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| Volume 19 Number 11 November 2017 | Page 7 |
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| Volume 19 Number 11 November 2017 | Page 7 |
First Corinthians 10:1-4 is very graphic and calls Jesus’ name as being with the Israelites in the wilderness 1,550 years before He was born physically. I know there are many indications that Christ was with the Israelites during the exodus from Egypt, but when the question arises about whether Christ existed from the beginning, before His physical birth, here is a good answer. John 8:56-58 reads, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
Keep this in mind as you read. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Do we have eternal life if we do not know the true God and His Son, whom He sent?
Jesus was with God and the Holy Spirit in the beginning and is one with Them (John 17:20-21). He was with God in the creation of the world, and He will be the “Bridegroom” of the church for all eternity. If people study and believe Scripture at all, they believe this truth.
At the creation, God said, “Let Us make man in Our image.” (God is not physical, and so this has to be the mind, heart and soul). In the Old Testament, God defined Himself as “I am that I am” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus used this same term in John 8:58 when He said, “Before Abraham was, I am.”
Again, we see Jesus is Creator of all things.
Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him. (Colossians 1:13-16)
Even if we only looked to Micah 5:2, we would understand Jesus to be eternal. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Jesus is without beginning and without end (Revelation 1:8). Jesus is the Son of God, and He is God (John 1:1). Notice the text says He “was God” and was “with God.” Jesus was not created, but He was “with” God in the beginning. Jesus is attributed with having created all things that have been created (Colossians 1:16-17). He did not create Himself. The Father created all things through Jesus.
Hebrews 1:8 refers to Jesus as God. God the Father was speaking about Jesus: “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever…” I agree that God the Father gave Jesus the authority He had, but that does not mean Jesus is not Deity. Jesus willingly submitted to the Father, and He is our example of humble submission.
Thomas called Jesus God, and Jesus did not contradict him. “And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas because thou hast seen me, thou has believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:28-29).
[Editor’s Note: Jesus Christ claimed to be God, and the Jews understood Jesus to make that claim about Himself. Of course, Jesus Christ validated His claim through the miracles He performed (John 20:30-31) and His victory over death by resurrecting without returning to the grave again (1 Corinthians 15:1-4); instead, He Ascended to Heaven (Acts 1:9-11). When the doctrine of the resurrection was preached less than two months following our Lord’s resurrection (Acts 2:22-24) in the very city outside of which He was crucified, no one refuted Christ’s resurrection, and no one produced the non-resurrected body of Jesus, which the enemies of our Lord most certainly would have done if they could have. Jesus was everything that He said He was—the Son of God, the Christ, the Savior of the world and God in the flesh. ~ Louis Rushmore, Editor]
Unwrap God’s Gift of a New Day
Martha Lynn Rushmore
My question is how do we “unwrap” our new day? Do we pray or just jump out of bed and hit the floor running by ourselves? Who will be our guide for the day, God or Satan?
Do you realize before you open your eyes at the start of a new day, the devil is on the prowl (2 Peter 5:8)? He tries to put things in our way that would keep us from starting out our day with God in prayer. We should never forget to start our day with prayer. I know sometimes we have good intentions to pray every morning, but we do not always, which makes Satan very happy.
Satan knows if we begin our day with God things will run smoother for us through the day. This is not to say we will not have any problems, but with God on our side, we can handle what is put in front of us. In Philippians 4:13, we are told that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
We need to thank God for giving us a good night’s sleep as well as the ability to be able to see, to hear, to breathe, to arise out of bed and to be able to walk. What great gifts from God for us to unwrap every day with His blessings! The blessings are innumerable with which to begin a new day. We need to begin our day with praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.
Each new day is a gift from God. We should be thankful for each new day. Remember, 'this is the day that the Lord has made and we need to rejoice in it' (Psalm 118:24). We can use this day either wisely or in a wasteful way. What will we do this day? We are promised by God that we will not be given more than we are able to handle (1 Corinthians 10:13).
We should also pray other times during each day, such as before meals and before closing our eyes at night. We can go to God in prayer any time of day or night. He is always here for us.
How are we to pray? James 5:17b reads, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” We are not to pray as the Pharisee did. As he began his prayer, he talked to himself. Sounds to me as though he really was not praying to God. Sometimes prayers do not go any higher than the ceiling. In his prayer, the Pharisee told God he was thankful that he was not like the publican, an extortioner, unjust, adulterous or as tax collectors (Luke 18:9-14). He had too much of the “I,” “me” and “mine” syndrome. This Pharisee thought too highly of himself. Sometimes, I am afraid we as Christians are guilty of this attitude. We must not think too highly of self. God hates a proud look and a haughty spirit (Proverbs 21:4).
So, let us start our day with a prayer of thanksgiving and of praise to the Lord for the blessings that He has given us. I am told if we do something for 21 days it becomes a habit. Therefore, let us try to start every morning with a prayer for 21 days.
How are we going to “unwrap” our new day? Who are we going to follow? Who are we going to serve—God or Satan?
