A recent review of an aging church directory gave me an engaging idea for this NewYear’s blog entry. Thumbing through the 1967/68 picture directory of the Brookdale Baptist Church in Bloomfield, NJ, I came across the photo of Mr. & Mrs. Archibald Speer. I realized that before that directory had even been distributed, Mr. Speer was no longer in the church or on the earth. He went to be with his Savior on Nov. 1, 1966, and the circumstances of his passing brought into focus the words of an old Southern Gospel song that saw a substantial revival in recent years in the performances of Lynda Ronstadt in 2005 and other Southern Gospel musicians.
Engineer Archibald Speer was a 45-year veteran of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad and only weeks away from retirement. On November 1, 1966, he was guiding his passenger train west through Dover, NJ close to the end of his customary run. Unknown to him, two joined, untended but active diesel locomotives inched away from their landing seven miles away to the west on higher elevation in Port Morris.
Slowly, then faster, the 200 tons of switcher engines hurtled down the same track as Speer’s passenger train, reaching speeds of nearly 85 miles per hour. Too late for evasive action, Speer saw death racing toward him. Newspaper reports of the accident quoted a spectator at the clean-up remarking, “He must have gone through the tortures of Hell when he saw the train coming.” The articles said that “Speer, of Clifton, NJ…apparently was killed instantly.”
Reports circulated that Speer, knowing what was about to befall him, was in full control of his train to the bitter end. In an age before computerized systems, his hand was still on the throttle and his eye searching the rail with its raging runaways.
Archibald Speer may have seen mortal hell coming, but he was instantly transported to Heaven. “So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” (II Corinthians 5:6-9)
And the believer’s crown awaited him as his soul fled the scene. Revelation 2:10 says, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer … Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
In the months following this tragedy, which took place only a few miles from our ministry offices in Towaco, NJ, I used this vivid illustration in countless meetings. Erick Webber and I had teamed up as musician and preacher. While Erick strummed an introduction on his twelve string Fender guitar, I told the story of Archibald Speer, recounting how he became the embodiment of an old Gospel song written in the 1890s by Eliza R. Snow and M. E. Abbey. Then, with typical southern style, Erick sang,
Life is like a mountain railroad, with an engineer that’s brave; We must make the run successful, from the cradle to the grave; Watch the curves, the fills, the tunnels; never falter, never quail; Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.
You will roll up grades of trial; you will cross the bridge of strife; See that Christ is your Conductor on this lightning train of life; Always mindful of obstruction, do your duty, never fail; Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.
You will often find obstructions; look for storms of wind and rain; On a fill, or curve, or trestle, they will almost ditch your train; Put your trust alone in Jesus; never falter, never fail:
Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.
As you roll across the trestle, spanning Jordan’s swelling tide, You behold the Union Depot into which your train will glide; There you’ll meet the Superintendent, God the Father, God the Son, With the hearty, joyous, plaudit, “Weary pilgrim, welcome home!”
Chorus:
Blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us,
Till we reach that blissful shore;
Where the angels wait to join us
In Thy praise forevermore.
Forty-three years ago, Archibald Speer made his last run, but he finished with his hand on the throttle and his eye on the rail. In 2010, we may safely arrive at our human destinations or we may find life’s track bringing a sudden departure. Whatever our lot, we need steady hands and clear vision.
A blessed New Year to you as we travel life’s rails to Glory!
Dave Virkler
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Joy After A Christmas Eve Nightmare
It was the best of times and the worst of times, when the joy of a Christmas Eve birth turned deadly – well, sort of?
They are being called “the miracle mother and baby” after a near horrific incident in a hospital in Colorado Springs. Tracy Hermanstorfer stated, “I got a second chance at life,” and that she did, after she and her newborn were both not breathing just as the delivery was about to take place.
The 33-year old mom had stopped breathing from an apparent cardiac arrest. The medical staff tried to revive her, but nothing worked. A maternal fetal medicine specialist at the hospital said of Tracy, "She had no signs of life. No heartbeat, no blood pressure, she wasn't breathing,"
It was at that crucial moment that doctors told her husband Mike that his wife was likely gone and they were hoping to save the child through an emergency c-section. To the doctor’s shock, when the infant boy was delivered, he too was not breathing. The husband recalls thinking, "I had everything in the world taken from me.”
Immediately he doctors went to work on lifeless little Coltyn as the helpless father held him. But the infant suddenly began to breathe and show other signs of reviving. Meanwhile, the mother’s pulse returned even before she was wheeled out of the room and into surgery. She had showed no heartbeat for nearly four long minutes. But as soon as the child was delivered, her heartbeat miraculously returned. An evaluation was conducted by experts but tests failed to yield anything that could explain the bizarre incident.
Father Mike Hermanstorfer said the Christmas Eve miracle was simply "the hand of God." He stated, “We are both believers. You explain to me how this happened. There is no other explanation."
Some two thousand years ago, there was another “miracle mother and baby". But in this case the miracle extended far beyond the physical. The mother’s name was Mary and Luke 1:35 describes the miracle of the conception of her child. “And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.' ”
The miracle birth of Mary’s son was that He was not merely a human child with an unusual conception. Jesus was also a divine child. He was not an odd blend of God and man. He was fully both.
His miraculous makeup is described in theological terms as the “Hypostatic Union” - a mystery explained best in Philippians chapter two. Paul writes there in verses 5-8, “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. 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.” Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ is the one and only, and fully unique, God-man.
Tracy Hermanstorfer believed that she had received “a second chance at life”. But if she was already a Christian before that most stressful Christmas Eve, she had already taken advantage of a second change by being revived from a life of spiritual death to the miracle that is new life in Jesus Christ. Her greatest miracle was not her own physical survival and that of her child’s. But it was primarily the divine revival of her soul through saving faith – a transaction described in Colossians 1:13-14.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Bill Breckenridge
They are being called “the miracle mother and baby” after a near horrific incident in a hospital in Colorado Springs. Tracy Hermanstorfer stated, “I got a second chance at life,” and that she did, after she and her newborn were both not breathing just as the delivery was about to take place.
The 33-year old mom had stopped breathing from an apparent cardiac arrest. The medical staff tried to revive her, but nothing worked. A maternal fetal medicine specialist at the hospital said of Tracy, "She had no signs of life. No heartbeat, no blood pressure, she wasn't breathing,"
It was at that crucial moment that doctors told her husband Mike that his wife was likely gone and they were hoping to save the child through an emergency c-section. To the doctor’s shock, when the infant boy was delivered, he too was not breathing. The husband recalls thinking, "I had everything in the world taken from me.”
Immediately he doctors went to work on lifeless little Coltyn as the helpless father held him. But the infant suddenly began to breathe and show other signs of reviving. Meanwhile, the mother’s pulse returned even before she was wheeled out of the room and into surgery. She had showed no heartbeat for nearly four long minutes. But as soon as the child was delivered, her heartbeat miraculously returned. An evaluation was conducted by experts but tests failed to yield anything that could explain the bizarre incident.
Father Mike Hermanstorfer said the Christmas Eve miracle was simply "the hand of God." He stated, “We are both believers. You explain to me how this happened. There is no other explanation."
Some two thousand years ago, there was another “miracle mother and baby". But in this case the miracle extended far beyond the physical. The mother’s name was Mary and Luke 1:35 describes the miracle of the conception of her child. “And the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.' ”
The miracle birth of Mary’s son was that He was not merely a human child with an unusual conception. Jesus was also a divine child. He was not an odd blend of God and man. He was fully both.
His miraculous makeup is described in theological terms as the “Hypostatic Union” - a mystery explained best in Philippians chapter two. Paul writes there in verses 5-8, “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. 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.” Scripture teaches that Jesus Christ is the one and only, and fully unique, God-man.
Tracy Hermanstorfer believed that she had received “a second chance at life”. But if she was already a Christian before that most stressful Christmas Eve, she had already taken advantage of a second change by being revived from a life of spiritual death to the miracle that is new life in Jesus Christ. Her greatest miracle was not her own physical survival and that of her child’s. But it was primarily the divine revival of her soul through saving faith – a transaction described in Colossians 1:13-14.
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
Bill Breckenridge
Astronauts Launch Christmas Mission
A Russian rocket blasted off on Monday from Kazakhstan shuttling an American, a Russian and a Japanese to the International Space Station. When Timothy Creamer, Soichi Noguchi and Oleg Kotov join the two current inhabitants who have been alone on the space station for three weeks, the total crew will be brought to five.
The vessel traveled for about two days before docking with the space station 220 miles above Earth. One of the crew's tasks will be to assist in the delivery of a module, complete with a seven-window cupola for prime Earth gazing.
The space station this week beamed a video Christmas greeting to Earth, and on its website, NASA has created a series of virtual postcards for members of the public to send to the space station with their holiday greetings. Astronaut Creamer has also promised to keep people back on earth up-to-date and send his holiday greetings via his Twitter account. NASA spokesman Rob Navias stated, “This was a spectacular launch, a great Christmas present, and a great way to finish the year."
Most still marvel at the reality that is modern-day space travel and only time will tell how far man will proceed in that realm. And it is equally astounding that man can so easily and effectively communicate to earth even using some of the common technical tools and toys of the day. But this so-called ‘great Christmas present” and the ‘great way to finish the new year’ are but simple reminders of the greatest Christmas gift ever and the ultimate capacity of communications.
Students of the Scriptures know that Jesus Christ created space itself and everything it encompasses. He communicated with mankind, not by sending a message from beyond the stars, but by coming to earth and being born in a stable. And He left to His true followers the single most effective form of communication - the abiity to communicate with the Heavenly Father through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.
The greatest way to ‘finish the year’, or any year, is not limited to a privileged few space travelers. It is reserved for all who recognize the One who created space and time, and who traveled through both in order to launch the gift of salvation to earth-bound and sin-bound sinners.
NASA may have technology for ‘prime Earth gazing’ and to look deep into outer space. But the unique ability to see and know the God of the universe is the exclusive right of those who have personally communicated by faith with Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly reveals the dual roles of God's Son as both the Creator and the Savior.
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17)
"For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)
As the maker of all, and the Savior of all, He alone remains the all-time greatest gift for all of time and all of eternity!
Bill Breckenridge
The vessel traveled for about two days before docking with the space station 220 miles above Earth. One of the crew's tasks will be to assist in the delivery of a module, complete with a seven-window cupola for prime Earth gazing.
The space station this week beamed a video Christmas greeting to Earth, and on its website, NASA has created a series of virtual postcards for members of the public to send to the space station with their holiday greetings. Astronaut Creamer has also promised to keep people back on earth up-to-date and send his holiday greetings via his Twitter account. NASA spokesman Rob Navias stated, “This was a spectacular launch, a great Christmas present, and a great way to finish the year."
Most still marvel at the reality that is modern-day space travel and only time will tell how far man will proceed in that realm. And it is equally astounding that man can so easily and effectively communicate to earth even using some of the common technical tools and toys of the day. But this so-called ‘great Christmas present” and the ‘great way to finish the new year’ are but simple reminders of the greatest Christmas gift ever and the ultimate capacity of communications.
Students of the Scriptures know that Jesus Christ created space itself and everything it encompasses. He communicated with mankind, not by sending a message from beyond the stars, but by coming to earth and being born in a stable. And He left to His true followers the single most effective form of communication - the abiity to communicate with the Heavenly Father through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God.
The greatest way to ‘finish the year’, or any year, is not limited to a privileged few space travelers. It is reserved for all who recognize the One who created space and time, and who traveled through both in order to launch the gift of salvation to earth-bound and sin-bound sinners.
NASA may have technology for ‘prime Earth gazing’ and to look deep into outer space. But the unique ability to see and know the God of the universe is the exclusive right of those who have personally communicated by faith with Jesus Christ. The Bible clearly reveals the dual roles of God's Son as both the Creator and the Savior.
"For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:16-17)
"For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. (1 Timothy 4:10)
As the maker of all, and the Savior of all, He alone remains the all-time greatest gift for all of time and all of eternity!
Bill Breckenridge
Monday, December 28, 2009
The Lord of Time
Christmas represents the time of our Lord while the New Year underscores the Lord of all time. In nearly total sync, calendars for 2009 are discarded, computers and electronic devices automatically reset, and a multitude of people recast their thinking to the New Year’s designation of 2010. All at once, every year, the global New Year focuses on Jesus Christ, the Lord of all time.
Because of His unique divine Lordship, "…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10 & 11) Most Bible interpreters assign this to a future time when all mankind, dead or alive, will acknowledge His literal and visible Kingdom rule. But everyone should bow now, and in this New Year’s calendar miracle, they involuntarily do so by instantly changing the year designation.
Every "Happy New Year!" carries a subtle worship of Christ. On New Year’s Eve, much of the world will watch the huge crystal ball in Times Square slide down the enormous pole to be electrically set ablaze with "2010." At that moment, believer and atheist, Christian and pagan, young and old, rich and poor, all universally bow at the Bethlehem manger. Indeed, as someone once said, "The door of history swings on the hinge of the Bethlehem stable."
Secular people, even atheists, will bow on unwilling bended knee each time 2010 is written into a business contract, inscribed on a check or printed on a school paper. Almost no one realizes it nor do secular analysts understand why, but the world’s business is done according to the Christian calendar, counted from the birth of Christ in a lowly cow stall in a tiny obscure village in southern Judea.
There are countless alternate ethnic and historic calendars that could have become the global timekeepers, but somehow the world has been irresistibly drawn to using the Christian calendar, which honors the great bisection of time accomplished by the birth of Christ. No parliament voted it, no monarch imposed it, no army marched to enforce it, and no global body decreed it. Yet, every knee is subtly bowing to the Lord of time, celebrating His birthday every day of every year.
This global designation crystallized only about 200 years ago, meaning that some 1,800 years after His birth, a global influence was growing. Our Jewish friends reject the Messiahship of Christ but tangentially honor Him by using he terms BCE and CE to designate "Before the Common Era," and "Common Era." Both precisely correspond to BC and AD, which meaning "Before Christ" and "the year of our Lord."
2010 AD means "two thousand and ten, the year of our Lord," and "Lord" is not Mohammed, Confucius, Bhudda or even Abraham, but Christ. The founders of the United States of America dated their Articles of Confederation and U.S. Constitution with "In the year of our Lord," and American presidents have concluded their many proclamations with that same stunning line. (In case you are wondering about the Declaration of Independence, it is dated "July 4th, 1776," and refers to God four times.)
Revelation 1:8 & 11; 21:6 and 22:13 all refer to Christ as "Alpha and Omega," which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In other words, Jesus is "the beginning and end."
As 2010 dawns, every knee may not be bowing as it should, but every knee is bending as it must. Welcome to the New Year of 2010 AD, another year of our Lord, who is clearly Lord of all time. And the New Year is always happiest when He is not only a historical Lord but our personal Savior.
Dave Virkler
Because of His unique divine Lordship, "…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10 & 11) Most Bible interpreters assign this to a future time when all mankind, dead or alive, will acknowledge His literal and visible Kingdom rule. But everyone should bow now, and in this New Year’s calendar miracle, they involuntarily do so by instantly changing the year designation.
Every "Happy New Year!" carries a subtle worship of Christ. On New Year’s Eve, much of the world will watch the huge crystal ball in Times Square slide down the enormous pole to be electrically set ablaze with "2010." At that moment, believer and atheist, Christian and pagan, young and old, rich and poor, all universally bow at the Bethlehem manger. Indeed, as someone once said, "The door of history swings on the hinge of the Bethlehem stable."
Secular people, even atheists, will bow on unwilling bended knee each time 2010 is written into a business contract, inscribed on a check or printed on a school paper. Almost no one realizes it nor do secular analysts understand why, but the world’s business is done according to the Christian calendar, counted from the birth of Christ in a lowly cow stall in a tiny obscure village in southern Judea.
There are countless alternate ethnic and historic calendars that could have become the global timekeepers, but somehow the world has been irresistibly drawn to using the Christian calendar, which honors the great bisection of time accomplished by the birth of Christ. No parliament voted it, no monarch imposed it, no army marched to enforce it, and no global body decreed it. Yet, every knee is subtly bowing to the Lord of time, celebrating His birthday every day of every year.
This global designation crystallized only about 200 years ago, meaning that some 1,800 years after His birth, a global influence was growing. Our Jewish friends reject the Messiahship of Christ but tangentially honor Him by using he terms BCE and CE to designate "Before the Common Era," and "Common Era." Both precisely correspond to BC and AD, which meaning "Before Christ" and "the year of our Lord."
2010 AD means "two thousand and ten, the year of our Lord," and "Lord" is not Mohammed, Confucius, Bhudda or even Abraham, but Christ. The founders of the United States of America dated their Articles of Confederation and U.S. Constitution with "In the year of our Lord," and American presidents have concluded their many proclamations with that same stunning line. (In case you are wondering about the Declaration of Independence, it is dated "July 4th, 1776," and refers to God four times.)
Revelation 1:8 & 11; 21:6 and 22:13 all refer to Christ as "Alpha and Omega," which are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In other words, Jesus is "the beginning and end."
As 2010 dawns, every knee may not be bowing as it should, but every knee is bending as it must. Welcome to the New Year of 2010 AD, another year of our Lord, who is clearly Lord of all time. And the New Year is always happiest when He is not only a historical Lord but our personal Savior.
Dave Virkler
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Nazareth’s Poverty and Heaven’s Riches
Just in time for Christmas, news is out of an amazing archeological find in Nazareth, Israel. A humble structure dating back to the time of Christ was discovered, and the experts say it is the first ever of such a dwelling to be uncovered from that era.
Knowledgeable authorities say it gives them newfound insight into the life and times of Jesus, pointing out that the structure indicates a comparatively poor town where Christ spent his boyhood years. Experts describe Nazareth as “Probably a small hamlet with about 50 houses populated by poor Jews.” Pottery remnants indicate that the first-century occupants were “a simple Jewish family.” Although no one claims that it is the actual home of Joseph and Mary, they point out that the boy Jesus would have likely known of the house and could have visited there.
Although modern Nazareth is a bustling city, even today some of the poorer residents still occupy caves as we saw them some years ago while touring the city. Our guide said that it was entirely possible that the Holy Family lived in a cave when they returned there after the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and the temporary sojourn in Egypt.
In our local paper, the article about the Nazareth house discovery mentions that the Archangel Gabriel broke the news of the virgin birth to Mary in that city. We appreciate any Bible-substantiating news from the secular media but smile at their overall biblical ignorance. Reading Scripture, we know that Michael is the archangel, not Gabriel. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, it says the return of our Lord will be with the “voice of the Archangel.” Jude 9 identifies him as Michael. Perhaps the article’s author simply repeated the often-spoken error of church tradition that Gabriel blows his horn to signal the world’s end. It is often in public parlance and occasionally finds its way into spiritual songs. Even 1 Thess. 4:16 does not say that Michael blows his horn but only that his voice is heard.
Regardless of the minor error, believers should rejoice that the reports of the current finding in Nazareth support the historicity of Mary, Christ, and His boyhood home. Further, the poor dwelling indicates the truth of 2 Corinthians 8:9. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Born in a stable, of poor parents, and growing up in a poor town, Christ later spoke of His personal lack of life’s basic comforts. “And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’" (Matthew 8:20).
Believers are lavished with Heaven’s riches. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints…” (Ephesians 1:18). In eternity beyond, Christ is afforded all Heaven’s wealth and we with Him.
“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Revelation 5:11-12).
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Dave Virkler
Knowledgeable authorities say it gives them newfound insight into the life and times of Jesus, pointing out that the structure indicates a comparatively poor town where Christ spent his boyhood years. Experts describe Nazareth as “Probably a small hamlet with about 50 houses populated by poor Jews.” Pottery remnants indicate that the first-century occupants were “a simple Jewish family.” Although no one claims that it is the actual home of Joseph and Mary, they point out that the boy Jesus would have likely known of the house and could have visited there.
Although modern Nazareth is a bustling city, even today some of the poorer residents still occupy caves as we saw them some years ago while touring the city. Our guide said that it was entirely possible that the Holy Family lived in a cave when they returned there after the birth of Christ in Bethlehem and the temporary sojourn in Egypt.
In our local paper, the article about the Nazareth house discovery mentions that the Archangel Gabriel broke the news of the virgin birth to Mary in that city. We appreciate any Bible-substantiating news from the secular media but smile at their overall biblical ignorance. Reading Scripture, we know that Michael is the archangel, not Gabriel. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16, it says the return of our Lord will be with the “voice of the Archangel.” Jude 9 identifies him as Michael. Perhaps the article’s author simply repeated the often-spoken error of church tradition that Gabriel blows his horn to signal the world’s end. It is often in public parlance and occasionally finds its way into spiritual songs. Even 1 Thess. 4:16 does not say that Michael blows his horn but only that his voice is heard.
Regardless of the minor error, believers should rejoice that the reports of the current finding in Nazareth support the historicity of Mary, Christ, and His boyhood home. Further, the poor dwelling indicates the truth of 2 Corinthians 8:9. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” Born in a stable, of poor parents, and growing up in a poor town, Christ later spoke of His personal lack of life’s basic comforts. “And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head’" (Matthew 8:20).
Believers are lavished with Heaven’s riches. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints…” (Ephesians 1:18). In eternity beyond, Christ is afforded all Heaven’s wealth and we with Him.
“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Revelation 5:11-12).
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:4-7).
Dave Virkler
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