Behold, I make all things new

"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former thins have passed away. Then He who say on the throne said 'Behold, I make all things new.' And He said to me, 'Write, for these words are true and faithful.'"

-- Revelation 21:1-5

Where are you anchored?

"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool. But whoever walks wisely will be delivered."

-- Proverbs 28:26

It seems the prevailing idea toward planning your life in the world today is to "follow your heart."

Scripture, on the other hand, tells us the impracticality of such an idea.

Think of it like this: Consider yourself, your life, to be something of a boat floating through the waters of this world. There will be times of gentle breeze carrying you along and there will be times of gale force winds threatening to capsize your very existence.

When those storms rage, though, what is it you truly seek? Solid footing, right? You want to believe you won't be moved or shaken. You want to maintain your course and not be blown into oblivion.

When you've found a place you want to be, what do you do? You cast an anchor. And who in their right mind casts the anchor inside the boat? No one, right?

But that's essentially what trusting in your own heart is. It's casting your anchor within in the hopes that you'll not only find what you are looking for but that you'll be able to stick there once you find it.

In the meantime, the tides of life, even the softest of breezes, float you to wherever the world would take you. Before you know it, given any length of time really, you're far off course.

It's in those times that we start to say, "What happened here?"

Simply put: We weren't anchored.

But there's another degree to it, when it comes to matters of the heart.

Jeremiah 17:9 says "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?"

So more than casting an anchor inboard, your heart could be considered a liability at best -- casting a jackhammer below deck and hoping against hope it doesn't turn on.

Our hearts alone, they do more damage than good. We were created with a need to worship something. God's intention was that it would be Him.

Our hearts desperately grasp for something to fill the void within, and often bring in a whole lot of things God never intended to be in that position. While God fills a life, every other thing in creation -- left alone -- will sap a life.

Trusting in our hearts becomes a process of trusting a ravenous vacuum. It will draw us toward whatever will temporarily suffice that appetite.

So in our boat analogy, not only are you constantly being blown off course by the breezes and rolling waves, you also slow sink as your heart takes on more and more baggage, leaving gaping holes in its wake.

So, getting back to today's original verse, how do we walk wisely?

The answer comes in the follow-up verse from Jeremiah. "I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind even give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."

When we cast our anchor overboard, it must land on The Rock we know as Jesus. He has known us from the beginning and He knows not only the best course for us, but the His own purpose for us through whatever trial we come against.

We can't trust our hearts. We must trust in the One who searches and fills our hearts.

So today, as you face the storm this life can be, consider strongly where you are throwing that anchor.

He will change your outlook on whatever you face.

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"This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek." -- Hebrews 6:20

Steady As She Goes, by Andrew Peterson

I see the thunderheads rise
In the northern sky
And my heart is sinking
In the threatening tide
'cause my portside's heavy
with the worries of life
and the worries of dying
on the starboard side

Well, I wonder, am I really
Stouthearted enough?
'Cause the ocean is rolling
and these waters are rough
There's a storm cloud brewing
In the sky above
So let my vessel be sturdy
Let my anchor be tough

'Cause the clouds are known to gather
and the wind is prone to blow
I'll keep my eyes on the horizon
Not below
And keep her steady as a river
When the wild wind comes to blow
I've already been delivered
So I'll keep her steady as she goes

Well, I shiver in the wake of the raging storm
And my rigging is tattered
And these sails are torn
Gonna cast this cargo overboard
But I ain't setting my headings
For no change in course

Though the clouds are known to gather
And the wind is prone to blow

I'll keep her steady as a river
When the wild wind comes to blow
I've already been delivered
So I'll keep her steady as she goes

So when you can't find the faith to slumber
When you're thrown by every swell
You know that you're not going under
With the captain at the helm

Under The Fig Tree

"Nathanael said to Him, 'How do You know me?' Jesus answered and said to him, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.' Nathanael answered and said to Him, 'Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!'"

John 1:48-49

Fig tree? Who said anything about a fig tree?

Well, Jesus did -- for starters.

Here Jesus is beginning to draw followers to Himself and we have the encounter with Nathanael -- pretty much the only time he is mentioned directly in scripture -- who ends up being one of the 12.

Philip, upon accepting Jesus' invitation to follow, tracks down Nathanael and says they've found 'Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote -- Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.'

After initially balking -- because "what good could come out of Nazareth?" -- Nathanael goes to check things out for himself.

As he approaches, Jesus declares "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit."

When Nathanael asks how Jesus knew him, Jesus responds by saying He saw Nathanael under this seemingly random fig tree.

The personal significance of the fig tree to Nathanael is unknown. Whatever it was, it really struck a chord with him.

Perhaps under a fig tree at his home or in his village is where Nathanael studied the scriptures to which Philip referred. Or maybe he was under a fig tree during a significant moment of his life. It could simply have been the fact that Jesus was able to pull something presently unseen from Nathanael's life and attach it to his identity.

Consider this for our lives today: The fig tree, referenced 30 times throughout scripture, is presented as varying types of the nation Israel, the law, tradition, ritualism and works of man.

We can gather that Nathanael was waiting, searching, for the Messiah based on his and Philip's knowledge of Old Testament prophecy.

Being under the law, and knowing the words of the prophets as he did, Nathanael had to know that his current state was not what God ultimately intended for his life. He had to know true salvation from the Messiah was near.

That's why, when presented with the hometown of his Messiah, Nathanael was able to look past his own expectations and see Jesus for who He is.

Jesus saw him under the fig tree. Take it for what you will, but practically speaking -- Jesus saw Nathanael, as he does all mankind, under a broken system -- a fig tree.

Whether it was the pharisee or sadducee, clinging to tradition over truth; the nation Israel seeking a glorious conquering king over a humble but flawless servant and choosing the convicted murderer over the Righteous Savior; or even Adam and Eve trying to cover their sin with the very leaves of the fig tree, God looked down on His creation and saw us.

He saw the machinations we'd create in an attempt to find our own righteousness. He saw the traditions and the rituals of religion that we'd grab hold of in order to numb the desire for a vibrant, living relationship with Him. And He saw that ultimately, for as impressive and big as our "trees" might grow, there would come a time where no fruit would be found on them. There would come a time where they'd wither.

For every broad-spreading tree we could ever plant in attempt of reaching heaven, no tree could reach high enough to get us there. So God provided a different tree for us to kneel under. A Righteous Tree. A Perfect Tree. A tree flowing with streams of mercy.

That's Jesus' message to you today. He saw you. He came here to die for you. He wants you to follow Him. Forget all your trees, only He can bridge the gap between you and heaven.

"Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe?" Jesus said to Nathanael. "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Jesus drew on Nathanael's knowledge of the scripture, knowing he'd remember the story of Jacob seeing a ladder between heaven and earth in the book of Genesis. And in this one thought, Jesus showed that the ladder -- the tree, for lack of a better word -- was Himself.

###

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings." -- Genesis 3:7

"And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. In response, Jesus said to it, 'Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.' And His disciples heard it." -- Mark 11:13-14

"He also spoke this parable: 'A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that, you can cut it down." -- Luke 13:6-9

To Him the day belongs

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."

-- Proverbs 27:1

There's not much to say about this one. Trust in God not only for tomorrow's provision, but also in recognition that He is able and wanting to use today -- this moment in your life -- for His Glory.

In every situation today, every interaction, try to take a step back and ask God, "What would you have me do here? How can I serve God through this?"

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"This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." -- Psalms 118:24

Who is like the Lord our God?

"Who is like the Lord our God, Who dwells on high, Who humbles Himself to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth?"

-- Psalms 113:5-6

This is the love of Jesus -- That He would leave His glory at the Father's side in heaven to live on earth with us. That He would humble Himself not only to behold the things that are in the heavens and in the earth, but to be submitted unto death at the hands of His own creation.

John chapter 1 references the idea that not only was Jesus there from the beginning, but that "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that is made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

The idea of us finding life through Jesus' victory over death wasn't something God just threw in midstream as a lifeboat.

No, in providing for our salvation, He used the same source He'd used to bring all life into existence -- Jesus.

And Jesus humbled Himself to dwell among what had been made through Him, to be ultimately subject to the sentence issued by hearts he'd kneaded together in the womb.

If you are ever grasping for proof that Jesus is who He says He is, consider this: He died at the hands of sinful men for the hearts of sinful men. But the reason death could not hold Him is that in Him is life -- not simply that He is alive, but that He is -- and always will be -- the source of life.

That's why it is Jesus alone that has the power to save us from death -- because it's through Him alone that all life was made.

A friend recently posted a C.S. Lewis quote that seemed appropriate for today's verse:

"A creature revolting against a creator is revolting against the source of his own powers--including even his power to revolt ... It is like the scent of a flower trying to destroy the flower."

###

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." -- John 1:1-3

What I'm Reading Now: Revelation, Numbers, John, Proverbs, Psalms

An encounter with the Risen One

"And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself."

-- Luke 24:37

The fate of human history had just been cast a remarkable ray of hope, and those closest to Jesus were still desperately trying to grasp the meaning of the empty tomb.

There seemed to be various stages of disbelief and guarded hope among His disciples, but to a man, it seemed they were only able to grasp what had happened once they encountered the Risen Christ.

This continued into the early church with the Apostle Paul's conversion and it continues into the modern church.

You can give someone chapter and verse of the entire Gospel, but until someone personally encounters the Risen Christ, it's just a lot of words.

Fortunately, every word of Scripture points toward that Christ, so it's only a matter of time once a seeking heart enters into His word.

Luke gives an encounter of two disciples (their names are never mentioned) who venture from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus about seven miles away on that same Resurrection Day.

As they tried to make sense of everything they'd heard, Jesus approached.

They did not recognize Him, but after they explained the events of the day, He rebuked them for not understanding what the prophets had spoken about Him.

He then launched forth into what has to be the best exposition of the Old Testament ever heard on this earth. And he delivered it to an audience of two.

Now, it takes the average man about an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes to walk seven miles, so these two had a front row seat to a virtuoso master class from the Author of the Faith for a considerable amount of time.

And after almost two hours of this, they still had not recognized Him.

He went to stay with them in the village, and sat at a table for dinner with them. He broke bread for them, blessing it first, and gave it to them. In that act, their eyes were opened. In the same moment, He vanished.

How significant is it that in the act of breaking bread -- the same act He'd used just days prior to give an example of how His body would be broken and offered for the many -- His identity was revealed?

I'd say very much so.

They'd heard the teaching of the Master Teacher for a good portion of the day and only in His act of service, in the example of His offering, was He known.

Marveling at what had just happened, the two exclaimed, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

I used to think it was such a shame that the gospels did not give an account of what had been said on the way to Emmaus.

But, reading just a couple verses further, it says that the two returned to Jerusalem, found the Eleven and told them everything that had happened along the road, starting with "The Lord is risen indeed ..."

What Jesus had taught the two, undoubtedly became a basis of the early church's teachings for the many.

The men who penned the New Testament books by the leading of the Holy Spirit had those Emmaus teachings to draw from. They could go back through the Old Testament -- Moses and the prophets -- and see where the Lord had revealed Himself.

And it all started with an encounter with the Risen Christ.

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"You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come Me that you may have life." -- John 5:39-40

"For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?" -- John 5:46-47

What I'm Reading Now: Revelation, Numbers, Luke, Proverbs, Psalms.

A Call to Urgency

"Deliver those who are drawn toward death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, 'Surely we did not know this,' Does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not render to each man according to his deeds?

-- Proverbs 24:11-12

The going philosophy of the world today is to live and let live. What everyone believes, let them believe it for themselves and let God sort it out in the end.

Reading through Revelation these last few months, though, the thought has been stabbing at my heart more and more what tragedy and agony awaits those who do not come to a right, personal relationship with Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

The only thing that separates the believer from the unbeliever is Jesus Christ. There is nothing better about the believer that makes us more deserving of paradise, or nothing worse about the unbeliever that makes them more deserving of hell.

The difference is, the believer has submitted themselves to the Lordship of the King. That's it. That's all it takes.

A free gift has been given that literally separates life or death, and it's not enough for the believer to just rest in the security of his or her future knowing a wide majority of the world either isn't aware of the gift or hasn't accepted the gift.

There needs to be an urgency in sharing Christ with those He has placed in our lives. These people, as implied in Proverbs, are drawn toward death and stumbling toward slaughter.

Scripture equally shows God as merciful and just. He is a God of Judgement as much as He is a God of Forgiveness.

People will use the excuse, "How can a loving God send anyone to hell?"

The answer is that He gives seeking hearts every opportunity to accept Him.

People will ask "What about that nomad in the heart of Africa who has never been approached with the Gospel?" All through scripture, you see God reaching out to those who had not heard of Him previously. Abraham is a prime example in Genesis. Philip being sent to the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts -- Peter being called on by the centurion Cornelius too, for that matter. Even Revelation was a process of God revealing Himself and His plan to John while John had been in isolated exile on the Isle of Patmos.

The question is isn't about some hypothetical man out in the middle of nowhere. The question is about the unbeliever in the moment they are presented with the Gospel.

God doesn't wish torment on anyone, but He also will not force belief in Him. If he did, it wouldn't truly be a love relationship.

That doesn't excuse the fact that there are consequences for living against Him. Outside of the Blood of Christ, we are all condemned to death. Once we have accepted Him and repented of our sins, there is no more condemnation.

For the believer, I say do not forget what you were bound for before Christ entered your life. In that same thought, recognize that while your eternity is sealed, God has brought lost souls in need of His love into your life so that you might share with them.

It's not that we have a better way. It's that Jesus is the only way.

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"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -- John 14:6

Permit even this

"When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, 'Lord, shall we strike with the sword?' And one of them stuck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. But Jesus answered and said, 'Permit even this.' And He touched his ear and healed him."

-- Luke 22:49-51

The world says, "seeing is believing."

Scripture says "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).

For the disciples, this event in the Garden was the culmination of something Jesus had been telling them would happen for a long, long time.

Even in the hours leading up to this moment, he'd talked of how he'd be betrayed by one of His own. He spoke of how He'd be deserted. He told Peter that he would deny Him three times before that very night was over.

In the moment of truth, everything clicked for the disciples because it was happening right in front of their face. These are the types of times, when we think we see what is happening, that it is best to draw back and inquire of the Lord -- and wait on His reply. But's that's an entry for another day.

What happened next (both immediately and in the following hours) became a subtle object lesson in how God would have us present His son to the world.

It also begs the question in our daily lives of how much do we listen to what God is actually saying and how much do we hear what we want to hear?

Make no mistake -- it's no irony that it was the ear that a disciple (Peter) chopped off of the servant (Malchus) to the high priest.

If the disciples had been listening, they would have heard that these events were things that had to happen. Simply, this was why Jesus had come to the earth.

But instead they saw the events unfolding. They asked, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" but they did not wait to hear His answer. They just sprung into action and hacked someone's ear off.

Is this how we treat witnessing in our own lives? Do we suddenly get revelation into God's plan and charge ahead, swords drawn?

Earlier that same week, as the group headed up to Jerusalem, Jesus told His disciples that they were going there so that He would be betrayed into the hands of the chief priests and teachers of the law. He said He would then be condemned to death and handed over to be mocked, flogged, spit on and killed. He also said He would rise three days later.

The disciples responded by asking who could sit at His right and left when He came into His glory.

As he dispensed communion, He again talked about one of the 12 betraying Him and gave an example what His entire time here was for -- to be a Servant King.

The disciples responded by arguing over who should be considered the greatest.

Then, as they made the trek into the Garden, He told them to pray. They responded by falling asleep.

And in the moment of betrayal, their actions were to quell the injustice, rather than allow for the onset of the Age of Grace.

Their hearts were in the right place, but they missed the bigger picture.

In attempting to defend Jesus, they hacked off the ear of one who served the high priest.

Do we do this? Do we use the Bible like a hacksaw on the ears of unbelievers? It's a fair question. Is that how we view the world?

Take a long look at Jesus' actions here.

In the moment of betrayal -- just minutes after His prayers had drawn beads of blood from His forehead as He implored His Father in Heaven for another way -- He restored the servant of the high priest.

If His disciples had waited for God's answer, they would have heard, "Permit even this."

In the Gospel of John, Jesus says further, "Shall I not drink from the cup that my Father has given me?"

He healed Malchus' ear so that he might be a witness to the events of the following days.

Scripture doesn't tell us the fate of Malchus. You have to believe, though, that to be touched by the very hand of God -- brought back from the threshold of death so that you might live (let's face it, no one is that accurate with a sword in the heat of battle so as to make a clean cut without missing that important piece of matter just inside the ear) -- you would take at least a passing interest what happened next. You have to believe that something in that man's heart changed.

Could it be he is referred to as a servant of the high priest because in that moment he became a servant of the eternal High Priest?

God is the one who opens ears to His gospel. It is our responsibility to dispense it, but it is God who heals the ears.

Look at those who simply witnessed the events of the crucifixion and were forever changed.

We read of the thief on the cross, who initially mocked Jesus. After watching the Son of God permitting what was happening, he cried, "We are punished justly, for we are getting what we deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

We read of the centurion, who had attended to Jesus' death. Seeing everything unfold, as the earth shook and the sky grew dark, the centurion proclaimed, "Surely, this is the Son of God."

These are the same confessions that we, as sinners, make today when we ask Jesus into our hearts.

It is what Jesus did on the cross that changes hearts. That's what saves us. In proclaiming that good news, we have to always be careful how we are presenting it.

Are we swinging a sword in defense of our Savior? Or are we nudging them toward the One who can heal them?

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What I'm reading: Revelation, Numbers, Luke, Proverbs, Psalms

It is well ...

"A man's steps are of the Lord; How then can a man understand his own way?"

-- Proverbs 20:24

I ran across the story of one Horatio G. Spafford this morning. Perhaps you've heard it before, but it touched my heart and I felt compelled to share it here (As a note of full disclosure, the wide majority of the following text comes from www.biblestudycharts.com):

Mr. Horatio Spafford lived with his wife, Anna, in the Chicago during the 1860s.

He had made quite a name for himself as a successful lawyer and businessman. He was also a close friend and supporter of D.L. Moody.

In 1870, the Spafford's only son died after contracting scarlet fever at age four. A year later, the great Chicago fire wiped out every one of Spafford's many real estate holdings along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Battered from the tragic course of events, Spafford decided to take his wife and four daughters on a vacation to England, curing which they planned to help Moody with his evangelistic campaign.

They aimed to meet Moody in England in 1873 and traveled to New York to take a steamship across the Atlantic Ocean.

Just before they set sail, a last-minute business development forced Mr. Spafford to delay. Not wanting to deprive his family of their long-awaited trip, he urged them to continue on without him with the promise he'd meet them later.

So Anna headed to Europe with their four daughters and Mr. Spafford travelled back to Chicago.

Nine days later, he received a telegram from his wife in Wales. It read: "Saved alone."

On November 2nd 1873, the 'Ville de Havre' had collided with 'The Lochearn', an English vessel. It sank in only 12 minutes, claiming the lives of 226 people. Anna Spafford stood bravely on the deck, with her daughters Annie, Maggie, Bessie and Tanetta clinging desperately to her.

Her last memory had been of her baby being torn violently from her arms by the force of the waters. Anna was only saved from the fate of her daughters by a plank which floated beneath her unconscious body and propped her up.

When the survivors of the wreck had been rescued, Mrs. Spafford's first reaction was one of complete despair.

Then she heard a voice speak to her, "You were spared for a purpose." She immediately recalled the words of a friend, "It's easy to be grateful and good when you have so much, but take care that you are not a fair-weather friend to God."

Upon hearing the terrible news, Horatio Spafford boarded the next ship out of New York to join his bereaved wife.

Bertha Spafford (the fifth daughter of Horatio and Anna born later) explained that during her father's voyage, the captain of the ship had called him to the bridge.

"A careful reckoning has been made," the captain said, "I believe we are now passing the place where the de Havre was wrecked. The water is three miles deep."

Mr. Spafford returned to his cabin and put pen to paper.

The Lord brought the story of Elisha and Shunamite woman who lost her only child to Mr. Spafford's mind. When Elisha had seen the woman approaching from a distance, he sent his servant out to see if she was alright.

While her son was ultimately restored to her, Mr. Spafford found more comfort in her initial response to the servant.

She had replied, "It is well."

Sailing three miles above where his the bodies of his children rested, knowing their souls had already had gone home to a God that occupied his own heart, Horatio G. Spafford wrote the words to a hymn that would last through the generations:

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

We will rarely understand our steps -- these paths that the Lord leads us down -- but we can take great comfort in knowing those steps are of the Lord. In that thought, regardless of what comes, we can say "It it well, with my soul."

Has the Lord's arm shortened?

"And Moses said, 'The people, whom I am among are six hundred thousand men on foot; yet You have said, 'I will give them meat, that they may eat for a whole month.' Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, to provide enough for them? Or shall all the fish of the sea be gathered for them, to provide enough for them?' And the Lord said to Moses, 'Has the Lord's arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.'"

-- Numbers 11:22-23 (NKJV)

It can be easy to get distracted from how good and faithful God truly is.

The story goes like this: The Israelite people departed the desert of Sinai after two years, two months and 20 days of living under God's freshly-dispensed law. They were bound for the promised land, but their thoughts quickly turned back toward the time of their bondage in Egypt.

They craved meat and remembered things like the "fish" and "cucumbers" (of all things) they ate in Egypt. What they didn't seem to remember was the sting of the taskmaster's whip on their back while they attempted to make bricks without straw.

So Moses pleaded with God for a solution to his suddenly finicky flock and God promised that He would bring them meat -- so much that they'd eat it until they couldn't eat anymore, to the point where they became physically ill from it.

Moses' response? He asks God where in the world all that meat is supposed to come from.

Keep in mind he's asking this while his people are outside gathering manna. You remember manna, right? That strange seed-like substance that tasted like honeyed-pastry?

Here he was before the Lord, imploring a solution to his people's complaint that they were tired of the substance that miraculously fell every night in just the right amount to feed a nation of 600,000 plus for over two years. And he asked where the Lord would find the meat to feed them.

God's answer, as always, is perfect -- and applicable to our lives today.

"Has the Lord's arm been shortened?"

These people had seen things too incredible to even imagine. They'd walked in faith across the dry land on the sea floor while a pillar of cloud and fire led them. They'd seen water enough for an entire nation spew forth from a dry rock. They'd trembled in fear at the foot of the mountain while God's presence manifested itself in thunder, lightning, smoke and trumpet call.

And Moses wondered if God could find enough meat for a month.

Moses' theme repeats itself after Jesus feeds the 5,000. A short while later, with fewer people (4,000) and even slightly more bread and fish, the disciples ask Jesus where they'll ever find enough to feed the crowd.

It's not that we forget the miracles. It's that we tend to let a future unknown outweigh the past experience.

How many Moses moments do we have today? Do we discount the miraculous deliverance we've been blessed with because the latest trial seems so big? Do we allow whatever is facing us presently to dwarf how exceedingly good God is? Does falling into a daily pattern cause us to look past how truly extraordinary this relationship with God is?

I know I am guilty of it. I suspect most everyone is at some point, to some extent.

When you run into that trial today -- this week, this month, whenever -- ask yourself: "Has the Lord's arm been shortened?"

Don't make the mistake of putting a God in a box. He is bigger and greater than our minds can even fathom. And for all His might and wonder, don't forget His love matches the size of every other aspect of His being.

Jesus says He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

He's the only future we'll ever need to know.

His arm is strong enough, and long enough, to carry us through anything.

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"... I will redeem you with an outstretched arm ..." - Exodus 6:6

"The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. " - Deuteronomy 33:27a

"The Lord has made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; And all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Isaiah 52:10

"The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He brought them out of it." Acts 13:17.

What I'm Reading Now: Revelation, Numbers, Luke, Proverbs, Psalms

The Victor of our battles

" Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and be the word of their testimonies, and they did not love their lives to the death.'" Revelation 12:10-11 (NKJV).

One of the easiest things in life is to forget is where our next breath originates. It is part of human nature to want to rise to a challenge, meet it head on and emerge victorious.

We want so badly to believe we are capable, and that we know, deep down, what we're doing. We want to take life by the steering wheel and navigate our way soundly and efficiently through whatever obstacles arise.

But life is anything but a smooth Sunday drive. There are simply too many variables that are far beyond our control to think we belong in the driver's seat.

And that line of thinking penetrates down to the very breath we take. Does anyone stay awake all night making our own hearts beat or making sure we take the right number of breaths? Of course not.

Yet, with the most basic fundamentals of life so ridiculously out of our control, why is it that we would pretend to know the best course for ourselves in every other area?

Revelation 12 breaks it down into the most basic foundation of salvation. All mankind is separated from God because of sin.

It's a condition that caused a breech from Him in the Garden that no mere man could build a bridge back over.

Satan, it says in today's verses, accuses us day and night of what we are obviously guilty. And for as much as I might want to respond, I can't fight that battle on my own accord. I am a sinner. And I can't resolve that on my own.

But the redemption in this verse comes from outside, from the same source that determines my next breath -- the Supreme defender. The same source that does belong in the driver's seat.

It says they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.

The blood Christ shed on the cross not only wiped my sin off the record, but it also cast my No. 1 accuser down.

It is by the word of my testimony, the simple idea that I was lost in sin, but I have been redeemed -- made of worth by the only one in the universe who can be deemed worthy -- that I find victory over sin. There's nothing anyone can do to deserve it, but it is available to anyone who wants it.

It's Jesus who fights our battles, who defeats our enemies and who protects our way. While this world will have plenty of variables to throw at us, we have the blessing of resting on the one constant there is. We are able to seek His guidance through prayer and through His word and know His direction is sound. But it is on us to recognize He knows better than we.

The clincher comes in the tail end of the verse. It says "they did not love their lives to the death."

Because I have been redeemed, I have to recognize the idea that someone paid the price to redeem me.

And in paying that price, Jesus obtained my life. It is a two-sided contract and in accepting the simple terms on my side, it can't be forgotten that my life is no longer my own. It's not my life. It's His.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says we are not our own. We were bought at a price and therefore we should glorify God in our bodies and in our spirits.

And why would I want it to be mine anyway? I can't even make my own heart beat.

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What I'm reading presently: Revelation, Numbers, Luke, Proverbs and Psalms.