Amen!
Blessing and
glory and
wisdom and
thanksgiving and
honour and
power and
might
be to our
GOD
forever
and ever!
Amen!
¤ Revelation 7:12 ¤
Devotional and Bible
“A Jail More Beautiful Than A Palace”
After Easter weekend I shared part of a poem by John Bunyan (Prison Meditations). I’m still reading Fearless Pilgrim, a new biography of Bunyan, and wanted to share another quote from him about suffering.
 |
He knew a lot about suffering, by the way, spending many of the prime years of his life in jail away from his young family. This is from his book Seasonable Counsel: or, Advice To Sufferers., written in 1684 (the same year he wrote the second part of The Pilgrim’s Progress). The English has been modernized somewhat.
Your own doubts and mistrusts about what he will do, and about where you will go, when you for him have suffered awhile, he can resolve, yes, dissolve, crush, and bring to nothing.—He can make fear flee far away: and place heavenly confidence in its room. He can bring invisible and eternal things to the eye of your soul, and make you see that in those things in which your enemies shall see nothing, that you will count worth the loss of ten thousand lives to enjoy. … Yes, he can himself come near and bring his heaven and glory to you. The Spirit of glory and of God rests upon them that are but reproached for the name of Christ (1 Peter 4:14)…
Those that honour God, he will honour, yes, will put some of his glory upon them, but they shall be honoured. There is none can tell what God can do. He can make those things that in themselves are most fearful and terrible to behold, the most pleasant, delightful, and desirable things. He can make a jail more beautiful than a palace; restraint, more sweet by far than liberty. And "the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt" (Heb 11:26). It is said of Christ, That "for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame" (Heb 12:2).
You can read the whole book at Seasonable Counsel: or, Advice To Sufferers.
More Countdowns
There’s another countdown going on… the countdown to Hannah and Nathanael’s birthday party tomorrow!
Why a party? Well, you know the obvious reason – it’s for Hannah and Nathanael! Believe it or not, they have to put up with a lot in the life we live. And we’re happy to make the time to thank God for their lives (as we say here in Mexico) and honour them.
But we like it when things are multipurpose. Part of the reason we put on parties (as opposed to just having a little family party, for example), is to bring people together. Believers, non-believers, they can talk and play together. We can get to know people that we don’t usually see outside of a certain context (for example, parents of Hannah’s classmates).
We also like to find ways to stimulate conversation. Maybe giving out a colouring page with a verse on it. Or playing a game based on a Bible story. Who knows? (No, I really don’t know … not quite ready for this party yet!)
So we do pray that each party is an opportunity to give to people and to glorify God. Only a few hours until the party begins!
You’ve probably heard about another countdown – the one from Harold Camping of Family Radio in the USA. Camping is claiming that the world will come to an end – well, specifically, the rapture will occur and earthquakes will begin at 6pm on the 21st of May… tomorrow.
That’s 6pm whatever time zone you’re in, which means the earthquakes are supposed to occur in sequence around the world as it changes to 6pm in each time zone.
No one really knows how many people are taking Camping seriously. He has told his followers that churches are ruled by Satan, so they have left the churches (that’s right, if you belong to a local church, you’re under Satan’s rule and are in big trouble tomorrow, according to Camping). However, he is heard all over the world – a Mexican friend even mentioned him to me the other day.
I’ve seen a few major false date-setting prophecies in my lifetime, but I don’t think anyone has been watched as closely as this one. Videos on YouTube have featured Camping each day for the last two weeks. Major news outlets mock him. And he’s been live on the radio each day, being both mocked and admired.
Some are ready to report on the failure of his prophecy – for example, you can report in your area when it’s 6pm and the rapture has failed to occur. Or, if you believe in the 21st of May date, you can hire an atheist to look after your pet when you go.
When it is beyond any reasonable doubt tomorrow that Camping is a false prophet, what will happen to his followers? Some have left their families, sold everything, or have just enough to make it until tomorrow. Chances are, most won’t find their way to a Bible believing church, but instead will be convinced that all this Bible stuff is nonsense (if they don’t give up on life altogether).
Meanwhile, as usual the world will lump in true believers with people like Camping, who uses very biblical language and mixes in truth with error. "You don’t believe in the end of the world like that NUT, do you?" And how will you answer?
It’s sad to see people pushed away from the kingdom by false prophets, but not unexpected. Remember what Paul said to Timothy (1Tim 4:1-4):
I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
So remember to pray for those who are deceived, remember to go back to what the Bible says, and be ready to give an answer – whether it be on the street or at a party.
Easter Weekend: Freedom in Prison and Out
We enjoyed a great weekend remembering the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. But over the past few days I have also been hearing a lot about believers around the world, and in other parts of Mexico, who are being persecuted. As we’re thankful for the freedom we enjoy, we also need to remember and pray for our brothers and sisters who don’t have that freedom.
On Friday, our friend David led us in a meal to remember the Last Supper of Jesus and the disciples (foot washing and all). We held it out on the street, and although people looked at us funny, no one threw grenades.
On Sunday morning we were up at the Valtierra’s home for a sunrise service, celebrating the resurrection.
 |
José led the service, Rod led the music, and Samuel shared from Luke 24. His focus was on the peace that we have in Christ.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the peace and freedom that we have because of what happened those many centuries ago outside of Jerusalem. The wonderful thing is, whether we’re living in safety or not, whether we’re free or in prison, whether we’re loved or ridiculed (or both), in Christ we can still have that peace and freedom.
I’ve been reading about the life of John Bunyon, who was imprisoned for preaching God’s Word. Having left behind a young wife and children, he lived in filthy conditions with constant uncertainty about his future. Still, he refused to do what possibly could have set him free – promise not to preach. In fact, he preached in prison, and also wrote.
One of the things he wrote was a poem called Prison Meditations. It was written in 1665, five years after his arrest. Here are a few stanzas. Together with our persecuted brothers and sisters, let’s remember the freedom that we have in Christ…
Prison Meditations,
A Poem
by John Bunyan
I am indeed in prison now
In body, but my mind
Is free to study Christ, and how
Unto me he is kind.
Their fetters cannot spirits tame,
Nor tie up God from me;
My faith and hope they cannot lame;
Above them I shall be.
Though they say then that we are fools
Because we here do lie,
I answer, Jails are Christ his schools,
In them we learn to die.
God sometimes visits prisoners more
Than lordly palaces;
He often knocketh at the door
When he their houses miss.
This jail to us is as a hill,
From whence we plainly see
Beyond this world, and take our fill
Of things that lasting be.
From hence we see the emptiness
Of all the world contains;
And here we feel the blessedness
That for us yet remains.
You can read the full poem, Prison Meditations (all 70 stanzas!) here.
Resurrection Sunday
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you."
So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
Matthew 28:1-9
Holy Saturday
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes 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.
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
Isaiah 53:3-9