Cities have walls and doors have locks because we are fragile beings in need of protection in a dark and deadly world. And though locks can be picked and walls torn down, “he who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” You can’t break into the house of someone stronger than yourself, and there is no one stronger than Jesus! It doesn’t matter what assails us or how many our foes; with Christ on our side, we will surely see our salvation. And there is nothing we can do to assist Him in His work of deliverance; to try would be like scooping bucketfulls of water from the Red Sea in hopes of parting it. No, we must simply trust and believe, and behold the salvation of our God. No weapon forged against Him shall stand; He who sits in the heavens laughs at the forces that rage in vain and plot against Him. Though ten thousand fall at our right side, we serve the one who will defeat the armies of evil with a word from His mouth like a two-edged sword. Therefore I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!”
Tag: Jesus
Jesus Knows Tomorrow Like It Was Yesterday
Life in this world would be easy but for one thing: we can’t see the future. Like those before us, we can interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but we have not the slightest apprehension of how to interpret the present time. None of us know what today or tomorrow will bring, so we fret. We pretend that our schemes and plans and endless worries can hold back evil and ruin. Indeed, my whole life is spent on the precipice of an impending future, not knowing whether I will continue on my earthly journey or fall, never to rise again. But Jesus knows. With Him, not only are a thousand years like a day, but each day is known to Him in every detail. Just as the hairs on my head are numbered, so are the minutes of my life. Let me approach the rest of this day—and the rest of my life–with confidence that Jesus knows it all, and is capable of delivering me from it all!
Jesus Authors Our Salvation
I have often attempted to act as the author of my own life and way, but all I have ever accomplished is to compose sin. And my compositions are not only damaging, they are also permanent: my sin “is written with a pen of iron; with a point of a diamond is it engraved on the tablet of [my] heart.” There is nothing I can do to erase my mistakes or re-write my errors. But Jesus is a different kind of author. He has engraved my name on the palms of His hands, and His blood has washed away even the most indelible of my sins. He has blotted my sins out of the record book and personally inscribed my name in the Book of Life. Well is He called the author and perfecter of our salvation! Lord, may the rest of my story bring honor and glory to Your name alone!
Jesus Prepares Heaven For Us—And Us For Heaven
Before Jesus ascended, He assured His disciples that He was going away “to prepare a place” for them, and for us. “In my Father’s house there are many rooms.” The Scriptures give us glimpses of what that heavenly abode will be like: streets of gold like transparent glass, the river of life where everything lives, the light of God’s own countenance filling every corner of creation with fullness of joy. But the best part of heaven is that Jesus Himself will be with us. “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” So, not only is He doing all the work of preparing heaven for us, He is also the one who will take us there. He will remove all our sins, wipe away all our tears, and make us fit to dwell with Him in otherwise unapproachable light. Heaven would destroy us if not for His loving transformation of our hearts and souls that is to come. May we lose our appetite for earthly mansions and dwell on Him!