The Secret of Wisdom - Sunday - The Daily Diary of a Bible Blogger

At this time of year we call to mind the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem. The first two verses of Matthew chapter two read, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

The first question in the Old Testament was when God said to Adam, “Where art thou?” It was God seeking man. The first question in the New Testament was asked by the wise men, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” which was man seeking God.

Since the fall of Adam in Eden it has been God who has been seeking sinners, to deliver them from their sins and save them for eternity. So we read in 1 John 4:14, “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world”. This grand plan of salvation for sinners necessitated the Son of God coming into the world and giving His life on the cross, to reconcile sinners to God. 

It will always be wise people who seek after God and discover the love of God for their souls. Wise people enjoy the forgiveness of their sins knowing that Christ's death at Calvary settles it all. This was not God's ‘Plan B’. God determined this way of salvation for sinners before He made the worlds. Jesus is the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world”(Rev. 13:8).

 The wise men made a mistake by going first to Herod’s Palace at Jerusalem, Jesus was not there. People today look for Christ in the wrong places! Places of man made religion. It is not the way that God has revealed in the Bible. The wise men knew who they were looking for - the one who was born King! If you are seeking for truth and eternal life don’t look for anyone less than the Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ. He will reign over all the earth on day as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The wise men were warned of God that Herod had a murderous plan for the babe. So they did not go back to him after they found Christ; they went home another way. I like that! God’s way is always different to man’s way. These wise men went God’s way and in so doing they left intelligent gifts behind them - gold, frankincense and myrrh. The gold expressed their understanding of the royalty and deity of the child. The frankincense spoke of the loveliness and purity of the life that Jesus would live. The myrrh reminds us of the suffering of the cross as this was an ointment that was normally used on a dead body. 

Wise men appreciate and value the Son of God and they worship Him. Do you?

It would be a marvellous Christmas if you applied your heart unto wisdom, sought the Lord and found Him to be your Saviour.

Lots more to see at www.seekthetruth.org.uk

The greatest test of wisdom - Monday - The Daily Diary of a Bible Blogger

At this time of year many people think about the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem. 

As part of the story of the birth of Christ he first two verses of Matthew chapter two read, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

The first question in the Old Testament was when God said to Adam, “Where art thou?” That was God seeking man. The first question in the New Testament was asked by the wise men, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” that was man seeking God.

Since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden it is God who has been seeking sinners, to deliver them from their sins and save them. We read in 1 John 4:14, “The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world”. This grand plan of salvation for sinners necessitated the Son of God coming into the world and giving His life on the cross, to reconcile sinners back to God. It will always be wise men who seek after God, to discover the love of God for their souls, to enjoy the forgiveness of sins, past, present and future. 

This was not God's ‘Plan B’, God determined this way of salvation for sinners before He made the worlds. Jesus is the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). ]

The wise men made their first mistake by going to Herod’s Palace at Jerusalem to find the new King! The Messiah, the Son of God was not to be found there. Often today people look for Christ in the wrong place i.e. in man made religion. These are places that man has made and not what God has revealed in the Bible. 

The wise men knew who they were looking for. The one who was born King. If you are seeking don’t look for anyone less than the Sovereign Lord Jesus Christ who will reign over all the earth one day as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The wise men were warned of God that Herod had a murderous plan for the babe, so they did not go back to the palace after they had located Chris; they went home another way. I like that! God’s way is always another way to man’s way. These wise men went God’s way and in so doing they left intelligent gifts behind them, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. The Gold expressed their understanding of the deity of the child; he was a King and the Son of God. The Frankincense speaks of the purity and loveliness of the life that Jesus would live, and the Myrrh speaks of the suffering of his death on the cross. 

Wise men appreciate the values of the Son of God and they worship Him. Do you?

It would be a marvellous Christmas if you applied your heart unto wisdom, sought the Lord and found Him to be your Saviour.

For more information visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

Did Jesus really sweat drops of blood? - Sunday - The Daily Diary of a Bible Blogger

Q. The New Testament says Jesus sweat drops of blood when he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane or is that just a figure of speech?

A. Many skeptics just think that this is a figure of speech. But let's read the story of Lee Strobel who found out otherwise!

"I was a sceptic once but then I started my research for The Case for Christ. I went to California to interview Dr. Alexander Metherell, a physician, research scientist, and expert on the crucifixion of Jesus.

“This is a known medical condition called hematidrosis. It’s not very common, but it is associated with a high degree of psychological stress,” he told me.

“What happens is that severe anxiety causes the release of chemicals that break down the capillaries in the sweat glands. As a result, there’s a small amount of bleeding into these glands, and the sweat comes out tinged with blood. We’re not talking about a lot of blood; it’s just a very, very small amount.”

Interestingly, it was Luke, a physician, who noted this phenomenon. He said of Jesus in Luke 22:44: “And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”

Jesus’ anguish and passionate prayers over his impending torture and death could certainly have been enough to trigger this medical phenomenon. The Journal of Medicine analyzed seventy-six cases of hematidrosis and concluded that the most common causes were acute fear and intense mental contemplation.

I asked Dr. Metherell what affect this bloody sweat would have had on Jesus. “What this did,” he replied, “was to set up the skin to be extremely fragile so that when Jesus was flogged by the Roman soldier the next day, his skin would have been very, very sensitive.”

What could have prompted Jesus to willingly endure the misery of Gethsemane, the brutality of the flogging, and the unspeakable torment of the cross?

“Well,” said Dr. Metherell, “I suppose the answer can be summed up in one word – and that would be love.”

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8

Is Jesus the only way? - Saturday - The Daily Diary of a Bible Blogger

Q. There are so many religions out there. How can we be sure that Christianity is the right one?

A. No doubt about it – people believe all kinds of religious ideas, and most people are sincere in their beliefs. We should treat them with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15), and do all we can to protect their rights – as well as our own – to practice religion freely.

I also know that people can be sincere, but sincerely wrong. In fact, it’s impossible that all religions could be right, since they contradict each other on so many fundamental points. For example, look at what these religions teach about God:

• Buddhism historically denies that God exists (atheism).
• Hinduism teaches that everything is part of an all-pervasive, impersonal god (pantheism).
• Christianity teaches that there is one God who is personal and who created everything (theism).

As one person put it to me, if all these religions are true, then God must be schizophrenic – because he doesn’t even know who he is, but tells one group one thing about himself while telling others something completely different.

Well, God is not schizophrenic – so we’re forced to choose between belief systems. How should we do this? Should we base our decision on our traditions, or on what some authority figure tells us to believe, or perhaps on what we feel in our hearts? Those are dangerous ways to decide.

My contention is that we should choose our beliefs based on where logic and the evidence point (while asking God for guidance). And it’s with that approach that I’ve concluded Christianity – over any other worldview – squares with the facts of science philosophy, and history.

My own experience has borne this out. Psalm 34:8 invites us, “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” Well, as one who has been tasting and seeing for more than four decades – and experiencing those blessings – I can testify that the psalmist was right: the Lord is real, and he is good.

“I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” – Isaiah 48:17