Scripture

 “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

~Matthew 28:20

Quote

The LORD’s silence does not mean His absence: His silent presence is enough for those who trust Him.

~Tremper Longman

There are three post resurrection stories that are simular in that Jesus is present and yet not recognized. The first has to do with Mary Magdalene {John 20} who I think loved Jesus as much as anyone. She went to the grave yard looking for a cold dead body and was shocked by a living Savior. Jesus was standing right behind her and talking to her and she didn’t recognize Him until He called her by name. The second instance is the two diciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus walked right beside them for miles and then sat down to have supper with them and yet they did not know it was Jesus until He broke bread. The third story is about Peter and some of the others going fishing at the Sea of Galilee. Some see this as Peter backslidding but I do not agree. Peter and his companions are in a boat out in the sea and Jesus is walking on the bank. At first they do not recognize Him until he called out to them and then John said, “It’s Jesus!” This is when Peter jumped over board and swam to the bank.

What is the moral of the story? [1] Christ is always present whether we realize it or not. Our awareness has nothing to do with His presence. He said, “I will be with you always,” and that is what He meant. He is present whether you realize it or not. [2] Truth is abounding; it is all around us and yet we do not see it. Thus we pray, “Open our eyes LORD, we want to see Jesus; we want to see the truth that He is revealing.” When Jesus opens our eyes we see things we have never seen before or understood: we call these revelations insights. Matthew 7:21-24 has always been a disturbing passage to me. A few years ago, the LORD opened my eyes briefly and I gained great comfort from the same passage that had made me doubt. BUT unfortunately, I did not write it down. It was so good, so profound that I was sure I would not forget it. I regret to inform you–I forgot it. Hopefully in 2026 I will read all my blogs and maybe I will find it there–this is my prayer.

Extra

I mentioned yesterday in the Sermon that we have landed on the moon but cannot land on the sun. Someone told me last night that there is a nut in congress, a woman who says we can land on the sun but we have to do it at night when the sun is dark. This woman is in congress. Someone said Dorthy of the Wizard of Oz asks the Scarecrow, straw man why he had no brain and he said, “Because I am a democrat.” Reminds me of Columbus who was also a democrat: when he set sail, he didn’t know where he was going; when he got there, he didn’t know where he was at and the government paid for the whole thing.

Well she has cooled down and is going to get even colder. Thank goodness I will be working inside; no heat but at least inside. I think I was as tired yesterday as I have ever been in my life. THANK GOD FOR THE SABBATH. I didn’t do a think all day other than attend worship and preach. Hopefully, I will be on a slower pace today. Working on the utility room and a storage room.

I hope you have a great day and thanks for reading the blog.