“As A Tempest” ( Joel 1:15, WYC ) by Carley Evans

Imagine the cherubim of the Lord and the flaming sword barring the entrance to Eden, keeping Adam and Eve from returning to the garden, cutting off access to the tree of life. Here is the beginning of the ‘day of the Almighty’ as described repeatedly in His Word. This day is near; it comes like a tempest. We are banished from paradise and from the presence of the Lord God. What a day, says Joel.

^“15 A! A! A! to the day; for the day of the Lord is nigh, and shall come as a tempest from the (Al)mighty. (O! O! O! what a day! for the day of the Lord is near, and it shall come like a tempest from the Almighty.)”

Death begins; we are eternally damned, separated from God. The tree of life is outside our reach. A flaming sword flashes back and forth to guard the way so that we do not live forever. We are actually kept from God and prevented from eternity.

The day of the Almighty is close. What a day! A day of nakedness and shame. God asks Adam, “Who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Genesis 3:11, NIV) Now we know both good and evil; and evil dominates our lives.

Paul cries out, “When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (Romans 7:21) “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24)

The only rescue from the day of the Lord is through the finished work of Jesus the Christ. Jesus Himself declares as He dies on the cross of Calvary, “It is accomplished.”

 

“God Never Surrenders” ( Jeremiah 32: 33, NIV ) by Carley Evans

God bemoans Israel, who are the people of God, saying: “They turn their backs to me and not their faces; though I teach them again and again, they do not listen or respond to discipline.”

I’ve heard parents bemoan their child, “We’ve tried everything, but he ‘turns his back to [us] and not [his] face.’” “We teach [him] again and again, [but he] does not listen or respond to discipline.’”

I’ve heard that a few parents eventually disown or surrender to the child, usually after many many years of frustrating efforts.

But, I know that nothing “will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39) God never gives up on us.

“This Doctrine Of The Cross” ( 1 Corinthians 1: 18, NEB ) by Carley Evans

“We proclaim Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:23) and “the doctrine of the cross” which “is sheer folly to those on their way to ruin, but to us who are on the way to salvation it is the power of God.” “What room then is left for human pride? It is excluded. And on what principle? The keeping of the law would not exclude it, but faith does. For our argument is that a man is justified by faith quite apart from success in keeping the law.” (Romans 3:27-28) “For if those who hold by the law, and they alone, are heirs, then faith is empty and the promise goes for nothing, because law can bring only retribution.” (Romans 4:14-15) “[God] is Himself just and also justifies any man who puts his faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26) Therefore,”all are justified by God’s free grace alone.” (Romans 3:24)

“Now, quite independently of law, God’s justice has been brought to light.” (Romans 3:21) And this is simultaneously the folly and the power of God. “Divine folly is wiser than the wisdom of man, and divine weakness stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) And Jesus, “nailed to the cross” “is the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:23, 24)

Put your faith in His power and wisdom though it may appear to be folly.

“The Richness Of His Grace” ( Ephesians 1: 7, HCSB ) by Carley Evans

“We have redemption in [Christ] through His blood.” Yes, our redemption is through Christ’s blood, and not through the Law, not through our good deeds, not through our own efforts. Rather, we are given “the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavishes on us with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:7-8) Christ’s grace is the cause of our redemption; this grace which He continues to “lavish on us.” Imagine the richness of the love a mother lavishes on her newborn baby — a pale reflection of the love and grace Christ lavishes on us “with all wisdom and understanding.”

And “the gift is not like the trespass.” “Where sin multiplies, grace multiplies even more so that, just as sin reigns in death, so also grace reigns through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (Romans 5:15, 20-21)

“What are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31) “Who can bring an accusation against God’s elect? God is the One who justifies.” (Romans 8:33) “Who can separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35)

“Trust The God Of Hope” ( Romans 15: 13, NIV ) by Carley Evans

Through His Holy Spirit, God “gives endurance and encouragement.” (Romans 15:5) “The God of hope fills [us] with all joy and peace as [we] trust in Him.” (Romans 15:13) “[We] overflow with hope.” (Romans 15:13) “To the [people] who do not work but trust God who justifies the wicked, [our] faith is credited as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5) “Therefore, [we] glory in Christ Jesus in [our] service to God. [We] do not venture to speak of anything except what Christ accomplishes through [us] in leading [others] to obey God by what [we] say and do — through the power of the Spirit.” (Romans 15:17-19)

Notice we begin with God and end with Him as well — His Holy Spirit encourages us and enables us to endure; giving us hope, joy and peace. We find our glory in Jesus Christ and our power through His Holy Spirit. “Since we are now justified by His blood, how much more are we saved from God’s wrath through Him!” (Romans 5:9)

So, continue to trust God. Through trust in Him, we overflow with hope.

“Imagining Maturity In Christ” ( Ephesians 4: 13, NIV ) by Carley Evans

Can you imagine “unity in the faith?” Can you imagine “becoming mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ?” Can you imagine not being an “infant?”

Our hope is to become united in our knowledge of Jesus Christ — i.e. no longer divided or “tossed back and forth…by every wind of teaching.”

“Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” (Hebrews 5:14) The good we seek is this unity in Christ; the evil we dread and should always flee is division, bickering, backbiting, unfounded criticism, and hatred of our brothers and sisters who are in Christ.

“You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So, then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another.” (Romans 14:10-13)

Our fervent prayer is to be mature in Christ, to stand together as one church — as the whole body of Christ, and as His bride.

“Your Mind Remade” ( Romans 12: 2, NEB ) by Carley Evans

“Adapt yourselves no longer to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed. Then you will be able to discern the will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect.”

 

To know God’s will, writes Paul, you must allow “your mind [to] be remade.” As your mind is “remade,” “your whole nature [is] thus transformed.” A transformation occurs; the old nature is progressively destroyed as your thinking is altered. Simultaneously, the new nature is progressively “put on.” You take off the old, and put on the new.

 

The power to achieve this transformation is given to you by God’s own Holy Spirit. Rather than adjusting to “this present world,” Paul implores you to “offer your very self to [God]: a living sacrifice, dedicated and fit for His acceptance, the worship offered by mind and heart.” (Romans 12: 1)

 

“So come to Him, our living Stone — the stone rejected by men but choice and precious in the sight of God. Come, and let yourself be built, as [a] living stone, into a spiritual temple; become a holy priest, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2: 4-6)

 

“You are now [one of] the people of God, who once was not His [own]; outside His mercy once, you have now received His mercy.” (1 Peter 2: 10)

 

God is building you — transforming you from a person of “this present world” into “a living sacrifice,” “a spiritual temple,” “a holy priest.” Allow your mind to be remade.

“How Much More Are We Saved” ( Isaiah 53: 12, NIV ) by Carley Evans

“For He bears the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus bears our sins in His body on the tree; and He lives forever, seated at the right hand of God the Father, continually interceeding for us.

This ongoing intercession of Jesus Christ is our salvation. Without His interventions on our behalf, we would not be acceptable to God the Father.

“Since we are now justified by His blood, how much more are we saved from God’s wrath through Him! For if, when we are God’s enemies, we are reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more, having been reconciled, are we saved through His life!” (Romans 5: 9 – 10)

This is why Peter is able to say, “Perfect love casts out fear.” No need for fear exists now that Jesus sits on His throne. He has conquered death; and we are made acceptable. Fear has to do with judgment. For us, judgment is complete, having occurred on the Cross.

“Outdo One Another” (Romans 12: 10, ESV) by Carley Evans

Love each other, says Paul. Love each other in the same way you love your siblings — with a brotherly or sisterly affection. “Outdo one another in showing honor.”

Paul says, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.” (Romans 12: 14) “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.” (Romans 12: 17)

And, he writes: “Let love be genuine.”
And, “Hold fast to what is good.”

Holding fast to the good is such a map for happiness. If you see the good in the other, then you are able to bless the other even as he curses you. If you see the good in the moment, then you will not repay evil for evil. Instead you will do what is perceived as honorable to all. Such a paradox exists in the Christian walk. We walk by faith, hoping for that which is unseen. Our hope is that good will outdo evil, that perfection will triumph over imperfection, that God will be triumphant over the evil one.

And of course God is triumphant and good does overcome evil. Perfection does overwhelm imperfection, and holiness swallows sin.

Therefore, let your love be true. Hold fast to the good. “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”

“Without Excuse” (Romans 1: 20, HCSB) by Carley Evans

Paul writes, “People are without excuse.”

We are without excuse because God’s existence and “His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made.”

We know God exists, yet we choose not to “glorify Him as God or show gratitude.” (Romans 1: 21) Instead, we create our own gods — worshiping self, money, power, even “images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles.” (Romans 1: 23)

“All who make idols are nothing, and what they treasure does not profit. Their witnesses do not see or know anything, so they will be put to shame. Who makes a god or casts a metal image for no profit? Look, all its worshipers will be put to shame.” (Isaiah 44: 9 – 11)

God says, “I Am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.” (Isaiah 45: 6 – 7)

“I sweep away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I redeem you. Rejoice, heavens, for the Lord acts; shout, depths of the earth. Break out into singing, mountains, forest, and every tree in it. For the Lord redeems.” (Isaiah 44: 22 – 23)

“Therefore, any one of you who judges is without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things.” (Romans 2: 1)

We are without excuse, for God reveals Himself in His creation. Worship not the creation, but its Creator.