‘“In a little while you won’t see me anymore. But a little while after that, you will see me again.’ Some of the disciples asked each other, ‘What does he mean when he says, In a little while you won’t see me, but then you will see me, and I am going to the Father? And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”’ John 16:16-18 NLT
Jesus’ disciples had a challenging time understanding what He was teaching them. I guess it would be fair to say we wouldn’t either. Jesus had spent three years with these men and was ready to leave them. Here in today’s text Jesus was summarizing the events which would take place in a few days from all He had taught them. Jesus told them plainly what was going to occur when they arrived in Jerusalem for the Passover but it didn’t register with them. To be fair, maybe it didn’t register with them because it seemed impossible. Each time Jesus told His disciples that He would be handed over as a criminal and be killed He always told them of His rising up in three days. But it was still hard for them to understand.
The disciples begin to understand as Jesus says He had been speaking to them figuratively. Then He said to them, “Yes, I came from the Father into the world, and now I will leave the world and return to the Father.” (Jn.16:28 nlt) This is a reference of Jesus’ ascension into heaven after he is raised from the dead. They finally got it. The disciples believed Jesus is the Son of God who came from the Father. They may not have understood everything, but they knew enough that Jesus is God who had come into the world to save sinners.
You may be struggling to understand all there is to know about Jesus and God the Father. God’s salvation plan may sound far fetched in its simplicity that it doesn’t register with you. But it is that simple. “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn.3:16 nlt) Believe what you don’t understand.
“Let my prayer be set before You as incense, The lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” Psalm 141:2 NKJV
“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” (Revelation 5:8 NKJV
The burning of incense in the Old Testament is a symbolism of prayers being raised up to God. These were mostly associated with the daily sacrifices that were made at the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. Aaron was instructed early in the Israelites wandering in the desert to burn these incenses daily. “Aaron shall burn on it sweet incense every morning; when he tends the lamps, he shall burn incense on it. And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations.” (Ex.30:7-8 nkjv) The book of Revelation speaks of incense as the prayers of the saints in the text above. (Rev.5:8)
King David in one of his prayers of lament asks that his prayer would be lifted up as incense burning daily on the altar. (Ps.141:2) It was not only this prayer that David had in mind but that all his prayers would be an ongoing flow of incense reaching up to heaven. David then lifted up his hands symbolizing praising God as the priests who raised their hands upward to the Lord at the evening sacrifice.
How about our prayers? Can we say our prayers will be among those in the golden bowls of the saints? This should convict us to examine our prayer life. Some of us may need to move on from the ‘five minutes and out the door’ prayer. I will say that it is not the length of our prayers that matters but the attitude and the way we approach God knowing who it is we are speaking to. A holy God. David took his prayers seriously as to a holy God and so should we.
There has always been conflicts and war between the nations of the world since the days of the Old Testament. Our world is broken and is suffering the consequences of sin. War is one of those consequences. It is inevitable that skirmishes will result when sinful people are in disagreement with each other. Not being held in check, these disagreements eventually lead to outbursts of anger, violence toward your adversary, and eventually war between nations.
The world today in 2026 is experiencing war on several fronts. Ukraine and Russia are at war since the Russians invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The United States has been at war with Iran over its desire to have a nuclear weapon and the Middle East is still on edge since the terrorists group Hamas invaded and struck Israel three years ago this Wednesday October 7, 2023. Wars today as they were in Bible times are still going on and will continue to go on until Jesus rules on the earth in the millennial kingdom. So what are we to do in the meantime, in these days of war, ‘do not fear.’
The Lord God declares something that is extremely important for us to understand in our day. The Lord says in Psalm 46, “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (nlt) God wants us to know that He alone is God and to be still, trusting Him, and not to fear. The day is coming when every nation will honor the Lord, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, the United States, China, Iran, North and South Korea, and every other nation on the planet. The Lord God will also be honored throughout the entire world by every person when Christ rules in His kingdom.
So let us take heart and not fear trusting God that He indeed is God. Better days are ahead, and wars will cease. Let us also pray for those caught in the war zones of these troubling times. May we pray for peace and safety and for courage and wisdom for the governmental leaders. Most of all pray for God’s Word to go out bringing comfort to all through Jesus Christ our Lord.
‘“I hope I continue to please you, sir,’ she replied. ‘You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.’” Ruth 2:13 NLT
The key word throughout the book of Ruth is ‘redemption.’ This week in Biblical Insights we begin to see this unfold in Boaz’s concern for Naomi and his treatment of Ruth. Ruth was extremely thankful for Boaz’s generosity in allowing her to glean only in his field and not go anywhere else. She was guaranteed protection during the workday with no harassment, and plenty of water in the heat of the day. Ruth may not have understood the grace that she was receiving or why she was receiving it since she is foreigner. But Boaz understands that Ruth has sought the protection of the Lord God as he says to her, “May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully for what you have done.” (Ruth 2:12 nlt)
Boaz explains to Ruth how he heard about the kindness she has shown to her mother-in-law Naomi, and how Ruth left her family and homeland to live in a strange land. Boaz heard because, no doubt, people were talking. People noticed, and people were impressed. It was a big sacrifice for Ruth, but she is already being rewarded for her faithfulness to Naomi and her faith in God. Ruth humbly continues her thanks to Boaz, ‘“I hope I continue to please you, sir,’ she replied. ‘You have comforted me by speaking so kindly to me, even though I am not one of your workers.’” (Ruth 2:13 nlt) Ruth was being treated as though she belonged there, and in reality by God’s will, she did belong there. At times we may feel a sense of not belonging, but over time no matter how difficult it is we find out it was God’s leading and we did and do belong. Ruth is starting to feel the same way.
Boaz then invited Ruth to the mid-day meal break with his workers. Ruth ate her fill, careful not to overeat leaving some leftover to bring home to Naomi. Back out in the fields, Boaz extended extra permission above the law in gleaning. Normally, gleaning was allowed after the women tied the bundle of sheaves. But here, Boaz tells his workers to allow her to glean right among the sheaves. In fact Boaz says, “And pull out some heads of barley from the bundles and drop them on purpose for her. Let her pick them up, and don’t give her a hard time!” (Ruth 2:16 nlt) Boaz’s kindness paid off for Ruth. “So Ruth gathered barley there all day, and when she beat out the grain that evening, it filled an entire basket.” (Ruth 2:17 nlt) After a hard days work, you had to then thresh or beat out the grain using a club or stick to separate the kernels from the husks, chaff, and stalks. The end result that first day was a filled basket, a large amount for one day. It would enough food for both Naomi and Ruth for approximately ten days.
Arriving back in town Ruth shows her mother-in-law the fruits of her labor and gives her the leftover roasted grain from her afternoon meal. Naomi recognizes this is an extra-large amount of grain perhaps with the help of a special favor. She asks, “Where did you gather all this grain today? Where did you work? May the LORD bless the one who helped you!” (Ruth 2:19 nlt) Ruth told her his name was Boaz. You can only imagine Naomi’s feelings when she heard it was Boaz, the closest relative they had. Naomi refers to him as ‘one of our family redeemers.’ A family redeemer in those days was one who would protect a family in need especially after the death of a loved one. By rights they would buy their land to keep the name in the family and care for those relatives who remained. The news only gets better for both of them. “Then Ruth said, ‘What’s more, Boaz even told me to come back and stay with his harvesters until the entire harvest is completed.’” (Ruth 2:21 nlt) This was not a one-day trip for food. Ruth would not be gleaning as much as she would be working alongside the women until the end of the harvest season as one of Boaz’s workers.
When we walk with the Lord and are in His will good things happen. If we are willing to take the lowest job or position to do the right thing for our families the Lord will bless us. God will provide for us, but He wants us to do it His way, God is our provider. God is providing for Naomi and a future for Ruth. Naomi is beginning to see the light of God’s providence. She is encouraged and hopeful now that Boaz in the picture. Naomi’s rejoices and tells Ruth to do as Boaz says and stay in his fields with the women.
Ruth would stay in Boaz’s field working with the others for the next two months. This was hard intense work lasting from early spring until mid-June. “So Ruth worked alongside the women in Boaz’s fields and gathered grain with them until the end of the barley harvest. Then she continued working with them through the wheat harvest in early summer. And all the while she lived with her mother-in-law.” (Ruth 2:23 nlt) The end of the harvest will bring a new beginning for Ruth, the Moabitess, as we will begin to see next week……..
This is a difficult piece to write this week for our ‘Saturday Christian Perspective.’ The apostle Paul warns us, “that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!” (2Tim.3:1-5 nlt)
Here in the United States there are an increasing number of people becoming more selfish only attending to what pleases them. Nothing is sacred unless it is sacred to them. They act religiously when it benefits them and not others (although they claim to care for others). This is obvious, especially in the current political climate. Slander in politics is nothing new, but what is quietly slipping into our culture is wishing ill will on someone for the hatred they have of that person for the positions they take.
The Christian Post reported on September 22, 2026, that the Center for Strategic Politics conducted a survey commissioned by ‘Liberal Currents’ and surveyed 683 Democratic voters nationwide. (1) The results are staggering to say the least. 56% said they would feel positively if President Trump died overnight in his sleep. 31% would feel positively if the President were assassinated while 25% remained neutral. Thankfully 43% responded negatively, but over 50% favor it or have no opinion. This is an alarming statistic that proves a declining culture as the apostle Paul said would happen. ‘Liberal Currents’ did add this disclaimer, “The findings, therefore, measure emotional reactions to hypothetical news events, not whether respondents would personally endorse, participate in or advocate violence.” (1) And that is exactly the point.
None of us need to actively participate or endorse such violence to be a part of it. The fact that one would have a positive response when hearing about the death of someone speaks to what is deep seeded in their heart. This has gone far above disagreement about politics, in fact it may not even be politics, but only hatred. When anyone gets in the way of hindering their selfish, power driven, slanderous unloving agenda that person becomes a target and needs to be stopped. The onslaught of words over social media and the mainstream news build hostility not only towards that person but to the whole movement they do not agree with. And those in that same movement feel the wrath as well. They are guilty by association.
America as a whole has been blessed by God for over 250 years, but I am afraid those blessings are eroding due to our callous hearts as Paul describes as scoffing at God and considering nothing sacred. Many people, not all, in the United States have become boastful and proud with no self-control hating what is right and clinging to what is evil deceiving others to get their agenda across. I believe we may have sunk to our lowest point in our disagreements over politics. But it is not too late to reverse course. When at the lowest point, the only thing to do is to look up. It is time to look up to the only one who can change hearts, the Lord God. It is time to celebrate life!
“So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Then God blessed them and said, ‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.’” Genesis 1:27-28 NLT
‘Dominion’ defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary is ‘1. rule or power to rule. 2. A governed territory or country.’ Did you know you have power to rule? Now before you take and run with this there are a few things you should know. First who gave us this right to rule? Second is an understanding of how this right came about, and third who do we rule over and what is our territory of domain?
The Bible records God created the heavens and the earth. God then created Adam and Eve, our first parents. After He created them God gave Adam and Eve two instructions to follow, ‘fill the earth and govern it.’ As our ancestors, Adam and Eve passed down these instructions to us. We are to fill the earth and govern it. Dominion was not the only thing that got passed down to us, our ancestors also passed down our sin nature when they sinned against God.
This dominion (territory) is not ours, but ours to rule over (or manage). God put us in charge of the fish of sea, the animals of the woods and forest, and the birds of the air. God also assigned every seed-bearing plant and fruit trees to be food for us. We would be smart to manage them well. We should also be concerned to take care of the earth God has given us in a proper manner as we govern it.
We are God’s creation. The earth He instructed us to govern is God’s creation. All is of God and nothing is of ourselves only what God has given to us. And God has given us the gift of salvation through His Son which is desperately needed due to our sin nature. We cannot work our way to heaven no matter how good a job we do managing the earth. Just as God supplies the means for food on this earth He has given us the means of spiritual food, Jesus, the bread of life, unto salvation. The only way to manage this is by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal savoir.
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32 NIV
The apostle Paul writing in the New Testament book of Ephesians lays out the pattern believers in Christ are to follow. As members of Christ’s church, we are to adhere to the new requirements of every child of God. Paul writes we are to walk in unity, each of us is to administer their gift God has given for the building up of the saints. We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit by walking in our former worldly conduct, and we are to have compassion for one another, willing to forgive as God, in Christ, forgave us. Paul had Matthew’s account of Jesus’s instruction about forgiveness in mind. It is possible Paul was familiar with Matthew’s writing as Ephesians was written some ten years after the gospel of Matthew.
Painting entitled ‘il Mantovano’ by Domenico Fetti
Jesus had been teaching His disciples that forgiveness should be always be granted to those who repent. Peter questioned Jesus by asking if there were any limits to forgiveness. Jesus simply answered forgiveness was limitless and then went on to explain why a follower of Jesus would always forgive over and over again.
Jesus used the illustration of an earthly king who began settling accounts with governors who owed the king money through taxation. A certain governor owed a tremendous about of money he would never be able to pay back in a lifetime. The king demanded he be sold along with his wife and children, and all he possessed to make payment. The debtor begged for mercy and the king had compassion and forgave him his debt. It is an example of Jesus, the king, forgiving each of us our debt of sin which we could never pay. Being released from so great a debt should encourage every Christian to forgive others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Unfortunately the forgiven debtor did not show the same mercy and compassion afforded him when he demanded payment from one who owed him money, a small amount at that. When the king discovered the forgiven debtor’s actions he was angry and handed him over to the jailers. Although his debt was already paid, the king put him in the hands of the jailers to suffer severe discipline until he was willing to forgive others.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for our salvation. When we, as Christians, consider the forgiveness shown to us by our Lord, how is it possible that we find it hard to forgive others? Let not our ingratitude come to the surface by not forgiving fellow believers for the little debt against us in relation to our great debt we have been forgiven by the Lord. Let us forgive each other as God forgave us.
I can say with confidence that there is not one person alive today who has not had their heart broken. If by chance you claim you have not, may the Lord bless you but keep on reading for that day will come. Brokenheartedness is set in motion for many varied reasons. The death of a loved one, the loss of a of budding relationship, a marriage ending in divorce, the need to move away from your family, the loss of a job, rejection by your children or parents, and loneliness are just a few of the causes of a broken heart.
King David penned Psalm 34 exalting God with praise and thanksgiving and stressing the goodness of the Lord. David is one who has had a broken heart on more than one occasion. The death of his best friend Jonathan, the rejection by King Saul and his desire to kill David, the death of David’s first child with Bathsheba, and the rebellion and death of his son Absalom are examples of David’s firsthand knowledge of brokenheartedness. Yet David was always ready to praise the Lord and seek Him for he knew only the Lord could bring comfort to a broken heart.
To those of you who may be brokenhearted today and your spirit crushed, we have a great comforter in the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaiah prophesized of His coming, referring to Christ, Isaiah wrote “He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.” (Is.61:1 nlt) Jesus does indeed comfort those with a broken heart. He came to release us from the captivity of sin by dying on the cross for our guilt. He has set us free, but not to be on our own. He is with us promising never to leave us or forsake us and that includes comforting us when we are broken-hearted.
Psalm 137 known as ‘The Song of the Exiles’ is a psalm about the people of Judah during the Babylonian captivity. Judah was overrun by the nation Babylon and taken captive due to their continual sins against the Lord God. It was during these years of living in a foreign land they realized what was lost and left behind, being able to worship God at the temple in Jerusalem. Their captors mocked them by asking them to sing songs of worship, by saying, ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ They knew it wasn’t possible for they were in a place among the ungodly who had no regards for worshipping God.
There are many Christians today who find themselves in the same place. They long to recapture the true worship of God they experience when they first knew Him. But those true worship experiences are not possible because they are living in a foreign land. A wall has built over the years in front of their heart’s door separating them from the joy of being with the church family worshiping God. This wall has been erected by wrong choices and unconfessed sin which holds them in captivity.
Perhaps this describes you this day. Are there choices you have made that put you in captivity and separated you from God and His people? Do you have the feeling you are not where you should be even though your desires put you where you are and with people who now mock those who sing a song of worship to the Lord? You do not need to stay there. Ask the Lord to change your desires and forgive you. He will break down the wall you have built and welcome you back. You can then sing the songs of the Lord with your church family and not be held captive in a foreign land.
“Jesus returned to the Sea of Galilee and climbed a hill and sat down. A vast crowd brought to him people who were lame, blind, crippled, those who couldn’t speak, and many others. They laid them before Jesus, and he healed them all.” Matthew 15:29-30 NLT
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Do you place limits on your compassion? Are there times you avoid people to not deal with their concerns, or do you put others ahead of your own comfort? Christians are to have compassion, which is why I do not ask if you have compassion, but do you place limits on your compassion. If we are honest with ourselves we will notice there are times when we have failed. I must own up to my own limits when desired quiet time is interrupted by others or situations beyond my control. Particularly, I confess even as I am writing this, my compassion is limiting an opportunity to show itself by being interrupted by a recently reconnected old friend several times. The Lord is showing me I am not doing well in being compassionate. He has a way of doing that.
The Lord Jesus never put limits on His compassion. He has given us many examples of His compassion in the New Testament. Jesus is fully God and fully man. The fully man was as we are in His physical nature. Jesus experienced hunger, weariness, emotion, and compassion, but He never lost sight of those in need even as He was in need Himself.
The gospel of Matthew records several stories of Jesus’s compassion. In Matthew chapter 15, Jesus twice attempts to find some quiet time with His disciples but is overrun by people seeking healing. His renewal time is no match for His compassion. Scripture says the people laid those in need of healing before Jesus and He healed them all. He had compassion for those in need over His own need. For three days Jesus and His disciples were with the crowd who had followed Him, and now they were all hungry. Matthew 15:32 says, “I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat.” (esv) Jesus’s compassion for their hunger and well-being is illustrated by His miracle of feeding them all with seven loaves and a few fish.
Jesus’ ministry was a tiresome venture. He was often weary and hungry and had countless people following Him. His time alone at rest with His disciples was limited, but even in those precious moments He had compassion for those in need of Him. Our Lord Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His compassion for those during His earthly ministry is the same for us today. Let us praise the Lord that although our compassion may fail, ‘his compassion never fails.’
