“Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind receive their sight and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up …”

— Matthew 11:4-5

Do you ever wonder whether Jesus is all He claimed to be? Whether He’ll fulfill all the promises He made to us? Well, even John the Baptist, the one sent to prepare Christ’s way, had his moments of doubt. And when we wonder if Jesus is really the One, the answer He gave John should suffice for any of us. John was very familiar with the prophet Isaiah, and he knew the ancient prophecies concerning the Messiah (Isaiah 29:18, 35:4-6). So when Jesus wanted to prove to John His true identity, He told John, in Isaiah’s words, how He had fulfilled prophecies. In the same way, when we have doubts, we can look to how Jesus fulfilled Biblical prophecy, proving that He is the Messiah. According to just a few of the 333 concrete prophecies in the Old Testament, the Messiah would:

And the list goes on. My friends, God has given us enormous evidence of Jesus’ identity as the Christ. We need have no question about the granite foundation upon which our faith rests. We may know that just as these prophecies of the Old Testament came to pass, so will the promises of the New Testament come to pass. We can trust in Jesus, come what may. The next time you find yourself doubting Jesus Christ, remember how He has fulfilled every promise He made. Then dwell on the truth that in the same way He’ll fulfill the promises He has made to you.

“I came to believe that Christ was the One
predicted by the prophets of my people.”
Jewish Believer In Jesus

“‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,’ says the Lord, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’”

— Revelation 1:8

“Who am I?” “Why am I here?” “Where am I going?” Sometimes these are called “college questions.” But by no means are they restricted to the college campus. I cannot imagine anyone in this world who has not at some time asked these penetrating questions.

Unfortunately, most people who ask these questions never seem to find satisfactory answers. I don’t believe they ever will unless they look outside of themselves and direct these same questions to another—to the One who holds in His hands the key to all things—Jesus Christ. We can ask the same “college questions” about Jesus, and as we discover the answers, we find answers to those questions for our own lives. So let’s ask them.

Who is Jesus? He says He is the eternal One, the Almighty, the Beginning and the End. Jesus is God the Son. In believing and affirming these truths about Christ, we can realize that we’re God’s creation, placed on earth by His will and His design. We’re His children.

Why did Jesus come here? He came to reconcile us to God. In our natural state, we are separated from God. God’s holiness and purity cannot coexist with our impurity and the filth in our hearts. And we can do nothing to bridge the distance between us and God. So Jesus Christ made a way, spanning the distance by His death on the cross. Whenever we go to Jesus Christ for cleansing and forgiveness, whether we come for the first time or for the billionth time, His death sufficiently atones for all. When we know why He came, we also know why we are here—to glorify Him and spread His kingdom.

Where was Jesus going? Jesus said, “I go to prepare a place for you … that where I am you may be also.” When we know where Christ has gone, we discover our final destination: Heaven, where we will live with Him for eternity. He’s already preparing it for us and will receive us to Himself as soon as our time on earth is done.

In Christ, we have the answers to all our questions about our purpose and our destiny. We know who we are, why we’re here, and where we’re going. Today thank Christ for providing those answers for you.

“Life is filled with meaning as soon
as Jesus Christ enters into it.”
Stephen Neill

“[Christ] committed no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth.”

— 1 Peter 2:22

A man able to walk through this life yet never sin—doesn’t that seem an impossibility? Only one human has ever accomplished this feat: Jesus Christ. In our society, we raise up many as heroes, but upon closer inspection, we find they have feet of clay. Yet Jesus could say, “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46).

Holy men and women confess their sins. They keep short accounts with God. As holy people grow closer to God, they recognize their own sinfulness more and more. One of the greatest Christians in the history of the Church, the apostle Paul, called himself “the chief of sinners.” Conversely, people guilty of heinous crimes often claim innocence. (Visit a prison, and you’ll be amazed at how many prisoners claim they’ve been falsely accused.) But Jesus Christ towers above all people, sinners and saints, in the perfection of His character.

Through the centuries people have tried and failed to find any blemish in Jesus Christ’s flawless life. One time a Hindu Brahmin, alarmed at the spread of Christianity in India, set out to write a tract to expose Christ’s weaknesses. But the Brahmin abandoned this task because he could find no weak points or sins in Jesus. There aren’t any. Even skeptics have shown their respect for the Savior. Listen to what one of them, Ernest Renan of France, said about Christ: “Whatever may be the surprises of the future, Jesus will never be surpassed.” He is the perfect one.

Today praise Jesus Christ for His sinlessness. Thank Him that because He lived a sinless life, you can live for eternity.

“Jesus, good paragon, thou crystal Christ.”
Poem

“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep, which was lost.”

— Luke 15:6

Have you ever had the thrilling experience of participating in something bigger than yourself, bigger than your town, bigger than your world? If you and I attend to it, we can have that privilege every day. How can we participate in such an exciting venture? By finding the Good Shepherd’s lost sheep and returning them to His fold.

In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a shepherd who, upon losing one sheep, went out to search for it. The shepherd traveled everywhere looking for that lost sheep. He trudged high and low, far and wide. He peered down precipitous ravines. He traveled into the valleys of darkness where the wild beasts had their dens. Finally the shepherd found the sheep trapped in tangled briars, and after freeing the sheep, he joyfully placed it upon his shoulders and brought it home.

When the shepherd returned to his home, he called together his neighbors and said to them, “I have found my sheep that was lost. Rejoice with me. Enter into my joy.” But could his neighbors really do it? Oh, they could come to the party that he provided and enjoy the delicious food he served, but could they rejoice with him? Perhaps they could if they had searched with him on the rain-swept, storm-driven moors. If they had dared to face the dangers of the wild animals and the cold night, if in those circumstances they had found the sheep, then they would have truly rejoiced with him.

Christ’s joy is to find His lost sheep. Heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents and comes to Christ. And we experience that joy when we witness a lost sheep return to the Shepherd. Today, be on God’s search party, and reach out to a lost soul. If you live your life searching for lost sheep, caring for them, and feeding them, then you will one day hear the Good Shepherd say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant … enter thou into the joy of the Lord.”

“To enter into the joy of finding, we must
have entered into the pain of seeking.”

“Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Prove yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.”

— 2 Corinthians 13:5

Did you like taking tests when you were in school? If you didn’t, you’re in good company. Most of us dreaded tests, unlike the blessed few with natural smarts and good study habits. I hate to say this, but today is test day. Are you ready? In today’s passage, Paul commands us to take a test—an open-book test comparing our lives with God’s Word. We must administer the test to ourselves, for this test is a self-examination, a test for Christ’s presence within us … a test with eternal consequences.

When it comes to making moral and spiritual judgments, we’re often prone to examining everyone but ourselves. All of us have something of the critic within us, always willing to point the finger at others. The Corinthians had the same tendency. In fact, they were the hypercritics of the ancient world. They criticized Paul’s apostleship, and in reaction to their criticism, Paul urged them to examine the reality of their own faith.

We still have Corinthians with us today. In fact, we so often are the Corinthians. How many of us have left church saying such things as “Well, what did you think of that sermon?” or “How did you like that preacher?” Sounds like Corinth, doesn’t it? But we shouldn’t judge God’s servants. Instead, we need to place ourselves at Christ’s feet and submit ourselves to the judgment of God’s Word.

The Word of God explains that one day we shall give account of ourselves before Christ. On that day you won’t criticize your spouse, your parents, your neighbors, your church members, or your pastors. You’ll give an account of your own life. No other statements or input will be allowed. That’s a sobering thought.

As hard as it is, take that test today. Use the psalmist’s prayer to aid in this process: “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there be any hurtful way in me. And lead me in the everlasting way.” Amen. Make sure your heart is right with God. Let’s get our own act together before we try to direct everyone else’s.

“I have had more trouble with myself than with any other man.”
Dwight L. Moody

“In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

— Matthew 26:64, niv

Have you ever heard the voice of someone you’ve never met, such as a radio personality, and created a mental image of that person, and then when you saw the person, were you surprised that his or her appearance was completely different from your expectations? I think when it comes to the second coming of Jesus, some people have in their minds a very different picture from that which will actually come to pass. I have this opinion because I think many people anticipate Christ’s second coming to be a carbon copy of His first.

But consider this:

The first time He came, He was despised and rejected; the second time He will be glorified and admired by all who believe.

He came to hang upon a cross; He will come to sit upon a throne.

He came in dim obscurity; He will come in bright splendor.

He came to be seen by only a few; He will come to be seen by all, for every eye shall see Him; many shall rejoice at His coming, and many will weep because of Him.

He came to be judged for us; He will come as judge over all of us.

Instead of anticipating Christ as the suffering servant He was on earth, we must expect the majestic, triumphant Christ, who will return in power and glory. Because we expect His victorious return, we have a glorious hope. As you walk with Christ each and every day, ask Him to prepare you for that great and magnificent day when you shall finally see Him face to face.

“For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ,
there are eight on Christ’s second coming.”
Paul Lee Tan

“He makes me to lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside the still waters.”

— Psalm 23:2

What is the pace of your life these days? Do you feel as if you speed from one event to the next with barely enough time to catch your breath? Or do you regularly allow yourself time to rest and rejuvenate, to ponder life’s mysteries, to reconnect with God?

These days, our lives run at almost terrifying speeds. With the advent of the automobile, then the airplane, and later the jet plane—not to mention the telephone, computer, and many other technological discoveries—life races along like a motion picture played at ten times its normal speed.

Our mobility has offered us great opportunities, but it has also cost us dearly. One-third of Americans move every year. People change jobs frequently. Because of our pick-up-andmove mentality, we lack the roots our parents and grandparents once had.

We pay for our busy ways in our relationships, and we pay for them physically as well. Stress takes a major toll on our bodies. Today, over one million people die each year from stress-related illnesses such as heart attacks, some forms of cancer, and a multitude of other diseases. Did you know that stress destroys the walls of your arteries? Once the walls begin to deteriorate, your body must respond. So what does it do? It lays down plaque inside the arteries. The plaque builds up until it finally blocks the arteries, and once that happens, you’re in for a stroke.

All this talk about the effects of stress can add even more stress to our lives. But the Bible has a time-honored solution to all this. God’s Word calls us to stillness. In Psalm 23 David wrote that God leads us “beside the still waters.” In this hectic, frantic, busy, noisy world, we need to find a calm, quiet place to spend time alone with the Lord. Studies have shown that a regular time of prayer or meditation does, perhaps more than anything else, remove stress and its effects.

God wants to lead you beside still waters today. Will you let Him take you there? I urge you drop your responsibilities at God’s feet, come away to a quiet place, and just be still and know that He is God.

To overcome stress:
Rule #1: Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Rule #2: Everything is small stuff.
Dr. Robert Eliot, Professor Of Cardiology

“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

— John 14:3

Have you ever felt deeply homesick, wishing with all your heart to return to home and family? Well, as Christians, we are far away from our true home—Heaven—and we should feel “homesick” for it, anxiously waiting for the time that Christ will take us there.

Advent is upon us, and this time of year is a little bit about feeling homesick for Heaven. At this time of year, we celebrate Christ’s first coming and eagerly anticipate His return to take us to our true home. Advent means “to come,” taken from the Latin “ad venio.” At the first Advent, Christ came with much humility. He laid aside His robes of glory and came to earth in a humble stable, in a manger, as a baby, seen only by a few people: the shepherds, the Magi, and His immediate family. But when Christ comes again, every eye will see Him. We wait fervently for that day when Christ will come in glory with all of His angels and ten thousand times ten thousand of His saints, to receive His own to Himself and to destroy all wickedness and evil forever. For Christians, Christ’s second coming brings the greatest excitement and joy. We lift our heads and pray the final prayer of the Bible: “‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20).

As Christmas works its annual enchantment around us and the songs of the kingdom float on the airwaves, the Christian longs for even more. “I’ll be home for Christmas” sounds so right. It sounds like belonging and peace. For a child of God, the most wonderful Christmas will not take place on this earth. Our climactic Christmas is the one we shall celebrate anew, home in Heaven … when we will forever be truly home for Christmas. Today dwell on that truth, and pray that the Lord will quickly come.

“I do not think that in the last forty years I
have lived one conscious hour that was not
influenced by the thought of our Lord’s return.”
Lord Shaftesbury

“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

— Ephesians 4:30

Did you know that the Holy Spirit is a person? The Bible makes it very clear that the Holy Spirit is not just a force, like electricity. Rather, He is a person who knows, loves, speaks, leads, guides, intercedes, teaches, cries, testifies, and approves or disapproves of what we do. And when we love a person very much, we don’t want to do anything that will make him or her sad. In the same way, we need to know that we can grieve the Holy Spirit, just as we can grieve any other person whom we care about.

The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. When God calls us as Christians, He sends the Spirit to live inside us. This indwelling is called “being sealed” by the Holy Spirit. (John 6:27 tells us that Christ was also sealed by the Holy Spirit: “God the Father has set His seal on Him.”) Being sealed by the Holy Spirit brings us many blessings. It indicates that God has accepted us and that we’re precious in His sight. It testifies to a finished transaction: Jesus has paid for all our sins. It verifies our security: God has sealed our sins in a bag and buried them in the depths of the sea. It attests to ownership: We are His, and He is ours. It indicates authority: Anyone who tries to break the seal will incur God’s wrath. It verifies that we have a personal destiny: Heaven will be our home—the Holy Spirit has sealed us for the day of redemption.

Because the Spirit lives in us and loves us so much, how we live becomes much more than whether we obey certain laws. We must act in ways so as not to grieve Him. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not listen to His voice or seek His guidance, or when, having heard His guidance, we choose to disobey.

Do you listen for the Holy Spirit’s guidance? Do you willingly follow His directions? Or have you done something that would grieve Him? The Holy Spirit wants to guide you, to show you the way you should live your life. And He’ll forgive you when you confess going down your own sinful path. Ask Him to show you how you can live to please Him and bring Him joy, not grief, through your life.

“A Christian is a person who is led by the Spirit of God.”

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.”

— Psalm 14:1

Do you get into conversations with people who don’t believe in God? If so, then you’ve probably encountered one or two people who give no credence to your own personal experience or to the truth of Scripture. These people want hard and fast proof that God exists.

Such proof does exist. Let me give you a few bits of information I use when people want proof of God’s existence. First of all, I ask these people to consider the universe. (This is called the cosmological argument. Cosmology means “the study of the universe.”) I point out that the universe is the biggest thing there is, and it had to come from somewhere (every effect has a cause). The universe could not have created itself, because according to the First Law of Thermodynamics, you cannot create nothing out of nothing. Therefore, Someone eternal must have created it. And those are the Bible’s first words: “In the beginning God.” The second proof is the presence of life itself. Life could not have come from non-life, nor could it have happened by chance. It also had to be created. Who else could have created it but God, who is life? The third proof comes from examining the intricate design of the universe. (This is called the teleological argument. “Teleo” means “end” or “design.”) Because the universe is so intricately designed, Someone all-knowing must have designed it. The fourth proof is God’s loving care. If the earth orbited ten percent closer to the sun, we would burn up. If it orbited ten percent farther away, we would freeze and die. Instead, the earth orbits around the sun at just the right distance to sustain life. The fifth proof is the soul’s transformation. This happens so mysteriously that no one can explain it. We know only that Someone changed Paul from a killer of Christians into the world’s greatest missionary, and this Someone has changed our hearts as well.

God is the One who touches people’s lives and brings them into fellowship with Him. But He can use you to accomplish that purpose. So as you speak with those who challenge God’s existence, ask Him to show you when to present any or all of the information I’ve shared with you. And pray that God will ultimately reveal Himself to them.

“The beauty, order, and harmony of the universe is
an expression of the will of God; the structure of the
universe is the work of a great intelligence.”
Aristotle