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Luke 2

The Shephard’s Perspective

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
December 2, 2021

Every Christmas pageant in the world has shepherds in it. What would a Christmas play be without shepherds? It would be incomplete, that’s what it would be! The Gospel of Luke makes a big deal out of the shepherds coming from the hills of Bethlehem to visit Jesus in the manger. The text of Luke 2 regarding the shepherds begins “And in the same region…” That means Bethlehem! They are not just any ordinary Shepherds. Bethlehem was a major suburb of Jerusalem. It’s the place where David, as a little boy, was a shepherd. He was a song writer and poet from his earliest days and he did that in these very same hills. But more importantly, the hills of Bethlehem were occupied by shepherds who were assigned to take care of and watch over the sheep that were being raised for one purpose, and one purpose only. They were the sheep that were to serve as the sacrifices that were offered in the temple. There are several things worth noting about the Luke passage in this regard.

First, when the angels appeared to them the text says, “the glory of the Lord, shone around about them.” That’s a clear reference to the Holy of Holies where the “Glory of the Lord” was believed to reside. These shepherds were raising their sheep to be offered at the temple as sacrifices to the glory of the Lord. But they themselves were never allowed to enter into God’s presence. That’s why they were “filled with great fear.” The angel tells them not to fear because he has some wonderful news for them of great joy that will be for all the people. They were about to be introduced to the one great sacrificial lamb who would rend the veil separating God from the people. That’s why the angel added the idea that this great joy will be for “all the people.” It’s not just for the religious elite who enter into the presence of God. It was for them too. It’s for me too! It’s for you too!

One more thing. The angel told them that “this would be a sign to you; you will find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” How could that be a sign for shepherds? One of the toughest jobs of the shepherds was to protect the new born sheep. The mortality rate of sheep (and humans) in those days was pretty high. But even more important was the fact that when sheep are first born, they struggle and wiggle and strive to stand up and bump into things and very often break legs or cut themselves or hurt themselves in such a way that they are no longer “perfect” and cannot be offered as a sacrifice at the temple. Shepherds worked hard at watching the expectant ewes so they could be there for the delivery. They would receive the baby sheep right from the womb and to insure it would remain acceptable as an offering, they would wrap it up tightly and bind it so it couldn’t hurt itself. You guessed it; they would use “swaddling” clothes. Further, after wrapping the new born sheep, it would be laid in the feeding trough, so that the other sheep would not bother it until it had time to survive the birth experience without damage. The swaddling clothes and lying in a manger would assure the shepherds that this infant was the “perfect” sacrifice that would be offered for the sins of the world. Yes, John the Baptist knew what he was saying when he pointed to Jesus and said, “Behold the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.”

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Romans 1:1, Collosians 2:7

I thank God for you!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 16, 2021

There are so many things to be thankful for in my life. As I sat down and looked through my digital pictures of old thanksgivings (Now that I am fully retired I have time for this kind of stuff) I was surprised to find how many pictures we had with great meals.  My brother and sister and I would always pose before a huge turkey and Dad would snap a couple pictures while he chewed us out if we didn’t smile correctly.  As I mentioned before, we didn’t practice saying Grace at many meals, but at Thanksgiving we always did and Dad would lead it. I don’t remember what he said, I wish I could, but I know he prayed the standard prayer we had all learned, “Bless us, Oh Lord, and these thy gifts which we are about to receive from thy bounty, through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.” As my kids were growing up we’d say more personal prayers and even share what we were thankful for.

It’s always good to be specific when thanking God. Paul was. In his letter to the Romans which was to be the longest of his letters, after his opening, and before he got into the content of his main reason for writing he said, “First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you…” That’s a great thing to thank God for. He was grateful for the believers in the world’s capital city of Rome. He knew how hard it was to be a believer in the 1st century world and he rejoiced in the fact that God had blessed him with other believers to share his life with in every part of the world. Paul did not plant the church in Rome, but he was thankful for every believer there. In the first century it was not real popular to be a believer in Jesus.

I’m thankful for all of you who share my faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not easy in our society to be a serious believer and we need each other to nourish our faith, to encourage us in the face of opposition, ridicule and often shame. We comfort each other. We give credence that we’re not crazy, or if we are, there are many crazy people like us. I always enjoy the thought that I’m not in this alone. You are with me! There are believers all over the world and everywhere I go we find those who love the Lord and subscribe to the wonderful values and teachings of the scriptures. That helps sustain me in my faith as well as comfort me in my hardships.  I’m thankful for the provision God makes for me in life, and I’m also thankful for you! Paul reminded the Colossians regarding the importance of being thankful, “Keep your roots deep in him, build your lives on him, and become stronger in your faith, as you were taught. And be filled with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7

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Jeremiah 5:1-2, 29:11

Just “One” good person!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
November 4, 2021

I’ve always liked the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes. He lived in a barrel outside the capital city of Corinth around 400 BC. When Alexander the Great offered him any reward he wanted, Diogenes simply asked him to move over a little because he was blocking the sun. Diogenes is best known for being the ancient figure of the man carrying a lantern in search of just one “honest” man! Of course he was a skeptic and wanted to simply make the point that there wasn’t one. Nearly 200 years earlier, a prophet in Israel was challenged to seek one honest man as well.  Did Diogenes read Jeremiah? If there were only one righteous man! One perfect one, God would spare the entire nation for that man’s sake. Jeremiah 5:1, describes God’s challenge to Jeremiah to find that one man. The Lord knows that he will fail in his quest. He knows the hearts of all men and even the religious leaders of Israel could not be trusted.  Even those who talk a religious game and use religious sayings and talk loud about themselves are ultimate failures in God’s eyes. Isaiah is right in that all of man’s righteousness is as filthy rags! The understanding of this profound truth helps us understand Jesus.

Ryken explains this very well. He writes, “If only the good man Jeremiah was looking for could be found! If only one man could be found who is honest in all his dealings, and who seeks the truth. If only one man could be found to be righteous for the people’s sake. If only that one man could be found, a man of such perfect integrity that he could turn away the wrath of God.” Yet we all know that Jeremiah found no one. But Ryken continues, “There is that man—Jesus Christ. What about him? Can he meet Jeremiah’s conditions? Jeremiah was told to look for a man ‘who deals honestly.’ Jesus Christ was straightforward in all his dealings. He gave an honest presentation of his deity, performing miracles to prove his divine power over creation. Jesus Christ dealt honestly with his disciples, not hiding from them the necessity of his own sufferings and death. Jesus Christ also dealt honestly with sinners, like the woman at the well (John 4), exposing their secrets and inviting them to trust in him. And Jesus Christ dealt honestly with his enemies, like the Pharisees, confronting the enmity in their hearts. There was nothing false or deceptive in anything Jesus said or did.”

Jesus Christ not only sought the truth—he is the Truth! At the beginning of his Gospel, John says Jesus Christ came into the world “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). That is truth with a capital T, the Truth of God Himself. Thus when the disciples wanted to know the way to eternal life, Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6). The challenge God gave to Jeremiah was answered in Jesus Christ. He is the one man, the plain-dealer, the truth-seeker, the righteous man for whose sake God can forgive His people. We all need a deliverer, we all fail. God promised one to Israel and the same one is promised to us. God said in Jeremiah 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.” The plans referred to here is the promise of the one true and only honest man who will deliver his people from their sins. It was the promise of Salvation by God’s grace through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone!

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Genesis 22:14, 2 Chronicles 3:1

You have to show photo ID

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
October 7, 2021

When we checked in at the airport for our flight to Israel several years ago, we had to show our passports. They wanted a solid photo ID to prove we were who we said we were. The airlines won’t take us at our word. They want to see some proof.  When we landed in Israel, they wanted to see them again. It was the photo ID that would validate who we were. The religious leaders in Jesus’ day understood His claims and they asked for proof.  They clearly understood Jesus’ claim to be God and they wanted a photo ID of sort. They asked him for signs and wonders. They wanted something they could see. But even when they got them, they didn’t believe Him. But Jesus’ best answer to them to prove who He was came in John 5:46. He told them that His portrait, photo ID, was on every page of the Old Testament and especially in the books of Moses. He said, “if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me.” He was pointing out to the religious scholars that the book they swore by was all about Him. It was his “photo ID.”

If you study Genesis with this in mind you will find Jesus on every page! The Old Testament truly is Jesus “photo ID.” You find Jesus in creation, in the fall, in the flood, even at Babel, and in Abraham’s call. But one of the clearest photos of Jesus is seen in the life of Isaac, the promised seed of Abraham. Isaac is a prototype of Jesus in too many ways to cover in this short devotional thought. Nearly everything about Isaac is really pointing to Jesus Christ. Isaac was the promised seed of the woman as was Jesus. A miracle birth to a 90 year old woman sets the stage for the miracle birth of a virgin according to Old Testament prophecies.

But the most beautiful observation about the two is that both Isaac and Jesus had fathers who were willing to sacrifice their sons “on a hill far away.” The hill was named in Genesis 22:14. It’s Mount Moriah. That verse says that Abraham named that mountain a more meaningful name. It says, “So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The LORD will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’” According to 2 Chronicles 3:1, Mount Moriah is in Jerusalem. The range of mountains where Abraham built his altar would later become the very spot where Christ would die for the sins of the world. That’s why Genesis 22 keeps emphasizing the particular site of the mountain chosen by God (vv. 2, 3, 9, 14). “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” Two millennia later and two millennia ago, God became a man, went to the cross, and there, shedding His blood, bridged the gulf between His own holiness on the one hand, and you and I on the other. On the mountain of the Lord, it was provided.  What was provided? The only photo ID that will admit us into the Kingdom of God – Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Philippians 1:20 , Romans 8:19, Jeremiah 29:11

I have a hope!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 15, 2021

Philippians 1:20 begins with a very important phrase. It says, “…it is my eager expectation and hope…” It’s the expression of a man in prison who had experienced more trials than the average person. One commentator observed, “Paul, the veteran of hundreds of lashes and a thousand indignities, did not know what pains and humiliations awaited him. Yet, there was no fear in Paul. Rather, there was bounding, eager confidence that whatever happened” things would work out for the best. Some years ago,  I said, “I hope the Packers win the super bowl.” I was disappointed. When I plan on going fishing I say, “I hope it doesn’t rain.” I’m often disappointed. Many of the things I hope for brim with uncertainty. That’s not the case with Paul’s hope.

Biblical hope, however, is something entirely different. Paul combines two ideas into his positive expression about his future. He uses “eager expectation,” and then he adds “hope.” Another commentator put it this way, “Here Biblical hope is coupled with ‘eager expectation,’ an expression that appears only here and in Romans 8:19 where it describes physical creation’s ‘eager longing’ for ultimate redemption that will come with ‘the revealing of the sons of God.’ Thus, Paul’s statement ‘it is my eager expectation and hope’ referred to his intense expectation of what is sure to happen—his breathless confidence and certitude.” Paul’s hope brims with certainty.

When we fall into a hopeless mindset, we’ve fallen prey to Satan’s schemes. In Dante’s Inferno, there is a sign above the gates leading to hell. It reads, “Abandon all hope, Ye who enter here.” But Paul teaches us to face the future with a positive expectation because this is God’s intention for us. Satan wants us hopeless, God wants us filled with hope. One of my favorite verses is Jeremiah 29:11. It’s probably one of yours also; “I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord; plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” God spoke these encouraging words to Israel amidst the most difficult time of the nation’s history. They were slaves in Babylon or about to be taken into slavery. My hope has two dimensions. The first is through time. I’m convinced, along with Paul, that whatever God allows to come into my life, it will eventually work out for my good. The second dimension is through eternity. As Edna Blubough wrote, “I have a hope beyond the grave; I am secure in God’s great love. I leave this world with all its cares for a mansion up above.” While the phrase, “I have a hope” is not nearly as exciting as “I have a dream,” it is much more certain of attainment. My hope, like Paul’s hope, is built on nothing less that Jesus’ blood and Jesus’ righteousness. Is there anything more certain?

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Romans 5:8

Vampires, Werewolves and Christians

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
August 15, 2021

In his “Introduction to World Religions,” Partridge identifies the source of man’s fascination with vampires, werewolves, the walking dead, etc., with the pagan superstitions of Eastern Europe. He writes, “The folk beliefs in Russia, Poland and Yugoslavia have probably preserved traits of ancient Slavic religion. Best known are the vampires, dead people who suck the blood of the living, and the werewolves, human beings transformed into wolves.” Thousands of years later, we’re still publishing huge volumes of fiction with the very same themes. We are pushing millions of dollars at the production of movies that gross incredible returns all visualizing the themes of pagan demons of the dead. What’s up with that?

There are forces of darkness out there but the clergy has all the answers. A silver bullet will slay a werewolf. A cross or holy water will drive away a vampire. If you’re not afraid of bad breath, you might try garlic! But to kill a vampire you must drive a wooden stake through his heart. If you gouge out the brain of a zombie you can kill it! There is always some secret ritual or action you can take to save yourself from the curse of evil. There’s always something you must do! But isn’t this the epitome of all religion? You can do what needs to be done to save yourself. You just need to know the secret. Each religion preaches its own secrets of a happy, satisfying life, with the practices that will get you what you want. This is in direct opposition to the Christian message.

But many Christians fall prey to this teaching. One person sent me a devotional they found in a daily devotional by a Christian. The writer said, “Jesus stands ready to help us, but His help is contingent on our absolute, total obedience to His Word, whether or not we agree with it or understand it.” Oh my goodness, we’re all lost forever! I have to obey even that which I don’t understand? My obedience must be total and absolute before God will bless me? Is there someone who’s truly willing to argue that their obedience is “total” and “absolute”? The closing comment of the article adds, “What miracle are you waiting to receive? Could it be that God also is waiting – waiting for you to simply trust and obey?” Jesus is not like the forces of darkness that can be manipulated by some specific or general act of obedience to give us something we want. If a loved one is dying and God doesn’t seem to be answering your prayers for healing it must be because you haven’t been totally obedient! What a dreadful commentary on a God who “demonstrated His own love for us in this; while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” We don’t die for Christ. He died for us, the just for the unjust, the righteous for the unrighteous.

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Job 37

God Knows!

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
July 2, 2021

Rudyard Kipling is one of my favorite poets. He’s well known for this little ditty:

I KEEP six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who.

In Bible Study Methods at Dallas Theological Seminary (40 Years ago), Howard Hendricks taught us to apply these six serving men of Kipling to every Bible text we read. It’s how we search for understanding. It’s the basis for all learning and good teachers always challenge their students to study with these six questions in mind. Elihu is a great teacher. He employs all six of the “serving men” in the questions he asks Job. But he does so, not to help Job learn, but rather to help him realize the limits of his understanding. He asks,

Do you know when God dispatches His wondrous works? (37:15).
Do you know what causes the light in His clouds to shine? (v. 15).
Do you know how the clouds are balanced? (v. 16).
Do you know why your garments are hot? (v. 17).
Do you know when He quiets the earth with a south wind? (v. 17).
Do you know who spreads out the skies? (v. 18).

We might be able to advance some scientific answers for these questions today, but the truth remains that man’s knowledge is extremely limited about the world he lives in, but God’s understanding is not limited. Elihu’s point about God’s omniscience in light of our ignorance is made in order to comfort Job through his sufferings. We should find refuge when suffering strikes in the reality of God’s omniscience. Another favorite poet is Annie Flint. She wrote this one:

I know not, but God knows; Oh, blessed rest from fear!
All my unfolding days To Him are plain and clear.
Each anxious puzzled “Why?” From doubt or dread that grows,
Finds answer in this thought: I know not, but He knows.

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Ecclesiastes 1:4-7, John 3:16, Romans 5:8

God so Loves the World…

Filed Under: Devotions by Chuck
May 26, 2021

The earth is the most insensitive thing of all. It doesn’t care a thing for those who live upon it. It carries on as if nothing has happened in the middle of life’s greatest pains and losses. This is what Solomon means in Ecclesiastes 1:4-7. He writes, “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises. The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns. All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.” The wind don’t care about you at all! Neither do the sun or the seas! They continue on their appointed courses with no thought of you and me at all.

When Skeeter Davis lost her first love, she lamented the insensitive nature of the world around her. Nothing in the great creation cared about her loss at all. She sings, “Why does the sun go on shining? Why does the sea rush to shore? Why do the birds go on singing? Why do the stars glow above? I wake up in the morning and I wonder Why everything’s the same as it was. I can’t understand, no, I can’t understand how life goes on the way it does.” She wants to know why nothing cares about her pain and suffering!

But the creator of the whole universe: the stars, the winds, the seas and everything else in the world does care about you and me. John 3:16 is the most famous verse in the Bible for a reason. It stands in stark contrast to the impersonal world in which we live. “God so loved the world (the world of people!) that he sent His only son so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Yes, a generation is born only to die in this world under the sun, but God’s great love for us delivers us from the futility and insensitivity of this earth. Romans 5:8 says, “God demonstrated His love for us in this, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.” Christ was crucified at the hands of an insensitive world, so that we could have life, eternal life. The universe couldn’t care less about you! But God loves you with an everlasting love.

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