For us there is one God, the Father, from whom everything has its existence, and we exist for Him, and there is one LORD, Jesus Christ, through whom everything exists, and we exist through Him. 1 Corinthians 8:6.
When the cares of my heart are many, Your consolations cheer my soul. Psalm 94:19.
What you have heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:13.
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12.
And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 191: Judge in righteousness. Isaiah 11:4: But with righteousness He will judge the poor, and decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; and He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. And, Acts 17:31: “Because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
I never know beforehand what I am going to share with you in this blog. I share Scripture verses found in the devotionals I read that morning. Even the title, What Is All of This For?, is an ask bigger than I can even try to address. And I keep coming back to what Paul told the men of Athens, that God has furnished proof to all men by raising Jesus from the dead. Anyone raised from the dead by the prophets or by Jesus Himself while He lived among us, will die again as do we all. But Jesus died for us, not for Himself, and was then raised to sit at the right hand of the Father in heaven. And that is the difference, the proof of which we are still seeing lived out until that time He will come back to renew all things, because He is still with our Father. And as I searched through Scripture this morning, this stood out: What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known – endured with much patience – vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so to make known the riches of His glory – upon vessels of mercy – which He prepared beforehand for glory – even us – whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. Romans 9:22-24. We who live in this world of physical flesh cannot begin to know the mind of God without the Spirit of God helping us. But we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the LORD of glory; but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 1 Corinthians 2:7-11. We fight against one another and condemn one another and go to war against one another. We have lived with that hate for so long we think it’s the only way. The darkness we walk in. What is all of this for? God’s purpose for us. Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, brings forth good and we can trust Him for the good He alone is bringing to bear in us for life eternal with Him. Can we see that all the experiences we have in our short human lives here, the joys, the sufferings, the confusions, the fears and hopes, work together for a purpose we will one day fully understand as we stand before Jesus the Son, who died for us that we could die and rise again to Life that is eternal that we are being prepared for to share with Him. How can we begin to comprehend all that is needed? We can’t, not without Him. Thank God, for He knows.
***IN MY EDUCATION – Dear LORD, I am so privileged and so grateful. With so few people able to afford the time or money to attend school, I am truly blessed. Help me not to take my education for granted. Let me have an impact during my years here. As an ambassador for Christ, lead me to open hearts. May your Spirit sensitize my conscience so that I do nothing that will repel others from the gospel message. Help me also to study hard, showing others that it is the LORD Christ I am serving. Finally, guide me so that this investment of time and mental energy pays off for future service in Your kingdom. Bring glory to Your name, O LORD. Douglas Jacoby, Amen and Amen, 2025.***
