Words to Cling To

"Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved human praise more than praise from God"- John 12:42 (NIV). 

Trying to straddle this world and Jesus' is impossible. Human praise won't mean a thing when we stand before our Judge one day. What catches my attention though are the last three words of the verse: "praise from God." I've always thought of praise as being in one direction, to God. It stands to reason, just as an earthly father praises his child, why wouldn't a heavenly Father praise His child? My earthly father and I shared a closer relationship when he was elderly. Before that, he was a man of little word and little presence. I remember clearly the day he told me he was proud of me. Oh how I clung to those three words: "proud of me." But what is human praise compared to Godly praise? Imagine my joy upon reading today's Scripture and reading that my Heavenly Father has praise for me. For all the people of the world who feel forgotten or unappreciated, know this: God has praise for you. Those are the words to cling to. 

Training Through Discipline

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have teen trained by it"- Hebrews 12:11 (NIV).

When you mention discipline you automatically think of children, but we know God disciplines us as adults, too. We are still God's children, whether we are 20 or 100-years old. I've noticed that many parents today delve out discipline that seems unpleasant, but rarely painful. That's been going on since parents were told they should never "hit" their children. That's what I heard as a young mother; however, I took the Bible's teaching and did not spare the rod (Proverbs 23:13). On one occasion, in a doctor's office, my 2-year old daughter kept climbing up the step stool to play in the water fountain. After scolding and removing her several times, without any change to her intent, I gave her a swat on her diapered bottom and sat her back down in her chair. A woman firmly grabbed my upper arm and told me, "You know, you should never hit your children." My upper arm could still feel those finger indentions, but my little one remained in her seat. Was I creating fear or respect? Maybe you should ask her today? I think it's healthy to have both. We fear and respect our Heavenly Father. God's discipline can be painful. We may not appreciate the discipline at the time, but righteousness and peace spring forth, a harvest resulting from His training. 

It Was Finished

"When He had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit"- John 19:30 (NIV).

Even in His death, Jesus was in control. He "gave up" His spirit; it wasn't taken from Him. It was His timing, His strategy, His victory. Jesus was and is King; He told Pilate: "You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me" (John 18:37). Jesus could have called for twelve legions of angels to fight for Him; but if He did, "...how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" (Matthew 26:53-54). Prophecy was fulfilled; the law was fulfilled. "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (1 Corinthians 15:55). People ask, "How could Good Friday be called "good" when the Savior of the world was put to death?" Here's how: The temple curtain, that separated us from God, was torn in two, top to bottom; we became children of God Almighty and we can now share in an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father, just like Jesus did, thanks to Christ's victory on the cross. It was finished! Not by Romans, not by Jews, but by Jesus Christ.   

Fighting Back

"Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back"- Revelation 12:7 (NIV). 

World War I was called "the war to end all wars," but that turned out to be a false claim. However, there will be a war to end all wars. The prophet Daniel prophesied about a coming time when the archangel Michael will fight a war like we've never seen before. Those whose name is written in the book of life will be delivered (Daniel 12:1). There has been spiritual warfare going on since the beginning of time, and Michael and his army have been protecting us all along. "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"" (Jude 1:9). Michael and his troops answer to the Lord Jesus. Jesus Christ is Commander and Chief and will be the final Judge when the war ends. These are very real battles...over you and me. The dragon, AKA the devil, battles to keep us from having our names written in the book of life; therefore, whether we are aware or not, we are in the midst of this battle too; therefore, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes" (Ephesians 6:11), because the devil is fighting back.