Intercer Adventist News

Closer To Heaven
You are here: Home / Archives for articles

Jesus the Lobbyist

By

Photo by Pixabay

You’re a lobbyist?

You’d almost have better luck putting “Top Used-Car Salesman” on your resumé. Politicians, especially those with an ambitious eye on a comfy white house in our nation’s capital, make sure we all know they’ve never been a lobbyist, never been influenced by a lobbyist, never even met a lobbyist. They cast their votes based on just the facts, ma’am, and not on golf junkets proffered by influence peddlers from Big Pharma or Freddie Mac bankers. Hey, for all they know, a quid pro quo is something you order at a seafood restaurant.

The surprising thing, then, is that the Bible proudly describes Jesus as being a lobbyist! If any man sin, John writes in his first epistle, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. The Living Bible paraphrase has a decidedly K Street flavor with this rendering: There is someone to plead for you before the Father. And whether we view our Savior as a lobbyist or a very effective defense attorney, the end result is the same: he offers to peddle his influence regarding a rather weighty decision . . . our eternal destiny!

Hebrews 4 adds to Christ’s curriculum vitae by lauding him as our high priest – and in Bible times the priest was an advocate on behalf of sinners seeking absolution. If we sign with him, we find a Friend who is not only sympathetic with our travails, but who empowers us to approach the throne of grace with confident boldness.

The biblical concept of propitiation – the turning away of God’s wrath – has maybe given frail Christians the idea that we do need a powerful lawyer to stand before the bar on our behalf. But this ignores the wonderful truth that Jesus Christ and his Father are united in their desire to redeem and restore us. The late John Stott comments in his standout book, The Contemporary Christian: “Whenever we have cast Jesus Christ in the role of a third party” – a lobbyist, if you will – “who intervened to rescue us from an angry God, we have been guilty of a travesty which stands condemned, since it is God who loved the world and God who took the initiative to send his Son to die for us.” Remember the wonderful hymn? “O Jesus, blest Redeemer, sent from the heart of God.”

Whenever we confess a sin, or imagine ourselves going into that great galactic courtroom, or even just whisper a prayer, we need to bear in mind that the things Jesus wants, God wants too! John unravels his own “lobbyist” metaphor by having Jesus say to his disciples in John 16: I don’t need to send God a basket of fruit on your behalf . . . because the Father himself loves you!

So instead of reading Scripture as saying, “We have an advocate with the Father,” let’s envision both their names on the same corporate letterhead. And now, “We have an advocate with the Father.”

Read more at the source: Jesus the Lobbyist

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

The Shell Around Us

By

Photo by Pixabay

Recently when the wind blew some trees down across a trail near where I live, I went out the next day to clear them away. When I arrived one was still partially standing, leaning up against another tree, so I cut it down with the chainsaw and used the tractor to drag it away.

After clearing away all three of the trees, I was picking up the broken branches and clearing the area when I noticed a pretty deep hole in the ground caused by one of the trunks of the tree as it fell. This hole was several inches deep, and looking into it I noticed what looked like a bowl in the bottom. “Hmm, that’s weird,” I thought as I took the toe of my boot and tried to dig it out. I was startled as it moved; it was a turtle! I guess he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, because that tree had landed right on top of him and pushed him several inches into the ground. I was afraid he was hurt or his shell was cracked, but after carefully digging him out and putting him to the side, a few minutes later he poked out his legs and head and ambled off into the woods.

As I continued with my work I thought about the turtle and the Christian walk. During the storm the turtle was protected from the weather and from the fallen oak tree. He wasn’t squashed like a frog or bird because of the protection of his shell.

As followers of Christ we are protected. God’s means of protection includes the Holy Spirit and His holy angels. You can read more about the protection that God gave to Job in Job 1, 2 and Daniel 3.

Think about God’s protection as a shell about you as you read this from Psalm 91:

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. He will cover you with His feathers. He will shelter you with His wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do Psalm 91not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. . . If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. . . The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them My salvation” (Psalm 91, NLT).

Remember to commit your heart to Christ every single day, and you can rest assured that His protection will surround you as well.

Read more at the source: The Shell Around Us

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

Is Your Soul Thirsty?

By

Photo by Pixabay

We must have water to survive! Our bodies are more than 70 percent water; to keep them running smoothly we are told to drink eight glasses of water a day. You might survive for weeks without food by living on body reserves, but water is so integral to life—with every function depending on it—that most of us would die after three to four days. To skimp on water intake is to put your body in serious risk of malfunctioning.

To get the most out of your water intake, you should drink two cups before breakfast, two or three between breakfast and lunch, and two or three between lunch and supper. So that it doesn’t interfere with digestion, wait an hour or two after eating and stop about 15 minutes before eating again. And don’t depend on thirst—you need water way before you feel thirsty for it!

What a blessing to have running water in our homes, or go to the local store and buy a bottle! But imagine you’re near Death Valley in the middle of summer. Your car broke down and you have no idea when help might arrive. You drank your last sip of water three hours ago. The desert is so hot that you see water shimmering in the distance, but it’s only a mirage. Or imagine you’ve just hiked 10 strenuous miles, and your mouth is dry and your energy zapped. You reach for your canteen for a refreshing drink, but all the water has leaked out. It will be four more miles before you reach another source. As thirsty as you’d feel in these situations, that’s how thirsty God want you to be for Him!

David drew the corollary that our thirst for water is like our need for God. Pursued by King Saul, David cried, “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water” (Ps. 63:1, NIV).

Our world is cut off from God by sin—a true desert in the midst of the universe. Are you aware of your critical need of spiritual water? The next time you take a refreshing drink of pure, cool water, consider also your soul thirst. How can you quench it? The answer is in Revelation 22:17: “Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely!” Drink in spiritual water throughout the day—don’t wait until you’re thirsty.

Have you gotten your drink of living water yet? Come to Jesus, the source of the water of life, and let Him fill you to overflowing!

Read more at the source: Is Your Soul Thirsty?

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

He Cries; I Do Not

By

Photo by Pixabay

During a program at church, or the intense scene in a film, I now end up passing a tissue to my husband. I can still feel my own tears brimming at the edge of my eyes, however, I usually can stay emotionally composed. Yet, I remember the old days when just reading Hallmark cards in a store reduced me to a puddle.

Years past menopause, I find life much more even and constant. Sometimes I am perplexed that what used to cause me to cry, doesn’t get much of a tear. I note, “That used to make me cry.” It is as though something has been turned off. And my spouse caught it and now he is one who cries.

Such is the emotional role reversal that comes to many couples with mid-life and beyond. Those hormones that helped provide our younger identities, have waned and our emotional responses are different. I am not quite as concerned with nurturing and nest-tending. My spouse causes me some amusement with his new hobby of watching litters of puppies grow up on Internet camera websites, along with watching baseball games. Most of all, I am thankful for his increased interest in all things spiritual and strengthening family ties. I appreciate the new mellowness. I hope he finds that even though I might be a bit more assertive, I am not as likely to sink into fits of melancholy. I know he agrees that this older version of me is not as rigid and controlling as my younger self.

A dear elder saint in my church encouraged me one day by saying that if couples will covenant to have patience, commitment and prayer (with exceptions for abuse), “marriage gets sweeter at the end.” We need those who are ahead of us on the journey.

There are advantages to advancing chronology and anniversaries. I am settling into a few good things and the values that mean the most to me. I have stories to share and lessons that have been learned. I have claimed Joel 2:25, 26 (NIV), “I will repay you for the years the locust have eaten…and you will praise the name of the Lord your God who has worked wonders for you.”

Read more at the source: He Cries; I Do Not

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

The Mayonnaise Jar

By

Photo by Dreamstime

I do not enjoy reading but fortunately for me, my wife Linda, and my daughter, DeAnne, do. They both know I love illustrations and when they find good ones, they always share them with me.

DeAnne sent me the following story and I fell in love with what it says. I share it now with you because in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, we all need to remember its message.

A professor stood before his philosophy class with several items before him on the table. When the class began, and without a word, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with gold balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They all agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and proceeded to pour them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly and the pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Once again they all agreed it was.

The professor next picked up box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked the class once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous “yes.”

The professor then produced a couple of glasses of lemonade from under the desk and poured them into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students broke into laughter.

It All Adds Up

“Now,” said the professor, as the laughter subsided, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are important – God, family, friends, health – things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter in your life like your job, your home, your car, etc. The sand is everything else – the small stuff.”

“If you put the sand into the jar first,” he continued, “there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for things that are really important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Spend personal time with God, talk with your children, take your husband/wife to dinner. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn. “Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.”

A student raised his hand and inquired. “What does the lemonade represent?” The professor smiled. “I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there is always room for a couple of glasses of lemonade with a friend.”

Read more at the source: The Mayonnaise Jar

Article excerpt posted on en.intercer.net from Spiritual applications.

About Intercer

Intercer is a website with biblical materials in Romanian, English, Hungarian and other languages. We want to bring the light from God's Word to peoples homes. Intercer provides quality Christian resources...[Read More]

Lucian Web Service


Intercer is proudly sponsored by Lucian Web Service - Professional Web Services, Wordpress Websites, Marketing and Affiliate Info. Lucian worked as a subcontractor with Simpleupdates, being one of the programmers for the Adventist Church Connect software. He also presented ACC/ASC workshops... [read more]

Archives

Categories