Open the Door!

 November 5, 2024

It’s possible to believe what the Bible says about salvation being in Jesus without actually taking that step and putting your trust in Jesus. James reminds us that even the demons believe in Jesus, but that doesn’t save them because they’ve missed one critical step. That step is found in Revelation 3:20.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” —Revelation 3:20 

That door is the door of your heart. Jesus stands there waiting, knocking. But he won’t turn the knob. He waits for us to take the initiative and open the door, inviting him in. If we do this, he will come in. That’s a promise! We don’t have to wonder. If we open the door, he will walk into our lives. But only if we open it. He’ll keep on knocking, but if we refuse to open the door, he’ll remain outside. So there is but one question: Will you open the door? If you already have, you can trust God’s promise that he is inside you. If not, you can trust his promise to come and give you life. It’s a deal we can’t beat.

What’s in a Name?

November 4, 2024

 Sometimes we use words so frequently that we don’t bother to ask ourselves what they mean. We assume we know when maybe we don’t. With Christian language, it can be that way with the words “believe in his name” as we find it in John 1:12—

“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” —John 1:12

In Bible times, names meant something. They described a characteristic or a hope. When Jesus called a man named Cephas to be his disciple, he renamed him Peter, “the Rock.” In the Old Testament, a woman learned that her husband was killed in battle and the ark of God had been captured. She went into labor pains, gave birth to a son and named him Ichabod, which means “the Glory has Departed.”

The name Jesus means “Savior.” Believing in Jesus’ name is when we recognize who Jesus is, and receive him as the One who is able to save us from our sins—all the ways we fall short of being the best that God intends us to be. It’s pretty simple, but supremely important.

A Name

 Sometimes we use words so frequently that we don’t bother to ask ourselves what they mean. We assume we know when maybe we don’t. With Christian language, it can be that way with the words “believe in his name” as we find it in John 1:12—

“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” —John 1:12

In Bible times, names meant something. They described a characteristic or a hope. When Jesus called a man named Cephas to be his disciple, he renamed him Peter, “the Rock.” In the Old Testament, a woman learned that her husband was killed in battle and the ark of God had been captured. She went into labor pains, gave birth to a son and named him Ichabod, which means “the Glory has Departed.”

The name Jesus means “Savior.” Believing in Jesus’ name is when we recognize who Jesus is, and receive him as the One who is able to save us from our sins—all the ways we fall short of being the best that God intends us to be. It’s pretty simple, but supremely important.

Your Rights

 November 2, 2024

I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my life; mostly unintentional, but sometimes from deliberate stubborn sinfulness, sometimes from simple stupidity. So what right do I have to claim to be a child of God? The answer is this: Absolutely none. I have no claim upon God; there is no way I could possibly put him in my debt. That’s why John’s words are so amazing:

“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” —John 1:12

Did you catch that? “The RIGHT to become children of God!” How can this be? Simply by believing in the name of Christ and as I mentioned the day before yesterday, receiving him. It’s all God’s doing, God’s gift. He gives me this right not because I deserve it or earned it, but because I put my trust in his love and grace, and believed the Gospel that tells me Jesus died on a cross in my place. Tomorrow, we’ll look at what John means by believing in “his name.” 

New Life Now

 November 1, 2024

Back to thinking about eternal life:

“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” —John 1:12

One mistake people often make when speaking of eternal life is to think of it only as a length of time instead of as a quality of life. To them, it’s all about heaven—what you get after you die, instead of a new way of life here and now. If you look at some Christians, you would never suspect that newness of life can be a present reality. Years ago, a friend told me that some Christians look like they were baptized in pickle juice. When we believe in Jesus enough to receive him and the fullness of life that’s found in him, it begins immediately upon repentance and faith. 

This is Good News! Sometimes when people look at Christians, they see people more obsessed with all the things we “shouldn’t do,” rather than the new life of freedom from the shackles of sin and the joy of living. Following Jesus is not all sunshine and roses; he warned us that there would be persecution and trouble. Nevertheless, the time to begin enjoying Christian living is now; don’t wait till you die.

Halloween

 October 31, 2024

Tonight I want to do honor to All Hallow’s Eve, otherwise known as Halloween. Unless you live under a rock, you know that this day generates all sorts of comments and responses from Christians. Is it Satanic as some say, or merely a night of mischief? I used to think the latter, but it does seem to get darker every year. But that’s not what’s on my mind. Here’s what I’m thinking:

Why do we have a holiday that celebrates the macabre, that honors the dark, ghoulish, and nightmarish things in life? Why are there so many costumes of witches, goblins, zombies and such? Have you ever heard of anyone wearing a costume of a saint? Why are Halloween movies such a bloody, gory wallowing in evil? Here’s what I think: We have no trouble imagining evil, but much difficulty imagining the good. Among other things, our imagination has been hijacked by sin. The Bible recognizes this almost from the beginning. Just before Noah’s flood we read,

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” —Genesis 6:5 

This theme is repeated throughout the Bible; fourteen times it reminds us that the imagination of our hearts is consistently evil. It is easier to imagine evil than good. But in Jesus Christ we are to have a new heart, as Ezekiel says:

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” —Ezekiel 36:26 

This Halloween, instead of taking the easy way out by imagining the dark, give your new heart in Christ freedom to imagine the breadth of his love, the glories of heaven, and the wonder of his salvation.

Jesus on a Shelf

 October 30, 2024

After re-reading yesterday’s musings, I realized that I was setting things up today asking a question I had answered the day before yesterday: “How do I make this eternal life my own?” I told you the story of Frankie and the Heinekens. If you want eternal life, you must take what it comes in, which is Jesus Christ.

John 1:12 addresses this issue directly: 

“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

It is one thing to be offered a gift; it’s quite another to receive it…to REALLY receive it. If you offered me a Christmas present, I have a choice: I can receive it or reject it. Since I’m not a complete social idiot, I would choose to take it from you with a thank you. But what if after taking it from your hands all I did was look at it and put it on a shelf? Did I really receive it?

A lot of people do that with Jesus. They want eternal life and know it is found in Jesus, but after praying a prayer or joining a church, they put Jesus on a shelf in their lives. They “received” him, but didn’t really receive him. He hasn’t become an integral part of their lives.

John Wesley called them “Almost Christians.”Don’t be an “Almost Christian.” Say Yes to him every day. Make sure he is at the heart of all you do, and you will discover that eternal life isn’t something to look forward to after you die; it’s a quality of life you can enjoy here and now.