“…I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.” Revelation 1:17-18.

What awesome truth these words disclose concerning our Lord Jesus. We know these words well, we have read them often, and we freely testify that they are absolutely true. But how come we can so easily give mental acknowledgement to the veracity of such truth, without it changing and transforming us, as truth about Christ should?

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When we think of the intercessory work of Jesus Christ, we tend to think of this only in relation to our need for forgiveness of sins. It's almost as if we see Jesus continually pleading our case before God the Judge in order to guarantee atonement has been made for our sins. But this is not correct.

I find that many people are quite willing to discuss matters of faith, God, the bible, miracles, religion and even Jesus Christ. But you often come to a screaming halt in conversation when the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is claimed as truth.

Over the years I have heard my share of criticisms and reasons for why certain people think the church is weak, ineffective, and deficient. These often come from the ‘sideline’ with supposedly good intentions, but I rarely see these same people become willingly involved in fixing the problem.

"He is also the head of the body; the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he Himself will come to have first place in everything."

The above text is in reference to Jesus Christ. But please note the tenses used in this verse. Twice it is stated what Jesus “is” before we have an eschatological reference introduced by the word “will.”

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Christianity has become more open minded, where it wants to be sensitive, tolerant, sympathetic, and understanding to people with other belief systems, no matter what they are. But as Bible-believing Christians our beliefs are dictated by God as revealed in the Holy Scripture. But true, Biblical Christianity is an exclusive religion.

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1 We are familiar with the above text and usually align such anti-God thinking to the atheist. In other words a fool is one whose worldview is devoid of a higher being and refuses to accept the miraculous on the basis that everything must have a scientific cause.

My apricot and peach tree have borne quality crops of fruit this year. My grape vines are also producing large bunches of grapes just as they were designed to do. This reminds me of our spiritual fruit-bearing design. A peach tree will bear peaches, an apricot tree will bear apricots, but do we, God’s chosen fruit bearers, bear spiritual fruit as we should? Or is it stunted and lacking in quality?

It never ceases to amaze me how often enthusiasm for God can be mistaken for spiritual conviction. Not that being enthusiastic about serving the Lord is wrong. Quite the opposite, it is a commendable result for any believer who has an intimate knowledge of God. But when our enthusiasm shortcuts God’s foundational blue print for what He looks for in his people, then it is wrong!

Is it only me or do you also experience the interruption that a holiday can bring to healthy spiritual disciplines, like reading the word and prayer and even worshipping God with other believers on the Lord’s day?