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.)
As we close out another calendar year, let us remember that new is not necessarily better than old. Some new things are superior – new life in Christ, new bodies and minds in eternity, new songs in heaven. However, we must combat the tyranny of novelty that has assaulted our churches, especially faddish teaching that is either “unprofitable” (Titus 3:9) or “accursed” heresy (Galatians 1:6-9). Jeremiah 6:16 specifically addresses this human tendency to be distrusted by the new, shiny thing: “Thus saith the LORD, ‘Stand ye in the ways, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls! But they said, ‘We will not walk therein.’” What a true tragedy! The “old” road to salvation is the only road: “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father but by Me” (John 14:6). These words of Jesus stand unchanged. Let us stand with our Savior in “the old paths.” If we do not, we will not stand at all.