The Lamb of God

December 18 (John 1:29)

Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!  (ESV)

It is the central truth of the world.  Earth was visited by One not of this planet, yet this planet was of Him.  In fact, Earth is not only of Him; it is His.  And He did not come for sightseeing.  He came to redeem and to claim.  He came to take away the sin of the world.

If that is not the focus of our minds and hearts, our calendars and checkbooks, at this time of year, then we have let department stores and popular media shape our lives more than God.  Incredibly, God will let that happen.  The image of Jesus as a lamb has a twofold reminder for us.  He is the perfect sacrifice to take away our sin, but He is also humble and gentle.  He will not force the gift of His love and grace on anyone.  It is free to all, but He will not make us take it.

This week leading to Christmas will be full…full of last-minute tasks to complete and things to buy, houses to clean, food to prepare, emails and texts to make travel arrangements, excitement and anticipation about being with family and friends.  These are the moments to savor and with which we make the memories that form the beautiful tapestry of our lives.  Yet in our thoughts, our prayers, and our conversations, we do well to remember that this baby came to die for us.  We owe Him absolutely everything.

Jesus, You are my all and all.  You knew me before I was born.  You loved me, Your creation, enough to be born a helpless baby and to die for me.  Your love has continued my whole life, in moments I could see and in times I could not.  May You be honored this Christmas not by my decorations, but by my faithful obedience to You.  Amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

The Christmas Dragon

December 11 (Revelation 12:3, 4)

I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads.  He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.  (ESV)

Does the nativity set under your tree come with a dragon?  It should.  We focus a lot on gentle Jesus, meek and mild, but we rarely acknowledge the dragon that showed up at His birth.  We sing of the wise men and we talk of the shepherds keeping watch over the flocks that night, but the dragon is curiously absent from most of our Christmas stories, plays, and songs.  Then again, we do remember, at least sometimes, the threat of King Herod, so perhaps we are at least faintly aware that something serious, something dangerous is connected with the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes.

The birth of Jesus was both an earthly and a cosmic event, which stands to reason since He is both God and man.  As a result, His birth was opposed in both realms, by Herod on earth and by Satan in the heavenly places.  Make no mistake here.  Satan is not a cute Disney dragon.  He is the ancient serpent who deceived Adam and Eve and is the inspirer of abortion, genocide, racism, hatred, murder, lying, theft, abuse, and every evil we have ever experienced.  And that is the beast that stood ready to devour the Christ child.

It is a king you have represented beneath your Christmas tree.  It is a cosmic warrior who defeated death that is being portrayed by a plastic baby doll in the Christmas play.  It is the incarnation of more power and love and grace and truth than our small minds can comprehend that Satan wished to kill from the beginning and who looks today into your eyes as He says, “That one is mine.”

O Lord, my God, You have my allegiance and my life.  All that I am, all that I have, and all that I do is Yours.  Today I ask for nothing, but give to You once again my everything.  Amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

The Authoritative Words of Jesus

December 4 (Luke 4:32)

[A]nd they were astonished at his teaching, for his word possessed authority.  (ESV)

Do you take the first hit on the first page of a Google search, or do you go a bit deeper?  Is a .com or a .edu extension a better guarantee of accuracy?  One of the first things I do when reading a non-fiction book is to check the bibliography.  What sources does the author cite?  One of the biggest challenges in the Information Age is knowing which news source is telling the truth. 

With Jesus there is no question.  He speaks with authority because He is God.  He does not speak opinion, what is popular, or what He has heard from others.  He does not even speak what has been well researched and documented in peer-reviewed journals.  He is the great I AM and He needs no further credentials.

Is He challenging you to change some aspect of your life?  You should do it, for He has the authority to tell you right from wrong.  Is He calling you to serve the Kingdom in a particular way?  Don’t hesitate, for He has the authority to place claims on your life.  Is He telling you that, contrary to everything you have heard or have felt from others, God loves you…that He really and truly loves you?  Then fall back into those loving arms and rejoice, for He is telling the truth.

Lord, open my heart that I may hear accurately and speak truth to the deepest parts of my soul.  I stake my confidence on You and Your words alone.  In the name of Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

Finding The Way To Go

November 27 (Psalm 119:105)

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.  (ESV)

Our son and I recently spent a few days at one of our favorite spots on earth, Turkey Run State Park in western Indiana.  Filled with forested paths and trails that work their way through glacier-carved canyons, it is a hiker’s dream.  This trip we hiked a few trails that were new to us and several times were stopped by what seemed to be an impossible way forward.  A trail would seem to dead end or ascend through a dauntingly narrow and steep crevasse.  Each time we approached an apparent stopping point, the proper part of the trail came into view and on we went.

Does that sound familiar?  From where you stand it seems that there is no way forward.  You have tried everything.  You don’t know what else to do, but you know you must keep going, only it appears that you can’t. 

God will guide you and show the way.  Let me say that again.  God will guide you and show the way.  He may do it through the words of Scripture.  He may do it through an inspired word from a friend.  The Holy Spirit may speak directly to your heart.  What you can take to the bank, what you can absolutely count on, is that He will guide you where you need to go.  When he does, will you follow?

Lord, this will not come as a surprise to You, but I need to confess it.  Much of the stress of my life comes from trying to find or make my own way.  Help me see by the light of Your word the path I should take and strengthen me to follow wherever it leads.  In the name of Jesus, Who followed a path to Calvary and then to glory, amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

Uncomfortable Love

November 20 (Mark 5:7-8)

With a shriek, he screamed, “Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don’t torture me!”  For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.” (ESV)

Most people do not want to seem rude.  We want to get along with others and for people to like us.  This natural tendency merges with the Bible’s talk about loving each other, and before you know it we have compromised biblical truth for conflict-free relationships.  We think we are “loving people to Jesus” when we fail to speak the truth.

When Jesus came upon a man possessed by multiple demons, He did not smile and accept his lifestyle.  He did not wish him well privately as he went on about His business.  His business, it turned out, was confronting the evil directly.  Did that cause the man discomfort?  Apparently it did, for he begged Jesus not to torture him.  He even invoked the name of God.  Had this happened today, he may well have said, “A real Christian wouldn’t make me feel bad about my condition.”

Of course, Jesus did not make the man feel bad about his condition.  In fact, Scripture says that He had addressed the evil spirit directly, not the man.  It is important when confronting sin, whether in the lives of friends and family or in ourselves, that we make a distinction.  Sin is evil.  Our participation in it is wrong.  The joy of forgiveness can belong to anyone who acknowledges this and accepts the healing grace of Jesus Christ.

Father, help me break the false identity that I am my sin.  Create in me that new heart capable of knowing, without a doubt, that I am Your child by the blood of Jesus.   Grant me the boldness that comes from walking in the Holy Spirit to confront sin with the truth and the true love of Jesus.  Amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

Too Familiar With God

November 13 (Hebrews 2:1)

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  (ESV)

It is actually possible for a Christian to become too familiar with the things of the faith.   The Bible, worship, prayer, our relationship with God…it can all become run of the mill, routine, mundane.  This is when we need to take a more intentional, focused approach to our walk with Jesus.

Recently I asked myself what I truly knew about God.  I realized immediately that anything I could know about Him would be most clearly revealed in Jesus, and so I began to ask what Jesus truly shows me about the nature of God.  I wanted to avoid the quick and easy answers…God is loving, forgiving gracious, etc. ….not because those statements are untrue, but because I have said them so many times I had to be sure I knew what they meant.  I went to the book of Hebrews and have not left it now for two weeks.  I keep reading it over and over, slowly chewing on its statements about Jesus and pondering deeply what those statements actually mean.

Try asking something about God.  Does He love you?  Are you forgiven?  Does He have a purpose for your life?  How does He feel about those who do not know Him or have rejected Him?  What are His standards for our behavior?  Does He have anything to say about your family or your job?  Even if it is a question to which you know the accepted answer, ask it again as you read a book of the Bible.  Stay with that question.  Let its focus guide you as you read with greater intention and purpose.  The answers you have always given, perhaps out of habit, will take on new meaning as the living word of God speaks directly to you.

O God, I do not want to drift in casual relationship with You.  Guide me as I explore Your word with focus and intention, always seeking to know You more through Jesus, in Whom all Your fullness was pleased to dwell.  May the Holy Spirit direct my thoughts and my questions as I dwell in Your word.  Amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins

Wrestling With God

November 6 (Genesis 32:28)

“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”  (ESV)

Both of our children have loved wrestling with Daddy.  Our daughter used to make me sit in the middle of the living room floor so she could barrel down the hallway toward me to knock me over.  Our son still likes to wrestle me and try to hold me down, which is much more likely to happen now that he is a strapping young man!

None of this would happen if my children could not trust me.  If mine were a mercurial temperament, capable of flying off the handle in anger unpredictably, they would never take the risk of wrestling with me.  So what does it say when Jacob wrestled all night with God?  What does the give-and-take, back-and-forth relationship between Peter and Jesus say?  God blessed Jacob and changed his name to Israel, which means “one who wrestles with God.”  Jesus told Peter that He would build His church upon him.

If there is one thing we can be confident of, it is this.  God is good.  He loves us.  We can struggle with Him and hurl at Him our anger, our fears, our doubts, our worries, our concerns, and our confusion.  He is not afraid of anything we bring to Him, and He will respond in the rough-and-tumble, sometimes bold, sometimes frightening, but always and fundamentally good way of the Father Who loves us.  About what do you need to wrestle with Him today?

Father, sometimes I think You do not care, and so I keep my burdens to myself.  Sometimes I am afraid You will reject me, and so I hide my deepest needs.  Sometimes I am simply not sure if You like me, and so I withdraw from You.  Help me draw confidence from Jesus Himself, Who more than any other person or thing has revealed Your graceful, loving nature, for there is much about which I need to wrestle with You.  Amen.

Copyright © 2016 by Steven R. Perkins