“I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

I do not know about you, but I have come to rely upon my GPS for navigation and traffic. All I do is put in the address and “she” tells me how to get where I need to go. But then, I might also check Google navigation just to be sure, and often they disagree. And then, someone will recommend Waze which may suggest an alternate route to avoid a slowdown. So, do I take the one that says it will get me there quickest? Perhaps I should take the one that is the most conservative estimate. Or maybe it is the one that has proved most reliable over time. The problem is that not one of my devices is 100% accurate. So, you say that’s because conditions are changing all the time—traffic, road construction, weather, etc.

And even worse—have you ever fought to get somewhere and found when you got there that they had moved????  One time I was going to a play at TPAC. I had parked and was rushing down the street, cutting it close (and it was cold that night). When I arrived at the door, the sign said the entrance had changed to the other side, in essence, I still had two more blocks to go. UGH! BRRR! Conditions change all the time. What does not change is that I need to be at work at the start of my shift, or at my doctor’s office at the appointed time, or in my seat before the show starts. Those things do not change.

In life, we all have a final destination, and we are headed there now, if we have not already arrived. Our destination is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven is right where it has always been and always will be, in other words, you can count on it to not move or be moved. Heaven is where God is, and Jesus is sitting at His right hand.

“Forever, O Lord, thy Word is settled in heaven. God’s Word, or Law, is eternal and unchanging – fixed and established forever in the heaven of heavens” (comp. Psalm 89:2; James 1:17).

Not only is Heaven unchanging, the way to get there is described in the Scriptures and has not changed since they were written more than two thousand years ago. In John 6, we have two amazing miracles: Jesus feeding the five thousand, and Jesus walking on water. The next day, the crowd came looking again for Jesus.

“Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” (John 6:24-29).

 Jesus is very clear, He is the only way to the Father in Heaven, and the only way we will stay on The Way to arrive in Heaven is to believe in The Way.

To continue with the logistical analogy, even though I happen to live on a dead-end road, I am fortunate in having more than one way to get to get to my road from wherever I am. Some of us pride ourselves on always having a Plan B, a backup plan if the first one falls through. Some of us have multiple options in play all the time, juggling and grabbing whichever seems the most profitable or expedient at any given time. And that is sometimes good; however, not when it comes to our path to the Kingdom of Heaven. In those cases, there is only one Way. To count on other things, to hope a Plan B will work, is to take our eye off our ultimate destination. Let us remember:

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

In Christ,

Judy

 “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34:6-7a).

The words above describing God’s steadfast love and faithfulness are an attempt to translate the Hebrew word “hesed,” which appears 248 times in Scripture. According to various lexicons, when this Hebrew word is used in Scripture, it is translated as one or more of the following words: grace, kindness, goodness, piety, beauty, favor, good deeds, lovingkindness, mercy/merciful. Sally Lloyd Jones talks about “hesed” as God’s never-stopping. never giving up, unbreaking, always and forever kind of love. Is that not beautiful? I cannot read or repeat this without a catch in my throat.

This love is ours for the asking, for the receiving. Notably, Jonah, in the belly of the fish, said, “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace (hesed) that could be theirs” (Jonah 2:8).

Jonah was learning. He knew intellectually about the grace of God, but he did not want it extended to Nineveh. He felt they were undeserving. The problem here is that it is not up to us as to who is deserving of God’s grace and mercy. (Thank God!). Jonah tried to run from God, both literally and in his disobedience. But God pursued him and yet allowed him to reach the depths of his mess in the bottom of the sea in the belly of the fish. Finally, when ‘Jonah could run no more, he prayed to God. “In my distress, I called to the Lord, and he answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and you listened to my cry” (Jonah 2:2).

And when Jonah prayed, God answered. “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).

God loves us with an everlasting love, yet we must realize our desperate need for him. We must cling to him only. If we grasp for other sources of help, we will miss the grace, the hesed, of God. Remember, in the words of the Apostle Paul: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).

“Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:8-9).

In Christ,

Judy

“Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10).

This verse paints a beautiful word picture in my mind. I see someone bowing low before Jesus, and Jesus gently holding them as He raises them up. There is another picture that Jesus paints in Luke:

“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 14:8-10).

Jesus has an amazing way of turning things on their heads, as when he says, “The first will be last, and the last will be first.” This passage from Luke speaks of humility as a position—in this case, the lowest place (or farthest from the host). In the same way, humility is our position in relation to others, and to Christ. Bottom line, humility is not getting down on yourself. Humility is properly submitting to authority.

Jesus set the example. He humbled himself to be incarnated as a man, to die a horrible death on the cross; to be the lamb, the atoning sacrifice to take away the sins of the world. And then God raised him from the dead, and Jesus ascended to the right hand of God. And from there he will rule and reign. He knew that if he was obedient to his Father, that his Father would lift him up.

In the same way, we should be obedient to our heavenly Father, knowing that he will lift us up. James Chapter 4 leads off with why we have strife with our fellow brothers and sisters. “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (v.4). He then proceeds to tell us how to change this dynamic: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (James 4:7-10)

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34).

In Christ,

Judy

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Besides Jesus, most of us would probably say that the Apostle Paul had the strongest faith of anyone in the New Testament. And certainly, there were heroes of the faith in the Old Testament such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and all the others listed in the Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11). However, when we read their stories, we learn that they all experienced times when their faith was weak.

One of my favorite stories is about one of the most famous prophets in the Bible, Elijah. In 1 Kings 18, Elijah calls down fire from heaven in a showdown with the prophets of Baal.

“At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: ‘Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, ‘The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!’” (1 Kings 18:36-39).

Elijah exhibited great faith when going up against the most evil King Ahab and his 400 prophets of Baal, and God rewarded him with a miracle. You would think that Elijah would be filled with great confidence as a result. Yet when the wicked Queen Jezebel threatened him right after this miracle, “Elijah was afraid and ran for his life…he prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’”

Have you ever felt like that? Afraid. Had enough. Just can’t do this anymore. It’s just not worth it. Where do these feelings come from?

A clue to the answer to this question is in the question itself. Specifically, it’s the word “feelings.” Our feelings are an important component of our emotional health. God created us with emotions, and even Jesus wept. But we all know that our feelings are also changeable, we can’t really depend on them. I might be terribly upset immediately after hearing bad news, but the next day it won’t seem to matter so much.  The Bible tells us about the misleading nature of our feelings: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9). The Bible also tells us about the unpredictability of our feelings: “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief (Proverbs 14:13). That said, human feelings can reveal spiritual truths and help us grow toward Christian maturity. Our emotions can expose our need for God, our dependency on Him, and the frailty of our human existence (2 Corinthians 12:7–10). 

So, understanding this about our feelings, what do we do when our faith is weak? Oddly enough, it’s the same thing we do when our faith is strong and we feel invincible, and for all the same reasons. Because we need to understand what faith is and where our faith lies. When I sit down in a chair, my faith is not in my proficiency in sitting. My faith is in the chair. We need to understand just who or what it is that we have faith in. If my faith is in myself and my abilities, I’ve been known to fail. If my faith is in others, they have been known to fail.  But if my faith is in Jesus, He is Trustworthy and True. Jesus never fails. His timing is perfect, and his Way is always the right way.

When Paul was feeling weak, he remembered God’s grace. Throughout Scriptures, time after time, we read about the power of God and how he always came through, just like with Elijah in the passage above. We need to remember these wonderful stories of God’s compassion, his grace, his might, his victories, and his promises. This is why Moses could write with all confidence:

“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling” (Exodus 15:13).

Judy

“Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

We have just celebrated Labor Day, and although I know that many workers get the day off to rest from their labors, many of you worked right on through. I sincerely hope you know how appreciated you are, and how godly it is that you remained at your post, working for the Lord.

This devotional is “bookended” by words spoken by the Apostle Paul to his brothers in sisters in Christ to encourage them in their faith. Their faith was a dynamic faith in many ways. For example:

• These new believers were actively converting from their old religion, whether it be Judaism or paganism, giving up their old ways and exchanging them for the ways of Christ. This involved continuous decision-making and taking action regarding what to think, what to say, and what to do. This is stressful and exhausting.
• In many cases, they were rejected by their families of origin because of their Christianity, and as a result having to relocate and develop new relationships and new resources. This, too, is challenging and stressful.
• And perhaps most importantly, they were actively involved in the expansion of Christianity, winning souls for Christ and supporting the missionary efforts of others. And while rewarding, it was dangerous and stressful work.

This is why Paul so often used metaphors of running the race and fighting the fight, because these new believers were so actively contending for the faith.

Many of us, early in the throes of any major change, are energetic and enthusiastic about what we are striving to do. And then, over time, we become complacent, maybe even bored, and possibly even revert to the older, “easier” ways. I bet you can relate; I know that I can. When I start a new job, I am so excited about coming to work every day and what I am going to learn and accomplish. And then it can sometimes just become routine, going through the motions. We can forget what our true motivation for the change was in the first place. Marriage can be like that also. That’s why John wrote to the church at Ephesus “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first” (Revelation 2:4).

How can we overcome this tendency to slack off, to forsake the first love and excitement?

1. Continually pray that our priorities are in the right place. In other words, focus on doing the Lord’s work. It is our “labor in the Lord” that is not in vain.
2. Remember that we are not doing this on our own— “he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
3. Surround yourself with partners in the gospel, to pray and be prayed for, to encourage and be encouraged by, and to work alongside.
4. Focus on the prize, the crown, the wreath, the commendation of “well-done good and faithful servant”, the “harvest.” “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8).

Jesus has promised that our labor “in the Lord” will not be in vain and that he will carry it through to completion. Therefore, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:4-6).

In Christ,

Judy

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

These are the words of Jesus, a promise to his disciples that he made during the last week before his crucifixion. In fact, just a little later on in Matthew 26:1-2, “When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, ‘As you know, the Passover is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.’”

We tend to attach more significance to the last words anyone knowingly says. When you are nearing death, you want to tell those you love what is absolutely the most important. What Jesus was telling his disciples is how to know about the end times, followed by instructions on how to be ready. That is a subject of interest to many people. We read Revelation with limited ability to understand the symbolism. We read passages in the Old Testament to try to interpret what we read in Revelation. But the fact of the matter is that Jesus gives us the plainest, easiest to understand description of what will happen in these gospel writings in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

Here is the context: Jesus has been pouring into his disciples, trying to help them understand that He was really the Son of God, the promised Messiah. Peter had acknowledged him as the Christ, and then Jesus began to teach them “that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). They really had a hard time with that!

Later on, during Jesus’ last week before his crucifixion, Jesus pronounced “woes” on the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. Then, as he is walking away from the temple, he tells his disciples that the temple will be destroyed (Matt. 24:1-2). They proceed to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples ask Jesus when this destruction will occur and “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3). They have lots of questions and know they do not have much time to get the answers.

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5). He, in the remainder of chapter 24, then gives all the signs to watch for.

Jesus is telling them to not get caught up in all the deceptions and the conspiracy theories that abound. And isn’t that true of our day as well? And as bad as it is now, especially with our access to so many sorts of media, it is only going to get worse. Jesus tells us that the words of false prophets will die with them. However, Jesus’ words will never pass away.

We learn from the Bible how to distinguish true prophecy from false prophecy. David Jeremiah provides some great insight directly from Scriptures: https://davidjeremiah.blog/how-to-spot-a-false-prophet/.

We can trust the words of Jesus; however, we cannot truly base our beliefs and actions on them unless we know them. And we will only know them by reading Scripture and engaging in Bible study and prayer. I am so thankful that our God has given us His Word, and His Word is powerful. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). Just think of it: God spoke the world into being. He said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1-2).

My friends, there is nothing more important than making time to read and study the Word. Only by reading the Scriptures can you know what God wants you to know about Him; only by reading the Scriptures can you understand the depth of your sin and the love God has for you that he gave his only Son in atonement for your sin so that you can have life everlasting. This is an offer, a gift, which has an expiration date—the date of your death. Do not take a chance. Receive the gift now. Be ready, as the Scriptures strongly recommend. And share it with everyone you know and love.

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

In Christ,

Judy

“…I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18).

What a thrill to see how the church of Jesus Christ has grown from that band of twelve disciples at the time Jesus made this statement to become the largest religion in the world at more than two billion believers. It is true that we are now seeing membership declines in parts of the world, including the United States; however, this growth is still impressive.

The church in one sense is the local congregation of believers who regularly gather to worship and to be discipled. However, in the larger sense, the church is all the body of believers who have ever lived. In fact, as it says in Hebrews 12:1 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” That great cloud of witnesses is the church—the body of all believers who have ever lived, and they are still useful to the work of the kingdom.

Jesus is the foundation and the corner stone of this virtual church structure, and we as believers are the living stones of the church. As Peter, the one to whom Jesus spoke the words that Matthew quotes above, tells us in 1 Peter 2:4-6 – “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’”

Why is Christ building his church? What does He even need a church for? Have you ever considered this? From the book of Genesis, we know that God called Abraham to go from his hometown of Ur to travel to the Promised Land, and He promised that from Abraham would come a great nation and a great land. The Bible tells us the fulfillment of this promise through Jesus, his Son. And through Jesus, the promise is extended to all who believe. Our Creator God created man to glorify Himself. “Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory” (Isa. 43:6–7).

Most of Jesus’ promises are what he will do for us. However, this is a promise to build his church is one that He will fulfil through us as we submit to His will. I cannot imagine a better purpose in life than to follow the calling to serve the body of Christ as a faithful member of His church. What a joy to be faithful in all the “one another” commandments that evidence our love for each other as Christ loved the church. What a life goal to be rewarded as a good and faithful servant as in Matthew 25:23 – “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”

And what indescribable joy when we celebrate with Christ in our new Eternal Home. We know that Jesus considers the church his Bride. “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27). Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, “…for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready…” (Revelations 19:7).

“And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18).

In Christ,

Judy

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 5:9).

Have you ever experienced what I call a “David and Nathan moment?” In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan the prophet, through means of a parable, got it across to King David that he had committed the sins of adultery and murder (you must read the story if you don’t already know it).  This is called conviction. I believe that David felt gut-punched when he was convicted of his sin; I myself have felt the gut-wrenching sense of conviction of my sin—it is unbelievably uncomfortable.

Upon becoming convicted of sin in our lives, we have two choices:

1. Acknowledge our sin. This is called confession, and it means that we agree with God about our sin. In this case, King David’s response is “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:13), OR
2. Ignore the conviction, hoping it will go away. This is called hardening of the heart, and if you do it enough, you will become immune to your sin. “If we don’t confess our sins, they have a cumulative and desensitizing effect on the conscience, making it difficult to even distinguish right from wrong. And this sinful and hardened heart is tantamount to the “seared conscience” Paul speaks of in 1 Timothy 4:1–2. Scripture makes it clear that if we relentlessly continue to engage in sin, there will come a time when God will give us over to our “debased minds” and let us have it our way. The apostle Paul writes about God’s wrath of abandonment in his letter to the Romans where we see that godless and wicked “men who suppress the truth” are eventually given over to the sinful desires of their hardened hearts (Romans 1:18–24)” (From Got Questions)

As believers, we need to continually evaluate our choices—what we think, say, and do—and seek conviction. And when we receive conviction, then we must confess our sins as stated in 1 John 1:9. Confession means agreeing with God about our sin; it means admitting to God that we have sinned. Confession does NOT require a priest; it is a direct interaction with God. God is the only One who can forgive sin, and Jesus is our only Mediator. However, there are times when it is also appropriate to confess to others about our sin if that is what it takes to reconcile, or to ask for prayers or encouragement in overcoming our sin.

With confession comes repentance, an about-face, a turning from sin. We can’t just say I agree I have sinned, but I’m not going to change.  And the promise is this: when we confess our sins to God, he is faithful to forgive us and purify us.

Some supporting comments:

1. We all sin. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23).
2. All sins are equal before God, and without forgiveness will result in death. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a).
3. Some sins have greater earthly consequences than others. For example, while hate and murder are equally sinful before God, murder carries a greater punishment in earthly courts. (Matthew 5:21-22).
4. “Scripture singles out sexual sin as having worse consequences than other types of sin: ‘Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body’ (1 Corinthians 6:18). In this passage, immorality is considered apart from other sins such as dishonesty, pride, envy, etc. All sin will negatively affect the mind and soul of a person, but sexual immorality will immediately and directly affect one’s body.” (From Got Questions)

Where does grace fit in to all of this? In the Message, we learn “All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end” (Romans 5:20-21).

In our opening story, Nathan displayed the grace of Jesus Christ in confronting King David with his sin. King David received this grace, which led to his confession and repentance. Let us seek to follow David’s example so that we can receive God’s gift of grace and eternal life.

“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4).

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

In Christ,

Judy

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 20:20-23).

One of the first rules of parenting is that the mom and the dad must back each other up. Otherwise, there is chaos because the children learn quickly how to pit one parent against the other (if that is not an example of our innate sinful hearts, I do not know what is). Do not get me wrong, as a child I sometimes wanted my mom to say “yes” to counter my dad’s “no,” or to just let something slide that he never would have allowed. However, although difficult to realize at the time, it was ultimately a comfort to know that they were on the same page because that gave my life a certainty and security I would not have had otherwise.

The attributes of God are demonstrated in His promises. One such attribute, his trinitarian nature, is demonstrated in God’s promise of unity, The word Trinity cannot be found in the Bible, but the truth of it can. While there is only one God, the Godhead consists of three distinct persons – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are equally omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, eternal, and unchanging, but each has unique functions.

Throughout the Bible, we see the Trinity operating in unity, each performing their specific functions, all to achieve the same objectives, kind of like the ideal parenting model. You never see an example of conflict within the Trinity. The Trinity was present at Creation. As far back as Genesis, God said, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:27). Note the use of the plural. And the Hebrew name for God, Elohim, itself is plural.

Jesus often referenced the authority of God the Father and aligned himself with his Sovereign God.

• “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49).
• “Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him’” (John 8:28-29).
• As we see in the opening passage, Jesus prayed to his Father “that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.”

In this passage, we see that we have the promise of unity that Jesus has with his Father. What a beautiful and comforting promise.

Sinclair Ferguson distinguishes six categories of union with Christ.

• Union with Christ is covenantal in that Christ’s obedience is accounted, or imputed, to believers. When we trust in Christ, God does not see our sin; he sees Christ’s obedience.
• It is carnal or fleshly in the sense that Christ became incarnate and thus became one with humanity.
• Union with Christ is also a faith union in which by faith Christians depend on Christ for nourishment.
• It is a spiritual union because Christians are united to Christ by the agency of the Holy Spirit.
• It is an extensive union in that Christians are united with Christ in everything he has done, including his life, death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and being seated at the right hand of God.
• It is finally a union of life because Christ lives in Christians, and he is visible in their lives.

What a beautiful and incredibly awesome thing it is that when we accept Christ as savior, then we are united with Christ through faith. We become one with Christ. That is why I close my messages with “In Christ.” This signifies our union with Christ.

This does not mean that we are never unhappy; it means that we are unhappy about the same things. It does not mean there is never conflict, but it means that we are committed to the same outcome. If we can be unified with the Godhead and each other on the things of eternal significance, then we are achieving the inherent promise of unity found only in God.

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

In Christ,

Judy

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19).

The weekly Chaplain’s Corners this entire year-to-date have been focused on the promises of God, and there are plenty more to come. However, I thought I would take a moment just to dwell on how incredible it is that we worship a God who is willing to make promises to us, and even more awesome that our God takes those promises seriously in His fulfillment of them.

I put this in the context of something a high school friend used to say. It went something like this: “I don’t want to promise you something because I don’t want to break it.” Well, I agree that is better than making a promise you know you cannot keep, because breaking a promise leads to breaking trust whether it is keeping confidence, showing up, or fulfilling a commitment. Trust is huge with me, as I imagine that it is with you. I will trust someone until they give me a reason not to, and once the trust has been spoiled, it is really hard for me to regain that sense of trust.

However, let us take this a step farther. It can become an excuse never to make a promise, even with the admirable intention of not wanting to fall short. Our relationships are built on making commitments—the right kinds of commitments—and then following through. I do not know about you, but I want a friend that will promise to keep a confidence and then do it, who will make plans with me and then show up on time, who will commit to doing something for or with me and then follow through. And that is what God has done, repeatedly. The Bible is one example after another of God’s promises and their fulfilment.

I thought a great deal about this as we have all learned more about interacting with those experiencing homelessness and the 5:1 principle—it takes five positive interactions to balance just one negative interaction. This principle is especially true with trust. We usually trust someone until they prove untrustworthy; but once trust is broken, it can take five or more times of demonstrating trustworthiness to overcome that one violation of trust. And again, it is not enough just to be noncommittal. How secure would that feel if we did not have commitments from God regarding His presence, His providence, His saving grace?

One of the elements of the Mission Code of Conduct is Trustworthy, described in ourEmployee Handbook as: “Earn future trust by accurately reporting current and past facts. Use power and influence prudently and humbly. Model the trustworthiness of God in leadership to encourage and develop trustworthiness in others. Demonstrate a commitment to the well-being of the people we are called to serve. Keep promises. Respond sensitively and appropriately to requests and needs.”

God’s actions always coincide with his promises. God is utterly trustworthy, being truth itself and unable to lie (Hebrews 6:18). He never makes covenant promises that he cannot or will not keep. Thus, those who trust in the Lord understand that when they hear God’s promises, what He has promised is as good as done. He will certainly fulfill His word.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much” (Luke 16:10).

In Christ,

Judy