Matt. 4:2–Jesus Was Hungry

Matthew 4:2–"And after fasting forty days and forty nights, and He was hungry."

Talk about the understatement of understatements: He was hungry.  I can barely make it past lunch before I'm starving.  Jesus goes forty days and forty nights.  And then, it says, He was hungry.  It is at this point in the story, when Jesus is exhausted and hungry that Satan comes to tempt Him.

You see, Jesus was like us.  He got tired like us, He got thirsty like us, and He got hungry like us.  But unlike us, He never sinned in His exhaustion, never strayed in His thirst, and never let His stomach distract from His devotion.

Jesus is our example.  Let us try to be like Him when we're hungry!

John 14:6–Except Through Jesus...

John 14:6–"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."

This is a pretty bold statement for Jesus to make.  He is making an absolute statement.  It is unequivocal, unambiguous–there's no mistaking what Jesus means.  He is stating a theological proposition, that the only way to God is through Him.  Quite a statement.

There are really only three ways to consider this statement.  Either Jesus is out of His mind.  Or He's an absolute liar.  Or He is telling the truth.

So what do you think?

1 John 3:2–To See Him As He Is

1 John 3:2–"Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is."

O how I long for this day, when all things will be made right and true as we are brought into the divine presence so that we might see Him as He truly is!  In truth, the very essence of our hope as Christians depends upon Christ and His identity.  It is as we see Him that we are brought to Him.  In my own life, I can attest that my story of faith has always been entirely dependent upon catching a vision of the Lord as He is.  I can then not think of anything greater than the promise to see God as He is!  What a beautiful day that will be!

Zech. 14:9–The Lord Will Be King

Zechariah 14:9–"And the Lord will be King over all the earth.  On that day the Lord will be one and His name one."

The promises of God are certain.  The promises of God are sure.  This is one of those promises, that God will be King over all the earth.  He is the One.  This is it, everything.  As Christians, the totality eternal hope depends upon the fact that God is faithful to fulfill all that He has promised through His Son, Christ Jesus.

In the end, perhaps the only appropriate response to this verse is a loud and resounding AMEN!

Psalm 138:8–The Lord Will Fulfill

Psalm 138:8–"The Lord will fulfill His purpose for me; Your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of Your hands."

This is an honest prayer, a sincere prayer.  It is a prayer that I hold to and that all should.  But while it is a nice sentiment to hold, it is another thing entirely to live our lives dependent upon the faithfulness of God, resting our confidence in the assurance that He fulfills His purposes.  But that is what this verse is all about: living a life of obedient trust in the faithfulness of God to fulfill His promises.

As we embark on another week of life in this crazy world, let us take some time to ascent to the promises God has made to us, and to actively trust that He will fulfill them.

Eph. 4:1–Walk in a Manner Worthy

Ephesians 4:1–"I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called..."

The key to this verse is "walk in a manner worthy of the calling."  There is a lifestyle specific to the Christian, a lifestyle of love and compassion with no end nor prejudice.  This is the only life worthy of the calling of Christ, worthy of what Christ did upon the cross.  If only we would strive harder to commit ourselves to live this way.

Only by the grace of God...

Heb. 10:23–Unswerving Hold

Hebrews 10:23–"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful."

I have swerved–more than once.  But praise be to God or He is unswervingly faithful.  It is for this very reason that I am so compelled by this verse.  To 'hold unswervingly' that is the ultimate task, the utmost purpose for anyone of us.  But what does it mean?  How do we do this?

The answer to this occurs uniquely to each individual, but the essence of it is a posture, a focus in which we order our entire lives around the glory of God.

Not an easy task, to be sure.

But praise be to God!  For He who promises is surely faithful to complete that which He has promised!