.

1 John 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

We have been created to be like God so much so that He’d call us His children.

Focus for Lent:  As a rational and relational Being, God created mankind to be like Him, a reflection of His glory.

Questions for further thought

Would the Image of God still have something relational about it since at the time of Adam’s creation, there was no Eve? 

Adam could relate to God alone. But had God proclaimed Adam complete yet?

Why did God say the He’d create them male and female? What about the blessings to follow require it?

Prayer: Father God, on this side of the fall of man with our being incapable of perfectly displaying Your Image, help us to see that the man in the mirror still has a hint of it. So do people we don’t particularly like. Forgive us, Lord, for disliking anyone made in Your Image.  Help us to be transformed into Your likeness through obedience and to press on toward holiness and godly living.  We praise You that when Jesus returns, we will be like Him.  Thank You for the miracle of rescue, that You planned before the creation of the world.  Forgive us, Lord, for the things we do that grieve You and help us to treasure and display Your Image every day and always. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

This year’s Lent Devotional Series “Created to Display His Image” resumes tomorrow after today’s Sabbath rest to meditate and worship. Today, reflect on the mystery of God’s Image.

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When God created us, He created us not just in His Image, but also in His likeness.  When God created all the other animals, they were each created “according to their kinds” with the purpose of reproducing, each according to their kinds.

But when God created man, in a sense, He made man according to His kind—in His Image and in His likeness!  What an amazing thought that we are God’s kind of people–there’s something truly special about humanity that is somehow … like God.

It’s no wonder that the greatest temptation humanity would perpetually face is to be gods ourselves, to have more than just god-likenesses. It’s hard to put to words what God’s Image is, because God Himself is beyond our human understanding. However, the irony is that to be DIY gods, always seems so much more understandable or attainable to the finite mind living in temptation to be what we are not.

Focus for Lent: Repent of anything flesh-like. Instead, elevate your living to be God’s kind of people.

Questions for further thought:

If the original Adam (i.e., created to be perfectly reflective of God’s Image) were to look in the mirror, what would Adam have seen?  Would he have seen something like a child sees in his father or mother?  A family resemblance?

Adam and Eve had no problem seeing God face-to-face in the beginning.  Why can’t we see God face-to-face now?

Prayer:  Father God, we praise You that through the Holy Spirit, we can come boldly before Your throne, forgiven by Christ Jesus, and our sins washed away.  We can meet You spiritually face-to-face in Jesus and His Word.  We praise You that someday we will know You even as we are fully known.  We see now through a “glass darkly” as the Apostle Paul put it and ask that You would hasten the day of Jesus’ return so that we will have finished the work You sent us to do, fulfilling that multiplication of Your Image on earth, bringing glory to You, and we will finally know You as the original Adam did.  We look forward to that day, Lord.  Until then, please keep us focused on the mission and bringing glory to You.  In Christ Jesus, Amen.

===

If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

.

After God created the entire Animal Kingdom except for humans, that’s when He said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.” Only human beings bear the Image of God. No other animal does. Arguably, no angels do. Only mankind.

Focus for Lent: It is a high privilege to bear God’s Image, and our fulfilling the responsibility is of paramount importance.

Questions for further thought:

In what way should that make us appreciate God’s Image in us?

In what way does His Image and His likeness dictate your daily living?

In what way does our culture try to blur the distinction between men and animals (like monkeys, apes, and gorillas, etc.) along largely superficial terms, and how is this an offense to God?

Does Scripture leave us any room for that elevation of animals, lowering of mankind, or is man totally set apart?

Why might our adversary want us to believe that we are not above other animals and forget that we have a mandate regarding God’s Image?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for giving both Your likeness and Image to humanity. We are in awe of why You would choose to set us apart as the pinnacle of Your earthly Creation. Help us to understand how incredibly special and significant that is. There are powerful ramifications of the blessings to rule and subdue, to be fruitful and multiply Your Image, so that Your Image might cover the face of the earth. Even if animals can reproduce and plants can, too, each according to their kinds, none of them are in Your likeness or bear Your Image. Help us to remember that only humanity can propagate Your Image throughout the world. We stand in awe of Your goodness, Your plan, and Your grace. Forgive us for the times we listen to the world instead of Your Spirit and Scriptures, or we trust theories of science more than the truth of Your Word. Help us to stand strong for You as our Creator. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

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In all the universe, there is only one Creator, and He is God alone.  His Image is beautiful and mysterious.  While Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel depiction of the creation of man might be lovely art worthy of appreciation, the truth is God doesn’t have a hand like humans do. 

His Image is more than physical resemblance, but what is it?

We had a resemblance as created beings in God’s “likeness.” From our creation, we were never intended to be independent from God because we belong to Him.  Zoom forward to New Testament times, we see that Jesus was “made flesh” as a resemblance to us! 

Jesus, Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:6-11)

In Christ, we have seen that special relationship of bringing glory to God up close and personal.  In and through Jesus, God our Creator has also redeemed us to be considered sons and daughters called by His name and created for His glory.

Focus for Lent: We are His ownership and bring glory to Him through our obedience.

Questions for further thought:

Are all humans created for His glory? 

Reading Jesus’ high priestly prayer in John 17, there is one who was doomed to destruction. What about Judas? Did Judas bring glory to God, too?

If someone has the Image of God but chooses to rebel against God…against his Creator…how might destruction of rebellion bring glory to God?

Jesus keeps referring to those whom the Father had given to Him out of the world.  Obviously, it’s a subset of the world.  Does the world bring glory to God, too?  Far from universalism (in which everyone is saved whether they honor God or not, have received forgiveness or not, etc.), how does God’s final squashing of all rebellion and wickedness in the Last Day display His attributes of both perfect love toward those He created, and wrath avenging His perfect holiness.

Prayer: Father, please help me to remember my sins are ultimately against You, and prompt me to repent at all times, not just during this season of Lent.  Instill deep in my heart that You are my Creator and I belong to you.  Your ownership of me commands my obedience to You…just as Your Son did, though He was (in eternity past to eternity future) Your equal. He is God.  May I endeavor to submit my will to Yours and to worship You rightly. You deserve this as my Creator.   Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Today is Ash Wednesday. The beginning of Lent is the perfect time to reflect upon who we are and our relationship to the God who created us.

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God created us for His pleasure, to bring Him glory, and to accomplish this, He created us in His Image. Our purpose in living is to display His glory, His love, and His Image, and to multiply it throughout the world.

We were given this Image at mankind’s initial Creation and unlike the original Adam and Eve, and our Lord Jesus (who was not created), every human to-date still displays it, albeit in broken or defaced form. But Adam and Eve weren’t created from the get-go as broken people with a defaced, relic of God’s Image. They were perfectly reflective of God’s Image.

But what exactly is the Image of God? And does He create us now with a defaced, relic of His Image? Are we created sinners or just born that way?

Over the next 40 days, we will be nibbling around the edges of this topic of great discussion by theologians over the centuries, asking questions about what it means to be made in the mysterious Image of God.

Focus for Lent: Ash Wednesday has a traditional introspection on our sin nature and need for repentance as God’s Image-bearers.

Questions for further thought:

How does our sin nature relate to our having been created in God’s Image? Can you identify ways in which you are failing to live up to His likeness you were created to be and His Image you were intended to display?

In light of our imperfect and fallen sin nature and God’s perfection, how might repentance be appropriate as our response as His Image-bearers?

What can you do today to better reflect God’s Image and likeness?

Prayer for today:

Lord Jesus, help me to recognize the sins that I commit. Help me to see that the good things I have left undone, the ways I’ve diminished my fellow man, and my life/thought patterns which I know have grieved You. All of these failures are all sins against You and Your Image, something so precious in me. I ask for Your forgiveness, and that You would guide me to display Your Image and share Your gospel of salvation with the watching world. Amen.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Moving from Nahum’s warnings that accountability is coming, it’s a good practice to take a sober self-assessment and life inventory. That’s one of the things Lent is all about. It’s a period of 40 days (not including the Sabbath rest) to look at our hearts and lives in preparation for Good Friday’s crucifixion of our Lord Jesus and Easter when He has risen indeed.

What does it mean to be human? What constitutes sin? I believe it all comes back to the Image of God, the “Imago Dei” in which every human has been created. But what is that?

Join me for the 2023 Lent Devotional series “Created to Display His IMAGE” as we explore what it means and the profound implications of being Image bearers. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday (February 22, 2023) and will conclude on Easter Sunday.

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If you’re already signed up on my Home Page sidebar to receive posts, you’ll get the 2023 Lent Devotionals automatically. Or you can “Like” Seminary Gal on Facebook and they’ll be delivered to your Facebook news feed. If you haven’t signed up, today is a great day to do so. Advent and Lenten devotionals remain among my most popular offerings. You don’t want to miss this encounter with God to prepare your heart for Easter! Understanding that prior years’ devotionals continue to minister, you may want to have access to a full series ahead of time:

• Lent 2013 looked at The Letter to the Romans: Paul’s Masterpiece to reclaim foundations of our Christian heritage and began February 13, 2013.
•  A very special and ever popular offering was Lent 2014’s Be Still and Know that I AM God  which can be obtained through the archives beginning in March 2014. 
• Lent 2015 began on February 18, 2015 with a series entitled With Christ in the Upper Room: Final Preparations.  We explored what is often called “The Upper Room Discourse” found in John chapters 13-17. 
• ReKindle, the Lent 2016 series, began on February 10, 2016 and encouraged us to rekindle our spiritual lives.
• Light: There’s Nothing Like It was the 2017 Lent series and explored this metaphor often used to portray Christ.  It is archived beginning March 1, 2017.
• Lent 2018, we explored the questions of Pi and Chi (the Greek letter beginning the word Christos, which means Christ, Messiah, the Anointed One). We asked and answered the questions “Why?” from the movie Life of Pi as we discovered the uniqueness of Jesus Christ in a world of many faiths.
• Lent 2019 gave us a deeper window into Easter “More to the Easter Story” since we miss so much when we rely only on a superficial understanding of the work of Christ. These devotionals are archived beginning March 6, 2019.
• Our Lent 2020 devotional series offered prayer points surrounding “Be Thou My Vision” and were aimed at helping us to see God for who He is. The full set of devotionals are archived beginning February 26, 2020.
• The theme for 2021 Lent Devotionals was how to live between two worlds while waiting for Christ’s return. Into the gap between the City of Man and its fixation upon sin and the City of God with its demand for holiness, two words minister peace: But God. Praise God for His intervention! They are archived beginning February 17, 2021.
• Last year’s devotionals, Revelation in 40 offered 40 vignettes, scenes, concepts, and thoughts to inspire us to read the Book of Revelation as it is written and to go deeper. They are archived beginning March 2, 2022.

Who among us doesn’t yearn for justice, accountability?  The evildoers.  Yeah, that would be the only group.  The rest of us look at people getting away with things and it leaves us feeling a range of emotions from depressed, to frustrated, to angry.  Our available human recourses seem to vaporize before our eyes, and even when we see the satisfaction of a glimmer of accountability, those charged seem to get away light or off completely.

Not so with Nineveh.

Nahum 1:14 The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: “You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the images and idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile.”

Imagine how Judah must have felt, living under the heavy yoke of Manasseh, a puppet king of the cruel Assyrians, and made political prisoners.  Nahum’s warning from God to Nineveh was “It’s over.” And it was.

For Judah, there was hope and help in the form of an invasion, but this was one to punish their enemies. 

Yet, the conqueror would be Babylon which would eventually take Judah into exile and captivity.  From the fire back to the frying pan as it were…for a time…since the Assyrians were brutal beyond standards of their day.  The Babylonians conquered too but didn’t skin people alive like the Assyrians did. 

Babylon would go on to destroy the temple in Jerusalem
and haul Judah off to captivity. 

All would seem truly lost, including freedom and faith.

Sometimes, the plan of God takes time and strange turns. Things had obviously not improved for Judah markedly. Had God’s plan failed since shortly after Nahum, Habakkuk complains to God?

“How long, LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save? Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict bounds. Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never prevails. The wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

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Not at all! God’s plan is long range. Back to Nahum, God proclaims hope…for starters, it’s the short-term fulfillment as in its context of final accountability for Nineveh.  Nahum 1:15 “Look, there on the mountains, the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your festivals, Judah, and fulfill your vows. No more will the wicked invade you; they will be completely destroyed. “ 

But there’s a long view too.  Eventually all evildoers will be held accountable.  Similar verses are quoted to tell of the Gospel of Jesus Christ who brings true peace in its fullest enduring form.

Nahum’s warning for mankind would be that accountability for each of us is coming.  For some it is near.  For others, we go from the fire to the frying pan and back to the fire …before… (and in the bigger picture… so that) we will finally hear and receive the Good News and receive that ultimate peace.

Lord God, help us to always remember that You are a sovereign God who holds time and events in Your control.  Help us to see Your larger picture, to wait with patience, and to hold onto our faith in Jesus no matter the circumstances we’re in. May we trust in Your righteous nature to achieve true vengeance in Your perfect time. May we never give in to temptations to make it right through wrongful actions on our part.  Give us eyes to see You at work in our midst, embolden us to preach the Gospel while there is still time, and do our part to use the righteous means available to hold the line on our culture.  Forgive us, Lord, for the times we’ve partnered—actively or passively—with those who hate You, who mock You, and who deny Your existence.  Help us to see this evil as You see it.  For we love You, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

I’ve been accused (on more than one occasion) of being a dispenser of “hopium.”  Perhaps it’s the plight of people with natural encouragement in their veins and fire-tested hope in their hearts.  In the face of God’s discipline that some of us have experienced, a lesson learned is that there’s still hope.  In the face of man’s devastation of this earth and humanity, there’s always hope placed rightly in God. 

Climate change, nuclear war, racial tensions, myocarditis…will anyone rescue us from such things?  I say yes.  But it’s not hope in “the thing” or in man because that’s the distinction between genuine hope (in God) and “hopium” (in anything or anyone else saving the day). 

Hear me clearly: no one is coming to your rescue. 

Apart from God.

And praise God, He’s enough!

Nahum 1:12 This is what the LORD says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away. Although I have afflicted you, Judah, I will afflict you no more. 13 Now I will break their yoke from your neck and tear your shackles away.”

Nahum’s warning for us would be to consider the afflictions God allows as corrective discipline and to remain hopeful in the duration, following Him to do the works we can.  In God’s perfect timing, there is rescue for the faithful from the worst of tribulations.  There is freedom from the yoke of oppression, slavery, and the evils of this world.

“If the LORD had not been on our side– let Israel say– if the LORD had not been on our side when people attacked us, they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us; the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us, the raging waters would have swept us away.  Praise be to the LORD, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.  We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.   Our help is in the name of the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 124:1-8)

Praise God! Discipline has an end (in two meanings). 
Freedom is in store for those faithfully looking to God in hope.

Questions for further thought:

What do we make of man’s responsibility and God’s sovereignty?  Are they rival ideas, or do they work in tandem?

When we cannot resolve certain world problems, does that mean we should be complacent because we can’t fix it anyway?

How is the dichotomy presented in a quote often attributed to (but never said by) Saint Augustine incorrect?  “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” 

If it were to say, “Pray because only God can rescue us, then diligently and tirelessly work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” how would that be more like it?

Lord, thank You that You are a sovereign God, and nothing escapes You.  Nothing happens apart from Your will to do us good in the long view, to give us hope and a future!  When we see things that trouble us, Father, please remind us of the truth that Jesus has overcome the world.  We can lay down the heavy yoke of self-preservation and place our hope in Jesus whose yoke is light and easy.  Be with us in these perilous times.  Help us to see Your light at the end of the tunnel, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

You don’t need a refuge when everything is peaceful and going swimmingly.  It’s when times get tough that a refuge is sought as shelter from the storm.

“The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him, but with an overwhelming flood He will make an end of Nineveh; He will pursue His foes into the realm of darkness. Whatever they plot against the LORD He will bring to an end; trouble will not come a second time. They will be entangled among thorns and drunk from their wine; they will be consumed like dry stubble. From you, Nineveh, has one come forth who plots evil against the LORD and devises wicked plans. This is what the LORD says: “Although they have allies and are numerous, they will be destroyed and pass away. (Nahum 1:8-12)

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There are times when we look at our current world situation in freefall and want to cry out “Make it stop!  Somebody!!!”

Our God is patient beyond anything we ever could exhibit, and truth be known, that’s a source of frustration for many of us.  But there comes a point when God says, “Enough!”  He’ll put an end to that and what He ends…is finished.

Such happened to Nineveh.  They were evil, heard the world’s shortest sermon by Jonah (Jonah 3:1-4:1), and repented (to Jonah’s great disappointment).  However, repentance doesn’t always last long. It’s not transferrable to the next generation, and therefore, what had been bad in Nineveh became worse.  Kind of like Jesus’ discussion of a kingdom divided in Luke 11:17-26 and the situation becoming worse than before.  Nineveh—at this point in their history—was worse than the Mos Eisley Space Port in Star Wars, of which Obi Wan famously said, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”  Obi Wan never went to Nineveh apparently. 

Beyond redemption: two of the scariest words ever put to print.

When something or someone is beyond redemption and God has said, “Enough!”, there’s no safety in numbers or powerful allies.  There’s no safety in darkness.  They’re all going down.

Bringing us to the modern times, how much “fundamental transformation” away from a Christ-honoring world will we need to experience before God says, “Enough!”?  I don’t pretend to know, but we’re on our way to that point with a recent Pew Research survey saying that more than 70% of a segment of Americans think the church makes things worse for the world but colleges make it better.  Church leaders in the UK are lamenting that Christianity has now “almost been vanquished”.  True, we may have little recoveries/victories for Christ here and there, but if the global transformation has been/is, in fact, “fundamental” then no amount of a human’s clawing it back is going to bring it from God’s declaration of beyond redemption… to redeemable.

Questions for further thought:

Sometimes when God says “Enough” there’s a period at the end of the sentence, forevermore.  Were Sodom and Gomorrah ever rebuilt?  What caused God to say “Enough”? See Deuteronomy 29:23-28.

Isaiah 13:19-22 tells the fate of ancient Babylon.  Had God had “Enough”?

Saddam Hussein tried rebuilding it, inscribing his name all over the place, but even now, it’s disintegrating and deserted. Now having received world historical site international recognition, restoration is on the horizon, already including the dragon body with the serpent head, a favorite of the god Marduk. In the article, they proclaim, “One can only imagine that Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, to whom local ladies still ask for intercession at a de facto re-appropriated fertility site where a recently reconstructed medieval shrine to Imam Ali’s son sits on top of his ancient temple, is well pleased that Babylon has been officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.” Yikes.

Jericho, another city destroyed, was rebuilt at a heavy cost as predicted by Joshua.  It became developed enough that Jesus went through there (Luke 19:1). But it was never again what it once was.

What about Europe?  America?  Has God had “Enough”? These are serious questions for serious Christians.