Ken Winter
Between the Already and the Not Yet

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

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

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

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

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

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

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

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!

If you would prefer to listen to this post as a podcast, CLICK HERE.

* * * * *

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!

Wisdom

Obedience without love is legalism

Obedience without love is legalism

Obedience without love is legalism! This morning as i read that statement by Henry Blackaby, i became acutely aware that in recent weeks, i somehow had settled into a walk in the dryness of spiritual discipline — “doing” all the right things, but empty of the intimacy of walking in a love relationship with my Heavenly Father. i could blame all the “stuff” that is going on in the world around us right now. i could blame those around me. But the reality is — i don’t need to look any further than myself.

Why do i keep leaning on my own understanding?

But when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to deception to save themselves. They sent ambassadors to Joshua, loading their donkeys with weathered saddlebags and old, patched wineskins. They put on worn-out, patched sandals and ragged clothes. And the bread they took with them was dry and moldy. …So the Israelites examined their food, but they did not consult the LORD. Then Joshua made a peace treaty with them and guaranteed their safety, and the leaders of the community ratified their agreement with a binding oath. (Joshua 9:3-5, 14-15 NLT)

Gibeon, which literally means “hill place”, at an elevation of about 2400 feet, towered over most of the other cities of Canaan. Gibeon was a fortress city dating back to the days soon following the flood. It had existed for almost 1000 years because it was easily defensible. But the leaders of Gibeon were not going to take their chances, and they most certainly were not going to wait for the Israelites to show up at their doorstep.

Run, Don’t Walk

Run, Don’t Walk

God will never lead us in a journey that does not bring glory to His Name. He has purposed to draw all men, all tongues, all tribes and all peoples to Himself that we might glorify Him. He sent Jesus to pay the price and make the way. And He has sent us, that through us He will make a global impact. As we saw in the first chapter the journey began with Jesus stepping from heaven to earth. If we would walk with the Master, we must in turn step from where we are to journey with Him.

This Time Let’s Do It God’s Way

This Time Let’s Do It God’s Way

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.” Josh 8:1–2 NLT

A s a part of laying down roots in our new land of promise, we recently purchased an outdoor dining table and chairs for our deck. Since our old set served us well for over thirty years, i am planning that this one is our “last” set. This set came with those frightful words — “assembly required”. It is a well-known fact that the main difference between men and women is most clearly seen when they encounter those two words. Women, most frequently, will follow the wise course of action of reading and following the instructions. In so doing, they know each step to take — in the correct order — using the appropriate part. And the finished product tends to look just like the instructions show you that it will — and there are usually no leftover parts. Men, on the other hand — at least some of us — can’t seem to be bothered with reading the detailed instructions. We’re men! We intrinsically know how things go together! We can’t be distracted by the instructions. And we achieve great economies in that we frequently do not need to use all of the parts!

We Can Handle It!

When they returned, they told Joshua, “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai. Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.” So approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated. (Josh 7:3-4 NLT) The situation had changed, and Joshua and the Israelites had no idea. The memory was fresh of their absolute defeat of Jericho. The imposing walls of Jericho had proven to be no problem at all! The men bringing this recommendation had just returned from spying out Ai. And Ai looked nowhere near as imposing as Jericho! Defeating Ai would take no effort. And though they didn’t say this, the confidence in their remarks communicates – “we don’t even need God to do this; we can handle it ourselves!” “We can leave 597,000 of our fighting force back in the camp. We only need 3,000 warriors. And they won’t even break a sweat.” Obviously i am putting words in their mouth, but i believe it fairly expresses their sentiment.

Keeping Your Promise

Meanwhile, Joshua said to the two spies, “Keep your promise. Go to the prostitute’s house and bring her out, along with all her family.” The men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, and all the other relatives who were with her. They moved her whole family to a safe place near the camp of Israel…. So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house, because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho. And she lives among the Israelites to this day. (Joshua 6:22-25 NLT) “In common law legal systems, a contract is an agreement constituting a binding promise that has been entered into voluntarily by two or more parties under an authoritative jurisdiction. Basic elements of a contract are the offer, the acceptance, the surety and the conditions.”1

WHERE CAN WE SEND YOUR E-BOOK?

Enter your email address to get a free copy of The Journey Begins e-book delivered to your inbox. You’ll also be added to my Readers’ Group with updates about new releases, etc. You can unsubscribe at any time.