A Book to Ponder During Lent

If you're looking for a book on Jesus Christ to read during Lent, I highly recommend The Life & Teaching of Jesus Christ by James S. Stewart. I came across Stewart's book when I was looking for such a one to read during Advent. I found his writing to be engaging, scholarly, and filled with personal passion for knowing his beloved Savior. 

Several years ago I had determined to know more about my Redeemer and so began to study Him in more depth in the Scriptures as well as through the insights and study of authors who have a supreme regard for Him. Stewart's book was a slow but delightful read in this regard. Slow because his insights drew me to ponder and consider Jesus Christ in ways I had not previously. I needed to savor the narrative.

James S. Stewart was a Scottish preacher, born in Dundee in 1896 and was viewed by some as the greatest preacher of the twentieth century. He was also Chair of New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology at New College, Edinburgh University and chaplain to King George V and later to Queen Elizabeth. He died in 1990. 

As one biographical author has commented, "In summary, Stewart fused scholarship and evangelism in a style and delivery that was bold, stirring, positive, lyrical, joyous and often exhilarating." I haven't heard Stewart preach, but I found this to be true in his writing of The Life & Teaching of Jesus Christ.

The Guest He Took Home

Thus, on his cross, the Savior called a guest to the wedding feast. Finlayson puts it movingly, "He has a right to take a guest home with him without asking leave of any. He had the key to His Father's door in His pierced hand. He could open and no man shut. He could shut and no man open, and the guest He took home with Him to His Father's table that day was the first trophy of Calvary after the sacrifice had been finished.'

-Frederick S. Leahy, The Cross He Bore

Image via Pixabay

Not Even His Brothers

I've often heard it said that family members are the most difficult ones to witness to about their need for Jesus. They know us too well is often the lament. This may reveal the fact that we're often hypocritical or that our old nature too often is on display. We surely need to give attention to our walk and our talk.

But we are not the only stumbling blocks in drawing others to Jesus. Just as some of us may have been before we came to faith in Him, we tripped over ourselves. We did not (would not) believe. While the door is always open to whosoever will come, we cannot come unless we are drawn by the Holy Spirit. We err when we think we hold the key to the decisive moment of entrance.

As I was reading today, I came to John 7:5, "for not even His brothers were believing in Him." Here is the Christ Himself who lived for 30 years in the same house with His brothers, and He is perfect. He always walked His talk. They knew Him very well as a brother, so there is more to it than the supposition of thinking family "knows us too well."

While our purpose is to glorify God in all we do, only God can draw people to Himself. And so we pray to that end. Jesus' brother James believed only after His resurrection, which is the foundation of the Christian faith. That was the pivotal point for James. That's when He understood fully his own need and the scope of redemption through Jesus.

We don't know what the pivotal point may be for a family member. But it is surely that they must understand their need and see Jesus as their redemption. We, ourselves, must walk in a manner worthy of our own calling in the meantime. And lest we think it's about us, know that it's about being an ambassador for Him.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

~ 2 Corinthians 5:20 

Image ~ A Close Game

Harry Brooker, 1848-1940

public domain

The Spotlight Is On...

I've begun the new year in the book of John and pondering today the passage where Jesus talks with the woman at the well (4:1-45). He has told her things that only Someone who sees into the heart and mind can know, and she realizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah people have been waiting for. When she tells others about Him, they also believe.

The Scripture says that "many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all the things that I have done.' '' So they went to Jesus and heard what He Himself had to say. The Samaritan woman is, of course, an example to us to tell others about Jesus. They believe because it is evident that Jesus is more than mere mortal.

What struck me today is that they believe because of the word of the woman. It isn't who she is that draws others to Jesus. It is Jesus Himself. The important point is that she is astonished at what Jesus knows about her, amazed at what He says to her, affected by who He is. And she tells others.

But it isn’t about her. She pointed to Him. The people who came to Jesus then heard Him and believed, and told the Samaritan woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

The spotlight goes on Jesus and who He is, not on us and who we are. We have no life-changing power, but we can point others to the One who does.

Image ~ A Girl Reading, Charles Edward Pergini, 1870

public domain via WikiMedia Commons

Face to Face

Several years ago I decided that I wanted to know more about Jesus, so for the past several years during Advent and Lent particularly, I've read books that give me a deeper, broader understanding of  my Savior. Doing so has not only enhanced my celebration of His coming to earth, but has also given me a deeper appreciation of who He is and the Father's desire for His children to be conformed to the image of His Son.

Currently, I'm reading Face to face with Jesus: Seeing Him as He really Is by Randy Alcorn. It's a daily devotional with 200 entries. It's intended to be read throughout the year, so it will take me past Christmas and into the New Year. I thought I would read a few entries each day, but I'm finding that I prefer to read a couple entries and pause to ponder.

God made us, and we were made for God. It's God we long for, and Jesus, God's Son, brings the Father to us. Ultimately, God's greatest gift is himself. We need the savior, and he has a name: Jesus (meaning "God saves.")      ~ Randy Alcorn

Lost in Wonder, Love, and Praise

When men worship Jesus Christ, 

they do not fall at his feet in broken submission but in wondering love. 

A man does not say, 'I cannot resist a might like that.' 

He says, 'Love so amazing, so divine, demands my life, my soul, my all.' 

A man does not say, 'I am battered into surrender.' 

He says, 'I am lost in wonder, love, and praise.'

- William Barclay

Thinking back to our study this morning in the book of Esther. King Xerxes was a man with insatiable desire for power and honor and rule. He was approached in fear.

Such a contrast to our relationship with King Jesus. He is all-powerful, deserving of all honor, ruler of all. Yet we need not approach Him in fear, for He bids us, "Come unto me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Image~Saint Coloman's Church

Pixabay, CC0 Creative Commons

And the Worst That Could Happen?

What's the worst that could happen? I thought about that yesterday as I put pressure on my nose after it began to bleed for no apparent reason. I was having breakfast, and drip, drip. I had had recurrent profuse nosebleeds several years ago that were difficult to stop. Had to have a blood vessel cauterized because I was about to be put on a blood thinner due to a clot. Pain doesn't usually make me cry (I realize I haven't experienced great pain, but doesn't childbirth count?!), but when the surgeon numbed inside my nose, tears trickled down my face. I hope never to have that done again.

So the nosebleed yesterday brought back memories. I'm now on a lifetime blood thinner that at present has no antidote for patient prescriptions. My hematologist said we'd probably have one within the year. But this is now and the blood is flowing. For now I'm supposed to apply pressure and hold for thirty minutes. If that doesn't work, head to ER.  

Then my mind took off into what's the worst thing that could happen? Ever done that? My conclusion was that I'd bleed to death, one drop at a time. Then what? I'd be with Jesus! What a marvelous thought! 

Sometimes reading the last chapter first is a good idea.

Image via pixabay

CCO Creative Commons

Even Though You May Already Know

I'm beginning to read 2 Peter today, and as I come to verses 12-15 of chapter one, my mind goes back to the death of our friend Roger a few days ago. I think he could have penned the very words the Apostle Peter wrote in the first chapter as he was facing imminent death himself. Roger and his wife Marlo were always reminding us of the important things of life.

Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind (v. 12-15).

My Beloved and I worked on our state homeschooling board for several years along with Roger and Marlo and two other couples who became some of our dearest friends. We've met up yearly in a central location in the ensuing years to keep in touch and pray for homeschoolers across our state, but this past year the group wasn't able to synchronize a time to do that. It saddens us that we were not able to connect, knowing now that Roger's degenerating body would soon release him, and he would depart this earth. 

The Apostle Peter reminded fellow believers to keep reminding others of the faith, that we are to keep growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. As Roger and Marlo often reminded us, I remind you to do the same, dear one, so that grace and peace can be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

As for the Apostle Peter and our friend Roger's knowledge of Jesus...

We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, 
because we will see Him just as He is.

1 John 3:2 

 They have now seen Him, just as He is.

BTW--If you're a homeschooling family, please consider supporting your state organization. They give hundreds of hours of volunteer service each year that most families probably know little about, but who reap the benefits nevertheless.

Painting ~ Thoughtful Reader, František Dvořák (1862-1927)

public domain via Wikimedia Commons 

  We cannot follow Jesus when we are asking him to follow us.

~ Kenneth Boa in Conformed to His Image

Image by Valiunic via Pixabay

From the Bookshelf ~ Jesus 365

One of my desires is to know more of Jesus, so for the past few years I've been choosing a book about Him to read as we approach Resurrection Sunday. Our daughter gave My Beloved Jesus 365 a couple years ago for Christmas, and this year I pulled it off the bookshelf to read myself. It's a devotional book compiled by Ed Stewart of the account of Jesus while He was here on earth. I'm not reading it as a daily devotional, but rather reading several entries at a sitting. There are notes along the way with insights into the cultural and historical context of the time.

The subtitle is Experiencing the Four Gospels as One Single Story. It's a chronological blending of the actions of Jesus, written in narrative form that walks with Him through His earthly ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and His ascension back to the Father.

Jesus knows where His path is taking him. The blending and chronology of the book gives broader insight into what His walk has given us.

However Difficult

However difficult and painful your road, it is marked by the footsteps of your Savior; and even when you reach the dark valley of the shadow of death and the deep waters of the swelling Jordan, you will find His footprints there. Wherever we go, in every place, He has been our forerunner; each burden we have to carry has once been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.

- Charles Spurgeon, in Morning by Morning

One who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 4:15

Image via pixabay

CCO Creative Commons

The Passage Homeward

Death is a passage through tunneled light.

The tunnel ends, but not the light.

~ unknown

Our church family is mourning the death and celebrating the life
of one of our fellow believers. 

Harold has gone to the One True Light.

I have come as a Light into the world,

so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.

~ Jesus the Christ

John 12:46

Jesus is the way Homeward.

Image ~ Light at the End of the Tunnel

via freepik.com

What Are You Hoping For?

We all hope for something. We find satisfaction in hopes fulfilled. Proverbs 13:12 tells us that Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life. I've been there. I think maybe you have, too. I've been stuck at the comma, though, with some of my hopes. You, too?

My hopes tend to be wrapped around relationships that don't work out the way I'd hoped and dreamed and planned for them to. Maybe yours are elsewhere. There are lots of hooks to hang our hopes on. I've found over the years, though, that it's where I put my hope that makes all the difference. Unless our hope is in the gospel of Jesus Christ, fulfillment will be fleeting.

I want to share a brief video with you today from Paul David Tripp. It's the first session of a series entitled Faith: What Are You Hoping For? Tripp reminds us that we all look somewhere for meaning and purpose. Everything we do is because of faith in someone or something. He points us in the right direction, to the Someone. As Tripp says, "Christians are not different because they live by faith. Christians are different because of the object of their faith." Give a listen here, or click on the image. I'll think you'll be encouraged.

And keep looking Upward and Homeward, dear one, where the object of our faith awaits us.

An Alternative Way of Living and Dying

Continuing to read The Incomparable Christ by John Stott as we continue into the Lenten season, looking toward Resurrection Sunday. The book is comprised of four parts, and today I am in Part 3 "The Influential Jesus (or How He Has Inspired People)." Sharing a quote with you today.

One more question must detain us. It is prompted by the long story of the church and is asked by Bishop Stephen Neill: "What kind of a stone could it be that, once thrown into the pool of human existence, could set in motion ripples that would go on spreading until the utmost rim of the world had been reached?"

My answer is: only the incomparable Christ. And if we are prepared to take the risk of familiarizing ourselves with his story and exposing ourselves to his personality, example and teaching, we shall not remain unscathed. Rather we too shall feel the power of his influence and say with Paul that the love of Christ tightens its grip upon us, until we are left with no alternative but to live--and die--for him (2 Cor. 5:14).

I do hope, dear one, that you have chosen this alternative for your own life and death. Then I shall look forward to seeing you as we reach Homeward.

Willing for the Rescue

I was part of a discussion recently about the fullness of life that Jesus gives and why some people reject his offer. We might not know individual reasons, but several plausible explanations were given. Some gave personal testimony as to what had hindered them or someone they knew from coming to saving faith, thankful that God intervened and opened their eyes to His amazing grace.

But there are some who set themselves against God, who suppress the truth and are willfully ignorant, too often affecting our lives as well as their own. There are others who live in darkness because their deeds are evil, and these are those who bring fear and trepidation into the lives of other people.

But the ones that I feel most sorry for are those whose minds Satan has blinded, those who don't realize that they can't comprehend Jesus because the enemy of all things good has them distracted, unmindful, unperceptive, unaware. Deluded. Deceived. They have no clue that they need rescued.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (2 Corinthians 2:3).

But no one is too far beyond reach, if they are willing for the rescue. So we pray, praying that God will draw them to himself, for no one can come unless God draws them (John 4:44, John 6:65). He is willing for all to come to repentance and be rescued.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

I do hope you've accepted His amazing grace, dear one. I hope that if He is calling, that you are mindful of it. Be watchful. Be alert. You wouldn't want to miss what comes next. But, on the other hand, you may find later that you wish you had reached for the rescue. Come!

Painting~On Brighton Beach, Thomas Musgrove Joy (1812-1866)

Nobody Like Him

We are at the point in our Bible Study in Mark of Jesus' last week before His crucifixion. I've been drawn into the study more these past few weeks as it coincides with the weeks leading up to the rejoicing of Resurrection Sunday. The study reinforces in my mind and heart that Jesus is truly the Son of God and has authority over everyone and everything. You, me, my life, your life. Government and nations. Relationships. Life's choices. If we neglect that authority, it is to our detriment. If we embrace it, it is to our welfare, both now and forevermore.

For the past few years I've wanted to learn more and more about Jesus, so I've been choosing a book with Jesus as the central theme to bring Him into closer focus for the Lenten season. This year I've chosen The Incomparable Christ by John Stott. I had previously read another book with the same title by J. Oswald Sanders, and it was a favorite read for that year, drawing me closer to comprehending the impact of Jesus' death and resurrection. The book by Stott is somewhat more academic, viewing Jesus from four aspects:

(1) The Original Jesus--How does the New Testament bear witness to Him?
(2) The Ecclesiastical Jesus--How has the church portrayed Jesus down through the centuries?
(3) The Influential Jesus--What influence has Christ had in history?
(4) The Eternal Jesus--What should Jesus mean to us today?

As the author states,

My hope is that these studies in the Bible and church history will be able to justify the title, The Incredible Christ. There is nobody like him; there never has been, and there never will be.

I do hope you know that to be true, dear one. It is He who leads us Upward and Homeward. I hope to see you there someday.

And Your Answer?

Doing homework for our upcoming Bible Study, and pondering a portion of Mark 8. Specifically verses 27-29 and the corresponding passage in Matthew 16:15-16, where Jesus probes into the buzz about town as to who He is. He asks His disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They respond with some plausible explanations as to what they've heard. Then Jesus probes a bit further, makes His question more penetrating, more personal. "But who do you say that I am?"

That is the most important question any of us will ever hear or answer. Who do you say that Jesus is? Whatever answer we give is life-determining, the driving force of everything about us. Any way we answer reveals the direction our life is taking.

We all give some sort of answer, whether we believe He is who He says He is, or whether we don't believe it. Your answer, my answer, anyone's answer lies there in the heart and the mind. It's there. Believing leads down one path, unbelief leads down another.

It took the disciples some time to fully comprehend who He is. It takes most of us who believe a while to grasp the same truth. Peter spoke for the disciples when he replied to Jesus, "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." And that must be our answer, if we are to be found on the eternal, life-giving path.

It's interesting to me that in Matthew's account Jesus responds that "flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." A true understanding of who Jesus is comes to us from God Himself.

Oh, dear one, if you do not understand who Jesus is, ask God to reveal Him to you. He will open your heart and mind to understanding. He will not be hid from you.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened." ~ Matthew 7:7-8

And when you hear the question, ponder carefully what your answer will be. Not all do.

Painting ~ Reading Woman 1833, Friedrich von Amerling  1803-1887

Wikimedia Commons public domain

Even If He Passes By

Reflecting this evening on a phrase in Mark, chapter 6, verse 48. It's the familiar account of Jesus walking on the water, and the corresponding passage in Matthew 14, where Peter attempts to walk on the water out to Jesus. The disciples hadn't recognized Him and were frightened.

The phrase that arrests my attention is when Jesus was walking out to them as the waves grew rough-- "and He intended to pass by them." Why pass by them? Why not be walking out to save them from their distress? I think both were necessary. At this moment, it's not about the disciples. It's about Jesus and the authority that He has over the tumultuous situation.

I think most of us have the tendency to think that Jesus is supposed to calm all of the distresses that we find ourselves in. He can and often does. But at this moment with the disciples, and in many of our own moments, it's about recognizing the authority and power of Jesus Himself. It's all about Him.

It's not about what miracle can He perform for them, for me, to get us out of the chaos brought on by this fallen world. It's about our need to see who Jesus is, to see that He is, indeed, the Son of God. The disciples recognized that after they saw His power.  

And those who were in the boat worshiped Him saying,  

"You are certainly God's Son!" 

~Matthew 14:33

So I ask myself--Am I a Jesus follower because of what He can do for me? Or do I follow Him because of who He is and the authority that He has over all creation, including me? If it's about me, I'll be disillusioned when He doesn't respond the way I expect, when I don't feel benefited, or when I go through tumultuous times. Life has meaning only as it relates to knowing Him and His character and attributes--for that is how I find peace and calm in the midst of this broken, fallen world.

Even if He passes by--so that I may understand Him and life more fully. For one of the things I know is that He cares for me.

I do hope you know Him and shall see Him someday face to face. I hope I see you over there.

Painting ~ Leisure Hours 1863, Philip Hermogenes Calderon 1833-1898

Merry Christmas

May the love God sent find your heart ready to receive.

May His Peace, Joy, and Faith reside there so that you may say,

All is well with my soul.

Thank you, Jesus

The Most Important Event - God With Us

Annunciation to the Shepherds, Govert Flinck 1639

Sharing with you today a brief excerpt from my devotional reading. This comes from the devotional insights in the chronological Bible that I read in the morning hours. It's part of the introduction to the gospels of the incarnation of Jesus, the Christ. A thought from F. LaGard Smith:

All is now ready for the most important event in human history. It is an event planned even before the creation of the world. It is the keeping of a promise made to Abraham over 2000 years earlier. It is the fulfillment of a host of prophecies regarding a Messiah who would come to establish his kingdom. Most importantly, it is the beginning of a dynamically new relationship between God and man. The event is the coming of the savior of the world, the Messiah--or, as referred to in the Greek, the Christ.

BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL, which translated means, "GOD WITH US."

Matthew 1:23

from ~ The NIV Daily Bible in Chronological Order