Coffee With The Lord

I was “the father of the bride” – and my wife and Shari’s attendants were fluttering over her like a bunch of “mother hens” … the tension was palpable!  Shari had to look just right for Tim, the groom!  It was too much for me – I had to get out of there!

I went over to the “guys side” – there was banter and lighthearted joking, but you could tell the groom was more serious… He was nervous – he looked in the mirror more than once, straightened his tie, and anxiously looked at his watch!

Big event – Shari Bartel was about to become Shari Bartel Dresselhaus!  Tim was waiting for that special moment when he would see Shari for the first time on their wedding day… Shari wanted it to be perfect – she wanted to look her beautiful best.  Tim wanted to be his best for his bride!  Both of them had waited for this moment!

The music began… Shari came down the isle… I can’t tell you Tim’s emotions (his face registered incredible pleasure!) – but I, the bride’s father can tell you mine… WOW!  WOW!!  I mean WOW!!!

And this picture (and these emotions) came to mind during my Bible reading today (I think you’ll see why)…

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord!  My soul shall exult in my God!  For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation; He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels!” (From Isaiah 61:10)

Just let me say, the Lord incredibly beautifies us with His salvation!  His righteousness prepares us for that special moment when we are presented, along with all others who have been transformed by his grace, into “the bride of Christ” (“without spot or wrinkle”)!  I believe, on that day, He will look upon us (transformed sinners “saved by grace”) with rapturous joy and feel what I felt on Shari’s wedding day… WOW!  WOW!!  WOW!!!

The point?  When we experience salvation, the ugliness of sin is replaced by the “makeover” of Christ’s righteousness – what was “ordinary” becomes “heavenly”!!  The Bible puts it this way in another location:  “For our sake He (God, the Father) made Him (Christ Jesus) to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5.21)

I want to be ready for that day… No, more than that, I want to live ready for that day!

I had just finished watching the evening news last night… my feelings?  Frustration, concern… almost despair!  What is our world – what is our nation – coming to?  It seems leadership doesn’t have a clue!  We flounder trying to figure out the best way to go!  We try to solve problems on our own.  The Bible is ignored, its values rejected, what it teaches abandoned.  Acrimony and accusation fill the airwaves!   Where are we headed?  The future is more than uncertain – it is frightening!  Headed for bed fuming and frustrated!

But this morning I got up, got a cup of coffee, took my Bible, and had a wonderful time of “coffee with the Lord!”  Part of my Bible reading today was Isaiah 60 … it was just what I needed!  It speaks of a wonderful future day that God will bring about for His people!  There is hope!  There is a blessed future ahead!  God Himself guarantees it!

Here is a condensed version of that chapter… Enjoy!  Take heart!  Allow hope to captivate your heart!

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you!  For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.  And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising!  

“…In my wrath I struck you, but in my favor I have had mercy on you.  …I will make the place of my feet glorious.  …They shall call you the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel.  Whereas you have been forsaken and hated, with no one passing through, I will make you majestic forever, a joy from age to age.  …You shall know that I, the Lord, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

“I will make your overseers peace and your taskmasters righteousness.  Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.

“The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  Your sun shall no more go down, nor your moon withdraw itself; for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended.  Your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the land forever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I might be glorified… 

“I AM THE LORD; IN ITS TIME I WILL HASTEN IT!” (From Isaiah 60 ESV)

If that doesn’t bring you hope – If that doesn’t encourage your heart – If that doesn’t change your perspective about the future… You probably need to read the passage again… slowly, and pause, reading that last phrase as if God were speaking it directly to your heart!

Avid readers love their books…  If asked, in a moment they can give you the short list of their favorites.

Well, at the top of my short list is the Bible!  No, more than that… the Bible for me is a book of a completely different kind! … It may have human writers, but behind it all is the “inspiration” of the Living God!  He is its ultimate source – prompting, guiding and superintending the entire writing process so that what we have in Scripture (another word for the Bible) is the infallible, authoritative, completely reliable Word of God!

Over my years as a prof, teaching a course called… (you guessed it…) “Bible Study,” I’ve urged each group of students to write these words in the flyleaf of every Bible they owned:  “This Book is my all-sufficient guide for faith [my relationship with God] and daily living!”

I’ve got a short list of favorites of other stuff I read… But the Bible?  There’s no other piece of literature like it! … It’s GOD’S WORD!!

How do I feel about the Bible?… In my Bible reading this morning during “Coffee with the Lord” I read Psalm 19 and a portion of it “took the words right out of my mouth!” about how I feel about the Bible! … In fact, I’d like to post those words today, not simply as David, the psalmist’s, words… but as MY personal tribute to The Bible…

“The law of the Lord is perfect and preserves one’s life! The rules set down by the Lord are reliable and impart wisdom to the inexperienced!  The Lord’s precepts are fair and make one joyful! The Lord’s commands are pure and give insight for life!  The commands to fear the Lord are right and endure forever! The judgments given by the Lord are trustworthy and absolutely just!  They are of greater value than gold, than even a great amount of pure gold; they bring greater delight than honey, than even the sweetest honey from a honeycomb!  Yes, your servant finds moral guidance there and those who obey them receive a rich reward! (From Psalm 19:7-11 NET)

Gotta tell you, I don’t just like the Bible… I LOVE the Bible!!!