Coffee With The Lord

I heard someone say these words one time about another person in a very frustrated voice… “They won’t listen to anyone!  Why waste your breath!”  What a sad and tragic assessment of a person!  I was reminded of that this morning as I read these words from Proverbs…

“If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.  If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you’ll grow in understanding. The fear of the LORD (i.e. “reverence”) teaches wisdom; humility precedes honor.” (From Proverbs 15:31-33 NLT)

My prayer today?  Lord may I always be willing to listen to constructive criticism and correction!  And may I especially exhibit humility rooted in my reverence for You!!  I never want to anyone (including You) to say of me, “Why waste your breath… they won’t listen to anyone!”

Just rejoicing today in the fact that God has given us a compassionate Savior – One we can identify with – A Helper who is “like us” in every way – but without our sin and failings!!

Here’s how the Bible puts it in Hebrews 2…

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what He suffered. Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family! … Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death… For this reason, He had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that He might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because He himself suffered when he was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted. “ (From Hebrews 2.10-18)

I don’t think there is any perfect analogy for what this Biblical passage describes (and I’m grateful for that)! Perhaps an “organ donor” comes close – someone from the same family, with the same blood type and other similar characteristics, who selflessly provides a life-rescuing organ… I don’t know, you may be able to think of other examples…

I know this; I am surely grateful that our Heavenly Father sent His Only Son to earth as a human, to live a sinless life, to offer Himself to die for our sins, to conquer death, and make His resurrection power available to all who believe! Thank You! Thank You!! Thank You God!!!

“FROM GLORY TO GRAVE TO GLORY” – that’s what Jesus, the Christ, did on our behalf!

I read about it this morning in the Bible during my time of “Coffee with the Lord” and am still rejoicing! … Here it is:

“For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,

‘What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.’ (Prophecy in Psalm 8:4-6 quoted)

Now in putting everything in subjection to Him, He left nothing outside His control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, SO THAT BY THE GRACE OF GOD HE MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERYONE.” (From Hebrews 2:5–9 ESV)

So Jesus Christ voluntarily left heaven’s glory to fulfill God’s plan to redeem and save us! He lived a sinless life of ministry on earth – proclaiming the message of the Kingdom, and manifesting the “inbreaking” of God’s Kingdom through miraculous signs and wonders. He suffered persecution and rejection by those who should have welcomed Him, and “became obedient unto death – even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8) in order to redeem and save us! … “BY THE GRACE OF GOD HE TASTED DEATH FOR EVERYONE!”

But that is not the end of the story! “From glory to grave TO GLORY! “Then comes the end, when He [Jesus] delivers the Kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and ever authority and power! He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The Last enemy to be destroyed is death! … Death is swallowed up in victory! Oh death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. BUT THANKS BE TO GOD WHO GIVES US THE VICTORY THROUGH OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST!” (From 1 Corinthians 15:24-26, 55-57)

OH WHAT A SAVIOR! The One who came from heaven, lived and ministered among us proclaiming the Kingdom of Heaven by word and deed, suffered and died on our behalf, conquered death and offers eternal life and “resurrection power” to those who follow Him! OH WHAT A SAVIOR!