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 considerate command of Revelation 12:12 is to “rejoice.” It is an intelligent act of the will that is called for here. The Bible does not deny the difficulty of life, and, in fact, the book of Revelation catalogues what Jesus called “great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). In the midst of this decay and declension, we must choose to respond differently. Most of us know Philippians 4:4: “’Rejoice in the Lord always’” and again I say, ‘Rejoice.’” The immediate context (verse 2) is of contention in the church, certainly not a cause of celebration. However, Paul gives compelling reasons to select joy as a way of life. First, he reminds the bickering biddies (a word which, for some unknown reason, derives from the perfectly fine name Bridget) that they are “fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life” (verse 3) and thus have a secure eternity of joy ahead. Second, he reminds all of us of the abiding privilege of prayer (verses 5-6) that grants us “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding” (verse 7). Third, he encourages us to remember the good things that we have and experience even as difficulties surround us: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of a good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” (verse 8). All I have to do is “think” about my “lovely” and youthful trophy wife, and the troubles of life diminish! Each of us can find many reasons to “rejoice,” but we must make the effort to be people of joy. Such an endeavor will prove to be rewarding.