Look Beyond the World You See

Category: Bible

  • Tell Me, Noah

    Tell Me, Noah

    Image by Greg Reese from Pixabay

    An Open Letter

    Tell me, Noah, did your friends and neighbors believe when you told them God loves them?  Did they believe when you told them their behavior was wrong?  When you told them to have a soft heart toward their fellow man, did they care?

    Tell me, Noah, did your friends and neighbors believe when you told them lying, cheating and stealing were wrong?  When you told them not to sexually abuse children, did they stop?  How about murder? Did they stop taking innocent life or were their hearts too hard to stop?

    Did they believe when you said God made them male and female?  And when you said marriage is between a man and a woman, was their response loving?

    Tell me, Noah, did your friends and neighbors believe there would be a great flood?  Did they believe the world would come to an end?

    Simply Believe

    Well, they won’t believe me either.

    They won’t believe when I tell them that Jesus Christ loves them.

    They won’t believe when I tell them they are eternal beings made in the image of God.

    They won’t believe when I say that Jesus Christ wants to walk with them and help them through this life.

    They won’t believe when I say He came to this earth as a man to offer up His life willingly to pay the price for sin so that they could have eternal life with Him and all they have to do is simply believe in Him and what He has done.

    What Pain

    How did it feel, Noah, when you entered the Ark, knowing that all your beloved friends and neighbors, people you had known for 500 years, were outside when God closed the door of the Ark?

    What thoughts went through your head, what pain went through your heart, knowing that the people you cared about would not be with you any longer because they rejected the voice of truth?

    Tell me, Noah, did you cry?

    No Other Life

    Tell me, Noah, did you secretly search for survivors even though you knew it was impossible to survive outside the Ark? Did you seek the remains of those you loved when the Ark finally rested on dry ground?

    That day you were drunk, was it because of grief at the loss of everyone you knew and cared about?

    Tell me, Noah, did you feel alone?  The only ones left were you, your wife, your sons and their wives.  There was no other life on earth except what came with you.

    When is it too Late

    Tell me, Noah, do you think your friends finally believed when the rains came and wouldn’t stop?  Do you think they finally understood when they saw the Ark floating, knowing you were safe inside?  Knowing that everything you told them was coming true?  Did they believe then?

    Tell me, Noah, how long did your neighbors and friends watch you building the ark?  How long did they have to make the choice to believe?

    Tell me, Noah, when is it too late to believe? I would trust you to know.

    Look Past the World

    I guess some people just have to learn the hard way.  They say that hindsight is 20/20.  Tell that to Noah’s friends and neighbors.  We need a little 20/20 foresight.

    What does it take to look past the world into eternity and discover that Jesus Christ is real?  That everything history says about Him is accurate?  That what the Bible says, is true?

    “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those day which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:37-39 NASB

  • A Step of Faith

    A Step of Faith

    Image by Ilo from Pixabay

    Peter’s Story

    A Touch of Heaven

    He took a step of faith, but it didn’t work out so well.  Jesus was standing outside the boat and Peter asked to step out and meet Him there, on the water.  He left everything he knew and trusted, the comfort and security of friends and familiar surroundings and expectations for a taste of the unknown.  Peter went to stand with the Creator of the universe in a place mere mortals never dared!

    At first, it was a touch of heaven and majesty.  Peter walked on water!  What an amazing feeling it must have been to defy gravity and do the impossible.  The guys in the boat must have been jealous.

    The Old Knowledge

    It didn’t take long for fear to strike his heart, though.  Peter looked at his circumstances and remembered that people can’t walk on water!  Old knowledge and old emotions swept through him and replaced his faith with fear.

    It was the old knowledge of life without the power of God that caused Peter to remember his circumstances were impossible.  It was the old knowledge of past failures that drove Peter to doubt the living God standing before him.

    Isn’t that what paralyzes the rest of us and keeps us from doing great things for the Lord?  The fear of losing everything scares us into doubting He can and will save us.

    As Peter began to sink, the Lord lifted him up.  He asked, “Why did you doubt?”

    The Place of Impossible

    Are you in the middle of it?  Is there nothing but water as far as your eye can see?  Do you feel alone out there working to make a difference in other people’s lives?  Then remember, Jesus is not going to stay in the boat and yell to you, “Hey!  Are you alright?  Do you need a line?”  He will be in the water with you.

    Do you know why He will be with you?  It is because He dwells in the place of impossible.  As with everything else, He created it.  It is His nature.  With Him, all things are possible.

    Jesus Christ would not ask you to do something He has never done.  When He said, “I will be with you always,” there was never a “but” there.  He meant what He said, that there will never be a time when He leaves you.

    What Great Thing

    I am not sharing these words having never taken solemn steps of faith.  It is frightening to risk it all, but risk is the key.  It’s like moving out of your parent’s home.  You may struggle a little but eventually you get your feet on solid ground.

    I just have to say, thank you to Peter for his courage in trying.  He became to all of us an example of what a step of faith looks like.  It was also that step of faith that revealed the Lord would never let him sink.

    What great thing would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

    The Wealth of His Abundance

    I can’t tell you what the Lord’s will is in your life, but I can tell you that He has prepared a place for you in Heaven.  Have you ever thought about Heaven and what it looks like?  The Bible says there are many mansions.  It also tells us the city and streets are made of pure gold, like clear glass.  The wall is made of jasper and every kind of precious stone.  There are 12 gates into the city and each of them are made of a single pearl.  It is a place of great wealth and abundance.  You will have a place to live and food to feast on.  And the best part?  None of it will cost you a dime!

    If God has spared no expense for your time in Heaven, then is it a small thing for Him to provide for you here on earth?  At what point in Jesus’ life did He charge anyone for what He gave?  In every example, Jesus Christ covered the cost completely.  He spent His life so that you could share in the wealth of His abundance.

    That Deep Intimacy

    Are you living in yesterday?  Are you looking at yesterday’s results and expecting the same today?

    We all have failures as well as ups and downs, mountain peaks of certainty and valleys of doubt and fear.  It is what every Christian who seeks God for their needs and desires will face.  But it is our blessing to walk this path.  It is the path of walking on water with Jesus Christ.  It is being on the water with Him and watching Him work in our lives whether we are building a new home, looking for a new job or struggling with a serious health condition.  And it is a blessing.

    The world does not get to enjoy that deep intimacy of being with Jesus Christ on the water.  It is God’s children who will see Him working in their lives and recognize that it is Him moving.  We get to see His hand moving in our lives.

    It is hearing the songs that speak to our heart at the exact moment we need it.  It is hearing another share words that we need at the exact moment.  It is witnessing miracles, big and small, in our lives and knowing where those come from.  It is moments of deep intimacy with the Lord, knowing and feeling that He is right there with us, standing next to us, filling us with His presence and reminding us that this life is not forever and that one day we will be with Him and never suffer or need again.

    Behold, I will do a new thing,
    Now it shall spring forth;
    Shall you not know it?
    I will even make a road in the wilderness
    And rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19

  • I Say to You, Arise!

    I Say to You, Arise!

    Image by lmaresz from Pixabay

    A Dead Man’s Story

    There was no doubt about it.  He was dead.  Laying in the coffin, being carried by the pallbearers, his mother followed the procession.  A great many friends accompanied her as she mourned the death of her only son.

    Who knows when her husband had passed.  It didn’t matter.  Now she was alone with no family left, to live out her days in solitude even though her heart’s desire was for a family to share those days with.  And maybe one day have grandchildren or even great-grandchildren accompany her to the veil that closes this life and opens the next.

    But this journey she hoped for was only a dream, and now it was too late to recreate it.  Her dream was as dead as her son and husband, which only made her son’s passing more difficult.  He carried her hopes through the veil before her.  She would go to him, but he would not return to her.  Or so she thought.

    Do Not Weep

    As this mother was going to lay her son to rest, a Man came up to her and the coffin bearing her son.  Touching the coffin, the Man stood there, a great multitude with Him and said to her, “Do not weep.”

    This Man was none other than Jesus Christ.  He saw the procession carrying her son’s body out of the city to bury him and in typical Jesus’ style, He felt compassion for this woman who had suffered the loss of her husband and son.

    As the pallbearers came to a halt, Jesus spoke to the dead man and said, “Young man, I say to you, arise!”  The dead man sat up and began to speak, then Jesus gave him back to his mother.

    The Compassion of Jesus Christ

    The Gospels are filled with stories of how Jesus Christ filled the hungry, healed the sick and raised the dead.  The apostle, John wrote, “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen.” John 21:25 Clearly, Jesus Christ was busy while He was here on earth and His works clearly demonstrate His compassion for people.

    Why did Jesus Christ come to the earth in the form of a Man?  To save you and I and all the people of His creation.  The path to heaven was broken by the sin of Adam, the very first man who lived.  Jesus Christ came to repair that path to heaven.  And that path is restored.  All we must do is believe in Jesus Christ and what He has done.

    The apostle, Paul said, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” Romans 10:9-11

    Be not unbelieving but BELIEVE!

    Resources

    Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

    Luke 7:11-17 NASB

    Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.  And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.  And a large crowd from the city was with her.  When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”  Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.”  So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother.

    Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us;” and, “God has visited His people.”  And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

  • Too Busy for Dinner?

    Too Busy for Dinner?

    Photo by Marcus Winkler

    A Great Dinner Party

    There is a story in the Bible in the book of Luke that tells of a man who threw a great dinner party. This man was very generous and invited many people but when the day came for the party and everything was prepared, that is when the excuses started coming in.

    How many times have you thrown a party only to have people back out at the last minute? Well, this time the excuses were probably different than the ones you received. One guy said that he bought five yoke of oxen and asked to be excused so that he could test them. Another guy bought some land and wanted to go see it so he asked to be excused.

    One by one each person invited chose not to come to this man’s dinner party. As you can expect, the man was hurt and angry, so he told his employees to go out and tell every person good and bad about his dinner party, which they did and eventually filled the man’s house with guests.

    My Choice and Yours

    The story is an analogy, so what’s the point of the story? Each of us has been invited to dine with Jesus Christ when this life is over. That invitation has come to us in the form of simply believing that Jesus Christ came to the earth 2000 years ago and lived as a man, willingly offering up His life to pay the price for sin that we could never pay.

    My choice and yours is whether we believe Him or not. No one is going to force you to believe, but like those who asked to be excused from this man’s invitation to dinner, if you choose not to believe then your name will be removed from the guest list just as the others who were invited and chose not to come.

    When the final day comes, it will be natural for those who rejected Jesus Christ in this life to want to enter His house, because in hindsight they will see the truth of all that they have been told.  They will come to Him and ask to enter, but will not be allowed in.  If you threw a dinner party, would you let total strangers in to your house?  I don’t think so.

    The Book of Revelation says, “He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.” Revelation 3:5 The Book of Life is the guest list for the Supper of the Lamb. It stands to reason that if a person’s name will not be blotted out from the list then there must be some whose names will be blotted out.

    I Pray You Choose to Believe

    Let’s drive this down a little deeper. Surely you can see that we aren’t just talking about some casual dinner party. We are discussing the final leg in our epic journey of life. It is that part of life that we will not see until this life is over. Only then will the next life become visible. There are testimonies of the next life that we can see if we are paying attention. Things like miracles are a witness that God exists and there is more to our lives than what we see.

    I don’t want to make this more complicated that it really is. The choice is simple. Do we believe in Jesus Christ or not? Do we believe that He came 2000 years ago, born in a stable in Bethlehem to a virgin named Mary, who lived a perfect life and was crucified on a cross to pay the price for sin that separates us from God and Heaven?

    Will your name be on the guest list? I pray you choose to believe.

    The Dinner Party Bible Story

    “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, 17 and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ 18 But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ 19 And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ 20 Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’ 22 And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ 23 Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” Luke 14:16-24

  • A Well With No Bottom

    A Well With No Bottom

    Solomon and the two harlots.

    Have you heard the story about the two harlots?  If you don’t know what the word, harlot, means, some synonyms for it are; prostitute, hooker, hustler, sex worker, streetwalker and more.  The term “harlot” is used in the Bible.  Our story comes from the Bible in 1 Kings 3:16-28.  Believe it or not, the story is about love.  Yes, prostitutes do love.  And no, I do not know this from personal experience.

    As King Solomon sat on his throne, two women were brought before him.  They needed his help to solve a problem.  Both women were prostitutes, both women had newborn babies and both lived in the same house with their infants.

    One night, one of the harlots accidentally laid on her infant and suffocated him.  Waking and seeing that she had killed her son, she quietly took her dead infant and put him in bed with the other woman, while taking the other woman’s live son for her own.

    In the morning, the other woman awoke to find her son dead, but after examining him, she realized it was not her son.  It was evident that this child belonged to her roommate and that her own child had been taken by the other woman.

    As they stood before the king, he considered their problem.  One child was alive and one child was dead.  The living child had been supposedly taken from his real mother by the mother who had the dead son.

    One Person’s Word Against Another

    How would you solve this problem?  There were no finger print records to check.  You could not do a DNA test.  It was one person’s word against another.

    King Solomon commanded that a sword be brought and the living child be divided in two and that one half should be given to each woman.  The woman whose son was the living child immediately begged the king that her child be given to the other woman and not be hurt.  The woman whose son had died said to divide him and that he would not be the son of either woman.

    King Solomon rightly concluded that the woman who was willing to give up her living son so that he could live, was the mother.  He could tell that her self-sacrifice was born out of love for her child.  Therefore, he gave the living child back to his real mother.

    An Expression of Love

    Have you felt love?  What does love look like to you?  In the story of the two harlots, love is exemplified by the sacrifice of the living child’s mother.  She was willing to give up her child forever so that he might live.

    Love has the capacity to give to the point of self-sacrifice.  Each time you deny yourself to allow someone else to be first, you are practicing self-sacrifice.  The result is an expression of love.

    Two Moms

    The sacrifice the harlot was willing to make before King Solomon is still happening today.  Standing before King Solomon, one mother loved her child so deeply that she was willing to let go of her baby forever so that her child could live and have a good life.  There are mothers today who face the same, heart-wrenching decision as that mother so long ago.

    There is a woman who chose to give up her child for adoption.  She loved her daughter and cherished her.  She waited for her daughter to be released from the NICU so that they could go home together.  In her heart though, the pain of poverty and struggles she faced as a drug addict were not the gifts, she wanted to give her beautiful girl.

    With an act of self-sacrifice that was reminiscent of that mother so long ago, this mother chose to give up her daughter in the hope that her child would live and have a better life.

    What this mother could not know was that her choice would touch the life of another woman who had dreamed of a third child for twelve years.  This woman longed for more children but never considered adoption to fulfill that desire.

    Unable to have another natural child of their own, this mother finally turned to adoption with her husband.  Her fear that she would not be able to love an adopted child as much as her own had prevented her from seriously considering adoption.

    Speaking God’s Language

    What are the characteristics of love?  The Bible says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

    The expression of love from the heart is pure, even if your life has been defiled with the refuse of the world.  The world cannot take away the gift of your love.  It cannot say your love is meaningless.  There is nothing in your life or the world around you that can hide or diminish your acts of love.

    The Lord made the heart.  Each time you show an act of sincere love, you are speaking God’s language. He hears and sees a love that is pure and undefiled.  God is love and His love is found in us, in that one place in the heart that can’t be satisfied by the world.  It is the one place that only God and His love can satisfy because it is the source and fountain of life that God put there when He created us.  If you look close enough, it is where you will find Jesus Christ and His life.

    No Earthly Bottom

    When the path of these two mothers crossed, the first found the hope she was looking for in her daughter’s safety and welfare.  The second mother found the hope she was looking for in the opportunity to love another child.  Both mothers saw the hope of a better path for this little life.  Is it any wonder this beautiful girl was named, Hope?

    The second mother also found that she loved this child so deeply that she realized the well of her love was deep enough to drown in.  That’s because the well of love begins with Jesus Christ and there is no earthly bottom to it. Have you given up your child for adoption?  Is there a sacrifice you have made that cost you so dearly you felt as if your heart was torn from your very chest?  That same well of love is there for you.  God sees your sacrifice and He remembers the sacrifice His Son made 2000 years ago.  It is the sacrifice of denying yourself for the sake of someone else.  It is an expression of the deepest, most abiding love that is buried deep inside each of us.