Category Archives: Refresh & Restore

Acts 17:10-12 —

¹⁰ The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. ¹¹ Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. ¹² Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.

Romans 10:14-17 —

¹⁴  How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ¹⁶But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” ¹⁷So faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of Christ.

Greetings, readers! It’s Thursday again – a day that is fast becoming one of my favorite days of the week because it means that I get to interact with you all in the Word of God via these devotions.

Today, we are going to look at some things the Word says about the Word. And, in doing so, I hope you find something that draws you closer to the Word of God and by it our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As I have shared with you in the past, these devotions were a response to part of Peter and John’s sermon in Acts 3, specifically verses 19-21:

“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed to you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets long ago.”

We have looked at length about what it means to hope that “times of refreshing come from the presence of the Lord”, and the primary way that we have seen the presence of the Lord play out in our lives is by reading the Word of God.

The passage above from Acts 17 introduces us to a group of people who have something important to teach us about the Word of God. Paul and Silas had just spent a period of time in Thessalonica where they “reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying , ‘This Jesus, whom I proclaim to you, is the Christ’” (Acts 17:2-3). They received a mixed response from the people there (which was nothing new – and still is not) where some were saved and others were angered. A group of locals got angry, literally drug some of the local believers out of their homes to the authorities, and accused Paul and Silas of “turn[ing] the world upside down” (v. 6). Then, the believers in Thessalonica sent Paul and Silas to a town called Berea in the cover of night.

So, what do you think Paul and Silas did? (Hopefully, you read the Scripture passages before my writing.) That is right; they did the same (“as was his custom” – v. 2) as they always did: they went to the synagogue, opened up the Scriptures (Old Testament) and told those there how the Scriptures point to Jesus. They did this time and time again. Only Berea offered them a different response.

Look back at verse 11: “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the Word with eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Rather than jumping up to respond without thinking or deciding they were heretics and planning to run them out of town, the Bereans at the synagogue rolled open the scrolls of Scripture in the synagogue and tested what was being preached to them by the Word of God. What an amazing idea!

I hope that you do the same thing when you sit under someone’s teaching or read their devotions or other writings. That’s right: I want you to always check what I say or write by the Word of God.  In fact, that’s the purpose of these weekly devotions; I want to help you seek out the presence of God in His Word.

We live in a world where it is easier than ever to seek out facts. For all of the foolishness that this world offers via the Internet and other sources, there are means by which to check up on things on a scale never dreamed of through most of history. Yet people are willing to believe whatever is presented them, allowing fear, anger, hatred, or whatever else to drive them rather than simply returning to the source.

Many places in the ancient near East where Paul and Silas were preaching did not have access to scrolls of the entire Scriptures at that time. The Bereans were blessed, and they knew it! They took full advantage of the gift they had been given in the Word of God. Yet each and every one of us have access to many physical Bibles and free access to many digital versions of it. And we take people at their word and neglect the Word.

The Bereans were eager to hear what Paul and Silas had to say. They found themselves moved by their preaching. Yet they did not rely on their hearts. Maybe they read Jeremiah 17:9: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” They checked everything that Paul and Silas said by the Word, and, when they found what they said to match up with the Word of God, many of them were saved.

This is extremely important because it reminds us how God intends salvation to work. Salvation cannot happen apart from the Word of God. Romans 10 offers us such a clear picture of what it takes to respond to the gospel and be saved. It also makes sure we know how to be saved. Romans 10:17 makes it clear that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

The Bible tells us the story of Jesus. It tells us that we are sinners (Romans 3:10, 23). It tells us that there is no way for us to remove our own sin aside from responding to the gift of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:23). It tells us that God fully knew our sin and what it would cost for Him to take away that sin – and He paid the price for us (Romans 5:8). And the Bible makes it clear how to be saved: “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

There is no salvation apart from that because there is no salvation apart from Jesus. I am not saying that testimonies or songs are not important or good things. I am simply saying that there is no substitute for the Word of God when it comes to people getting saved.

So, what will you do with this information? You could treat me like those whose worlds were turned upside down by the gospel in Thessalonica. They were so outraged that they followed Paul and Silas to Berea and kept…well, you will have to continue in Acts 17 on your own to see what happens there.

Maybe you spent adequate time with God in His Word. Maybe you open your Bible and check it every time you sit under preaching. Maybe you have it open right now, checking my words here. I genuinely hope this is the case. But, were I a betting man, I would wager that is not the case.

If you are not spending time with God in His Word daily, I urge you to repent. Seek Him there and He will be found. Charles Haddon Spurgeon said it thusly, “There is dust enough on some of [our] Bibles to write ‘damnation’ with your fingers [on its cover].” That was true when he preached in the 1800s, and it is true now. But he also said, “My dear friend, when grief presses you to the dust, worship there!”

So, wipe off the cover or reinstall the app – whatever you need to do – and get back in the Word of God. If you do not have one or would like to know how to get into the Word of God, I would love to talk to you. If you have questions, I cannot promise you that I will be able to answer them, but I can look in the Word of God with you to help you find the answers you seek. I genuinely hope that you will do this.

I want to close with some verses from Psalm 119 about the Bible. May they give you a hunger and thirst for the Word and you find Him there:

• v. 9 – How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your Word.
• v. 11 – I have stored up your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you.
• v. 41 – Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise….
• vv. 49-50 – Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in affliction, that your promise gives me life.
• v.77 – Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight.
• v. 81 – My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.
• v. 105 – Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Colossians 1:15-23 —

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

            Greetings, readers! Writing these devotions, specifically getting to dive into Colossians 1:15-23, has been a joy for me, and I hope it has been of some encouragement for you.

            The first two weeks in this passage, we looked at the greatness and preeminence of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. We looked at how all of creation is by Him, through Him, and for Him. We looked at how fully embodied all that God is and yet is personal and sets His affections on us.

            I want us to pick up the idea of reconciliation again today. Last week, we ended with a plea for people to trust in Christ and be reconciled to Him and how reconciliation most simply means change – a change of status.  He sealed that reconciliation by “the blood of His cross” (v. 20). This week, I want us to look at our own pasts – for some of us, it will be our present, and I want us to get a clearer picture of what reconciliation means for us.

            In verse 21, Paul writes that we were “once alienated”. I thought about asking a rhetorical question here, like: have you ever felt alienated or isolated? But that is not a fair question in this day and age. Alienation and isolation have been the norm for the past two months, and it is in this fact that we begin to truly grasp reconciliation.

            The word translated “alienation” can be defined as being dislocated or excluded. It carries with it elements of one who would be considered a stranger or a foreigner.  Sin alienates us from God. Before one comes to know God and trust Him as Lord – before being born again – there is definite alienation (Ephesians 2:1-2, 12) because the dead cannot commune with the living.

            To get a better picture of this, I want to bring up some imagery from the Old Testament. Alienation was a byproduct of being unclean. Numbers 5:3, when speaking of people who were classified “unclean” for a number of reasons, says that they should be put “outside the camp, in the midst of which [the Lord dwells]”. There was a prescribed number of days in many situations to be spent outside the camp before they could return. The Old Testament “unclean” exile is a picture for us of the reality of our sin. Because of our sin, we are unclean, unrighteous, and hopelessly outside the camp of a relationship with God in Christ.

            This is where reconciliation comes in. If alienation is being dislocated or excluded, reconciliation becomes something better than a change of status. Reconciliation is being reunited or reestablished. It gives us the picture of a former way of life being left behind. To continue with the Old Testament imagery, Jesus was taken outside the “camp” to Golgotha and there was took our sin and made reconciliation for all those who put their trust in Him. Those whom He saves have a status change: dead to alive, lost to saved, unclean to clean, outside the camp to inside, and dislocated to reestablished.

            It reminds me of a change of status in my life. I can remember vividly the first time that I saw Candice. I had a theoretical knowledge that she existed as I had heard that our prospective pastor had a daughter around my age. I had heard that she was beautiful, but, for me, that remained to be seen. In my mind – pre-Candice – I was content with the status quo. Then, I met her.

            I am not writing you a tale of love at first sight, but let me tell you that meeting her and beginning to get to know her was more than enough for me to long for a change in status. I wanted to leave my former way of life behind. I did everything that I could over the next several years to pursue her. And, thankfully, some nearly nineteen years later, I get to pursue her still.

            My illustration falls short here, but I want you to keep that image in mind – the pursuit of a mate for the purpose of marriage. Look at how Paul speaks of reconciliation in verse 22: “he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.” If that sounds familiar to you, you may be thinking about the marriage passage in Ephesians 5. Look at verse 27 of that passage: “so that He might present the church to Himself in splendor, without any spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” He is speaking of Christ with His Bride, the Church!

            Christ loved His Bride so much that He gave His life for her. He “reconciled [her] in his body of flesh by His death” so that He could be with the Church for all eternity. That is better than a knot-headed Mississippi boy hoping to marry above himself; that’s God in love stooping to our level to pick us up, dust us off, and save us.

            God showed “His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He meets us where we are as lost sinners and offers – through the gospel in the Word of God – an opportunity for salvation. When people respond to the gospel with faith in Christ alone, the Bible says that they are born again. The change of status occurs.

            This next part is key to our understanding of this: “if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard…”. This gives me a lump in my throat and a knot in the pit of my stomach. I would like to say that I never have any doubts. I wish I had a track record that gives me peace of mind. Folks, if I look to myself in this, I am hopeless – and rightfully so! But this is not meant to be a discouragement. Rather, it is meant to be an encouragement. Track with me here.

            If we truly stand upon the “hope of the gospel that [we] have heard”, if we have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone – if we have been born again, we will continue in the faith because our salvation is not in our hands but in Christ’s. I know a lot of people want to leave salvation up to us, but let us look at a few verses to place our hope in His hands:

• John 10:28-30 – “…I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
• Romans 8:38-39 – For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
• 1 Peter 1:3-5 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

The “hope of the gospel” is real, genuine hope – desiring something good with the expectation of getting it – in something more than we can accomplish. Forget Allstate, you are in God’s hands.

            I would like to close with an extension of my earlier illustration. I first laid eyes on Candice in July 2001. As powerful a moment as that was, my status remained the same until June 17, 2006. Somewhere around two o’clock in the afternoon, I saw her more beautiful than I could imagine when the back doors of the church opened revealing her in her wedding dress. Shortly thereafter, I became her husband, a status I am glad to hold. I was no longer just a foolish boy pursuing a girl. Candice now has a foolish husband.

            I am not trying to be overly sappy. I want you to know that God looks at His Bride better and with more affection than I am capable of showing mine. God died AND lives for His Bride. And there will be a day when we can echo the words of the song:

“When we arrive on eternity’s shore | when death is just a memory and tears are no more | We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring | Your Bride will come together, and we’ll sing….”[1]

I plead with you: if you are not reconciled to Christ, you can be. If you are and you have forgotten how sweet it is, repent and find peace and joy in the love of your Savior.

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[1] Phil Whickham, “Messiah/You’re Beautiful”

Colossians 1:15-23 —

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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            We are continuing in our journey through Colossians 1:15-23 this week, and I could not be more excited! This Christ-exalting hymn is packed full of opportunities to know King Jesus more fully. And, as we looked at last week, He is a personal God who gives us opportunity to know Him and be known by Him.

            It is my prayer that, through looking at these verses, you have a desire to draw nearer to Christ. I do not know about you, but I will never have the opportunity to enter into the court of a king here on Earth. I have as much chance being invited to tea with the queen at Buckingham Palace as I do conversing in the Oval Office. But that does not matter, because there are things more important than this world, and the King of kings and Lord of presidents has bought me and made me His own.

            That is where our focus is going to shift today, from focusing on His personal nature to that of Him being Lord – specifically, preeminent. Let us begin unpacking verses 15-18 to get a clearer picture.

            Verse 15 begins with our discussion from last week with Christ being the “image (icon) of the invisible God”; we’re going to look at the end of the verse today: “the firstborn of all creation”. This focuses on the rank and status of a firstborn son. In the ancient Near East, the firstborn son was above any of his other siblings. He would inherit all the power from his father. Here, we see that Jesus has the rank and status of His Father over their Creation. Jesus, “whose coming forth is from old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2), is preeminent over all Creation.

            Verse 16 says: “For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him.” Jesus, being God, is Creator. He existed before Creation and will still exist when all these things pass away. He is “the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Revelation 22:13). John 1:3 tells us that “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.” He is Lord of Creation. Nothing that we know – including ourselves – would exist if it was not for Jesus. Yet He set His affections on us!

            Often, we look at Creation and have a very children’s-story-Bible view of it; we often see it as God doing some stuff in a garden thousands of years ago and letting things work out on their own. But it is more than a story; it is our existence!  Look at the part of verse 16 where it says, “whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities”. Jesus’ preeminence in Creation is not limited to Genesis 1-2; He is working in the here and now as well. Right now, Satan thinks he is winning the cosmic battle between him and King Jesus. So many things seem to be going his way. Look at the words of the hymn “A Mighty Fortress is Our God”: “The Prince of Darkness grim, We tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, For, lo, his doom is sure, One little word will fell him.” “One little word” is key to our understanding of Christ’s preeminence in creation. Let us look at verse 17 to understand.

            Verse 17 says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” The first part of that verse continues the repeating of Christ’s being preeminent. Focus in on the second part: “in Him all things hold together”. Think back to creation (Genesis 1:1-3). God was there “in the beginning” and the Spirit of God “hovered over the face of the deep”, but what about the Son? Genesis 1:3 begins with “And God said…”. The Word of God (John 1:1-14). Here is where we see Jesus in Creation and how we understand verse 17! His very presence – the presence of the Word of God – is how everything, even today, is held together. Hebrews 1:3 says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power.” So, I say it again, Jesus is preeminent in Creation. He is preeminent because He is the Creator.

            In the first part of verse 18, we see a shift in the language. Paul starts this passage looking at Christ as the supreme and sovereign Creator of everything. He then begins to look at the creation of the universe. His focus begins to zoom inward past all creation to the earth and, ultimately, to His Church – the Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:22-33). “And He is the head of the body, the church.”

            Too often, we confuse the Church with bricks and mortar, steeples and pews. But the Church is the redeemed of Christ, world-wide, throughout history, and even locally. Our focus needs to shift to understand our Christ more fully: “…the church [is] a living organism, inseparably tied together by the living Christ.”[1] To say that Christ is the “head of the body” is to say that He is Lord. Just as our physical bodies cannot continue without our heads, the Church is nothing without her head. He drives all functioning and sustains all life – He is the Life (John 14:6)!

            How does it accomplish all this? Because “He is the beginning, the firstborn of the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent” (v. 18b). His death secured His preeminence! Philippians 2:8-11 says,

“And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, so that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Without His death, we would never have Life.

Look at verse 20 for what this means for us: “…and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.” This is where it becomes less of a study of Bible verses and intersects with our lives.

            That word “reconcile” changes everything for us. You see, at the end of the day, words like Lord and preeminent are just words if they do not have an impact on our lives. The word “reconcile” here could be translate as “change”. But what changed? Obviously, Jesus – being God – does not change. What changes is our status with Him.

            Our sin makes us an enemy of the sovereign God of the Universe (Romans 5:6-11). Without reconciliation, we remain in that sin. So, “For our sake, [God] made [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He gave His only Son (John 3:16) to make a Way for us – to reconcile our sin and bring us into His family. How can we have this reconciliation? We bow the knee. We submit to Him as Lord. It is more than just words; it is done with one’s life.

            There is reconciliation to be had, my friend. If you have not submitted to Christ, His word is very clear on how this can be done. Romans 10:9 says, “…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Saved and reconciled are one and the same. All you have to do is call out to Him as in Romans 10:9, and the Bible says that you will be saved; in fact, “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). If you would like someone to talk to about this, I would love to talk with you.

            Maybe you are reading this and have been saved, but you feel like the trajectory of your life has shifted. Times like we find ourselves in have effects on our lives. Know this: Christ is Lord over this as well. None of the happenings have surprised Him, and He is still on His throne! Turn to Him and call out to Him. He is sure to be found on our knees and in His Word. May you find “times of refreshing [that] come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:20).

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[1] John MacArthur. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Colossians and Philemon. 51

Colossians 1:15-23 —

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything He might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

            Over the past few weeks, we’ve begun looking at what it means for “times of refreshing to come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:20). We’ve looked at the surpassing beauty and worth of God’s Word and the vital necessity of us being in it daily. And, last week, you accompanied me through my personal struggles into the Word and, hopefully, were able to see that the “refreshing” is a real thing and much to be sought after.

            Today, we get to dive in one of my favorite passages of Scripture. This passage is known as one of the greatest Christ-focused passages in the Bible. It was even sung as a hymn in the early church. It’s absolutely foundational for our understanding of who Jesus is. And we get to know Him better through it.

            I’ve included the entire passage, but there is no way – at least in my ability (and excitement) – to get through it in one devotional. Yet each week we look at this passage, I will put it in its entirety. Because no matter my ability, the verses are part of Him – the living, active Word of God. You’d do better with more of Him and less of me.

            Today, I urge you to stop now and re-read the passage again. We’ll dive into verses 15, 19, and 20 when you’ve finished.

            Verse 15 describes Jesus as “the image of the invisible God”. It always takes some effort for the English teacher in me to get past the oxymoron – “image of the invisible”. Let me help you understand why this is so significant.

            You won’t often find me citing Greek to you, but I feel it’s important here. The word we see translated as “image” is the Greek word eikon (εἰκών). Our word “icon” (same pronunciation) comes from it. It simply means image or rendering a likeness of something. To understand it, look at the pictures – the icons – below:

           These are various icons that one would click on to access the internet. They are just pictures that are attached to some sort of technological interface that connects one to the Internet. It doesn’t matter if you are PC, Mac, or reasonably unaffiliated. Each picture connects a person to the wealth and vastness of the Internet – the good, the bad, and the endless stream of memes.

           This is where verse 19 comes in: “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell”, meaning all of God dwelled, lived, resided in the person of Jesus. Just like the icons above are images that lead one to the vastness of the web, Jesus is the “image” of the infinite holy vastness of the Most High God – all of Him wrapped up in human flesh!

           Look at other examples from Scripture that back this up:

• Colossians 1:9 — For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily….
• John 1:1, 14 — In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

There are others, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. This is the point: Jesus is God!

            I realize that, so far, this has sounded a bit more academic than usual. But all of this is to serve a purpose. King Jesus is so much more than we could ever hope to know or understand. There is such a wealth of knowledge in His Word that can help us know Him more. I want you to see the depth and the vastness of Him. I want you to look at Him with fresh eyes and see how complex and out-of-this-world He is because that moves you to worship and awe of Him. And that is a good response.

            You need to see that He is big and you are small. You need to see that He is holy, perfect, and righteous, and we are not capable of such glorious things apart from Him. But after you step back – or hopefully are brought to your knees by the realization of Him – there’s something so much sweeter. He loves you.

            That’s right, “the image of the invisible God”, the “preeminent” One, the King of kings and Lord of lords, God Almighty loves you! That’s good news!

            I love the way that Peter writes about it in 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you.” He. Cares. For. You.

           The imagery here is so beautifully rich. Encountering the sovereign God of the universe absolutely should be a humbling, life-altering experience. It should drive us to our knees and cause us to look deeply at who we are. But this personal God does not leave us to grovel in the dirt (which He would be perfectly right to do). His “mighty hand” does not cast us out or beat us down (as it could).

           Instead, those mighty hands reach out – still bearing the scars of the nails where they were pierced for our sake – to pull us into His loving embrace. The same hands that formed Adam from the dust reach into our lives and take that which was dead (Ephesians 2:1-2) and bestow new life (Ephesians 2:4-5). I’ll say it again: that’s good news!

           Those mighty hands and that powerful embrace are enough to keep us from all harm. Not only that, the same voice that spoke everything into existence still echoes down through the years offering us comfort, even today (Matthew 11:28-30):

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

            I’ll close with a look at how this is all accomplished in verse 20. The peace, comfort, rest, and love we find in Him was paid for on the cross and guaranteed by His resurrection. Verse 20 says, “…and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of His cross.”

            God in all of His splendor (vv. 15-18) stepped out of heaven and into our world (v. 19) to make a Way for us to have Life everlasting through Him (v. 20). This is not a hypothetical. He’s with us still today just as He promised (Matthew 28:20).

            So, do you find yourself at a low point? Are you wondering how you will ever get out of whatever situation (sin, struggles, depression, Covid-19, murder hornets) you find yourself? Look to Christ and accept His mighty hand reaching out to save and comfort you, and find times of refreshing in His presence.

Acts 3:17-21 — [Peter said] “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke of His holy prophets long ago….”

Psalm 119:49-50 — Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

1 Peter 1:3-5 — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

           Some time after Jesus had ascended into heaven after His resurrection, Peter and John were going to the temple to pray. There was a man outside the Beautiful Gate who had been unable to walk his entire life, and people carried him to that gate every day so that he could beg and make what living he could. When he asked Peter and John for money, check out what they told him: “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” (Acts 3:6) I love that: “what I do have I give to you”; what they had was Jesus, and there’s no greater gift!

            That started an awesome chain reaction. The man got up and walked! Then, he went and shared what he had: what Jesus had done for him! What an awesome series of events; one that can be repeated on and on, even today! The people the man ran to – ran for the first time! – were gathered at Solomon’s Portico outside the temple.

            Peter preached to them about what had happened with Jesus (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter) and the part that they had played in those events. But he was not beating them down. He offered them what he had, just as he had the “man lame from birth”. He offered them repentance. He told them of the forgiveness of sin that comes from Jesus and that, even though they had part in His crucifixion, that forgiveness was available to them.

            What an awesome display of forgiveness. These people had “delivered over and denied [Jesus] in the presence of Pilate” and “killed the Author of life, whom God raised form the dead” (Acts 3:13, 15), yet Jesus Himself stands ready to forgive them. He shows that He is the “Author of life” by “mak[ing] us alive together with [Himself]” instead of being “dead in the trespasses and sins in which [we] once walked” (Ephesians 2:4, 1-2).

            Not only that, but those who repented of their sins and turned to Christ would be given “times of refreshing [that] come from the presence of the Lord” until the time that Christ returns “restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of His prophets long ago” (Acts 3:20-21). That’s something that they could never have hoped to be offered, and it was offered to them by the very One from whom they could have never hoped to receive it. That’s good news – for them and for us!

            Today, we need to be refreshed. We need to be restored. And there’s only one source from which we can find such refreshing and restoration: Jesus Christ, the Resurrected King! And He offers it freely to all who repent and turn to Him!

            So, how do we get such things in this day and age? The first source is the Word of God. The psalmist, in Psalm 119:49-50, tells us that we find hope in God’s “word” and life in His “promise”. By spending time in God’s Word, we find everything that can be known about Him. By reading His Word, we find the promises and life and hope in Christ Jesus. The Word of God is listed first because it is through the Word that we find salvation (Romans 10:17). And it is through His Word that we grow deeper in our relationship with Him.

            It is in that relationship where we find our deepest source of refreshing and restoration: Jesus Himself. Peter, much later in his life, wrote a letter to a group of people who had been through worse times than we could ever imagine. They had been dispersed from their homes and forced to flee to foreign countries (1 Peter 1:1). Yet, despite all they had been through, Peter reminds them that they had been “born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

            So many times, hope is fleeting here on Earth. We hope in jobs and resources and people and are let down time and time again. But the hope that comes from Jesus is different; that hope is “living”. When we put our hope and trust in Him, that hope has a name and power beyond our imagining. That’s good news! He’s not fleeting, nor will He fail us.

            No matter what is going on in our life – quarantine, isolation, sickness, job loss, lack of electricity – Jesus is alive and offering hope. We can be refreshed and look forward to the time when everything is restored. There’s no greater hope than that.

Philippians 4:4-9 —
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. ⁹ What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me – practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

           I’ve got to give a disclaimer for today’s devotion: it’s beneficial for me. I’ve probably said before that writing these devotions helps me before it helps anyone else, but, today, it’s especially true. My mind is a mess, and I’m neck deep in depression, or a “funk” – whatever you want to call it, I’m in it.

            This is not to say that I have it bad or that I am trying to draw attention to myself when the plight of many, many others is far worse than mine. But many find themselves feeling the same way and much worse – not just in times of social distancing and isolation, all the time.

            So, today, we will look at what God’s Word offers us[1], and there we can find some peace of mind.

            If there is anyone who knows what it’s like to struggle, it’s Paul. He was in a Roman prison awaiting execution as he wrote the letter to the Philippians, yet it is often described as an epistle of joy.

           Here, again, it is important to understand that joy and happiness are not synonyms. So, when Paul tells the church at Philippi to rejoice in verse 9, he has something much bigger for them. Rejoice here is “not a happiness that depends on circumstances but a deep contentment that is in the Lord”[2]. Happiness is fleeting and dependent on so many things outside of our control, but finding that deep rooted contentment in the Lord is eternal.

           He also urges them to let their “reasonableness” be known. This word can also be translated as “gentleness” or a “gentle spirit”. This, along with rejoicing, reminds us of who we are supposed to be – and most importantly whose we are! This is especially important because the “Lord is at hand”. 

           This is not a threat to produce fear in us; it’s a reason to rejoice – our Savior is coming! I love the way that James puts this in James 5:8b: “Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand”. Our rejoicing and reasonableness are earmarks of a heart that is rooted in one’s identity in Christ.

           This next part is one that I find myself reading often when faced with anxiety. It seems like a nearly impossible command: “do not be anxious about anything”. Anything? Doesn’t he know about ___? To understand what this means for us, we need to grasp the context of this command.

           Paul’s command here is rooted in Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:25):

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about the body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

           I cannot speak for everyone, but my anxiety is often rooted in the lack of control I feel in life situations. There are times where it is brought on by a chemical imbalance in my brain, but the anxieties themselves are real and my own. Jesus’ urging is for us to combat the things that we do not have control over by trusting in the Sovereign God who has power over everything that is yet stoops to care about our everyday lives.

           You see, it is from this mindset that Paul makes his case. Let’s look at the whole command in verse 6: “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication[3] with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” This becomes less about the anxiety that plagues us and more about the way that we can combat it by letting our “requests be made known to God”. This goes back to the command to “rejoice” – to find that deep-rooted contentment in Christ. Here, it is the trust and faith that is rooted in the action of prayer. Almighty God wants us to talk to Him, and He cares what we have to say. When we give our anxieties over to Him, we do not have to worry about them because He has this in His control. That’s where the peace Paul talks about comes into play.

           It’s important to note that this commandment has an addendum: “with thanksgiving”. Other than that one Thursday in November, this is something that gives us trouble. Big John said something about getting out of a funk that stands out in my mind here:

“Lift up a prayer. Say ‘thanks’ to God. Develop and cultivate a grateful heart…. …[T]he way of getting out [of a funk, depression, or whatever] is purposefully looking into things and saying ‘thank you anyway’, just ‘thank you anyway’.”

           That not only echoes what Paul is saying here, but it speaks to the influence of God’s Word in our lives.

           Paul follows that command with a result in verse 7: “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. That peace is based on the confidence that God is not only able to take care of us but especially in the fact that He is willing to take care of us. That’s good news. When we learn – note that I say learn and understand that it is not necessarily an overnight process – to rely fully upon God, our anxieties are traded for His peace, and Jesus’ words to His disciples in John 14:27 move from being a hope to a reality:

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

            Just because I am moving more quickly through the final section does not belittle its importance. It builds on the previous paragraph. Paul goes through a list of things that we should “think about” (v. 8); we should think on things that are “true”, “honorable”, “just”, “pure”, “lovely”, “commendable”, “excellen[t]”, and “worthy of praise”. Rather than breaking these “things” academically, let me introduce you to the One that embodies them all – Jesus! We should set our mind on Him (Colossians 3:2)! We should think on Him!

            Setting one’s mind on something is a powerful tool. I love that I get to work in the same building as Candice. This keeps me focused on how I need to be genuine and carry myself appropriately. Setting my mind on this helps me remember who I am. Having Keri be able to come to our classrooms when she gets off of the bus does the same thing. If I do not have my mind set where it needs to, my school kiddos would quickly tell Keri – and most assuredly Candice – that I’m a fraud! In the same way, this mindset exposes our faith in Christ. We are to set our minds on Him so that the manner of our life reflects that faith.

            Does that mean that anxiety will automatically cease? No. But it gives us something to practice. Literally, Paul tells the church at Philippi, and thereby us, to “practice these things” (v. 9) – the things that we have “learned”, “received”, and “heard” in the Word of God. The word translated “practice” here refers to things that we do continually, repeatedly, or habitually. So, this is what we need to do: continually, repeatedly, habitually rejoice in, put our trust in, pray to, and think on Jesus. And in doing so, we can trust God in His Word when He says through Paul: “the God of peace will be with you” (v. 9).

            Thank you for reading today and being a part of my meeting up with “the God of peace”. This is a little picture into the way that this part of my walk with Him works – seeking Him in His Word in whatever situation and always finding Him there. I pray that this is true in your life as well!

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[1] This does not negate the need of prescription depression medication nor does it mean that such things and counseling are not necessary. This is not a prescription but an invitation to seek the “God of peace” to help us with the prevalent mental struggles associated with this current time.

[2] ESV Study Bible

[3] Supplication is “to make known one’s particular need” or to “petition [God] for oneself” (The Complete Word Study Dictionary: NT).

Psalm 19:7-14 —
⁷ The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul.
  The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
⁸ The precepts of the Lord are right,
giving joy to the heart.
  The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.
⁹ The fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring forever.
  The ordinances of the Lord are sure
and altogether righteous.
¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
  they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.
¹¹ By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.
¹² Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.
¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
  Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of
   my heart be pleasing to your sight,
O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

            Books are a glorious and wonderful invention! Books and reading have been and continue to be a big part of my life. While many people do not share my passion for them, I continue to grow in my love and appreciation for the written word – from Shakespeare to short stories to…well, you get the picture.

            But one Text trumps all other texts. God’s Word stands alone. Let’s look at how Psalm 19 breaks down the Word of God and see how it is integral in our being refreshed and restored in our relationship with God.

            Psalm 19 is a beautiful passage, and verses seven through fourteen are, largely, where we will camp today. In these nine verses, David gives us six images of the Word and six corresponding effects it has on one’s life. The words “law” (v.7a), “statutes” (v.7b), “precepts” (v.8a), “commands” (v.8b), “fear” (v.9a), and “ordinances” (v.9b) all refer to the Word. Each of these references gives us an image. Let’s break them down together.

First, the “law of the Lord” is God’s instruction for His people, and how it revives one’s soul. The word for revive can literally be translated “to turn about” or to “return”. In His Word, God is teaching us what we need to have our very souls returned or set to where they need to be.

Second, the “statutes of the Lord” are witnesses to God’s truth. God’s word testifies to its own truth, and His testimony is trustworthy. Trusting in that truth makes our simple minds wise. This is good news because God’s Word contains everything that can be known about God, and we grow in our knowledge of Him when we read it.

Third, the “precepts of the Lord” are divine directions for us to follow. So often we see directions as suggestions because – at least in my mind – sometimes directions are incorrect. God’s directions are always right and correct. Following them can give one’s heart joy – not happiness, necessarily, but a deep-rooted joy that only comes from Him.

Fourth, the “commands of the Lord” are the orders and imperatives that God gives His people. If we are honest, this is the part of the discussion about God’s Word that loses most of us. People, in general, do not like to be commanded. At the very least, we would not call any commandments we have received as being radiant. But, the older I get, I come to see God’s commands as having an ambient light of their own. The more I read the Word, the more I find that it illuminates parts of my life.

God’s Word shines light and chases out the darkness of sin in our lives. It shows aspects of our lives that we would rather not see. In Psalm 119:105, David describes the Word thusly: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” God gives us commands to show us how life works best, not to tear us down or make us feel guilty. He gives us commands because He loves us and knows what we need.

Fifth, we see the “fear of the Lord”; it is a little different than the previous four images. This, in and of itself, is an effect. The fear of the Lord is a result of knowing and worshiping Him. It is a produced reverence for God that is fostered by time spent with Him in His Word. And this is good news because this aspect – this reverential worship of God – will endure forever because we will get to spend eternity with Him!

Finally, we see God’s “ordinances”. This gives us the image of God’s decisions for us. It is a fatherly image. Just like an earthly father is required to make decisions for his family, especially his children, our Father makes decisions for us – He knows best. However, unlike earthly fathers, His decisions are “altogether righteous”. The more time we spend in His Word, better things are for us because His decisions are laid out clearly for us to see.

Those images aptly sum up what God’s Word is for His followers, but we must be careful not to dismiss His Word as merely a book. God’s Word is Himself. The first chapter of John testifies to this: the Word is God (John 1:1). And that’s not all: God Himself “became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (1:14). He came to earth, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sins, rose on the third day, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and is actively working on our behalf today! But through His written Word, those of us who did not live in Israel during His lifetime nearly 2,000 years ago are able to actively spend time with Him. It’s not about reading; it’s the relationship!

His Word is like a love letter telling us everything we need to know – everything we get to know – about Him and how to grow in our relationship and worship and witness of Him. It is also a big part of the relationship because it is also Him!

I have kept some of the love letters that Candice wrote to me. They remind me of our beginning. They contain integral information that made us who we are. I have written to her as well, but all of those early letters are now woefully outdated because so much has happened in our relationship since then. Our relationship is updated daily – as it should be!

The same should be true for our relationship with the Lord! If you are not spending time daily with Him in His Word, repent and spend time Him in His Word. Whether you read it yourself or listen to it like an audio book, He will refresh You through His presence! You will find that He will keep you from “willful sins”. In it, you will find unparalleled forgiveness. In it, you will find Life as you walk with and are founded upon your “Rock” and your “Redeemer”. My prayer for you today is that you are refreshed in your relationship with Christ. I pray that your time in His Word gets to be to you “more precious than gold” and “sweeter than honey”. I pray that the Word affects “the words of [your] mouth and the meditation of [your] heart”.