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 repeated attacks of Satan and the demons (Revelation 9) remind us that we need to be prepared for spiritual conflict. We have been considering Ephesians 6:17 this week: “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Each one of us must expect attacks and effectively thwart them if we are to “stand” (verses 13-14) in this battle. It is interesting to note that the shields of that era could be hooked together to form a solid shield wall. Although each Christian must employ “the shield of faith” individually, it is also true that we are to “stand” together against our evil enemies. Galatians 6:5 states, “For every man shall bear his own burden.” However, Galatians 6:2 commands, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” These verses are not contradictory. Verse 5 speaks of our usual difficulties; verse 2 references our unusual trials, our excessive struggles. We each need “the shield of faith”; we also need each other such that we can link up in the heat of the battle. Ecclesiastes 4:9a says, “Two are better than one,” and Ecclesiastes 4:12 adds, “If one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” With our shared faith in Jesus Christ, we can “stand” together in victory.