Powerful messages that encourage, inspire, and convict “People of the Way” to enter into the presence of the Living God and to mirror the image of the precious Lord Jesus, bringing his life to this hurt and broken world. The messages are written by Richard E. Bieber. A pastor whose prolific writings spanned six decades.
Navigate the menu to learn about Maranatha Mirror and to access hundreds of free downloadable messages.
Artwork: The beautiful art featured here enhances the power, depth and visual appeal of the messages. It is by the gracious and kind permission of the artists. We are grateful for their generosity and talent. Clicking on some of the images will forward you to their galleries where you can learn more about them, their faith and their art. Use the back key to return to this website.
Anyone is welcome to subscribe. Include your email and name; pseudonym or initials are ok but qwerty or 
gibberish won’t be added.
Short Messages/Tracts
ENCOUNTERING THE HOLY
Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
The universe is ruled…
…not by a machine.
…not by a “principle.”
But by a Holy Presence, whose glory would blind our eyes.
Angels worship.
Demons tremble with fear.
But humans are unaware.
They see nothing, hear nothing, know nothing, until they stumble into their personal burning bush.
One glimpse of his glory,
One hint of the sound of his voice,
And you are on your face.
One day soon the whole world will behold that glory, And fall on its face.
The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord. At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his righteousness, And all the people see his glory. (Psalm 97)
But the time to take off our shoes and acknowledge his Holiness…
Is Now
Prayer: Oh Lord, help us to find your holy presence. Help us to see it, feel it, know it and to be taken to our knees by the beauty and wonder of who you are. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2015
Featured Artist: Jonathan Farrell (Saskatchewan) at etsy/jonathan farrell art, Instagram, and Facebook
NO ACCIDENT
It’s no accident that you are reading these words.
They are offered as the doorway to a Living Word.
A Word that once said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
A Word that still says to the blind, “Receive your sight.”
…to the lame, “Rise and walk.”
…to the sinner, “Your sins are forgiven.”
…to the dead, “Arise.”
Amid all the clamor of this noisy world, this Word still speaks.
It draws to itself those whose hearts are famished for truth, who have known sorrow, it raises them from the dead.
If you are tired of the trivial, weary of the empty promises of the hucksters of deceit,
… come and listen to words that are pure,words that are true, words that impart life,
… from the one Man who never sought His own glory.
“It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you. They are Spirit and they are Life.”
Draw near to those words,
listen to them,
and you will be healed.
Prayer: Lord, we truly need a Living Word. Help us to draw near, to listen and to be healed. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2015
Featured Artist: Jonathan Farrell (Saskatchewan) at etsy/jonathan farrell art, Instagram, and Facebook
GOD WILL PROVIDE?
At a time like this?
When the foundations are crumbling?
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What what shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.” (Matthew 6:31-33)
What better time to turn from our trivial pursuits and seek the face of God!
There is no other anchor that will hold in this present storm.
No other rock that will not be washed away.
As we begin to taste the leanness that millions have known from the day of their birth, may we also learn what the poor of this earth have always known:
There is no security in this world but the security of knowing and loving God.
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Philippians 4:19-20)
Prayer: Lord, help us to keep our eyes on you, to trust you as our provider, no matter what circumstances we are facing. We know your provision is good, just, perfect, and altogether trustworthy. May we take our anxieties and concerns and turn them into a pursuit of knowing you know more, trusting you more, and loving you more. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2015
Featured Artist: Sinead Kell (United Kingdom) on facebook.com/sinead.kell.1
MY TWO DISTRACTIONS
Two distractions cloud my vision of God’s Kingdom and weaken my resolve:
- My predisposition to pass judgment on people.
—to “evaluate” them.
—to “discern” their motives.
—to condemn them in my heart.
- My relentless efforts to justify myself.
—I have a “Christian rationale” for everything I do.
—I come up with “sound reasons” for my unsound attitudes.
Hence, while I busy myself judging others and justifying myself…
I lay waste my powers.
I dissipate the gifts God has entrusted to me.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
So each of us shall give account of himself to God. Romans 14:10-12
If my only claim on God is his mercy at the cross, why am I wasting time trying to justify myself?
If my Lord is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” What am I doing on the Judgment Seat, which belongs to him alone?
“Lord Jesus, have mercy on me!
Lead me once more out of myself and into your merciful will!”
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)
Prayer: Yes Lord, have mercy on us. Rescue us from being separated from your Kingdom and your heart of mercy by our own judgments of others and by our own delusional self-justifications. Help us to stop using Christian rationales for our cold hearts. Lead us back to you, soften our hearts, make us so thankful for your covering of mercy on us… so that we can take this wonderful gift of mercy and redemption you have poured into our lives…and pour it into the lives of those we would condemn. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2009
Featured Artist: Kindness of Ramone Romero
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE JESUS FREAKS?
Once they seemed to be everywhere.
Street corners.
Bars.
Campuses.
They were bold.
“Jesus is Lord!”
“His return is near!”
These Jesus freaks were not a fad.
They were a God-sent sign of things to come.
A brief flash of future light.
A call to repentance.
But where are these bold souls now?
Their voices are no longer heard.
Have they lost their fire?
Are you one of them?
If you are, it’s not too late to return to your first love.
I remind you to rekindle the gift that is within you through the laying-on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, and love and self-discipline. (II Timothy 1)
Prayer: Lord, stir us from our stagnation. May our love for you once again erupt into a boldness that we can’t hold back. And Lord we pray for a new generation of “Jesus Freaks”…young people who are totally committed to you, no matter what the world says…who are so connected to you, so burning with love for you that they set the world on fire …. bringing a new hope, tender mercy, and life to those in this dark world. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber February 2013 .
Featured Artist: Rik Berry at rikberry.com
“I’VE MATURED!”
“Thank God, I’m no longer a fanatic! I look back on those days when I was a super-charged disciple, and cringe.
No wonder people were turned off!
I guess I was one of those Jesus freaks.
Nobody can call me a fanatic today!”
Matured?
“I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.” (Revelation 3:15-17)
The difference between maturity and stagnation:
Maturity is zeal enhanced by the wisdom of the Spirit.
Stagnation is zeal depleted.
A bumbling fanatic with a heart for God is far more pleasing to God than a “mature” Christian who is doctrinally sound and spiritually idle.
“Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
Prayer: Lord, help us never to forget the fervent, passionate love we had for you before we “matured” and got caught up into the rhythm of making ends meet, raising families, and living day to day. Stir us from our stagnation. Help us to look to you instead of our doctrines, and our sense of being right. Help us all to rekindle our devotion to you, our burning passion for you and to carry out your will of mercy and redemption. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2003
Featured Artist: Portrait by Gertrude Deppe (Netherlands) gertrud-deppe-art.de …. and The Sick Child by Godwin Amavi
UNDISTRACTED
At that very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, `Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.’” (Luke 13)
Distract him?
Go ahead and threaten him.
Tempt him. Accuse him. Condemn him.
He remains focused.
He will preach, teach, heal, cast out demons, and then lay down his life at Jerusalem….
…like the prophets of old.…
…as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
When Jesus says, “Follow me”, he expects us to do as he did.
To push all distractions aside and get on with it.
“Follow me” means….
Follow the way he thinks.
Follow the way he prays.
Follow the way he speaks.
Do what he does—the way he does it.
Follow the way he thinks.
Have this mind in you, which is also in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2)
The mind of Christ is the mind of a servant—a mind focused on serving the Master the way he served his Father.
Unless I think with the mind of Christ there is no way I can follow him.
Jesus has the mind of a servant. Do I?
Follow the way he prays.
When Jesus had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3)
In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God.
And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles. (Luke 6)
And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. (Luke 9)
And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Luke 22)
The foundation of everything Jesus did was prayer.
Early in the morning, late at night, and after feeding the five thousand, he would get alone so he could pray.
It is impossible to follow Jesus without walking in those footsteps of prayer.
Jesus said to his disciples, “pray like this”…..and gave them the Lord’s Prayer. He promised that the Holy Spirit would help them, if they would only ask. (see Luke 11)
Follow the way he speaks.
When Jesus speaks, there is no flattery, no froth, no wasted word, and no deceit.
Always and only he speaks living Truth.
Jesus had no patience with the Pharisees who for a pretense, made long prayers, who scoured the world looking for converts, and led them far from God, with their empty words. (see Matthew 23)
Idle words are not innocent. They are evil.
“You brood of vipers! how can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.
I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew12)
Do what he does—the way he does it.
In obedience to his Father’s will, he went to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and gave them hope.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4)
If we are following Jesus, he continues to fulfill this calling through us….
.…as the Father sends people across our path…
.…and as the Spirit leads us to the forgotten ones waiting for an invitation to the Kingdom Banquet.
The seed that fell by the wayside is picked up by the birds.
The seed on the rocky soil withers in the heat.
The seed sown among the thorns is choked out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life.
But the seed on good soil produces abundantly,
because it is undistracted.
Prayer: Lord how we need your help to be undistracted and get on with what you call us to. Give us your mind…help us to think the way you think. Give us longing hearts for the presence of the Father, so we can pray as we need to pray. And Lord may your truth, your goodness, your healing and mercy spring out of our hearts unto our lips. Send us to the lost sheep, to the ones who are waiting to hear a good word, to grasp hope, to be freed from oppression and to see your beauty so they may flower into life in you. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber February 2021 . Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Ain Vares (Estonia) at ainvaresart.com
FINDING THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:1
In a world of growing chaos there is only one place of true sanity:
The shadow of the Almighty.
Covered and protected by God.
Guided by his wisdom.
Sustained by his power.
Apart from the shadow of the Almighty,
everything is ephemeral, fragile, uncertain, melting away in the mist.
The shadow of the Almighty is not easy to find.
It’s like the narrow gate, the narrow road.
“Few there be that find it.”
Yet it’s available to all and worth the search.
We need something more than a temporary refuge.
Something beyond reassuring words.
We need a dwelling place blazing with God’s constant presence.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
The door to this dwelling place is wide open.
All are welcome.
No one is excluded.
When we find it and enter it,
We begin to lose our preoccupation with self.
We become God-conscious 24/7.
We live our days under the eye of our heavenly Father.
We know that he knows our every thought.
We deal with our friends, our neighbors, our enemies, and Lazarus at our gate, aware that the Father’s mercy to us must now flow out to them.
But where is it?
Where is “the secret place of the Most High”?
It has been here since the beginning of time, but now that the Messiah has come, all who seek the Truth are drawn to one place.
The Master’s yoke.
At that time Jesus declared, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.
All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Mathew 11:25-30
If the door to “the secret place of the Most High” is open to all, why is it found by so few?
Only God knows.
But that door is open to us and to all.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Prayer: Oh loving Lord, how beautiful that you the Almighty God, the Most High God, call us to live under your shadow. Help us to seek and find this place…where we are covered, protected, guided, and sustained. May we continue to search until we are there. May we let all go and melt into you, let go of all our anxieties, fears, concerns and finally rest in you, so we may dwell in your presence at all times…lovingly carrying your yoke, because it is your yoke that keeps us in your tender shadow. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber June 2020 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Signe Flink (Sweden) Website: artstation.com/signeflinkart
GET ME OUT OF HERE!
“O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest!” (Psalm 55)
If only I could fly away.
I’m stuck here in this misery and there is no way out!
Prisoners and refugees know all about it.
So do growing numbers of ordinary folks in a world that gets crazier by the day.
“Lord, get me out of here!”
It’s a legitimate prayer. And it is answered in a thousand ways.
Sometimes the Lord actually takes us into the next world.
Sometimes he strengthens us in our suffering.
Sometimes he sends us straight into the smoke and flames with a burning word.
Sometimes he simply says,
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
But always, the Lord lets us know that we are not alone in this tragic place.
When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43)
One thing the Lord Jesus always does when we cry to him for a way out:
He visits us with the power of his cross.
He helps us to die again to ourselves and rise in him with power.
When we die with him afresh he raises us above the confusion into God’s World.
“I am crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2)
Our Lord never promised us a rose garden.
He made clear that we will share in his rejection and suffering.
Suffering
Much suffering in this world is meaningless and absurd.
Much suffering is self-inflicted.
Much suffering comes from the cruelty of those on top of the pile.
But the suffering we experience as we carry our cross is wrapped in the fire of heaven.
It redeems the lost.
It delivers the oppressed.
It judges the powers of darkness.
It prepares the earth for the coming kingdom.
It is perfectly legitimate to cry, “Lord, get me out of here!”
One way or another, God will answer that prayer, and set us free.
Prayer: Lord, as we face the misery, the suffering, the injustice, the darkness, and oppression around us we feel helpless and overwhelmed, we do cry out “get me out of here”. Be with us Lord, help us to slow down and find you in the midst of the waves. Help us not to be consumed by the troubles in us and around us. May somehow, someway we be set free from this suffering as we draw close to you and your peace, your healing, your redemption is released into us and those we touch. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber May 2021 . Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Melani Pyke…Niagara Falls Ontario Website: Melpyke.com
GRACE IS A LIFE WE LIVE
“Lord, Lord, did I not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many might works in your name”?
“Not only that. I can tell you the exact day I got saved.
I never missed a Sunday in church.
I always voted like a Christian, if you know what I mean.
So why am I out here in the dark”?
We are saved by grace—God’s grace.
But grace is not a ticket we keep in our pocket to get us through the pearly gates.
Grace is a life we live.
Grace is forgiveness.
Grace is God’s mercy flowing not only into us; but out of us.
Grace is Jesus reminding us….
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 7
“Lord, Lord!” makes sense only if we, for all our stumbling and bumbling, are serious about doing what our Lord commands.
Otherwise “Lord, Lord!” might be answered by,
“I never knew you.”
Prayer: Thank you, thank you Lord for your precious grace to us, for your mercy constantly flowing into us. Lord, make our lives ones of us grace, in which your mercy is pouring out of us as well. Keep us from claiming your name and not truly living a life of grace. Oh Lord, continue to call us and guide us… so that when our days are over… we can hear the precious words that you “know us and we are yours”. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber July 2020 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Elani Lubbe (South Africa) Website: fineartamerica/elanilubbe
BETWEEN VANITY AND PENITENCE
The Kingdom of God is never hasty.
But it always gets results.
It brings down the mighty from their mountaintops of vanity.
It raises the penitent from the ashes of defeat.
Those of us who hang suspended between vanity and penitence have difficulty hearing the voice of God.
Until we hit bottom.
Until we wake up and see what we are.
Then we hear the Master’s voice……and feel his healing touch.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom for Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 5
Prayer: Lord, help us not be suspended between vanity and penitence. Wake us up to where we are. Pull us from vanity when our hearts are centered there…and lift us from the bottom when we are in despair. And yes, in both of these, may we hear your voice and feel your healing touch. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2016… Originally titled “Up from the Ashes”. Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Melani Pyke…Niagara Falls Ontario Website: Melpyke.com
TIMID SAINTS
We tell ourselves we’re being discrete, mature, wise.
…..So discrete people rarely hear the good news from us.
…..So wise the truth is silenced.
Maybe we’re simply timid.
Or is it vanity masked as timidity?
What happened to the boldness we once had?
What happened to the confidence and joy that once ignited the lives we touched?
Maybe we need to draw near to the flame again
The flame which once set us on fire.
That flame is only a prayer away.
And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and grant to thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest out thy hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of thy holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4)
Prayer: Yes Lord, help us to draw near to you again…to your holy flame. Ignite us, set us on fire, burn away any timidity; So we may truly speak your word with boldness, with confidence….so that your healing pours out, your signs and wonders are seen and known…and so that when we speak the world around us is shaken with your holy power. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2021 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Melani Pyke…Niagara Falls Ontario Website: Melpyke.com
FIGUREHEAD,
MASCOT,
OR LORD?
Moving from scripture to the actual life of the Body of Christ at this hour, we see a contrast.
In sc ripture the disciples look to Jesus with child-like submission.
They marvel at his words.
They tremble before his signs.
When Peter sees his net overflowing with fish, he is moved with fear.
“Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
When Peter tries to put Jesus in a pigeonhole next to Moses and Elijah, he is rebuked by heaven.
“This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
One thing was clear to them:
Jesus is Lord.
This was their only creed.
Jesus’ lordship was the polestar fact of their lives.
Jesus was not their buddy.
Jesus was not their mascot.
Jesus was not their logo/figurehead.
Jesus was their Lord!
In the Body of Christ today Jesus’ place is not as clear.
We hear Jesus’ name.
We sing his praises.
We claim to be his followers.
Do we approach him with child-like submission?
Do we tremble before his glory?
Do we even know him as our Friend?
Sometimes Jesus has to remind us.
Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.” (John 13)
Sometimes he has to rebuke us.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.” (Matthew 16)
Sometimes he has to make it plain.
You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.
If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. (John 13)
It is a dangerous thing to say, “Lord, Lord,” and ignore his commands.
It is a fatal thing to say, ”Lord, Lord,” with the mouth, and ignore him with the heart.
“Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy.”
Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
Revelation 22
Prayer: Jesus, Lord…may you be more to us than just a mascot, a figurehead, a sense of identity, a creed, a theology, or even a name. May you be real to us, truly be our Lord and Master. May we be in awe of you, trembling at your holiness and goodness. May you be the center of our lives, the call of our hearts, our true master who we want to follow and obey with all we have. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2021 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy and thoughtfulness of Wayne Forte at wayneforte.com
THE INDESTRUCTIBLE GIFT
When the risen Lord returned to the Father, he left nothing tangible behind.
No writings.
Not a scrap of clothing.
Nothing that could become a shrine.
Jesus left no structure, no organization, only a warning:
“If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9)
Jesus left his followers a single indestructible gift:
….. his Word.
That word was burning in their hearts even as the cloud enveloped him.
“I have given them thy word.”
John 17
When the Holy Spirit arrived, he poured out the same gift.
“I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”
John 16
With this gift they set the world on fire.
They didn’t waste time building churches.
They didn’t waste time creating a “permanent institution”.
They set the world on fire with the words of Jesus.
Confident that Jesus lived in those words.
Confident that his words were sufficient.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Matthew 24
The one thing needful.
The Christian world is “anxious and troubled by many things”.
The Christian world is weighed down and burdened by many things.
“One thing is needful.”
Jesus’ words.
His words burn with heaven’s fire.
His words heal the sick and raise the dead.
Jesus speaks through the gospels.
He speaks through the prophets.
He speaks through the Spirit.
If we needed money, he would have left us money.
If we needed an institution, he would have built one.
If we needed a hierarchy, he would have set one up.
Jesus gave us the only thing we need:
His word.
All we have to do is….
Listen. Believe. Obey.
Wherever his word is heard, there is the kingdom of God.
Wherever his word is obeyed, there alone is the Body of Christ.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”
John 10
Where two or three are gathered in his name, Jesus is there.
Where five or six are striving to walk in the light of his word, there is the Body of Christ.
Wherever Jesus’ words alone occupy the throne, there is the kingdom of God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…..
….And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. (John 1)
Prayer: Lord, help us to take this precious, indestructible gift ….your words….and hold them and value them above all else. How wonderful that your words still burn with as much power and life as they did when you spoke them. May we live them, breathe them, move in the power and beauty of them. No matter what we face now or in the future, may your words continue to light us with your life, keep us beholding your glory, and keep us setting the world on fire until you call us home. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2021 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Melani Pyke…Niagara Falls Ontario Website: Melpyke.com
SUPER DRY BONES
“Son of Man, can these bones live?”
Ezekiel was stumped.
It looked hopeless.
Not only did they live, those bones came to life at his commanded….by the Spirit of God.
To our eyes, the bones of the Body of Christ are super-dry.
Can these bones live?
One thing is for sure: human efforts will never do it.
Our programs, strategies, and clever gimmicks will never do it.
Only God can do it.
“Prophesy to the bones,” is the command of the Lord.
When the bones hear the living Word,
When the Spirit finds a human mouth.
When our hearts are clear of their spiritual clutter and focused on the Lord alone,
The bones will begin to stir with life.
“It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you—they are Spirit and they are Life.” (John 6)
Prayer: Oh Lord, without you these dry bones cannot live. Lord, bring life into what seems impossible. Help us to not give up, but to see you with new eyes. Help us to prophesy… that “these dry bones can live”. May your living words that are imbued with the unspeakable power to raise the dead…stir us to new life. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2015 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: With the thoughtfulness and encouragement of Jonathan Allan Farrell Website: facebook.com/JonathanFarrellArt
DRY BONES
Don’t underestimate those dry bones.
“Son of man, can these bones live? “Lord, you know.” “Prophesy to these bones; say to these bones, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!'” (Ezekiel 37)
Can these half-baked Christians come to life?
Can they become followers of Jesus with burning hearts?
No problem for God.
When God speaks, those bones come alive, and the half-baked Christians fall on their faces.
The “when” and the “how” belong to God.
But the “now” is given to us.
“Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9)
“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples.” (John 15)
Prayer is the starting point.
Prayer is our primary ministry.
Before any prophecy goes forth over those dry bones, disciples of Jesus will find themselves obsessed with praying for laborers.
Then things begin to happen.
Prayer: Lord we pray as you ask, pour your Spirit among us…. fill men, women, the young, the old, the broken, the weak, the despairing, fill many, many with a spirit and love so powerful that the powers of darkness are broken …. that dry bones shall live… that new life will rise out of the death and ugliness covering this world. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2011 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Kind courtesy of Edward Knippers Website: edwardknippers.com
THE DOOR TO PARADISE
Many people expect the door to Paradise to be waiting for them on the other side of death.
But the door to Paradise is already here.
It’s wide open.
Admission is free.
How come so few people seem to find it?
Well, the door to Paradise doesn’t look like much.
No spotlights.
No brass bands.
No stretch limos parked in front.
Some people mistake it for a storm drain.
The opening is so low you can only enter by bending down.
So who finds this door?
Blessed are the poor in spirit ….for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn .…for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek ….for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness ….for they shall be satisfied.
You will have eyes to see that door and a heart to enter it when you have forsaken all the high places, and humbled yourself.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (I Peter 5:6-7)
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture..” (John 10:9)
Prayer: Kind Lord, help us to humble ourselves before you….laying down our pride, our pretenses … and knowing we need not run from disappointment, sadness, and meekness because that is where we enter in and find true paradise…where we find you, where we are loved, cared for, and find everything we need to satisfy our souls now and forever. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2004 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Karen Harkema Website: Facebook.com/artist.karenharkema
WHERE IS HEAVEN?
“Our Father, who art in heaven….”
Heaven, the Headquarters of the Universe.
A place of unspeakable glory.
A realm of breathless beauty.
A world where no evil exists.
But where is it?
Our problem is that we think of heaven as being far away.
As if heaven is doing it’s thing in another world, while we languish here on this troubled planet.
Yet heaven is close enough to know everything about us.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10)
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. (Matthew 18:18-19)
Whenever you are in the presence of God, you are at the vestibule of Heaven.
Whenever you hear the Word of the Lord, you are surrounded by Heaven.
Whenever the Spirit of God is received into a human heart, Heaven is there.
And wherever Heaven is….
the blind receive their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised up,
and the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them.
“I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.” (Matthew 11:25-26)
Prayer: Lord, still us enough so we can find Heaven now. Help us to lift our faces in awe like children. May our hearts choose to dwell in your wondrous presence now. May we hear you, may we receive you now… so that we can be raised up from darkness, evil, brokenness and despair into healing, beauty, hope, love and your precious holiness now. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2014 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Kindness of Karen Harkema Website: Facebook.com/artist.karenharkema
FINDING THE WAY BACK
It’s one thing to discover that you’ve lost touch with God.
It’s another to find your way back to him.
“Where is the blessedness I knew when first I met the Lord?
Where is that peace which once flooded my spirit?
What happened to my faith?
Why is it so hard to pray with confidence?”
The way back is closer than you think.
It begins with an admission of need….
“Father I have sinned against heaven and before you, and am no longer worthy to be called your son…..”
“God be merciful unto me a sinner!”
It continues with a cry for help…..
O my God, lean down and listen to me. Open your eyes and see our despair. See how your city—the city that bears your name—lies in ruins.
We make this plea, not because we deserve help, but because of your mercy.
“O Lord, hear. O Lord, forgive. O Lord, listen and act!
For your own sake, do not delay, O my God, for your people and your city bear your name.”
Daniel 9:18-19
It ends with a knock on the door of your own heart…..
I correct and discipline everyone I love.
So be diligent and turn from your indifference.
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door,
I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Revelation 3:19-20
Prayer: Lord, we confess, we allow so many things to distract us from you. Forgive us for wandering, yet again. Without you we flounder, our lives lose meaning. We want to come back to you. Have mercy on us. Oh Lord, help us to turn diligently from our indifference, to beckon to your knock, to hear your voice, to open the door so we can once again enter into all that you have for us with hearts that are wide open to you. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2004 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Jonathan Farrell Website: etsy/jonathanfarrellart and instagram.com/jonathanfarrell316
TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD
A little encouragement would come in handy right about now.
Where to find it?
It’s right here.
It began in a synagogue in Nazareth when a local man stood up to read on the Sabbath.
He stood up to read; and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4)
Here’s how it works:
Jesus, the Lord of this world and the next is about to touch you at your place of greatest need, as a sign of his love for you.
Free of charge.
No obligation.
This sign of grace, which he sends into your life as you read these words, points to his World, his Kingdom.
You can follow the sign and enter, or you can ignore it.
If you choose to enter his Kingdom, all you have to do is follow where he leads.
He will guide you with his eye as you follow his words.
In this world of turmoil, he will fill you with his peace.
In this land of darkness, he will be your light.
And you will find that you are not alone.
There are others who have given up on “religion” and “spirituality” and are also entering his world with childlike faith.
Suddenly the darkness of this world no longer overwhelms.
The light of his Kingdom burns within and around you.
You are on the one path in all the world that makes sense.
“Ask and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7)
Prayer: Lord open our ears to hear this wonderful, good news you bring us… that you meet us at our place of greatest need, releasing us from oppression, sadness, loneliness, and despair. Give us the faith to open the door and enter into your presence where darkness no longer overwhelms us, where we experience freedom, hope, vision and the embrace of love we so desperately need. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2020 Shareable/printable copy
Featured Artist: Courtesy of Ramone Romero Website: ramoneromeroblogsplot.com
LORD OF THIS MESS?
It could be our church, our home, our personal life.
When we wake up and discover that something’s radically wrong….things are in a mess, our first temptation is to jump in and fix things.
We try to figure out who’s to blame.
We cast about for solutions.
We set new goals, devise strategies.
Meanwhile, the Lord stands by waiting for us to do the one thing needful:
To turn to him.
Seeking his face.
Receiving his counsel.
Jesus is Lord—-even over this mess!
He alone can show us the way—-
—if we will but turn to him.
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8)
Prayer: Lord we lay these messes in our lives at your feet, knowing no matter how we try to fix and untangle them…it is you, and only you who can fix them. We acknowledge you are Lord of them. We turn to you. Show us the way, show us the way. May these messes cause our hearts to burn with a need of you, a need to truly see your face, hear your voice, and to follow you out of the darkness into the light you have for us. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber June 2016 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Courtesy of Chris Hopkins at chrishopkinsart.com
“JOY” AND JOY
Yes, the joy of the Lord is our strength.
The Joy of the Lord.
Of the Lord.
But we are tempted sometimes to “prime the pump.”
….To generate joy,
…to create an atmosphere,
…to surround ourselves with “joy balloons” when we’ve lost our focus.
The Joy of the Lord is not a “feeling” but a spiritual reality.
The Joy of the Lord is not an emotion, but an act of faith, aided by the Spirit of God.
“As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” (II Corinthians 6)
“Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!” (Philippians 4)
God’s Joy holds us, even when things are falling apart.
God’s Joy guides us, even when we’re surrounded by darkness.
Prayer: Lord, help us, help us… to find strength, hope, peace, contentment in the joy that comes from you. May we find “your joy” despite any disappointment, any sadness, any fear, any darkness that surrounds us. And instead of manufactured, artificial joy…. may it be real, brimming with life and hope…. coming from keeping our hearts focused on your wonder, your goodness, your loving presence… Amen.
Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber December 2016 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Jonathan Farrell at etsy/jonathanfarrellart and instagram.com/jonathanfarrell316
ISOLATED
Is it me, or is it how things are these days?
I’m trying to walk in the light that comes from the Lord,
But I’m isolated.
Seems like I’m walking alone.
Seems like I cannot find a place where I really fit into the Lord’s Body.
I go there.
I hear the words.
I hear the singing.
I see all those rapt faces and those uplifted hands.
But an invisible wall stands between me and all that devotion.
Lord Jesus, I feel like that lost sheep out here all by myself. I want to fit in with your flock, wherever you want to put me.
Lead me, Lord!
Bring me there!
The Lord never fails to answer such a prayer. He leads us to sisters and brothers in his flock who are often a challenge. Or maybe we’re the challenge for them.
But none of us remains isolated for long.
Maybe it’s just two or three at a kitchen table who join their hearts around the Master.
Maybe it’s a pocket of earnest seekers floating around in a mega church.
A phone call from a distant friend could be the start of a slow journey back into fellowship.
One way or another, the Shepherd will find us, lift us up, and bring us back to his fold.
The refining fires are purging the Body of Christ everywhere, causing the “rising and falling of many in Israel.”
Old structures are crumbling. Old fetishes are sinking in the flames.
But those who seek Jesus are finding their way out of isolation into fellowship around Jesus.
Around Jesus only.
“Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18
Prayer: Yes Lord, lead us to the flock where we fit, where you call us to. Help us leave this isolation so many, many of us find ourselves in. Help us to find a place to gather where we will no longer be lonely but have the friendship, the fellowship, the acceptance we so long for. Help us to find people to gather with, people who encourage one another to draw into your midst…where you Jesus are our Lord, our Master, our beloved. And where together we are wrapped in your loving comfort and acceptance. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber June 2021 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Ramone Romero at RamoneRomeroblogspot.com
AND THEIR FACES WERE NOT ASHAMED
For years and years, they served God in obscurity.
They never complained.
They were glad to serve in the place where God put them.
Now a mysterious outpouring of the Spirit has come to these people.
They are rising up as a voice crying in the wilderness.
They are a sign of coming judgment.
They are spreading fire on the earth!
Who are these saints?
How come we have never seen them?
Never seen them? These people are everywhere!
They live across the street.
They are in the African bush.
In a Mumbai slum.
In a basement in Shanghai.
In a Saudi prison.
In an Israeli interrogation center.
A Mississippi village.
A flat in Brooklyn.
They have no program, no strategy.
They have only one thing in common:
They look unto him and are lightened.
And their faces are not ashamed.
These men and women keep looking to the Lord Jesus and walking in his light as they spread fire on the earth.
The fire is coming near.
Do we have eyes to see it?
Are we humble enough to open our hearts to it?
Will this fire refine us?
Or consume us.
Prayer: Lord, help us, help us… to find strength, hope, peace, contentment in the joy that comes from you. May we find “your joy” despite any disappointment, any sadness, any fear, any darkness that surrounds us. And instead of manufactured, artificial joy…. may it be real, brimming with life and hope…. coming from keeping our hearts focused on your wonder, your goodness, your loving presence… Amen.
Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber May 2021 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Courtesy of Chris Hopkins at chrishopkinsart.com
TAKE HEART!
“Take heart, Son, your sins are forgiven.”
“Don’t be afraid, only believe!”
His first words to us are always words of hope.
Even when we know how confused and sinful we are.
“Don’t be afraid. From now on you’ll be catching people” (into the Kingdom Net).
When we’re arrogant and self-righteous, the Master calls us to our senses with words of judgment.
But when we’re weary and discouraged, his word is always a word of hope.
“Take heart.”
“Believe!”
“Get under my yoke and learn from me.”
Lord, give us ears to hear!
Help us to get over ourselves and pay attention to that word of hope.
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the Vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. (John 15)
Prayer: Yes Lord, lead us to the flock where we fit, where you call us to. Help us leave this isolation so many, many of us find ourselves in. Help us to find a place to gather where we will no longer be lonely but have the friendship, the fellowship, the acceptance we so long for. Help us to find people to gather with, people who encourage one another to draw into your midst…where you Jesus are our Lord, our Master, our beloved. And where together we are wrapped in your loving comfort and acceptance. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber January 2017 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Permission and courtesy of Jorge Cocco at jorgecocco.com
HE’S HERE TO HELP
His name is Emmanuel—”God with us.”
With us.
With you….with me.
“Lo, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Why else is he with us but to help us walk the walk?
To show us the way.
To give us strength.
To encourage.
To refresh.
What a difference it makes when we remember that the Lord Jesus is with us.
He is with us when we go out.
He is with us when we come in.
When we are awake.
And when we sleep.
“The glory thou hast given to me, I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one.
I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou has sent me, and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me.” (John 17)
Prayer: Thank you Lord that you are with us, ever with us. May we never forget it. May the thought of your presence with us stir our hearts. May it give us encouragement, strength, refreshment, confidence, and hearts that abide in and rejoice in this love you have for us. Amen.
Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber 2016 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Ramone Romero at RamoneRomeroblogspot.com
WHICH JESUS
These must be the last days!
Never in all these centuries have there been so many versions of Jesus among those who claim to be Christians!
There is the Left-wing Jesus.
The Left-wing Jesus is a revolutionary.
His main message is social justice.
This Jesus hangs around with the poor and the rejects of the world.
There is the Right-wing Jesus.
The Right-wing Jesus has two main concerns:
Saving the babies who are being killed by abortions.
Stopping the spread of sexual confusion caused by the gays, trans and queers.
How do Christians come up with such divergent versions of Jesus?
They read the same four gospels.
They claim to be following the same Jesus who was crucified and risen.
Can they possibly be disciples of the same Lord?
When we go to those four gospels quite a different Jesus comes into view:
The Kingdom Jesus.
The Kingdom Jesus.
If we forget all that is going on in front of us in the Christian world and simply read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, we see a Jesus who is neither left-wing nor right-wing.
The Jesus we see in the gospels is focused on one thing:
The Kingdom of God.
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.”
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
“The kingdom of God is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”
The kingdom of God—God’s World—arrived on this planet with Jesus.
God’s kingdom is a world where things are as they should be.
No lies.
No sickness.
No death.
No strife.
No fear.
No hunger.
No despair.
Jesus’ words are all about God’s kingdom, which is here only in part.
Many things had to happen before the kingdom could arrive in its fullness.
Jesus had to conquer the powers of darkness through his atoning death.
Jesus had to become the Firstborn of the New Creation (the kingdom) through his resurrection.
And the gospel of the kingdom will still have to reach every heart, every ear, of all time.
“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth (on the cross) will draw all people to myself.”
John 12
Who belongs to Jesus’ kingdom?
The single mark of those who now belong to the kingdom is this:
God’s love flows consistently from their lives toward all people.
They feed the hungry.
They clothe the naked.
They welcome the stranger.
They care for the sick and the prisoner.
What to look for.
What the kingdom is like is clearly revealed in the gospels.
Jesus describes the kingdom with his words.
Jesus manifests the kingdom with his signs.
Jesus promises that one day the kingdom will replace this world of lies, sadness and despair.
The power of the kingdom is already alive in those who walk in Jesus’ steps.
Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
“Sell your possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Let your loins be girded and your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the marriage feast, so that they may open to him at once when he comes and knocks.” (Luke 12)
Which Jesus?
So which Jesus are we going to follow?
The left-wing Jesus?
The right-wing Jesus?
The Jesus of the Kingdom?
Surely Jesus himself will help us choose….
if we but humble ourselves,
listen to his words,
and ask him for light.
Prayer: Yes Lord, help us to lay aside whatever distracts us from choosing you and the Kingdom life you call us to. May you Jesus, only you, be the treasure of our hearts. As we see you for the treasure you are…help us to repent…to leave our attitudes, opinions, politics and all behind and in joy to buy the field. Jesus give us your light, help us to hear your voice, so that we can choose you…the Kingdom Jesus above all else. Help us to bring you, Jesus, to this world…you lifted up in your offer of love, new life, and holy forgiveness. And yes, may that power be alive in us as we walk your beloved steps. Amen. Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2021 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Berna Lopez at evangile-et-peinture.org
“IF” DEAF
“I go to church.”
“I’m saved.”
“I’ve been baptized.”
“I’ve got the Holy Spirit.”
Good for you!
But the Lord says:
Show me your walk.
Those words that roll from your mouth, are they valid or vain?
How come you’re so preoccupied with yourself?
Has your ear been deaf to the “If” the Master attaches to his promises?
“If you continue in my word…”
“If you abide in me and my words abide in you….”
“If you keep my commandments…”
“…..If you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”
When we remain deaf to the “if” the Master attaches to his promises, we are making a fatal mistake.
Lord Jesus, open our ears!
“If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Prayer: Yes, Lord open our ears so we aren’t deaf to the “if’s attached to your promises. Continue to draw our hearts close to you, so we love you enough to keep your commandments. Amen.
Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber January 2017 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Berna Lopez at evangile-et-peinture.org
WHO’S UNDER JUDGEMENT?
It is a dangerous temptation to think that we have an inside track with God.
It is fatal to be “saved and sanctified”, while despising others.
Our Lord has a message for us when we proclaim those pagans to be “under the judgment of God.”
We are the ones who are under God’s judgment.
There were some present at that very time who told him of the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered thus? I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
Or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, No; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Luke 13
A word to the Christian world:
Stop fighting against the pagans!
Leave the pagans to the mercy of God!
Pay attention to the voice of the Lord, who says,
“Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
A check list.
Our self-righteousness.
Our indifference toward the suffering that surrounds us.
Our anger.
Our vanity.
Our greed.
Our unforgiving attitudes.
When a spirit of repentance sweeps over the Christian world, we will find our way back to the cross.
We will fall on our faces before the glory of God.
We will cry out for forgiveness.
And the Lord will raise us up and help us to walk in his light.
Prayer: Wonderful, merciful Lord…forgive us, forgive us for feeling smug and self-satisfied…while despising the lost ones around us. Convict us of these attitudes that bring us under your righteous judgment. We leave the pagans to your mercy where it belongs. We repent of our vanity, our anger, our self-righteousness, our indifference, our smug- judging, unforgiving attitudes. Release us of these, help us up so that we can walk in your light and bring it to the very ones we once despised. Amen.
Maranatha Mirror
Message: Richard E. Bieber November 2021 Printable/Sharable Copy
Featured Art: Berna Lopez at evangile-et-peinture.org
Click the subscribe envelope to be emailed the most recent postings.