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.)
The lament of the Antichrist’s allies over the fall of Babylon continues in Revelation 18:14: “And the fruits that thy soul lusted after are departed from thee, and all things which were dainty [luxurious] and goodly [splendid] are departed from thee, and thou shalt find them no more at all.” Man’s acquisitive desires are not new, of course. Two of the Ten Commandments deal directly with this subject: “Thou shalt not steal,” and “Thou shalt not covet” (Exodus 20:15, 17). In parts of our nation today, thievery is often not prosecuted. The predictable outcome is that businesses move elsewhere, taking away needed goods, services, and jobs. Citizens who can leave these blighted areas have one more reason to flee to safer and saner regions. The good people who cannot depart are hurt economically and possibly physically, as social order degenerates. Coveting is a less obvious transgression because it can exist in the mind for a long time without outward manifestation. However, it is wrong even when not acted upon. Furthermore, covetousness will eventually work out into overt acts: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James 4:1-3). This stern warning from Scripture should exhort us to resist the beginnings of sin. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23).