“And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.” (1 John 2:28)

Have you ever arrived at a destination and been disappointed in the result?

A police officer in Connecticut noticed a speeding car that matched the description of a robbery getaway car. He started pursuit, and during the chase, the suspect made a wrong turn – into the MacDougall Correctional Institution, a high-security prison. He then jumped from his car and ran into the front office. “I believe he thought it was a mall,” said the police officer. “But I’ve never seen too many malls with a razor wire across the top.”

In 1 John 2:228, John presented a challenging idea. When we arrive at our eternal destination, some may be disappointed in the result. When Jesus returns, some people will be afraid, because they never knew Jesus at all. But among those who know Him, some will not be afraid, they will be ashamed before Him at His coming. They will realize that they have lived worldly, unfruitful lives. In one moment, the understanding will overwhelm them that whatever else they accomplished in life, they did not abide in Him as they could have.

Paul the Apostle spoke of those who are barely saved: “he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:15). There are those who, for at least a moment, the coming of Jesus will be a moment of disappointment rather than glory. It might only be a moment; but suffering loss or to be ashamed are not ideas we want to connect in any way to our meeting with Jesus.

Some might say, “What difference does it make? As long as we make it to heaven, we’re good.” Not really. How narrow is the distance between “barely saved” and “not quite saved”? When one asks, “How little can I do and still make it to heaven?” or “How far can I stray from the Shepherd and still be part of the flock?” they then ask some pretty dangerous questions.

We wait for the return of Jesus, and want to be ready for him. But we remember the absolutely best way to be ready for His return. The best way to be ready isn’t to be a master of every prophecy in the Bible. The best way to be ready isn’t to retire to a monastery, away from the wicked world.

John 2:28 says it simply: If you want to be ready for the return of Jesus, and know that you will not be ashamed before Him at His coming, then abide in Him. Live in Jesus. Make Him, and not yourself, the focus of your life. Then, no matter what hour Jesus comes for you – you will be ready, and unashamed to stand before Him.

Want to be ready for the return of Jesus? Live in Him.

Click here for David’s commentary on 1 John 2

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

At the start of a new year people offer all sorts of predictions. I believe we could take this statement from Jesus as a prediction for the year 2018 – or any year. See what Jesus predicts for this coming year.

First, In the world you will have tribulation. You can count on it – you will face tribulation this year. The ancient Greek word translated tribulation has the idea of stress or pressing. You will face stressful and pressing times this year, and Jesus promised it would be so. You will have a time of rest and unending happiness – but that is for heaven, not for earth. When we become followers of Jesus Christ we may bring fewer problems upon ourselves, but we definitely still have them.

Understanding this removes a false hope. Struggling Christians often hope for the day when they will laugh at temptation and life will be one effortless victory after another. We are promised struggle as long as we are in this world; yet there is peace in Jesus. Your current area of struggle may one day pass away, but after that there will be new territory to conquer for God.

Second, we are promised something greater than tribulation: Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. In this Jesus shouted out the truth of His victory. It’s an amazing statement from the Man about to be arrested, forsaken, rejected, mocked, tortured and executed. Judas seemed to overcome Him. The religious authorities seemed to overcome Him. Pilate seemed to overcome Him. The mob shouting “crucify Him” seemed to overcome Him. The soldiers supervising His crucifixion seemed to overcome Him. Even death and the grave seemed to overcome Him. But their seeming victory did not last long. The glory of the resurrection made it clear that Jesus could truly say, I have overcome the world.

Knowing all this, Jesus made a sincere offer. He offered us the gift of good cheer for the tribulation we must face. The idea of that phrase is really more “take courage” than “be cheerful.” We can take courage, knowing that Jesus has overcome the world.

Remember the circumstances surrounding this opening statement to the verse: These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. This offer of peace was made in the most unlikely circumstances. At that very minute, Judas met with Jesus’ enemies to plot His arrest. Jesus knew that He would be arrested, forsaken, rejected, mocked, humiliated, tortured and executed before the next day was over. We think that the disciples should comfort Him – yet Jesus had peace for Himself and enough to give to others.

Finally, notice that Jesus did not promise peace, but He offered it. He said, you may have peace. People can follow Jesus yet deny themselves that peace. We gain the peace Jesus offered by finding it in Him. Jesus said, that in Me you may have peace. We won’t find real peace anywhere else other than in Jesus.

This is your year. We can predict tribulation. We can look back on Jesus overcoming the world. When we really receive His victory as our own, we can have peace. That’s one prediction sure to come true.

Click here for David’s commentary on John 16

Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone. (Hosea 4:17)

After the people of God split into two nations – Judah and Israel, the largest and most influential tribe in the northern kingdom was Ephraim. Therefore, it isn’t unusual to find the prophets addressing the nation of Israel as “Ephraim.” Here in Hosea 4:17, we have a vivid – and tragic – example of this address: Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone.

When the people of God went after idols, it wasn’t because they got a thrill out of bowing down to a statue. It was because the longed for the things the idols represented. Baal was the weather god, and in an agricultural community, farmers often felt they needed to make the weather god happy to ensure rain. Astoreth was the goddess of sex and fertility. People “worshipped” her for the sake of illicit pleasure with a temple prostitute or to appease her for more fertility in the family, flocks, or fields.

When the people of God went after idols, there was rarely a conscious rejection of the Lord God. More often, they just believed they were “adding” the worship of a local deity to their worship of Yahweh. In their minds they said, “We still love the Lord, it’s just that we also want to honor these other gods.” But the Lord God of Israel would have none of it. When He saw that Ephraim was joined to idols, He pronounced His judgment: Let him alone.

On the face of it, it seems like a pretty mild judgment. Let him alone – it doesn’t seem very tough. Most criminals would be happy if the police and courts would just leave them alone. Any debtor would be thrilled if their creditors simply left them alone. But when God leaves us alone, it is judgment.

In the case of ancient Israel, it was judgment because God knew what was coming. When the mighty Assyrian army comes against them, they may fight for themselves – God will let him alone. When a crisis like that comes, suddenly we don’t want God to leave us alone. We desperately beg for His help. But sometimes God says, “You didn’t want Me, so I will respect your wishes. You handle this one on your own.” That’s a bad place to be in.

We don’t want God to leave us alone because we need Him to protect us against our spiritual enemies. Satan wanted to sift Peter like wheat, but Jesus did not leave Peter alone to face the attack. Jesus prayed for Peter, and he emerged victorious (Luke 22:31-32).

We don’t want God to leave us alone because we need Him to protect us against ourselves. Left to ourselves, with our own sinful hearts, we will surely drift away from the Lord. All God must do to make certain a man goes to ruin is to simply let him alone. Our prayer should always be, “Lord, don’t leave me alone. Keep working on me.”

In fact, He never leaves us. It’s just that sometimes He will respect our desire to be left alone. At the end of it all, if you don’t want God to leave you alone, then don’t leave Him alone. Pursue God like the widow who wouldn’t quit (Luke 18:3-5) and you’ll never have to worry about being left alone.

Click here for David’s commentary on Hosea 4

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And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house. (1 Kings 14:26-27)

Solomon’s temple was one of the great achievements of ancient Israel – this beautiful building was filled with treasures that reflected the blessing and glory of Solomon’s kingdom. Understanding that makes it all the more sad to read of what happened to Solomon’s son Rehoboam: He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house. Solomon left great wealth to his son Rehoboam, both in the temple and in the palace. After only five years, that wealth was mostly gone.

1 Kings 10:16-17 tells us more about this, mentioning these 500 shields, 200 large and 300 small. These shields made beautiful displays in the House of the Forest of Lebanon, but they were of no use in battle. Gold was too heavy and too soft to be used as a metal for effective shields. This was an example of the emphasis of image over substance that began in the days of Solomon and worsened in the days of Rehoboam. Because all they were interested in was image, the substance wasted away. These gold shields were given over to the Egyptians. By some estimates, Rehoboam gave over $33 million that was invested in gold ceremonial shields – and was now in the hands of the Egyptians.

We read, King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place. The replacement of gold with bronze is a perfect picture of the decline under the days of Rehoboam. We also read that he committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard. In the days of Solomon, the gold shields hung on display in the House of the House of the Forest of Lebanon (1 Kings 10:16-17). Under Rehoboam, the replacement bronze shields were kept in a protected guardroom until they were specifically needed for state occasions.

We can almost picture King Rehoboam walking through the hall of these shields in his palace, assuring himself that there really wasn’t much of a difference between gold shields and bronze shields. Despite his attempts at self-assurance, this was really a sad attempt to simply keep up former appearances.

This may describe our spiritual condition. We are robbed of spiritual strength and honor by our sin, compromise, and all they open the door to. Yet we work hard to keep up an outward appearance of spiritual interest and busyness. Ritual replaces relationship. We serve God on autopilot instead of a real love. Bronze replaces gold.

Think of how far Rehoboam fell in just a few years. He inherited an empire, and five years later he could only protect his small kingdom by bribing his enemies with the treasures inherited from his father. It was said of Solomon’s court that they despised silver (1 Kings 10:21); now his son had to settle for bronze. The dynasty of David went from gold to bronze in five years.

2 Chronicles summarized Rehoboam like this: “And he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 12:14) This speaks to the lack of his of personal relationship with the Lord. It’s a sure way to go from gold to bronze.

Click here for David’s commentary on 1 Kings 14