God Heals Our Hurts

He had compassion on them. MATTHEW 14:14 NIV

The Greek word for compassion is splanchnizomai, which won’t mean much to you unless you are in the health professions and studied “splanchnology” in school. If so, you remember that “splanchnology” is a study of … the gut.

When Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the people, he is not saying that Jesus felt casual pity for them. No, the term is far more graphic. Matthew is saying that Jesus felt their hurt in his gut:

He felt the limp of the crippled.
He felt the hurt of the diseased.
He felt the loneliness of the leper.
He felt the embarrassment of the sinful.
And once he felt their hurts, he couldn’t help but heal their hurts.


In the Eye of the Storm

NOTHING TO OFFER

I call to you, God, and you answer me. Listen to me now, and hear what I say. PSALM 17:6

Nicodemus came to Jesus in the middle of the night. The centurion came in the middle of the day. The leper and the sinful woman appeared in the middle of crowds. Zacchaeus appeared in the middle of a tree. Matthew had a party for him.

The educated. The powerful. The rejected. The sick. The lonely. The wealthy. Who would have ever assembled such a crew? All they had in common were their empty hope chests, long left vacant by charlatans and profiteers. Though they had nothing to offer, they asked for everything: a new birth, a second chance, a fresh start, a clean conscience. And without exception their requests were honored.

from SIX HOURS ONE FRIDAY

When Jesus gave Himself for us

“In whom also we have obtained an inheritance.” Ephesians 1:11

When Jesus gave Himself for us, He gave us all the rights and privileges which went with Himself; so that now, although as eternal God, He has essential rights to which no creature may venture to pretend, yet as Jesus, the Mediator, the federal Head of the covenant of grace, He has no heritage apart from us.

All the glorious consequences of His obedience unto death are the joint riches of all who are in Him, and on whose behalf He accomplished the divine will. See, He enters into glory, but not for Himself alone, for it is written, “Whither the Forerunner is for us entered.” Heb. 6:20. Does He stand in the presence of God?—”He appears in the presence of God for us.” Heb. 9:24. Consider this, believer. You have no right to heaven in yourself: your right lies in Christ. If you are pardoned, it is through His blood; if you are justified, it is through His righteousness; if you are sanctified, it is because He is made of God unto you sanctification; if you shall be kept from falling, it will be because you are preserved in Christ Jesus; and if you are perfected at the last, it will be because you are complete in Him.

Thus Jesus is magnified—for all is in Him and by Him; thus the inheritance is made certain to us—for it is obtained in Him; thus each blessing is the sweeter, and even heaven itself the brighter, because it is Jesus our Beloved “in whom” we have obtained all. Where is the man who shall estimate our divine portion? Weigh the riches of Christ in scales, and His treasure in balances, and then think to count the treasures which belong to the saints.

Reach the bottom of Christ’s sea of joy, and then hope to understand the bliss which God hath prepared for them that love Him. Overleap the boundaries of Christ’s possessions, and then dream of a limit to the fair inheritance of the elect. “All things are yours, for ye are Christ’s and Christ is God’s.”

Jesus and the Flood

“For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:38-39)

The Lord Jesus Christ not only believed in the special, recent creation of all things by God (note Mark 10:6-8), but also in the worldwide Flood of Noah’s day, including the special preservation of life on the Ark. The Flood in which He believed was obviously not a “local flood,” for He compared it to the worldwide future impact of His Second Coming.

Neither was it a “tranquil flood,” nor a “selective flood,” for Jesus said, “The flood came, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:27). It is clear that He was referring to–and that He believed–the Genesis record of the great Flood! There it says that the whole earth was “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:13), having first been filled with people, and that the resulting world-cleansing deluge was so cataclysmic that “every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth” (Genesis 7:23). Indeed, “the flood came, and took |literally ‘lifted’| them all away.”

This is what Jesus said, and what He believed, and therefore, those who are truly His disciples must also believe this. The destructive effects of the Flood can still be seen today, not only in the biblical record, but also in the abundant evidences of cataclysmic destruction in the rocks and fossil graveyards all over the world. To refuse this evidence, as do many modern intellectuals, can only be because they “willingly are ignorant,” as Peter said in referring to this testimony (2 Peter 3:5).

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

Unstoppable

The LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way. —Numbers 22:31

Under it. Over it. Around it. Through it. Nothing will stop me from doing it.” I often hear people express this kind of attitude when they get an idea or see an opportunity that seems good or profitable. They devote all of their resources to getting it done.

As evidence that this way of thinking may be flawed, I call as my witness a donkey belonging to a man named Balaam.

Balaam was offered a profitable assignment from a neighboring king, and he inquired of God for permission to accept it (Num. 22). When God said no, the king’s representatives made a better offer. Thinking God might change His mind, Balaam asked again. God granted permission for Balaam to go with them but with strict conditions. God knew Balaam’s heart and was not pleased with him, so He placed His Angel in the way. Balaam couldn’t see the Angel but his donkey could. When the donkey refused to continue, Balaam became angry with the animal for blocking his progress.

Balaam’s story teaches us that not every obstacle is meant to be overcome. Some are placed by God to keep us from doing something foolish. When our plans are hindered, we shouldn’t assume that it’s Satan trying to stop us. It might be God trying to protect us.

Let Your wisdom guide me ever,
For I dare not trust my own;
Lead me, Lord, in tender mercy,
Leave me not to walk alone. —Reed
God is always protecting us—
even when we don’t realize we need it.

by Julie Ackerman Link – ODB

A Heart at Peace

The wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peaceful, gentle, and easy to please.
JAMES 3:17

The heart of Jesus was pure. The Savior was adored by thousands, yet content to live a simple life. He was cared for by women (Luke 8:1–3), yet never accused of lustful thoughts; scorned by his own creation, but willing to forgive them before they even requested his mercy. Peter, who traveled with Jesus for three and a half years, described him as a “lamb, unblemished and spotless” (1 Pet. 1:19 NASB). After spending the same amount of time with Jesus, John concluded, “And in him is no sin” (1 John 3:5
NIV).

Jesus’ heart was peaceful. The disciples fretted over the need to feed the thousands, but not Jesus. He thanked God for the problem. The disciples shouted for fear in the storm, but not Jesus. He slept through it. Peter drew his sword to fight the soldiers, but not Jesus. He lifted his hand to heal. His heart was at peace.

Just Like Jesus

WHAT SIZE IS GOD?

“For God all things are possible.”
MATTHEW 19:26

Nature is God’s workshop. The sky is his resume. The universe is his calling card. You want to know who God is? See what he has done. You want to know his power? Take a look at his creation. Curious about his strength? Pay a visit to his home address: 1 Billion Starry Sky Avenue.

He is untainted by the atmosphere of sin, unbridled by the time line of history, unhindered by the weariness of the body.

What controls you doesn’t control him. What troubles you doesn’t trouble him. What fatigues you doesn’t fatigue him. Is an eagle disturbed by traffic? No, he rises above it. Is the whale perturbed by a hurricane? Of course not, he plunges beneath it. Is the lion flustered by the mouse standing directly in his way? No, he steps over it.

How much more is God able to soar above, plunge beneath, and step over the troubles of the earth!

from THE GREAT HOUSE OF GOD

Judgment in the New Testament

“In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

Many critics have decried what they contend is the Bible’s inconsistency.The Old Testament is a harsh indictment of human sin and warning of coming divine judgment, they say , whereas the New Testament stresses God’s grace and love.

The fact is, however, that the Old Testament contains numerous testimonies of the love and merciful lovingkindness of God (e.g., Psalm 1 03 ). Similarly , the most striking and fearsome warnings and prophecies of judgment to come are found in the New Testament. The above text for the day is an example, with its revelation of the coming eternal separation from God of all who reject Christ and His saving gospel. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself uttered more warnings of future hell than any one else recorded in either testament. He said, for example, that those “On the left hand” will be commanded to “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 2 5:4 1 ). Jude spoke of ungodly men “to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever” (Jude 1 3 ).

And, of course, the very last book of the New Testament, written by John, the disciple who stressed God’s love more than any other writer, focuses especially and in detail on the coming period of God’s judgment on a rebellious world. The climax of these warnings is Revelation 2 0:1 5: “Whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” God’s grace and full forgiveness are free to all who receive Christ, but certain judgment will come to all who refuse

by Henry Morris, Ph.D.

Justice for the Righteous

“And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain. . . And she again bare his brother Abel.” (Genesis 4:1-2)

Genesis 4 details the interaction between these brothers. Abel was righteous (4:4), and Cain was wicked (4:5-7). Consequentially, Cain murdered Abel (4:8). God interrogated Cain, and Cain feigned ignorance (4:9), though God saw the entire event (4:10). At this point, the story takes an unexpected twist.

The rest of the narrative (Genesis 4:11-15) sets up a dilemma, which is never resolved in the rest of the Old Testament. Abel’s murder demanded justice–either vindication for him or capital punishment for Cain. Yet neither occurred. Cain lived, and God made no mention of Abel’s fate either in this passage or in the rest of the Old Testament.

The words of Genesis 4 make this dilemma all the more acute. Though Abel does not personally appear in the rest of the Old Testament, the word for his name does: “Vanity of vanities . . . all is vanity” (Ecclesiastes 1:2). The word for “vanity” in Hebrew is the same as the word used for “Abel.” Thus, both the details of the passage and the word used for Abel’s name raise the question: Was Abel’s life lived in vain?

In the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews holds up Abel as an exemplary model of living by faith (Hebrews 11:4). How can Abel’s short-lived life encourage us to walk by faith?

The answer is found in two stunning events that take place between Abel’s life and the writing of the book of Hebrews: Christ’s death and resurrection. Like Abel, Christ was murdered. Unlike Abel, He rose again! Now we, with Abel, can be justified together. God did not forget justice. Instead, He delayed it, “having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect” (Hebrews 11:40).

The account of Cain and Abel sets up a tension to point us to the glory of Christ.

by Nathaniel T. Jeanson, Ph.D.

VIDEO You Are The God Who Reigns – Fisher of Men

Published on Jan 24, 2013

We love the way God speaks to us through song! The message of this one is simple, obvious, and pretty basic: God reigns.

He certainly reigned over Lonnie in the giving of the song, because he had never written a song before! He reigned over Rena, with the musical arrangement and further development of this song. He reigned over Mitch in the video and recording of the song. And He reigned to knit us together as one – His church – in the sharing of our gifts – though we live in different areas of the country.

He was reigning high upon His throne when He ordained this song to be born on Nov. 9, 2012 – born with a distinctly Jewish (sounding) identity. And He was still reigning when, five days later on Nov. 14, war broke out against Israel. We sense He is putting His holy finger on this situation – capturing our attention with it very strongly. But what is He saying specifically? Is this Israel’s victory song? Perhaps. Could this war be the beginning of the great tribulation? Possibly.

But of one thing, and only this one thing, are we completely certain: This is God’s Victory Song. Through the death of His Son, Jesus, He delivered us from the kingdom of darkness into His marvelous light. And He invites us now to share in this Great Victory, by coming to Jesus (Yeshua), and receiving the free gift of eternal life. This Victory is for the Jews, for the Arabs, and for every other tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation on this earth – all equally loved by God, our Creator.

Let us join together now, to worship Him and glorify His name. For He is the God who reigns!

Copyright 2012 Lonnie Abraham – All rights reserved

http://loopyloo305.com/2013/01/27/you-are-the-god-who-reigns-fisher-of-men/