One God … One Lord

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1 Corinthians 8:4-6

New King James Version

Therefore, concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.

For Encouragement

Biblical affirmations hold a profound significance in our lives as believers. They serve as pillars that fortify Christian truths in Christ—the Lord of the church—and guide our minds and hearts to their rightful place of rest and belonging.

Christian doctrine leaves no room for ambiguity. It paves a clear path to glory—the narrow road leading to the pearly gates and the streets of gold. What a joy it is to hear the resounding affirmations of our faith in Christ, unclouded by doubt or uncertainty.

Paul said with an apostolic authority that idols are not gods. He was commenting on the controversy of eating meat sacrificed to idols (1 Corinthians 8:4-8)! They are lifeless human creations to satisfy their spiritual emptiness and fill the spiritual void in their hearts that can do nothing (cf. 1 Kings 18:23-29).

With equal authority, the apostle to the Gentiles affirms that there is only one God (1 Corinthians 8:4).

There is one God, the Father,

    by whom all things were created,

    and for whom we live.

And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ,

    through whom all things were created,

    and through whom we live.

In the scripture above, Paul affirms, as John MacArthur puts it, the essential equality of God the Father and God the Son [The MacArthur Bible Commentary, pg.1583].

The heart of our faith lies in the profound unity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as one in the Godhead — the Trinity — and there is no other besides Him (Deuteronomy 4:34-35). Contemplate this magnificent truth and let it fill you with awe.

So, what more do you want to know? How do you apply your understanding of this golden truth? What power and authority do you lack in your Triune God that you should go after any of these other “gods” who are lifeless and powerless? If Jesus is your God, Lord, and King Eternal, why do you fear eating what He has blessed for our enjoyment with prayer?

As Paul declares in his doxology:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

    How unsearchable his judgments

    and his paths beyond tracing out!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

    Or who has been his counselor?”

“Who has ever given to God

    that God should repay them?”

For, from him and through him and for him are all things.

    To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:33-36).

So, rejoice in your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and through Him, give glory to God the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It Is Time to Grow

Isaiah 54:2-3

New International Version (NIV)

Enlarge the place of your tent,

    stretch your tent curtains wide,

    do not hold back.

lengthen your cords,

    strengthen your stakes.

For you will spread out to the right and to the left.

    your descendants will dispossess nations.

    and settle in their desolate cities.

For Meditation

Childlessness, desolation, shame, fear, disgrace, sorrow, grief, abandonment—these are not just words but experiences that can crush even the most promising of us. Each of us, including myself, has once faced the weight of one or several of these conditions. We are not alone in this, as these conditions, reminiscent of the barrenness and widowhood in ancient Eastern cultures, are not unfamiliar to us. 

The Lord, in His wisdom, used the imagery of a barren woman in today’s scripture to bring comfort to the Israelites after their exile—a period when their fortunes dwindled and their territory and influence diminished. Like an abandoned or widowed wife, God assured His people of a future filled with His glory in His millennium kingdom, a future that would far surpass their current circumstances. This promise offers us hope and reassurance in our own trials. 

The prophecy also looked to the immediate future when He brought them from the Babylonian captivity to a restored, glorious kingdom for His name’s sake. He became angry with them for a season, but not forever. He always has a remnant, a small group of faithful believers, to carry forth His program and show His power and majesty over all things, demonstrating His faithfulness and love even in trials.  

God promised them joy (1a) and fruitfulness and encouraged them to plan for expansion (2-3). Just as God blessed Sarah and her husband, Abraham, and enlarged their “tent,” so He would do for Israel after their return. 

According to Paul in Galatians 4:27, quoting Isaiah 54:1, the spiritual principle for the church is this: “Even as God blessed Sarah and the Jewish remnant with children, so He would bless the church, though she is only a small company in the world.”  [Wiesbe, W. Be Comforted (p.143)]

If you, my fellow believer, have suffered or are currently going through your crushing experience, take heart. Take comfort from this scripture and lift your head with joy for God’s glory.

So, are you prepared for expansion in your life? The Lord says, 

Enlarge your house; build an addition. Spread out your home and spare no expense! For you will soon be bursting at the seams. Your descendants will occupy other nations and resettle the ruined cities (2-3nlt).

Are you audacious? Do you have what it takes to handle promotion or enlargement of your sphere of influence? Then don’t hold back. Go for the long haul and build a support system for your expansion program. But remember, the anchor that will hold down your support system and keep it firmly down and stable is Christ Jesus, the Rock of Ages. Strengthen your relationship with Him, the One without whom everything you build will crumble in the storms of life. With Him, you have the power to overcome any challenge, and He will ground your expansion in His strength for stability. It is your faith, my friend, that will shape your spiritual growth and reliance on God.

Shalom

Confident in His Keeping

Psalm 16:7-8

New King James Version

I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

For Encouragement
The greatest source of joy and security in this tumultuous world is the pure and unfailing fellowship we have with the Lord. We derive this joy from knowing that He is always with us and constantly protects us. As faithful servants of Christ, we should never doubt that He will keep us safe in every circumstance. So, we can rejoice in our fellowship with Him and feel secure against every adversity or challenge.

Imagine Joshua’s confidence and assurance of victory when, in his meditative and contemplative mood the night before the Battle of Jericho (a significant event in the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land, where they were about to face a formidable enemy), he saw the Pre-incarnate Christ and heard these words: 

As Commander of the army of the Lord, I have now come (Joshua 5:14). 

From that time on, Joshua looked to the Lord as Commander-in-Chief, assured that He will always lead Israel through the conquest of the Promised Land.

David echoed this sentiment in Psalm 16. He grew to know and trust in God in life (1-8). Through his walk with Him, God assured David that even in death, God will keep him (9-11). He feared nothing because He could confidently say to the Lord, 

You are my Lord; apart from you, I have no good thing.

God was David’s counselor during the day and instructor during the night, when darkness ruled. Why would he not praise the Lord (7)? David, therefore, always kept his eyes on God and would not fix them on any other. Whenever life was at its bitterest point, David knew that the Lord was at His right side to support him; so, how could he fall (8)?

Is that not our confidence in Christ? How can we miss the way or fail when we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith? Because He suffered and overcame every trial and eventual death on the cross, He can keep us till glory (Hebrews 12:2).

As you embark on this new week, cast aside any anxieties about the challenges that lie ahead. Do not fear the giants that threaten you or the gates of your Jericho walls that are shut. Remember, there is no challenge that surpasses the power of God and no gate or door that can resist His authority (Psalm 24:7). At His command, they will open for Him to take you through to possess what He has for you. This is your empowerment through God’s guidance and protection, inspiring confidence in your journey.

So, let gladness fill your heart and your tongue rejoice in the Lord your Savior and Keeper. He will surely keep you. Amen! This is the joy and spiritual upliftment that comes from knowing and trusting in the Lord. 

Caught in Their Trap

Mark 12:17

New International Version

For Meditation

It’s a subtle phenomenon – the union of enemies to pursue a common enemy. Gangsters are notorious for this, after which they visciously assume their adversarial positions.

In the history of the world , no one has drawn more enemies to Himself more than the Carpenter from Nazareth. Read through the gospels and observe the number of plots against Him. None, however, raise an eyebrow for me than when the Pharisees and Herodians allied to catch Jesus in His words (Mk. 12:13-17).

Those were two groups of people who hated each other, so why the alliance?
The Herodians were a group of Jews who supported the rule of the Herods, a non-Jewish dynasty of kings under the Roman administration. That’s not a group the Pharisees would align with under normal circumstances. However, Jesus is not your ordinary “circumstance.”

The son of a young woman scandalized for carrying Him during her betrothal. Bethlehem became His place of birth with no decent place and room to receive Him into the world, but a sheeppen.

Angels announced His birth to shepherds in the field, and wisemen came from a far country to pay homage to the little child, bearing precious gifts worthy of kings but who knew or cared. The Messiah would never come to His people in obscurity, and certainly, will not be born among sheep and placed in a manger.

At twelve years, He taught in the temple courts, surrounded by amazed learned scribes. When John baptized Him in the Jordan, the heaven opened, and the Spirit descended on Him like a dove before a large crowd. A voice from heaven announced Him as God’s beloved Son.

At Cana, He delighted the guests of a wedded couple by turning water into wine.

His sermons and teachings captivated large crowds who confessed they had never heard any teach with such authority. He healed like no other. Demons recognized him and fled at His command. The blind, lame, leprous, and deaf all received their healing. Jesus even raised the dead. Why would the people have enough of Him

They crowded around Him everywhere, so the religious leaders, the Pharisees, and the teachers of the law could not take it. They despised Him to the core and had to get rid of Him.

The dynasty of Herod felt threatened too, as He claimed to be the Messiah, Israel’s real king. Jesus must therefore die. Two opposing groups with a common enemy. What an opportunity! As the saying goes, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

So, a delegation of these two parties – the Pharisees and Herodians – came to Jesus with a scenario they trusted would trap Him by His response.

Should we pay taxes to Caesar or not?
Crafty people they were. They tried the flattery way by heaping praise and affirmation on Him (Mk. 12:14) before their question. How many haven’t fallen for such ploy, but not Jesus. He knew their hypocrisy and called them out.

With a denarius, Jesus demonstrated His wisdom and posed a counter question that dismantled their plot and sent them away, scratching their heads (15-17).

“Give back to Caeser what is Ceaser’s and to God what is God’s” (17).

Jesus never ceased to amaze, yet His haters continued in their defiance.

Many, like the Pharisees and Herodians, have conferenced and plotted with crafty schemes to get rid of Jesus from the world’s culture and their lives. They will not have Him as their Lord and King, so salvation means nothing to them.

Some like the idea of heaven and claim it by their own means – what makes sense to their canal minds. Still, others prefer to follow their dead spiritual leaders who promised them something euphoric.

All those spiritual gurus remain dead, but Jesus rose from the dead and is alive and coming back as he promised. He is mercifully and graciously calling “whoever believes” (John 3:16) and wills to come and receive life in Him for eternity. He who has promised is faithful and will save you if only you will come (Romans 10:13).

The door to heaven is still open through Jesus (John 14:6) until you draw your last breath (Luke 16:19-31). The choice remains yours today, but remember, you do not own tomorrow (Hebrews 3:15).

So, do not be caught in your own trap of unbelief and drag yourself into hell. Take the escape door Jesus has opened to you (Colossians 1:13-14) and receive eternal life in Him (John 1:12-13; Romans 10:9-10, 13).

Shalom

Set Before His Mirror

2 Corinthians 4:7

New King James Version

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.

For meditation

 Yesterday was the Lord’s Day, and many attended anointed church services. Preachers labored to bring out the pure word of God, and we loved it. So, can we take a moment to ask how it changed our lives? Did we have a proper perspective of ourselves in the mirror of His word that came to us? Did we allow the light of God to “shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ” (2 Cor. 4: 6)?

When we take the time to look at ourselves from the perspective of the word of God, what we see must humble us. We see our sinfulness beside His holiness, which demands confession and repentance. God’s word penetrates our hearts to reveal our attitudes and intentions—it lays the intentions and motives of our hearts bare before Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews4:12-13). 

Isaiah saw the Lord in His regal setting and cried out in brokenness. He cried out that he lamented his ruin, for, in his sinful state, he had seen the glory of the King, the Lord Almighty (Is. 6:5). 

Isn’t that humbling? No one sees the glory of God and remains the same, yet we forget He dwells in His word to reveal His glory to us, as we come every day expecting to meet Him in intimate fellowship in His word. 

His word is our standard of living. We miss the mark. We deny ourselves the transforming power of the word of God when we do not engage Him in it. The word of God renews our minds and reveals His will to us for a closer walk with Him (Rm. 12:2).

The word of God helps to avoid a distorted view of ourselves, especially when we move in the grace-gifts. As James warns, we must be careful not to walk away from the mirror of His Word and quickly forget what it revealed to us about ourselves (Jas. 1:24). 

We profit by thinking of ourselves with sober judgment (Rm. 12:3) when we access ourselves by the standard of His word to grow by it. And here, it is helpful to remind ourselves that we’re mere jars of clay containing God’s precious gifts (2 Cor. 4:6-7). None of them, including life, is our own—it is pure grace.

May we, therefore, remember that every time we engage God in His word, He reveals who we are and how we look before His watchful eyes. This grace of introspection is excellent at keeping us in step with our Lord Jesus Christ (Heb, 12:1-2). 

So, let this sobering thought humble you before the Holy One, who has endowed you with this gracious treasure beyond human imagination, to build you up and empower you for His glory.

Shalom.

Under His Wings

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1 Samuel 25:31

New International Version

 And when the Lord your God has brought my lord success, remember your servant.

For Your 

Was Abigail an opportunist—a gold digger, as some call her—for pleading to David to remember her when he came into his kingdom (1 Samuel 25:31)?

The beautiful woman needed someone to deliver her from her marriage to Nabal, a wealthy but senseless man. She was a woman hopelessly attempting to rescue her husband from his foolishness and self-destructive tendencies, and it was silently crushing her. 

The never-ending regret for the day she said yes to Nabal. The wet pillows, the anguished heart, the travail of prayers, and the cry for relief filled the throne of grace daily. Where was God? 

Does it strike a chord with you?

How many of us have experienced such moments in life? How many still suffer through their crucible and endure tears of regret and shame? It is grace, my friend. Grace has kept you to this point, and grace will see you through. 

Paul needed to know this truth through his thorn experience (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). His pain was excruciating, but relief had become a mirage despite his earnest pleas to God. All Paul heard from God was:

 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (9).

God does not show favoritism in His responses to His children’s prayers. It is all about His will for us and His ultimate purpose and glory in our lives. Abigail may have prayed for who knows when until God showed up.

Her moment was when she intercepted the murderous march of David and his men towards her home (1 Samuel 25:20-22). God had prepared a place for her in the life of David, the next king of Israel. That was all she needed—a place of relief and comfort under the shadow of the future king of Israel, and she maximized the opportunity it presented to her (1 Samuel 25:23-31). No wonder David is a type of Christ the King under whose wings the wearied soul finds safety and rest (Psalm 91:1-2). 

So do not worry if you are experiencing an unpleasant situation now. God knows your sorrow and anguished soul. He has prepared your deliverance and refuge in Christ Jesus. 

You are no fool for running to take cover under the umbrella of King Jesus. It is about life eternal, and He is the only source of it (John 3:16). Just as Abigail heard about the fury of David and sought refuge and redemption under the future king, hear the coming wrath of God on this godless and wicked world (Romans 1:18-20) and run to Jesus for refuge (10:9-10). God will rescue you and bring you into the kingdom of the Son He loves—Christ Jesus our Lord (Col. 1:12-13).

Give glory to Him this morning! Amen.

Shalom

Joy At Midnight

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Acts 16:25

New International Version

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.

For Meditation

It was midnight. The sky was beautiful, and the half-moon in radiant glow hung over the skyline above the trees in my neighbor’s house. I looked for my phone to snap a picture of it, but I couldn’t find it.

Every time I faced it, as I prayer-walked around our house, my heart lifted a song of praise to our God, who painted such beautiful skies with His unequaled skillful hand. Its wonder lightened my heart to pray with joy and sing His praises. 

As I sat down to write this message, I could imagine David in the open fields with his family sheep under a splendid midnight sky, with the moon and the stars jumping at him as he sang Psalm 19 and worshipped the Lord.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psa. 19:1). 

David and I could sing and praise the Lord because we stood outside in the open night and marveled at the beauty and majesty of His creation. We were unrestricted nor confined, but that was not the case for Paul and Silas (Acts 16:13-34).

Those two firebrands sang and praised the Lord at midnight when they had suffered injustice of the worst kind and got thrown into a cold dungeon with their feet in the stocks. How could they sing to the Lord in such a condition? Why should they praise the God whose work had sent them into that terrible situation? Where was Jesus when the owners of the girl they delivered by the authority of His Name seized them and had them stripped and flogged in the marketplace?

They should be angry at God, not singing and praising Him. Yet, they did just that at midnight in that cold Philippian jail. How could they do it, and how can we do the same? I believe the answer lies in the attitude of the apostles to suffering. 

Consider when the authorities persecuted the apostles for preaching Christ in Acts 5:17-42. They sat in prison, released by an angel, rearrested, flogged, threatened, and warned not to speak in the Name of Jesus again. 

The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name [of Jesus] (41). 

Counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name of Jesus! That is the winning attitude of the believer.

It overflows the heart with joy and incites a hopeful encouragement to steadfastness in our walk with the Lord.  

I believe the same attitude flooded the hearts of Paul and Silas at midnight in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:41). They rejoiced and praised the Lord at midnight because God had counted them worthy to suffer for the Name of Christ.

Can we also have the same attitude as we walk with Jesus in this wicked world?

When we determine to stand for His Name, we will suffer persecution (2 Tim 3:12). In our suffering we can rejoice and praise the Lord, knowing He has counted us worthy to suffer for the Name of Jesus. Amen!

Look Up to Him for Life

Isaiah 53:7

New King James Version

 He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter,
And as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.

For Meditation

Heaven’s glory became the scum of the earth, as His creation became the object of His love. Through oppression and affliction, He came to redeem His own. Powerful and majestic in creation, authoritative in speech. He spoke, and everything came to be. In Gethsemane, Jesus asked His captors a question, and they fell on their backs. Legions of heaven’s army stood ready for their call to duty, but love clipped their wings, and their swords remained in their sheaths. At His command, one of them could have destroyed His captors. Yet, not a word proceeded from His mouth—evidence of the power of His love.

John, who baptized people in River Jordan, called Him “The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” The religious leaders, however, called Him demon-possessed and said He healed people by the prince of demons. The signs they demanded stood before them every time Jesus lectured the crowds, healed the sick, delivered the oppressed, or raised the dead. Nevertheless, they refused to acknowledge Him as their long-awaited Messiah; yet, wonder of wonders, willingly, Jesus went to the slaughter. As a sheep before its shearers, He did not open His mouth (Isaiah 53:7).

He exemplified submission and humility to instruct our walk. As the Passover drew near, the Paschal Lamb was ready for the perfect sacrifice to end all sacrifices for sin. God prefigured Him in Isaac on Moriah, the mountain of the Lord, where He provided the lamb in his place (Genesis 22:14). So, on Jesus’s back, the Father laid the cruel wood—the cross of Calvary.

Up the road to Golgotha, Christ stumbled along with thorns for a crown and a blood-drenched body to offer. The valley echoed the hammer’s pride as they nailed Him to the cross. With three spikes, the soldiers pierced His hands and feet, each to mark Him for eternity.

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

The hour came for the victory cry. “It is finished” (John 19:30)

 With that, He bowed His head, His body sagged, and He gave up His spirit. The pertinent question for us all is why He did it. Why did Christ die for us who hated Him so much? O, that we could hear the prophet Isaiah today:

“He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53: 5).

Wandering soul, look up to Him who died on the cross and rose in victory, and you will receive life for your soul (Mark 16:6). Then come, join the redeemed, His rescued children from the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13-14) in singing His praises.

Sing His praises therefore you, His redeemed, and let His light shine through you to reveal the beauty of His love—love so divine.

Celebrate the Goodness of God

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Psalm 136:1-3

New King James Version

Thanksgiving to God for His Enduring Mercy

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of gods!
For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords!
For His mercy endures forever:

For Meditation

Aren’t you blessed this morning?

• You are breathing.
• You can move your limbs.
• You can hear your favorite music.
• You can taste and enjoy your food with pleasure.
• You have an excellent health report; if you don’t, you have the extraordinary Physician on your case—Dr. Jesus.
• You still have a bank account, regardless of the balance. The bank still recognizes you as a treasured client.
• Your children and grandchildren have surrounded you at the meal table.

Above all, you can look forward with optimism and certainty to glory—the day heaven will open to receive you.

Why don’t you shout for joy to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and let the world hear your testimony?

So, why don’t you praise the Lord this morning and thank Him for all His goodness and mercies He has favored you with every day?

And don’t forget to touch someone with your joy today, and make their day a blessing from the Lord, too.

As Paul says:

Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:18-20).

Shalom