Category: QuietTimes

I am back after a week fighting COVID for the second time. If I am being fair, it was super mild the time I spent sleeping it off the first couple of days probably helped with the quick recovery. I am thankful to the Lord for the easy and quick recoup time.

On Saturday I got a knock on the door by some Jehovah Witnesses inviting our family to a ‘Memorial of Jesus’ Death’ service. First, on Easter we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. Yes, we do have ‘Good Friday’ services, but the main thrust of Easter is “He is Risen!”. Jehovah’s witnesses have some fundamental breaks with the Christian faith:

1. They don’t believe in the Trinity – they believe that God the Father alone is the only one and true God.
2. Therefore, they believe that Jesus was something other than God and more likely an angel. They believe and teach that Jesus Christ is the incarnate name of Michael the archangel. Further, they believe that Michael was the first angel created by God the Father and is second in command in God’s organization.
3. They also deny that the Holy Spirit is a person. They believe that the Holy Spirit is an impersonal force that God uses to accomplish His will.
4. Because they do not believe that Jesus is God, they do not believe in Salvation through faith alone. They believe in a complicated works-based salvation process where they likely will not achieve eternal life because they believe that only 144,000 will reach that eternal security.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses explicitly deny the gospel by grace alone through faith alone apart from works. They deny that a person is justified by faith. They deny the nature of Christ and the atonement; they deny the resurrection and the just wrath of God upon sin. Therefore, it is impossible to affirm that a consistent Jehovah’s Witness is also a genuine Christian.

The bible translation they adhere to is the New World Translation which is full of alternate readings that do not have textual warrant in either the Greek or the Hebrew. Nearly all of these alternate readings are intended to support the particular views of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

So, this is all very interesting in light of my current reading in Luke of the conception of Jesus by Mary after receiving the word from the angel Gabriel that she would be having a Son and that would name Him Jesus.

Last day here in Dallas and head back tomorrow. I have learned sooo much and will begin to apply my new education starting as early as next week. I can’t wait to see my family tomorrow as I have missed them so much. Can not wait to gaze at their beautiful faces and hug them tight.

Luke 1:24-25 [ESV]
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Today I finished up this story of Zechariah coming out of the temple after seeing the angel and losing his voice due to his unbelief. The temple worshippers had gotten concerned because he was taking so long in the holy place burning incense. Priests we’re encouraged to not dilly dally due to the fact that the people would fear that God had struck the Priest down in punishment for a ceremonial miss. One of the great honors the Priest picked to do the incense was able to was address the people after the incense offering but he could not because of his newfound muteness.

Now we come to Elizabeth and her conceiving a son. In biblical times, it was considered that a married woman was being punished if she was unable to bear children. Even more so for a Priest’s wife as it was important to keep the Priestly lines running. These barren women were often ridiculed. So, it is thought that she hid for the 5 months so she could wait until she began to ‘show’ as to silence the scoffers. This was why she said that not only did the Lord give her a son but He also took away the burden of the reproach she had carried for being unable to bear children earlier.

Elizabeth though that she was being punished by the Lord but His real plan was to bring glory to Himself through Elizabeth by giving her a child when she was thought to be barren.

For me, the takeaway here is that although it is perfectly ok for me to lament situations, circumstances, and trial in my life, I must also know that perseverance will likely produce a future understanding of Gods ultimate will and purpose for a suffering I might endure. I must also understand that I may never see the will purpose in ‘my’ lifetime.

Day 3 in Texas (Head home on the 5th). One more day of the Seminar tomorrow and we will be done. R and I had dinner with his daughter and her boyfriend which was such a nice treat. Tons of fun and laughter. Seeing the love of God in these 2 was so encouraging and inspiring as this culture and society have so many worldly pressures it puts on them.

And Zachariah said to the angel, By what shall I know and be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.
   And the angel replied to him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the [very] presence of God, and I have been sent to talk to you and to bring you this good news.
   Now behold, you will be and will continue to be silent and not able to speak till the day when these things take place, because you have not believed what I told you; but my words are of a kind which will be fulfilled in the appointed and proper time. Luke 1:18-20 [AMP]

Remember yesterday the angel told Zechariah that he would have a son, he would call his name John, he could not have wine or any fermented drink, and he would bring many Jews back to faith in God…preparing them for the coming Messiah. Well now, today we have Zechariah’s response…

“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah says. Holy crud! An angel of the Lord has appeared before you in the Holy Temple of God telling him all of this stuff! How many times in God’s word have we seen the Israelites ask for more when the God of Abraham has shown them something supernatural?? Ok, now, let’s get real. If I am being honest, I am guilty of the same thing. How many times has the Lord laid something on my heart and me knowing its Him, not respond in the way or timing that I know I should…I am no better.

Zechariah follows with more…”I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Zechariah is now resorting to excuses as to why he thinks he has a right to question the validity of what the angel is saying. He is essentially saying, “Even if this is the Lord telling me what is going to happen, I am not equipped for this thing the Lord wants me to do.”

…and then the angel speaks – “I am Gabriel. I stand in the very presence of God, and I have been sent to talk to you and bring you this good news.” When I listen to this, my thoughts go to what must be going through Gabriel’s mind. First, Gabriel is essentially forced to give his credentials; he gives his name and then explains that unlike Zechariah, he not only understands what it means to stand in the throne room of God, but he has also had a direct command by God to come and give Zechariah this good news.

Now, Gabriel brings the hammer down. Without any pause for Zechariah to pullback his challenge, Gabriel now informs him that he will be unable to speak until these things he has said come to pass…why?…because Zechariah failed to believe. To reject Gabriel was serious and it would have its consequences. Gabriel leaves no room for uncertainty. What God has said will come to pass.

Abraham, Gideon, and Hezekiah all asked for signs too but the spirit of this request from Zechariah was ‘unbelief’.

A great first full day in Dallas. A combination of mind blowing learning interspersed with wonderful fellowship. I feel so grateful for this time here to learn skills for developing post-corporate-life income and work. I know my family (especially my wife) is dealing with a lot of busyness and stress; that part does not sit well with me.

Luke 1:14-17 [AMP]
And you shall have joy and exultant delight, and many will rejoice over his (John the Baptist) birth,
For he will be great and distinguished in the sight of the Lord. And he must drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit even in and from his mother’s womb.
And he will turn back and cause to return many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God,
And he will [himself] go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn back the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient and incredulous and unpersuadable to the wisdom of the upright [which isthe knowledge and holy love of the will of God]—in order to make ready for the Lord a people [perfectly] prepared [in spirit,adjusted and disposed and placed in the right moral state].

What an amazing passage. Verse 14 is the angel Zechariah saw in the temple making kind of a ‘no duh’ statement about how happy both Zechariah and Elizabeth would be over this child. Of course! They’ve been praying for a child through their married life.

Verse 15 gives some instruction (through the angel) about how to raise and protect John once he is born. It almost looks like he might actually fall under similar requirements as that of a lifelong Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-8). However, because the angel does not mention the ban on cutting John’s hair, this is less probable.

Verses 16 & 17 give the impression that John will have a heavy influence on the turning of hearts and minds back to God and that many would be prepared in spirit for the coming of Jesus. John is one of those figures in the Bible I am anxious to meet in Heaven.

Today I flew to Dallas, TX for a three day seminar on Self Storage Investing. What is super cool is that I am able to share this time with one of the special men of God I get the pleasure of serving with.

After an uneventful flight and Lyft ride, I checked into our hotel room and settled before R arrived. We then proceeded to sit up and talk for three hours before turning in. What a special treat and our discussions did not disappoint. Just a foreshadowing of several more evenings to come.

Luke 1:5-9 [AMP]
In the days when Herod was king of Judea there was a certain priest whose name was Zachariah,of the daily service (the division) of Abia; and his wife was also a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And they both were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.
But they had no child, for Elizabeth was barren; and both werefar advanced in years.
Now while on duty, serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
As was the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter [thesanctuary of] the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Today was the start of Luke’s coverage of the conception of John the Baptist. Luke introduces Zachariah and his wife Elizabeth. I learned some interesting things from studying up a bit on this couple. Both were of the lineage of Aaron (the first High Priest). Zachariah needed to be of priestly lineage in order to hold a Priest position and had to marry an Israelite virgin to hold to Jewish law; however Elizabeth was a Priest’s daughter so for a Priest like Zachariah to marry a Priests daughter was a special blessing.

Secondly, Zachariah had drawn lots and was selected to be the Priest with the privilege of burning incense on the incense altar in the Holy Temple. What I learned is that a Priest could only perform this once in their lifetime and in some cases (because there were many Priests) a Priest may never get the opportunity. So, this occasion was super special for Zachariah and God chose this moment to send an angel to tell Zachariah the he and his wife Elizabeth would have a son and they would call him John (God is favorable). One, Elizabeth was barren and two, because it was expected for priests to have children to carry the traditions, this couple had prayed for God to give them children.

Now here we have God, using the most special day in this priest’s life, to tell him he would have a son. Not just any sim, but the sim who would go before and prepare the way for the Messiah!