Kenneth Winter's Blog, page 8

Finish Strong

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In his last letter, the apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy that he had fought the good fight. He had finished the race. He had kept the faith.(1) He had completed what God had set before him. His life is an example to us to not stop short of the goal . . . to not give up . . . but to finish strong! 

Sadly, the Israelites demonstrated to us what it looks like when we give up and don’t finish strong. The LORD had led them to conquer the individual lands that He had given them to possess. And He said, “I have given you victory over the land.”(2) But repeatedly throughout the first chapter of Judges we read, they “failed to drive out the people living” in the land.(3) The tribe of Judah failed to drive out the people living in the plains who had iron chariots. The tribe of Benjamin failed to drive out the Jebusites. The tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali failed to drive out the Canaanites. The tribe of Dan failed to drive out the Amorites. Each of the tribes stopped short of the direction the LORD had given them, and the long term result was catastrophic.

Why did they stop short? God had assured them of victory, and He had never failed them. He had told them to utterly destroy the people. And yet, each of them failed to obey, albeit for different reasons.

The tribe of Judah feared the iron chariots of the people living in the plains. They obviously had confidence that God could overcome the giants – because they had seen Him do so.(4) But for some reason, the enemy convinced them that God was unable to defeat chariots. At the time they did not have these written words from the prophet Isaiah to remind them: “Woe to those who… rely on horses, who trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek the LORD!”(5)

And the psalmist later wrote, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”(6) But what they did have was God’s assurance of success – without any exception! He didn’t say – “I have given you victory as long as you avoid the chariots”, OR “I am able to overcome every enemy you will encounter, except the chariots, so do not engage with them.” He had repeatedly shown them that He was able to overcome every enemy or circumstance they would encounter – including an advancing Egyptian army of chariots across a parted Red Sea – and they had heard from their parents how that had turned out.(7)

They stopped short of the goal because they allowed their fear to prevail over their faith. They bought the lie, instead of the truth – “If God is for us, who can be against us? … We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. … Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God…”(8) Nor are those forces able to keep us from completing what He has called us to do!

The tribe of Benjamin lacked the resolve to drive out the Jebusites. They started strong, but then gave up. We don’t know why. Did they become distracted by something else? Did they allow something or someone else to seize their attention? Somewhere along the line was their attention diverted by the ungodly, or simply by the “good” over the “best”? Did they fail to keep themselves physically, emotionally, mentally and/or spiritually charged and therefore just ran out of juice? Or was their resolve faulty from the first? The fact of the matter is that as Paul reminded us, “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it….”(9)

The tribe of Manasseh did not make any attempt to drive out the Canaanites. They were content to go their own way and make the Canaanites slaves instead of drive them out. They chose not to hold fast to what God had told them but rather to do what was right in their own eyes.

The tribe of Ephraim compromised and negotiated a deal with the Canaanites which allowed them to keep a quiet settlement in Gezer. That way they would only be giving the enemy access to a portion of their land – not all of it. All the rest of the land would be Canaanite-free. They could easily say that they had been obedient to the LORD in all of the cities. It was just Gezer where they were disobedient. It was easy for them to justify their compromise in their own minds – they were ALMOST fully obedient. But ALMOST fully obedient is disobedience!

The other tribes may have failed to be obedient for those same reasons, or it could have been driven by their own laziness – being unwilling to make the effort; or their own covetousness – desiring the things that living with the Jebusites, Canaanites or Amorites had to offer.

Every tribe failed to be obedient because at some level they lacked the dread and detestation of the idolatrous worship practiced by the Canaanite peoples (which included human sacrifice). They apparently lacked concern or conviction of its abomination to the LORD, to their own souls, and to the potential of compromise among the Israelites.

And every tribe, through the reasons outlined above, expressed an unbelief in the promise of God, a distrust in the power of God and a lack of fear in the person of God.

What was the result of their stopping short of the goal? The angel of the LORD said to them, “…I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”(10) When the angel finished speaking, the people realized the consequence of their sin, and they began to weep. “So they called the place Bokim (which means ‘weeping’).”(11)

Too often you and i have the propensity to stop short of the goal of what God has given us for the same reasons. Fear. Distraction. Succumbing to temptation. Choosing to go our own way. Compromise. Laziness. Covetousness.

And underlying in all of it, we have lost reverence for a Holy God. We have become numb to the spiritual blindness and darkness of the world in which we live. We no longer care that the majority of the people on our planet today are dead in their sin and bound for a Christless eternity. And we live as if we no longer believe God’s promises, trust His power, or fear His Name. And even more – unlike the Israelites – i fear we no longer weep over our sin.

May we heed the admonition of Paul: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”(12)

And as a result, may He find us faithful to not stop short of the goal, but rather to “press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus,”(13) . . . and finish strong!

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You’ll find that the primary text surrounding the Israelites’ disobedience is found in the Book of Judges, chapters 1 and 2.

i have excerpted portions of this post from chapter 41 of my book, Possessing the Promise. For more information about the book, click here.

Also, if you have not yet done so, i invite you to read my book about the life of the apostle Paul, entitled Through the Eyes of a Prisoner. For more information about that book, click here.

(1)  2 Timothy 4:7

(2)  Joshua 1:2 (NLT)

(3)  Judges 1

(4)  Joshua 14:5-15; 15:13-15; 21:43-45

(5)  Isaiah 31:1 (NKJ)

(6)  Psalm 20:7 (NKJ)

(7)  Exodus 14:26-31

(8)  Romans 8:31, 37, 38 (NLT)

(9)  Philippians 1:6 (NKJ)

(10) Judges 2:3 (NLT)

(11)  Judges 2:5 (NLT)

(12)  Romans 12:1-2 (NKJ)

(13)  Philippians 3:14 (NKJ)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Kevin Carden on Lightstock

The Goodness of God

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It is all too easy for us to lose sight of the grace, mercy and goodness God extends to us each and every day of our lives. We can so easily develop a mindset of entitlement. We can begin to think we deserve every good thing we have, as well as every good thing we don’t have. We can act as if God’s role is to serve us, instead of the other way around. We can easily forget that every good and perfect gift comes from Him.(1)

One day, seventy years after God led the Israelites out of Egypt,  their leader, Joshua, assembled them for what would be his last time.(2) He reminded them that seventy years earlier they had been the property of their Egyptian masters. They had possessed very little, if anything, that they could call their own. They had taken their direction from the Egyptian pharaoh, his government and their masters. Egypt had been built, fed and maintained through the strain of their backs and the sweat of their brow. The only act of service they were not permitted to perform was to serve in the Egyptian army, for fear by their masters that armed Israelites would turn against them.

Their worth was judged by their masters based upon the crops they harvested, the bricks they made, the edifices they built, and the roads they constructed. Their Egyptian masters had no recollection of Joseph or the contribution his leadership had made to their success as a nation. All they knew about the Israelites was that they were property to be owned and labor to be expended.

Some of the leaders that Joshua was speaking to on this day – those over seventy years of age – had been young children in Egypt. Some of the very oldest would have been teenagers when they left Egypt. They had some faint recollection of those days. Those who were older than their mid-seventies would have remembered the day of the great exodus – the excitement, the activity, the sense of relief – the chains and shackles of slavery having finally been cast off.

Those over thirty years of age but under seventy, had no recollection of Egypt whatsoever. They had been born in the wilderness. Their earliest memories were as a nomadic people – living in portable tents, moving from place to place, eating manna and meats, fruits and vegetables that they were able to bring on the journey with them or forage along the way. They had no concept of “home” in those early years; they were continually on the move. They had heard from as early of an age as they could recall, about a Promised Land – a place where they were going – that would one day be their home. But for most, throughout all those years of wandering, the Promised Land had seemed like an elusive dream.

Those over their mid-thirties remembered that great day when they finally walked across the dry riverbed of the Jordan River and stepped foot – for the first time – on the land that God had given them – the Promised Land. And they remembered that feeling – “we are finally home!” They acutely remembered the battles with the thirty-three kings of Canaan over those first seven years, as they took possession of the land that God had given them for their home. They remembered even those from among them who had been killed in those battles.

Those gathered before Joshua who were under thirty years of age had been born in the Promised Land. They had no recollection of Egypt, or the wilderness. They had always been at home there in the Promised Land. They didn’t really know what it meant to be a slave. They had never tasted manna. They had heard about the great miracles of God – the plaques in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the water gushing forth from rock, the stopping of the waters of the Jordan, the collapse of the walls at Jericho – and even, the sun standing still over Gibeon. But they had only heard about them; they had not witnessed them first hand.

And now Joshua had assembled all the tribes at Shechem – near his home in the hill country of Ephraim. This would be his last time to assemble them and speak to them as their leader. He wanted to remind them of the faithfulness of their Lord God Jehovah – specifically, in three ways.

1.    He reminded them of the victories in battle which God had given them which they had not earned. The victories had not been the result of great military strategy and planning. Joshua could bear witness firsthand on that account. No matter how good of a military strategist or leader he was – the victories had nothing to do with it. It was not their swords, or their bows, or even their strength and fighting ability. Yes, they had fought hard. They had fought valiantly. They had been relentless in pursuit and efficient in their execution. But none of that is what had won the day! It was the sovereign and mighty hand of the Almighty God. None of their effort would have mattered one iota, if God had not gone before them. They could take no pride in their victories – only thanksgiving! Because the victories were not the result of their efforts; they were from the hand of the Almighty God. The victories were not earned; they were granted by God. They were not achieved by strength; they were received through the grace of God. They, who had never been permitted to defend themselves in Egypt, had been victorious in Canaan by the grace and strength of Jehovah God.

2.    They were living in towns – those they now called home – which they had not built. A people who as slaves had nothing, now had been given homes that were already built and furnished for them. They did not work for their homes or their towns. Their hands had not built them. God had prepared them through others, and now had freely given them to His people.

3.    They were eating from vineyards and groves in which they did not plant. God sustained them through their Egyptian taskmasters, cared for them throughout the wilderness, and now provided for them through plantings which they now called their own – even though they had never planted them. They were feeding from the fruit that others had planted – all in God’s sovereignty – and all by His grace.

“So fear the LORD and serve Him wholeheartedly!”(3) Joshua declared to them.

Just like the Israelites, we too are slaves and wanderers. We have been slaves to our sin, wandering in our disobedience. And it is only by God’s grace that He extended to us the promise of eternal life through His Son. He alone has given us victory over sin and death. No matter how hard we try, we can’t accomplish it on our own. He alone has prepared a place for us – a place that is our home with Him. And as the Giver of Life – it is a place where He will sustain us. Yes, that victory and that “town” and those “vineyards and groves” are with Him in eternity – but they are also in the here and now.

All that we currently have is from Him – victory over sin, the victorious life that is ours to live, the towns and homes in which He has placed us to be salt and light, and the vineyards and groves on which He produces fruit that sustains and fruit that multiplies through us.

We, too, are living in “towns” we did not build… because the Master has placed us here out of His goodness and grace. As the songwriters wrote (see below), all that we have is from Him, including the very breath in our lungs. He has held us in His hands for all of our days.

Let us tell of His wonderful goodness. Let us lift our voices and hearts to Him. And may He find us faithful with all that He has entrusted to us… and may we serve Him wholeheartedly!

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You can read the text of what Joshua said to the people in the Book of Joshua, chapter 24, verses 1 – 14.

Also, i have excerpted portions of this post from chapter 38 of my book, Possessing the Promise. For more information about the book, click here.

(1)  James 1:17

(2)  Joshua 24:1-14

(3)  Joshua 24:14 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Bas van den Eijkhof on Lightstock

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Goodness of God

 

I love You, Lord
For Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I've been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

And all my life, You have been faithful
And all my life, You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God

 

I love Your voice
You have led me through the fire
In the darkest night
You are close like no other
I've known You as a Father
I've known You as a Friend
And I have lived in the goodness of God (yeah)

 

And all my life You have been faithful (oh)
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God (yeah)

 

'Cause Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
Your goodness is running after
It's running after me
With my life laid down
I'm surrendered now
I give You everything
'Cause Your goodness is running after
It's running after me (oh-oh)

(Repeat 1x)

 

And all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God
(I'm gonna sing, I'm gonna sing)

 

'Cause all my life You have been faithful
And all my life You have been so, so good
With every breath that I am able
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God
Oh, I'm gonna sing of the goodness of God

 

Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Brian Johnson / Ed Cash / Ben Fielding / Jenn Johnson

Goodness of God lyrics © So Essential Tunes, Capitol Cmg Paragon, Bethel Music Publishing,

Shout! Music Publishing Australia

Goodness of God (Official Lyric Video) – Bethel Music & Jenn Johnson

He Still Wanted More

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James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote, “Come close to God, and God will come close to you.”(1) He wrote that statement knowing our propensity to drift away from God, instead of drawing closer to Him. He warned us that our loyalty is divided between God and the world.(2) i fear that all too often we desire the blessings of God in our lives over the presence of God in our lives.

Moses, on the other hand, made it very clear that he did not want to experience the blessing of God if it came without the presence of God.(3) He had already experienced an intimacy with the Lord God Jehovah that exceeded that which most others, even to this day, have ever experienced on this side of heaven.(4)God had called him His friend - a designation which to that point had only been shared with Abraham. Moses had found favor with God. His actions had demonstrated a heart that desired to seek and serve his Lord. He spoke to God with a confidence and a boldness that also conveyed reverence and awe.

God had used Moses as His chosen vessel when He turned the water into blood, the bitter into sweet, and the Red Sea into an instrument of deliverance and destruction. God had taken a man who worried about his eloquence before Pharaoh and given him a boldness of speech before the God of heaven. God had taken a shepherd from the mountains of Horeb and made him into His undershepherd over His flock. God had chosen to meet with Moses at a burning bush, in the Tent of meeting, and on Mount Sinai in the clouds. God had given him immediate access to His throne when he called upon Him for wisdom, direction and deliverance. But Moses wanted more! He had heard God’s voice, and he had experienced God’s presence, but that caused him to desire to draw even closer and see God’s glory – not from afar, but from close up.

The more time we spend with God, the more time we will desire to spend with Him. The more we hear His voice, the more we will desire to hear Him. The more we experience His presence, the more we will desire to experience Him. The closer we draw to His presence, the closer still we will desire to be. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him. The more we love Him, the closer we will desire to be to Him. The closer we draw to Him the more we will know Him, and the more we will desire to see of Him.

Spending time in the presence of God will place within our souls an insatiable thirst to spend more time with Him. I have heard people ask, “What will we be able to do in heaven for eternity?” We will be able to spend eternity with God! If that doesn’t make sense to you then I would assert that you have not yet spent time in the intimacy of His presence. Too many of us are content to know about God or to know Him from a distance, just like the children of Israel did. But Moses desired to know Him more. He desired to be with Him even closer.

What about us? Do we desire to know Him more? Do we desire to see His glory? i don’t mean a mental assent that says, “Of course, i am a Christian, that is what i am supposed to want.” Rather, i’m talking about an insatiable heart hunger that cries out to God for more and more of Him. A cry that says, “i am not content to stand afar off with the crowd and see You. i desire to be in Your presence and look upon You.”

Throughout God’s Word, He has promised that if we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him. God made the Way through His Son that we might know Him and that we might know the intimacy of His presence. He gave us the thirst to be in His presence. Unfortunately we, even those of us who claim to be God’s children, have allowed other things – counterfeits – to creep into our lives in an effort to satisfy that thirst. And we have done it for so long that we can no longer tell the difference. But God desires to reignite our hunger and thirst for Him. If we will surrender to Him whatever we have allowed to become a substitute, He will replace it with the real thing. He will give us that desire – and that desire for even more.

Through Jesus, we have been allowed access to an elite fellowship with God. Jesus has told us, “You are My friends if you obey Me. I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are My friends, since I have told you everything the Father told Me.”(5) He has called us His friend. He has given us the same access that Abraham and Moses had, if we will but obey Him. And with that access comes the right, honor and privilege of knowing Him more.

God covered Moses with His hand until He had passed, because he knew that Moses could not see His glory in its fullness and survive. But God granted His request; He enabled Moses to see His glorious presence from behind. And as he saw, he still wanted more.

God is leading us through the journey of our lives so that through it, we might know Him, know Him more and know Him more intimately. As we respond to His invitation to know Him, we too, will still want even more.

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You can read about Moses’ request in the Book of Exodus, chapter 33, verses 17 through 23.

Also, i have excerpted portions of this post from chapter 54 of my book, The Journey Begins. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  James 4:8 (NLT)

(2)  James 4:8

(3)  Exodus 33:15

(4)  Exodus 33: 17-23 (NLT)

And the LORD replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend." Then Moses had one more request. "Please let me see your glorious presence," he said. The LORD replied, "I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, 'the LORD,' to you. I will show kindness to anyone I choose, and I will show mercy to anyone I choose. But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live." The LORD continued, "Stand here on this rock beside me. As my glorious presence passes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed. Then I will remove my hand, and you will see me from behind. But my face will not be seen."

(5)  John 15:14-15 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Bas van den Eijkhof on Lightstock

One Heart, One Mind

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Each of us walk through difficult circumstances at times and for seasons of our lives. You may, in fact, be walking through one right now. As i write this, a member of my family is walking through a difficult and challenging time. It is an attack from the enemy. It is important to remember that God is not the author of the circumstance. He is not the author of deceit, or illness, or hardship. But He is the “Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.” We would do well to follow the example of those we see gathered in prayer in Acts 4. They were not praying according to their will, but according to His; they were not praying for escape, but praying for His Spirit to enable them, empower them and embolden them through it.

Peter and John had just returned from their time before the high council.(1) They had been threatened to “never again speak or teach in the Name of Jesus.”(2) How did they and the other believers respond? By confessing the awesomeness of God in prayer. The greatest concentration of spiritual power in that day and in Jerusalem was in that prayer gathering. Perhaps it was the greatest concentration of any time or any place. There was no doubt. There was no hesitance. There was no fear. There was no question. There was no division. The Spirit of God united them and they lifted their voices TOGETHER. The people were of one heart and one mind, and God was pleased to answer their requests.

Their prayer was founded on the Word of God as recorded by David in Psalm 2:1-2. In His Word, God speaks to us and tells us what He plans to do. In prayer, we speak to Him and make ourselves available to Him for His will to be accomplished through us. They were not telling God what to do; they were asking Him to accomplish His will in them and through them. They were not asking for their will to move heaven; they were asking for God’s will to be done on earth. They did not pray for their circumstances to be changed, or for their enemies to be put out of office. Rather, they asked God to empower them and embolden them to make the best use of their circumstances in order to accomplish what He had already determined. This was a demonstration of their faith that God has a plan, His plan is perfect, and His plan will prevail. They did not ask God for a way of escape from the path that was before them; they asked Him to enable them to walk in the path according to His purpose. Phillips Brooks, the minister who wrote the lyrics to “O Little Town of Bethlehem”, also wrote, “Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men and women. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.” They did not pray for the persecution to cease; they prayed for courage and boldness to endure in the midst of persecution.

The early church acknowledged that the leaders of their day – “Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the other Gentiles in positions of authority, and the religious leaders of Israel were all united against Jesus.” Their evil actions had all led to the crucifixion of Jesus. Yet all of their evil intentions had been permitted by the Father in order to accomplish His perfect plan – the resurrection of His Son and His victory over death. Therefore, the church had no need to fear! Their “enemies” were already defeated foes. But wisely, they also knew that they could not allow their faith in God’s divine sovereignty to become an excuse for them not to take responsibility for the action He was calling them to take. Again, the words of St. Augustine are a wise reminder, “Pray as though everything depends upon God, and work as though everything depends upon you.”

The believers did not ask for protection; they asked for power. They did not ask for the destruction of their enemies; they asked for boldness and power to preach the Word and heal the sick. They did not ask that their own agenda or their own needs be furthered; rather, that the Name of the Father and the Son be exalted.

God’s answer was to shake the place where they were meeting, and again fill them with His Spirit. He filled them to overflowing – and the result of the filling was that “they preached the word of God with boldness.” And it didn’t stop there. It also further deepened their unity(3) and their desire to sacrifice and share with one another.(4)

Phillips Brooks also wrote, “nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.” That early church prayed according to God’s will and He answered in mighty power. About thirty years later, James (the half-brother of Jesus, who did not become a follower until after Jesus arose from the dead) would write this reminder to the early church, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”(5) The same God who answered the prayers of those early believers is waiting to respond to those same prayers today… and every day… until He returns.

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You can read about this powerful gathering of prayer in The Acts of the Apostles, chapter 4, verses 23 through 31.

Also, i have excerpted portions of this post from chapter 13 of my book, Until He Returns. For more information about the book, click here.

 

(1)  Acts 4:23-31, quoting Psalm 2:1-2 (NLT)

As soon as they were freed, Peter and John returned to the other believers and told them what the leading priests and elders had said. When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: “O Sovereign Lord, Creator of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them –  You spoke long ago by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, Your servant, saying, ‘Why were the nations so angry? Why did they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepared for battle; the rulers gathered together against the Lord and against His Messiah.’ In fact, this has happened here in this very city! For Herod Antipas, Pontius Pilate the governor, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were all united against Jesus, Your Holy Servant, whom You anointed. But everything they did was determined beforehand according to Your will. And now, O Lord, hear their threats, and give us, Your servants, great boldness in preaching Your word. Stretch out Your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of Your Holy Servant Jesus.”  After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.

(2)  Acts 4:18 (NLT)

(3)  Acts 4:32

(4)  Acts 4:34

(5)  James 4:2-3 (NASB)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Pearl on Lightstock

The Talents

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Most of you are familiar with my book series, The Called. The premise of each of the books is that each person was an “ordinary” person who God used in an extraordinary way. God only works in extraordinary ways! And we are all very ordinary before Him. But by His grace, and in His sovereignty, God has chosen to work through each of us. As the apostle Paul reminds us, God has created each of us uniquely and given us different gifts.(1) But the extraordinary work He intends to accomplish through each of us is not dependent upon which gifts or talents He has given us, it is dependent upon our faithfulness to use whatever He has given us, and our availability to be guided by His Holy Spirit.

Jesus often used parables in His teaching. Perhaps one of the best remembered of those parables is the “Parable of the Talents,”(2) in which He teaches that very point. In the parable, the master did not apportion his talents equally to his servants. He gave more to some and less to others. But he entrusted them all. He was the determiner of what and how much would be given to each. He was a wise master. He knew their abilities. In many ways, he knew them better than they knew themselves. He knew that too much could overwhelm, and too little would undertax their ability. Thus, he entrusted each proportionate with their ability. And then he left – for a long time.

There were several risks that the master took in what he did. First, he entrusted others with a portion of his wealth. Jesus did not say whether it was all of his wealth or only a portion, but regardless, the master was putting at least a portion of his kingdom “at risk” by investing in his servants. He determined that his work and his kingdom would be best furthered through his servants. He didn’t have to make that choice. He could have grown his kingdom in any way he chose – and as a successful master, he probably could have done so in an even more effective way. But he chose to grow his kingdom through his servants.

Second, since he entrusted each servant with differing amounts, he risked creating jealousy and/or pride among the servants, Those who received more could become prideful over the ones who received less, and those who received less could become envious of those who received more. The servants would not have fully comprehended the master’s thinking or his plan as he divided the talents in the way that he did. Thus, his allocation could have created enmity among the servants, and the kingdom work could be hampered by any strife that ensued.

Third, the master was gone a long time. Without his physical presence, the servants were free to make their own choices. Would they be diligent today in the task the master had given them, or would they find more pleasurable or satisfying ways to expend their time? The servants knew there would be a reckoning, but as time passed, the temptation would become greater to focus on the pleasures of today and allow tomorrow to take care of itself. Perhaps doubt could even begin to creep in that the master wasn’t really coming back at all.

Fourth, for one of the servants, fear of the master created a paralysis that led to faithlessness. This servant “bought the lie” that said, “what difference can my meager talent make?” He convinced himself that the other servants could do so much better and so much more, so he followed his fear and his faithless “self-talk” and buried his talent. [Please forgive a quick side road: This kind of fear and self-talk is prevalent in Kingdom work today. You’ve heard the adage that 20% of the people do 80% of the work. Though this principle may not be the sole factor, it is definitely a contributing factor. God’s people have belittled the talent with which the Master has entrusted them, and have buried it, and are not using it for the Kingdom. Thus, the work and mission of the Kingdom goes under-manned and under-funded in the midst of the plentiful resources the Master has provided.]

One day, probably when they least expected it, the master returned, and the day of accountability had arrived.

The faithful servants honored their master and wanted to please him by wisely investing the talents with which he had entrusted them. Though each returned a different amount, they were rewarded equally. It is a reminder that God is a rewarder of faithfulness. His reward is not proportionate to the quantity of our talents, it is proportionate to the faithfulness of our use of the talents. They began as servants, and they were promoted to rulers. They were faithful in the few, and the master entrusted them with much more, increasing their capacity for greater service and responsibility. They had labored and toiled, and now they entered into their reward.

The unfaithful servant disobeyed and dishonored his master by doing nothing. He robbed his master of that which was due him. His one talent could have brought an increase of another talent, bringing honor to his Master. But instead, he allowed his fear of failing to keep him from trying to succeed. His fear paralyzed him from acting, and he buried his talent. As a result, even that which he had was lost. He lost his opportunity to serve – not for trying and failing, but for failing to try. He gained no praise or reward from his master. He experienced a loss of intimacy with the one who had entrusted him. That truly is outer darkness! It could be that he looked at his talent as too meager to be of any use, as compared to the amounts received by the other two. It is a reminder to us to never disparage what the Master has given us. We have been appointed as a steward of the Master, and He will take whatever He has entrusted us with and multiply it for His glory, if we will be faithful stewards.

What will the Master say to us upon His return? Will we have labored faithfully and stewarded wisely? Paul wrote, “…it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”(3) The measure of our faithfulness will not be in the eyes of men, but rather, in the eyes of our Master. He knows what He has entrusted to us. He knows what constitutes the cross He has called us to carry. May He find us faithful with what He has entrusted us – faithful to the end. And on that day, may we hear Him say, “Well done My good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Master!”

* * * * *

You can read the parable of the talents in the Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 25, verses 14 through 30.

Also, i have excerpted portions of this post from chapter 23 of my book, Taking Up The Cross. For more information about the book, click here.

(1)  1 Corinthians 12:6-11

(2)  Matthew 25:14-30

(3)  1 Corinthians 4:2 (ESV)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO – The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock

Zacchaeus – A Message of Hope

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As is my practice on occasion, the post this week is a fictional first-person account as told by Zacchaeus about the events and circumstances of his life leading up to his encounter with Jesus. Though some of the characters and details contained in the story are fictional, you will find the truth conveyed to be very REAL!

* * * * *

I did not always want to be a tax collector. I was the second son of a merchant by the name of Hiram. He fully expected both his sons would follow in his footsteps.

My mother was very ill as she carried me to term. The midwife had warned her that I might not survive childbirth. But she and I did survive my birth; however, she died soon thereafter. I was sickly as a baby and required constant attention, so my father arranged for a nurse to care for me. As I grew, I continued to be chronically ill, which caused me to be feeble and stunted my growth.

My older brother, Joshua, five years my senior, was the picture of health and athleticism. He grew to be a handsome young man with great physical strength and confidence. He was also quite popular, and well-liked by all who knew him. But Joshua was also a kind brother who was always attentive and protective of me. As I grew, the other boys would often belittle and torment me. But they never did it when Joshua was around!

Understandably, my father favored Joshua. Though my father would never admit it, it was obvious in the different ways he treated the two of us. He always said that he hoped both of us would become successful merchants like him, helping him with his trade, and one day taking over the business. But he held out greater prospects for Joshua’s success than he did for mine. As a result, he invested more time and effort into Joshua.

Though I was always viewed as the one who would be less likely to succeed, I had a keen and inventive mind. I persevered through a life of physical limitations with that strong mind and a determined will. As I grew into a young man, I discovered what I lacked in brawn I could make up for through my wit. I have always loved and appreciated Joshua, but I was determined to not live in his shadow. I knew I needed to find my own way.

I also knew it would not be as a merchant. I realized others would always try to take advantage of me due to my slight stature. And I recognized I needed to pursue a trade that would not require great physical strength, but rather, a quick wit. Growing up as I did, I never particularly cared what others thought of me. From a young age, I had developed a pretty tough skin.

I also had carefully studied the tax collectors as my father dealt with them over the years. I watched as they extracted their duty for the goods my father transported out of Jerusalem. And I watched their fellow tax collectors extract their portion as my father brought his goods into Jericho. As long as goods were being bought and sold, the tax collectors appeared to be in a good position to accumulate their own wealth.

The Romans had grown accustomed to having the rest of the world pay for their comforts and amenities. The citizens of Rome knew the more their empire expanded, the less tax needed to be extracted from their own pockets. The motivation for expanding their empire was more power and more riches. The strategy for achieving this was more soldiers and more taxes.

Rome did not conquer the Judean provinces out of a love for the Jewish people. They despised us and thought our notion of worshiping one God was unnatural and primitive. They had conquered our lands in order to enlarge their tax base. They then divided their conquests into taxing districts from which they extracted an assessment they believed the population could support. Those taxes were considered a tribute to Rome for the support and protection the empire provided, albeit unsolicited.

Tax collectors were required to pay the amount of that assessment to Rome up front, and then recover their money by collecting taxes from the local citizens. The tax collector would charge extra to provide for his own living and welfare. As you can well imagine, the system lent itself to the practice of extortion and usury. Rome received her taxes. The tax collectors became wealthy. And the whole system was protected by the Roman soldiers.

Towns like Jerusalem and Jericho contained multiple districts with multiple tax collectors. In each of those towns, there was a chief tax collector, who not only collected taxes from his own district, but also collected a portion from the other tax collectors in his town. Every tax collector aspired to be a chief tax collector.

When I became an adult, I set my sights on that goal. I announced my intentions to my father and brother and walked away from my portion of the family business. To be honest, neither of them believed I would be successful. Tax collectors were hated and despised by everyone. Despite their wealth, they were viewed as the lowest form of sinner – right alongside prostitutes and thieves.

My father and brother doubted I would be able to endure the treatment I would receive. But they had forgotten how thick-skinned I had become over the years.

I began my career working as an apprentice to a tax collector so I could learn how to become successful at it. I caught on quickly and became highly valued by my mentor. I was able to accumulate a modest savings due to my unpretentious lifestyle, which enabled me to acquire the tax rights for a small district in Jericho. Over time, through my efforts, I was able to leverage my profits in order to acquire the rights for a more lucrative district. At that point, I was beginning to enjoy financial success, but with it came the ever-increasing disdain of the local townspeople. In my mid-forties, I became the chief tax collector for the town of Jericho.

Jericho had become the winter resort for Jerusalem aristocracy. Under Roman rule, a hippodrome stadium was constructed for horse and chariot racing, as well as numerous aqueducts for irrigation, which enabled the city to produce rich vegetation. It was considered to be a beautiful “city of palms” and was the site of one of Herod the Great’s palaces. As a result, it was a thriving city, frequented by the “rich and famous” of Roman, Herodian, and even Jewish society.

But the day Jesus of Nazareth arrived in Jericho even I knew He hadn’t come to see the rich and famous. His reputation for healing the sick and ministering to the poor was well-known throughout Judea.

When I saw the commotion as Jesus walked into town, I wanted to get a better look at Him, so I climbed a sycamore tree. Imagine my surprise – as well as everyone else’s – when Jesus looked up at me and said, “Zacchaeus, quick, come down! I must be a guest in your home today.”(1) He hadn’t come to visit the leading citizens, or the chief Pharisee – He had come to spend time with a despised tax collector!

I quickly climbed down to lead Jesus and the rest of His followers to my home. I was beside myself with excitement as I greeted Him. Immediately I could hear the grumbling coming from the crowd around us: “Doesn’t He realize He is going to be the guest of that notorious sinner?” But I didn’t care what they said.

When we all arrived at my home, I directed my servants to bring fruit and bread as I invited Jesus and His followers to recline at my table. I sat immediately across from my Guest of honor.

I had never entertained a religious leader in my home, let alone a prophet and a miracle worker like Jesus! I knew I was a sinner. I had been taught the Scriptures when I was a lad. I knew the words of God’s Law, but I had chosen to disregard it in order to pursue my success, and had never given it much thought.

But when Jesus said, “Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven,” I immediately believed in Him and did all that He had instructed me to do. I never stopped to think about it. I knew He was speaking truth; unlike the religious leaders I had heard speak in the past. And I knew that He knew everything about me – my past . . . my present . . . and my future.

I said to Him, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated anyone on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”(2)

I knew without any further word from Jesus I needed to make public restitution for my sin. I knew where I had cheated others, I must give back to them according to the Mosaic Law.(3)

My neighbors were astonished when I began to return fourfold all I had taken from them. They had heard about Jesus performing miracles, but they never imagined He could change the heart of a “crook” like me! It made me sad, though, to think how most of them were so overjoyed by their unexpected financial windfall but were unwilling to consider the life-changing miracle Jesus could bring about in their own lives.

I am an example that you can’t stay where you are – or how you are – and follow the Master. I could no longer cheat and extort. Jesus had now given me a heart to give instead of take. And there weren’t too many opportunities to do that as a tax collector! So a change in my heart required a complete change in my life. Jesus had come to seek and save me. And I knew on that day, that I must follow Him.

The next day, Jesus left Jericho and began His journey to Bethany, which was on His way to Jerusalem where He would celebrate the Passover. His work in Jericho was done. I had been the reason He had come to our city!

I quickly made restitution to the people I had wronged, before leaving Jericho to catch up with Jesus. I was determined to follow Him wherever He led. I had no idea His journey would soon lead Him to a cross. That day on the hill outside of the city, I looked up at Him in horror as He hung on that cross. He had never done anything to deserve any punishment, let alone death! I knew that to be true, because I had robbed and cheated. If anyone deserved to be crucified it was me, not Him!

I cannot begin to describe my sorrow when Jesus took His last breath. But neither can I describe my great joy the night He appeared to me and the rest of His followers in that upper room after He had risen from the dead.

I have often reflected on the fact that I once climbed a tree to see Jesus looking up at me . . . and one day, not that long afterward, He willingly looked down upon me, from another tree . . . on which He hung and died . . . in order to pay the price for my sin.

You don’t need to convince me I am a sinner who has been saved solely by the grace of God. I am well aware. And now that you have heard my story, you share in that awareness. But if you recall nothing else from my story, please remember that mine is a tale of two trees – one through which Jesus invited me . . . and one through which He saved me!

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You can read the story of Zacchaeus in the Gospel According to Luke, chapter 19, verses 1 through 10.

Also, I have excerpted portions of this story from my novel, Through the Eyes of a Shepherd. For more information about the book, click here.

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(1)  Luke 19:5 (NLT)

(2)  Luke 19:8 (NLT)

(3)  Exodus 22:1

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock

Wings Like Eagles

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But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.(1)

“But those . . . .” As i write this post, i am very aware that some good friends are walking through circumstances they had never envisioned. David and Nicole are praying over their teenage son as his body fights to recover from the severe injuries he sustained in a terrible car accident a week ago. Mike is facing total bladder removal surgery tomorrow brought on by the ravages of cancer, as well as the continuing battle he may be facing if the cancer has invaded the muscle outside his bladder. Another is battling the severe effects of depression and anxiety. Still another is facing the collapse of his business and the resulting personal financial ramifications.

Regrettably, i am mindful that the list continues further from there, with each of you who are reading this post being able to add those who are on your own list as you think of family and friends who are walking through severe circumstances, or perhaps, even your own situation.

In my quiet time this morning, i was reminded of God’s promise from Isaiah 40:31 above. I was reminded that as we trust in the Lord, we will find new strength. We will soar high on wings like eagles. We will run and not grow weary. We will walk and not faint.

However, it never truly struck me until this morning that the promise God gave to His people through His prophet Isaiah begins with the words – “But those.” Seeing those two words forces you to look back at what Isaiah was writing before he wrote verse 31.

It was one of the bleakest eras in the history of Judah. King Manasseh had risen to the throne upon the death of his father, King Hezekiah. Unlike his father, Manasseh caused evil to reign throughout the kingdom of Judah. His counselors led him to marry a sorceress who taught him in the ways of witchcraft. The Temple of God was desecrated, the Asherah poles were again raised, and the images of Baal appeared throughout the landscape. Children were sacrificed to the pagan gods and a cloud of evil blanketed the kingdom.

Though the hearts of many were turned to follow their king in his evil ways, there were others who remained true to Jehovah God. They were forced to endure the evil consequences of their day through no fault of their own. Among their number was Isaiah himself, whose heart was broken as he witnessed the growing effects of evil blanketing the kingdom under the direction of his own grandson, Manasseh. And it would be at Manasseh’s hand that Isaiah himself would be martyred.

It was to those who remained true to Jehovah God that Isaiah wrote:

O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles?
    O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights?
Have you never heard?
    Have you never understood?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of all the earth.
He never grows weak or weary.
    No one can measure the depths of His understanding.
He gives power to the weak
    and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
    and young men will fall in exhaustion.(2)

Those words were (and are) a reminder that God was not the author of their circumstances or unaware of their existence. He sees and He does not ignore. Neither has He grown weak or weary, as it is so easy for us to become. We ache for those who through no fault of their own are now being forced to endure the severe hardships brought about through the fallenness of our world.

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength to soar above it. Sadly, that does not mean that the circumstances are removed. It does not mean that our God keeps us from having to endure the hardships; rather, it means He gives us the strength to endure, the strength to soar above them, and the strength to run through them without growing weary. How can we know God will give us that strength? Because He has promised to do so! And He is not a man that He should lie.(3)

Gratefully, i know that each one of the people i referenced at the beginning of this post are trusting in the Lord. Each one of them are trusting the Lord to give them that kind of strength in the midst of the situations they are facing. They are trusting God for an answer to prayer.

i have come to believe that the Lord, through His sovereignty and by His grace, provides each of us with the opportunity to come alongside those who are enduring those situations to play a role in being those eagles to spread our wings of prayer to undergird them, our wings of service to come alongside them, and our wings of faith to encourage them.

If you are in need of that strength today, trust the Lord to enable you to soar on wings like eagles. And if you know someone who needs that strength today, be one of those eagles.

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(1)  Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

(2)  Isaiah 40:27-20 (NLT)

(3)  Numbers 23:19

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Mitchell on Lightstock

Too Little Too Late

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When you were a kid, do you remember getting caught doing something your parents or someone else in authority over you had told you not to do – or for not doing something they had told you to do? You suddenly realized there were going to be consequences. You weren’t going to be able to do something you had really been looking forward to doing – like going to a party at a friend’s house, or going to a movie with friends, or the like.

You felt really bad! But, in truth, you didn’t feel bad about what you had done; rather, you felt bad about the consequence of your disobedience. And the truth is, that didn’t just happen back when we were kids. It also has happened to us as adults. As a matter of fact, it may have just happened yesterday.

Allow me to give a personal example with the hope that you won’t think ill of me. i have been known over the years to have somewhat of a lead foot when it comes to driving on the highway. As a result, i have been pulled over for driving over the speed limit on more than one occasion. i have always been sorrowful about being pulled over. But if i was to be completely honest with you, my sorrow rarely, if ever, had anything to do with the reality that i had broken the law.

The fact of the matter was that i felt bad about the consequence i was going to incur – i.e. the fine i would have to pay, the time i would need to spend in traffic school, or the increased insurance premium i was now going to have to pay. (By the way, the simple fact that i have been pulled over more than once is an indication that i truly was not sorry for what i had done.)

i think that’s true more often in our lives than we would care to admit. It’s the idea of being remorseful about the consequence, but not repentant over the action.

There is a very well-known example of that truth recorded in the Book of Numbers in the Bible.(1) Faced with the account of the spies who had been sent ahead into the Promised Land to bring a report, the people chose to heed the words of the faithless majority. They chose to ignore God’s promise and disobey His direction. As a result, God declared that all of the adults (other than Joshua and Caleb) were going to die in the wilderness and never step foot into the Promised Land.

We read that the Israelites knew they had sinned and they suddenly felt really bad about it, because God had told them what the consequences of their disobedience was going to be. Suddenly they were now ready to obey God so they could receive His promise. There was only one problem with this confession from the people – it was too little too late.

They did feel bad. They knew they had messed up big time! They knew their complaints against God had just cost them an inheritance in the Promised Land, and in exchange they had just settled for a burial plot in the wilderness. The reality of the consequence of their actions had begun to sink in. So now they were really sorry and ready to move forward as if they hadn’t rebelled. “Lord, let’s just go ahead as if it never happened. Please just forgive and forget! Let’s move forward with Your plan. After all, it’s Your plan. You promised us. Just forgive us and let’s move forward.”

What we’re hearing in the cries of the Israelites is remorse, not repentance. Remorse says, “I’m sorry for what I did because I am now hurting really bad.” The focus of remorse is always on me and my consequence. Repentance says, “God, I have sinned against You. I have dishonored and hurt You.” The focus of repentance is always on God and my rejection of Him. Remorse is always looking for the quickest way for me to get out from under the pain of the consequence and the most painless way for me to get back to the place where my desires are being satisfied.

Repentance is looking for the adjustment God would have me make to become rightly related to Him, no matter how difficult or painful that adjustment may be. Remorse is looking for the shortcut. Repentance is looking for God’s road of redemption. Remorse is looking for the whole incident to be put behind us. Repentance understands that though forgiveness is immediate, restoration is a process. i can be remorseful without ever experiencing a change of heart. Repentance, however, can only begin with a broken and a contrite heart.

The next action the Israelites took clearly revealed their unrepentant heart. Their response to sinning against God was to sin against God again! Instead of returning to the wilderness as God had commanded, they attempted to enter the Promised Land on their own accord. When we sin against God, we do not get to choose our path back to Him. We can only come to Him through His Way and we can only come to right relationship with Him through His Way. He made the Way through His Son.

Our only choice is to go God’s Way! By the way, we also need to remember that a delay in our obedience is also disobedience, and God does not allow those opportunities to perch. Though God will always accomplish His purpose, and nothing we ever do will frustrate Him in that end, our delays, in the very least, will cause us to miss out on the fullness of the blessing we would have otherwise experienced if we had not delayed.

So the people pushed ahead without God going before them, and the Amalekites and the Canaanites overwhelmingly defeated them. In fact, the Amalekites and the Canaanites chased the Israelites all the way to Hormah, which means, “devoted to destruction”. That is a great reminder to us that when we push ahead out of remorse and try to manipulate God into negating that which our disobedience has cost us, we, too, will end up in Hormah! We, too, will experience defeat and destruction!

So what do i do if i have been disobedient to God? Is everything lost? Can i never come back into right relationship with Him again? Gratefully, by His grace, that is not the case. He has promised us that “if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from every wrong.”(2)

If we turn to Him in repentance, He will place our feet back on His path, which will always lead to our being rightly related to Him. It won’t mean that there won’t be any consequences – there will be! But we will be back in right relationship with Him, and He will be leading. Once again, we will be experiencing His victory.

Let’s not settle for less; and let’s not delay in responding to Him. Otherwise we, too, could end up in Hormah having done too little too late.

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Portions of this post have been taken from chapter 21 of my book The Wandering Years

(1)  Numbers 14

(2)  1 John 1:9 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Pearl on Lightstock

The Blessing

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Most every one of us has gone through a period in our life journey when we are walking through the unknown. It’s a journey through unfamiliar territory that can take on many different faces such as disease, financial hardship, the breakup of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, extended unemployment, or the like. Even when you know that God is walking with you through every step, and leading you through it, and drawing you close … it still is a journey that weighs heavily and causes you to become exceedingly weary. You may be walking through just such a journey right now. If that’s the case, my prayer is that this post will provide some respite for you.

The Israelites had been on the journey of their exodus from Egypt for approximately a year; and though they had experienced God’s provision and protection, they were weary and ready for the journey to be over. When you’re on a journey through the unknown, there is no place to really call home – whatever there was is no more, because you’ve left it behind; and whatever is ahead, you have yet to experience. You feel displaced. You tend to feel disconnected from the world around you.

Even when you know that God hasn’t forsaken you and He’s right there with you, there can still be that disquieting in your spirit. When i first wrote portions of this post, my family and i were nearing the end of the fourth month of a journey through the unknown (and unbeknownst to us at the time, several more months still loomed ahead). Though we knew our Lord was going before us and ordering our steps, i would not be completely truthful if i didn’t tell you, we were beyond ready for the journey to be over! We hadn’t expected the journey to last that long. We had expected to arrive at our destination much sooner. We hungered to put down roots in our new land. As grateful as we were for God’s provision and His protection, we were ready for the journey to be over. We were ready to share the testimony of what God had done through the journey, instead of what He was still doing.

We had many friends who endeavored to encourage us in our journey, but we found that it was difficult for those who had never walked a similar path. Though i will be forever grateful for those who still tried, i must confess that their encouragement sometimes failed to fill the void.

Because of what we were walking through, we found ourselves relating to the Israelites and having a pretty good understanding of how they must have been feeling and what they may have been thinking when God told Moses to instruct Aaron and his sons to bless the people. And gratefully, the blessing the Lord had for His people that day is the same blessing He has for us today!(1)

May the Lord bless you and protect you. We are admonished by the psalmist to bless God. “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”(2) We are to acknowledge Him for Who He is and thank Him for all He has done. We are to bless one another, expressing our wishes for God’s blessing on one another’s behalf.

But when God Himself blesses us, that is wholly another matter! What we say, we hope will come to fruition; what God says, He will move heaven and earth to bring about. What He wills, He does; and what He does, He completes. As the sovereign and almighty God, when God blesses us, He does so with His best for us in mind. As the omnipresent and omniscient God, when He blesses us, He does so in ways that are not only for time but also for eternity.

And God’s blessings will exceed anything that we can imagine, because His view is far greater than ours. His blessing will include His protection – protection from anything or anyone under His Lordship – and that includes anything or anybody, including Satan and his minions. Can you think of anything greater than a blessing from the Creator of the universe? How about from your Heavenly Father who loves you perfectly? How about from the King of kings and the Lord of lords? Receive the promise of His blessing and His protection!

May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. I can think of nothing more inviting, nothing more comforting, and nothing more encouraging than the Lord’s smile. It is a smile that at once communicates His love, His acceptance, His concern, His compassion, His delight, His tenderness and His welcome. It is a smile that “includes”; it doesn’t exclude. It is a smile that “encourages”; it doesn’t ridicule. It is a smile that says, “I love you more than you will ever know.”

And with His smile is a grace and a graciousness that cost Him the shed blood of His Son. It is a grace and a graciousness that gives and gives and gives, when I have done absolutely nothing to merit it. When I didn’t love Him, He was gracious. When I didn’t obey Him, He was gracious. When I ignored Him, He was gracious. Receive the radiance of His smile upon you and may you grasp and comprehend the full extent of His grace and His graciousness!

May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace. His favor includes His kindness and His goodness, but it is more than that. It includes His support and His friendship, but it is more than that. It includes His mildness and His mercy, but it is more than that. His favor is Him extending to me and on my behalf all that is His; placing all that is His at my disposal for my benefit. And with that favor He extends His peace – His peace that exceeds all understanding - a peace that comforts in the midst of any circumstance, and a peace that calms any storm. Receive and experience the fullness of His favor and the depths of His peace!

Fellow sojourner, take heart. No matter where you are in your journey, or how much longer your journey may take, receive the fullness of His blessing:

“May the LORD bless you and protect you.

May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you.

May the LORD show you His favor and give you His peace.”

i have included the lyrics for the song, “The Blessing,” at the end of this post. The song takes these words from Numbers 6. Allow the song (link below) to enable the blessing of God to make its way into your heart . . . and from there, into your soul . . . and receive the blessing from the One who is able to bless you like no other!

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Portions of this post have been taken from chapter 5 of my book The Wandering Years.

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(1)  Numbers 6:22-27

(2)  Psalm 103:1-2 (NKJ)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by Bas van den Eijkhof on Lightstock

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The Blessing 

The Lord bless you, and keep you
Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you
The Lord turn His face toward you
And give you peace

(Repeat) 

Amen, amen, amen
(Repeat) 

The Lord bless you, and keep you
Make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you
The Lord turn His face toward you
And give you peace 

Amen, amen, amen
(Repeat 3x) 

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children

(Repeat 3x) 

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, He is with you

 

In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your weeping, and rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you

 

He is for you, He is for you
(Repeat 2x) 

Amen, amen

Amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen

 

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children

 

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, He is with you

 

In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your weeping, and rejoicing
He is for you, He is for you

 

Ohh

He is for you

Ohh

 

Songwriters: Christopher Joel Brown / Steven Furtick / Kari Jobe / Cody Carnes

The Blessing lyrics © Worship Together Music, Capitol Cmg Paragon, Be Essential Songs, Kari Jobe Carnes Music, Writers Roof Publishing 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiko8DSRMZI

(Kari Jobe – The Blessing (Studio Version/ Lyric Video)

More Than Enough

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

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Are you currently facing a need that is insurmountable, or a challenge that is impossible? Is the situation beyond your capability or the solution beyond your reach? If so, are you trying to solve it, or overcome it, or meet it on your own? Or have you turned to the One who has promised to never leave you nor forsake you and asked Him to do what only He can?

The disciples had just returned from their mission, having been sent out two-by-two into the villages. They were excited to tell Jesus everything they had done and experienced.(1) If you have ever been a part of a short-term mission team that has been sent out to carry the Good News to another part of the nation or the world, you can probably relate somewhat to the disciples. Like them, you probably saw the transforming work of the gospel and the leadership of the Spirit.

You may have witnessed miraculous healing just like they did. But one thing is for sure, you experienced the awesome privilege of joining with God in His activity – and now, you wanted to tell everyone about the experience. And hopefully, you and your team had an opportunity to debrief the experience. That’s how it was for the disciples. They wanted Jesus to hear all about their time, and He wanted to debrief them.

So Jesus pulled away from the crowds with His disciples to do just that. He climbed a hill and sat down with His disciples and began to hear about their experiences.(2) But the masses kept following, and a huge crowd had regathered. Jesus “welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and He healed those who were sick.”(3) Late in the afternoon the disciples said to Jesus, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.”(4) But Jesus had a different plan – His perfect plan. He always does!

Jesus turned to Philip and asked him, “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?”(5) John tells us that Jesus was testing Philip. Why Philip? To this point, all of the disciples had seen Jesus perform many miracles – most recently the calming of the storm and the healing of the demon possessed men.

But Philip had been one of the handful with Jesus that day at the wedding feast in Cana. He had been one of those who “believed in Jesus” as a result of that miracle.(6) John also had been there. And that’s why i believe he records this conversation between Jesus and Philip – whereas none of the other Gospels make mention of it. Philip had seen Jesus transform water into wine. Couldn’t that same Jesus transform anything into food? Had Philip learned a truth that day? And could he apply it here?

This was Philip’s big opportunity to shine. But alas, he missed it! Instead of trusting in Jesus’s unlimited ability, Philip responded using his own limited human reasoning. He had already worked out how much money would be needed to buy enough bread (even “two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient”(7)). Apparently, Judas (the keeper of the money) had given the treasurer’s report that morning and reported that they had two hundred denarii in their treasury.

But then Andrew, who had also been at the wedding feast, stepped up and said, “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish.” Andrew would have been the prize pupil if he had stopped there. But he went on to say, “But what good is that with this huge crowd?”(8) He forgot to Whom he was speaking. And that is an important reminder for us. Whatever God entrusts to us is sufficient for His purpose – no matter how inconsequential it may appear to us.

Jesus told the disciples to have the crowd sit down – so they could all watch and see the difference a little can make in the hands of the Master! After thanking the Father for the provision, Jesus took the young boy’s lunch and transformed it into a feast for five thousand men, plus women and children – probably fifteen thousand or more people. And everyone ate until they were full! The Master’s provision will always be more than enough when it is presented in His way for His glory!

And to further solidify the lesson in the minds and hearts of the disciples, Jesus had the leftovers gathered. Imagine their reaction when they saw twelve baskets filled with barley loaves and fishes, having earlier seen a “tiny sack lunch”. And the people who had come that day to see Jesus perform miracles were by no means disappointed. They were ready to declare Him King! They envisioned a kingdom filled with all the food you could eat that they would never need to work for! Regrettably, however, they weren’t ready to follow Him as Lord and Savior. They witnessed the miracle, but totally missed the Miracle Worker. And John writes that Jesus “slipped away into the hills by Himself.”(9)

What went through the disciples’ minds that day? Specifically, what went through Philip’s and Andrew’s minds? Were they focused on what Jesus had done? Or were they again reminded of Who He was? Did they see Jesus based upon what He had done – that day – and in days past – or Who He was? Did the memory of what they had witnessed in Cana suddenly come back to them, causing them to realize how much they had underestimated their Lord?

And what about us – as we walk with the Master? Are we looking at Him and expecting Him to respond within the limits of our finite thinking? Or are we expecting Him to “accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think”?(10)  What He does will constantly be changing. He rarely did the same thing the same way. But He always seemed to know what was best . . . and He still does! But Who He is – the Almighty God – will never change. He is trustworthy! And He is worthy to be followed – no matter what we are walking through! Trust Him to do more than enough . . .  because He is . . . more than enough!

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Portions of this post have been taken from chapter 32 of my book Walking With The Master.

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(1)  Luke 9:10

(2)  John 6:1-15

(3)  Luke 9:11 (NLT)

(4)  Luke 9:12 (NLT)

(5)  John 6:5 (NLT)

(6)  John 2:11

(7)  John 6:7 (NKJ)

(8)  John 6:9 (NLT)

(9)  John 6:15 (NLT)

(10) Ephesians 3:20 (NLT)

Copyright © 2023 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.

Photo by LUMO-The Gospels for the visual age on Lightstock