Ken Winter
On To Our Paran

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After having camped at Mount Sinai for almost a year, the cloud lifted and the Israelites set out on their three-day journey to the wilderness of Paran.(1) (You may recall that the wilderness of Paran is where Hagar and Ishmael found refuge when Sarah had Abraham send them away.(2)) The wilderness of Paran was bounded to the north by southern Canaan, otherwise known as the Promised Land. They were in the fourteenth month of their exodus from Egypt and they were now closing in on the prize that was before them – the Promised Land!

On To Our Paran
Ken Winter
Bread That Is Sufficient

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The day God provided a ram to be sacrificed in the place of his son Isaac, Abraham called that place Jehovah Jireh, meaning “The Lord will provide.”(1) That day was to be a reminder to all generations that the Lord will provide. He will be faithful to provide just what is needed at the exact time it is needed. He is seldom early; but He is never late! He seldom provides in the manner we anticipate; but He always provides in a way that is sufficient. That was true for Abraham and Isaac, it was true for Moses and the Israelites, and it is true for us today.

God promised Moses and the Israelites that each morning He would provide bread that would be sufficient for every person for the day – everyone would have their fill.(2) After the people had gotten over the shock that this “white, flaky stuff” was God’s bread for them, they set about the process of gathering what was needed for their household. God’s provision, though “packaged” in a very unexpected way, came with very specific instructions.

Bread That Is Sufficient
Ken Winter
Chosen to Serve

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There is no such thing as a perfect church. That statement does not come as a shock to any of us, whether we are a part of a church … or not. However, i do believe that those of us inside the church often tend to want everyone to believe we have it all together. We have a tendency to hide the “real me” behind a mask and cover up the things, the hurts, the doubts, and the imperfections that we don’t want anyone else to see. (It’s similar to the way most of us – believers and non-believers alike – tend to portray ourselves on social media.)

i also believe that those outside the church often project that false impression – that we think we’re perfect – upon the church, and enjoy highlighting the downfall of those within the church when they fall.

No, the church isn’t perfect, but then again, it never has been! But we endeavor to worship, follow, and follow the example of the only One who is and ever was perfect.

Chosen to Serve
Ken Winter
Perilous Times

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We live in a day filled with upheaval, confusion, and uncertainty. It therefore comes as no surprise that the rates of depression, anxiety, and fearfulness about the future continue to reach new highs  among adults in the U. S. according to a Gallup poll published in May 2023.(1) But as followers of Christ, we can take heart that the perilous times in which we find ourselves are also indicative of the days to come that Jesus described two thousand years ago. We can embrace the hope we have through the promises and assurance He gave to His disciples—and through them, to us.

Jesus was sitting on the slopes of the Mount of Olives with His disciples telling them about the perilous times that would signal the end of the age and His return.(2) The disciples, in turn, asked Him three questions:

1.    When will all this happen?

2.    What sign will signal Your return?

3.    What sign will signal the end of the world?

Perilous Times
Ken Winter
His Face Was Set

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The New King James translation of Luke 9:51 says “Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem.” The timeframe of this particular journey recorded in Luke 9 was well over a year before Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on what we call Palm Sunday. He still had much yet to do, messages yet to preach, and miracles yet to perform. But in this verse, Luke is reminding us that Jesus never lost sight of why the Father had sent Him. No matter what was on His “to do list,” His face was always set, His eye was always focused, and His stride never wavered from His ultimate purpose.

Sometimes, as we remember the events of Holy Week, we can fall into a trap of thinking that Jesus’s crucifixion was the result of Judas’s betrayal, the Sanhedrin’s envy and hatred, Pilate’s spinelessness, and the soldiers’ cruelty. We can be lulled into thinking His death was involuntary. And salvation was the result of God taking something that the enemy meant for evil and using it for His glory and our good.

His Face Was Set

In the Coming Days

In the Coming Days

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It was the end of the third day of the week of Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Two nights hence, He would be betrayed and arrested. He had taken His disciples to the Mount of Olives that evening to spend the night. It was a place to which Jesus often retreated when He was in Jerusalem. It was a place where He could have long conversations with His Father in prayer. And it was a place that evening at which He chose to have a long conversation with four of His disciples – Peter, James, John, and Andrew.

Earlier, to the full group, Jesus had already begun to speak about the end of the age and the events which would signal His return. Having Jesus all to themselves, the four disciples drew close to Him and asked, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”

Then the Devil Came

Then the Devil Came

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At the Jordan River, Jesus identified with us through His baptism; in the Judaean wilderness, He identified with us through His temptation. Do not miss this – the Father ordered His steps into the wilderness, just as He had ordered His steps into the Jordan, so that He might there be tempted, tested and proven. Not proven to the Father; the Father knew that He could not fail. Jesus was led into the wilderness to prove to us that He could not fail.

Another important distinction we must understand before we look at the events that unfolded in the wilderness is that Jesus was not tempted as the Son of God; He did not use His divine power to overcome the temptation. If He had, there would be nothing for us to learn. Remember, He came to teach us how to live, to enable us to live, and to empower us to live. You and I will never have divine power; we’re not God! We have access to divine power, but we do not ourselves possess it. Therefore, if Jesus had responded to Satan as the Son of God, He would not have taught us how to respond to temptation. Rather, He responded – and was proven – as the Son of Man using the same spiritual resources that are available to us in our journey today – the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority of the Word of God.

Get Ready! We’re Leaving in Three Days!

Get Ready! We’re Leaving in Three Days!

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The Israelites had been camped on the plains of Moab on the east side of the Jordan River for many months. During that time Moses had written the book of Deuteronomy. God had taken him up onto Mt. Nebo to see the land that the Israelites would inhabit. Moses had died, and God had made Joshua their new leader.

The Israelites had planted crops and were augmenting their meals of manna with fresh produce from the land. They had begun to put down modest roots. As a matter of fact, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had petitioned Moses to make their permanent dwelling place on this side of the Jordan, and God had permitted them to do so.

So, when Joshua sent out word that they were leaving in three days, it was very short notice for a move of that magnitude….

Called to Stand Guard

Called to Stand Guard

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God called the Levites to be in charge of the Tabernacle, and all of its furnishings and equipment. He called them to stand guard and protect it. When the Israelites were camped in the wilderness, God’s Spirit dwelt in the Tabernacle in their midst, but the area immediately surrounding His dwelling place was the home of the Levites. Whenever the pillar of cloud moved from the Tabernacle to lead the people, the Levites took down the Tabernacle and carried it. Whenever the cloud stopped, the Levites would set up the Tabernacle and prepare it for the indwelling presence of God’s Spirit.

The Levites were chosen by God and called to this role because of their response after the people had rebelliously worshiped the image of the golden calf. You may recall that Moses stood at the gate of the camp and said, “All of you who are on the LORD’s side, come over here and join me.” And all of the Levites came to him.

Sign Me Up For One of Those Staffs

Sign Me Up For One of Those Staffs

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i don’t know about you, but if i’m getting ready to head out into the wilderness, i want one of those shepherd’s staffs like Moses had when he was leading the Israelites. From the very first day at the burning bush, God had demonstrated His power through that staff. He had turned it into a snake. He had turned the water of the Nile River into blood with it. God had Moses outstretch it to part the waters of the Red Sea, and He had him strike a rock with it to bring forth water. Then God used it to ensure a victory in the battle with the Amalekites. Sign me up for one of those staffs!

Wouldn’t you like to have a staff that you could use to turn the tide of every trial you encounter? Every time you encounter an obstacle, you could pull out the staff. It’s better than any laser weapon ever devised by those science fiction writers. Every obstacle and every enemy would cower at its mere presence. It’s not much to look at, but it packs a powerful punch. As a matter of fact, if you’re going to get one, why not get two and you can pack double the punch. But why stop there, order a truckload. And do you know what you’ve got when you’ve got a truckload of staffs? Yes, that’s right, you’ve got a whole lot of . . . wood!

Pride Comes Before a Fall

Pride Comes Before a Fall

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This week, we’re looking at some of the early days of the church. The idea of a being a “body” of believers was brand new. No one had done it before, and everyone was following the Spirit of God as closely as they could.

Barnabas, a man who was already distinguishing himself as a humble servant of God, had just selflessly sold a piece of land and given the proceeds of the sale – quite a sum of money – to the church. Since the church shared all things, the believers were all aware and were probably talking about his generosity. More than likely, his gift was drawing more attention to him than he would have liked. He was mature enough in his walk with Christ to realize that no glory should come to him. God had entrusted the parcel of land to him as provision for the body. God had directed him to sell the land and surrender the proceeds to the church for the ministry of the body. There was nothing glorious about that act as it related to Barnabas in his own eyes – all glory belonged to God.

The Greatest Commandment

The Greatest Commandment

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As we begin this new year, let’s be reminded of the commandment which Jesus declared to be the most important.

Some of the greatest teachings from Jesus were in response to questions that were intended to trap Him. This particular day was no exception. The Sanhedrin had already put forth the Herodians and the Sadducees, both of whom had failed miserably in trapping Jesus. So they sent out a lawyer – an expert in religious law.

The Time Has Come

The Time Has Come

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As 2024 approaches and begins, many of us are taking time to revisit our priorities for the new year. It is often a time when we make new resolutions and new – or renewed – commitments. It can also be a time when we decide to take action on those things we’ve been putting off.

For the past several weeks, we have all been celebrating the advent of the Baby in the manger. But today, let’s fast forward about twenty-nine years. At some point during the intervening years, Joseph died. Jesus assumed the role of the oldest son and carried forward the family carpentry trade, while caring for His mother and his younger half-siblings. However, the time had now come according to His Heavenly Father’s timetable for Him to step out from obscurity . . . and Jesus would not delay.

A Story for Advent: Ashriel

A Story for Advent: Ashriel

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NOTE: This week i am posting the last of my four stories for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

Each of the four stories is an adolescent’s eyewitness account of the circumstances surrounding the advent of Jesus. The last three eyewitnesses are fictional and represent the many who would have been present at the advent of Jesus, but are not named in Scripture. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find that the truth they reveal is very REAL!

To that end, this week we will hear from Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon.

 

Part 1 as told by Isaac, the son of Abraham (November 29th)

Part 2 as told by Salome, the friend of Mary (December 6th)

Part 3 as told by Yanzu, the servant of Balthazar(December 13th)

Part 4 as told by Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon (This week - December 20th) 

* * * * *

My name is Ashriel and I am ten years old…..

A Story for Advent: Yanzu

A Story for Advent: Yanzu

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NOTE: As you probably already know, i am posting a weekly story for the season of Advent about the incarnational birth of Jesus. My hope is that the stories become a part of your Advent tradition as you remember and celebrate the Good News of the advent of our Lord and Savior.

Each of the four stories is an adolescent’s eyewitness account of the circumstances surrounding the advent of Jesus. The last three eyewitnesses are fictional and represent the many who would have been present at the advent of Jesus, but are not named in Scripture. Though some of the characters and details contained in each story are fictional, you will find that the truth they reveal is very REAL!

To that end, this week we will hear from Yanzu, a servant who accompanied the magi.

Part 1 as told by Isaac, the son of Abraham (November 29th)

Part 2 as told by Salome, the friend of Mary (December 6th)

Part 3 as told by Yanzu, the servant of Balthazar (This week - December 13th)

Part 4 as told by Ashriel, the great-grandson of Simeon (December 20th) 

* * * * *

I am an eleven-year-old boy named Yanzu….

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