At the center of the primordial garden of Eden were two trees: One provided a knowledge of good and evil, the other provided life. After Adam and Eve’s sin, they were forbidden from eating the life-giving fruit, “lest [they] reach out [their] hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Gen 3:32; ESV). This symbolizes mankind’s separation from the Life-Giver himself. They no longer had the same access to God and thus they no longer had access to immortality and life itself. Thankfully, God had a plan to give life back to his people.

Fast-forward several thousand years to about 30 AD when God decided to plant another tree of life. This tree had no foliage, no beauty, no boughs. Instead of roots, it was driven into the ground. Instead of birds, it was home to nails and blood. Nonetheless, the fruit of this tree gave us eternal life yet again.

God’s ironic use of a cross for the new Tree of Life is a beautiful but demanding image. Our God is powerful enough to turn even the most barbaric and horrible devices and make it the source of fecundity for mankind. The cross also demands our own suffering. In order to access this cross and partake of the tree of life, we also must suffer just as Christ suffered. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matt 16:24–25; emphasis mine).

Let this encourage you to begin to suffer or continue suffering for Christ. Know that when you suffer, you are partaking of the bitter fruit of the tree of life. It may taste sour in the moment, but it is the most satisfying of all.

It was time to replace our mailbox. Carpenter Bees had systematically destroyed the old one. After carefully following the instructions, I felt satisfied with the final product. That is, until I checked my pocket and found four unused screws.

In this life we will experience loss. While I can tolerate misplacing four screws in a mailbox, I cannot process souls that get lost. This keeps me up at night and disturbs my soul in the day.

In Luke 15 Jesus shares three parables to illustrate the tragedy of lostness. First, the religious leaders lose sheep because of their refusal to associate with notorious sinners (Luke 15:1-7). Second, we can find lost souls if we tenaciously search for them – as the young lady did who lost one of her silver coins (Luke 15:8-10). Third, we lose church family when we do not realize we are our brother’s keeper – as seen in the Parable of the Prodigal son and self-righteous older brother (Luke 15:11-32).

Dear Loved One, if you have not returned to your spiritual family, we are missing you – so very, very much! Please come home. We beg you, please come home!

In order to meet with God, we must trek up his holy mountain. As with many other ancient religions, mountains have a special significance in the Bible. Holy mountains are where the three realms meet: heaven, earth, and underworld.  They also are the center of the world, a “world navel” from which blessings of life and fertility flow. It provides meaning for our lives and everything else derives its meaning in relation to it.

God’s first mountain was none other than Eden, which Ezekiel describes as the “mountain of God” (28:13–14). It was here that Adam and Eve served as typological priests to Yahweh and cultivated the ground in order to expand his presence throughout the whole earth. However, after Adam and Eve defiled this holy space, the next mountain where we see God dwelling is Sinai. It was here that Yahweh met with Moses in order to gift his people with the law. God also revealed himself on Sinai to Moses and to the 70 elders (Exod. 24). From this mountain, the Lord chose to dwell with his people inside of the tabernacle, a portable temple that the Israelites carried around in the wilderness for forty years. Eventually, though, Solomon built the temple of the Lord upon a mountain top in Jerusalem, which later was called Mount Zion.

So where is God’s holy mountain today? Where is our world center? It is none other than the “new” Zion, the church of God (Heb 12:22). It is here where God dwells. It is from here that life and blessings flow out into the earth. It is the church that is at the center of the world! Therefore, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord in order to learn his ways and walk in his paths (Isa. 2:3)!

We all have problems in life. A couple of weeks ago, it was a lovely and windy evening, a perfect time to cut the grass. I opened the gate to the backyard, propped it open with a stick, and started cutting the grass. A big gust of wind came along, and the entrance on the privacy fence slammed shut and locked. As you can see, there was a problem, either climb over the wall or figure out how to unlock the gate. I discovered that day, with a bit of work, the gate will open from the back.

This problem isn’t the worst problem to have. What does the Bible say about having problems? In this life, we’re all going to have problems; it’s a given. Jesus promised us that we would face them. In the book of John, we see this promise.

“I have said these things to you that in me, you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, KJV)

In Romans 8:28, it is important to see the good in our problems. It might not be a good situation in the current state, but the reward will be better.

It is important to remember that we all are going to face problems. Christians can’t escape them. God intended for us to encounter them in this life. Many are referenced in the Bible that had their problems. A couple of examples would be Moses and all the issues he faced leading the Israelites, and David’s triumphs and tragedies. Problems are a growing opportunity. 

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (EPH 4:13-16, ESV)

Our problems, with the right attitude and God’s grace, can only cause us to grow. How will you look at your problems?

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. – John 10:4

The contrast between the first and second sentence of this verse is the difference between the outcome of a worldly life and the outcome of a spiritually centered life.  A life lived according to the pattern of the world is destructive to self and to others.  But a life of following Christ is fulfilling for the individual and a blessing to others.  When we see clearly, there is hardly a choice between these paths.

Unfortunately, our adversary is crafty in deceiving us.  He makes destruction seem like the path to fulfillment and the way of life seem to be a dead-end street.  It is vital that Christians fight the disorientation that comes from living in a corrupt world with a constant stream of truth.  Time spent in the Word, in prayer, with Christians, and in service wipes away the fog that makes it possible for Satan to deceive us. 

The truth that there is a path to life and a path to death seems so obvious.  Yet it is a foundation that most of our friends don’t have. Will you share this with anyone this week?

Stepping out into the world is a bad idea – unless you are stepping out on the firm foundation of faith.

Father Abraham was called by God to step out of his comfortable nest. Hebrews 11:8 (ESV) — ⁸ By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. From this we can observe that when he stepped out in faith, he proved to be adaptable, friendly, and diplomatic. As a result, he was able to walk in peace and quiet contentment.

But at times Abram chose instead to step out in fear. Because he lacked faith in God’s provision he went to Egypt. Then, because he was afraid, he would be killed because his wife was beautiful, he asked her to say she was his sister (Genesis 12:10-20). Abraham repeated this behavior in Genesis 20:1–18. His reason this time was “Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, ‘There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’” (Gen.20:11 ESV). Here we can learn that is we step out in fear we become uninvolved, reluctant, and we make bad decisions. During this time Abraham stopped seeing value in himself and became self-righteous.

The lesson Abraham had to learn was that it was easier to dominate “his universe” and harder to dominate his “internal fear” that opposed his faith.

To the Graduates amongst us I offer the words of God Himself when His servant Joshua had to step out in faith.

Joshua 1:1–9 (ESV) — ¹ After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. ³ Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. ⁴ From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. ⁵ No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. ⁷ Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. ⁸ This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

In Steve’s class on Acts, we have seen repeatedly how the apostles spoke with such boldness, such authority, such conviction. They did not submit to the Jewish leaders when they asked them to stop and later imprisoned them. Rather they preached the gospel more boldly. They knew that their authority did not lie in their credentials (family, wealth, political office, education), but rather with their relationship with Christ.

Where is this authority today? In the same place that it was at the beginning of time itself – in Jesus Christ. Those who have been baptized into Christ and proclaim the Gospel also hold this authority. This Gospel is the most important thing that anyone could hear in their lifetime. It possesses more gravitas than any movie quote, any book excerpt, any presidential speech. Again, I ask, where is this authority? It is in broken vessels. It is in a rugged tent. It is in ourselves. The authority does not reflect our outward appearance or status, but rather our beauty and prestige before the Father. We must cease from proclaiming the gospel as though it is a banal, trivial, quotidian matter and rather as the power of God. We need not maim our message by saying, “This is what I find true for myself. Try it out for size.” Rather, we ought to say, “This is the Truth and submitting to it is objectively the best decision anyone can make.” I pray for myself and for all of you that we may proclaim the Truth with even more boldness in the face of fear and persecution.

I was reading the book of Romans last month as part of one of my Bible reading plans, when I read a commentary that described the “two-sided reality of the Christian life”. On the one side, as Christians, we are complete in Christ and our acceptance through Him is secure. On the other side, we are still growing in Christ as we strive to become more and more like Him each day, but we still struggle with the pressure of sin. We feel the presence of Christ and enjoy the peace that comes from being made right with God through Him, but we still face daily problems that often cause us to stumble, but eventually help us grow.

Romans 5:1-2 (ESV) “¹ Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ²Through Him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

These verses, and others, tell us we are now at peace with God. Now, there is no hostility between us, no sin blocking our relationship with Him because Jesus paid the price for our sins.

Romans 15:13 (ESV) “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

If we remember these two sides of the Christian life, and that believing in Christ is a continuous growing process, we will not grow discouraged as we face temptations and problems, but instead we will learn to depend on the power available to us from Christ through His death on the cross.

Of all the things God calls us to do, this is probably the most unpopular. But what would happen to us if we were never admonished? Can you imagine driving down a busy road and never making slight steering corrections? That is precisely what “admonishing” does for us. There are three main ways we are admonished: our conscience, songs, and friends.

When I say conscience, I am not referring to those whose conscience have been seared as with a hot iron (1 Tim.4:2; 1 Cor.4:4). But rather one who is a hearer and doer of the word (James 2:22).

Secondly, we are admonished by songs (Col. 3:16 ESV Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God). When last did you allow the Word of God, in song, to move your heart to tears?

And finally, our friends admonish us – not to shame us but to help us become the best version of ourselves (1 Cor.4:14ESV I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children).