It’s a beautiful thing when longing for something unseen becomes a hope realized.

Christmas is about the day the visible image of the invisible God of creation was born.

The promised messiah discussed yesterday, had arrived. The waiting of many was met with the surreal experience of receiving the thing hoped for.

Those wise men in their excitement brought gifts to the young king and fell on their knees worshiping Him. The shepherds praised God for what they’d been told by the angels and seen when their eyes looked upon that little baby. Mary treasured up the things said about this child in her heart and pondered them. Just as God said it would happen, it did.

Word spread throughout the territory and waiting to meet the young family was a man named Simeon. He was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, filled with the Holy Spirit of God. Sometime before, God had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had seen Jesus, the Christ.

So, when he saw the baby, he praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.” – Luke 2:29-32

Not only did Simeon believe this little baby to be the promised messiah discussed by the prophets. He believed this child would be more than a political leader in Israel. This child was to be a light for ALL people, including gentiles (non-Jews) as revealed to him by the Spirit of God. This child would be the one to pay for the sins of man done against God.

Simeon had just seen the gift of all gifts in person, something only thousands of people throughout history can say. Yet it wasn’t at the moment he saw Jesus that he received Him as a gift – for Simeon had placed his faith in God’s salvation work long before this moment. He eagerly awaited the day to be able to see God’s salvation with his own eyes but had already taken this gift of life into his heart through faith.

Jesus went on to live a sinless life, performing miracles further proving that He was the one to which the old testament prophets pointed. His life was anything but glamorous however, as He was despised among men and ultimately crucified. Yet it was this crucifixion and subsequent resurrection that earned forgiveness for us. This is why Jesus is the greatest gift.

On this day of giving, it’s common sense that we need to unwrap that shiny present sitting under the tree in order to receive it. My hope and prayer is that you don’t leave the gift of Jesus under the tree, wrapped. Chances are, if you’re still reading at this point, you’ve at least picked up the package and placed it on your lap.

Unwrapping the package looks like this. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved. Believe in your heart that Jesus is who He says He is (the son of God). Confess your sin to Him and repent, turning away from it towards God. Come to Him as you are, there’s no need to put on a front. He already knows everything about you and knew it all when He hung on the cross for you. We know that we are loved by Him through the historical event of Jesus’ death on the cross. We know that this payment for our sins was accepted by God the Father through His resurrection.

The waiting is over. The gift is here. Will you open it?

 

Prophecy of the messiah:                                                Fulfillment of prophecy:

Isaiah 7:14 – Born of a virgin, Immanuel                     Matthew 1:22 – Jesus born of a virgin

Micah 5:2 – Born in Bethlehem                                    Matthew 2:5,6 – Born in Bethlehem

Jeremiah 31:15 – Weeping in Ramah                          Matthew 2:17,18 – Weeping in Ramah

Hosea 11:1 – Called out of Egypt                                  Matthew 2:14,15 – Called out of Egypt

2 Samuel 7: 12-16 – Descendant of David                     Matthew 1:1 – Son of David

Isaiah 49:7, 53:3 – Hated/Nazarene                                Matthew 2:23 – Hated, a Nazarene

Isaiah 53: 4-6 – Crushed for our iniquities                   Matthew 8: 16, 17 – Savior, healer

Luke 9:22 – Suffer, die, rise again in three days          1 Corinthians 15:4 – Rose again

This is part I of a two-part series to be posted on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day 2019.

It’s finally here.

Months of anticipation culminate into one final day – Christmas Eve.

Nerves tingle with excitement, hearts warm in the presence of loved ones and it’s really the only day of the year that people are genuinely happy waiting for something.

It’s a day full of waiting – a holiday simply because of the day that follows. Much of the delight we experience on Christmas Eve originates from reuniting with loved ones, time off from school or work, or at the thought of receiving a special gift.

I’d barely sleep on Christmas Eve as a kid. A blissful level of excitement would radiate through me as I entertained the thought of opening up presents the next morning.

There’s one Christmas Eve in particular that stands out. I couldn’t sleep as usual, so I cracked my brother’s door open to see if he was asleep. Much to my joy, he was playing his Nintendo 64. I joined him and we ended up playing most of the night, talking about Christmas. It’s one of my favorite memories growing up.

But even with how good presents and family time are, I’ve begun to learn that those things don’t last. I remember feeling a sort of “Christmas hangover” every year on December 26^th. The day I had waited 365 days for came and went in the blink of an eye. When I began walking with Jesus, however, everything changed.

It’s probably not a mystery to you that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus. I think to many, it’s an inconvenient historical fact disguised by the fun, mythological creature of Santa Claus. Yet, to the people in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas all those years ago, the rumblings of the birth of this child came with great wonder and joy, much like we experience every Christmas Eve.

For centuries, the God of Israel who separated Himself from the pagan gods of the surrounding nations with miracles like the exodus of His Jewish people from Egyptian captivity among many other examples, spoke through appointed messengers of His words, or prophets. These prophets carried a variety of messages depending on the historical context, but most also spoke of a messiah by whom all peoples would be blessed.

As the centuries went on, God continued to reveal more information about this messiah. He would be a descendant of David, be born in Bethlehem yet grow up as a Nazarene and be born of a virgin – an impossibility apart from a supernatural conception. This phenomenon led to the understanding of one of the messiah’s names, Immanuel, “meaning God with us.” Through this messiah, God would literally be with mankind, walking among them.

As a nation that was in a cycle of exile and oppression from world powers like Egypt, Assyria and Babylon, many in Israel viewed this messiah to be some sort of political superhero. A king who would not falter like the others. A king whose glory would greatly surpass even that of the legend, King David.

That was a bit elementary for the God of the universe. He had a much bigger plan. This messiah would offer man redemption from the curse of sin and death that entered the world through Adam and Eve. His purpose on earth was to suffer and die in our place, paying the price for the sins of the world. After dying, He would rise again and reign forever in an eternal kingdom with those who received His forgiveness eventually bringing them into His dwelling place.

Much like men and women in our time, people in the ancient world were looking for hope. Circumstances looked different but the needs of the heart were the same. Modern archaeological pursuits have uncovered the decayed remains of hand-made “gods” millions of people looked to for purpose, direction and peace. Still, others patiently awaited the messiah that the God they could not see promised would come. The one they knew would accomplish their most pressing need – forgiveness.

I can only imagine the exhilaration the wise men felt as they looked up and saw the star above that stable in Bethlehem. What must the shepherds who encountered angels have felt as they made their way to find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger? Or those who studied the words of the prophets diligently each day, seeking God. Was this really it? Has He really come?

These people were waiting for the gift of all gifts, the very reason we give presents to our loved ones each Christmas morning. Yet unlike those presents, this gift would be of eternal significance.

Christmas Eve has always been a day of waiting. When the waiting is over, though, what will remain? Temporary happiness, or eternal joy that can be celebrated everyday of the year? Thanks be to God that it is the latter through the fulfilment of His word and the birth of His messiah, Jesus!

Prophecy of the messiah:

Isaiah 7:14 – Born of a virgin, Immanuel

Micah 5:2 – Born in Bethlehem

Jeremiah 31:15 – Birth would result in weeping in Ramah

Hosea 11:1 – God’s son would be called out of Egypt

2 Samuel 7: 12-16 – Descendant of David

Psalm 22:6, Isaiah 49:7, 53:3, Daniel 9:26 – Hated by the world, called a Nazarene

Isaiah 53: 4-6 – Crushed for our iniquities

Luke 9:22 – Suffer, die, rise again in three days

 

 

 

Along straight paths walk the dependent

for their steps are guided by the transcendent.

God above, on His throne of justice

who rules with grace is where their trust is.

On their own, they find themselves lost

lie after lie by which they are tossed.

Each having a degree of truth in them

we’re deceived calling quartz a gem.

When push comes to shove and rubber meets the road

the princess we were promised turns out to be a toad.

Onto the next thing move our longing hearts

searching for the best thing in all the wrong parts.

Will we ever call things exactly as they are?

Good gifts, but not the superstar?

Where do we go wrong and veer off course?

By worshiping created things, but not their source.

There is one God and he author of creation

there will never cease excuse to praise him.

Able to be known but not fully in our present age

a brief look in His book shows He’s bound by no human cage.

Let not your look be brief, nor your study rare

when you read His words, you best pull up a chair.

Before you lays a treasure trove, one no map can chart

rest for your weary soul and the hope of a new heart.

It’s not in knowing the scriptures that one should place his trust

it’s in the one they point to, the lamb slain for us.

Sin upon our shoulders and a heart prone to rebel

Jesus the son of God saves us from Hell

This salvation is open to all, for every tribe and tongue

one must simply agree that Jesus is God’s son.

That their sin demands a payment of which Jesus made

and His resurrection proves that their price was paid.

This is where life begins, at the position of belief

no longer without purpose, the believer finds relief.

Dependent upon this promise will all their hope lay

for along straight paths walk those who belong to The Way.

“You’re not some radical though, right?”

My face felt hot as my classmate awaited an answer. He stared with a puzzled look on his face – like the one you give an hors d’oeuvre when deciding whether to try it or throw it in the trash. If I answered incorrectly, it would be me he’d throw in the trash.

“Nah man. Not one of those.”

He nodded and went back to his work sheet. My throat felt dry as I looked back down at mine. In one sense I was relieved. This kid and all the others around us in class still held their view of me. They didn’t think I was weird or crazy or any of the other things I feared. They thought of me as just another kid. Someone relatable and generally likeable. Yet in another sense, I felt shame. I had just begun to learn my true identity, and I couldn’t help but feel like I took the easy way out of a potentially eternally significant conversation. Like I’d taken a side against who I truly was and who I knew.

The conversation which bore this exchange is not an uncommon one among high school students. While slogging through our math homework, a few students near me began to talk about music. Eventually I was asked what music I enjoyed. I threw out a few names, but my classmates had never heard of them. Intrigued, they asked what genre these artists performed. When I answered, I got a response to which I’ve grown accustomed over the years.

“Christian Rap?”

It was as if it was a logical fallacy. How could anything Christian be in rap? And how could any rapper be a Christian? The kids were alert, so the questions kept flowing. Most were about me and my Christian decisions – not necessarily what I believed. All until my friend asked me the question that still sticks with me. “You’re not some radical though, right?”

When the word “radical” is used in any sort of religious context – it’s almost always with a negative connotation. I’m not sure exactly how he defined a radical Christian, but I’m confident there were images of people with signs saying “You’re going to hell” in his head as he asked the question.

While it’s true that there are “radicals” out there that care more about orthodoxy than they do God, I believe that God takes all those who believe in His son Jesus and makes them true radicals. How?

Conforming them to the image of His son or making them look like Jesus.

Jesus was as radical as they come.

While speaking unequivocally against sin, Jesus pursued sinners as a shepherd searching for his lost sheep. He asked God the Father to have mercy on those who tortured Him and laughed at Him while he cried out in agony. He laid down His life for the guilty though He Himself was innocent.

This is the most shining act revealing His glory. Jesus dying on the cross for us is the ultimate proof for being able to say that God loves us. The action of Him rising from the dead show that He is who He said He is. Without this, there’s no hope.

When one believes in this message, scripture tells us that they are made a new creation. Their slave papers to sin and the broken human condition are shredded and thrown into the fire. Amazingly, this person goes from “death to life”; “from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light.”

It’s not that they become incapable of sin at this moment – for they will still have the same sinful desires they had prior to conversion. Yet, it becomes a battle in which the believer in Jesus becomes more like Christ every day with a decreased pattern of sin in their life.

As they become radical by God’s work, they don’t develop into some superior spiritual superstar. They grow into a meek, selfless and dependent child looking for their Father to carry them. They agree with what their Father says. What He says goes, no matter what the majority may say. They call themselves blessed when they humbly suffer on behalf of their Father and just like their Father did, they love their enemies.

If I had another crack at answering my friend’s question, I would tell him that I am indeed a radical. Not because of some self-righteousness, but because God has claimed me as His own, adopted me into His family and provided me my most pressing need – forgiveness through Jesus. Again, not because of any deed I have done, or any restraint from sinful behavior I’ve maintained, but simply because He has bought me with a price and is in the process of making me more like Jesus for the glory of His name.

May the lives of those who are in Jesus be made more radical every passing moment and the lives of those who have not yet surrendered themselves to Jesus be gripped by His depths of grace and mercy.

 

References:

Romans 8:29 – Conformed to the likeness of His Son

John 10:1-18, Matthew 18:12-14 – A shepherd looking for his lost sheep

Luke 23:34-37 – “Father, forgive them…”

1 John 3:16 – How we know God loves us

1 Corinthians 15:3-8 – The resurrection is proof of Jesus’ deity

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…”

Romans 6:6 – No longer a slave to sin

John 5:24 – Passing from death to life

Colossians 1:13 – From the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light

Philippians 1:6 – He who began a good work in you will finish it

Isaiah 66: 1- 2 – Those who the Lord delights in

Matthew 5:11 – “Blessed are you when you suffer because of me…”

Matthew 5:44 – “Love your enemies…”

1 Corinthians 6:20 – God bought me with a price

Ephesians 1:5 – Adopted as a child of God

Acts 16:30-31 – Jesus: our greatest need

“O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name, for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful and sure” Isaiah 25:1

For someone to be considered a faithful person, there are only a couple of criteria.

• You have to say you’re going to do something.
• Then you have to do it.

We can easily mistake the simplicity of faithfulness with ease, quickly categorizing ourselves as faithful people because of trivial promises made and kept. Upon further examination, however, our kept promises are suspended in the air by the heavy weight of the engagements that just faded away.

It’s not necessarily a matter of ignoring or neglecting something you said you were going to do. It could be the case that something outside of your control made it impossible. Whatever the cause may be, it should be evident to us that while faithfulness is simple in its definition, faithfulness is wildly complicated for us to live out.

If you’re a human being, chances are you’ve been let down. Somebody you care about tells you something, but it doesn’t work out. You ache for the day it will occur sitting in frustration as time passes with one half of the faithfulness formula completed. We’ve all got our stories about these situations.

The chances are equally as high that if you’ve been let down, you’ve also been guilty of letting someone down. This is the side we don’t like to chat about as much. It shows that we are guilty of the same thing we hold against the one who proved faithless. While you stand pointing the finger, you’ve got three fingers pointing back at you. Zoom out and all 7.53+ billion people on this earth are pointing at one another guilty of faithlessness.

We desperately need dependability and trust. That’s why it hurts so bad when we don’t receive it.

It’s when we affirm this that we are then made ready to hear of one who is described as abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

We as humans can make faithful decisions, but at the core there is only one perfectly faithful being. He’s the one who’s faithfulness endures for all generations. It’s part of the essence of His being. He is Jehovah, God of Israel and the author of the Bible.

It is said that it is impossible for Him to lie. That what He started He will complete. Faithfulness is not simply a mushy, purely emotional theological term. It’s more along the lines of a legal track record measuring every “contract” ever signed into existence by His speech.

When God says that something is going to happen in scripture, this is equivalent to the gliding of a ballpoint pen along the doted line of a binding contract. He is entering into what is called a “covenant” or agreement. He is essentially, completing the first half of the faithfulness formula.

A lot of people claim things. All religions are built on truth claims. But what makes one true over another? What makes this binding agreement signed worth anything?

The result. Truth can never be faked and will always come to the light. You can pretty much Google any theory you want and there will likely be some sort of article affirming whatever it is you want to believe. Some may say the same of Christianity.

Yet when we examine the Bible against other historical accounts and archaeology, we see that what God said, did occur. Most importantly, we see that the life of Jesus Christ was one cut short by a brutal Roman execution, only to rise again and appear publicly to hundreds of people – verified by texts both within scripture and outside of scripture. This is just as God had prophesied throughout the Old Testament of the Bible in His plan to offer forgiveness for you and me.

It’s this promise that stands out the most on the lengthy list of God’s kept promises. For by it, we are offered what each of us most desperately need! Salvation from God through God.

Our faithfulness is spotty at best. God’s got a perfect track record. One that we can study and learn more about each day. Here’s for grace to trust Him more. Here’s to worship the only one who’s ever mastered the faithfulness formula.

 

References:

Psalm 86:15 – “…abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Psalm 119:90 – “Your faithfulness endures to all generations…”

Hebrews 6:18 – “…It is impossible for God to lie….”

Philippians 1:6 – “…He who started a good work in you will carry it onto completion…”

Matthew 27: 32-56 – The crucifixion of Jesus

1 Corinthians 15:6 – Jesus appeared to over 500 people after rising from the dead.

(Non-Biblical) Antiquities 18:63 of Josephus – “…for he appeared to them on the third day restored to life.”

 

 

Our lives are filled with decisions.

At almost every point in the time of our existence, we are faced with some sort of decision. It could be something as (seemingly) simple as picking where to go eat dinner that night. Or, it could be more complex, like choosing a job to pursue.

Either way, decisions are a constant in our lives.

We look back on past choices and how they affect the future. Some of the best-selling sci-fi novels and television programs are based on this idea. As a sports junkie, I love chatting about the outcome of specific transactions between teams and how it contributed to the team’s current state. It’s a fun, yet sometimes painful practice depending on the leadership of your favorite organization.

The same is true of history. We often use phrases like “had this not happened” or “if only this occurred” to describe what is and what could have been. There are many examples to study, but one has recently weighed heavily on my mind.

Back in the 700s B.C., a king named Ahaz ruled as king over the land of Judah. This land contained the city of Jerusalem.

At the time, the nation of Israel was split into a southern kingdom (Judah) and northern kingdom (Israel). While young Ahaz ruled in Judah, a man named Pekah ruled over Israel.

Pekah struck an alliance with neighboring Syria as they watched Assyria orchestrate an impressive conquest in their backyard. As the invasion continued, they sought other nearby lands to get in on the coalition.

Judah refused their offer, however, igniting Syria and Israel to wage a miniature conquest of their own. Advancing from north to south, the nations conquered city after city in the southern kingdom with their eyes on Jerusalem, likely the prize of the ancient world.

With Judah’s territory maps shrinking and enemy soldiers making camp in the outskirts of Jerusalem, the heart of Ahaz and all his people “shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.” Haunted by the prospect of a catastrophic assault on Jerusalem, Ahaz would soon have a huge decision to make.

As spears were thrust and swords were swung in the ancient East, a much deeper battle was taking place. Judah and Israel, who were once united under the direction and affection of God, had now both placed themselves under His wrath by forsaking Him in exchange for false gods.

Ahaz worshiped many things, but not YHWH (God’s name, likely pronounced Yah-Weh). He even went so far as to sacrifice his own son as an offering to the physical idols he worshiped. Yet, Ahaz had some important lineage. He was a descendant of king David, through whom God promised to establish His reign. The line of David was promised to be preserved by God, throughout all generations, culminating in the birth of a messiah (or savior) who would suffer and then reign at the right hand of God. We know Him as Jesus Christ.

God had also made some pretty specific promises regarding the city of Jerusalem. This is where He made His dwelling and fulfilled the promise to His (united) Israelite people when they left the Egyptian oppression they suffered for 400 years. God had declared this His people’s land – and His land.

Should the northern kingdom and Syria come in and defeat Ahaz and conquer Jerusalem, the promises God had made earlier would have been proved null. Not only was a battle being waged for land control, God’s reputation was on the line.

Decision time came for Ahaz. With Jerusalem surrounded, action seemingly needed to be taken. God sent his prophet Isaiah to Ahaz with a simple, yet poignant message.

Through Isaiah, God told Ahaz exactly what was going to happen. He called the northern kingdom and Syria “two smoldering stumps of firebrands.” He made these comments about their plan to conquer Judah: “It shall not stand, and it shall not come to pass.”

God assured Ahaz that Jerusalem was not in harm’s way despite what he saw. He assured Ahaz that the capital city of the northern kingdom would remain Samaria and the capital of Syria would remain Damascus. Then he left Ahaz with a very strong challenge.

“If you are not firm in faith, you will not be firm at all”

To encourage him to stand firm, God even asked Ahaz to ask Him for a sign. “Let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” Yet Ahaz refused, citing that he would not put God to the test in an odd attempt at piety. Instead, Ahaz opted for an audience with the king of Assyria and sold his soul for military assistance. Rejecting God, Ahaz turned to Assyria to fight Judah’s battles.

He told king Tiglath-pileser III “I am your servant and your son…” and pillaged the house of God for gold and silver to send to Assyria. Ahaz’s series of decisions to reject God’s lordship in his life led to this most glaring example. One that dramatically shaped the history of a nation but could not change the providence of God.

Jerusalem survived. The line of David survived. But the very one Ahaz turned to for redemption was the one God used to judge the northern and southern kingdoms. The whole nation of Israel suffered great losses at the hand of Assyria. So much so, that if Israel were a tree, only a stump remained. Still, God used that stump to bring about the “root of Jesse” or Jesus Christ. He is the one that would allow for sinners like us to one day proclaim –

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.”

Ahaz chose wrong. He chose to believe that what he saw ahead of him was greater than the promises of God. He rejected the very salvation he sought when nervously entering into terms with Assyria.

That choice proved to nearly wipe Israel off the face of the planet. Thankfully, God’s sovereignty shines bright. He kept His promise to David, to Israel and ultimately all nations. He used Ahaz’s choice to further His purposes.

Everyday, we’re in a position more similar to Ahaz than you’d realize. We have a choice to trust just what we see, or to trust in the God of the Bible. We can choose to throw away His words as some religious fanaticism, or we can accept them by faith. We can scoff at the idea that we need His saving or embrace our desperate estate and use it as fuel to run to the same faithful God who preserved Jerusalem all those years ago.

It is here where we learn that Jesus isn’t just another thing people are into. He is everyone’s deepest need as sinners who must stand before a perfectly holy God. He isn’t simply the means to salvation. As the verse above states, He IS our salvation. He lived the perfect life that God demands, yet of which we’re incapable.

As Ahaz could have escaped judgement by choosing to take God at His word and trusting Him to fight his battles, so can we escape God’s ultimate judgement through the blood of Jesus Christ.

We can’t trust in Jesus apart from God calling us to Him. Unless God the Father draws us to the conclusion that we need Jesus, we won’t ever know we do. And if we don’t know we need saving, we won’t ever seek the Savior.

My thought is that if you’ve read this far – or at all – it’s pretty obvious God is calling you. Why else would you have chosen to continue reading?

Consider what is said in Romans 10:13 –

“For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Light is sweet.

I’m reminded of this every summer.

The days I wake up and see a soft light permeating through my curtains are the days I jump out of bed instead of stumble. As sunshine pours out onto my skin like warm water, I soak it up like a sponge. I want to take in as much as possible.

As simple as it is, there is no denying the wholesome gift of an afternoon relaxing in the sun. It has a way of satisfying a physical need while simultaneously quenching our thirst for goodness. After all, it is often the simplest of delicacies that bring us the most joy.

I’ve recently become more aware of the innumerable gifts in my life. Simple blessings like getting to sleep in on Saturdays to complex graces like deeply forged friendships crafted over many years. I have much to be thankful for and many healthy avenues of enjoyment in my life.

In a hedonistic society however, I can be easily persuaded into seeing the good in my life as the meaning of my life. Maybe you can relate.

If you were to ask me a series of questions regarding many of the choices I make and why, eventually we’d get to the rock bottom motivation. Frequently, it is for my pleasure, comfort or joy.

It becomes easy to worship the good in life with this motivation. We can even fall in love with the means because they accomplish the goal of a hedonistic existence – worshipping yourself through a pursuit of pleasure.

It’s a fair question to ask why it shouldn’t be this way, as I’m sure you can sense I am implying. To this I would simply point out the temporal nature of our own pleasure and the instability of our circumstances. Not to mention the natural consequences of living solely for pleasure.

No matter how good something is, it eventually will end. If you’ve based your entire life on having that thing, then your life concludes when it disappears.

Ironically, in our “pursuit of happiness,” we’ll always be in the trailing position in accordance with the defintion of the word “pursuit.” Even when we catch up to what we thought a mile back was the finish line, we see another ten miles in front of us. Then, another.

Joy and good gifts in our lives aren’t enough. Despite our intimate knowledge of this evidenced by the discontentment found in the heart of man, our gaze seldom rises from the gifts to the Giver of the gifts.

According to scripture, everyone is a recipient of God’s goodness. Christian or not. Our very breath comes from him, yet it is often the very breath we use to quickly dismiss the idea that such a God exists. Many worship the good things God has created instead of Him who created them.

As I’ve thought more about the good gifts I’ve received from my Father in Heaven, I can get caught up in the moment and forget that He has gifted me Himself in the person of Jesus Christ.

Filled with sin that true justice demanded be punished, God gifted me a stand-in to take my place. The righteous retribution for my sin was taken by Jesus. I went from being Hell-bound to a saint. Not by a work of my own, but by Jesus’ perfect life.

A gift you can’t repay trumps all others. That’s when you know it’s out of pure love. The same is true with God’s gift to mankind in Jesus.

Temporary gifts that bring us joy are good. But we were meant for more. We were meant for the ultimate gift and the radiant light from the Son.

Math has never been my thing.

The sight of those Everyday Mathematics books in elementary school made me break out in a cold sweat. Every time math class began, so did my countdown to its conclusion.

I didn’t realize it till later on, but I don’t hate doing math. I actually find the routine step-by-step procedure involved in math somewhat soothing. Getting to a place where I understood and knew the concepts was the battle for me.

Sometimes it felt like I needed to hit triple sevens on a slot machine in order to understand that day’s lesson. In other words, mastering the lesson was out of my hands. Not all the information I needed had been revealed.

I used to believe that knowing God worked the same way. That the people who really knew Him had some mystical experience with Him. This resulted in their unshakeable confidence in the existence of an unseen, almighty God. It was as if knowing God was a game of slots. Pull the lever and hope it happens to you.

Unbeknownst to me, I was already on the journey of getting to know God. I began to realize that unlike some algebraic formula, you can’t know God just by knowing about Him. This wasn’t code for some mysterious experience not subject to anyone’s questioning, either. In a way, getting to know God operates similarly to how you get to know your neighbor. However, as J.I. Packer puts it, “the more complex the object, the more complex is the knowing of it.”

To know someone as complex as God requires a trustworthy source. And as self-disclosure is needed in order to get to know someone, the same is true of God. That’s when it really started to sink in. The Bible is God’s self-disclosure, that we might know Him.

I didn’t need some special experience or sign to know God. I didn’t even need to see Him with my own eyes. All I needed to know, He already revealed to me in His written word. Skepticism that God’s word actually is God’s word was answered by external evidence. Things like it’s unified message despite being written by forty different authors over a timeframe of about 1500 years, or archaeological alibis found in the present day. Not to mention changed lives.

It is in His word God reveals to us that it isn’t just a ritual Bible reading that allows us to know Him. He tells us the Bible is a means to an end; the end being faith in Jesus Christ. It is here we learn that we cannot move beyond knowing about God until we know and believe in the one He has sent. That one being Jesus Christ, the substitutionary payment for our sin that separates us from Him. When we decide to follow Jesus, our lives truly begin. As He prayed,

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” John 17:3

Not only is knowing God possible, but as Packer simply states, it is “the main business that you are here for…” After all, God did make us for himself. Not much in life will make any sense until we know Him. This isn’t just for the lucky few, but God’s words and the “gospel” contained within them are for everyone.

Open up a Bible. Pray and ask God to reveal Himself to you. Seek Him and you will find Him.

 

Knowing God by J.I. Packer. Pages 34 and 35.

Have you ever noticed how many broken sea shells wash ashore with each wave? Walk on the beach after high tide and the hard, wet sand is filled with billions of shell fragments glistening in the sun. Walking across them is as close as most of us will come to a coal walk.

It’s fascinating to grab a handful and comb through it. Hundreds of tiny pieces each with their own unique color, size, and shape. As the waves bury my feet and the sea air fills my nostrils, I often wonder about each shell’s story. I think about the distance each shell travelled to get to where I’m standing. I think about what the whole shell once looked like before it was shattered into pieces.

And as I consider that each broken shell has a story of its own, I can’t help but remember the same is true of each human.

Not merely that everyone has their own life story, but that their story is tragically marred by brokenness. A brokenness that is independent of one’s circumstantial upbringing or environment.

Some encounter more visibly destructive situations leaving others to mistakenly think the absence of these maladies in their own lives signal completeness. Our eyes, easily drawn to the symptoms rather than the disease, deceive us.

It isn’t just the drug and alcohol addicted homeless man. It isn’t just the crooked politician. It isn’t just the cheating spouse who walked out on their kids. It isn’t just the murderer on death row. They aren’t the only ones who are broken.

We all are.

It is the heartfelt rebellion against God, our creator, that defines our brokenness. The God of the Bible, also known as Yahweh. This rebellion, or sin, exists in the heart of every man as we were born into this broken condition. As with any condition, side effects follow.

Praise be to God that we aren’t abandoned in this broken state. God has made a way for us to be restored to Himself, which naturally pieces us back together. It’s the shed blood of Jesus Christ which atones for our sin against Him. His innocence exchanged for our guilt.

But it isn’t until we can come to terms with the fact that we are broken, that we can begin to be pieced back together. After all, a doctor doesn’t come to heal the healthy, but the sick. You won’t come to Jesus until you realize you need Jesus.

You’ll still need Jesus, even if you don’t realize it.

It can be a hard thing to consider yourself broken. It sounds depressing. It seems wrong when you measure your life against others. The standard to measure yourself against is absolute perfection, however. It’s not doing more good than bad. Nor is it making more moral decisions than your neighbor. The standard to detect if you’re broken or not is whether you keep God’s holy law.

Keep that perfectly and you’re not broken. You’re perfect. You and Jesus alone are the only ones who lived in a way that pleased God from start to finish without a single sin.

But God is clear that the only one to live a perfect life was His son, Jesus. All else have sinned. All have failed miserably when tested against His perfect requirements in the law.

The law was created as a thermometer of sorts to show the sickness in every man, and direct them towards Jesus as the only way to be healed.

Jesus has the power to piece us back together because he paid for the sins that separated us from God in the first place. He died for them, satisfying God’s wrath and then rose from the dead, displaying that the payment was acceptable to God.

He gives us hope of a future glory where we will once again be with our maker in perfect relationship. There won’t be any sin, pain, or death. This hope proves to be the anchor for our souls in this present life, while we still are surrounded by brokenness.

So, as you look across the surf of life and see shattered fragment after fragment, let it not be a mere encouragement to civility and deceive yourself. Don’t address the symptom and overlook the disease. Run to Jesus Christ, for He alone is able to rescue us from the wrath we deserve. He alone is able to repair your brokenness.

 

Scripture References:

Genesis 3 – The fall of man and his first rebellion.

Mark 2:17 – It isn’t the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.

Romans 3:23 – ALL have sinned.

Romans 3:20 – Through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Colossians 1:20/Ephesians 1:7 – The shed blood of Jesus atones for our sins.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 – God’s wrath on those who don’t know Jesus.

Hebrews 6:19 – Jesus is the anchor for our soul.

Revelation 21:4 – No more death, suffering, pain for those who believe in Jesus.