You probably know Jesus was raised in a little town called Nazareth. But did you know that from Nazareth, Jesus had a breathtaking view of the valley of Armageddon? Imagine what thoughts must have gone through His mind as a little boy as He looked out over the place that would one day host a battle—the battle of Armageddon at the end of the tribulation period—that only He would stop. We know this battle won't be a pretty scene. But it will get better when Jesus comes back, ends all that has happened on the earth, and takes over the world He Himself created. Jesus' return is anticipated all throughout Scripture. Revelation 19, which describes Jesus' second coming, says, "The essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus" (v. 10, NLT). In other words, Jesus Christ is the star on the center stage of the theater of biblical prophecy. And just as there's a scarlet thread of Christ's redemptive work on the cross woven throughout Scripture, I believe there's also a golden thread of His coming rule and reign. It's the culmination of all redemptive history. All of God's people throughout all ages have looked forward to this event. This is when the serpent's head will finally and fully be crushed (see Genesis 3:15). This is when the scepter, the rule, will once again be reinstated in Judah (see Genesis 49:10). This is when God's promise to King David that somebody from his family line would rule and reign forever will come to pass (see 2 Samuel 7:16). This is the time Isaiah spoke about when he said, "The government will be upon His shoulder…. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end" (Isaiah 9:6-7). This is the time Daniel spoke about when he said that "the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). And this is what Jesus taught His disciples—and us—to pray for: "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). Beginning in Revelation 19, that prayer is finally answered. Jesus will come back to earth, end the battle of Armageddon, take over, and reign with a rod of iron (see v. 15)—first for 1,000 years in what's called the millennium, and then forever in the eternal state. This is a reality that you will see and experience one day. I hope it inspires faith in you. The purpose of prophecy is not to cause fear but to create faith. In 2 Timothy 4:8, Paul described Christians as those who love the Lord's appearing. Do you love and long for His appearing, for His rule and reign on planet earth? I think of the almost-final words of Revelation where John said, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20). I pray that you would long for His return, watch and be ready, and in the meantime serve the Lord with a glad heart.

We’re told that we are aliens and strangers in this world, and should be longing for a better country ( Hebrews 11:13-16 ). However, that better country isn’t up in the clouds—it’s down on the New Earth. Scripture says, “in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" ( 2 Peter 3:13 ). Yet very few Christians I’ve spoken with really are looking forward to the New Earth God promises us. We have denied ourselves and our children a major doctrine of Scripture, spoken of repeatedly in the Old Testament prophets. We have somehow overlooked the promise of Romans 8 that Christ's redemption extends not merely to human souls, but to the whole creation that groans for redemption, having fallen on our coattails, and waiting to rise in our resurrection. Revelation 21-22 promises God will come down from Heaven and dwell with us on the New Earth, which will have nations and rulers and cultures and dwelling places, where people will do exactly what God commanded the first man and woman to do on a perfect earth—rule it to God’s glory. The next verse says, “So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this , make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him” ( 2 Peter 3:14 ). Anticipating a coming world in which all right choices will be rewarded by God inevitably changes the way I live today. Once I grasp what the New Earth means, I can’t help but look forward to it, and this creates a fundamental paradigm shift. For instance, I can look at the beauty of a waterfall, forest, flowers, rivers, animals and people and manmade wonders and not say, “But I shouldn't love these things, because this world is not my home.” No, I should say, “God has revealed Himself to me in these things. While the world as it now is—under sin and curse—is not my home, the New Earth filled with beauties such as these—no longer under sin and curse—will be my home forever! I will not be reunited with disembodied loved ones floating in clouds, I will walk the earth again—or for the first time with those who died young or were handicapped—with those I've loved who know Jesus.” This will bring an indescribable hope and joy and vitality to our lives. epm.org

If we recognize God’s sovereignty even over Satan’s work, it changes our perspective about our lives and suffering. Satan and God intend the same suffering for entirely different purposes, but God’s purpose triumphs. Satan sought Job’s ruin and loss of faith; God sought Job’s refining and faith-building. The very thing Satan intended for Job’s destruction, God intended for his betterment and ultimate reward (though certainly at a terrible cost). Second Corinthians 12:7  gives us a striking picture. We see God sending a physical disability for His purposes and Satan sending the same disability for his. Paul says, “To keep me from being conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given to me a thorn in my flesh.” If the text stopped here, it would be obvious who gave the thorn in the flesh—God, who wanted to keep Paul from becoming conceited. Certainly the devil would not lift a finger to prevent Paul from becoming conceited. But Paul continues to describe the thorn in the flesh as “a messenger of Satan, to torment me.” Two supernatural beings, adamantly opposed to each other, are said in a single verse to have distinct purposes in sending Paul a thorn in the flesh. God’s purpose is not to torment him, but to keep him from becoming conceited; Satan’s purpose is to torment him, likely in the hope of turning him from God. Whose purpose will be accomplished? Who will win? Paul says, in the next verses, he asked God three times to remove the “thorn,” but God refused. He did, however, reveal the purpose behind Paul’s unanswered prayer: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” How did Paul respond? He said he rejoiced in his afflictions. Why? Because he knew God had a sovereign and loving purpose. Joseph’s brothers intended his suffering for evil; God intended it for good. Satan intended Job’s suffering for evil; God intended it for good. Satan intended Jesus’ suffering for evil; God intended it for good. Satan intended Paul’s suffering for evil; God intended it for good. In each case, God’s purpose prevailed. Satan intends your suffering for evil; God intends it for good. Whose purpose in your suffering will prevail? Whose purpose are you furthering? Satan attempts to destroy your faith, while God invites you to draw near to Him and draw upon His sovereign grace to sustain you. Some Christians constantly assign this mishap to Satan, that one to evil people, another to themselves, still others to God. Sometimes they are right, but how can they be sure which is which? Second Corinthians 12 makes clear that God works through  everything  that comes our way, no matter whom it comes from. If God can use for good “a messenger of Satan,” then surely He can use for good a car accident or your employer’s unreasonable expectations. You might not know whether demons, or human genetics under the Fall, or a doctor’s poor decision, or God’s direct hand have brought about your disease, but you know as much as you need to—that God is sovereign, and whether He heals your body now or waits until the resurrection to heal you, He desires to achieve His own good purpose in you. www.epm.orfg

Augustine said, “By hearing Thee I am happy; because of Thy voice I am happy.” There’s no place we can go to hear God speak authoritatively, to hear His voice with complete confidence, other than the Bible itself. We need to hear from God before we hear from everybody else. That’s a good reason not to start the day by looking at email or text messages, but rather to first look at the messages God has placed in your primary inbox: Scripture. Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. ( Psalm 90:14 ) I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words. ( Psalm 119:147 ) Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. ( Psalm 143:8 ). A. W. Tozer said, “Listen to no man who has not listened to God.” Once we hear from God, only then are we ready to bring His perspective to the onslaught of human opinion and need, the trivial and the overwhelming that comes upon us wave by wave throughout the day. (Listening to Scripture on audio might be a great way to start your day with God’s Word, and you can play it while you make breakfast, take a shower, or pack a lunch.) Dallas Willard writes in  Hearing God , “Our failure to hear His voice when we want to is due to the fact that we do not in general want to hear it, that we want it only when we think we need it.” Only when we understand our need for God’s Word—and are ready to listen to Him—are we prepared to listen to others, and to give back to them not from sludgy murk, but from a reservoir of pure waters. “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” ( 1 Peter 2:2 ). Crying infants aren’t concerned about doing their duty; they simply want to be fed. They crave milk because they need it. If you’re not craving God’s Word, you’ve forgotten what you’re missing—or perhaps you’ve never known. If that’s the case, dive into it. After you’ve spent enough time there, you’ll find that television and social media and popular culture will ring hollow to you. Father, you’ve spoken to us through Your Word. Help us turn off the world’s incessant noise so we might hear you. With all the voices that clamor for our attention, Lord, help us turn off and turn away from others’ and listen to yours, when we rise in the morning and all throughout our day. www.epm.org

At some point every human has thought,  “What happens when I die? ” It’s one of the most ubiquitous and mysterious aspects of humanity. Where do we go for answers? To the Bible. The Christian can say at a minimum that when he dies he will: Be with the Lord (Luke 23:43; Rom. 8:38-39; 2 Cor. 5:8) Have a body like Christ’s resurrected body that is: Glorified (Rom. 8:30; Phil. 3:21) Resurrected (1 Cor. 15:49; 1 John 3:2) Live for eternity (John 3:16, 11:25-26) Not experience grief (Rev. 21:4) How does this happen? It happens by the power of God (1 Cor. 15:24-27, 43) Why does it matter? It matters because every Christian will face the judgment seat of Christ. Let’s break these two questions down  by looking at  2 Corinthians 5:1-11 : “For we know that if our earthly house, the tent we live in, is dismantled, we have a building from God, a house not built by human hands, that is eternal in the heavens…” The Christian has both a  present  body (earthly house–tent) that is distinct from a  future  heavenly body (building–1 Cor. 15:42-44). This future body is realized in the heavens. “…For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed, after we have put on our heavenly house, we will not be found naked. For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life…” A Christian lives with an inexorable groaning because while he exists in a  present  body (not perfect), he knows that it is not his ultimate and glorified  future  body (perfect–Phil. 3:21). A Christian is a walking conundrum. “…Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment…” The Christian’s future heavenly body is made by God, and is guaranteed by the the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. If God can fail, then we don’t have a promise of eternal life with Him. Since He cannot, we have… “…Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth we are absent from the Lord—for we live by faith, not by sight…” The Christian’s first response to these truths is good courage while living with the conundrum of an earthly body. The reason is because his confidence in having a future heavenly body is based on God’s character. The word that defines the Christian’s perspective is “faith”, because he hasn’t seen his future heavenly body yet. He’s trusting God for it. “…Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord…” The next response continues his good courage, and adds an understanding of the dimension (preference) of a Christian’s groaning. To be with the Lord in a future heavenly body is better than living with a present earthly body. “ … So then whether we are alive or away, we make it our ambition to please him…” The third response is to please the Lord. There is no “waiting” until I’m older to honor God with my life. Why? “…For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be paid back according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or evil…” God will reward the Christian for his deeds done in his present earthly body. “…Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade people, but we are well known to God, and I hope we are well known to your consciences too.” As a result of knowing a judgment day for the Christian is real and imminent, he persuades others to know the Lord. In sum… The Christian has an earthly body with the hope of a future heavenly body. The future heavenly body is: (1) better than the earthly body, (2) guaranteed by God, and (3) provides direct fellowship and nearness to God. The present earthly body is the testing or trial grounds out of which the Christian will receive rewards in the future (with God in a heavenly body). Ergo, while in his present earthly body, the Christian walks in faith, aiming to please God, knowing that he will be rewarded, and therefore persuades others to know the Lord. Therefore… “…we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, so also we believe that God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep as Christians.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 (NET)

One of my favorite authors, Donald Grey Barnhouse, said, "Love that reaches up is adoration. Love that reaches out is affection. But love that stoops is grace." Philippians 2:5-11 deals with the incarnation of Christ, the miraculous event of God stooping to show His love and grace to humankind. In verses 5-7, we get an amazing look at Christ's humility: "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men." These verses describe what Christ did in coming to the earth. Now, don't think for a moment that Jesus stopped being God when He came to redeem us. Jesus, who had the unchanging essential nature of God, also took on the unchanging essential nature of man, meaning He did not hold onto His privileges as deity nor His own individual authority. He was, in fact, fully God and fully man in one person. When Jesus took on "the form of a bondservant" (v. 7), He didn't just act like a servant; He served people. He said, "The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Jesus was the Creator who surrendered to being a creature. That is love stooping. In verse 8, Paul explained the humility of Jesus' death: "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." This is the ultimate act of service. He willingly gave His own life for a mission that could be summed up in one word: forgiveness. So on the cross, He could say, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do" (Luke 23:34). And God the Father responded to this humility: "Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (vv. 9-11). If you ever wonder if the pain of humility is worth it, take note of Jesus. When you humble yourself and obey God, He will, in His own time and by His own means, exalt you (see Luke 14:11; 1 Peter 5:6). Now, this leads us to the central point of Paul's passage: the mentality of Christ. Go back to verse 5. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." That's the motivation for humility. We are to humble ourselves and serve others because Jesus did it. What does humility look like? Go back even further to verse 3: "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Humility is not thinking badly about yourself; it is not thinking of yourself at all. Humility is the willingness to give up your will for another's good. And I guarantee you, if we as the church practice these few verses, we'll stand out in our communities. If you do this in your business, there'll be no other business in town like yours. If you do this at home, you'll stand out on the block. As believers, we're called to be like Christ, and this is Christlikeness in a word: humility.

Happiness happens when we give it away. Be the family member who offers to wash the dishes after dinner. Be the colleague who serves the staff by arriving on time for each meeting and listening attentively. Be the church member who supports the pastor with prayer and notes of encouragement. Be the neighbor who mows the grass of the elderly couple.  Can you imagine the joy-giving benefits of these decisions? Contrast the situation of Moe and Joe. Moe expects everyone to serve him. The moment he awakens he thinks, Is someone going to bring me coffee? He leaves the house thinking, The traffic better be good. If the service of the convenience store attendant is slow, Moe is mad. If the parking lot attendant forgets Moe’s name, Moe grumbles. If the employees at work need more time than Moe want to give them, Moe lets them know. Moe has high expectations of the world. He expects to be served. He expects people to cater to his plans, meet his needs, and reward him. Consequently, Moe is seldom happy. The service is too slow, the commute takes too long, and the employees don’t remember his name quickly enough.  Moe, miserable Moe. Joe, on the other hand, measures the success of his day with this standard: Who can I help today? Since there are always people who need help, Joe is insanely successful. He serves his wife her morning coffee. He serves the convenience store clerk with a smile. He serves the parking lot attendant with encouragement. He keeps a positive attitude at work. Bad weather? Snarly traffic? No problem. The world doesn’t exist to take care of him. He exists to take care of others. Circumstances do not affect him. Joe goes to bed with a smile on his face. Moe is unhappy and makes people frown.  Joe is happy and makes people smile.  Which one are you? Moe? Joe? Or a little of both, Mo-Jo? Maybe it’s time to look at life differently. Make your happiness dependent upon how others serve you, and you will always be disappointed. Find happiness in serving others and… well, you can complete the sentence. www.macxlucado.com

The widest river in the world is not the Mississippi, Amazon, or Nile. The widest river on earth is a body of water called  If Only. Throngs of people stand on its banks and cast longing eyes over the waters. They long to cross but can’t seem to find the ferry. They are convinced the If Only River separates them from the good life. If only I were thinner, I’d have the good life. If only I were richer, I’d have the good life. If only the kids would come. If only the kids were gone. If only I could leave home, move home, get married, get divorced. If only my skin were clear of pimples, my calendar free of people, my profession immune to layoffs, then I would have the good life. The If Only River. Are you standing on its shore? Does it seem that the good life is always one if only  away? One purchase away? One promotion away? One election, transition, or romance away? If so, then we’ve traced your anxiety back to one of its sources. You’re in a hurry to cross the river and worried that you never will. Consequently, you work long hours, borrow more money, take on new projects, and pile on more responsibilities. Stress. Debt. Short nights. Long days. All part of the ticket cost to the land of the good life, right? Not exactly, opined the Apostle Paul. The good life begins, not when circumstances change, but when our attitude toward them does. Look again at his antidote for anxiety. “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). Paul embedded two essential words into the verse that deserve special attention:  with thanksgiving . Sprinkled among the phrases of  Help me …  Please give me …  Won’t you show me … are two wonderful words—  Thank you. Gratitude is a mindful awareness of the benefits of life. It is the greatest of virtues. Studies have linked the emotion with a variety of positive effects. Grateful people tend to be more empathetic and forgiving of others. People who keep a gratitude journal are more likely to have a positive outlook on life. Grateful individuals demonstrate less envy, materialism and self-comparison. Thankfulness improves self-esteem, enhances relationships, quality of sleep, and longevity.<1> If it came in pill form, gratitude would be deemed the miracle cure. It’s no wonder, then, that, God’s anxiety therapy includes a large, delightful dollop of gratitude. Gratitude leads us off the river bank of “if only” and escorts us into the fertile valley of “already.”  The anxious heart says, “Lord, if only I had this, that, or the other, I’d be ok.” The grateful heart says, “Oh, look! You’ve  already  given me this, that, and the other. Thank you, God.” On Thanksgiving, as you gather around a table with friends and family, instead of looking at what you don’t have, look at your blessings. Do you see any friends? Family? Do you see any grace from God? Love of God? Do you see any gifts? Abilities or talents? Skills? As you look at your blessings, take note of what happens. Anxiety grabs his bags and slips out the back door. Worry refuses to share the heart with gratitude. One heartfelt “thank you” will suck the oxygen out of worry’s world. So say it often. Focus more on what you do have and less on what you don’t. Years ago I lived on a houseboat that was docked on the Miami River in Miami, Florida. The level of the river would rise and fall with the tide. It rocked back and forth with the river traffic. But though the level changed and the boat rocked, it never drifted. Why? Because the boat was securely anchored. What about you? Anchor your heart to the character of God. Your boat will rock. Moods will come and go. Situations will fluctuate and change. But will you be left adrift on the Atlantic of despair? No, for you have found a contentment that endures the storm. No more  if only . It is the petri dish in which anxiety thrives. Replace your  if only  with  already . Look what you already have. Treat each anxious thought with a grateful one and prepare yourself for a new day of joy. © Max Lucado

A while back, I received this desperate text from a hurting friend. She had discovered that some ministry leaders she greatly admired and who had played a significant role in her spiritual growth had been leading a double life—teaching one thing while covering a blatantly ungodly lifestyle. Sleepless night. I am angry; I am hurt; I am scared; I am in unbelief and a host of other things. Been thinking all night how everything I believed was a lie and how I am a fool and realizing how the last fourteen years of my life has been built around two people who today I don't even know. I hate it all. My friend was experiencing the piercing bitterness of betrayal. If you have ever been through something similar, you know it's natural to feel hurt, sick to your stomach, like your world has been rocked. But while those feelings are natural, they're not a healthy place to live for an extended period. I trust my response to my friend will bring you comfort, hope, and some practical ideas for how to move on and find healing. ----------- He will hold you when you cannot hold yourself. This will not be an easy journey. But He will walk through it with you. He will hold you when you cannot hold yourself. I haven't been quite where you are. But I have been through intense disillusionment where my faith was deeply shaken. I can tell you that He is faithful and true. Here are a few thoughts and suggestions as you walk through this painful process: Be honest with God about what you are feeling. He can handle it. Get some sleep. You have been incredibly depleted by this whole situation. When we are physically depleted, we are more vulnerable to believing things about God that just aren't true. Listen to music that speaks strong biblical truth to your heart. Park in the Psalms for a while. Read slowly. See how the psalmists cried out to the Lord in their pain and how in time He lifted their heads. Keep reading, even when you don't believe it or feel it. Find a few verses that speak to where you are right now; memorize them and keep reciting them over and over again. I have been doing that recently with  Psalm 18:1–3 . Take walks. Listen to sermons or music as you do. Being sedentary fuels depression and unreliable emotions. Don't draw conclusions based on what you think or feel during the night hours. The enemy seems to create greater fear, doubt, and unbelief during the darkness. Meditate on  Jeremiah 17:5–10  and  Psalm 118:8–9 . How does the Lord want to transfer your trust from "men" to Christ? These feelings you are experiencing will take time to deal with. That's okay. It took me eighteen months to walk through my "darkest night of the soul." The night will not last forever. Guard against bitterness. I believe my journey would not have had to be as long as it was if I had not given in to bitterness. Be careful about becoming isolated. When you are struggling, reach out to Him and to others. You can't fight this battle alone. If you try, it will be easier for the enemy to take you under. "Don't doubt in the darkness what you have seen in the light." "Don't doubt in the darkness what you have seen in the light." You will come through this, but not because you are strong—"We are weak . . . but  He  is strong." In time, you will come to know and believe and love Him in even deeper ways than you ever imagined possible. Be still before the Lord. Wait patiently for Him. He will not forsake you. He will deliver you. And He will make you an even stronger instrument in His hand.

“Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.” -Ephesians 2:7-10 (MSG) If I asked, “Who are you?” how would you answer that question? We have lots of identities—race and religion, gender and geography, political party and marital status. I’m a husband to Lora and a father to Parker, Summer, and Josiah. I’m a pastor and an author. I’m an ENFP on the Myers-Briggs and a type 3 achiever on the Enneagram. All those identities are pieces of my puzzle, but none of them represents my primary identity. My primary identity is who I am  in Christ . The phrase in Christ is found 164 times in the Pauline epistles. It’s the key that unlocks our identity, our destiny, and our authority. You are not defined by the things you’ve done wrong. You are defined by what Christ did right— His  righteousness. I may not know you from Adam, but I know who you are. You are the image of God. You are the apple of God’s eye. You are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works prepared for you in advance. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, much of the first chapter is a poem. It’s twelve verses in English, but it’s one sentence in the original language. It’s the longest sentence in the Bible. If you read it right, you’ll never see yourself the same way again. It flips the script by revealing who you are and whose you are: You are  blessed  with every spiritual blessing in Christ. You were  chosen  before the beginning of time. You are  blameless  in the eyes of God. You are  adopted  by the heavenly Father. You are  redeemed  by the blood of Christ. You are  sealed  by the Holy Spirit. You are  stamped  with the image of God. (Ephesians 1:3–14) www.markbatterson.com

“In the course of time, Judah arranged for his firstborn son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar. But Er was a wicked man in the Lord’s sight, so the Lord took his life. Then Judah said to Er’s brother Onan, “Go and marry Tamar, as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother.” But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled his seed on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother. But the Lord considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother. So the Lord took Onan’s life, too.” Ok, this is already messed up. Seems to me like Tamar is 0 for 2. She is widowed twice, and come on, she was probably better off with those two husbands dead, because they were wicked. This is serious reality. The thing I love about the Bible is it doesn’t sugar coat thing, it shares the reality of the human condition. I don’t know how old Tamar is at this point, but do you think this is the life she wanted. What I see as I read this story, I picture this little girl with dreams of growing up and falling in love and having a family, but her life is a nightmare and it’s about to get worse. Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, “Go back to your parents’ home and remain a widow until my son Shelah is old enough to marry you.” (But Judah didn’t really intend to do this because he was afraid Shelah would also die, like his two brothers.) So Tamar went back to live in her father’s home. Some years later Judah’s wife died. After the time of mourning was over, Judah and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to Timnah to supervise the shearing of his sheep. Someone told Tamar, “Look, your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” Tamar was aware that Shelah had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow’s clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself. Then she sat beside the road at the entrance to the village of Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. Judah noticed her and thought she was a prostitute, since she had covered her face. So he stopped and propositioned her. “Let me have sex with you,” he said, not realizing that she was his own daughter-in-law. “How much will you pay to have sex with me?” Tamar asked. “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” Judah promised. “But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat?” she asked. “What kind of guarantee do you want?” he replied. She answered, “Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the walking stick you are carrying.” So Judah gave them to her. Then he had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant. Afterward she went back home, took off her veil, and put on her widow’s clothing as usual. If this wasn’t in the Bible, I would feel like I was sinning reading it. It is so sordid, so sinful, so scandalous, I don’t want to read it, I don’t want to think about it, I don’t want to talk about it, do you? But since we’re on the subject. Isn’t this the kind of story we’d cover up? This is the last story that you would ever want to tell your kids. Did Tamar’s boys ever ask how their mom and dad fell in love? Like, ‘I actually propositioned your mother and I’m not only your dad, I’m also your grandfather, surprise!’ Can you imagine the family reunions? Can you imagine the identity issues with everybody involved in this story? Part of the reason I read that is because every once in a while, we need to read a story in the Bible that makes you feel like maybe it’s not quite as bad as I think. You’d say, ‘I thought I was messed up.’ This is so scandalous. This is about as bad as it gets. About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has acted like a prostitute. And now, because of this, she’s pregnant.” “Bring her out, and let her be burned!” Judah demanded. But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law: “The man who owns these things made me pregnant. Look closely. Whose seal and cord and walking stick are these?” Judah recognized them immediately and said, “She is more righteous than I am, because I didn’t arrange for her to marry my son Shelah.” And Judah never slept with Tamar again. Let’s learn some lessons. 1. God’s plans are bigger than your mistakes. Aren’t you grateful for that? We know how the story ends! How did Tamar assess her own life? I’m guessing that she assessed her life as a huge tragedy. Disappointment. Betrayal. Her life is so not what she wanted it to be. But she did produce a son and that son turned out alright. And he had a son who had a son who had a son who had a son who had a son who had a son who had a son who is the Son of God. See, I don’t think you can assess your life on your life span. What I love about the Bible genealogies is this, zoom out and take a 42-generation perspective. Sometimes, we get so embroiled in the minute, circumstantial details of our lives, we just feel like our lives aren’t what we want them to be and what we need is a little bit of eternal perspective.  God’s plans are bigger than your mistakes-sexual or otherwise. I think sometimes we reduce God to the size of our biggest failure. But He is bigger than that. 2. Let me make a second observation. It’s not who goes before you, it’s who you leave behind. I think some of us read these stories and we can identify with them because we come from dysfunctional families and dysfunctional situations. At Christmas, a lot of people are going back into situations where it just brings all this stuff back, and the truth is, some of you are here and you wonder if you’re destined to make the same mistakes that your parents made. You wonder if you inherited their genes! You ask, ‘am I going to mess up the same way my parents messed up?’ Be encouraged. Your mom is not you, your dad is not you, you are not them, you are a unique individual and you don’t have to make the same mistakes. You can leave a magnificent legacy with Christ’s help. 3. Finally, look at Grandmother Tamar. She was a part of the Messiah’s genealogy! You are, too! If you have put your faith in Christ, then Galatians 3 says you are a child of Abraham, you have been grafted into this genealogy and His church is your family. It is your messed-up family.  We are all sinners, and yet John writes in John chapter 1: “…as many as have received Him, to them He gave the power to become children of God.” You can’t imagine how important you are to God’s family. You have the divine genes of Almighty God! You are of infinite value to Him.

Ephesians 6:10-12: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11  Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." The book of Ephesians has a lengthy text in chapter six about spiritual warfare. But more importantly, the book of Ephesians is all about the kingdom of God. Every kingdom has a king. Every king has an army. Every army has soldiers. Every person who embraces Christ becomes a citizen in God’s kingdom. Every citizen must serve in God’s army. Therefore, you are a soldier in the kingdom engaged in spiritual warfare. Rush Limbaugh used to say that the job of the military is to kill people and break things. But our warfare in the spiritual realm is to save people and build things, namely, building the kingdom of God. Spiritual warfare is not about defending ourselves for our own benefit or protection. It’s not about “defeating” Satan. It’s not about us. It’s about rescuing others from damnation. It’s about building communities of faith in Christ as a witness to the larger community around it. Saving. Rescuing. Building. Organizing. Disciplining. That’s what spiritual warfare is all about. “When it was evening, the disciples came to and said, ‘This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ But Jesus said, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat’” (Matthew 14:15-16). This is one of the greatest miracles of Jesus, and the only miracle that is found in all four Gospels. When the disciples were faced with so may hungry people who were following Jesus, Jesus said to his disciples, “You give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16). The disciples were bewildered. Then Jesus prayed over the available food and more than 5,000 were fed, with Jesus’ disciples passing out the fish and loaves. It was always Jesus’ intention to feed the crowd. He knew from the beginning what he was going to do. And it was his intention to use the disciples to feed them, as they served the crowd. Jesus blessed what they had and it was multiplied in the disciple’s hands to feed the crowd. What is in your possession for God to bless and provide to those around you? Whatever your gifts, talents, possessions, money—no matter what little you have—God can use it in your hands to bring blessings to others. In fact, the miracle Jesus did was precipitated by a command. With just a few loaves and fish Jesus said, “Bring them here to me.” Whatever it is that you have, you must first commit it into the hands of Jesus for God to use whatever resources and gifts he has given you. Then the Lord will multiply the gift he has given you for the outcome he intends. Just as the disciples were surprised and overjoyed to see what Jesus was doing through them to feed everyone, so too, God wants to use you to bring great blessing into the lives of others. God does the miracle, but it is your hands that serve others what God multiplies in your life. The result for Jesus, the disciples, and the people was that, “They all ate and were satisfied” (Matthew 14:20). There was even some left over to bless others with later! “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established” (Proverbs 16:3). Do you wonder what you can do for the kingdom of God? Do a personal inventory of your life. What are you good at? What talents or resources do you have? Whatever they are, you can use them in serving others, in helping others to know Jesus. Submit your time, talents, and treasure to Christ and ask him to multiply them in service to others.