Month: August 2018

God’s Attributes

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

Our foundational theme is: God is in control, God has absolute authority, and He has promised His Presence with us forever [see: A Simple View of God].  These three tenets form our belief that God is LORD of all, including us.  In order to know Him better, God acts through miracles, providence, creation, and His authoritative decrees.  This may all be a little abstract for you, but hang in there with me.  Because God doesn’t want us to just study theology, He actually wants us to KNOW Him personally.  He has also revealed His attributes through this whole process.  Each of these attributes correspond to the three tenets discussed already.  The ATTRIBUTES which demonstrate control, authority, and presence are:  LOVE, KNOWLEDGE, and POWER.

Today we’ll focus on LOVE.

John the apostle wants there to be no mistake…

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

John is emphatic:  God is LOVE!!! [He wrote it twice in 8 verses]

The Old Testament uses many different terms to describe God’s ethical characteristics including: goodness, grace, covenant faithfulness (Hebrew: hesed), righteousness, justice, and finally, yes, LOVE!  All these terms have nuance within the passages where we find them.

When we find God’s love, we see: allegiance, affection, and ACTION!  Isn’t it fun that these reflect our basic tenets about God as LORD [control, authority, presence].  Allegiance demonstrates God’s loyalty to HIS OWN WORDS of promise.  Affection is simply God’s emotional fondness for His creation [think John 3:16].  And action is God demonstrating His own love towards in that while we were still sinners Jesus died for us on the cross.  [Romans 5:8]

Here’s the thing…

God loves all His creation, and His creatures, even those who hate Him (His enemies).  Have you ever noticed the point of these verses:

  • Matthew 5:43-48
  • Genesis 18:25
  • John 3:16
  • 1 John 4:8-10

What each of these verses make very clear is that while we deserve death, that is not what God offers us.  In His death, Jesus got what we deserve, and when we trust Him as Savior and LORD, we get what we DO NOT deserve… HIS forgiveness, and life everlasting!  This is God’s love, goodness, grace, and righteousness in ACTION bringing us to salvation and redemption.

That said, it is also clear in the Bible that God is a wrathful God… a God of judgment.  You may not believe this but it actually says that God hates some people (the wicked: Leviticus 20:23; Deuteronomy 25:16].  In fact until we trusted in Jesus, this would describe us as well [the wicked].  Paul says, [Ephesians 2:3]

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

About now you might be thinking… “How can God hate people if He is love? That makes no sense!”  Look at it through the lens of what we’ve already believed as basic tenets of faith.

Because God is LORD of ALL, He has the RIGHT to expect us to be faithful to Him, to do as He instructs, to keep His commands, and to receive His grace in Christ.  When we do not do this, we invoke God’s wrath.  And while God IS LOVE, don’t mistake that to mean that He is obligated in some way to distribute this love equally to all.

While God gives everyone sunshine and rain [Matthew 5:43-48], God has the authority to reserve His best blessings (forgiveness and grace) only for those who believe in His Son, sent to save mankind from their sin.  It is only when we receive Jesus that He calls us His own family, His children, with the rights and privileges of grace and redemption.

John 1:12
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–

God is love.  This love commands, and demands, that we believe in His name… the person, Jesus!

 

Next time, the attributes of Knowledge.

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Descriptions of God define Him as LORD.

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

We’ve been looking at the topic “Who is God?” and we started by examining how God reveals Himself by ACTING through miracles, providence, creation and decrees. [4 separate posts see them by clicking here.]  Today I want to launch into the next major topic: How God DESCRIBES Himself through names, images, and attributes in the Bible.

Here’s the thing.  God does indeed want us to know what He is like.  The word “God” itself is a more generic term, and is often used to describe false gods as well as the One True God.  However, the NAME YAHWEH (the LORD) can only be used of the ONE True God.  There are also compound NAMES found in the Bible like:  God Almighty (El Shaddai), Lord of Hosts (Jehovah Tsabaoth – emphasizing God is Lord of all the angelic army of heaven), the Lord Who Provides (Jehovah Jireh), and so forth.  The name Jesus, is a really significant name for God, which Paul says is so worthy of praise, that every knee shall bow at the name of Jesus. (Philipians 2:10)

Now IMAGES are verbal pictures of God which compare Him to people or things in human experience.  The Bible shows God to be King, Father, Shepherd, Light, Rock, and Shield.  In fact the image of King is synonymous with LORD in thousands of verses in the Bible.  Father is maybe the most significant image of God in the Bible, and the prominent image of God in the New Testament.  Jesus taught His disciples (and us) to call God “Father” when we pray [Matthew 6:9].  Paul teaches that God adopts us into His own family when we accept Jesus as our Savior, and we then can cry out, “Abba! Father!” (Daddy!) [Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6].  Jesus did this too… in Mark 14:36.

Sometimes people ask me if it would be ok to call God our Mother.  Well, let’s be candid, since God has no body (He is invisible), God is neither male or female.  So really it is a question of imagery… should we speak of God using mainly male or female images?  Well, guess what… there are feminine descriptions of God in Scripture!

The Bible says God gave birth to Israel, so in that sense God is Israel’s mother [Deuteronomy 32:17; Isaiah 42:14-15].  In fact Paul uses similar descriptions of himself suggesting he anguishes in childbirth until we accept Christ as Savior [Galatians 4:19].  Figuratively, this makes Paul the mother of the church… but it doesn’t really raise doubts for us about Paul’s sexual orientation as male.

In Scripture God is mostly described in male terminology, and this is not an accident or coincidence.  During ancient times the pagan religions described in the Bible often worshiped female deities, mainly through sexual acts.  The Biblical authors therefore stridently avoided suggesting that YAHWEH was female.  Scripture also emphasizes male leadership in the family and in the New Testament church.  Most of these writers then would have wanted to avoid confusing their readers as to God’s authority, therefore He is presented in male terminology.  Think about how this is reflected in the image of Jesus as the Bridegroom who redeems His church as a glorious bride.  [Revelation 19:7]

These NAMES and IMAGES are meant to introduce us to God as HE wants us to know and see Him.  Once we know these names, and see these images, we enhance our understanding of Him by studying His ATTRIBUTES.

So… next time we’ll examine God’s Attributes of LOVE.

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God Acts in His Decrees

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We’ve made a good start at discovering how God acts in this world through miracles, providence, and creation.  His Lordship is demonstrated in real time now, through the beginning of time in creation, and all the way back to eternity past.  The Lordship of God in eternity past is best seen through His eternal decrees.

I mentioned the Westminster Shorter Catechism before.  Listen to what it says about God’s decrees:  (they are) “…His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of his will, whereby, for His own glory, He hath fore-ordained whatever comes to pass.”

This supports our earlier discovery, that God controls everything.  Stated this way though, we see that this control is the evidence of a plan, and the Bible calls it “his counsel, or the thoughts of His own heart.”  It seems even on a cursory reading of scripture that God has already thought this thing through.  Knows every possible nuance of every possible decision of every person who has lived, is living or will live.  And because He has a PLAN (reason, goal, and purpose for everything)… God is able to make “all things work together for good.” [Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11]

Let’s read how God’s plan goes back before time into eternity past…

Psalm 33:11
The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.

Psalm 104:24
O LORD, how many are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all; The earth is full of Your possessions.

Isaiah 37:26
Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it. In days of old I planned it; now I have brought it to pass, that you have turned fortified cities into piles of stone.

Matthew 25:34
Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

1 Corinthians 2:7
No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

Ephesians 1:4
…just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. 

Ephesians 3:11
…also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will…

 

Please don’t miss the most significant and wonderful truth of Ephesians 1:4.  Jesus Christ the LORD chose me… chose YOU… before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him!!!  It was the PLAN.  It was the PURPOSE.  It was the GOAL.  It was the RESULT of all He decreed from eternity past!

So, in all the ways that God acts, [miracles, providence, creation, and decrees] He is LORD of ALL, and LORD throughout time.

Another way the Bible teaches us about God, and pretty clear and directly, is by describing what God is like.   The Bible’s many descriptions of God are intended to help us get past all the theoretical (theological mumbo jumbo) evidence, to see and know Him personally.

Next time, we’ll dig into the names, images, and attributes of God revealed to us through the Bible.

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God Acts … in Creation

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Our foundational beliefs are based in the fact that God acts.  We’ve briefly examined how God acts in miracles and providence.  Now let’s see how God acts in the doctrine of Creation.

Genesis chapter one is the documentation of God bringing everything into being “that has come into being” (1 John 1:3).   So while miracles and providence display God’s extraordinary involvement in history and the world today, and His Lordship in this temporary place, “creation” demonstrates God’s Lordship before the beginning of time.

Another foundational belief of the church is how God made everything we see now out of nothing, or “ex nihilo” [latin].  This belief is hard to grasp since humans naturally have a difficult time comprehending eternity past or future, we are so focused on the now.  So think of it this way.  In “the beginning” when God created the heavens and earth (Genesis 1:1), there was nothing but God Himself, and the hosts of heaven.

Two important issues arise with the belief of God’s creative power.  First, God did not create the world out of an uncreated substance or “stuff.”

An artist in the world today must have materials such as clay, paint or canvas on an easel.  Yet, God used no material.  For the artist to do what God did, it would mean the human artist made not only the statue itself, but the rock from which it was carved.

Since the Bible clearly teaches God made everything (in the heavens, the earth, and the sea), there was no uncreated substance out of which God created the world.

Second, God did not make the world out of Himself.  This world is not God, not divine.  According to the Bible, God is the Creator, and the world is His creation.  This is why we worship God alone, and worship nothing in this world.  Some forms of Eastern religions, as well as much current Western New Age teachings, suggest we ourselves are God… but this is false teaching.

Now here’s the thing.

Ex Nihilo, (out of nothing) is critically important, not just because it demonstrates God’s power in action, but also as an analogy of Salvation.  The redemption of humanity and God’s creation is the ultimate long-term goal. [see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10]

In the same way God created the world out of nothing, brought light out of darkness, God brought His people from sin into righteousness and from hopelessness into the assurance of His great love.

2 Corinthians 4:6
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Today a typical controversy continues… how long it actually took God to create this world.  Many believe God created everything in a literal six, twenty-four hour, days.  Others hold that the “days” of Genesis were longer periods of time like geologic ages.  This is called the “day-age” theory.  And yet some people believe Genesis 1 as a whole is figurative or just a general idea of God’s creative power with no chronology at all.

The simple truth is, we’ll miss the point of studying creation if we get bogged down in the “how long it took” debate.

God acts.  He is LORD in real time now, because He has always been LORD, demonstrated in His power to create this world we live in today.  He created us, and all we see.

He deserves to be called LORD, and worshiped as LORD of ALL.

So, if God did not use an unknown “substance or stuff” to create, how are we even here?

Good question!

Next time we will introduce God’s eternal DECREES.

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God Acts … in Providence

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If the definition of “miracle” is defined as God working in extraordinary ways, then “providence” is God working in ordinary ways.  However, the line between these two distinctions is not always that clear.  Miracles seem magnificent to us, but providence can also be amazing.  The Westminster Shorter Catechism defines providence like this:

“His most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing of all His creatures and all their actions.”

In short, this means God either allows or designs everything that happens.  Where do I get this idea?  Focus here on the word “ALL” in this definition of providence, because God’s control of His world is comprehensive and all-inclusive.

Providence carries with it these three concepts:  preserving, revelation, and concurrence.

God’s PRESERVING can mean a variety of things but according to scripture must include:

  • that this earth could not continue to exist without God’s permission
  • that Jesus holds everything together [Colossians 1:17]
  • that God is holding off His final judgment until all He knows will be saved, are saved [2 Peter 3:5-9]
  • that God preserves His people from death or destruction at many points during this earthly life [Genesis 45:5]
  • even though death will come to us eventually, in death God continues to preserve us [Psalm 16:10]
  • ALL this happens as God directs the course of nature and history to a preordained goal [Ephesian 1:9-11]

God’s REVELATION is not mentioned in the Catechism above, but is important for us to note, because:

  • everything that happens reflects (reveals) God’s wisdom (Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 8:22-36]
  • God’s Word directs (reveals) all things [Psalm 147:15-20; 148:5-8]
  • the heavens themselves declare (reveal) God’s glory
  • in all this God’s invisible nature is clearly in view (revealed) {Romans 1] as He makes Himself known to us.

CONCURRENCE then refers to God’s working in even the smallest events of nature and history to bring about (according to the Catechism) ” the cooperation of the divine power with all subordinate powers, according to the pre-established laws of their operation, causing them to act and to act precisely as they do.”

Huh?

Think of it this way.  When plants germinate, they are carrying out the natural law God designed for them.  This is true.  However, the doctrine of concurrence demonstrates that God is also working in, with, and through these laws to achieve His own ultimate preordained goal [Ephesians 1:9-11].  This means that even when a sparrow falls to the ground [Matthew 10:29], this event will never occur unless it fulfills God’s preordained goal.  It also means that God knows the numbers of hairs on each of our heads [Matthew 10:30].

God is working both in heaven and in everything that happens in nature and history.

So here’s the thing.

Providence (in the same way we looked at miracles, fits the original threefold picture of: control, authority, and presence.

In providence God controls everything, reveals Himself authoritatively, and is present and active in the world He made.

Next time we will look at how God acts in Creation.

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God Acts – an outline

Dr. J.D. Wilkins2 Comments

If you have been one of those people who made it their goal to read the Bible all the way through … cover to cover, including the maps and concordance… what you quickly notice is how difficult it is to understand the timeline of this work.  The Bible is not linear.  The books overlap and many cover the same time period but from different authors perspective.  But one thing is clear from the very beginning, God is actively involved with the world He created.

When we ask the question “Who is God” the Bible becomes the definitive work for not just discovering the answer, but also for understanding how the information found there applies to us individually.  In Scripture we find God acting in many ways to reveal Himself to mankind.  Here is a brief outline of what we’ll examine in this section of God ACTS.

God acts:

  • Activity in and with the natural world through miracles, providence, and creation
  • Making heavenly proclamations including His Lordship in eternity past, controlling everything in the present, and a plan for eternity future
  • All these activities and proclamations are done in accordance with the plan to redeem His creation from sin and death.

Why would God go to such lengthy extremes to reveal Himself in this way?

Let’s start with God acting in this world through miracles.

So, what constitutes a miracle?

Many people today define “miracle” as anything occurring outside the laws of nature.  However, Scripture doesn’t say all that much about natural law, because the Bible authors didn’t know enough to identify miracles as exceptions to the laws of nature.  Even when Jesus calmed the storms of the sea, the emphasis from those who witnessed this is interesting.  “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” (Luke 8:25)

God has always been busy in and through His Sovereign control of nature. The authors of the Bible speak of miracles as an extraordinary demonstration of God’s LORDSHIP.  One great example is the deliverance of the Hebrew people as they left Egypt.  God made the waters separate so His people could cross on dry land, but they had no concept of natural law being suspended.  Moses wrote that the event happened through a “strong east wind.” [Exodus 14:21]

So here’s the thing.

The wording used in Scripture for “miracle” whether expressed in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, or the Greek terminology of the New Testament, seems to focus on three general ideas:  powers, signs, and wonders.

Powers… are miracles where God acts in extraordinary ways controlling His creation. [Luke 8:25; or Exodus 14:21 above]

Signs… correspond to the idea of an authentic communication from God about His intentions.  [Luke 2:12]

Wonders… circumstances of events intended to wake us up and realize God really is here, right now, just like Peter did in Luke 5:1-10.

Well… do miracles still happen today?

To answer this question, maybe we should recognize that while there are many miracles demonstrated in the Bible, even in this historical record miracles didn’t happen every day.  Miracles were the exception, not the rule, and they were usually to validate the words of a prophet (OT) or an apostle (NT), but especially to authenticate God the Father’s witness that Jesus Christ is the Son.  In fact, there is a 400-year time span between the last book of the Old Testament, and the first book of the New Testament, where God didn’t act, or speak in any way at all.  Because of this truth, we shouldn’t expect miracles to be a regular part of the Christian life either.

God never promised this.

That said, there is nothing to indicate God doesn’t or won’t work in a miraculous way today.  The term “wonder” usually applies in Scripture to floating axe heads [2 Kings 6:1-7], turning water into wine [John2:1-10], or miraculous feedings [Mark 8:1-13],

But Psalm 134:3-4 says, “Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever, to him who alone does great wonders…” then verse 25 says, “He gives food to every creature.”  We don’t pay enough attention sometimes to realize God feeds us all, through His Sovereign control to keep this world in order, producing the food we eat.

In this sense God is working in extraordinary ways (miracles) all the time, all around us.

Next time… God acts in Providence.

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God is…

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

To answer the question: Who is God?… we must state the obvious.  He is LORD.  In the first two installments I introduced three basic tenets as a foundation for spiritual understanding.  God as Lord is… in control of all things, speaks with absolute authority, and is present with us, His creatures, all the time.

But the question, “who is God?” really is asking for more than this simple view, right?  So over the coming weeks, my articles will be like taking a leisurely stroll through some Bible passages that help us see, know, and understand God better.

This will be a glance into the nature and character of God, as His word reveals it.  The vast expanse of Bible material to cover would overwhelm us both, if we tried to cover it too quickly.  So little bits of tasty morsels is all I will give in any one article.

Psalm 34:8
Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Where to begin?

One of the mysteries of scripture is how God reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Spirit. We call this the Trinity, although this word is not found anywhere in the Bible.  Three in One we say, and the Bible implies it is so.

Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

You will notice right away that I will also use this threefold pattern to help bring clarity to the topics discussed.

The Bible reveals God to us by

  • showing us his ACTS,
  • by giving us authoritative DESCRIPTIONS of Himself,
  • and by revealing just a glimpse of the relationship between Father, Son, and Spirit.

The ACTS of God are all about demonstrating how God the LORD is in control of everything.

The DESCRIPTIONS of God the LORD help us understand the demand on His creatures to yield to His authority and will for our lives.

And the glimpse of the TRINITY tells us that even before God made the world, He was in personal relationship – committed to one another in love, and perfectly PRESENT to one another.

Now, here’s the thing…

Some of the work you’ll have to do on your own.  If you don’t own a Bible, you need to borrow one, or buy one, or link to an online website that makes the Word of God available to you.  I simply will not be able to give the text of every reference, every time, but will give you the source to look up for yourself.  It will have great benefit for you, if you look it up and read it for yourself, trust me on this.

In all of God’s acts, descriptions, and glimpses of His inner life (Trinity) He puts Himself on display as LORD.  Everything He does, everything He says, every glimpse is so that you and I will be like those first chosen ones.

Exodus 29:46
They will know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God.

Are you ready?

We begin tomorrow with “How God Acts”

 

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Transcendence and Immanence

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Yesterday I introduced three basic tenets for why God is Lord (Jehovah) and Jesus is Lord (since They are One):  Control, Authority, and Presence.  If you missed this article, read it by clicking here.  Transcendence and immanence are two terms which describe the God of the Bible, even though they are not terms found in the Bible.  The Bible talks about God being “On high” (transcendence), it speaks of God being “with us” (immanence).

Some teachers/pastors/theologians have misunderstood God’s transcendence. suggesting God is so far away (above) us that we cannot really know Him personally, our language can’t describe Him adequately or accurately, making God nothing more than a heavenly blur without any definitive characteristics.  This view of transcendence is unbiblical, because the Bible teaches we CAN know definite things about God, and even come to know Him personally.

Jeremiah 33:2-3
This is what the LORD says—the LORD who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the LORD: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.

When the Bible uses terms like “on high”, “exalted”, or “lifted up” it does not mean distance, it means the glory of enthronement.  God is King, He is LORD…transcendent above us in His Lordship, being in control and having all authority.

Isaiah 6:1
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.

In this same way, using the term immanence,  should refer to God’s presence among us and within us.  The misinformed speak about God becoming immersed in the world, hidden, so that He cannot be distinguished from creaturely reality, referring to His humanness.  But this is not Biblical teaching either.

Jesus incarnate was neither hidden nor consumed in His humanity.  Yes, He emptied Himself, the Bible says. Yes, He didn’t think holding on to His eternity-based God-ness was something to be held onto, the Bible says.  What He did say was “I’m going to prepare a place for you, so that where I am you can be too.”  [Philippians 2, John 14]

So, here’s the thing.

Transcendence and immanence are not that difficult when you think of it this way…

God is not so far away that He doesn’t know you exist, or what you’re going through.  And He isn’t so far above you that you can’t know Him personally.  In fact that is His plan exactly, for you to find Him and know Him, as Lord (transcendence).

To make this easier for you, He came to earth Himself (immanence – Jesus) to implement the plan of God for humanity to be saved.  His Spirit is right next to you now, leading you to this truth.  And when you trust in Jesus as LORD, embracing His saving power in your life, this same Spirit comes to reside inside of you… His presence never leaving you.

Next time:  Who is God?

 

 

A simple view of God.

Dr. J.D. Wilkins1 Comment

1 Corinthians 10:31
So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

Here’s the thing.  Everything we do… and I mean everything… is either to God’s glory or it is not.  Therein lies the crucial concept about what it means to call God/Jesus “Lord.”  In order to live in this simplistic view of God, several elementary tenets must be present.

First, God is in control.  This means in His sovereignty, God is in charge of everything.  He allows evil to exist so that He can demonstrate His power to turn it into good.  We can choose to do good, or not, but what happens as a result of our choices God is still in control… even if our actions were ill intentioned.  For example, Joseph’s brother’s willfully chose to sell him into slavery in Egypt.  But God… (don’t you love that phrase?)… but God took that evil action and turned it into good.

Second, because God is in control, He has absolute authority over my life.  We should never doubt or question this authority.  And, the absoluteness of God’s authority means His lordship transcends all other loyalties on our part.  Yes we should be loyal to our parents, friends, nation… But God says we should love Him with all our heart… without any rival.  In addition, this authority covers all areas of human life.  Read the opening verse 1 Corinthians 10:31 again.

Third, when God takes you and me into His family, He fights for us, blesses us, loves us, and sometimes disciplines us for our sinfulness.  But most importantly, God is present with us.  Jesus was named Immanuel (God with us – Isaiah 7:14).  Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, because we are His temple. (1 Corinthians 3:16)

So…

Control, authority, covenant presence… these three tenets are the main biblical concepts that explain the meaning of God’s Lordship.

Tune in tomorrow for the meaning of “transcendence and immanence.”

Just in time…

Dr. J.D. Wilkins2 Comments

Just in timeThis is the Rocky Mountaineer engine which pulled our train from Seattle to Vancouver on the first leg of our fantastic vacation in May, 2018.  As we boarded that afternoon I was almost overcome with excitement at what I would see and experience over the next week and a half.  I remember the rush of adrenalin at the first movement of the train pulling out of the station, and the unmitigated sense of joy at being in that place, at that time.

I’m thinking this must be what it was like (in some greater way) for my dear friend Jay Wheelock, yesterday morning at 6:20 a.m. CDT., when Jay went to be with Jesus.  His passing was difficult for me.  I loved this man as much as I ever could have loved a brother.

He was in fact my brother, because I also had the rare privilege of leading Jay to trust in Jesus as his own personal Savior back in the late 1990’s.  For the last 20 years or so Jay and I played lots of golf together.  We went on many spiritual journeys together, as his mind led Jay to read the Bible constantly and come to me with a list of questions to help him make sense of it all.  Now, looking back on all those years, and all that conversation and discussion, I miss him already.  I’m sad… but it’s a joyful sadness.  Because I know… that Jay now knows… the truth of all we discussed.

Consider for a moment these truths:

Psalm 139:16  ~  You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.

Psalm 39:4  ~  LORD, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered–how fleeting my life is.

Romans 8:1  ~  So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:53-58  ~  Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled:  “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

The schedule for the Rocky Mountaineer train journey was never precise, they always gave us a general arrival time span.  This was because they shared the tracks with other trains and the train traffic controllers determined who went where and when.

However, in the Sovereign plan of God, laid out before Jay was ever born, God had it all worked out.  And God is never late or imprecise.

The ultimate truth is crystal clear:

Romans 5:6  ~  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Thank you God, for my brother Jay, who now knows the truth of these words, and lives now in the power of your presence.