EXTRA: Jim Elliot Before Ecuador

~ Reminiscence About Jim Elliot ~  

Recently I was asked to grant an interview regarding my experience as a child when I knew Jim Elliot. It was a privilege to respond affirmatively. That interview was completed and has now been posted on the “No Greater Joy Dad” blog hosted by Anthony Salem. To go straight to that posted interview click here.

Incidentally, Anthony’s wife Adéye hosts the “No Greater Joy Mom” blog. Anthony and Adéye are the parents of seven children (three boys and four girls).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

A Disciple of Jesus

~ An Appropriate Covenant at Resolution Time ~

The following covenant in the form of an essay is from an unknown source. While the original source is not positively known, some believe it originated in Zimbabwe. It is a succinct summation of what a disciple of our Lord should be. It seems worthy of reflection as we approach another year. 

“I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I will not look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

“My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight-walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. 

“I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotion, or popularity. I do not have to be right, first, tops, recognized, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor by His power. 

“My face is set, my gate is fast, my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my Guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I will not give up, shut  up, or let up. I will go on until He comes, and work until He stops me. 

“I am a disciple of Jesus.”     

BLOGGER BOB’S COMMENT:  If you were on trial for being a disciple of Jesus, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Quote: The Magi

~ Lessons for Today ~ 

What do Wise Men do today?   

The following is an excerpt from a book.

In the three gifts of the wise men, myrrh speaks of suffering, the spice of death, and reminds us of the past and His first coming; frankincense speaks of worship and intercession, and represents the present Church age and the forming of the pearl of great price; and gold speaks of His future royalty and rule ushered in by His Second Coming.

The magi sought out Jesus and brought to Him appropriate gifts. “Wise men still seek Him” has become a seasonal saying. I heartily agree with that sentiment, but I would add, “Wise men still bring Him gifts.” Do you have wisdom? Then what gift would you bring to Jesus?

In our society the pearl is one of the birthstones for the month of June and is suggested as the appropriate gift for the thirtieth wedding anniversary. More significantly, pearls have long been given as a gift from the groom to the bride-to-be. Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is His bride (2 Corinthians 11:2 and others). The Bridegroom has given His all to His fiancée. It is a natural response of the fiancée to respond with gifts that are an outflow of her love. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NKJV).

~ from “ONE PRECIOUS PEARL: God’s Design for His Church, pg 117  (ISBN: 9780741462329)

Learn more about this important book at Amazon, the Publisher, or the Author’s website.

Messiah, 26

~ Messiah as the Coming Star ~ 

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth” (Numbers 24:17). 

The Messiah  

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the One who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him’ (Matthew 2:1-2).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

Be Happy

~ “Be of Good Cheer” ~   

Smiling is the exclusive prerogative of man—flowers, bird, animals cannot smile. (Dogs smile by wagging their tales!) But have you ever had someone confront you with a statement like, “Smile!” I have—at times I feel like striking back with some stinging one-liner. However, if it is someone who is close to me and I know they have my best interests in mind it is another story—I’m quite likely to cheer up if for no other reason than I know they genuinely care about me. The Word of God gives us plenty of reasons to be cheerful. Here are some of the basic reasons. 

His Presence  ~  In the New Testament the physical presence of Christ was reason to be cheerful. “But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying,  ‘Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid’” (Matthew 14:27).  When we consider that we have God living within us how can we be anything but joyful? “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27b).

His Forgiveness  ~  If you are a Christian your sins are forgiven! Be of good cheer because you have received a pardon. “When Jesus saw their faith… ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you’” (Matthew 9:2b, also Mark 2:5).

His Hope (short-term) ~  We can, and should, have good cheer while we are experiencing the trials, tribulations, and rough events of this life. “I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship… be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me… Then they were all of good cheer” (Acts 27:22, 25, 36).

His Hope (long-term) ~  “Then they called the blind man, saying to him, ‘Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you’” (Mark 10:49). What the early church and the puritans termed the “blessed hope” is translated in our current vernacular as an “absolute certainty” of eternal life and the return of Christ to take us to be with Him forever. It will be as the Word of God says (Acts 27:25). 

His Peace  ~  We know that Christ overcame the world. “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33), so we can have peace. What joy that should bring! 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

His Witness  ~  If you know Christ as your personal Savior you are His witness. “But the following night the Lord stood by him and said,  ‘Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome’” (Acts 23:11). Because of the genuine deep joy which we as Christians possess we should consistently be a cheerful witness for Him (Acts 23:11).  

SUMMARY  ~  You can be cheerful because of Him and His work on your behalf. If you are a Christian you have the power of His Spirit living within you. “Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God's action in them find that God's Spirit is in them — living and breathing God!” (Romans 8:5, The Message).

“And do not be drunk with wine [controlled by wine]… but be filled with the Spirit [controlled by the Spirit], speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:18-20).

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

Messiah, 25

~ Looking To Messiah Gives Life ~ 

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived” (Numbers 21:8-9).

The Messiah  

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things? Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what We know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God’” (John 3:10-21).

  

“‘And I [Jesus], if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.’ This He said, signifying by what death He would die” (John 12:32-33).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.