keep. A King needs a genealogy, thus one is included, showing us that Jesus belongs on the throne of Israel through the bloodline of king’s David and Solomon through His earthly father Joseph. He is here seen as the Lion with the color being purple, the color of royalty.

Mark – Jesus is the Ox, colored red just like the sacrificial red heifer of the Old Testament (Numbers 19), and as an ox, He is presented as Servant in Mark. A servant has no need of a genealogy so this gospel does not include one. Servants are also to be seen but not heard, which is why there is much activity by Jesus but not much commentary in this book. There are also very few things in Mark that do not appear in another gospel, for there is to be nothing extraordinary about a servant. This representation is obviously very special to the heart of the Savior as He is found still wearing a golden apron until this hour in heaven, ever the servant at heart (Revelation 1:13).

Luke – Jesus is the Son of Man, with that phrase appearing in this book more than any other. Luke deals more with the humanity of Jesus, thus the corresponding face of a Man in Revelation 4:7. The virgin birth is given in detail and a full genealogy is recorded, as any human would have done. This time the bloodline runs through his mother, showing us that he is royalty (a descendent of David) on both sides of the family. He is represented as the color blue in this book, as that is perfect divinity.

John – Jesus as God. From the very beginning, John is different, showing Jesus as being one with the Father. God has no genealogy so John does not give one and God is perfectly unique from man, thus every chapter of John contains something that is found in no other gospel. As God is above all that is on earth, the Eagle soars in the heavens with the color white representing God’s perfect purity.

These are four snap-shots of one life, each showing us another face of Jesus. He was the veil of the tabernacle, and His life is a perfect picture of that. The author of Hebrews said that we go through the veil to get to God, “that is to say, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Go through the gospels to see Jesus and you are “going through His flesh”. It is a wonderful journey no matter how many times you take it.

Good Days

1 Peter 3:10

Though the world that we live in may be tossed with financial woe, and the people around us seem nervous for their future, the saint trusts in a certain God. We find that it is possible, through the finished work of Jesus to love our life and to rest in the wonderful moments of knowing our Savior.

The Apostle Peter felt the same way, giving us a way to “love life, and see good days” (1 Peter 3:10). In order to have this happen in our lives we are to “let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:” (3:10). “Guile” is craftiness or deceit; so Peter is instructing us to speak that which is good and honest.

Paul warned the believer about speaking evil, saying that it should be “put away from you” (Ephesians 4:31). He also gave us an example of what evil speaking might sound like, and it is not “cursing” or telling dirty jokes. Paul said, “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 3:29). When we communicate with others without using the grace and mercy of God in our speech and in our approach, Paul says that this is “corrupt communication”. How many times have we spoken to people with a judgmental attitude, administering law and works into their lives?

When we speak to one another in this manner we grieve the Holy Spirit of God (3:30). The Holy Spirit wishes to minister grace to each person that we come in contact with, but He is limited by the words that come out of our mouths. Don’t grieve His design and desire by saying things to others that are not covered over by the grace of Jesus Christ.

As we minister these words of hope and grace into people’s lives, we begin to love life and see good days (1 Peter 3:10). One of the reasons that we love life more when we minister grace to others is because we begin to rest in the grace that God has for us. Actually, it is impossible to minister pure grace to those in your life if you do not have an understanding and acceptance for grace in your own heart. Life is “worth the living” when you rest in His finished work.

Note that Peter says that you will “see good days”, not “a good day”. When we are resting in Christ, ministering His grace to the world around us, it is not just an occasional day of happiness in Jesus, but there are multiple “good days”. In contrast, when Paul tells the believer to put on the whole armor of God in order to stand against the tricks of the devil, he says that he is preparing us for the “evil day” (Ephesians 6:13). In the world there is an evil day, but in Christ there are good days!

Accept His mercy and grace towards you, and then minister that into someone’s life and watch your good days increase. May these “good days” begin today!

The New Prophecy

1 Kings 17:18

When we think of prophecy, we often think of the telling of future events to warn people about what is to come or to tell them what to do to prepare. This idea sounds a lot like fortune telling or psychic readings, which the world uses to try to see into tomorrow. For the believer, we have no need for someone to read our palms or stare into a crystal ball, for the Holy Spirit has revealed the hidden things to us (1 Corinthians 2:9, 10). In fact, Paul states further that we have not received the spirit of the world, “but the spirit which is of God; that we might know all things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Deeper into his letter to the church at Corinth, Paul tells us the definition of a New Testament prophecy, stating that it will edify, exhort and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3). To edify is to build up; exhort is to encourage; comfort is to calm and console. All prophecy will do one or all of these things to a believer. It will build up your spirit man and encourage you to continue onward and it will calm your raging soul.

When you hear something that is called prophecy that does not build your up or encourage you or calm and console you then you are hearing the voice of condemnation and judgment. This voice cannot come to you from your Father, for He has already judged everything in the body of Christ. If this be the case, then why does this type of “prophecy” still exist?

To understand why we still hear gloom and doom prophesied to us, we must first see that this type of prophecy previously existed. When Old Testament prophets spoke, they warned of impending judgment due to increased sin and iniquity. Their style was to warn mankind about the path that they were on, but this warning was due to the fact that the Old Covenant demanded that man pay for his own breaking of the law. Since Jesus came and completely fulfilled the law and all of its demands (Matthew 5:17), there is no more warning against man’s continued failures.

Old Testament prophecy did what the widow of Zarephath was scared of; it pronounced judgment and called sin to remembrance. When her son died, “She said unto Elijah, ‘What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?’” (1 Kings 17:18). The fact that she asks this question lets us know that the reputation of prophets was to remind people of the things that they had done wrong and to pronounce the judgment of God upon them.

Believer, rejoice that your sins are not being called to remembrance anymore, because Jesus has washed them all away!

Believe You Will See Good

Psalms 27:13, 14

It is easy to parcel out advice to others when they are going through tough times and things are rosy in your own life. In fact, we tend to give our most flowery advice when there is nothing but roses in our own garden. That advice makes life no easier for the person going through it, and it probably makes them wish that you had kept it to yourself. Though we advise in love and with concern, sometimes we sound as if we have all of the answers, and no one really does.

We can rest assured that the answers are found in the person of Jesus Christ. He does not have the answer; He is the answer! For believers, we have a steady, fixed point on our horizon, so that we can remain stable even though the boat rocks on the waves. Because we know that He loves us and cares for us, we believe for good things even in the midst of bad times.

“Hope” is the confident expectation of good. When we have hope we are confidently expecting that our God is going to make things work together for our good. Paul gave us this promise, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). How do we know that they are going to work out for our good? Because He spared not His Son and He freely gives us all things (8:32).

The Psalmist David said, “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living” (Psalms 27:13). In a very trying time in his life, David has come to the end of his sanity. He claims that he would have fainted, and given up if he had not believed to see God’s goodness. He does not claim to have already seen this goodness, but rather he believes that he will see this goodness. He has a confident expectation of good things. His faith is anchored in God’s ability to do good things and he does not need to see the circumstances change to believe that they will.

If an Old Testament saint can have this kind of faith, what more can a New Testament saint have? David did not have the divine nature of Christ living in him, nor did he have the finished work of the cross to bring him perpetual victory. Yet this saint of the faith believed that God both could and would do all that needed to be done. So confident was David that he gave us this advice, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD” (Psalms 37:14).

David refers to God by the name “LORD” which is Yahweh or Jehovah. It means, “Covenant keeper”. David is saying that God is bound by covenant to take care of you so keep your confidence in Him. If he did not believe this, he knew that he was done, but by believing that he would someday see good, he could keep going.

Don’t wait until you see good to believe that God is good. Believe that you will see good, even when you are seeing bad. When you have this kind of faith, you can speak to your mountain and see it cast into the sea. Our mountains are obstacles for us, but nothing for God. Trust Him that He is good and that He wants to show His goodness in the land of the living.

New DNA

Titus 3:5
What separates us from the other religions of the world is the spiritual re-birth of those who are born again. Some try to split Christianity into two camps: the Christian and the Born-Again. They theorize that the Christian believes in treating others well and being a good citizen, tolerant and wholesome, while the Born-Agains are fanatics who evangelize others and take hard-line stances. In truth, they are not mutually exclusive. Jesus said that we cannot see the kingdom of God, “Except a man be born again” (John 3:3). Any separation of the two is a result of man influencing true Christianity with his own devices.

Paul said that we are saved according to the mercy of God, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5). This excludes the idea that true Christianity is found in doing your best or in being your best. He also mentions the “washing of regeneration”, introducing us to a concept that is crucial to the understanding of the transformative powers of faith in Christ.

The Greek word for ‘regeneration’ is “paliggenesia”, meaning, “spiritual rebirth, renovation”. It is the New Covenant version of Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus, “you must be born again”. Nicodemus found the idea impossible, as no one could re-enter their mother’s womb and start over again, but of course Jesus was referring to a spiritual rebirth.

Even the world warms up to the idea of someone being “reborn”. An actor can fall out of Hollywood’s favor, drop to rock bottom, reform and make a comeback picture and the tabloids will say that they have been “reborn”. People love these kinds of stories and they are quite common. While the world has their own version of “born again”, for the believer it excludes trips to rehab, Botox and plastic surgery. For the saint it is being born again “of spirit” (John 3:6).

Paul’s use of “regeneration” speaks of us becoming a completely new person, “by the renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). The Holy Spirit in us turns us into someone completely different. It could be said that when you are born again, the Holy Spirit gives you a new DNA sequence, one in which you have the desires of your new Father instead of your old.

I am not insinuating that we have an actual new set of DNA when we are saved, but I do believe that all of the old passions and desires that were passed onto us from our earthly families are no longer relevant whenever the regeneration of the Holy Ghost takes place in our life. If your earthly father had a drinking problem, then it is stands to reason that you have a propensity to want to drink and to be dominated by drinking. However, your heavenly Father has no such problem, and He has transformed you and “re-gened” you into the image of His Son. We can no longer blame our heritage for our problems, for we have a spiritual heritage that stretches all the way to Calvary.

If you are not walking in the fullness of your new spiritual identity, then it is because you are not fully awake as to who you really are in Christ. You are a new creation in Christ Jesus, so walk whole and free!

The Dividing Point

2 Timothy 2:15

What would you consider the dividing point of the Bible? You could accurately place it into two parts, the Old Testament and the New Testament, with the understanding that all that the Jews of Jesus day would have had were the writings of Genesis through Malachi. However, if this is the only dividing point, then we must assume that the New Covenant begins with the first word of the first book of the New Testament. If that be the case, then the New Covenant begins with the announcement of John the Baptist’s birth and with the Virgin Mary receiving the news of the impending birth of Christ.

Something is not quite right with that assumption. In reality, this theory makes the dividing point of the Bible the blank page between Malachi and Matthew. When Paul tells the young pastor Timothy to rightly divide the word of truth, he surely means more than “figure out how to find that blank page Timothy”.

The division of the Word of God must hinge upon some great event. Something cataclysmic, which is foreshadowed in the Old Testament and expounded upon in the New Testament, must be the dividing point of everything that is preached. That one event is the death of Jesus Christ. The cross is the introduction of the New Covenant, thus it is the division point of all that happens in God’s Word. Everything prior to Calvary is pointing forward to the event, while everything afterwards is hearkening backwards.

Jesus called Himself, “the truth” (John 14:6). When you preach or teach of the truth, you are preaching of Jesus. His day of division came when He was smitten of God on the cross. His punishment was for the sin of the whole world, and He was torn asunder by the righteous anger of God. As Jesus was divided at Calvary, so the preacher should always divide the Word with the cross on the horizon.

When we read the Old Testament, we must read it with the cross in our hearts. No statement or verse should ever again be read as if the cross did not happen. Anytime that you read something that is Old Testament, thus Old Covenant, you should make a habit of asking yourself, “What did the cross do to change this?” To read the Old Testament any other way is to read it out of context and to make a mockery of Christ’s finished work. It essence, to read the Word without taking the cross into account is to say that the cross made no difference at all.

The way to make this sort of interpretation come about is consistent study of God’s Word. When we study we make ourselves knowledgeable of Christ’s finished work and we have no reason to be ashamed of ourselves. As Paul investigated the Old Testament, he saw Jesus, just as Jesus had done on the road to Emmaus, “beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). When Paul saw Jesus in these Old Testament scriptures, he made a determination, and it is one that we should all determine in our own hearts:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16).

Green Pastures and Still Waters

Psalms 23:2

Our Good Shepherd promises to provide for all of our needs in placing the sheep at rest in green pastures and leading us beside still waters. God has always desired to place His people in a place of rest, both now and forever. Look at His promise through the Prophet Ezekiel:

“I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away.” (Ezekiel 34:14-16)

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures” shows that the sheep have been convinced that it is safe to lie down. Without a faithful shepherd, the sheep can never relax enough to lie down; for fear that the predator will take them. Jesus promises to give His life for the sheep if need be, so there is comfort in relaxing.

The Hebrew phrase here denotes ‘pastures of tender grass’, showing not only safety and security but ease of consumption. Our Lord loves to feed us, but He also loves to DO IT ALL! All we must do is take of the manna and eat it; there need be no effort on our part. See Jesus in the scriptures and do not grind His glory out of them. Some wrangle with passages until they have removed the loveliness of Jesus. Feast on His Word and it will fill your soul.

Another Hebrew phrase ‘waters of quietness’ is translated into English, “still waters”. Our Lord leads us to waters which we can easily drink from, without fear of being carried away on troubled waves. The ‘still waters’ are a type of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus calls the “Comforter”. He washes us over with gentle waves of love and forgiveness. Just as Jesus washed the dirt from the disciples’ feet, the Spirit in us speaks words of comfort into us to help our spirit to relax. The still water is an essential part of our dietary requirements, for as water is the life source to all living things, the Spirit is that life source to the believer.

Note the leadership of the shepherd in this verse. It is His job to find a place of rest for me and it is also His job to find fresh water. He has accomplished both in His Son at the cross. Christ hung His head and died so that I could find a place of rest with Him there. He gave His body and His blood so that I would always have to eat and drink. Our rest is in His rest and our food is in His body.

Look around today, and you will see your green pastures. They may come in segments; moments for you to revel in being His child. Listen for the gentle sounds of His still waters. They will refresh your soul. He placed them there just for you.

I Am Not Ashamed of Good News

Romans 1:16, 17

The word “gospel” means, “good news”. When Paul speaks of the gospel of Jesus Christ, he is speaking of the good news of Jesus’ finished work at the cross. What Christ did at Calvary was so awesome, so wonderful, so complete, that it must be considered not only good news, but the best news that the world could ever hear.

Paul was beginning to take criticism and false accusations because he was preaching so much good news (Romans 3:8), but he had become convinced that there was no other way of salvation for Gentile or Jew. Because of that he decides that he will not be ashamed to speak this truth again (Romans 1:16). If the great Apostle Paul was not ashamed to preach of a good God, who loves you unconditionally, then why would we fear this message?

The good news is the power of God to see people saved. Paul writes one chapter later, “the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4). His goodness leads men to change their minds about God. When Peter falls on his face at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord” (Luke 5:8), do you think this admission came after a hell, fire and brimstone message on the sinful condition of Peter’s heart? No! It came after Jesus blessed Peter’s fishing party with so many fish that their nets broke from the load. It was Jesus’ goodness that caused Peter to repent.

The word “salvation” implies “deliverance, safety, preservation, healing and wholeness”. The good news not only saves you from an eternity in hell, but it makes you whole while you are here. Jesus promised us not only eternal life but abundant life (John 10:10). We are to reign in this life, now! (Romans 5:17)

Some people fear the message of pure grace because they worry that grace preaching will not teach people to live right. Paul says in Romans 1:17 that when we are saved, God’s righteousness is revealed in us “from faith to faith”. As we continue our faith walk, He brings His holiness out of us. Holiness cannot be added on the outside, it must come out of the heart, and the grace that is in us will teach us how to produce the results that we have always wanted.

Paul concludes these two verses by quoting from Habakkuk 2:4, “The just shall live by faith”. As Christians, we are not living to pile up good marks with God, so that we can get into the pearly gates. Nor are we shunning the evil so that we are not tainted by the sin of the world. Our lives are wrapped up in Jesus Christ and His finished work. In Him we live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28), and we live our lives through Him (1 John 4:9). This is only possible by simple faith in Jesus, because we are near sin, and sometimes we commit it. We do not always do the good and shun the evil, though we desire to so fervently. It is for these reasons that our lives must be lived out through faith in Jesus.

Let grace bring wholeness and rest to your life today. Realize that as your faith continues in Christ, His righteousness will come out in the way that you live that life. Relax in Jesus, for He has saved your soul. Peace go with you today.