The prophet Isaiah encourages God's people that Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint (Isaiah 40:30-31, ESV). Waiting for the Lord sounds easy, almost passive. But it's safe to say that the ability to actually wait for the Lord goes against our human natures. And it is not easy but, for those who discover how to put their entire trust in God, it's a life that can be less stressful with fewer self-inflicted troubles. What does it mean to wait for the Lord?

When the mother of James and John brought her sons before Jesus requesting they be granted royal positions when enthroned in His Kingdom, during their polite exchange among what our Lord said to them was this, "... the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (See Matthew 20:28) That the Messiah, the Son of God, and King of kings, said such a thing should humble all His followers to the core. After considering all the ways Jesus served while walking the earth, He then became our Ransomer as well as the ransom! 1 Peter 1:18-19 lays it out like this: "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God." (NLT) Astounding! "He gave Himself a ransom for many..." And it then begs the question: Are you among the "many?"

1 Peter 4:8-10 says: "Above all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others]. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God’s multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God’s unmerited favor]." (AMP) Fervent and unfailing love--what about that? Apparently the gifts God has bestowed on His people are meant to be employed in such a way as to exemplify this love as we serve our brothers and sisters with them. And therefore to withhold the employment of those gifts may indicate our love is lacking--both vertically to the Giver--and horizontally to our Lord's intended recipients...

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says: "For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many." (ESV) Romans 12:3-5 echoes beautifully: "Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other." (NLT) Just as thumbs and toes, elbows and eyeballs, are all necessary for our bodies to function in a healthy manner, the various and diverse members of the Body of Christ are likewise necessary. We all have roles to fill and service to be rendered. And while condescension and hostility are never mentioned as fruits of the Spirit, LOVE most certainly is...

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 are simple yet profound verses, written by Paul, laying out the foundation of the Gospel: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures..." (NIV) What Jesus accomplished is affirmed corporately when we partake of the Lord's Supper as a Family of Believers. Further highlighted in these verses is what Jesus accomplished for each of us personally and they are affirmed when each of us enter the waters of Baptism. Romans 6:4-5 puts it this way: "We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection." (NIV) It was Jesus who at the first Communion took the Bread and next the Cup saying, "Do this in remembrance of Me." And it was Jesus giving the Great Commission who told us to teach new believers all that He taught while, "Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit." And therefore, with immense love and genuine joy, not to mention thankful hearts, we eagerly obey our Lord…

In John 15:18-21 Jesus says this at the Last Supper: "If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of My name, because they do not know Him who sent Me." (ESV) From the Eleven, all but John will die a martyr's death. The centuries since Christ walked the earth are full of accounts of His followers suffering for their faith. Many around the globe in our day face dire consequences for professing Jesus as Lord. Even death! That we do not face the same opposition here should neither deter us nor cause us to be complacent. With grateful hearts, may we instead see the immense opportunities before us and embrace them with renewed fervor! And all this for the glory of God!

Paul wrote to his son in the faith these words found in 2 Timothy 1:8-10: "So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for Him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time--to show us His grace through Christ Jesus. And now He has made all of this plain to us by the appearing of Christ Jesus, our Savior. He broke the power of death and illuminated the way to life and immortality through the Good News." (NLT) Soon to die, Paul writes passionately to Timothy, exhorting his protégé throughout his final letter. Implicit is the fact that God's will and word and ways were timeless truths, meant to be relevant throughout all generations, and therefore never to be considered, old fashioned. As Jesus said in Matthew 24:35 & Mark 13:31: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away." Yay and Amen!

Mark 8:38 records Jesus saying this: "For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (ESV) The big question is this: Why should any genuine follower of Jesus even be remotely ashamed of being associated with Jesus? The god of this world is out to kill you while Christ came to rescue you! The world and it's devil offer enslavement to sin and ultimately death while Jesus has purchased our freedom from sin and death with His own blood and granted us eternal life! One road leads to damnation; the other road, carved out by the redemptive work of Jesus, leads to salvation. Ashamed of Jesus? Seriously?!

John 12:37-40 says: "But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in Him. This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted: 'LORD, who has believed our message? To whom has the LORD revealed His powerful arm?' But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said, 'The LORD has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts--so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to Me and have Me heal them.'” (NLT) Those Isaiah quotes, recorded by John, came 700-plus years before Jesus was born! As for Jesus' words, they were backed up with powerful signs and wonders. Likewise, the signs and wonders Jesus performed gave people reason to listen to His powerful words. That said, the most religious leaders of His day maligned what Jesus said, asserted that His miracles were the work of Satan, and they looked to kill Him off in anyway possible. When it comes to Jesus, dare we not take Him at His Word?!

John 8:42-44 says: "Jesus said to them, 'If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of My own accord, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear My word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'" (ESV) When Jesus tells the Jewish leaders, steeped in self-righteousness, that the devil is their daddy, it doesn't go over well! Often the truth is painful. And sometimes the truth is so painful that people outright reject it! But oh what a privilege to be named among the children of God our Heavenly Father! And His loving adoption of us has been purchased and achieved by our Lord Jesus Christ who has given us His Spirit that cries adoringly from our innermost selves, "Abba Father!"