Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Revelation 9 speaks specifically of the nefarious work of Satan and the demons during the Tribulation. Ephesians 6:10-18 provides an exposition of the Christian’s response to the reality of present-day demonic activity. We are to “stand” with Jesus. Ephesians 6:14 considerately commands, “Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth.” The purpose of a belt in ancient times was to bind up flowing robes to enable the wearer to be unencumbered for action. For example, when the Israelites were about to be mightily and miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt, they were to keep the newly-instituted Passover in a particular way: “Thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD’s passover” (Exodus 12:11). In faith, they were to be ready to leave quickly as God’s plan of rescue unfolded. In simple terms, they were demonstrating that they believed in the “truth” of God’s Word. Similarly, we must focus our attention on what God says. I Peter 1:13a states, “Gird up the loins of your mind.” Thus, we are to be on guard against wrong ideas and doubt, armed with the “truth” of God. Ephesians 4:21b reminds us that “the truth is in Jesus.” With this “truth,” we are equipped to combat Satan, “the father of” falsehood (John 8:44).