Victory Blog

No, not today with all its cloudiness and rain. But a day of ministry, a day of serving the Lord… a day of worshipping the Lord with God’s people. “Lift my heart, O Lord, to the heights of your throne. Give me a vision of You, as You did Isaiah (Isa 6:1). Let me not be satisfied with just existing, but let me seek your face today (Ps 27:8)!”

Somedays, like today, my heart seems overwhelmed with the reality of God. He bowls me over with His love, compassion and patience. He rips my pride with the cross of Jesus. He lifts me up by His gracious hand.
This is the God who saved me, keeps me and will someday deliver me into his glorious kingdom. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift of Jesus (2 Cor 9:15) and inexpressible joy (1 Pet 1:8)!

For what am I truly longing? A new car? A new flatscreen TV? An iPhone? A new situation in life?
What will fill the void that I have in my soul? Why do I constantly seek fulfillment in the things of this world? Why is it, the more I get, the more I want?
Why can’t my longing simply be, “That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection… I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus?” (Phil 3:10-14)

“I will not leave you comfortless.”¹

Jesus indicated to His disciples that things soon would be much better.   He had warned them of troubling times about to come, which they did not fully understand.  He explained to them that God’s plan for them for the future was even better than what they had known when walking with Him.  God would send Another, One even greater.  Jesus calls this coming companion the Comforter.  This One would in many ways be superior to the instructor-leader they had followed for three years.  Information about this coming Comforter is in 14:16-31;  15:26;  and 16:5-16 [all quotations in John].

The name Jesus gives to this greater One soon to come to them in a special way, “Comforter,” is clearly an indication of a sympathetic, understanding Person, not just a force or power or an influence.   Read the rest of this post »

1. John 14:18 [↩]

I remember, when I was younger, wishing that time would pass because I was so dissatisfied with my current situation. Now,having crossed over the half century of life several years ago, I have come to appreciate today: to see today as a gift from God’s hand and an opportunity to serve and glorify Him. To simply find joy in today (Ps 118:24). This brings peace, contentment and an anticipation of what the Lord has for me…

That participants, contemporary observers, ancient scholars and historians believed the historical accounts recorded in the Bible are true does not, by itself, prove the whole Bible is true; the physical record must not contradict it. Does archaeology (the study of antiquity) prove the Bible is true? Not by itself, but the archaeological record can prove that the history recorded in the Bible is true.

Some archaeological ground rules: 1) all archaeological discoveries are not yet made, 2) lack of discovered evidence does not mean no evidence exists to discover, and 3) failure to uncover archaeological evidence does not disprove an historical account as long as there is no accepted contradictory evidence. It is impossible to excavate the entire Biblical region and some evidence may have been destroyed over time. That all of the sites of Biblical history haven’t been discovered (and some may never be excavated or studied) doesn’t invalidate Biblical history. Does the available evidence support Biblical accounts of history?

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