The relationship between father and son is special, especially the first-born.  There can be closeness, affection, honor, love, admiration, protection and the list could continue to the end of time.  However, the opposite is true in some families.

The story of Abraham and Isaac shows the type of relationship God wants.  That relationship started with the Lord and Abraham.  Genesis 15, God revealed to Abram (as Abraham was first called) a promise:  ⁵“Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can.  That’s how many descendants you will have!”   ⁶And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  It was that faith that allowed Abraham to receive a covenant from the Lord God Almighty.

In Genesis 22, Abraham has his faith and righteousness tested.  The Lord asked Abraham to give his son back to Him as a blood sacrifice.  As they left their tents with the wood, fire and knife, Isaac asked his father where was the sacrificial lamb.  Abraham’s reply was “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son”.

For three days they traveled to the place the Lord had told them to go.  I am sure that during those three days, Abraham’s thoughts were confused.  This was his son whom he loved, the hope of the covenant between him and God.  Three days to consider his son as dead.  As the knife was about to fall, his hand was stopped and the sacrificial lamb was provided.  An angel from the God said to Abraham: ¹²“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” … “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.”   ¹⁸“And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

Our God does not ask for our sons as sacrifices, instead He gave us His only Son, whom He love and cherished.  God did not stop the “knife in hand” this time.  For three days He considered Him dead and then brought Him back.  Our Jesus became the blessing for all of mankind.

May the Lord bless you and protect you.  May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.  May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace. (NUM 6:24-26)

AMEN

Science says the most successful kids need five things from their parents. Can anyone guess what number one is? “They make sure Mom is happy” (t.ly/pX9X). Apparently, Mom’s happiness was twice as important as Dad’s when it came to the mental health issues in boys. When it came to girls “only their mother’s happiness was found to be linked to their mental health as teens”.

So, how do we make sure Moms are happy? It is very simple. Show them respect and love. Exodus 20:12 (ESV) “Honor your father and your mother” … Leviticus 19:3 (ESV) “Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father”.

Practically speaking, how do we show love and respect?

· Show that you care by asking her to share a story from her youth. For instance: “Mom, what did you like to do when you were my age”?

· Notice her emotions. I.e., “Mom, I can see you are frustrated (sad/happy/stressed). “Is there anything I can do”?

· Checking in. Send a quick text. I.e., “Just checking in”.

· Make it right. i.e., “Mom, I am so sorry – please forgive me”.

Friend, do you still have a Mom? Then follow Solomon’s advice: “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her” (Pro.31:28, ESV).

Ever since the fall of humankind, our relationship with work has been cursed, “Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:17–19, NASB). Originally, God gave humans the task of working in a garden, where exhausting labor was unnecessary. Thus, work was a God-given duty and lacked the frustration and weariness that characterizes work after the fall. Yet, God gives us rest. God gave Israel the sabbath as a blessing so that they would not work on the seventh day. Jesus even said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt 11:28).

Even today with all our machinery and modern conveniences, many are unable to enjoy God’s blessing of rest. We have become workaholics, and often by our own choice. It may be that we enjoy work too much because it gives us purpose. If this is the case, we need to find our purpose in Christ so that when we work, we work and find enjoyment in him; when we rest, we will rest and find enjoyment in him. Perhaps it is because we want to get ahead and put in more hours to build more financial security. If this is the case, we should heed the words of the psalmist, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Ps 127:1–2, ESV).

I have already written an article on this topic, but this time I am writing this for myself. I am in the middle of studying for finals and have neglected many things due to studying nearly every waking moment of the day. I will concede to myself and others that there are seasons in life where we will be busier and work more. Yet we need these reminders from Scripture that tells us to stop and find rest in the Lord and know that he gives sleep to his beloved.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15

Several years ago, I dislocated my ankle and fractured my leg.  I had surgery to properly reset the ankle and the fractured bone.  Following surgery, I went through an extensive physical therapy program. 

Physical therapy provides a great metaphor for learning new things, obtaining new skills, or accomplishing many goals.  In simple terms, we get out of it what we put into it.  The ways that it is effective include:

· It’s self-produced.  We may work with a therapist, but the work is done by us, not to us.

· It’s gradual. We don’t get better after only one session.  “Line upon line, precept upon precept.”

· It requires our own effort to create the change we seek.

· It’s simple.  There’s no magic elixir, just directed, persistent effort.

· It takes effort. There’s no easy answer.

What are you trying to accomplish?  What do you want to learn? What skills do you wish to obtain? Would you like to learn more about the Bible? What about conducting a Bible study? Would you like to learn to teach a class?

There’s no better time to start than today.  It only takes a day to begin to change. Why waste it? “Precept upon precept…line upon line, here a little, there a little” Isaiah 28:13. Now it’s up to you to decide what it is you want to accomplish!

Success and power often inflate our ego. When we become the best in an area of life, we feel a sense of self-importance that can quickly grow unhealthy. If you become the wealthiest person in the world, you may think that you are better than others. Even worse, you may feel like you are not subject to the same rules as the rest of society. Society, you think, should look up to you and revere you because of your preeminence. You think to yourself, “I worked hard. I made myself what I am. I am completely self-reliant. I am great.”

Thankfulness is one of the best cures for this malignant disposition. When we are thankful, we acknowledge our dependence on others. This helps us recognize that we are not self-made. First, we must be thankful to God. God gives us the ability to become great. He gives us the opportunities to excel that others did not have. He is the one who exalts us and humbles us. Without God, we are not even able to exist. We are completely dependent upon him.

Secondly, we must be thankful to those under us in life’s hierarchies. Without the current system in which we live, we would not have been able to attain our success. I could not have good health if it were not for the system that allows me to have an abundance of healthy foods always at my disposal. I could not learn near as efficiently if it were not for the technologies and institutions at my disposal, such as computers, books, libraries, and schools.

Third, we should show gratitude to others who were or are above us in life’s hierarchies. We stand on the backs of giants. When we were babies, we were completely dependent upon our parents or guardians. I would not be pursuing my PhD if it were not for Dr. Justin Rogers at FHU, who gave me many opportunities and wrote a letter of recommendation. Third, we must be thankful to those under us in life’s hierarchies. Without good managers, a good CEO cannot run a company. Without good employees, a good manager cannot be successful. Without the service industry, in general, we would not be near as efficient or successful. We would be swimming in trash if it were not for the garbage service our cities provide.

Every day we should think about how dependent we are on other things and people. We cannot exist in isolation from God, our society, our superiors, or even our subordinates. This should humble us so that we realize that we are a part of the whole and have no reason to be prideful.

Last week’s article was on “the mystery” revealed to the world through Christ and his followers (cf. Eph 3:1ff). This mystery was that God was going to unite all things and all peoples to himself through Jesus the Messiah (1:9–10). However, I left some questions unanswered, such as: Why did God keep this a mystery? Why not just explain everything in detail from the beginning? Would that not have made it easier for people to believe in Jesus when he was on this earth? I will do my best to respond to these difficult questions in the allotted space.

One hint can be found in our text from last week, Eph 3:8, 10, “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ [i.e., the mystery]…so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places” (NASB, emphasis mine). A part of Paul’s ministry was to make known the wisdom of God to the angelic and demonic powers.

Why did God conceal his plan from angels and demons? The pictures of the Messiah in the Old Testament are fuzzy in many places. The Gospel accounts demonstrate this by showing how much disagreement there was over Jesus being the Messiah. How could the Savior be a Nazarene (John 1:46)? How could the King be a traveling vagabond (Matt 8:20)? One reason God likely concealed this fact was to strategize against the Enemy, namely, Satan and other malevolent powers. The Father caused the Son to die on the cross as a criminal in order to throw off the demonic forces of darkness. In fact, God allowed these forces of darkness to carry out his will, all the while, they thought that they were preventing God from rescuing the world. Thus, God concealed or “mystified” his wisdom in foolishness according to the world’s standard to accomplish the most important spiritual victory against the rulers of this age (1 Cor 2:7-8), be they human or demonic. Therefore, we can rightly say along with the apostle Paul, “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!” (Rom 11:33).

I love this time of the year as any sports fan does. One of the many underrated events will take place next week, the NFL Draft. For NFL fans it is filled with anticipation and excitement. Soon the team with the first pick will be on the clock. A draft can make or break a team for years to come. There is a great amount of preparation for this. Teams evaluate every detail of players and determine which ones fit the needs of the team. This occurs over months.

As NFL teams undergo preparations, we ourselves go through this in our daily lives. This can be at work, personal time, or any other situation. I always want to be prepared for whatever life throws at me. Every day at the beginning of the workday, my calendar is pulled up to see what meetings are on the agenda. From here my preparations for the meetings begin. As a Christian are you prepared? What preparations must we take as Christians to be saved?

Mark 16:16, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Matthew 28:19-20, “¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The above scriptures demonstrate to us what Christians must do. For us as Christians there is much preparation that we must do to get to heaven. Part of the preparation to take for baptism are: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, and be Baptized. Throughout scripture there are references to why being prepared is so important.

Mark 13:32-33, “³² But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.”

Matthew 24:42-44, “42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Brothers and Sisters, are you prepared? Scripture shows us what we must do to be prepared and why we are to be prepared.

Paul tells the church in Eph 3:3 that God had revealed “the mystery” to him. The term “mystery” refers to hidden, esoteric knowledge only given to those “initiated” into a special group. This language was used in the so-called mystery religions in the Greco-Roman world. Paul likely found this language appropriate because the “mystery” that was revealed to him was far more cosmic and real than the secrets of these mystery religions.

What was the mystery? Paul explains it most explicitly in Eph 3:6, “that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel…” (NASB). Paul explains this mystery in another way in 1:9–10, “He made known to us the mystery of His will…the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.” Thus, the secret knowledge that was revealed to believers is the reconciliation of the world with God and itself through Jesus. The emphasis in Eph 3 is on the Gentiles being reconciled to God. This reconciliation of all nations to God is anticipated in the Old Testament numerous times, but the prophecies veiled how God was going to reconcile the Gentiles to himself through Israel. That is partially why Jesus was so misunderstood by the world, for many of the messianic prophecies seem to tell of a warrior-king who will defeat Israel’s enemies.

Why did God keep this a mystery? Why not just explain everything in detail from the beginning? Would that not have made it easier for people to believe in Jesus when he was on this earth? While we may not know every reason why God concealed his plan of salvation, the Bible gives us several hints, which I will take up next week. What is important for us to remember is that this “mystery” is no longer hidden knowledge but is meant to be shared and proclaimed. The holiday of Easter, after all, is all about God reconciling the world through the resurrection of Jesus, showing that death has been conquered. I hope that you will join me in proclaiming this mystery to others throughout the week in order to show the profound wisdom and love of God.

In my daily Bible reading this week I read Luke chapter 15, where Jesus tells the Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son.

The sheep was lost because like most of us, at some point in our lives, it wandered away. The coin was lost through no fault of its own, but the son foolishly left out of selfishness and his sinful desires. It may seem irrational for the shepherd to leave 99 sheep to go search for just one, but the shepherd knew that the 99 would be safe in the sheepfold together, but that the lost sheep was in danger.

In the parable of the lost sheep and the lost coin, the seeker actively looked for the lost sheep and the lost coin, which could not return by themselves, but in the story of the lost son, the father watched and waited. Like the lost sheep, when we wandered away, we were weak, helpless and in danger. We could do nothing on our own to save ourselves. Someone had to come and rescue us.

We may be able to understand a God who would forgive sinners who come to Him for mercy, but a God who tenderly searches for sinners and then joyfully forgives them must possess an extraordinary love! This is the kind of love that prompted Christ to come to Earth to seek and save the lost. This is the kind of extraordinary love that He has for each and every one of us!

Romans 5:8 “But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”

What amazing words! God sent Jesus to die for us, not because we were good enough or deserved it, but because He loved us. Whenever you feel uncertain about God’s love for you, remember that He loved you even before you turned to Him. If God loved you when you were lost, He can surely strengthen you now if you return to Him.

As we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our risen Savior today, just know it doesn’t matter how far we have strayed away from our Heavenly Father, God’s love is constant, patient and welcoming! He will search for us and give us an opportunity to return. In the same way the father watched and waited for the lost son, the Heavenly Father is waiting and watching to welcome us home.