04192026 Unusual Love

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our loving God. There is no person who loves us with the same incredible love that God has for us. Even so, whether it is from God or from people, we sometimes struggle to understand and appreciate all the demonstrations of that love.

The author of the gospel of John (John the apostle, as he was led by the Holy Spirit) tells us, “Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus” (John 11:5). This commentary is for the benefit of the readers. Everyone who was present in the story already knew that Jesus loved these three individuals. When the sisters sent their message to Jesus, they worded it in those very terms: “Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick” (v. 3). The Jews who had gathered to mourn watched Jesus at the tomb and observed, “Behold, how he loved him!” (v. 36).

So Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters. How then did He respond to their appeal? Oddly, the declaration of love in verse 5 is followed by the response prompted by that motive. “When he had heard therefore that he was sick, he abode two days still in the same place where he was” (v. 6). If we simplify the thoughts of the two verses, we arrive at something like this: Jesus loved them, so when He heard Lazarus was sick, He waited two days. That does not seem to make sense to us. We would want to say “Jesus loved them, so when He heard Lazarus was sick, He rushed to their side” or “He healed him from afar.”

Why did Jesus wait? Actually, given the time factor in the story, it is quite likely that Lazarus was already dead before the messengers reached Jesus. Certainly, there was insufficient time for Jesus to walk there by normal means and reach Lazarus in time. (He waited only two days, but Lazarus had been buried for four days.)

Ironically, Jesus did not need the sister’s messenger. He already knew Lazarus’ condition. In verse 14, He informs the disciples that Lazarus was dead, which Jesus knew only in His divine knowledge. No one had told Him that. So if He had wanted to, Jesus could have arrived without an invitation, showing up just in time to prevent Lazarus from dying in the first place!

So if Jesus loved them, why did He allow Lazarus to die? Why did He wait? As in any situation in our lives, it would be impossible for us to know in this particular situation all of the reasons for God’s actions (or inactions). But this passage does give some insight.

In verse 4, Jesus declares that “this sickness is … for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.” In verse 15, He tells the disciples, “I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe.” Jesus used Lazarus’ death to teach about resurrection in verses 23-26. Jesus used the situation to reiterate His divine mission in verses 41-42.

Reading between the lines, we can add to these insights. We know that Mary and Martha ended up with a far greater demonstration of Jesus’ glory and power by the resurrection of Lazarus than they would have by his healing. Imagine living the rest of their lives with the memory of this experience! The same was true for the disciples; their faith was strengthened. Many of the Jews believed on Jesus because of this event (verse 35).

In fact, the resurrection of Lazarus, so powerful and so dramatic, was probably the last big “revival” before Jesus’ death. As close as He was to His death, Jesus still wanted to reach as many people as possible with His truth. Sadly, we see the chief priests and Pharisees respond to this by gathering a council and intensifying their pursuit of Jesus’ death (vs. 47-53).

It was only a matter of days before this plan surged forward in Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion. Unlike all the other times when Jesus declared, “My time has not yet come,” in this case, His time had come. The resurrection of Lazarus was the catalyst. But Jesus had to wait two days, so that the greater-than-impossible situation was reached – of someone in the grave for four days.

When difficulty or even tragedy comes into our lives, we cannot think it is because God does not love us. That is never true. On the contrary, it is precisely because of His love that He takes the steps He does. He will work His plan and be glorified. He will sustain us and show His glory to us, often giving us deep anchors that will carry us through the rest of our lives. Very often He will use our experience to strengthen the faith or to challenge believers around us. It is reasonable that He wants to draw unbelievers to Himself through our experience. And ultimately, God is working His great plan for the ages, and sometimes that involves smaller plans within our lives. We don’t see the big picture, but God does.

When God delays to answer our prayers or to intervene, does He still love us? Absolutely! When He gives an answer that is different than what we desired, does He still love us? Unquestionably! When we are disappointed by God’s responses, is He still working on our behalf and for His glory? Guaranteed! While we may not understand, we can and must rest in the loving plan of God, which in the end will be best for us, best for those around, and best for God Himself.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA 

04112026 Living Water

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the Living Water, who can quench the deepest thirst of every man.

“Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water” (John 4:10).

Our church had a baptismal service on Sunday, in which two women were baptized, both of whom were saved as adults. One came from a broken home and a history of feeling something was missing, and the other came out of Catholicism and the emptiness of religion vs. relationship. Based on their testimonies, I think both would acknowledge the truth of the above verse. Their souls were thirsty, and God gave them satisfaction.

Not for the first time, I was reminded of my own “boring” testimony. I grew up in a Christian home, and I believe a made a childhood profession, but if so, I did not clearly recall it. After years of doubts, I was saved (or became assured of my salvation) at the age of thirteen.

Many times I have heard stories similar to my own. I believe the vast majority of Christians I have known share similar testimonies; they grew up in Christian homes and in good churches, and salvation was a matter of time. They always knew the truth, and it was a question of when they would make it personal. They, like me, were not rescued from a life of spiritual squalor or deep angst. Certainly, some of them were more aware than others of the emptiness in their souls, and in reality, we did have empty souls, but the intensity of that emptiness was well-masked by the relatively protected and truth-filled environments in which we grew up.

As a result, I find some challenge in sensing the meaning of certain hymns. For example, “All my life long I had panted for a draught from some cool spring, that I hoped would quench the burning of the thirst I felt within. Hallelujah! I have found Him whom my soul so long has craved! Jesus satisfies my longings; through His life I now am saved.”

God interacts personally in drawing each person to Himself, and recent pondering has led me to appreciate how special even “boring” testimonies are. Here are some of my thoughts. The Halfway Covenant of the 1600s allowed unconverted children of church members to be baptized and become church members. This led to a church membership that appeared healthy but was actually weak. The church was diluted; compromise and worldliness crept in. Many of the great revivals, including the Great Awakening, were in response to these situations of seeking to truly win people who claimed to be Christians.

Anecdotally, I have heard that it can be tough for Christianity to last more than three generations. The first generation, rescued from the world, is fervent for Christ. The second generation is solid and firmly established. The third generation finds Christianity to be routine. They did not personally experience the great rescue, and they did not see it second-hand (as children in the home). There is nothing dynamic to make them choose what has always been chosen for them. So we all know people that have walked away from Christianity under scenarios similar to that.

Why do those people say they walked away? Often it is because of hypocrisy in the church or because of experiencing pain due to the failures of Christians around them, either their parents or church leaders. Here’s the reality – none of us are perfect. Someone who grows up surrounded by Christianity is going to have plenty of chances to see examples of hypocrisy and is going to experience the pain of failure by others. From that aspect, the young generation has a high level of risk for falling away. Growing up in the blessed environment that they do, they don’t often experience that great soul thirst, and it is easy for them to become disillusioned when “what they have always known” is less than perfect. They don’t have a compelling passion to seek God when they don’t sense their thirst, as someone lost in the mire of the world might.

My conclusion is that it is no simple matter for church-raised children to accept Christ. There is nothing routine or boring about it. It is a work of God’s drawing and of divine grace that enables these young ones to make a true profession and passionately claim Christ.

Having said all that, I’m not in any way diminishing the powerful testimony and impact of those who are saved more dramatically. Families’ stories of redemption have to start with someone. And it is amazing and encouraging to see how greatly God can transform a life. We need people to be saved from those scenarios. But we also need the children and grandchildren to be saved. There is such possibility for stability and strength in the church when we have generations that are taught right from the beginning, rather than having to constantly start over with instruction and discipleship. If the second and third generations are not coming to Christ, that is certainly reason for concern.

Maybe this seemed like a bunch of rambling. It’s not meant to be that. It is some personal reflection, but it is also a call to praise God for every single convert. Praise God for the ones who are saved when their life situations may have made them seem like unlikely candidates! And praise God for the ones who are saved when their familiarity and potential contempt for Christianity might have held them back from a personal decision! Thank God that He is able to work in every possible dynamic to draw men to Himself. May He continue His good work. There is hope for all, because God’s invitation is for all.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

04052026 Only God

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who can do what absolutely no one else can do!

This week I considered this verse from Micah 4:3. “And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.”

There are world leaders, supported by armies and sometimes by diplomacy, that have helped to bring the end to certain wars. But men always rise up to fight again. New wars arise. World War I was called “the war to end all wars,” yet just twenty-one years later, the world was embroiled in a new war far more devastating than the first. This story has repeated itself on smaller scales over and over again.

The truth is that no human leader will be able to bring a final end to wars and fighting. But God will! When He establishes His peaceful reign, there will never again be war.

That’s not the only thing God can do that no one else can do. God created the heavens and the earth, along with all forms of life. God controls the weather, with the Flood being an extreme example. Modern man is desperate to protect the planet, but God is the one who sustains His creation and holds it together. God has done miraculous works, such as healing hopeless conditions, causing barren women to conceive, and even raising people from the dead.

On the spiritual level, God also does what man can never do. God provides a solution of salvation for hopelessly lost mankind. God transforms lives by making men into new creations with new hearts. God powerful convicts and guides people through what looks like mere printed words on a page, but which in reality is the living Word of God.

When it comes to eternity, God will continue to do what man cannot do. He has prepared an eternal home called heaven. He will execute “space travel” on the most incredible level through the rapture. He will establish an earthly government that controls the entire globe, in which all nations and citizens will be submissive. He will put an end to all evil. He actually will destroy the earth, which in spite of man’s fears, they could never destroy to the extent that God will.

Today we celebrate something else that man could never do. In the full picture, we have a virgin birth with a child whose real Father is God Himself. We have a perfectly sinless life, and we have a substitutionary sacrifice that will cover the sins of every human in history who chooses to accept it. But then – what a wonder – we have Someone who raised Himself from the dead after being in the tomb for three days!

With all these impossible-except-for-God actions on the grandest scale, we can certainly rest in His ability to do difficult things in our own lives and on much smaller scales. God can do what no one else can do!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

03282026 Clothed in Christ

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of God our Redeemer and our wonderful Savior Jesus Christ.

I was recently considering this verse. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27).

The word for putting on is a reference to sinking into or being engulfed in a garment. It is commonly used for the putting on of clothing; it is not so much a reference to the state of being clothed as much as the initial act of wrapping oneself in the clothing. That’s what happens when we are saved. We become wrapped in Christ so that when God looks at us, He does not see our natural defilement, but rather the righteousness of Christ. Such an act makes us look like someone we are not.

My mind went to the story of Jacob. So that Jacob would receive the blessing that Isaac was preparing to bestow on Esau, Rebekah helped to disguise Jacob. She took Esau’s best clothes and put them on Jacob. She took the skins of goats and put them on Jacob’s hands and neck. Jacob felt and smelled like Esau. But everyone in the family (except Isaac, temporarily) knew that this was a deception. Jacob was not Esau. There was no legal or moral basis for him to be considered to be Esau. This was treachery and pretense. The wearing of the clothing and skins was illegitimate and a false representation.

Not so with us and Christ. God intends for us to be clothed in Christ. It is His provision for us so that we can be accepted. It is the way for God to legitimately view us as righteous and undefiled. In the parable of the wedding feast, after all the “important” people rejected the king’s invitation, the king sent his servants to gather people off the street to attend the wedding. One man, however, did not wear the proper wedding garment, and he was expelled from the wedding. Those who are called by God are clothed by God in the substitutionary robes of Christ. God provides this clothing and invites us to put it on. Thus we are able to be accepted in His sight.

Edward Motes wonderfully captured this truth in his hymn, “My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less.” The final stanza states, “When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in him be found: dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” A newer hymn by Chris Anderson puts it this way: “His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange! Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage. Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified. In Christ I live, for in my place He died.”

Praise God for His wonderful provision! Only by being clothed in Christ are we able to come to the wedding and be accepted by the King. May God encourage you anew with this truth, and may He bless you by granting you opportunities to help others put on this wonderful garment.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

03212026 Just Passing Through

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings from the God who oversees this broken world but who lives in a perfect and beautiful world.

I think you probably can relate to me, in that the longer I live in this broken world, the more aware I become of how profoundly it is broken. Thank God that He is still redeeming broken individuals. He is still bringing healing to broken homes and broken families, even broken communities and countries, where His love is accepted.

Overall, though, society is waxing worse and worse (2 Timothy 3:13). Even the earth itself groans under the heavy weight of sin and its influence (Romans 8:22). As Christians, we also groan. “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).

While we live and serve in this broken world that often burdens us, this world is not our home. “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). That word “conversation” refers to community or citizenship. We are citizens of heaven, sojourning here for a few years. Like Abraham, we “look for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10).

“This world is not my home. I’m just a-passing through. My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door, and I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.” (Robert Earl Keen)

Moving day is coming – when we will finally go to our real home country for the first time. And there “shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

03142026 God Never Sleeps

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who never yawns. That may seem like an odd statement, but it points out how different God is from man. Just think – how many times have you yawned today? Have you longed for a nap? At what point in the day do you start wishing it were bedtime?

We are weak and frail. We run out of energy. We need daily (or nightly) restoration so that we can keep going. There are (hopefully) rare instances in our lives when our sleep is thwarted in an exceptional way. Perhaps a child is in the hospital in serious condition, or some other emergency happens that keeps us awake all night. We don’t function very well under those circumstances. And if the disruption lasts longer than one night, we are in really rough shape. We might struggle to walk, talk, or make decisions; before long, our bodies will sleep even though we are trying not to allow that to happen. The unbelievable record for staying awake is nearly nineteen days! After Robert McDonald set that record, Guiness World Records eliminated the category, due to the severe dangers and risks inherent in long-term sleep deprivation – hallucinations, mood changes, paranoia, memory loss, and sleep issues that can linger for decades. The human body simply cannot withstand such challenges.

God does not have such limitations. “Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?” (Isaiah 40:28). God doesn’t get tired, no matter how long He stays awake. In fact, He stays awake constantly. God never sleeps. “He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep” (Psalm 121:3-4).

This means, among other things, that God is always awake and alert to help us. His guidance of Israel was constant. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night” (Exodus 13:21). His hearing of our prayers is constant. There is no possible time that He does not hear our cry. “And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them?” (Luke 18:7).

God suffers no detriment by His constant wakefulness. His alertness and ability are just as incredible in the night as they are in the day. Unlike us, God is not limited, confused, or hindered by the effects of darkness. “Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee” (Psalm 139:12). God owns the night, just like He owns the day. “The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun” (Psalm 74:16).

It is rather ironic that what is so limiting to us – the darkness of the inevitable night – is actually a reminder that nothing limits God. There are times that we would like to disrupt the cycle of day and night. Maybe we want a day to last longer so that we can get more done or so that we can enjoy a special occasion. Maybe we want a night to be longer so that we can get more sleep, or we want the night to be shorter so that we can experience what the next day holds for us. But no matter how hard we try, we cannot break that cycle. We can’t add or subtract even a minute from what God has decreed. This unbreakable routine stands as a visual reminder of the faithfulness of God. Just like we can’t disrupt day and night, neither can we thwart anything else that God has set out to do. “Thus saith the LORD; if ye can break my covenant of the day, and my covenant of the night, that there should not be day and night in their season, then may also my covenant be broken” (Jeremiah 33:20-21). Just as surely as we can’t break the daily cycle, so certainly can God not break His Word.

May our ever-watchful God give you strength for your days, rest for your nights, and peace to trust Him to enable you and watch over you. Sweet dreams!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

03072026 Forgotten Forever?

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the faithful God who remembers His children. Here’s one illustration. This winter in my corner of the world has been a tough winter. Long stretches of very cold weather. Numerous snowstorms, including one pretty big one. Snow that lingered on the ground week after week after week. Lakes and ponds that still remain mostly ice-covered, delaying migration of waterfowl. So many days that are dreary, damp, and chilly. Long stretches without seeing the sun.

At times it seems like the winter will never end! But it will. It always does. Why? Because God promised that it would be so! He promised Noah that the seasons of planting and harvesting, of cold and heat, of summer and winter would never cease. So every year God faithfully puts the winter away and takes out the summer. He has never failed yet. The evidence is strongly in His favor – over 6000 years of consistency.

The weather is one thing, but how about our individual lives? Doesn’t it sometimes seem like God has forgotten about us? That in the ups and downs of life, we have been abandoned in the downs?

Consider these anguished questions from Asaph, who apparently felt just that way. “Will the Lord cast off for ever? And will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy gone for ever? Doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? Hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies?” (Psalm 77:7-9). Asaph doesn’t merely feel like his struggles have lasted for a long time; he feels like they will never end. He keeps projecting the possibility that God’s silence will be forever.

We don’t know what Asaph’s specific struggle was. We don’t know how or when it turned around. We do know that Asaph was able to gain victory in his soul. He did that by deliberately remembering what God had done in the past. He recalls the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. I believe his contemplations may have also included the creation of the world and Noah’s flood (vs. 14-20). Whatever specific events Asaph was recalling, he was purposefully reminding himself of God’s great works.

The truth that sustained Asaph is implied. God doesn’t change. The same God who did all those great things in the past is able to do great things in the present and in the future. Why? Because He never abandons His people. He does act favorably toward them. He is merciful. His promises don’t fail. He is always gracious. His tender mercies keep pouring forth. Just like with the weather, God has a great record of consistency with His people. The evidence is strongly in His favor – thousands and thousands of believers through thousands and thousands of challenges over thousands and thousands of years.

Some winters are harder than others. Some winters last longer. Some have more snow and ice. Some have more intense cold and a greater quantity of dreary days. But they all end at God’s command. Seasons of life are the same. Some are tough, even to unprecedented levels. Some seem interminable. Some are especially oppressive and discouraging. But they will all end at God’s command. He will show His mercy and grace and tender mercies. He does remember and will respond. Take heart! Spring is coming!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA