Coffee With The Lord

Things are just not right!  For some reason the little one is fussy!  They’re crying over every little thing and no one – dad, the older children, grandparents, friends who happen to be nearby – can quiet them.  Then mom walks into the room, reaches down and picks up the little one who snuggles into her bosom, and presto… a whimper or two and the crisis seems to be over, peace comes, whatever was the problem is now solved… It’s a miracle – the miracle of “Mom”!!

There’s a lesson to be learned here…  The Lord is a lot like “Mom” to His children.  We don’t always know why we’re fussy… but we are.  Don’t know really what the problem is… Don’t know what’s bothering us or even why we’re upset.  Sometimes we do, and we make it all too evident to everyone.  Sometimes we get ourselves involved in things that are not our concern… they’re God’s concern.  At other times we mettle in things we’ve been warned to stay away from… and because of it we’re troubled, we’ve got a crisis, we’re fussy…

Thought about that today as I read the following Psalm…

 “My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.  But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content… put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore!  (Psalm 131 NIV)

Well at least one important project was completed on our trip to the “Bartel Cabin” in Montana this summer… I was able to go over the “Necessary Food” Bible reading plan day by day, passage by passage and correct some unintended errors in the recent revision. So, if you’re using the “Necessary Food” Bible reading 2020 revision, please download the pdf of the updated and corrected revision 2021. It’s not “inerrant” but it’s “corrected” – the plan itself is not “inspired” but I hope it will be “inspiring” and “uplifting!”

Necessary Food 2021 – A passage daily from the Old Testament historical books, biblical poetry, the prophetic books (including Revelation), the New Testament Gospels and Acts, and the epistles. “The latest and greatest”… Enjoy!

This morning, during “coffee with the Lord” and my Bible reading in the Gospels, I was blown away by this thought…

The coming of Jesus Christ, His death on the cross, His burial, resurrection and ascension to the Heavenly Father’s “right hand” was not an accidental, incidental, event in history!  It was no “Johnny come lately” deal (“a late or recent arrival” – Merriam-Webster)!  It was a deliberate, eternal redemptive strategy on our behalf!  It was all part of God’s great eternal redemptive plan for humanity – eternity past into eternity future!  In fact, Jesus was fully aware of it… before He came as a babe to Bethlehem!  Just let that sink in to your mind and heart awhile!

Here is what I read in the gospels this morning that provoked that thought…  Jesus is with His apostolic band, “And taking the twelve aside, He said to them, ‘See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and EVERYTHING that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished!  He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon.  And after flogging Him, they will kill Him, and on the third day He will rise!” (From Luke 18:31-33)

1 Peter 1:18-20 declares, “You were ransomed…not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.  HE WAS FOREKNOWN BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD BUT WAS MADE MANIFEST IN THE LAST TIMES FOR YOUR SAKE!”

Isaiah prophesied centuries before His birth, “He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed!  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all!” (Isaiah 53:5-6)

At His baptism in the Jordan River, John the Baptist, inspired by the Holy Spirit, announced “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, 36)

And Jesus Himself, at His crucifixion, declared from the cross, “It is finished!” bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” (John 19:30)

The inspired apostolic writers of the New Testament believed in the finality – the eternal fulfillment – of God’s redemptive plan in Christ and spoke of it as “once for all” fulfillment! (check out Romans 6:10; Hebrews 7:27; 9:11-12; and 10:10).

And if that wasn’t enough to convince us that this was not an isolated event in history, we have the REPEATED TESTIMONY of Apostle John, who sees the heavens opened and is given a glimpse of eternal realities where He sees “the Lamb standing as having been slain” victorious in heaven!  God’s great, grand, and glorious plan is eternally complete!!!  Hallelujah!!!  (Check out each of these references: Revelation 5:6-14; 6:1, 9-14; 7:9-17; 12:10-12; 14:1-5; 15:3-5; 17:11-14; 19:6-9; 21:9-14, 22-23; 22:1-5)