Tag: John 1:3

You Are Here

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

YOU ARE HERE

Do you see what I see?  I see a universe being held together by God’s own hands.  I see stars that He calls by name.  I see the earth in this picture relative to distance and time.  Yet, even the details of our own planet cannot be seen, except in the image on the bottom left. This image of God’s creation is what I call big.

Do I have any Biblical evidence that my statements are true?  Sure.  First let’s consider:

 John 1:3
All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

This supports my claim that God made everything you see in this image, and all the tiny details which you cannot see, on every dot in the image, including planet earth.

What about God making it all, and holding it together?

Proverbs 30:4-6
Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is his son’s name?
Surely you know!
Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Colossians 1:16-17
For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

What about God knowing all the names of the stars?

Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might and because he is strong in power, not one is missing.

Look at the image again and see the marvelous truth that we are NOT ALONE!  “You are here” in this image gives clear indication that the LORD of all the universe is fully in control, has sole authority over this pandemic and your life individually.  But most important of all, HE is RIGHT HERE TOO!  He is present with us. Right now, right here.

Based on these truths, let me pray for you now.

Father, thank you for demonstrating your power, in Your words, as seen in this image.

I pray today for all those reading these words, who need your hand to touch their hearts and minds with peace.  There are those reading this who are terrified, please calm their hearts.  There are those who are single, living alone, facing the hours and hours of uncertainty, so please Father, reveal your presence to them in these moments.  Help those who live alone, know without doubt, they are not alone because You are there with them.

There are moms and dads who while loving their children, have never been faced with this much time together and under these conditions.  Father I ask that love, gentleness, and relationship building take the place of frustration, anger, and depression.  In addition to these relationship struggles LORD, some families are facing financial crisis, and I pray You would send them help.  Not just from our government, but from Your people.  Open our eyes to see the needs around us.

For those infected, and in varying degrees of failing health, LORD JESUS, Healer and Savior, I ask for You to say the word from Your throne which brings healing around our world.  We ask it selfishly, for our friends and our families who have been effected.  But we also seek this to happen for Your glory.  What greater evidence could there be than Your own healing power to be demonstrated this way?  Yet, just as You prayed Jesus, not our will, but the Father’s will be done in our world today.

Keep us strong LORD.  Keep our minds in perfect peace as we face the unknown.  We trust You alone LORD, help us when our trust and confidence waivers.  Give us your wisdom on a daily basis, until this unseen force has passed us by.

To You alone be all the glory and honor for all our days.

In Jesus name,

Amen

God’s Word is Self-Expression

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

So far we’ve seen how powerful God’s word is, and established the authority of God’s word. Now we’ll look at how God expresses Himself through His word.

If the question is, “What KIND of god is God?”, then you have to dig into Scripture. It is the Word of God that reveals God’s heart, mind and will. When you search the Scripture you find God actions are the spoken Word of God revealed in an event of God’s power (like creation or judgment). God also differentiates Himself from all other God’s because He speaks. All the idols man can create are just “dumb” (mute), yet God by nature is The Word.

Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal and said, 1 Kings 18:24

“Then call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The god who answers by setting fire to the wood is the true God!” And all the people agreed.

Go ahead and read the rest of that chapter and see how powerful God’s word is!

When God speaks He demonstrates different attributes, which are unique to Himself:

  • Righteous (Psalm 119:7)
  • Faithful (Psalm 119:86)
  • Wonderful (Psalm 119:129)
  • Holy (2 Timothy 3:15)
  • Eternal (Psalm 119:89)
  • Omnipotent (Genesis 18:14; Isaiah 55:11)
  • Perfect (Psalm 19:7)

Scripture teaches that God alone is to be worshiped and praised. However, the psalmist writes

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.  What can mere man do to me?” [Psalm 56:4]

So the Word which David praised (worshiped) is God. He was worshiping the being described in John 1:1

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

We are going to look further at this truth, where the Word is talking about Jesus, in a future study. The point I’m making here is that the Word identifies God’s speech with God because it takes us all the way back to creation. In Genesis God’s spoken word “let there be…” made it all. It ties directly to John 1:3

“All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

Let me be as simple and practical as I can. When we meet God’s speech, we meet God face to face. We should be more like David and receive God’s word with praise and worship.

Just one more thing…

Don’t try to know God apart from His Word, and don’t try to read the Word without realizing you are indeed in the presence of God. Don’t look at the Bible as an assignment. Instead, open your heart and mind to the word like Samuel, and say, “speak Lord, your servant hears.”

Get out of the habit of taking God’s word for granted, so God can bless you with clear understanding. And get ready, because when you meet God’s word in these ways… you will never be the same again.

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Who is this King of Glory?

Dr. J.D. WilkinsLeave a comment

mighty

Earthly kings, if you believe the writers of Game of Thrones, is the male ruler of a realm, or monarchy.  Each of these men usually have this position because they inherited it by their position in the family at birth.  Each rules as king until they die, or they abdicate their right to be king.  Aegon the Conqueror and Robert Baratheon became kings through conquest.  The consort of the king is a queen, but a queen can also mean one who rules in her own right.  Daenerys Targaryen claims to be Queen Regnant of the Iron Throne as her own right as the daughter of King Aerys II Targaryen.

If none of these names mean anything to you at all, that’s ok.  It’s just a book series now turned into a TV show.  The books were written by George R.R. Martin with book one (Game of Thrones) published in 1996, with the Winds of Winter (#6), and A Dream of Spring (#7), yet to be released. The headline from TheVerge stated that 16 million people watched the premier of the seventh season, 10.1 million viewed the live broadcast, and another 6 millions on streaming services.  So, maybe you do know who all these kings are.

But, do you know the King of Glory?

No, He doesn’t star in an upcoming episode of GOT.

Let me give you a clue.

Psalm 24:1-10,  A Psalm of David.

The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains
the world, and those who dwell in it. 
For He has founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
 
Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD?
And who may stand in His holy place?

He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood
and has not sworn deceitfully. 
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation. 
This is the generation of those who seek Him,
who seek Your face– even Jacob.        Selah. 

Lift up your heads, O gates,
and be lifted up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in! 

Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates,
and lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in! 

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory.

Selah.

Mighty has to do with holding great power or strength, and possessing colossal or mammoth proportions of influence.  Mighty men in the history of mankind have been powerful, violent, and relentless at times to seize their power and hold on to it.  Some were glorified for their efforts, others were known in infamy.

The Bible speaks of a coming ruler, one who arises from nowhere to great power and influence.  He will be loved by all at first.  He will conquer nations not by military power but with cunning language and negotiating peace.  He will have kings, presidents, and despots all scrambling to seek his favor, as the world falls prey to his deceptive powers.  Hitler, Stalin or Conan the Barbarian are all meek and mild children compared to the mighty influence of this coming Son of Destruction.  Here is how Paul describes him.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

The man described here as “the son of destruction” will only do these things after he has come to power all over the world.

But is this the end?  … The end of all things good and right and holy?  Not so much.  For this man is only a prince of darkness, a son of destruction, he is not a king.

The King of glory, the King who is coming, is holy, righteous, and full of grace and mercy for those who take His name.  He is not a mythical king of old like King Aerys II Targaryen, or no!  This is none other than the Christ of Heaven, the Living God, the Creator of all things.

John 1:3
All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

This mighty King is coming, soon, but don’t get tied down by that.  It’s not the timing He would have us focus on.  It is the fact of it.  The truth of it, that is important here.  So listen to the King of Heaven’s own words we should hear and heed:

Revelation 22:12-13
Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

These words were not written for entertainment.  These words were written so that those who read them should understand them, and act in ways that line up with the truth held in them.

Are you ready for the coming King?

Who is the King of glory?
The LORD strong and MIGHTY,
The LORD mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates,
and lift them up, O ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in! 

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD of hosts,
He is the King of glory.

Selah.

Mighty

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“I am”

Dr. J.D. Wilkins1 Comment

via Center

This journey I’m on, writing everyday, using the “Daily Post” as a vehicle to jumpstart my mind, has been at times exhausting, and at other times exhilarating. Some days I have a host of people who read, like and follow what I’ve written.  Other days, I’m lucky to have a handful.  Life is like that isn’t it?  In the now famous words of Bubba Gump’s momma, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”  I always liked this line in the movie because it reminded me of my own mom, she just loved chocolate covered cherries. That bit-sized morsel of chocolate so delicious made even sweeter with the juicy richness of the cherry in the center.  My mother loved them, would eat them by the box;  me – not so much.

chocolate-covered-cheries

Last week I made a treat for desert one night which turned out to be a real hit among some friends at church.  German Chocolate Carmel Bars have been a favorite of mine for a long time.  My new hobby/pass-time for the last 8 months or so has been learning to cook.  While I’m quite sure I’ll never be a “chef” by any stretch of the imagination, I do ok from time to time.  We’re still alive.  So, I decided to make these chocolate bars I have always liked.  Essentially it is a chocolate brownie type treat with caramel and chocolate chips at the center of every bite.  I had a great time making it, and several friends kindly affirmed my burgeoning interest in my new hobby.

german-chocolate-caramel-bars

These images reflect how wonderful my life is today, and the true message I wish to convey through this blog.  Parts of my life these days are like a confectioner’s chocolate, smooth, rich, and tasty.  Other parts of my life are more like the baked chocolate bar, a little crusty and harder on the outside than inside, because of the time spent under the heat of pressure.  Both are treats, and both are made sweeter still by what is on the inside, at the center.  The essence of the chocolate is made sweeter still by the cherries or the caramel, and so my life is enriched by what is at the core of my existence: Jesus.

When Moses wanted to know God’s name, God simply said, “I Am.”  The Creator of the Universe is the center of all life, all knowledge, or any other created thing.  According to John the apostle [John 1:3], “All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”  Jesus is the center of all things.  According to the apostle Paul [Colossians 1:16] “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him.”  Jesus is the center of all things.

When we discover this simple truth, we come closer to understanding what brings the sweet richness of life which God always intended for us to experience.  When someone asks you, “What is at the center of your life?”, how do you answer?  Go ahead, ask me at what is at the center of my life.  “I Am.”  Not me – the ornery, cantankerous, sometimes obstinate Dr. Wilkins.  THE – I AM – the Creator, the one who designed me, to be but a reflection of His glory.  I am here to experience God’s grace every day, and to extend His glory to the ends of the earth.  I can only do that when “I AM” is at the center of my existence.

What is at the center of your life?