John Howell

He put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself (Genesis 8:9, NKJV). Do remember the story of Noah and how he sent out the dove to see if there was dry land? Worn out with her long flight, the dove returns to the ark as her only resting place. How heavily she flies! Will she drop into the waters? Will she ever reach the ark? But she struggles on.

The Bible closes with this blessing. It is a summary of all of the blessings that God has promised us. Grace abounding! Divine favor, unbought, unsolicited, and undeserved! The Bible begins and ends with this.

Let me give you their message in a nutshell. It consists of judgment and salvation, of controversy and consolation, of condemnation and comfort. Every message of rebuke in the minor prophets comes with a promise of forgiveness. The mercy of God is the great theme in the writings of each of the minor prophets, just as it is in the New Testament and all the rest of Scripture. Because of our sins, judgment comes. But God intends it to turn our faces from this world to heaven, so we can find supreme good.

This text describes the attitude of Jesus just before the Last Supper. The thought of what he was about to do, and the weight of the awesomeness of the burden that he would carry almost overwhelmed him.

How can you hear God speaking directly and personally and intimately to you if… You have not turned from your sins and received Jesus Christ as Lord through believing He died on the cross to pay your sin punishment and was raised from the dead whereby you genuinely commit your life to God and His ways? You are not sealed with and filled with God’s Holy Spirit who lives inside His followers and leads us and empowers and equips us through our lives to love, worship, and live for God and to build, help, support, and encourage His Kingdom of followers? You do not spend time alone with God praying to Him, praising and worshiping Him, seeking and waiting on Him, and reading the Bible which is the number one way to hear from God and in line with which His Spirit speaks to our hearts?

Friend, there is a difference between solitude as directed by the Lord for His purpose and isolating ourselves from others and most importantly from Him. The Lord created us above all else to love and worship and honor and serve Him with all our hearts forever and to love others as ourselves. Our greatest love and intimacy is to be with God almighty through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And our second greatest love and intimacy is to be in relationship with our fellow humans. There is a time and purpose for us to spend time on our own, but never in disobedience to Christ. And never apart from Christ.

There is power in the Blood of Jesus!

He had the position, the power and the wealth, but his heart told him there was something more