… making known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Christ, which are in heaven and on earth.

— Ephesians 1:9-10

The entire history of mankind before the advent of Jesus can be seen as nothing other than a preparation for His coming into the world. All history since His coming has simply been the unfolding of the progress of His Spirit in the hearts of men and the establishment of His Kingdom in the world.

Jesus Christ is the center of all history. All others are coming and going, while Christ remains. His Kingdom is grown, and He is the ultimate ruler, not only of our world but of the universe. The whole goal of history is to bring together all in Him, all things in heaven and on earth. This will be fulfilled at His second coming.

We pray the Lord’s Prayer. We pray “Thy kingdom come.” But do we truly desire it? Do we work for it? Christ is the King, not only of the world to come, but of this world as well. Do we pray that His kingdom will come in this world, in this land, in this century, in our time?

The word “kingdom” comes from the two words “king’s dominion,” and where the King holds dominion over the hearts of men, there His kingdom has come. It is coming by the gracious influence of His Holy Spirit, by the Gospel of His love.

Question to ponder:
Do you see evidence of all things in heaven and on earth coming together under Christ here in our world? Where is it clearest?

… but became futile in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

— Romans 1:21

One of the consequences of modern unbelief and the failure of rationalism is that modern man has been plunged into an irrational worldview that now dominates the culture all about us. This can be seen very clearly in the development of painting. If you go from Rembrandt, for example, to modern times and to Cezanne, the cubists and all other forms of modern art you will find that paintings become more and more incomprehensible.

How many people have stood in modern art galleries looking at a painting one way and another, sideways, and sometimes almost standing on their heads, ultimately concluding that it must have been hung upside down.

What are these artists doing? They are very sensitive to current philosophies, so what they are doing is portraying through their art the world as they see it. These modern artists show us in their pictures a worldview which has left God out. Their paintings reflect a world without meaning, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

The next time someone tells you that unbelief gives you a rational, intelligible view of the world, think of the last modern painting you looked at and puzzled over.

Question to ponder:
If our rational God made a rational universe, why can people no longer see it?

He is the Rock; His work is perfect; for all His ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness and without injustice; righteous and upright is He.

— Deuteronomy 32:4

It doesn’t matter if everyone in the world joins hands and votes unanimously that God’s truth is false—it still remains true. It remains true whether I believe in it or I don’t believe it. Whether you accept it or you reject it does not alter the fact that God’s truth does exist and never changes.

Over against the relativism of our time, I think we need desperately to reassert what Jesus Christ said. “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).

Jesus is declaring here that there is truth. He didn’t say, “You will know a truth.” He didn’t say, “You will know your truth.” We hear this today by those who say, “Well, that’s true for you, but it’s not true for me.” Jesus said, “You shall know the truth.”

God’s truth is true for everyone. Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except by me” (John 14:6). He is not a truth, part of the truth, or somebody’s truth but not somebody else’s truth—He is the Truth. How ironic it is that Pontius Pilate could say with a sneer, “What is truth?”—when standing before him was Jesus Christ, Incarnate Truth.

Question to ponder:
Why is it so hard for people in our culture to fathom absolute truth?

… the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Many people are desperately in need of comfort. They may be experiencing financial pressure, homelessness, physical suffering, sorrow over a handicapped child, bereavement, disgrace due to sin, a life of loneliness, the aftermath of an abortion, fear and uncertainty, marital breakup, weariness of the flesh, a besetting temptation, a family suicide, the death of a spouse, a shattering divorce, or grief over a prodigal child. The list goes on and on and on. Surely, it is true that people need comfort.

The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter, and the Father is the God of all comfort. Jesus comforts us by His presence. Thus, we have a whole trinity of comfort.

In the very early years of our church, a wonderful young Christian mother had a two-year-old son climb the fence in their back yard when she was on the phone. He fell into the canal and drowned. I sat in her home for hours the next day trying to comfort her.

Person after person came in, but she later told me, “There were only two people who were really able to comfort me, and they were both mothers who had lost a child.” They knew how it felt and they were there in her time of need. Just by our presence we can comfort people in the time of their grief.

Question to ponder:
Can you think of someone who might need comfort and how you could possibly help?

My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations…

— James 1:2

Peter, as well as James, tells us that we should not be amazed when the fiery trials come upon us. It should be expected that our faith would be tried by fire that it might come out as pure gold. Therefore, God puts us through these trials of fire, that we may be sanctified and refined.

Christ looks into our hearts. Is your heart troubled this day? Is it filled with anxieties, with insoluble problems? Christ, indeed, empathizes with you. Not only does He feel your trouble, He alone is sufficient and adequate to deal with it. He has promised that He will turn all things together for our good.

There is no one who does not face troubles in this world. “But man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward,” as the saying goes, and this is true. We don’t get through this “valley of tears” without learning why it is so named. But Christ is there with us. He has promised, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). He is right here with us. He will see us through all our trials.

Question to ponder:
Have you ever looked back at a trial and understood why you could “consider it pure joy”?

Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”

— John 11:40

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the transfiguration of Christ. Jesus took the disciples north of the Sea of Galilee to Mount Hermon, and there they went up to the top of that Mount of Transfiguration. He left the other disciples and took the inner circle, John, James, and Peter, a little bit farther. There they saw Christ with Moses and Elijah, who appeared from the dead and talked with Him. At that time, Christ allowed something of His divinity to shine through the veil of flesh and His garments were glistening white. They were so brilliantly white that the disciples could hardly bear to look upon them.

But when that was over, Peter felt a speech coming on, and so he said, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us make three sanctuaries: one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mark 9:5). Then there came a thundering sound out of the clouds. It was the voice of the Father, saying, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him” (v.7), which is gracious, heavenly language for “Peter, shut up and listen. Maybe you might learn something.”

Peter might not have been very eloquent, but his heart was right—it is the longing of every Christian that we might stay, that we might dwell where God is.

Question to ponder:
How do we dwell where God is in this life?

But I have a few things against you: You permit that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess

— Revelation 2:20

We live in a very tolerant society. One example of this is that you will never see anybody on a talk show, no matter what they have done—whether they’ve committed murder, adultery, or rape—you’ll never hear a whisper that they are sinners. It is because we are a “tolerant” people. All other virtues have disappeared except that of tolerance. Nobody would dare say, “Tch, tch, you shouldn’t have done that. That is a sin, and you are a sinner.” That is never heard in this society.

God is not tolerant, however. Every single sin of whatever kind that is perpetrated on this earth will be punished by God. Every single sin that you have committed and I have committed will be punished by God, either on us in hell, or on Christ at Calvary. God is infinite justice. He cannot tolerate sin. He lives in a totally 100 percent spotless, pure and holy heaven. Sin is not tolerated there.

We Christians do believe in and practice a tolerance; but remember this: tolerance is the last virtue of a completely immoral society.

Question to ponder:
What is the difference between tolerating a person and tolerating sin?

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of temptation in the wilderness

— Hebrews 3:7-8

I remember some years ago a young man from a Christian home came to see me in my office. He was living a wild life and I spoke with him for a good while. I explained to him the Gospel and urged him to turn his life over to Christ. He said to me, “Dr. Kennedy, I want you to know that I believe everything you said. I know it is all true. I know it because my parents taught it to me as a child, and I want you to know something else. I have every intention of receiving Christ as my Savior. I have no intention of leaving this world without doing that—but not now; I’ve got some real living to do first.”

He got up to leave, and as he opened the door, I stopped him. I said, “Let me leave one text with you as you go. The Bible says, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy” (Proverbs 29:1 NIV). He paused, looked back at me, turned again, and left.

A few days later I received word that he was riding his motorcycle on the freeway when a truck with the tailgate down stopped unexpectedly in front of him and he was instantly decapitated. I couldn’t help but think of my parting words to him: “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.”

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” (Proverbs 27:1 NIV) Now is the accepted time. Today is the day of salvation.

Question to ponder:
Do you know of any people you should talk with about the state of their souls?

I must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.

— John 9:4

My friend, have there been kind and loving things you have planned to say to your child? Have you been planning to spend time with your son before he becomes a man? Has there been some praise you wanted to give to your wife or husband? Has there been some kindness you have been thinking about doing but have always put it off. You were just too busy.

We have no tomorrow. There is no yesterday. We have only today. “This is the day that the Lord has made …” (Psalm 118:24). We always and only live in today.

There is a thought that has impacted my life, and I would like to share it with you. I would like for you to seriously consider what this day would be like if at midnight tonight you knew you would die. How would you change this day? What would you do today that you have not really been planning to do at all? Or tomorrow? Or the next day? Or the next?

If each day were the last day we were to live on this earth, can you imagine how much more kindness, how much more love, how much more encouragement, how much more praise there would be in our homes?

Question to ponder:
Is there anything you have put off that you need to do today?

Give, and it will be given to you: Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will men give unto you. For with the same measure you use, it will be measured unto to you.

— Luke 6:38

Tithing is God’s method of sanctifying and maturing Christians, and making us more like Christ. Since selfishness and covetousness are two of the root problems of humankind, we need to learn how to cut out that taproot and be set free.

Malachi 3 is the only place in the Bible where God says, “Test Me.” Can you believe that? What an incredible condescension. God says to put Him on trial—”Test Me now in this … if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).

Those who will trust in the Lord will find that He indeed will “open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing, that there will not be room enough to receive it.” God’s challenge to give is a test of faith that proves whether our god is gold or the true God, because where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.

Question to ponder:
Have you experienced that it is more blessed to give than to receive?