“FINISHED!” MEANS FINISHED

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. – John 19:30

Mat 27:50 makes us to understand that Jesus didn’t just say, It is finished, He actually cried it out “with a loud voice”. It was the very last thing He declared before He gave up the ghost. Furthermore, in the Greek, what He declared was just one word: FINISHED!

“TELEO” (from ‘telos’) means “to end, to complete, conclude, or discharge (a debt). It means to accomplish, make an end, expire, finish.

“Telos” was also a commercial idiom in those days that meant “the debt has been PAID IN FULL.”

Therefore, this, the very last of the last words of Christ on the Cross, gives us an emphatic statement of the paradigm of the New Testament. Everything is paid for in full and FINISHED.

Jesus Christ satisfied every requirement of God on your behalf. There is no miracle you need that you do not qualify for. There is no mercy you ask for that requires additional sacrifice or penitence. God is not ‘thinking twice’ about your case.

“It is finished!” means exactly that. You don’t need to bring any other thing to the table. Other religions and cults say you must add something else: an offering, a pilgrimage, a sacrifice, some penitence, etc. But “finished” means finished.

As you read the last paragraph, you most likely assumed I was referring to the salvation experience. However, are we not guilty of applying these same rules with respect to ‘lesser’ miracles? Like breakthroughs, healing, financial turnarounds, marital settlement, etc.?

* When we tell an aging spinster to “sow a seed that will provoke Heaven so that she’ll marry this year”, we’re implying that it’s not finished.

* When we tell a Born Again Believer that some ancestral curses are still hanging in their lives, we’re implying that it’s not finished.

* When we imply that the anointing can only be attained at great personal cost, we’re implying that it’s not finished.

Let us please show reverence to what Jesus did for us at the Cross.

Do you have a current challenge? Fear not, Beloved, only believe! It is finished!

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

THE NEW PARADIGM

In speaking of a “new” covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear. – Heb 8:13 (ISV)

In the English Bible, the word “covenant” and “testament” are both translated from the same Greek word (diatheke). When our Lord called His blood, the “blood of the new testament” (Mt 26:28), He wasn’t referring to the Books of Matthew to Revelation. He was talking about the new covenant God was about to make with mankind.

Similarly, when the Bible uses the phrase, “Old Testament” it is not referring to the books of Genesis to Malachi but to the covenant Jehovah made with the Israelites on Mount Sinai.

These 2 testaments are polar opposites of each other, and a clear understanding of their differences is vital if a Believer is to live victoriously.

The Old Testament paradigm can be summarised in one sentence: “If you do your part, then God will do His part”. (Dt 11:13, 15:5, 28:1; Ex 15:26; Lv 26:3-13). While the “New Testament”, can be summarised as: “If you believe God has done your part then God will do His part”. (Act 16:31).

This difference is so subtle, that a Believer can be living under the New Covenant but operating under the Old paradigm. In the Old, they DO IN ORDER TO GET. In the New, we DO BECAUSE HAVE ALREADY GOTTEN. 

Take eternal life, for example. In Lk 10:25-28, a man asked Jesus, what he should do to “inherit eternal life” In response our Lord told him to do what was in the law: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind...”

This, of course, is impossible. You can claim to love the Lord, but “with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind”? How long you you even keep that perfect love up?

However, under the New Covenant, when the Philippian jailer asked, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved,” (Act 16:30,31).

The key phrase there is “Jesus Christ”; He’s the only one who can, – and who actually did – love the LORD with all His heart, and soul, and strength, and mind”.

This is the principle on which every other blessing in the New Covenant is received. We believe that God’s highest requirements have been met COMPLETELY by Jesus on our behalf, and therefore receive the attendant blessing by faith.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN  

GRACE: DON’T TALK BAD ABOUT MAMA

For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. – Eph 2:8

Men, even the most misogynistic and bigoted of them, will not allow any man to trash talk their mother. They may allow or even participate in disparaging comments about womenkind; but they draw the line when it comes to their own Momma!

Antagonism to the teaching of GRACE has been on the rise recently; mostly in reaction to its resurgence into mainstream church doctrine. Books have been published, dedicated websites have been set up, and even certain ‘ministries’ have been incorporated to attack any message, minister or ministry that overtly aligns itself with the teaching of ‘Grace’.

While attack on any aspect of the Gospel is naturally to be expected of this world, unfortunately, many Believers also join in this foray. They echo the world’s belittling of the doctrine of Grace with various catchall labels like, “easy-believism”, “hyper-grace churches”, “You-Can-Sin-Anyway-You-Want doctrine”, etc.

This is unfortunate, considering these sincere saints are attacking the very foundation of their faith and eternal destiny.

The Bible categorically states that we are saved by GRACE! (Eph 2:8). While important dogmata like Faith, Prayer, Holiness, Wisdom, are vital to Christian growth, without Grace, all of these will be completely ineffective.

The Gospel that we preach IS a declaration of Grace (Act 20:24; 20:32). This is what uniquely distinguishes Christianity from other Faiths. If we sideline or try to minimise this important foundation of our faith, we risk being no more than just another religion on earth.

My prayer is that the Father, “the God of all grace”, make us “strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”; through the help of the Holy Spirit – “the Spirit of Grace” – in Jesus’ Name; (1Pet 5:10; 2Ti 2:1; Heb 10:29).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

RAHAB: A TYPE OF CHRIST

Rahab gives us a lucid example of what it means to be “saved by faith”. She’s the archetypal gentile: an alien from the commonwealth of Israel, and a stranger from the covenants of promise, who through faith became an heir of Abraham!

But Rahab is not just typical of us sinners, she’s also a type of Christ in the Old Testament. Like Christ, she was able to bring sweeping salvation to any who would come under her shelter.

When the walls of Jericho crumbled, Joshua gave a command to the 2 spies, “You made a promise to the prostitute. So go to her house and bring her out and ALL THOSE WHO ARE WITH HER.”

So the two men went into the house and brought out Rahab, her father, mother, brothers, all her family, AND ALL THOSE WHO WERE WITH HER. They put all the people in A SAFE PLACE OUTSIDE THE CAMP of Israel. (Jos 6:22-23 ERV)

Imagine with me the reaction the 2 spies would have had if they barged into Rahab’s house that day and found 50 persons instead of an expected 20 or so?  How about a hundred? How about one thousand?

It wouldn’t have mattered. Joshua, the commander-in-chief had commanded them to spare, “ALL THOSE WHO ARE WITH HER.”

What if, among the scared persons huddled in her room, they had found an Indian man, a Latino woman, a Chinese boy and a black African baby! Rahab couldn’t possibly expect them to believe these were her family members too, could she?

But it wouldn’t have mattered either; the command said, “all those who are WITH HER”.

Note that the people in Rahab’s house were never quizzed or interrogated. They were never questioned about their past deeds and behaviours. All they needed to do was come under the shelter of Rahab and their lives would be spared.

This is the salvation message in graphic form. This is the paradigm of the New Covenant.

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  – Rom 10:12

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. – Rom 10:13

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. – Heb 4:16 

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE AUDACITY OF FAITH

au•dac•i•ty [aw dassitee] noun: willingness to challenge assumptions or conventions or tackle something difficult or dangerous (Encarta Dictionary).

The prostitute Rahab didn’t simply ask that her life be spared by the Israelites,

She said to the 2 spies, “...Give me a solemn pledge that you will spare the lives of my Father, Mother, Brothers, Sisters, and ALL WHO BELONG TO THEM, and rescue us from death.” – Josh 2:12,13 (NET).

To put this in perspective, realise that they haven’t even agreed to spare her life yet. If it was a covenant Jew who was making these demands, it may have even been thinkable; but here was a prostitute; whom the Israelites had a divine order to kill, reeling off a laundry list of people she wanted to be spared from judgment, as well!

How dare she do that? Because she had faith. That is why scripture holds her in high esteem; this was a woman who knew that forgiveness means qualification and boldness.

A GREAT DRAWBACK TO THE POWER OF FAITH IS A SENSE OF UNWORTHINESS.

Many of us would dare not express our desires to God because we feel we’re not worthy enough. We say to ourselves, “What have I done to deserve this? Have I been faithful enough, diligent enough, or prayerful enough?”

If it were today, we would say Rahab doesn’t have the moral right to make such a demand. Maybe that’s why she got what she wanted – and why we’re still struggling with ours. All Rahab knew was that as long as the God of Israel is concerned, anything is ask-able. 

Here’s God command to you, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt: OPEN YOUR MOUTH WIDE, and I will fill it.” (Ps 81:10)

Note the basis for your boldness: “I am the LORD who brought you out of Egypt”.

Rom 8:32  states, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”

Beloved, please know today that as a child of God, you have His  explicit permission to ask for whatever you need... no matter how bold, audacious or unprecedented it may seem.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE FAITH OF RAHAB

It was faith that kept the prostitute Rahab from being killed with those who disobeyed God... – Heb 11:31 (GNB).

Rahab is one of just 2 women of the 16 “Elders” listed in Hebrews 11, the so-called “Faith Hall of Fame”. This is a big deal considering her heritage. Here was a hated Canaanite being set forth as an exemplary “elder” for the Hebrews to emulate!

Her name is listed at the expense of the Hebrew matriarchs Rebecca, Rachael and Leah, or even spiritual giants like Miriam, Deborah or Hannah. She stands there paired with Sarah, the mother of the Jews!

The Holy Spirit clearly holds a high opinion of this woman’s faith. This is because she had a high opinion of what the God of Israel could do.

What you believe alone is an indication of your opinion of God.

Sometimes, we let our circumstances, knowledge and experience determine what is and is not possible. Beloved, I challenge you to believe God for that impossible thing today.

But how do we distinguish faith from foolish expectations? Can one say, “God, I believe I can fly like a bird, after all, you said with You all things are possible”? obviously that’s a stupid prayer... unless you find yourself ejected out of a plane with no parachute to aid your landing.

It is the need, NOT the request, that determines the legitimacy. That’s why Joshua could ask that the Sun should stay still.

Note that “impossible” is a subjective term. When Rahab, a rank pagan Canaanite, asked to be part of the covenant of Abraham, it seemed like an audacious, difficult request. But unknown to both her and the 2 spies, not only was it very, very possible, it was eventually going to be the norm, through Jesus Christ, (Rom 4:16,17; Gal 3:14,16; Eph 2:214; Gen 22:18; Act 2:39).

What you call “impossible” may actually be something normal eventually. Don’t let your limited knowledge keep you from asking for the best – REMEMBER SAUL (1Sam 9:15-19).

I dare you, therefore, to believe God, like Rahab, to let nothing limit what you can ask for.

For With God Nothing Shall Be Impossible. (Lk 1:37)

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR MIRACLE?

By faith Rahab the prostitute escaped the destruction of the disobedient, because she welcomed the spies in peace. – Heb 11:31 (NET).

People say that Opportunity only knocks once. The truth is, some life-changing miracles do not even knock at all!

The Sun didn’t rise from the west the day that Rahab met the two Israelite spies. The birds weren’t particularly cheerful, neither did the flowers ‘sing’ to indicate that that day was going to end with eternity-altering drama.

But from the way she reacted when the two Israelite spies walked into her house, it was clear she was well ahead of them in preparation. Evidently, Rahab was not your typical harlot, and her words help us see how she was prepared in advance.

 “I know the LORD will give you this land... We've heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea in front of you when you left Egypt.... When we heard about it, we lost heart... Josh. 2:9-11 (GW)

Rahab had evidently been hearing a lot about the exploits of the Israelites right from the parting of the Red Sea. For 40 years she had been hearing and thinking about it. And one day, against all odds, the people she had been hearing and thinking about walked into her room!

What You Continually Meditate On Will Eventually ‘Present’ Itself To You.

A man who is always thinking of adultery will get the opportunity one day; and a ‘Saul’ who is always thinking of a kingdom (even though Israel never had a king) will meet a ‘Samuel’ one day  (1Sam 9:15-19).

The way Rahab that responded when she met the spies, you’d think they gave her advance notice of their coming. She was concise, explicit and direct with her demand: she wanted to be part of the “commonwealth of Israel”.

Beloved, the miracle you keep thinking (meditating) and hearing (testimonies, messages, etc.) about will one day ‘present’ itself to you.

Will it meet you speechless, unprepared and confused? Or will it meet you like Rahab: ever ready to take hold of the opportunity as soon as it shows itself.

May the latter be your portion in Jesus’ name.

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN

SEEING RED: LIFE LESSONS FROM RAHAB

 [From Joshua chapters 2 and 6].

This is what you must do. When we invade your land, tie THIS RED CORD to the window... – Jos 2:18 (GNB).

Rahab, the story of how a Canaanite woman moved from the Red-light district of the debauched city of Jericho to becoming an ancestor of Jesus the Messiah, has inspired, fascinated and disturbed many for thousands of years.

It's INSPIRING because of its heart-warming core; FASCINATING because of its intrigues and gratifying end; but even more than these, DISTURBING because of its raw, unvarnished depiction of a woman who would eventually be an ancestress of the promised MESSIAH.

There are Jews who still disagree that Rahab was actually a prostitute; and even one theologian wrote that it is “extremely incredible” that she would have become who she was if she had been a harlot. However, people who speak like this betray a limited knowledge of the saving power of God’s love.

Rahab shows us that, as far as God’s grace is concerned, there is no limit to how high you can go, or how low you can come from.

The Church, right from its earliest days, has been populated with transformations like hers. When Paul was listing the calibre of people that got converted into the Corinthian church, he mentioned fornicators, idolaters, homosexuals, thieves, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers! (1Co 6:9-11).

Satan has deceived many into believing that they're beyond redemption because their sins are either just too great or just too many. To those people, Rahab is a shining example of what can happen if you let God’s unconditional mercy take over your life.

Even Believers, too, fall into this trap when they believe God can never FULLY forgive them for certain sins they committed. They believe that God may accept them into Heaven, but because of their failures, He’s given up on them and will no longer bless them or fulfil His promises.

Beloved, if Rahab could press through in spite of her failings to achieve what many Hebrew women could only dream of, how much more you living in the New Covenant under the Blood of Jesus.

Stand up today and receive God’s unmerited forgiveness. God will still do great things THROUGH and FOR you because of the sacrifice of His Son Jesus.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN 

THE REASON and THE RESPONSE

Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God. – 1Jn 3:1.

The Incarnation is undoubtedly a mystery, and not just in Paul’s sense of the word. Think about it: God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, taking on the form of lowly human flesh. The implications are so eternally profound, it’s mind-boggling!

And why did God do it? Because He loves you!

When God gave you Jesus, He gave you His ALL. We often highlight that Jesus is God’s beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased, (Mt 3:17). But have you considered that He was willing to give that said beloved Son up for YOU? (Jn 3:16).

 “But God has shown us how much he loves us – it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!” (Rom 5:8 GNB)

But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. (Eph 2:4 ,5 GNB)

You are the especial object of God’s love, and you may never be able to comprehend, grasp, fully assimilate, or fathom just how much you mean to Him. This is why Paul in Eph 3:14-19 says his earnest prayer is for you to “have the power to understand the greatness of Christ's love – how wide, how long, how high, and how deep that love is.” (ERV)

All through this week, we have been reminding ourselves on the full import of the Incarnation. The Devil will always try to make you feel unloved or maybe just tolerated by God. He wouldn’t want you to know that you’re highly precious and valuable in God’s sight.

Because when you know that, your spiritual life will change. 1Jn 4:19 says, “We love him, BECAUSE he first loved us.”

Beloved, I beseech you, regardless of those “light afflictions”, (which are but for a moment), to never lose sight of what God, in Christ, has done for you.

 “Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jud 1:21.

“May the Lord always be on your heart... because you’re always on His.”

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF JESUS IS FOR YOU

Most people today, even liberal/secular scholars, would readily attest to the moral probity of the man Jesus while He was on Earth.

But Jesus was more than just morally upright, He was SINLESS.

1Pe 2:22 says He “did no sin”, 2Co 5:21 affirms He “knew no sin”, and 1Jn 3:5 declares “in Him is no sin”. He was “in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin;” (Heb 4:15).

This is a great testimony...until you consider that Jesus is actually God in the flesh, (Jn 1:1,14; 1Tim 3:16). Of course, He would be sinless.

But why did God come all the way down to perfectly obey His own laws? To show off? Or was it, as some teachings claim, to set an example for us to follow? No!

The POINT of His righteousness, was to take upon Himself the consequence of our SIN, and to give us His RIGHTEOUSNESS.

 “For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,” (1Pe 3:18).

 “For he has made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,” (2Co 5:21).

 “Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness, (1Pe 2:24).

(See also Is 53:5-10; Rm 3:22-26; 5:19; 8:3; 1Co 1:30;  Php 3:9; etc.).

I know we always say Jesus took away our sins; but we need to complete that sentence. He didn’t just take away our sins, He then gave us His righteousness. The whole point of Jesus being righteousness as Man was FOR YOUR SAKE.

Beloved, as a Born Again Believer, God is not simply pretending that you’re righteous (even though in reality you’re not). NO! He didn’t pretend to punish Jesus on the Cross when Jesus took your sins in His body; Christ bore the full brunt of God’s wrath because of you. Therefore, your righteousness is not a pretend one; it is real, it is Jesus’ righteousness.

Halleluyah!!! Take a moment to thank Him for that every day.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE WEALTH OF JESUS IS FOR YOU

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich. – 2Co 8:9.

Jesus is God, He owns the “cattle upon the thousand hills”, (Ps 50:10). In Rev

5:11-14, John talks of seeing “millions and millions” (CEV) of angels, along with every creature in Heaven and Earth worshipping Him.

So I find it absurd to hear teachings that try to claim that Jesus was never poor as a man, (citing things like the kind of clothes He wore, the type of donkey He rode, etc.). They miss the point totally; that’s like praising superman for flying first-class.

The Apostle Paul declares that a good way to understand the grace of God is to consider the Incarnation: “though he was rich”, yet for your sakes he became poor...”.

If Christ had been born in the best hospital and lived in the most luxurious home on Earth, He’d still have been wretchedly poor compared to what He had before.

And here comes the good news: He became poor, “that you through his poverty might be rich”. What a glorious substitution.

 “But Bro Greg, I’m so broke right now; it seems they forgot to jot down my bank account details when my name was written in the Book of Life at my salvation.”

Beloved, if you want to know what you got at salvation then look at what Christ gave up for your sake! It wasn’t a fat bank account or a beach house on the Caribbean. It was “power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev 5:12).

If you find that incredible then you can understand Paul’s incapability to properly communicate to us the extent of what we have “in Christ”. In Eph 1:15-19, he says he prays continuously for the church to be able to understand “the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe.”

 

Beloved, the wealth of Christ has been made available to you. Your entire lifetime is too short to discover all of it, not to talk of exhausting it. Do not allow the Devil to keep you so enmeshed in one want after another that you don’t look up to see that your God shall supply all your need “according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Php 4:19).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

THE AUTHORITY OF JESUS IS FOR YOU

... All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go you therefore... – Mat 28:18-19.

Have you pondered on the fact that the man Jesus was actually God in the flesh? Think about it. As Creator of the Universe, He has absolute and total authority over everything. Indeed, Heb. 1:3 says that ALL things are sustained by the word of His power.

It is impossible for God to lose His authority or power, let alone to a lowly creature like Satan. Yet we see Him in Mt 28:18 declaring “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” What is He talking about?

He’s talking about the power and authority Man had in the Garden of Eden. Ps 115:16 says, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s: but the earth has he given to the children of men.” God gave Adam total control to rule over Earth. Whatever he declared, as far as Earth was concerned, stood, (e.g. Gen 2:19).

However, when Adam fell to the subtlety of Satan, (Gen 3), he relinquished that authority to him, and automatically made Satan the “god of this world” (2Cor 4:4) with ownership of the kingdoms of this world, along with their powers and glory (Lk 4:5-7).

But, Halleluyah! In the fullness of time, God came down in the flesh as Man, (Jn 1:1,14; 1Tm 3:15, etc.), took our place on the Cross and went to Hades to wrest back the authority and power that belonged to us in the first place.

Today, Satan has NO power or authority. ALL power now belongs to Christ. And that authority now belongs to us who are “in Christ”. That’s the whole essence of the Incarnation, the Cross and the Resurrection: it was all FOR YOUR SAKE. Today, we have much more than Adam lost (he lost Earth, Jesus gave us Heaven AND Earth).

Eph 1:22 puts it clearly, “God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything”, (CEV).

 “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever.” – Rom 11:33,36.

Take a few moments to thank Him today.

AMEN.

GREG ELKAN

IN THE FIRST PLACE

And without doubt great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh... – 1Ti 3:16.

Have you ever wondered why the Bible makes a big deal about Jesus’ miracles? I mean, after all, He is God Almighty, isn’t He?

He’s the Creator of Heaven and Earth: from the super-galactic to the sub-atomic, the corporeal to the spiritual, from grains of sand to the sands of time... “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” (Jn 1:3)

When you consider these things, you realise that the issue is not that He cursed the fig tree, but that He stooped so low to speak to it. The mystery isn’t that He walked on water but that the Holy Writ considers such triviality worth recording. Indeed, the big deal isn’t that He rose from the dead, but that God could die at all, IN THE FIRST PLACE!

* Unable to handle the shame of the Cross, the Sun, scandalised, hid its face for 3 hours, (Lk 23:45).

* Death, panicking at the prospect of LIFE Himself bowing to it, lost grip of the souls that had been in its care and graves began to burst open (Mt 27:52).

* At the wedding at Cana, when the jars were uncovered, Water realised it was its Maker looking down at it at such close range – and blushed!

If we speedily read through the life of the man Jesus in the Gospels and miss the incredulity of it all, we will miss a vital revelation of the Incarnation.

The whole point of God coming down to Earth in human flesh is to take YOUR place! That is why it’s a big deal that He walked on water, that’s why it’s newsworthy that He could heal the sick, and yes, that is the only reason why the episode at the Cross makes sense.

For since we have become one with Him in dying as he did, in the same way we shall be one with Him by being raised to life as he was. (Rom 6:5 GNB).

Buried with Him in baptism, in which also you are risen with Him... And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; (Col 2:12,13)

Therefore, by the wisdom of “the operation of God” (Col 2:12), whatever Jesus did, was done as YOU. You were right there in and with Him. He did it all, FOR YOUR SAKE.

Take a few moments to thank Him today.

AMEN!

GREG ELKAN

CHRIST IS OUR WISDOM

Throughout this week we’ve seen that there are two types of wisdom: human wisdom and divine wisdom. Because of the Fall, our capacity for insight is greatly limited and regardless of how wise we are, we still fall short of perfection. But as Believers, that should no longer be the case for us.

1Co 1:30 says the first thing Christ Jesus is made unto us is WISDOM, then righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. We have the Wisdom of God residing right within us, therefore, we cannot fail.

The wisdom of God is not something farfetched. We do not have to climb the mountains of the Himalayas, or crawl through dark, dank caverns in Mexico in order to attain wisdom. God’s wisdom is with us all the time.

Wisdom should not be a scarce commodity for you if you’re a Believer. Moses says it aptly when he addressed the Israelites, “For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not hidden from you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that you should say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very near unto you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it. (Deu 30:11-14)

In 1Co 1:24 Paul calls Christ “the wisdom of God”.  Simply being with Jesus alone is enough to make you wise, (Pro 13:20). When the Priests and Sadducees saw the wisdom of the uneducated fishermen disciples (Act 4:13), they concluded it had something to do with their association with Jesus.

Beloved, Jesus is our wisdom, not the perverted sensual wisdom that the world offers, but the type that James describes as “the wisdom that is from above”: pure, peaceable, gentle, and compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. (Jas 3:17)

You are blessed and advantaged; you have Christ, the wisdom of God in you. You cannot, and will not, fail in this life.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

WISDOM IS ONLY FOR THE FOOLISH

James, the great leader of the early church once wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and reproaches not; and it shall be given him”. (Jas 1:5).

What a strange thing to say, “IF any of you lacks wisdom”. Of course, everybody lacks wisdom in one form or another, right? What does he mean by “If”?

A fool is any person who lacks wisdom, so in essence James is saying, “if any of you is a fool, let him ask for wisdom”.

Asking for wisdom requires humility and honesty. Humility because it implies you do not have it all together. You’re not the wisest parent, the shrewdest investor, or the smartest leader. Many people look down on asking for wisdom for this very reason. You need humility to acknowledge that you need God’s help and intervention for you not to make a mess of your life.

Ps 25:9 says God “causeth the humble to tread in judgment, And teacheth the humble His way.” (YLT)

‘Wise’ people don’t ask for wisdom because they “know what to do”; even as Believers, their prayers are simply to INFORM God about the course they have chosen to take.

However, those who will truly succeed in this life in every sphere: spiritual, marital, financial, or otherwise, are those who are constantly aware of their need for divine guidance and insight.  

Are you ‘foolish’ enough to ask for wisdom today?

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

WISDOM IS SIMPLY BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. – Rom 8:14).

A man in the US once bought over 300 acres of useless, barren land “in the middle of nowhere”. People felt he was foolish and wasteful. But 15 years later, the state notified him that a proposed freeway in that area was going to pass right through his property. The state had to buy off the land from him at over 100 times the original price! (That’s a profit of over 9,900%, NOT 100%).

When a local journalist marvelled at his investment acumen, he simply pointed to heaven and said, “My Father was the one who told me to buy the land”.

Dr. Paul Osteen, (brother to the famous Joel Osteen), tells the story of how he once diagnosed a 1-month old baby in Kenya of prolapse, a regular condition cured by simple pills. However, by 2a.m. that night he woke up wide-awake, thinking of that baby.

Having no peace with his diagnoses, he left his job and spent HOURS that day poring through every article, textbook and journal he could find on "prolapse" until he found a little paragraph in an old textbook that said, “in extremely rare cases, prolapse can be confused with a serious blockage of the intestines that requires immediate surgery”.

When he read that, without any additional tests, he opened up the baby and found the boy's  intestines already black and twisted with gangrene. Any more delay, and the child would have been dead for good.

We have dwelled much on the importance of wisdom in living a successful life, but what is this “wisdom” anyway?

Wisdom is simply being led by the Holy Spirit.

This demystifying of wisdom is vital. Many Believers have this idea of “wisdom” as some nebulous, mysterious and weird knowledge of things. Truth is, you don’t even have to be ‘wise’ (in the traditional sense of the word), to walk in divine wisdom. All you need to do is to be led by the Spirit. 

Solomon is the man most often associated with wisdom. But in his famous request to God, what he asked for was “a hearing (KJV “understanding”) heart”. That is what the world then qualified as 'wisdom'!

If we, like Solomon, develop a "hearing" ear: constantly tuned in to the voice of the Spirit, we’ll make decisions (financial, marital, ministerial, etc.) that will ultimately be so profoundly apt, that people will marvel at our unusual  'wisdom'.

This kind of wisdom is characterized by humility and gratitude, not pride and conceitedness, (Jas 3:15-17).

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

WISDOM IS NOT SAGACITY

Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand justice. – Job 32:9.

“It’s always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look farther than you can see” – ZUMA (game)

The Bible does not have one word for “wisdom”. Both in the Hebrew Old Testament and in the Greek New, the writers used several terms that the English translators generally subsume under the word “wisdom”.

Unfortunately, unlike novel biblical terms like “sanctification”, “propitiation” or “speaking in tongues”, “Wisdom” is already a common word in the English language, as a result, when we read “Wisdom”, we’re tempted to assume the usual, regular  meaning.

Generally speaking, when scriptures positively refer to wisdom, it’s not referring to that human virtue that comes out of a cumulation of knowledge, or “good sense shown in a way of thinking, judgment, or action”.

Bible “wisdom” is not normal “wisdom”.

A man can be a SAGE: all-wise and all-knowing; dispensing vital, practical counsel on all issues that pertain to life and death and still end up in Hell.

(Ahithophel in 2Sa 16:23 was one such sage); our Supreme Courts of Justices are occupied by sages. But sagacity is not Bible wisdom.

Wisdom is not KNOWLEDGE or INTELLIGENCE either. A visit to a busy airport will reveal just how intelligent Man is. From the complexity of the machines, to the smooth order of operations: combining hundreds of people and millions of parts simultaneously and seamlessly working to lift tonnes of persons and luggage across the world at breathtaking speed. But if that is THE wisdom, then the Bible is obviously redundant.

“Wisdom” in normal English usage refers to sagaciousness, acumen, knowledge, erudition, shrewdness, intelligence, etc.

While these are positive, enviable traits. Assuming these are what the Bible calls “wisdom” has led many to destruction. Bible wisdom is not proportional to (indeed, is generally antithetical to) human intelligence.

We need to be sensitive, therefore. For if we’re blessed with a high IQ, are exceptionally skilled with words, or generally intellectually endowed, it’s vital that we understand that that makes us vulnerable – much more than the rest of humanity, to assume we’re automatically walking in the wisdom of God.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN

RE'SHIYTH and SENSEI

Wisdom is the principal thing... – Pro 4:7

The Bible talks about Wisdom, a lot. From the very first words of Genesis to the closing themes of Revelation, wisdom is referenced hundreds of times.

In these last days, much more than ever, we need wisdom to lead and guide us. With centuries-old financial institutions crumbling down in days;

We need wisdom.

When scientific journals publish contradictory health counsel;

We need wisdom.

When the government is overreaching its privileges in educating our children and is considering classifying parental choice of faith as child abuse.

We need wisdom.

When our electoral options are either choosing the unscrupulous or the wicked.

We need wisdom.

When the persons we look up to for inspiration and counsel fall cataclysmically.

We need wisdom.

In Karate and other Eastern forms of martial arts, the top instructor is known as the SENSEI. The Sensei determines the instructions, the regimen, the promotion and overall discipline in the dojo (gym). He has the final say in everything and wields absolute authority.

“Sensei” is a Japanese’s term that literally means “FIRST PERSON”. And Solomon tells us in Pro 4:7 that, “Wisdom is the re'shiyth”. Which is Hebrew for first, beginning, best, chief,. Re'shiyth is literally the first word in the Bible (translated in English as “in the beginning”).

It is time, therefore, for us to shift our focus from the competing voices and noises around us to the “first thing”; to receive our daily instructions from the Sensei of life, wisdom. For if we get the first thing right, every other thing in life will fall into place, naturally.

AMEN.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN