On dying and angels

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Numbers 8:1-9:23
Mark 13:14-37
Psalm 50:1-23
Proverbs 10:29-30

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Mark 13:26-27 "Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world - from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

The verses for today are exciting! They tell us of the time when Jesus come back - the temporal ends and the eternal begins.

But, there is something else I want you to notice ...

As a pastor, I have been with many folks as they walked through death's door. Those moments are filled with great sadness. What once was a life is reduced to a lifeless body. Relationships are suspended. A new chapter has begun.

But, there is something that happens in that moment that many Christians may not realize - angels were in the room!

Now, I realize that many people make up their own theology. They fabricate all sorts of things (not found in Scripture) to comfort the hurting.

As a Christian, we should commit to never make up our own theology. We should always have the question on the tip of our tongues: "What does the Bible say about it?"

When we look at the verses for today, we realize that the Lord "will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world..." Clearly, angels are present when the Lord's chosen ones are taken from earth to Heaven.

This verse tells us that angels will perform this act at a future time ... when eternity officially begins. But, what about now? What about when our loved ones pass away? Are angels in the room to escort them to their Heavenly home?

All we need do is read the story that Jesus told of Lazarus and the rich man (Luke 16:19-31). Listen to what Jesus said when Lazarus, a follower of the Lord, died.

Luke 16:22 "Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham..."

Did you get that? Jesus said that angels came to get Lazarus! They were in the room!

Friend, I believe that the Bible presents this as normative. It's the way things happen. When a follower of the Lord dies, if you are in the room, then you are in the presence of angels. They have been instructed by Almighty God to safely escort His loved ones to their Heavenly home.

What a wonderful, loving God we serve!

Victory over death

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Numbers 6:1-7:89
Mark 12:38-13:13
Psalm 49:1-20
Proverbs 10:27-28

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 9:15 "But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

If you have trusted and are trusting in Jesus to save you from your sin and God's wrath, then death holds no power over you. You don't have to fear it.

Why?

Because it is simply a doorway into your eternal home. It is the portal through which you will walk into the presence of the Lord to enjoy forever and ever.

For the Christian, death has lost it's power. It does not need to cause us fear.

Psalm 9:15 "But as for me, God will redeem my life. He will snatch me from the power of the grave."

Reflecting on how much God loves you

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Numbers 4:1–5:31 
Mark 12:18-37 
Psalm 48:1-14 
Proverbs 10:26

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 48:9 "O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

I've said it before and I'll continue to say it again because it is a theme in Scripture - God doesn't want our mindless acts of worship. He wants our heart!

Whether we are worshiping on a Sunday morning with our church family or whether we are worshiping in our car on the way to work, God wants that adoration to flow from our inner being.

Well, if you are like me, you sometimes just don't feel like worshiping. You know you should. You want to. But, you just don't feel like it. 

So, how do you get your heart into a right attitude? Do what the Psalmist said: "Meditate on (His) unfailing love." Simply think deeply about how much God loves you. Think about how He demonstrated that love for you on the cross. Think about how He demonstrates that love for you each day by giving you your next breath of air, provides you with family and friends, and so much more.

When we come to realize how much God loves us, we will find it easy to worship Him from our hearts.

How to have a happy heart

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Numbers 2:1-3:51
Mark 11:27-12:17
Psalm 47:1-9
Proverbs 10:24-25

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 47:1-2 "Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Life is tough. For some, it can be incredibly tough.

Yet, God does not get glory when His children walk around with discouragement written all over their faces. While we should never plaster fake smiles on our faces, we should strive to think in such a way that smiles come naturally.

In our Bible reading for today, the Psalmist calls us to clap (our) hands and shout to the Lord with joyful praise. In other words, we aren't called to go through some lifeless religious ritual - we are to enjoy Him! This joy is to come from a heart that full to overflowing!

There is much superficiality in Christianity these days. People plaster a smile on their face and speak of how blessed they are. Yet, all the while, their heart is aching and empty.

So, what is the basis for clapping and shouting for joy? How can these actions be filled with genuine substance?

Believe the truth of verse 2: For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth."

When we spend time reflecting on the character and works of God and come to the conclusion that He is absolutely wonderful, then the heart attitude will flow naturally. When we reflect on the fact that our Heavenly Father rules as the sovereign King over the earth, a positive attitude and a smile will be the most obvious response.

God doesn't simply want our religious activity. If we go through the motions and there is no joyful heart that drives those actions, then we are no better than the hypocritical Pharisees. God wants us to demonstrate that we are people of joy - but He wants it to come from our heart.

And, as we have seen in our verse for today, a change in action and heart always starts in the mind. We must think on the right things. So, be very careful what you think today:

Philippians 4:8 "And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise."

Trusting is resting

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Leviticus 27:14 - Numbers 1:54
Mark 11:1-25
Psalm 46:1-11
Proverbs 10:23

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 46:1-3 "God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge!"

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Virtually every one of us deals with anxiety at one time or another. Life is tough. Illnesses come. Relationships go south. There's not enough money at the end of the month. It's only natural (human) to worry and fret.

Yet, our verse for today calls us to trust. It calls us to rest. It reminds us that God is our fortress into which we can run in times of trouble and be safe.

My family lived in Florida a few years ago and we would frequently visit St. Augustine. In that city, there is a fort called the Castillo de San Marcos. The walls are incredibly thick. While there is an open area in the middle, it is surrounded on all sides by large rooms that are built out of coquina which, after they were bonded together, has the appearance and feel of thick concrete. If a horrible lightning storm or even a tornado was to converge on that part of town, I have no doubt at all that we could run into that fort and be completely safe. Everything around us could be destroyed but that fort is built so soundly that I'm convinced it could withstand most of what nature could through at it.

The Psalmist would have us know that God is better than that fort. When the storms of life have surrounded us, we can find protection in our God.

Now, what does that mean? Does it mean that we will never be harmed? Nope.

If we read Hebrews 11:35-40 and observe the experience of those who proved faithful to the Lord, we realize that many of them experienced horrible tragedies. 

So, what is the comfort to be found in Psalm 46:1-3?

Simply that our faith allows us to rest in a God that we love and trust. We know that regardless of what is happening around us that our God loves us more than we could ever imagine. We rest in the fact that whatever is taking place had to come from His hands (He either willed it or allowed it). We also take comfort in the fact that He has promised to work everything (good AND bad) out for our ultimate good - to make us more like Jesus.

If we are convinced of these truths, then we can find comfort in our God even as the storm rages. While others around us may be filled with terror, we can sleep peacefully because we are trusting in our wonderful God.

Mark 4:37-38 "But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water. Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, 'Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?'"

Are you anxious about something? Then ask God to give you the faith to trust in Him. How do you know that you are trusting? Simply ask yourself the question: "Regardless of what is going on around me, am I resting?"

"That's not fair!"

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Leviticus 25:47-27:13 
Mark 10:32-52 
Psalm 45:1-17 
Proverbs 10:22 

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Psalm 45:6 "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Within every one of us is the ability to cry out: "That's not fair!"

Maybe a guilty criminal skirts justice and goes free. Maybe we have been pursuing holiness with a passion ... and we get cancer anyway. On and on these sort of scenarios could go. We feel like life isn't playing fair.

But, as Christians, we know that life isn't running itself. God is in control of all things, so we may come to question God's justice.

Well, our verse for the day reminds us that God is still on His throne and that He "rule(s) with a scepter of justice." 

God IS fair. He WILL demonstrate justice. We simply may not see it. 

So, we need to trust Him. Trust is when we don't have all of the facts but we believe that He's doing the right thing. Our belief is so strong that we can actually rest in Him. Even when something doesn't seem fair, we rest in the fact that God is doing the right thing, justice is or will eventually be administered, so we're OK with what God allows us to experience. 

The power of your words

TODAY'S BIBLE READING:

Leviticus 24:1-25:46 
Mark 10:13-31 
Psalm 44:9-26 
Proverbs 10:20-21 

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

Proverbs 10:21 "The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense." 

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Your words are powerful! As your breath flows across your vocal cords and your mouth makes the necessary adjustments to formulate words, those words are capable to encouraging and destroying.

You could say something today that could injure someone so badly that they are left groveling in the mire of despair.

You could also say something today that could bless someone so much that it literally changes the course of their life by giving them hope and motivation.

Our verse for today says that godly folks encourage many. Others are blessed by what the godly person says to them.

But, it also says that "fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense." If the writer of Proverbs is still focusing on the power of words, he's saying that while the godly person's words bless many people, the fool's words don't even bless himself.

So, submit yourself to God's authority this day. Desire to be godly and work to that end. Then, use your words carefully. They are powerful. Use them to encourage others.