Marked by the Cross

By: Lauren Thomas 

One of my hobbies is thrifting. There is some strategy involved in it. For instance, if you find something you think you like but you’re not sure about, grab it, because if you don’t, someone else might before you make up your mind. Another tried and true tip is to look for designer and high-quality labels. These items usually stand the test of time and trends. They are better made, of higher quality, and would cost much more if bought new. Those are the items to immediately grab and purchase.

 

Why? Because labels are important.

In Ezekiel 9, after God has shown his prophet the abominations and idolatry in the temple, God commands a scribe to mark all those who sigh and groan over the idolatry of Jerusalem. These marked individuals were to be saved from the destruction to come.

 

And the Lord said to him, “Pass through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.”

Ezekiel 9:4 ESV

 

Don’t you feel curious about what that mark might have looked like?

 

In the Hebrew, it was “taw” which, in the script of Ezekiel’s day would have looked like an “x”. Ancient Christians thought this symbol prefigured the cross! Those marked by the “cross” were “saved” from judgement.

 

Just as labels mark an item of clothing, we are marked. But marked by what? Because the label does matter.

 

Revelation speaks about a mark as well – the mark of the beast. While there is a lot of conjecture about what this means, something to note is that we will all be marked by something. The question is, what mark do we wear?

 

Excuse the silly metaphor, but… Just as thrifters grab items that have certain labels, God rescues those who are labeled by the cross. God saves from destruction those of us marked by the cross.

 

How can we be marked by the cross? By recognizing our need for a Savior; by recognizing that Jesus is the only one who can save us from sin and judgement; and by putting our faith in the salvation he offers to those who believe.

 

May we be people marked by the cross. May we sigh and groan over the evils around us. May we look forward with eager anticipation to our salvation from judgement.

 

Reflection:

Though we do not bear physical marks that show who we belong to, what kind of things might show those around you that you follow Christ? What labels, or marks, your life

How does faith in Christ as Savior mark your life as one to be saved from destruction?

Rest, My Friend

By: Jenifer Metzger

We are approaching the downhill race as we near the end of the year. Like a bicycle picks up speed on a decline, life picks up speed in these last weeks.

With the holidays and all the craziness that they bring and then trying to finish any goals or plans we made for the year, we can often be left feeling like our head is spinning. We are told to make the most of the holidays. Do it all. Don't miss a party! When you think you're done shopping, no, you need more! Decorate until your house looks like the North Pole! Send Christmas cards to everyone you know! Keep yourself so busy you don't even get to truly enjoy the season!

Then we are told to finish every goal we set for the year. All the goals we are behind on, all the ones we forgot about. Well, you only have a few weeks left so get busy! Finish strong!

By the time December 31st arrives, we are worn to the bone. So I have one question. Why? Why do we stress ourselves out? Why do we push our minds, bodies, and emotions to the brink?

What if, instead of running ourselves and our families ragged, we slow down. We pause. We rest. What if we finish 2025 rested?

Now, I am not talking about being rested from the hustle and bustle, we'll chat more about that in a minute. I am talking about being rested in God. Tim Tebow says, "Biblical rest isn't about resting from things, but resting in Jesus."

Come to me, all of you who are weary

and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28 CSB

Jesus doesn't tell us to not do anything. He doesn't tell us to kick our feet up and not put in the work. In fact, if He has called us to it, we need to do the work for it. And the holidays are a beautiful time to enjoy and connect with others. But He does tell us to rest in Him.

So how do we rest in Jesus while still doing all the things?

Make it a priority each day to spend time with God. It is so easy to get busy that our time with God gets pushed aside. Be intentional with sitting down in the quiet to read your Bible and pray each and every day. If you are too busy to spend time with God, you are too busy. Something has to change.

Make sure Jesus is the center and reason for your Christmas celebrating. Read through the Christmas story from the Bible as a family; watch movies about the true meaning of Christmas, Angel Studios and PureFlix have great options; instead of Elf on a Shelf try Finding Jesus; don't miss church, in fact if your church has a Christmas Eve or even Christmas morning service, be sure to attend.

We can rest in Jesus and end the year physically and mentally at rest, while still having enjoyed the holidays to the fullest. Sometimes we just need to prioritize and adjust. Instead of attending all the holiday parties, enjoy a quiet dinner with family or friends or drive around in jammies with cookies and look at Christmas lights. Instead of trying to finish that goal you set aside in March, make one small step toward the goal and add the rest to next year. We don't have to do everything -whether holiday related or goal related.

Friend, rest is important. We were not created to constantly be on the go like the little battery powered bunny. Yet, finding rest in Jesus is vital.

Discussion:
1. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
2. What is one way you can commit to prioritizing resting in Jesus this holiday season?

Names of God Series: The Endlessness of El Olam

 By: Rebekah Hargraves

Photo Courtesy of: Declan Sun

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the whole earth.
He never becomes faint or weary;
there is no limit to his understanding.

~Isaiah 40:28

We come now in our series on the names of God to the name El Olam, translated in Isaiah 40:28 as "The Everlasting God", pointing to the fact that God has no beginning and no end. He is (as pictured above) the "Alpha and the Omega", the beginning and the end. He is from everlasting to everlasting, for He has always existed and will always exist. 

This truth carries with it many implications for us, a few of which are mentioned in today's passage.

Because He is the everlasting God, He never becomes faint or weary - which is really good news for us! After all, we often become faint and weary, do we not? Life is oftentimes hard, overwhelming, burdensome, and confusing, and we need an Advocate and a Helper on our side Who never becomes faint and never grows weary.

Secondly, because He is the everlasting God, there is no limit to His understanding. This, also, is good news for us. While we oftentimes have questions, grow confused, and lack understanding, our God never does. Because of this, we have the promise of James 1:5 - "Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him." 

It is incredibly good news for us that our God is the everlasting God. And it is also a truth which sets apart the doctrines of Christianity from every single other "religion" on the planet - other religions point to created beings or to mere men as the objects of their worship. Our belief system does not. 

Reflection Questions:

1) How is it good news for you personally that your God is the everlasting God?

2) What stands out to you about the fact that our God has no end and no beginning?

3) How can you rest in this truth today?

Bring Your Complaint

 By: Joanne Viola

Last week my thoughts had turned to Mary and Martha, focusing on our need to make better choices in balancing our time. You can read this post HERE.

As familiar as the story may be to all of us, I kept returning to read the account repeatedly. I began to wonder what more was I to take note of, so I returned to Luke 10:40-42.

Martha, distracted by all she had to do, comes to Jesus and asks,

“Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? 
So tell her to give me a hand.” 
(verse 10, HCSB)

Martha’s nose was a little out of joint as she felt she was doing all the work while Mary did nothing.

The verse brought to mind the word, “complaining.” Mary was complaining to Jesus about Mary.

Complaining as defined by the dictionary is: “to express grief, pain, or discontent; to make a formal accusation or charge” (from The Merriam-Webster Dictionary).

Martha was complaining but … she knew where to take her complaint.

Scripture gives us no record of Martha saying anything to any of the disciples, nor to Mary herself.

Luke, the author who penned these words, was a doctor who paid close attention to details. It is unlikely he would have missed had Martha been voicing her issue, her complaint, to others. He would recorded every detail. 

Realizing this, it begs the question: “Where are we to take our complaints?

Scripture provides the answer:

“I pour out my complaint before Him; 
I declare my trouble before Him.” 
(Psalm 142:2, NASB) 

“I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. 
There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.” 
(Habakkuk 2:1, NLT) 

Martha lodged her complaint to the only One who could change or address the situation. Our complaints are safest when we place them in the hands of our most capable Lord.

May we bring our complaints to the Lord,
and then,
wait to see how He will respond.

 

Reflection: 
Our complaints are safest in the hands of the Lord.Why do you think we voice them in other places?

 

Photo by Olivia Snow on Unsplash

 

 

You Can Read the Hard Parts: Bible Prophecy

 By: Lauren Thomas 

Prophetic literature makes up some of the least read parts of the Bible by Christians. With all the symbolism to be confused by, all the timelines to figure out, and all the judgement to get bogged down in, prophetic literature can be challenging to comprehend.

 

And yet, there is so much good content in the books of the Bible we call “prophetic literature”: such that brings a deeper understanding of God’s character, of our sinfulness, a glimpse of Jesus, and incredible hope.

 

What if a few simple points could help demystify prophetic literature for you? Would you give reading it a shot?

First, what is prophetic literature? Prophetic literature is a genre within the Bible and includes such books as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Revelation, and a handful of short books in the Old Testament. This genre does not have a plot line. Just knowing this can help when reading. You don’t have to look for the storyline, because there isn’t one. Rather, these books are often anthologies or compilations of various visions and oracles, sometimes including bits of narrative or autobiographical information. This information is sometimes grouped according to a pattern: judgement against the prophet’s nation, judgement against other nations, and future hope of restoration.

 

I don’t know anyone who gets excited about reading about judgement. But by reading about judgement, we learn some important theology that we could otherwise miss: 1) God is holy and righteous; 2) we are sinners, prone to straying from right worship; 3) our sin separates us from God; 4) judgement is a natural consequence for sin; 5) even God’s judgment is for the purpose of drawing people to Him; and 6) God has a plan for future restoration for those who do repent! When reading judgement oracles, don’t be tempted to think, “God is peevish and mean.” No, God is loving and redemptive towards us. Just keep the context of this theology forefront as you read.

 

Another challenging aspect of reading prophetic literature is knowing when prophesied events did/will take place. While this can be aided by carefully selected commentary, here’s something to keep in mind for more casual reading: prophecy is like a mountain range. From a distance, it looks 2-dimensional. But in reality, mountains are anything but 2-dimensional! Some peaks are closer; some are farther. In reading just a few chapters, you might be reading about multiple events occurring at different times. Just because they are close together in the text, does not mean a single event or date is being covered.

 

Another tip is looking out for formulas that separate oracles/prophecies. They often start with some variant of the phrase “the word of the Lord came to me,” and end with something like “and they shall know that I am the Lord.” This is a recognition formula. One goal of Bible prophecy is to turn people to the Lord, to recognize his glory.

 

Bible prophecy is full of symbolism, and this can be confusing. Don’t get caught up in the symbolism, but look for what the symbols represent. Also keep the context in mind. Is the prophecy addressing a certain country? A certain place? A theme that applies to all people or to a specific people?

 

Two final tips:

1) Get a good study Bible! I recommend the ESV Study Bible. The commentary will help you understand things that are more obscure and reveal connections you might miss.

2) Invite the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scripture during your reading time. He will give you what you need.

 

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 16:13 ESV

 

Reflection:

How confident do you feel about reading Bible prophecy?

How might these tips change the way you approach reading prophetic literature in the Bible?