Jesus

Jun 5 2023

For Joy!

Leave a Comment / By Rock Excavation Service / 4 minutes of reading / Commands, Jesus, Joy

The Commands of Christ – A Book of Joy
From time-to-time, beginning with this post, I will be sharing excerpts from my next book.
GWM

Love God and People

I was drinking a cup of coffee and writing a devotional a while back when I read this verse: “If you love me, you will keep my commandments¹.” So, I stopped to think about what Jesus said. The first thought I had was the reply Jesus gave to the “lawyer”:

“And he [Jesus] answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:27 ESV

I thought I was “good to go,” but I again stopped and lingered on what Jesus meant by keeping His commands. I remembered that two of the ordinances (special commands) Jesus gave His Church are baptism and the Lord’s Supper-Communion-Eucherist. That’s two specific commands. Hmm.

Jesus Also Gave Us Specific Commands

When we study the New Testament, we find nine of the ten commandments carried over from the Old to the New; nine, not ten. The only commandment not included in Jesus’ New Covenant is the command to observe the Sabbath day². Concerning the Sabbath, we find:

“So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths.”
Colossians 2:16 NLT

So, in Jesus’ reply to the lawyer’s question, He told him (and us) what is needed to show love for Him. But why should we study the many specific commands that Jesus gave if we can fulfill all the commands by loving God and People?

It’s Like a Car

Allow me to use a car as a metaphor. Think back to the time you received or purchased your first car. I’m sure a parent or friend told you, “Be sure to take care of it!” “Take care of it” is the command you received, and it’s true. But how do you take care of it?

Is keeping it clean enough? Is changing its oil regularly enough? Well, the answer is no. You must do many things to fulfill the command “take care of it.” Replacing worn tires, worn breaks, old batteries, and so forth.” The same is true in Christ’s commands to love God and your neighbor. To help us, Jesus told us the specific commands we need to fulfill the two greatest commands.

Christ’s Commands Give Us Joy

“When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy.“
John 15:10–11 NLT

If you are a Christian, you are seated with Jesus in the heavenly realms³. You, too, can bear your cross⁴ for the full joy that awaits you in your heavenly home. It is God’s good pleasure for us, His children, to enjoy our new life in Him. “In this world, we will have trouble⁵,” but in Christ, we have peace and His joy. Because the New Testament overflows with good things – joy, peace, love, and so forth. I have written this book to help us to gain more of God’s joy. This book is not about making new laws for us; it certainly is not about burdening our lives more than the “light burden⁶” Jesus gives each of us.

The Commands of Christ were given for the lost to be saved and the saved to be full of joy⁷. In these commands, we learn how to break free from worldly lives and prepare to live eternally in the kingdom of God. We are on this adventure because Jesus said that if we love Him, we will obey His commands⁸.

Image by serrano1004 from Pixabay

Rescue!

Leave a Comment / By Rock Excavation Service / 3 minutes of reading / Help, Jesus, rescue

Our home is like that 1970s mullet haircut, business in the front and party in the back. On our small front lawn, we have glorious flowers (thanks to my wife), hostas (wife, also), and a tulip tree. It’s a very 1950s yard and house, but the backyard is quite different. Our large backyard is full of flora and fauna. This is where I have my office – I guess I’m part of the fauna. 😉

We have beautiful birds, from hummingbirds to hawks. At various times, we have had a vixen (female fox) give birth to her cubs under one of our sheds, a red-headed woodpecker attempt to mow off the tops of several of our trees, and Canadian geese stop by on their way to warmer weather or back to their homes in Canada.

I am blessed by this constant backyard activity, surrounded by these friends of mine. I enjoy my friends, but for them, they are often in life-or-death struggles. They got my attention this morning. I am at peace while being surrounded by battles for survival.

For Christ’s Bride¹, many, if not most, of our brothers and sisters live in actual life-or-death environments. Here at home, our children are under attack, our culture is fractured, many local churches teeter on the brink of collapse, and more and more often, Christians find themselves in challenging and unexpected problems. But we have God’s promises, and they are still reliable. Here is one of them:

The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.
Psalms 34:7 NASB 1995

The “angel of the LORD” is singular², but it is used in the same sense as the word “army” is singular. God is saying that an army of angels surrounds us; under the command of Jesus, they surround us for our protection. If we find ourselves entrapped by the enemy, they rescue us! This isn’t just a nice idea. This is a promise from God!

Right now, I have a grandchild that the enemy led into bondage. I know she is a child of God. I was there when she opened her heart to Jesus. I was the one that baptized her. I do not doubt that she is saved, but she has been deceived. She needs rescuing, and I am confident that the angels of God will break her free so she can return to the path of righteousness that we all are called to walk³.

So as I sit in my office, all around me are life-or-death battles. Satan fights against God, and God’s children are his battlefield. How marvelous it is to know that Jesus has already won this war. This is why we can say what Paul said: “for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day⁴.”

I pray that you will rest in Christ’s transcendent peace⁵ while doing His work in this world of troubles. And if we don’t meet while in our jars of clay⁶, we will meet in glory!” Amen.

Image by gabeincognito0 from Pixabay

Don’t Let the World In

By Rock Excavation Service / 3 minutes of reading / Blues, Contentment, Cosmopolitan, Frogs, Jesus

The Blues

I enjoy some of Eric Clapton’s music, the Allman Brothers, Howlin’ Wolf, and B.B. King, but I cannot let myself “live the blues.” The blues is a genre of music that often expresses feelings of sadness, despair, and loneliness. While there is nothing wrong with enjoying blues music, it is important to remember that these are just feelings, not realities. As Christians, we should not allow our souls to be touched by these negative emotions. Instead, we should focus on the hope and joy that we have in Christ. B.B. King famously sang the line, “Even the air I breathe is used.” That’s blues. That’s worldliness. That’s not the mind of Christ!

We Must Not Be Cosmopolitan

Daily, during my prayer time, I confess my sins to God, asking His forgiveness^[1] and praying for His strength so that I can genuinely repent^[2]. The world we live in is insidious. It creeps into every nook and cranny that it can. Just as there are frogs in South America that, if touched, will kill a person^[3], so it is with the things of this world. As the apostle John wrote, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions.^[4]”

In John’s warning, the word he uses for the world is the Greek word κόσμον (kosmon), which is the root of our word cosmos. John is not writing about planets and constellations. Instead, John is writing about the world as a well-ordered whole. No part of the world is free from rebellion against God. Therefore, we must not touch the world.

He isn’t implying that we can’t hug a sinner or purchase food from worldly grocery stores. He is telling us that the world is a poisonous frog; we mustn’t allow our souls to touch the cosmos. We must not allow the darkness of the world to come into us. God is light^[5], so our light must extinguish all darkness that attempts to come into us.

Good News

Jesus told us our Good News:

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.”” John 10:28–30 NLT

Image by Malachi Witt from Pixabay

What Do You See?

1 Comment / By Rock Excavation Service / 3 minutes of reading / Door Hinge, Jesus

I typically start my day in our den. It’s a type of sanctuary for me in the mornings. As I began to walk into the room this morning, I noticed that the pin in one of the door hinges had begun working its way out of the hinge knuckles. I made a mental note to get a hammer and tamp the pin back into place, which is why I’m writing this account here. Both our Lord and my wife know that I’ll forget all about this bit of maintenance if I don’t write it down!

Wired to Notice

I’m wired to notice things that need maintenance. I nearly always look at the tread on our tires as I walk to get in our cars. I look at our roof when we’re pulling into our driveway. When I log in each morning, I check how much free disk space I have on my laptop’s drive. I see these things because I look for them. But if you ask me how much milk we still have or what we received in our mail, I’ll give you a blank stare. I don’t look for these things, so I don’t “see” them.

These thoughts today led me to what the apostle Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:11 NLT where he quoted from Ps 34:12–16:

“Turn away from evil and do good.
Search for peace, and work to maintain it.”

Searching Takes Effort

It’s striking that Peter wrote “search” for peace. We are encouraged by the Holy Spirit to search, to notice situations that need peace. Within the context of what Peter was writing about, this peace is with the people around us and with government officials. Peace is not like a door hinge or tire tread; it is more like searching for why your dishwasher is flooding your floor with water and fixing it. Often peace cannot be found without great effort.

God calls every believer to be a peacemaker. Jesus taught us, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God¹.” We may call ourselves God’s children, but if we want to be called children of God, we need to walk into trouble and use God’s wisdom, faith, and grace to transform trouble into peace. But we will never do this unless we are searching for peace. It’s a matter of sight.

Paraphrasing one of the times when Jesus healed a blind man:

Jesus asked the blind man, “Do you see anything?” The blind man said, “I see people, but they look like trees, walking” Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly..‘’
Mark 8:22–25 NLT

Seeing Clearly

Searching for Godly peace is way beyond seeking inner peace through some sort of meditation. We are entirely unable to see clearly the situations that need peace. Even then, we cannot bring true peace into those problems without the Prince of Peace², Jesus Christ of Nazareth, living in us. But…

Good News

The word “but” is marvelously powerful. It tells us that times and circumstances change. But, when the Prince of Peace is alive in us, we receive spiritual gift(s) from God to search for peace with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then the outcome from our searching will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ³.

Image by James Timothy Peters from Pixabay

You may like: Peace, Boldness, Resoluteness

[1]: Matthew 5:9 NIV – Blessed are the peacemakers, for they – Bible Gateway
[2]: Isaiah 9:6 NIV – For to us a child is born, to us a son – Bible Gateway
[3]: 1 Peter 4:11 NLT

Girl Mud Run Slope Help Challenge Woman Tough

May 1 2023

Look After Each Other

By Rock Excavation Service / 4 minutes of reading / Endurance

One of the first events in the Bible is when God asks Adam’s son Cain the rhetorical question, “Where is Able, your brother? ¹” God knew that Cain had murdered Able, but in God’s grace, He was allowing Cain to confess his sin and seek God’s forgiveness. Instead, Cain’s foolish answer was, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

Cain’s question has a clear answer – yes, you are responsible for your brother. Many mothers and grandmothers have asked similar questions to older siblings: “Where is Andy? You know it’s your job to keep an eye on your younger brother.” The term “keeper” in this context means to act as a protector or guardian.

Look After Each Other.

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”
Carl Jung
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Turning back to the Bible, we find in the book of Hebrews the command, “Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God².” God’s grace saves us, and it is through His grace that we are productive citizens of His kingdom.

As believers in Christ Jesus our Lord, each of us carries a personal responsibility to be protectors of our brothers and sisters in Christ. It’s easy for us to build a wall around the meaning of this verse. If we narrow down this verse’s significance to solely spiritual aspects, we can claim that we have done everything in our power to safeguard our fellow believers from missing out on the grace of God. But how can others tell if we have?

It may be difficult for believers to know that we failed God’s command, but we know, just as Cain knew his brother was dead. You and I have the responsibility to help fellow believers from falling back into worldliness; that’s not an easy job.

Real Faith Produces Real Actions.

A 20th-century Chinese Christian and martyr said, “When two Christians happen to meet, their time together should be a time of mutual refreshing.” We should be a blessing to fellow believers, as they should be to us. When we part company, we both should be strengthened in our relationship with Jesus and in our determination to produce good deeds to show our faith in God to ourselves and others.

“What kind of faith is saving faith? James’s question³ is rhetorical; the obvious answer is that faith without works cannot save. Faith that yields no deeds is not saving faith. The New Testament does not teach justification by the profession of faith or the claim to faith; it teaches justification by the possession of true faith.”
R.C. Sproul

What Are Good Deeds?

You may ask, “What good deeds can I do to show true faith in Jesus?” This starts with encouraging fellow believers to stay faithful to their calling. Remind Christians that are going through a rough patch in their lives what Peter wrote: “And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you⁴.”

We should be more generous than any unbeliever and love more sincerely than all nonbelievers. In our conversations, we should have the mindset of elevating Jesus instead of ourselves. We need to speak about the mercy and grace that God has made available to humanity through Jesus, the only true Savior.

Don’t Come Empty Handed.

When our day comes to stand before Jesus and explain what we did with the life He gave us⁵, we should be ready to tell of things Jesus did through our faith in Him. “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works⁶.” Therefore, in this life, we give by faith, help by faith, pray by faith, suffer by faith, encourage by faith, defend the Gospel by faith, do the impossible by faith.

Our Calling

Jesus, God’s Messiah, calls us to do what Cain failed to do. We must be our brothers and sisters’ keepers.

Image by madsmith33 from Pixabay

Not Pharisee or Sadducee but You and Me

By Rock Excavation Service / 2 minutes of reading / follow, Jesus, Minister

“The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves.”
Hebrews 10:1 NLT

From the law of Moses, God established laws that showed humanity two things. First, no one can be good enough to enter heaven. Secondly, it has been God’s intent from before Creation to have a Champion⁰ for His created people.

An exciting and vitally important aspect of Christianity is that of Jesus being the 1^st, making the way for us to follow Him. Rather than being nagged by my grammar checker for writing a convoluted and difficult-to-read sentence, let me first provide a few examples.

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps..” – 1 Peter 2:21 ESV

The Firsts of Jesus

Jesus is the first fruit of God’s resurrection¹, but all who have put their faith in Him will also be resurrected². Jesus is the 1^st to receive a glorified body, but we, too, will receive one³ at our resurrection. Jesus ascended into heaven and “is seated in the place of honor next to God⁴” God, too, “raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.⁵.”

You and Me’s

The Messiah, Jesus, was always the answer, was always our hope, always the “way, truth, and life” for the children of Adam. To have God “in” us would only happen when “God was with us” came into the world. Clothed in flesh⁶, Jesus made the Pharisees and Sadducees obsolete. He became the eternal “first,” and as followers, we became the object of His love; His Church, His Bride. Jesus replaced the Pharisees and Sadducees with you and me’s.

Good News

Jesus uses you and me. Together with all people that belong to Jesus, we tell the world of His Good News and minister to people’s spiritual and physical needs. And we to go into all the world and make disciples in every nation.

Photo by AKT World

God’s Testing

By Rock Excavation Service / 2 minutes of reading / Jesus

Have you ever watched an athlete go through his or her training routine? By the end, all the strength in that athlete’s body is spent. Covered in sweat, veins bulging, and panting for breath, that athlete appears to an untrained eye as a fool that has inflicted, for no apparent reason, suffering upon his or her body, but we know better.

Success in athletics only comes through consistent, rigorous training. Only when an athlete builds muscle memory can that person compete and win. The same is true for every believer in Christ Jesus.

“18 Since he himself [Jesus] has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.”
Hebrews 2:18

As for testing, I am confident that if you are a believer, you have been tested many times. Every believer is tested regularly. Temptation is not how God tests people; He never tempts anyone.

Just like an athlete, we are tested by obstacles and resistance and by the absence of each. Finances, health, family, and purity are all areas of our lives that place our will against our “wants.” Sometimes these cause us great physical, mental, and spiritual suffering. And sometimes, the reactions we should have must come faster than we can consider them. We may speak before we think. So, it’s important to train ourselves to ensure that we don’t regret what we say. We must have trained ourselves to be ready to speak Jesus instantly.

Often, our opportunities are only a hair’s breadth¹ from passing. Without training, without muscle memory, we may fail God’s test.

Good News

Here is the good news.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” – Hebrews 4:15

Jesus understands “what makes us tick.” He can sympathize with us, and “Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.” I’d call that good news!

Image by Darrenconstant from Pixabay

Bummer Lamb

By Rock Excavation Service / 2 minutes of reading / Jesus, lamb, Mercy

This explanation of a “bummer lamb” has circulated throughout the Internet. It is too good to ignore, so here it is.

Every once in a while, a ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.

These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with its neck. Their spirit is broken.

These lambs are called “bummer lambs.” Unless the shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the shepherd does? He takes that rejected little one into his home, hand-feeds it, and keeps it warm by the fire. He will wrap it up with blankets and hold it to his chest so the bummer can hear his heartbeat. Once the lamb is strong enough, the shepherd will place it back in the field with the rest of the flock.

But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first?

That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows his voice intimately. It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more; it just knows intimately the one who loves it.

It’s not that it is loved more; it just believes it because it has experienced that love one on one.
So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.

We may be broken, but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.
Author Unknown
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Image by Ralph from Pixabay

Jesus, the First Fruit

By Rock Excavation Service / 2 minutes of reading / fruit, Jesus

Today is Good Friday. If we have received Jesus, then today we celebrate the work Jesus accomplished through the cross – His death and burial. By these, we received forgiveness for our sins, reconciliation with God, and restoration to God’s original desire: we are children of God.

Now we anticipate our rejoicing on Sunday, the day Jesus rose from His grave and became the first resurrected man.

The First Fruit

But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died. So you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life.
1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (New Living Translation)

There have been many people that God raised from the dead. Just in the Gospels, we find “The widow of Nain’s son¹,” “Jairus’ daughter²,” “Lazarus of Bethany³,” “Tabitha⁴,” “Eutychus⁵,” and, of course, Jesus⁶. However, Jesus did not just return to life as the others did. Jesus was the first “fruit” of the resurrection⁷.

Everyone that came back to life died again, but not Jesus; Jesus was resurrected by God (Acts 2:24). This act by God was a certification that Christ Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted. And, since Jesus never sinned, His dead body did not experience “corruption” – decay.

Resurrection Is Unique

Resurrection, for us, is the act by God of allowing the death of a person’s physical body, the body we inherited from Adam. And then that person being raised in a glorified body, one that will never die, will always be filled by the Holy Spirit and be acceptable to enter heaven. Our resurrected body will be:

(1) Glorified, acceptable to be in the presence of God in heaven⁸.
(2) Incorruptible and powerful⁹
(3) Similar to the glorified body of Jesus¹⁰
(4) Immortal¹¹

Good News

“20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” 1 Corinthians 15:20

Image by TC Perch from Pixabay

Pssst 🎧 I’ve Got a Secret for You

By Rock Excavation Service / 3 minutes of reading / Jesus, Secret, Unloved

Many years ago, there used to be a TV show called “I’ve Got a Secret.” The point of the show was to find out if four people could ask a famous person the right questions to guess what that person’s job was.

The show had four semi-famous panelists (people) that wore blindfolds. Each week a famous or well-known person would be on the show. The host, Garry Moore, officiated in a light-hearted way to ensure the game was properly played.

The show was a hit, running from 1952 until 1967. And for most of my life, it required me to know every aspect of the show because nearly every new person I met would ask me if I knew about the show. You see, my name is also Gary Moore, and I’ve got a secret.

The Secret

I’ll share my secret with you only if you share it with someone else. I am weary from what I know remaining a secret. So here it is: No one has ever been unloved; this includes you.

You may roll your eyes and think that I’m espousing some threadbare idiom. I assure you that I am not. My secret is that this love is real love, and it is unbroken love, and it continues to this day. Remember that time when you felt completely alone and cried your eyes out? You weren’t alone, and those tears have been kept out of compassion for you. This is true.

If you’ve ever believed anything, believe that Jesus has never taken His eyes off of you. To Jesus, you have always been like a newborn baby – beautiful, full of potential, and you have your Father’s eyes. Jesus even keeps a baby book where he memorializes the ‘firsts’ of your life.

The Truth

Do you think I’m disingenuous?

“You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8

This verse is not just some poetic line; it is factually true. As Paul wrote, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.” (Ephesians 3:18

I have a second secret. The door to be in an eternal, loving relationship with God is Jesus. He is the way to love God back. Jesus is the truth that affirms this opportunity. And surprisingly, Jesus is life. He has the power to not just make you better but to give you eternal life so that you will never be separated from God’s love.

Good News

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.” Ephesians 3:18

You have never been unloved. You have never been discarded. You have never been unseen. God has always loved you. That is my secret. I hope you share this good news with your friends and family.

CBS Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Jesus

The Commands of Christ – A Book of Joy

Love God and People

Jesus Also Gave Us Specific Commands

It’s Like a Car

Christ’s Commands Give Us Joy

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The Blues

We Must Not Be Cosmopolitan

Good News

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Wired to Notice

Searching Takes Effort

Seeing Clearly

Good News

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Look After Each Other.

Real Faith Produces Real Actions.

What Are Good Deeds?

Don’t Come Empty Handed.

Our Calling

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The Firsts of Jesus

You and Me’s

Good News

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Good News

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The First Fruit

Resurrection Is Unique

Good News

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The Secret

The Truth

Good News

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