Ken Winter
Between the Already and the Not Yet

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As Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, teaching His disciples, He began this particular discourse with the admonition, “be on the alert,” and concluded with the exact same words. In reading His words in the Gospel of Matthew, we see that He directed this message to four distinct “audiences.”

First, He addressed His disciples' specific questions. Second, since Jesus’ earthly ministry focused primarily on the Jewish people, this message was also directed to them. Third, He spoke to His church—those who would follow after Him, including us today, who will be with Him in heaven before the Tribulation. (By the way, as a side note—as His people we will escape the Tribulation, but He never promised that we will escape tribulation.) Fourth, He was speaking to His followers who would come to faith in Him during the Tribulation (after the rapture, but before His second coming).

For those of us in that third group—believers following Him today—we live in a place between the “already” and the “not yet.”

Between the Already and the Not Yet
Ken Winter
Simple Stories, Profound Truths

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When Jesus spoke to the crowds, He often used simple stories (parables) to communicate profound truths about the Kingdom of God. Have you ever gotten confused over what Jesus was saying? If so, you’re in good company because even the apostles were confused—until they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The good news is, if we are followers of Jesus, we have that same Holy Spirit inside of us to reveal all truth.

Once, the disciples asked Him, “Why do You use parables when You talk to the people?” Jesus replied, “To those who listen to My teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.” He added, “I use parables because they look, but don’t really see. They hear, but don’t really listen or understand.”

Jesus was emphasizing profound truths ….

Simple Stories, Profound Truths
Ken Winter
No More Manna

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Have you recently lost a job or seen a significant income stream dry up? Are you feeling discouraged or confused about what’s happening? Are you struggling to make sense of an unexpected change in your life? There’s a lesson to be learned from the Israelites’ experience soon after they crossed into the Promised Land.

Few Israelites were old enough to remember the days before they ate manna. For them, it had become a basic staple of their diet—like fresh ground peanut butter is for me today. The generation that perished in the wilderness had been the ones grumbling, “If only the LORD had killed us back in Egypt… There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”God responded to their complaints and miraculously provided them with manna.

No More Manna
Ken Winter
The Staff That Blossoms

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There is a powerful example in the Book of Numbers that illustrates how we should live as followers of Christ. Ironically, this example arose from a dispute among God's chosen people. They were arguing over who should hold the highest position. In some ways, this mirrors the debate among Jesus’ disciples about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. In both cases, selfish ambition reared its head, just as it often does in our own lives.

God decided to put an end to the controversy about who should serve as a priest on behalf of the people. Despite the judgments of death God had already rendered earlier in the passage, He now used a life-giving sign to settle the issue once and for all.

The Staff That Blossoms
Ken Winter
Seen the Cloud? See the Glory!

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If you are a follower of Christ—if you are one of God’s children—He promises to go before you, not just some of the time, but all the time. When we walk in His way and according to His will, He guarantees that every step we take is sure and secure—even when it doesn’t feel that way! As long as we are walking in His way to the best of our understanding, we can trust that every situation and circumstance—whether He placed it there or not—will work for our ultimate good, His purpose, and His glory.

Let’s consider an example of this truth. From the day the Israelites left Egypt, the Lord gave His people a constant reminder of His presence. He sent a pillar of cloud to guide them by day and a pillar of fire by night, so they could travel without losing sight of His leading. In Exodus we read, “The LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or the pillar of fire from the sight of the people.” This visible reminder was with them for the entire month since their journey began.

Seen the Cloud? See the Glory!

God is trustworthy

He’s Never Gonna Let Us Down

He’s Never Gonna Let Us Down

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We live in stormy times. Our world can be a very distressing place. We can easily become overwhelmed or defeated. Our news feeds are filled with reports of the ravages of disease, the havoc of disasters, and the inhumanity and incivility of man. Within a matter of moments, our lives can be upended into a cascading turmoil by sudden loss, distressing news, or tragic circumstances.

Where are we to turn? Our God has promised to never leave us nor forsake us . . . no matter what we face. He will never abandon us. He will never fail to keep His promises. He’s never gonna let us down!

We read in the book of Joshua, “Not a single one of all the good promises the LORD had given to the family of Israel was left unfulfilled; everything He had spoken came true.”

What Is That Up Ahead?

What Is That Up Ahead?

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As we stand on the brink of a new year, it prompts the question: what lies ahead? What will 2023 bring? Just like every other year that has preceded it, it will contain its own set of “unforeseens” and “unexpecteds.” So how do we approach that which awaits us up ahead? There have always been lessons learned in the past that help guide us into the future. Perhaps a good place for us to look is the journey of the Israelites.

Confidently Abandoned

Confidently Abandoned

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“Abandoned” is one of those English words that has multiple meanings. It can mean “having been deserted or cast off,” or to be “unrestrained, or uninhibited,” or it can mean “having totally relinquished.” None of us would ever want to be accused of having abandoned another person, or abandoned an animal or thing placed in our custodial care. We would never want to abandon any responsibility with which we have been entrusted. Rather, we all want to be known for our dedication and commitment to stay the course no matter what we encounter. We will never abandon our post, or anyone in need of or entrusted into our care.

However, we are called to be abandoned to God. Oswald Chambers writes, “In our abandonment we give ourselves over to God just as He gave Himself for us.” Jesus Himself called us to lay down our lives. Paul reminds us that it is not us, but Christ who lives in us. The writer of the proverb tells us that as we abandon ourselves and our ways to Him, He will make our paths straight.

And in our abandonment, we can be confident in the One to whom we are abandoned.

The Lesson of the Quail

The Lesson of the Quail

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It’s the beginning of a new year. Just like every year that has preceded it, the year stretches out before us like a great big unblemished canvas. This time next year, we’ll all be experts about what 2022 held in store for us … but right now, we really don’t have a clue, even though we may think we do. All of us have made plans of some sort for 2022. Those plans include the moments we look forward to – an upcoming marriage, the upcoming birth of a new family member, a graduation, the start of a new job, a planned vacation, a retirement, or the like. The list goes on and on. The possibilities are endless.

We’re also very aware of the problems we carry forward with us from the prior year – issues that we are facing personally, nationally or globally. We have made our plans for 2022 with the appropriate contingencies for those known problems as best we can. We’ve made our plans. We’ve set our course. But the reality is we really don’t know what will unfold. It could be amazing! It could be exceedingly above anything we could ask or think. Or … it could be devastating….

A Faith That Is Sure

A Faith That Is Sure

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Are you at a crossroad in your journey? Are you needing wisdom to know which road to take? Are you considering which of the roads in front of you is the best one for you? The probability is that all of your options look pretty good. Let’s face it – if one of your options looks like it will lead to complete disaster, you’re probably not wasting much time considering it. So your quandary is probably over which of the “good” options in front of you is the best. If that’s the case, you would do well to follow the example of a woman by the name of Rahab….

No Turning Back

No Turning Back

Regardless of our age, many of us have found ourselves, at some point, harkening back to the “good ole days.” Those days may not even have been that long ago. Most of us find ourselves harkening back to the days before COVID.

Whatever those days are for you, you probably remember them fondly. Our memories tend to wash away most, if not all, of the challenges, complications and difficulties those days actually contained. In truth, as we look back, we recall that time as more idyllic, less complicated and more fulfilling than it really was. And – if during our stroll down memory lane – we happen to recall any of our sinful behavior during those days, we tend to gloss over the sin, and instead, long for the temporary pleasure it provided.

That impulse to harken back to yesterday is often triggered by the overwhelming challenges of our current reality….

Never Lost

Never Lost

[A personal note: i actually wrote this blog post several weeks ago – before the events of January 6th. But once those events occurred, i paused its publication because i did not want anyone to mistakenly connect what i was saying with that event. This is a post about the confidence we can have in God in every circumstance we may encounter or experience in our lives. It is not about armed rebellion. It’s about a trustworthy God!]

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We see a sharp contrast between two groups of people when we read the account of the Israelites marching around the walls of Jericho.(1) On one side of the wall stood the people of Israel. They were confident and assured that, though they were facing an imposing enemy, their God would grant them victory. They weren’t trusting in any person, or any group of people; nor was their confidence in their own power or ability. Their confidence was in their God!

On the other side of the wall stood the citizens of Jericho, as they cowered in fear. It wasn’t a reverent fear of God; rather, it was a paralyzing fear.(2) They knew the God of the Israelites had already given their land to His people.(3)

The posture of both of those groups of people was completely determined by their view of God. Thirty-five hundred years later in 2021, that is still the case. Our posture is also completely determined by our view of God. We face many unknowns, just like they did. The enemies we face may look different, but the God we follow is not….

God Has Never Been Unfaithful

God Has Never Been Unfaithful

Even the best of us, no matter how well-intentioned, have come up short. We have failed to follow through on a promise we made to a friend or a loved one – albeit unintentional. We have missed a deadline at work or school – due to circumstances beyond our control. Three days into a new year we have broken that new year’s resolution that we made so earnestly. Or the one that hurts the most of all – we have done something or said something – or failed to do something or say something – that brought pain to someone we hold dear. We didn’t mean to hurt them or break our promise. We didn’t mean to not deliver on our commitment. We didn’t mean to be unfaithful … but we were!

As a result, we have broken a trust. At best, we have planted a seed in the minds – and hearts – of others that we are unreliable, undependable – or worse, untrustworthy. At worst, we have shattered a relationship due to our failure or neglect. A reputation of faithfulness and trustworthiness is built over a lifetime … but it can be destroyed in a solitary moment.

The One Who Goes Before Us

The One Who Goes Before Us

Throughout our lives, we will encounter enemies that are assembling to attack us. In some instances it may be other people, but more often it will be enemies like disease, unplanned job loss, financial setback, and the like. When we come upon them, we would do well to remember that God is our “Banner” and He goes before us!

After God had led the Israelites across the Red Sea, they saw the warriors of Amalek assembling for a fight there in the valley of Rephidim.(1) The last army that had assembled against the Israelites had perished at the bottom of the sea. The Israelites had not been called upon to go into battle to defeat them. No Israelite blood had been spilled. The casualty count at that battle had been: Egyptians – ALL; Israelites – NONE. God had gone before the Israelites, making a way for their escape, and He had gone behind them, making a way for their enemy’s defeat….

But God ...

But God ...

The flood waters prevailed, but God remembered and brought him to dry land.(1)

His enemy intended it to harm him, but God intended it for good.(2)

The battle is not yours, but God’s.(3)

Your flesh may fail, but God is your strength.(4)

We were dead in sin, but God saved us.(5)

i have come to believe that those two words – “but God” – are actually a powerful promise to those of us who are His children – particularly when we are facing the impossible….

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