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Not the God of Almost

By / 2 minutes of reading / , , ,

Today, as I prayed for a Christian brother and friend, the Holy Spirit reminded me that God is not the God of “almost.”

Job didn’t almost survive the devil’s attacks, Noah didn’t almost survive the flood, and Elijah didn’t almost survive an assassination attempt on his life. God didn’t almost save Isaac from being sacrificed; God didn’t almost deliver the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from the Egyptians. Need I go on? The Israelites didn’t almost make it out of the desert, David didn’t almost kill Goliath, Solomon didn’t almost complete the Temple in Jerusalem. Elizabeth didn’t almost become pregnant with John the Baptist, and Mary did not almost become pregnant by the Holy Spirit. God is not the god of almost.

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 1:6 ESV

Our God, the One True God, always finishes what He starts. Think about this: God has never been surprised. He has never learned something new. God has never hoped for anything, needed anything, or been late for anything. He is God. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)

God’s Word applies human characteristics to God, but those are just anthropomorphic ideas, something that helps us gain some slight insight into the majesty of God.

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.”

1 Chronicles 29:11

God answers small prayers, but He desires us to pray big prayers. Don’t ask for the money to help build a church in Peru; pray that He will send you to help build the church. Don’t ask for the strength to mow your lawn and your church’s lawn. Pray that God will give you opportunities to mow your church’s property and the lawns of all the widows in your church. As Caleb asked Joshua, “Give me this mountain,” so we should ask God for the big mountains we face.

Motorcycle Chopper Honda Bicycle Bike Honda Rebel

As Slow as a Honda 360

By / 3 minutes of reading / , ,

Facebook tags: #Biblestudy #christianposts #devotional

I rode motorcycles for decades when I was younger. I owned my fair share of motorcycles; Hondas, a Chopper, a Suzuki, and so forth. When I first started riding, I had a Honda 360 cc, a small, low-power cycle. In those days, I didn’t appreciate the value of power, that is, until I rode with a friend that had a Honda 750 cc.

The first time we rode together, we started on back roads. They had lots of turns, so I could mostly keep up with him. Then we got on an Interstate, and he passed me like I’d parked my bike. He became a dot on the horizon while I coaxed my cycle to gain enough speed not to be run over. When it comes to cycles, acceleration, and speed are essential commodities.

As I was reading my Bible today, I came to Psalms 124. When I read verse seven, my memory returned to my Honda 360. Here are verses seven and eight.

7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 124:7-8

A “fowler” is a person that sets traps to capture birds. During Biblical times, birds were trapped to be eaten or sold as food. Pity the poor bird that happens to walk under the snare of a fowler. But we have good news! Jesus, maker of heaven and earth, will break the snare that captures us if we ask. Like a good motorcycle, Jesus can get us out of a trap in a New York minute. Praise God!

Believers can be compared to birds captured by fowlers. In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Even when we are listening to the Holy Spirit within us, we still find times when we wander into a place that seems safe, only to discover it is a trap of the enemy. The enemy thinks that he’s got us, but he’s trapped someone that belongs to Jesus. His glee will be short-lived because we have the Holy Spirit’s power.

Today’s passage of Scripture tells us God’s promise and bolsters our faith. Our help is in the name of the Lord. He breaks the snare and sets us free. God will leave that enemy so far behind it will look like he’s riding a Honda 360 cc!

Image by Ralphs_Fotos from Pixabay

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P.S. God desires a full banquet. From what I understand, He is holding off His judgment so that many will be blessed with reconciliation, regeneration, and resurrection (Mark 10:45). We are invited. Every person that has ever lived is invited into God’s kingdom. If they accept God’s invitation, put on their banqueting clothes (i.e. the white linen of salvation given by grace through faith in Jesus), and come, then they are welcome. We, as ambassadors of Jesus, go out into the highways and byways of this world to deliver God’s invitation.

Those that accept God’s invitation are brought into the Church, the Bride of Christ, to prepare them, to get them dressed for the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:6-9). We see this in Christ’s parable of the Great Banquet, found in Luke 14:23 (NIV), “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full…” I pray that I find you there when we enter Christ’s banquet!

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