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

03012026 Complete Love

Dear Missionary Lady,

Greetings in the name of the God who loves us incredibly and who is worthy of all our love.

Recently, I was encouraged by this verse. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength” (Mark 12:30).

The remembrance of this verse was not the starting point for my thoughts. Rather, it was the Spirit-directed answer to my preceding thoughts. I had been considering some of the changes in my life and how I am not currently able to do some of the things I have done in the past. I’m thinking of good things like church attendance at all services or avenues of service and outreach, things that would seem to indicate a heart of passion for God. Additionally, my mind and mental energy don’t allow me to pursue to the same level some of the in-depth Bible study or meditation that I have done at other times in my life.

Those realities have troubled me, because they seem to speak to me of a heart that has grown cold toward God or perhaps complacent. It seems like a cooling of passion and a settling into a less-devoted and less intense Christianity. While I am not going to release myself from the challenge of desiring and striving for greater love for God, I believe the verse above was God’s answer to quiet and comfort me.

Total love. That’s what the verse calls for. All my heart. All my soul. All my mind. All my strength. What a tremendous challenge that is for any of us! It is also individual. The thoughts that God gave me were in particular related to my mind and my strength. I am to love Him with all my mind and all my strength – not someone else’s mind or someone else’s strength. And with all the mind and strength that I have currently – not with the mind and strength that I may have had at other times in my life. Whatever the current capacity is for each individual, that is what God asks for. Just 100% of whatever exists.

That may not look the same during illness as it does in health. It may not look the same for a mother of four young children as it does for a single lady. It may not look the same at 80 as it does at 20. It may not look the same for an intellectually gifted person as it does for someone with a mind crippled by disease or disability. The capacity of the mind and strength varies dramatically between those scenarios.

On the other side, there is all my heart and all my soul. It seems to me that this might be the opposite situation. That our capacity in these areas can probably remain at the same level, or even increase, through the changes and stages of life. These aspects are a challenge to me – to fully love God with my heart and soul. I am reminded of the verse about our outward man perishing, but our inner man being renewed day by day. The body and mind will weaken, but the heart and soul can grow stronger.

As I love God fervently with my heart and soul, that will make me want to serve Him as much as I can with my mind and strength. But God does not expect or require me to give more than I have, just all that I have.

I hope this thought will encourage someone else – to realize that all the outward expressions of love do not need to be the same as someone else’s or even the same as they have been for you at other times. As we earnestly seek for all the inward expressions to remain and even grow, may God help us to rest in giving Him all that we are capable of.

“More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee! Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee; this is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee, more love to Thee, more love to Thee!” (Elizabeth Prentiss)

Love in Christ,

Peggy Holt

member at Open Door Baptist Church in Lebanon, PA