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.)
I often quote from Revelation 14:13: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they must rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” The immediate context refers to people who become Christians during the Tribulation and are martyred for their new-found faith. The principle of blessing is applicable to all Christians, of course, because our Savior is blessedly and eternally consistent. The key teaching point for us today is that Jesus is building not only in us (I Corinthians 6:19) but also through us. Our Lord is so good that He wants to reward us for doing just what we should be doing; our works follow us to the heaven that Jesus is building for His people (John 14:1-6). Our works also follow us around now and even after we are gone. I think of our little church and the former pastors and faithful people who have kept it open. Their godly influence continues in the work of this church and in many individual lives. Sometimes we see immediate results, but often our impact is over a much longer term. Let us then remember the assurance of I Corinthians 15:58: “Your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”