My Daily Pause

The Sermon of John the Baptist – 1566 – Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1526/1530–1569)

I know I am heaven bound because I _____.

We are not stretching the truth too much if we say that most Christians can confidently finish that sentence. It is human nature to hear what one wants to hear and call it a day. By that I mean that many have heard just enough to believe they are saved and then quit pursuing salvation.

Sometimes they even scoff at the need to study farther.

John the Baptist gave us a great example in Luke 3:8. The Jews generally did not feel the need to repent because they were children of Abraham. This is a key reason for John’s mission to prepare the way for Christ. He needed to begin breaking through that human nature and get people thinking rightly about their salvation. They scoffed at the idea that there was more.

This is still a problem right now.

Many hear bits and pieces of the truth and quit listening. We are a people that want everything fast and easy. Our easy access to information encourages this by allowing us to find answers on demand rather than encouraging study.

Ignoring some of what God teaches us in his word makes us as much a scofflaw as parking in a handicap spot using someone else’s tags. We might be showing the sign, but we haven’t met the qualifications.

John, Jesus, the Apostles, Paul – they all taught us to obey everything God commanded.

• It is to only way show God we love him
• It is the only way to demonstrate our faith
• It is the only way to help others find Christ

I know I am heaven bound because I _____.

Whenever we have the opportunity to finish that sentence, it is good to be confident of the answer. It is better to know that confidence is based on the full word of God.

The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple – 1860 – William Holman Hunt (1827–1910)

Study.

He did it through study.

After being discovered in the temple studying and talking with the teachers, (Luke 2:46-49) he went home submissive to his earthly parents and…

… Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. – Luke 2:52

The implication is that Jesus, in becoming a man, had to go through all of the growth and phases of becoming an adult. He studied with the teachers and earned their respect as he learned. He grew into manhood just as any child would, by following his father’s lead.

Jesus, the ultimate example and master teacher, even showed us the way to grow in stature in God’s eyes. His expectation for us is to be perfect (Matthew 5:48) and he showed us the path to get there.

Just because people are not perfect and will never be sinless does not excuse us from trying. Depending on your Bible version, 2 Timothy 2:15 says to study (KJV), or to be diligent (NKJV), or do your best (ESV), to be approved by God.

As we work our way down the path toward perfection, we can be encouraged in knowing that Jesus went down the same path, and did the same work!

Baby in the womb at 17 weeks sucking his thumb and waving

It’s a baby.

Through his inspired writers, the Holy Spirit gave us the exact words to indicate how God feels about things. In Luke 1:41 and Luke 1:44, he calls a child in the womb “the baby.”

Throughout Luke 1, Elizabeth’s unborn child was able to be selected by God, be filled with the Spirit, and was aware when the unborn Jesus came into the room.

Who in history do we know that might have been more inconvenienced by an unplanned pregnancy than Mary – especially in her place and time? What if she decided to exercise her “rights” over her body?

In addition to this one event, there are a few more scriptures that reinforce that the only difference between an unborn life and a born life being that one is in the womb and one is not.

Take a look at these with me (as always, you can hover over the references to read the passage):

• Galatians 1:15 – Paul was set apart even before his birth
• Jeremiah 1:4-5 – Jeremiah was known by God even before he was “in the womb.”
• Isaiah 49:1 – Isaiah was called “from the womb.”
• Psalm 139:11-16 – we are wonderfully made!
• Proverbs 6:17 – A few things God hates

It is challenging to go against the noisy crowd in these moral issues, but Christians have to keep trying. God’s word is not subject to change based on popularity.

Zacharias Writes Down the Name of his Son – 1486-90 – Ghirlandaio

Oooops.

In Luke 1, Zachariah heard some extraordinary news and it was definitely hard to believe. He was a priest carrying out his duties at the altar when the angel appeared and identified himself. (Luke 1:18) This should have been good enough for a man of God, but he let doubt rule the day.

Since he questioned the angel’s message, Zechariah was muted until he gave his new son the name John. (Read all about the birth of John the Baptist.)

Zechariah wasn’t the first one to ever doubt God. If we are honest with ourselves, we know he wasn’t the last. It is something that every Christian struggles with.

God doesn’t want us to be worried. He hates when we have doubt.

And He has told us that a lot.

Today, take your Bible out and look at all the ways that God let us know he wants us to put ourselves in his care and trust him:

• James 4:7 – Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you
• Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding…
• Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope
• Psalms 118:9 – It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes
• Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away
• John 14:1 – Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.
• And the big one: Matthew 6:25-34 – Do not be anxious for tomorrow, God will take care of you…

Feelings of doubt, weakened trust, and worry are all dealt with through prayer and spending time in God’s word. (Romans 10:17) Some times are harder than others, but this is always the proper course of action.

Make it a priority to do this more!

Supper at Emmaus – 17th century – Matthias Stom (fl. 1615–1649)

They sure could frustrate Jesus!

After everything that happened on the last three days of Jesus’ life, the eleven remaining disciples chose not to believe the reports that Jesus was alive. Peter and John had even seen the empty tomb.

Jesus was frustrated enough with them that he rebuked the eleven the first time he was with them. (Mark 16:14) Hardness of heart seemed to be an ongoing problem for the twelve throughout their training. (cf. Mark 6:52)

Did they not really believe Jesus could be risen or was it something else?

Since he appeared first to Mary Magdalene and a couple of unnamed guys, I’ll go out on a limb and say it was something else. Why would Mary and these two unnamed disciples, that weren’t of the eleven, be who Jesus chose to see first?

There are an awful lot of Christians that act like that.

Somehow they are a little more deserving, they are a little more righteous or a little higher rank than another. God just doesn’t work like that though. (Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11) The gospel is for everyone and the Apostles were told to make sure all creation heard it (Mark 16:15)

As for us, we are to follow that example and make sure that we do all we can to spread the word exactly like they did. (2 Timothy 2:2) Sometimes it is a little difficult to reach out to another who is not like us. Whatever the reason for that is, it is a dangerous position to be in!

Take some time to consider Jesus’ rebuke when faced with a decision to help someone. A hardened heart does not get us to heaven.