05262024 Intercession by the Savior

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of our great Intercessor. We have a compassionate and loving Savior who pleads on our behalf and who desires our spiritual good.

I first became serious about reading the Bible on my own when I was a sophomore in college. One of my first really memorable moments occurred when I was reading the gospel of John. As I read through the final chapters of dialogue by Jesus, in chapters 14-17, my heart was touched by the deep love of the Savior that permeates these chapters. Jesus loved and cared for His disciples then, and He still loves and cares for His disciples now. As I recently re-read this passage, I was encouraged by the intercession of the Savior for those He loves.

“Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are” (17:11). Jesus knew the weakness of the disciples. He knew the temptations they would face that night, as well as in the future. He knew they would temporarily forsake Him. His prayer shows that He fully desired and expected the forsaking to reflect temporary weakness. He understood human weakness and knew that divine help was required for these men to remain faithful in the long run. Jesus asked the Father to securely keep those who belonged to Him so that there could be a permanent and eternal union.

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (17:15). Jesus knew that His disciples would remain in this fallen world, which is no friend to Christians. He knew they would face opposition and danger. His prayer was that the Father would keep His disciples from the evil. Facing the evil was inevitable, but being overcome by it was not. This world is not always an easy or welcoming place in which to live, but it is possible through the care of God.

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (17:17). Those first two prayers were important – that the disciples would be kept eternally and that they would be protected from evil – but Jesus’ prayer then goes a step further. It was not enough that the disciples would simply not be eliminated and destroyed; Jesus wanted them to grow and flourish in His ways. He prayed that the Father would sanctify them, making them pure through the Word. I believe this includes the progressive sanctification that continues throughout life. Jesus wanted His disciples to grow in their holiness, to become increasingly enabled to serve Him effectively and to radiate His nature.

There are other petitions in Jesus’ prayer, but I think these three form a wonderful anchor and a progression from the most basic to the most profound. Do not let them be lost. Do not let them be overcome by evil. Equip them to effectively serve.

I love these prayers, and I find comfort in them as they apply to disciples throughout the ages. “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word” (17:20). I recognize how important these prayers are in my own life and for all who will follow and serve God. To be kept. To be protected. To be sanctified. Never does the need for any of those three disappear, and never does the ability of God to perform them diminish.

Praise God that He does all that is needed to keep us, protect us, and prepare us as we endeavor to follow Him. May God bless you this week in these ways and more.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

05182024 Light of the World

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the Light of the World. Although Father, Shepherd, and Refuge are perhaps my favorite names for God, I really like the thread in the gospel of John about Jesus as the Light. By my quick count, I believe there are 20 such references throughout the book.

He is the “Light of men” (1:4). He is a light that gives life. Only a divine Being could provide such life-giving life to those who so desperately need it.

He is the “Light [that] shineth in darkness” (1:5), so brightly that the darkness of this world cannot envelop or hide Him. Jesus and His message cannot be snuffed out but will continue to shine and spread. No evil is too vile or too dark for Him to overcome.

He is the universal “Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (1:9). This is part of the hope you can have as you share the gospel, that there is something in every man that has been influenced by God and that gives a foothold for greater understanding and revelation.

Although some reject the Light, out of their love for evil, God gives the opportunity for all men to come to the Light that makes all the difference in the world (3:19-21). Anyone can come, and when someone does come, everything changes.

This Light illumines our path, so that we do not need to walk in the ignorance or despair of darkness, but we have the Light that gives life (8:12). What a wonder this must be for those who have lived all their lives in the darkness of Biblical ignorance or false religion! Everything about life used to be hopeless, confusing, drab, and dark, but now – oh, now it is all brilliant light! There are answers!

As we believe in Him, He makes us “children of Light” (12:36). Our very nature is changed – redeemed – transformed. Only God can do that transformation, and how thankful we are that He has done it in us and that He continues to do it in the lives of countless others.

God allows you to be part of His work, sharing the light so “that whosoever believeth on [Him] should not abide in darkness” (12:46). Not everyone will come to the Light, but some will. May God strengthen you and give you great wisdom and patience as you seek to touch lives with the gospel. Thank God for those who have been redeemed from darkness to light, and thank God for those who will yet be redeemed.

May God bless you with light in your own heart and life, and may He bless your ministry by bringing others to that glorious Light, to be rescued, redeemed, and transformed.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

05122024 Pictures of Appreciation

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the name of the loving God who looks upon us and gives us value. What is man, that God would think of him, but He does.

I recently read an interesting and very picturesque blessing given by God. “And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain” (II Samuel 23:4).

This is the blessing that God gives to those who rule justly over men and who rule in the fear of God (v. 3). While this will certainly be true of the Messiah, I believe it is a general blessing that would apply to all just and God-fearing rulers, and I believe this passage particularly attributes such an estimation, and therefore blessing, to David.

The descriptions run together a bit, but I believe there are four components, each of which provide pleasant pictures of peace and beauty. First, the dawn. What beauty and quiet wonder there is in that gentle light as the sun rises. Second, a clear morning. There is something pleasing about starting the day with sunshine instead of clouds. Third, sprouting grass. What a pretty color when the new grass just begins to emerge in spring. Fourth, the renewed brightness after rain. All of creation and humanity seem to perk up when the sun comes back out after a storm.

Each of these pictures would make a beautiful painting. They would serve well as topics for lovely poems. These expressive and sensory pictures are beautiful attributions that God makes about those who rule justly, about those who serve Him well.

While they are specifically about rulers, surely this is similar to how God thinks of all those who serve Him righteously and with godly fear. God esteems such people highly and finds them beautiful. Consider Isaiah 52:7. “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

As I think of these divine estimations of beauty, I think of each of you who are serving God. I believe this is how God sees you! “Maybe,” you acknowledge, “I mean, if I were perfect like David was, then God could value me like He valued David.” Wait. David – perfect? Oh, no. He was flawed like all of us are, and he had some colossal failures along with the smaller ones. But overall, his heart was to serve God justly. Overall, he was a man whose heart was tender toward God.

Doesn’t that describe you also? Flawed, certainly. Large and small failures? Granted. But a heart to serve God. A desire to please Him. Genuine effort to righteously spread His message.

Then you are beautiful to God – like a colorful sunrise, like a sunshiny morning, like bright tender grass, like the brightness following a storm. Your feet are beautiful. God loves you, and He loves your service for Him and your heart for Him.

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister” (Hebrews 6:10). What you are doing matters! What you are doing honors God! What you are doing is beautiful in His sight!

Love to you, and may God bless you and continue to increase your beauty as you labor for Him.

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA

05052024 Calling for Help

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who hears us when we call out to Him. It’s not just that He notices that there is some kind of noise, but He hears with a heart of love and compassion. God’s hearing of us results in support and grace and help.

“In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears” (Psalm 18:6).

Often the unsaved think that they cannot come to God as they are; they think that they are so messed up and that they will be able to approach God only when they have cleaned themselves up. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.

As Christians, we can sometimes make the same evaluations. When we are not doing so well, we think that God will not want to hear from us. This is also not true. God always wants to hear from us. He always cares. He always wants to help. In the verse above, the psalmist cried and God heard in a time of distress.

“For he hath not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither hath he hid his face from him; but when he cried unto him, he heard” (Psalm 22:24). This verse takes the truth even deeper, as it speaks of God’s attitude and response to the cry of the afflicted. He hears, and it is not with a heart of contempt or rejection that could stem from disappointment in our weakness. Rather, He does not despise or abhor such needy people.

There are many verses in the Bible that communicate this same thought. Here are a few that readily come to mind. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God invites us to come when we don’t have it all together, when we are overwhelmed and burdened down. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (I Peter 5:7). When we are filled with care, He wants us to come.

God’s heart is full of compassion, influenced by our interceding Savior. “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). It is when we are weak and in need of help that He invites us to come boldly. He wants to help us.

There are so many ways in which we can be a “mess” and feel unworthy of coming to God, but God wants us to come anyway. If we are discouraged, He wants to encourage us. If we are weak, He wants to strengthen us. If we are confused, He wants to give us wisdom. If our faith is faltering, He wants us to turn to Him with the remnant we have remaining. Whatever the need, it is not beyond the understanding or compassion of God. It is not beyond His ability to give help. It is not beyond His ability to deliver.

So, even when our hearts are the biggest mess, let us go to our Savior. Even if we have to tell Him that we hardly have the heart to come nor the words to say, but that we are coming because we don’t know what else to do. And really, that is an important point, because if we don’t go to Him when we are a mess, think of the alternative! If we wallow alone in our discouragement, weakness, or confusion, we cannot proceed in a good direction from there; we will only get worse.

We must go to the One who cares and can help. We can tell Him how weak we are, how discouraged we are, how faithless and how ignorant. Our words can be, “I don’t see any possibility of help, and I’m not even sure how You can help, but I need You.” And so often, God will do what He has done so many times in the past. “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles” (Psalm 34:6).

Praise our great God that He loves us when we are unlovely, that He perfects us when we are quite imperfect, and that He helps us when we are most helpless. Truly, we need Him every hour!

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA