Tag: jesus

Isaiah 11:1-9

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            No more appropriate Scripture could be highlighted during the season of Advent:  “And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.”  As Christians, we believe this is a prophecy of Jesus in whom all of these virtues exist in wonderful perfection and practice.
 
            Jesus has so clearly identified with us that we are in a vital union with him.  He still exists here on earth in the person of the Holy Spirit.  Jesus was sent by the Father.  With the Father and the Son, the Spirit was sent to press the redemptive events of Jesus into the believer’s heart.  This is basic robust Trinitarian theology.  But these are not abstract ideas.  Prayer, discernment, and listening are the pathways forward to discovering the wisdom, counsel, and knowledge we need in order to live and serve well as Christians.
 
            In many quarters of Christianity the church exists as a mere stump of its former existence.  In many Christians’ daily experience the Spirit has been supplanted by individual ingenuity, hard work, and getting ahead through accumulation of more and more.  Basic Christian spirituality is a mere shadow of its former influence.  If we again desire the Spirit of the Lord to rest upon us, we will seek Christ as of foremost importance.  Let this Advent season be a time of renewal as we take the prophecy of Isaiah to heart.
 

 

            Righteous God, you have not forgotten your people.  Thank you for fulfilling all your good promises to us in Christ.  I seek you for everything so that I might do your work and implement your will instead of trusting in my own abilities.  May Jesus be glorified and praised through the work of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Luke 7:18-30

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            For a short time in my life I had a side business doing some painting.  I once painted an interior apartment in a large beautiful Victorian house.  When I was done, it looked great.  However, there was a bit of a problem.  The owner came to check on my progress only to find that I had painted with the wrong color!  I was certain I had it right, but, alas, the job ended up taking twice as long as anticipated.
 
            Sometimes we can be so sure about our plans, only to discover our expectations were off.  John the Baptist was sitting in jail, not for any crime other than offending the king.  As he sat there, John began to doubt.  He started wondering about Jesus.  Maybe he had been wrong about him.  Perhaps he was not the Messiah after all.  John had been doing ministry with the expectation that Jesus would beat up the Romans, usher in a renewed political Israel, and put down all threats to his Lordship.  But that was not happening.  John was now uncertain.  So, he sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
 
            John reasoned that if Jesus were really a sovereign king, he would not be imprisoned facing imminent death.  Jesus responded to John’s uncertainty by quoting the prophet Isaiah and letting him know that the kingdom takeover was going exactly as planned.  The problem was that John had been using the wrong paint.  John’s plans did not fully sync with Jesus.
 
            It is easy to doubt when adversity strikes.  When things don’t go according to our expected plans, then what?  This is why it is so vitally important to continually seek the Scriptures and seek the Lord Jesus so that we might not only paint the right building, but use the paint Jesus expects us to use.  The thing that John got right was pursuing Jesus.  When in doubt, he sought the Lord – and that is something we all can emulate.
 

 

            Lord God, you are sovereign over your world, even though at times it does not seem like it.  I look to you, Holy Spirit, to keep me on track with Christ’s kingdom purposes so that your will is accomplished in and through me.  Amen.

Philippians 1:12-18

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            It was President Ronald Reagan who said, “There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.”  The ability to have a disinterest in attention and freedom from selfishness comes from a place of humility and strength – the strength to know oneself well and be secure in that knowledge, as well as the humility to care more about the cause than self.
 
            The Apostle Paul had so learned humility from his Lord, and was so thoroughly convinced of the gospel’s centrality that he did not care who got the credit when it came to proclaiming Jesus.  “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will….  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.  What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”
 
            The burning, driving, constant, and passionate pursuit of Paul was the advance of the gospel.  He wanted the entire world to know Jesus Christ crucified, risen from death, ascended and coming again.  And Paul would do anything and drain himself of every drop of self-centeredness in order to champion that great cause of seeing people repent and believe the gospel.
 
            Is your heart enamored with Jesus?  Is it hot with the desire to see the gospel of grace transform the world?  Do you lay awake at night wondering how to introduce Jesus to others?  Is the great cause of your life to find ways of meeting the world’s deep need with the deep love of Christ?  Attention and recognition are overrated.  Instead, give up your life and you will find it.
 

 

            Gracious God, thank you for the example of your servant Paul.  I rejoice in what you did in and through his life.  I am available for your purposes.  Use me in the advance of your gospel of grace so that I might more fully participate in your grand forgiveness mission.  Amen.

Luke 11:29-32

On By Tim EhrhardtIn Daily Bible Reading Blog, Year CLeave a comment
            Just when we think we might have a handle on Jesus as the meek and gentle Savior we get a picture of Jesus behaving badly.  When the crowds begin increasing we might expect Jesus to be pleased.  After all, we can have more being reached; wider influence; greater impact; good for business.  But Jesus isn’t down for all the people following him around.  He opens his mouth and says to them, “This generation is an evil generation.”  Jesus went on to chide the people who were looking for a cool miracle and a neat sign of his power and authority.  Nope.  Instead, Jesus lets them know that they have ample opportunity to accept him but are not moving in that direction.
 
            Sometimes we so desperately want to make Jesus cool and acceptable so that others will follow him.  If only Jesus will heal this person, we reason, lots of people will believe.  If only Jesus will compassionately and powerfully perform a great miracle, we think, the world will take notice and put their trust in God.  But Jesus simply points people back to characters of the Old Testament.  If people won’t take notice of what they already have, they are not going to be swayed with a shiny new sign.
 
            Jesus defies stereotypes.  And he ought to, because he is King.  This is why we need a steady daily stream of God’s Word to help ground us into the ways of Jesus.  The more we allow the Scriptures to shape our spirituality, the more our lives will be formed into the likeness of Jesus.  It is a process.  It is often slow.  There are not a lot of bells and whistles to it.  On most days, there is not a lot of drama – just the pedantic plodding of a faithful believer trying to make sense of living the Christian life.  And those are the people I think Jesus most likes to hang-out with.
 

 

            Astounding God, you sometimes shake us out our pre-conceived notions about you and invite us to see Jesus from a different viewpoint.  Help me to see Jesus so that I might more fully embrace him and walk in his ways in the strength of the Spirit.  Amen.