Christmas Day, December 25

first posted 12/24/03

Micah 4:1-5; 5:2-4  God’s promise
1 John 4:7-16   God’s Love
John 3:31-36   Jesus’ authority

The worship of the Lord will be established as the highest of mountains; many nations and people shall come to worship him. The Lord will judge the nations. He will establish lasting peace among nations. “…they will sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and none shall make them afraid…” (Micah 4:4). From Bethlehem… shall come forth for me (God) one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 4:2) “…when she who is in travail has brought forth…” (Micah 4:3b). [“…then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel” (Micah 5: 3)]. “And he (Messiah) shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he will be great to the ends of the earth.” (Micah 4:4).

“…Let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love” (1 John 4:7) God manifested his love by sending his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. God sent his Son, not because we loved God, but because he loved us, so that our sins might be forgiven. Since God loved us unconditionally, we should love others the same way. No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, others will know, and we can be assured, that God abides in us and will bring us to spiritual maturity. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our assurance that we are in Christ and he in us. Those who have a personal relationship with Jesus through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit know and testify that God the Father has sent his Son as Savior of the world. We believe and experience the love God has for us through Jesus. “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God and God abides in him” (1 John 4:16).

He who comes from above (heaven; i.e. Jesus) is above all. Mortal humans are of the earth, and their understanding and knowledge are limited. Jesus, who alone has seen and knows God, came to bear witness to the truth and wisdom of God’s word. Many refuse to heed Jesus’ testimony, but those who have received Jesus’ testimony bear witness that God is true. Jesus, whom God sent, speaks the word of God  (John 3:34a). God hasn’t given Jesus just a small portion of his Spirit; God has put all things under Jesus’ authority. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him” (John 3:36).

God has fulfilled his promise to send his Son, as an infant born in Bethlehem, exactly as he said. Jesus brethren (Micah 5:3) are those who have believed in him and have become children of God (by adoption, in the waters of Baptism, through faith in Jesus. It is they who have become God’s people, the new "people of Israel".

God loved us and gave his only begotten (conceived by the Holy Spirit; passing on the very nature of God in procreation, as opposed to adoption) Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins as a free gift; not requiring anything as a condition but that we accept it. If we receive God’s gift, we will know that he loves us; and we will love others as he loves us. If we love others, others will know that we know the Lord, and we can be certain that we are in him and he is in us. Jesus said, “ He who has my  commands and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest (reveal) myself to him” (John 14:21).

Jesus is God in human flesh. He was born of a woman, but he was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. “…in him, the whole fullness of deity (God) dwells bodily…” (Colossians 2:9). “No one knows the Father but the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27c). Jesus said “All things have been delivered unto me by my Father” (Matthew 11:27a); “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given unto me” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus speaks the word of God (John 3:34a). God is true (John 3:33).

Jesus is God’s gift of love to you. Have you received Jesus? Do you know for certain that you are in him and he is in you? Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

December 26

first posted 12/25/03

Wisdom 4:7-15 (apocrypha) The good (sometimes) die young      
2 Chronicles 24:17-22   The stoning of Zechariah
Acts 6:1-7   Appointment of the seven deacons
Acts 7:59-8:8   Stoning of Stephen and martyrdom

The life of the righteous may be cut short by death, but he will be at rest. Honor does not reside in long life or number of years; wisdom is worthy of veneration, and an unstained life is better than old age. He who loves and pleases God is better taken to heaven early, lest the wickedness and deceit around him should have time to corrupt him. Temptation obscures truth, and lust undermines the unwise. The Lord hastened to take away from among the wicked him whose soul pleased the Lord. The people saw but did not understand that God’s “grace and mercy are with his saints, and that he hath respect unto (honors) his chosen” (Wisdom 4:15).

After the high priest Jehoiada died, during the reign of Joash, King of Judah, the princes of Judah forsook the house of the Lord and took up idolatry. The Lord sent prophets among them to call them back to the Lord, but they would not give heed.  Then Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada, was filled with the Holy Spirit and rebuked the people, saying “Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has forsaken you” (2 Chronicles 24:20). “But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 24:21). “Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying he said ‘May the Lord see and avenge’” (2 Chronicles 24:22).

In the early days of the Christian church, before persecution arose, the church was growing rapidly, and they were living a communal lifestyle (see Acts 2:44-47).The Helenists [Greek-speaking Jews; the Hebrews (Acts 6:1) probably spoke Aramaic] felt that they were being neglected in the daily distribution of food and perhaps other resources.  Therefore the Twelve “apostles” (the 11 original disciples of Jesus plus Mathias, who replaced Judas; see Acts 1:15-26) delegated the duties of distribution to a group of seven, traditionally regarded as the first deacons. T

hey chose Stephen, “a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit”, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a Gentile who had converted to Judaism prior to becoming a Christian) (the names are Greek; Acts 6:5). These were commissioned for this work by prayer and the laying-on of hands by the Apostles. [“And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8) in addition to serving tables, and also taught (Acts 6:9-10), and he preached before the Jewish council (Sanhedrin), (which led to his stoning; Acts 7:1-53).]

Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin, the “council”, the chief court of the Jews, on false charges that he prophesied against the Temple (as Jesus also had been charged). Stephen preached the Gospel, in response, and his hearers were so enraged by what he said that they dragged him out of the city and stoned him to death (Acts 7:58). The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of Saul (of Tarsus, who became the apostle Paul), who agreed that Stephen should be killed (Acts 8:1).

As Stephen died, he forgave his executioners [as Jesus had forgiven his (Luke 23:34)]. That day marked the beginning of a great persecution against the Church in Jerusalem, and believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Saul became a leading persecutor of Christians.

The dispersal brought about by the persecution led to the spread of the Gospel to the surrounding area, including Samaria, which was inhabited by a mixed remnant of the northern kingdom interbred with non-Jews introduced following the fall of the northern kingdom to Babylon. Philip, the deacon appointed along with Stephen, preached the Gospel in Samaria and many gave heed to his preaching which was accompanied by healing miracles.  

The passage from the book of the Wisdom of Solomon (a non-canonical book included in the apocrypha, as found in Catholic Bibles), offers an explanation for why God allows the righteous to die young. It emphasizes that righteousness and a personal knowledge of the Lord is more important that long life. It expresses the faith that God will rectify injustice; that in his mercy and grace he will bless those who trust in him, and that there is hope beyond this present world.  

After Jehoiada, the high priest, died, King Joash of Judah was influenced by his counselors to stray from the worship of the Lord and into idolatry. The Lord sent prophets to call the people to repent and return to the Lord, but the people wouldn’t listen to the prophets of the Lord. Then Zechariah, the son of Jehoiada the high priest, was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of the Lord.

The rebuke from Zechariah made the people so angry that they stoned him to death. Joash ordered Zechariah’s death, although Jehoiada, Zechariah’s father had done much kindness to Joash. As Zechariah was dying he said “May the Lord see and avenge” (2 Chronicles 24:22b). [The Lord did see, and he will avenge: see Luke 11:51.]

Stephen was the first martyr for the Gospel. Stephen was an exemplary disciple of Jesus: He was a servant (see Luke 22:27), teacher and preacher, “full of faith and the Holy Spirit” (Acts 7:5). He was obedient to Jesus’ ways.  He was, like Jesus, falsely accused of preaching against the Temple, and like Jesus he forgave his executioners.  Although his life was cut short, it was not in vain; he had a profound impact, even to this day, and he had the assurance of eternal life in heaven with God (Acts 7:55-56). God’s “grace and mercy are with his saints, and…he (God) honors his chosen” (Wisdom 4:15).

Don’t expect the world to honor and reward faith and obedience to Jesus. Jesus said, “for what does it profit (a person) to gain the whole world and forfeit his (eternal) life?” (Mark 8:36). Joash unjustly repaid the faithful service of Jehoiada the high priest by killing Jehoiada’s son Zechariah for speaking the truth. Believers have a faithful and just King who remembers and rewards faithfulness justly. 

Trust in Jesus and walk in his ways. The Lord sees and he will avenge the persecution of his saints. The Lord is merciful to forgive all who repent and turn to him in true faith [like Saul, the persecutor of the church, for example, who became Saint Paul the Apostle; see Acts 9:1-22]. The Lord is able and desires to honor obedient faith in Jesus with eternal life in heaven.  

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

December 27

 first posted 12/26/03

Proverbs 8:22-30   Wisdom; first of God’s creations
1 John 5:1-12   Victorious faith
John 13:20-35   The commandment of love

Wisdom was the first of God’s creations; the ‘first-born of all creation” through whom “all things were made” (and is equated with Jesus in Colossians 1:15-16 & John 1:1-3).  Wisdom is an attribute of God. God created all things by his word; God’s word is wisdom.  In Jesus, God’s “Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). God’s wisdom in Christ Jesus is the living “force” or “bond” built into creation ”by which all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17).

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God” (1 John 5:1). Those who love the parent love the child. If we love God we will obey his commandments (see John 14:21), and we will love his children also. God’s commandments are not burdensome. Whoever is born of God overcomes the world, and it is faith in Jesus which gives us the victory. Jesus comes by water (baptism) and by blood (the Cross; the elements of the Eucharist, i.e. “communion”). “The Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth” (1 John 5:7).  The three witnesses, Spirit, water, and blood agree.

“If we believe the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son” (1 John 5:9).  He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself [He who believes will be baptized, will receive the elements of the “sacrament of the altar” (i.e. bread and wine of “communion”) and will have a personal experience of fellowship with the Lord by the indwelling Holy Spirit, which is the assurance and guarantee of our hope (1 John 5:10a)]. “He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life” (1 John 5:10b-11).

At the last supper immediately before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus declared that anyone who receives one whom Jesus has sent, receives Jesus, and that anyone who receives Jesus receives God the Father also. Jesus then revealed that one of the twelve would betray him. Jesus loved the betrayer and continued to be kind to him, even though Jesus knew what Judas was going to do. Jesus said to Judas, “What you are going to do, do quickly” (John 13:27).

Judas still had a choice at that point. Judas got up and left and left the light of the presence of Jesus and stepped into spiritual as well as physical darkness (John 13:30). When Judas had left, Jesus said “now is the Son of man glorified, and in him God is glorified” (John 13: 31). By Judas’ betrayal, God’s Love through Jesus would be revealed.  Jesus tried again to prepare his disciples for his death, and gave them the commandment to love one another as Jesus had loved them, saying that by their love for one another, all would know that they were Jesus’ disciples.

Jesus is God’s wisdom. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to God except through faith in Jesus (John 14:6). Jesus is the Victory which overcomes the world. Jesus is God’s Love, poured out and made visible for us on the Cross. Do you know Jesus?

December 28

first posted 12/27/04

Isaiah 49:13-23,     Return and restoration
Isaiah 54:1-13,     Song of assurance
Matthew 18:1-14     Humility and forgiveness

Rejoice, for the Lord will comfort his people. Israel feels as though the Lord has forsaken her, but the Lord’s love is greater than a mother’s for her child. Zion will be rebuilt and will be greater than it was before. Israel will be repopulated by those born in exile. Although Israel felt bereaved and abandoned, children born during the exile will fill the land. The Lord will give a signal and Israel’s restoration will begin; the exiles will return bringing their children with them. Those who oppressed Israel will become their servants and be humbled before them. All will acknowledge that God is sovereign; those who wait for him will not be put to shame.

Although Israel feels abandoned and barren in exile, the Lord will bless and restore them. They will multiply and fill the land and repopulate the cities. Their former sins and exile will be forgotten. The Lord is like a husband to Israel, and is her redeemer. Although Israel feels like an abandoned wife, the Lord will not abandon her. The Lord will re-gather Israel with great compassion.  As in the days of Noah when God promised that he would never again destroy the earth by a flood, the Lord promises not to be angry and rebuke Israel. Though the earth may pass away, God’s steadfast love will not depart, and his covenant of peace is everlasting.  The Lord promises to restore them and prosper them. They will be established in righteousness, and they will no longer be oppressed or fearful.

Jesus’ disciples asked him who was greatest in the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus told them that unless they became like children they would never enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who are great in God’s kingdom are those who are humble, trusting and obedient like a small child. Those who receive a child (a disciple) in Jesus’ name receive Jesus. But whoever causes a child who believes in Jesus to sin will be liable to judgment worse than death. Temptations are part of life, but woe to those who cause temptations. If we had to disfigure or disable ourselves physically in order to resist temptation, we would be better off going to heaven physically disabled, than to go to eternal damnation physically perfect. Don’t despise the least significant disciple of Jesus, because they have God’s approval. God cares about each of his children.

These prophecies originated during Israel’s (Judah’s) Babylonian exile, just before the fall of Babylon and their eventual return to Israel.  The Lord promised to restore Israel to their land, and he fulfilled that promise.  The prophecies also apply to us today. Christians are the “New People of God;” the “New Israel.” We are in exile in “Babylon” during our earthly life, but God has promised to restore us to his eternal kingdom. The Church is the ‘bride” of Christ, and believers (disciples) are God’s children.

Apart from Jesus we are all citizens of “Babylon” because of sin, and destined to spend eternity in the “Babylon” of hell. When we become disciples of Jesus, we become God’s children, born in exile in the “Babylon” of this earth. Through Jesus we have forgiveness of sins. Through Jesus we have a covenant of peace with God.  Jesus is our redeemer who restores us to fellowship with God and through whom God promises to restore us to the “promised land” of his eternal kingdom. Believers are called to relate to God as children to their father; to trust and obey him and accept his discipline. The Lord has comforted his people in Jesus Christ.

The Lord has comforted his people and will have compassion on his afflicted. Zion (Jerusalem; God’s people; the Church) feels that the Lord has forgotten her, but the Lord can no more forget her than a mother can forget her suckling children. Even the mother might forget but the Lord won’t.  The Lord is so constantly aware of her that it is as if she were tattooed on his hand. The Lord will prosper Zion’s builders and thwart those who would tear her down. Her people will gather to her, adorning her like a bride with jewelry. Her once destroyed and desolate land will be filled to capacity with children born in the time of her exile, in her bereavement and barrenness. The Lord will signal the beginning of Israel’s restoration, and her sons and daughters shall return. Her oppressors shall be her servants “Then you will know that I am the Lord; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame” Isaiah 49:23c, d, RSV). The Lord will rescue the captives from the mightiest of tyrants; The Lord will contend with those who contend with his people, and will save Zion's children. The oppressors of God’s people will consume one another, and all people on earth will acknowledge Israel’s God.

Are you rejoicing in Jesus? Is Jesus your Savior, Redeemer and Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

first posted 12/28/03

2 Samuel 23:13-17b   Drink from the well of Bethlehem
2 John 1-13   Truth versus false teaching
John 2:1-11   Water into wine

When David fled from Saul he took refuge in the cave at Adullam (about ten miles west of Bethlehem). When his mighty men (an inner circle of David’s military leaders) heard David longing, in the stress of his situation in Adullam, to drink from the well at Bethlehem (David’s hometown), three of them undertook, at the risk of their lives, to fetch water from Bethlehem, although the territory was under the control of their Philistine enemies. When they brought the water to David, he would not drink it because of the great personal risk his men had taken on his behalf, and instead poured it out as an offering to the Lord.

The author of this letter, probably John, the apostle and evangelist (or his disciple), wrote to a church in Asia Minor urging them to hold to the true faith as they had been taught, rather than adding to it false teachings which were circulating. Anyone who denies the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh (that Jesus was not both fully God and fully man) is a deceiver. Believers are warned that those who show hospitality to false teachers are guilty of participating in their wicked work.

Soon after his baptism and at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus was a guest, with his mother, at a marriage at Cana in Galilee. When the host ran out of wine, Jesus’ mother told Jesus. Jesus replied that his self-disclosure would be at God’s direction, rather than in response to her. Jesus’ mother nevertheless, anticipating Jesus’ act, told the host’s servants to be ready to do whatever Jesus would tell them. Jesus told the servants to fill six jars, standing nearby, with water. When they had done so he told the servants to draw some and have the steward of the feast taste it. When the steward tasted the water which had become wine, he said to the bridegroom that most hosts serve the best wine first, and then serve the lesser quality, but this wine was better that what the host had served first. This was the first sign which Jesus did. (Jesus worked miracles, not to amaze, but as signs pointing to his glory, so that people would be able to recognize who he was.) This marked the beginning of his public ministry, “and his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11b).

Jesus is the living water which comes from Bethlehem. Jesus gave his life to bring it to us. Jesus is the one who turns the ordinary water of life into the wine which gives eternal life. Wine is the beverage of celebration; beverage imbued with Spirit;  symbol of Jesus’ blood shed as a sacrifice for our sins on the Cross; element of the Eucharistic feast through which we receive have “communion” with our Lord through a participation in his Holy Spirit.  The ultimate celebration will be at the “Marriage Feast of the Lamb”, when the church is united with our Lord in heaven (see Matthew 26:29). We would be well advised to read the entire Bible and study it on a regular daily basis so that we can hold fast to the true faith, and avoid the false teachings and heresies which are in circulation.  

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

December 30

first posted 12/29/03

1 Kings 17:17-24  The widow of Zarapath’s son
3 John 1-15    Hospitality to brethren  
John 4:46-54   Healing the Gentile official’s son.

While Elijah was staying with the widow of Zarapath during a famine, the widow’s son became ill and died. The widow blamed Elijah, but Elijah took the child up to Elijah’s own room and prayed that the Lord would restore the life of the child, and the child revived. Elijah took him downstairs and returned him to his mother, and the woman believed that Elijah was a prophet of God.

The third letter of John, the elder (leader; bishop), was probably written by the Apostle John (or by one of his disciples), to Gaius, a respected member of a congregation, who had provided hospitality for a traveling missionary. The Elder commended Gaius for his service and advocated the support of fellow workers in the ministry of the Gospel. Apparently the local leader in the congregation, Diotrephes, who did not acknowledge the Elder’s authority (3 John 9), was speaking against the Elder, refusing to welcome emissaries from him, and putting out of the church those who did (3 John 10). The Elder said that all should imitate (copy) good, rather than evil, and that a person’s nature will be revealed by his actions. (The Demetrius who is referenced is possibly the bearer of the letter.)

The second sign (miracle) of Jesus’ ministry, as recorded by John, was the healing of the son of a Gentile military officer from Capernaum. When the officer heard that Jesus was in the neighborhood, he sought Jesus out, and begged him to come and heal his son. Jesus replied that people demand signs before they are willing to believe (John 4:48), but the officer's reply indicated that his concern was only that his child be healed (John 4:49).  Jesus said, “Go; your son will live” (John 4:50) and the officer believed Jesus’ word and went his way (and didn’t even return directly home to check). The next day his servants found the officer and gave him the news that his son was well. The officer asked them the time that the son had begun to get better, and when they told him, he knew that it was at the time that Jesus had told him his son would live (John 4:53). That realization caused the officer to believe in Jesus more deeply than merely that Jesus would heal his son; and his household also believed.

The widow of Zarapath had extended hospitality to Elijah, a stranger to her, during a famine, on his word that the Lord would provide their food (1 Kings 17:13-14). In fulfillment of the promise, the food did not run out; but when her son died, she blamed Elijah. Elijah prayed and asked God to restore the child and the child was revived. When the woman saw her son restored to life she believed deeply that Elijah was a man of God and that he spoke the words of God (1Kings 17:24). She trusted in Elijah’s words and took him in as a guest; she saw his works and became fully convinced and committed.

Gaius was commended for showing hospitality to messengers of the Gospel (in contrast to the admonition to not show hospitality to those who teach false doctrine. See 2 John 10). Diotrephes was rebuked for behavior which was not consistent with the Gospel or his position as a leader of the congregation. The Elder said that we can tell the difference between the two by observing what they do [and from knowledge of the Gospel (“truth itself;” 3 John 12b)].

The Gentile officer had heard about Jesus. He lived not far from Cana where Jesus had turned water into wine. When his son got ill, he sought Jesus out, believing that Jesus could heal his son. He was not demanding proof in order to believe; he was seeking healing for his son. He trusted in Jesus word, without having seen proof. As a result, his son was healed, and his faith was strengthened and increased.

Those who trust in Jesus, who trust his words and invite him into their lives, will come to know that he is who he claims to be (John 6:68-69). Their lives will be blessed through him. Their “mustard seed” of faith (Matthew 13:31-32 and 17:20), their childlike trust in his word (Luke 18:17), will grow to spiritual maturity; to totally committed and convinced knowledge based on personal experience. For those who demand proof in order to believe there is none (see 1 Corinthians 1:22-23). For those who trust in God’s word there is abundant proof.

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?

December 31

first posted 12/30/03

1 Kings 3:5-14   Solomon’s prayer for understanding
James 4:13-17; 5:7-11   The future is in God’s hands  
John 5:1-15  Healing a lame man on the Sabbath

After the death of David, his son Solomon became king. In a dream, the Lord asked Solomon what he wanted from the Lord, and Solomon asked for wisdom and understanding. The Lord commended him for asking unselfishly for gifts which would help him to fulfill his calling well and faithfully, rather than for selfish desires for wealth and fame. As a result God granted Solomon what he had asked for and what he had not asked for, wealth and honor, as well. Solomon’s wealth and wisdom became legendary and he is one of the most famous people of all time.

The letter’s author rebukes those who plan their future without regard to God’s will. They fail to recognize that they live by God’s mercy and forbearance. They don’t acknowledge that their abilities are gifts from God. The pursuit of material things is futile. We should be seeking and waiting for the coming of the Lord with patience, cheerfulness and steadfastness.  Like the farmer we must wait patiently until the harvest is ripe. We should remember that he who will judge all the earth is at the very door, so we should be careful to be doing what is right. We should remember the examples from scripture which show that the Lord rewards those who are steadfast in faith.

At a pool in Jerusalem where the sick came to seek healing, Jesus saw a man who had been waiting for healing there for thirty eight years. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed. He answered with an explanation of why he had not yet been healed. Jesus told him to rise, take up his pallet and walk, and the man did so and was healed. Since it was the Sabbath, the Jews (religious authorities) rebuked the man for breaking the Sabbath Laws by carrying his pallet. He answered them by explaining that the man who had healed him had told him to do so. They asked him who this was who had healed him, but he did not know, for Jesus had withdrawn. Afterward Jesus found him in the Temple, and told him to sin no more, that nothing worse befall him. “The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him” (John 5:15).

Solomon sought righteousness, rather than worldly goals. He sought what would be pleasing to God and in accordance with God’s will. He sought what would build up God’s kingdom rather than his own. God rewarded not only with what he asked for and needed in order to fulfill his calling, but abundant material blessings as well. Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:33). If we seek material security first, we’ll never get around to seeking God’s kingdom.

The author of James rebukes those who seek their own selfish worldly goals with no thought for God’s will, many even refusing to acknowledge his existence.  Jesus is going to return to judge everyone on earth, living and dead. Those who have trusted in Jesus will receive eternal life. Those who have rejected Jesus will receive eternal death and destruction with all material things. All the worldly things that people have pursued will be destroyed.  The wise thing to do is to prepare for Jesus return.

The sick man had been sitting by the pool for a long time, trying to get healing for himself, following worldly wisdom about how to get healing. Jesus said to him “Do you want to be healed?” Healing wasn’t going to happen as long as the man kept on lying there by that pool. He had been confronted by Jesus, and the way to be healed was to believe Jesus’ words and obey them. As he began to obey Jesus’ words he was healed. Later, Jesus revealed himself to the man in the Temple, and the man came to a fuller knowledge of Jesus.

Jesus is the only one who can heal us. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23; 1 John 1:8-10). The penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23). God loves us and doesn’t want us to perish (John 3:16; Romans 5:8). Jesus is God’s only provision for our salvation (Acts 4:12, John 14:6). Salvation is a free gift; it can’t be earned or bought, or taken by cunning, deception or force (Ephesians 2:8-9). We must receive it (John 1:12), by opening our heart and asking Jesus in (Revelation 3:20). If we have truly received Jesus as our Lord and savior we will do what he commands, and he will manifest (reveal) himself to us (John 14:21). Those who have received Jesus have eternal life; those who have not received Jesus have not life (1 John 5:11-13). This New Year, are we seeking God’s will and God’s Kingdom, or are we pursuing our own wealth and position? Will we continue to try to heal ourselves according to the worldly remedies, or will we rise and follow Jesus?

Is Jesus your Lord? Are you Jesus’ disciple? Are you trusting and obeying Jesus? Have you received the indwelling Holy Spirit since you first truly believed (Acts 19:2)? Are you making disciples of Jesus Christ and teaching them to obey all that Jesus commands (Matthew 28:18-20)? Do you know with certainty where you will spend eternity (1 John 5:11-13; Ephesians 1:13-14)?