Names of God Series: The Door

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Jan Tinneberg

"I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."

~John 10:9

In our series on the names of God, we come now to a name Jesus ascribes to Himself - "The Door", a name pointing to the fact that He is the entrance to salvation, the only way to eternal life. This name is very reminiscent of another name Jesus gives to Himself that we have already studied, also in the book of John - "The Way". Both names make it unequivocally clear that in Jesus alone we are able to acquire salvation and eternal life.

But what sets this name apart in such a beautiful way is what comes after it - "If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture."   Right on the heels of this verse comes this famous passage: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10)

These two verses are so beautiful and highlight the lovingkindness and amazing grace and mercy of our dear Savior. Jesus didn't just come to save us and then go back into heaven to wash His hands of us until eternity rolls around. No, far from it! He came to save us eternally, yes. And praise the Lord He did! But He also goes above and beyond in His amazing grace and also blesses us with abundant life in the here and now, as well.

Now, this abundant life doesn't mean that we will always be recipients of health, wealth, and prosperity. On this side of heaven, we still live in a fallen world and we will still face hardships, trials, and loss sometimes. But the blessing here is that, even in the midst of hard seasons, we still have the blessing of being able to do life with Jesus, even here and now. He companions us, walks with us, is always with us to comfort, help, lead, guide, and strengthen us. 

That is what abundant life in the here and now is, dear sister. That is what it looks like for us to be able to go out and find pasture in the here and now. It is the comfort of knowing Jesus provides for our needs (physically, financially, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally), that He is our constant companion, and that He will never leave us nor forsake us, instead bringing everything together for our good.

What a blessing! And it is ours to live out today! Thank You, Jesus!

Reflection Questions:

1) What stands out to you about this second portion of verse 9? What comes to mind for you when you read about being able to go out and find pasture?

2) Who could you share this comforting truth with today?

3) How does the cultural lie that there are many ways to heaven do grave harm to people? Will you be willing to boldly stand against it?

Stoop & Reflect Jesus

 By: Joanne Viola

 

Grace. The word has been weaving through my thoughts for a week now.

Grace. We all need some in our lives, especially God’s grace. At the moment, when we are aware that we are helpless and weak, we are always able to turn to God and receive help. Jesus reminds us,

“Apart from me, you can do nothing.” 
(John 15:5)

Jesus doesn’t mean we can’t do anything. He means we can't do anything which will have any spiritual or eternal effect without Him. It is only in His strength and by His grace, when we call upon His Name, that we are able to do that which will last.

“There is no one too weak for God to help, only people too strong.”
(author unknown)

When we find ourselves unsure, lacking strength or wisdom, may we turn to our God in prayer. Why?

“Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
(Psalm 116:2, NLT)

“He stoops to look down on heaven and earth. 
He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. 
He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! 
He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. 
Praise the Lord!” 
(Psalm 113:6-9, NLT)

What imagery these verses bring to my mind – a hand extended, lifting us up out of any pit we may find ourselves in. This should deposit hope into each of us in whatever state we may find ourselves.

Grace has been defined as > “that which causes joy, that which creates delight in the recipient; favor without expectation of any return” (New Testament Lexical Aids, 5921).

God extends His grace to us to bring us joy and delight without any expectations in return. If God Himself stoops to help us, how much more are we to stoop to help others?

May we be reflections of the grace which we ourselves have received.
May we find grace to humble ourselves,
stoop, and reflect Him.

 

 

Reflection:
How can we best stoop and reflect Jesus? Think of someone you can reach out to and delight today.

 

Photo by Igor Kasalovic on Unsplash

 

 

Reading 1 & 2 Kings

  By: Lauren Thomas 

I’ll admit that in the past, I got confused and bored reading through 1 and 2 Kings in the Bible. Whenever I came to the parts about prophets, however, my interest renewed. The prophetic activity recorded in these books is compelling, and it makes for a nice break in the historical narrative. But 1 and 2 Kings is so much more than history, and the prophetic accounts are more than captivating stories. 

 

If you have struggled through these books, keep reading for some inspiration!

While 1 and 2 Kings are historical, they are also theological. They tell us about who God is. They tell us about his ways – punishing sin, but showing mercy to the those who walk faithfully to Him. Historically, these books show the line of descent from David to exile. But theologically they show partial fulfillment of God’s promise to David, that a descendant would always sit on the throne of Israel. This is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. For this reason, 1 and 2 Kings are important to salvation history. 

 

The presence of prophetic accounts within these books shows that even as judgment was imminent on idolatrous Israel, God was always sending men to call his people back to him. And in doing so, he revealed his steadfast love, mercy, and other characteristics, such as his sovereignty. 

 

Let’s look at 1 Kings 17 for an example. In the ESV, this chapter is broken into 3 sections. In the first, Elijah prophesies a drought. In the second, he goes to live with a widow and the Lord miraculously provides. In the third, God raises a dead boy through Elijah’s prayer. Each of these is interesting, but they aren’t just interesting. They each tell us something about God! 

 

1. God sends a drought. This was a direct challenge to Baal, a god worshipped by King Ahab and idolatrous Israel. Baal was supposed to control fertility and agriculture. Healthy crops were believed to be from Baal. They also believed that Baal temporarily succumbed to Mot, the death God. This resulted in a yearly dry season. God sending a drought showed, not only that he is in control of weather and agriculture, but that he is alive and does not submit to death or any other god. 
2. The Lord provides for a widow. When God sent Elijah to live with a widow during the drought, he sent Elijah to a town belonging to the Sidonians who worship Baal. Yet even here, God provided for Elijah and for the widow. In Old Testament times, people believed that gods were regional and only controlled limited areas. In this account, God demonstrated that he can cross national/regional borders and can minister to people other than his chosen people in Israel. 
3. God raises a dead boy through Elijah’s prayer. When the widow’s son died, she brought him to Elijah who prayed that the boy might live again. God answered his prayers and resurrected the boy. This demonstrated God’s power over death!

Not only is 1 Kings 17 an interesting read, it shows us that God is all-powerful, all-sovereign, and has power over death. 

 

Now, do you think you might want to read 1 and 2 Kings? If you, like me, have struggled to get through these books, here are some tips:

• Take notes. Specifically, make two columns – one for the southern kingdom and one for the northern kingdom – and list all the kings as you read about them. Maybe color code the evil and good kings. Record any info that might help you keep track of them.
• Read the commentary in a study Bible. Sometimes this is all it takes to help these passages make more sense or to uncover something you didn’t notice before.
• Read while listening. Follow along in a physical Bible as you listen to the audio version on your Bible app. 

 

Reflection:

When was the last time you read through 1 and 2 Kings? How does the truth of who God is, according to 1 Kings 17, impact your life? 

Cord of Three Strands | Part 2

By: Jenifer Metzger

Last week we talked about keeping the third strand, God, in the braid of your marriage. We talked about how God as the third strand is vital to the marriage, even life saving. But how can we add Him?

How can you add God in your braid?

Pray. Pray every single day for your marriage. Pray that God would help you to be the wife He has called you to be. Pray that God would help your husband to be the husband He has called him to be. Pray that you and your husband would place God at the center and seek Him in all ways. Pray on your own. Pray together. Ask your husband to pray for you. Ask your husband how you can pray for him. Pray, pray and pray some more.

Get into the Word. You should be reading God's Word every day. The Word is God's instruction manual for not only life, but for our marriages. Read the Word, study the Word, pray the Word. Talk to your husband about reading the Bible together [this is in addition to your own personal reading]. If he agrees, read together at least a couple of times a week. If he is hesitant, instead of reading together, discuss what you each read on your own time. This can bring some incredible discussions and will add a new depth to your intimacy.

Get into church. Make attending church as a couple/family important. Don't skip church just because. As a matter of fact, the only legitimate reason to skip church is for illness, but that's another blog post! Go to church together, worship together, learn together, fellowship together, serve together. Be intentional.

When our marriage starts to feel hard, when we are at each other's throats, when we feel a disconnect, we need to pause and ask ourself if God has been pulled out. If the answer is yes, or even maybe, we need to rebraid our cord and add God back in by prayer, the Bible, and church.

Discussion:
1. Do you and your husband pray together regularly? Praying together, praying for each other, is so important to a Christian marriage. It shows the enemy you are united in God and it builds a spiritual intimacy. Be intentional about praying together.
2. Praying, reading the Bible, and church are just three ways to put God in our marriage. What are other ways you can think of?

Names of God Series: Connected to the True Vine

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Anna Jakutajc-Wojtalik

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. Every branch in me that does not produce fruit he removes, and he prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me. If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this: that you produce much fruit and prove to be my disciples."

John 15:1-8

As we come now to another week in our names of God series, we are today looking at Jesus' name, The "True Vine", a name which points to Jesus as being our source of spiritual life and pointing to the reality that we only thrive when we remain in Him and abide in Christ.

My husband recently put together in our back yard a metal, arched garden bench for me that I absolutely love. At the same time, he planted several morning glories in the hopes that they would grow to vine up and over the arch to cover it with beautiful blooms over the summer. 

As I sat out on that bench this morning and looked at the vines already beginning to climb up one side of the arch, it got me thinking - the arch isn't clinging to the vine. The vine is clinging to the arch. 

Yes, our passage of Scripture today does speak to our abiding in Christ and remaining in Him, but it also speaks about Him abiding in us and remaining in us. So often we seem to zero in on  just the portion that talks about our responsibility, all the while sadly forgetting Jesus'. 

I had never thought about this before until just the other day when I first got to thinking about the concept of vines and clinging. On our property, we are working to clear trees to make more room for pasture on our homestead. As we do, we are regularly coming across trees that have vines wrapped around them intently. 

And that is when I realized that I had been focusing on the wrong portion of this passage all along. Or, perhaps to put it another way, I had just been focusing on one portion to the negligence of the rest. I had to remember that each section is important and that, when it comes to vines, the tree or the arch don't cling to them. The vines cling to the tree or the arch.

Why is this important? 

It's important because, while we do have the responsibility to consciously and intentionally abide in Christ on a daily basis, to remain in Him, and to walk by His Spirit, we are not alone in our efforts here. Just as we seek to abide in Him, Christ is already clinging to us. He is already intentionally holding fast to us, to nurture and nourish us, to strengthen and fill us, and to produce fruit in and through our lives.

It doesn't all depend upon us, friend. We walk by His Spirit, and He does the work. Isn't that a great relief to your soul to remember? I know it is for mine!

Reflection Questions:

1) Is there a certain aspect to abiding that you have been more likely to focus on? Either your abiding in Christ or His abiding in you?

2) How can it be a comfort to think of Christ as faithfully clinging to us as a vine does to a tree or arch?

3) How does the metaphor of a vine shape your view of your relationship with Christ and His work in you?