“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Ben Franklin

Those words are part of a letter Franklin wrote near the end of his life. In November 1789, he was corresponding with the French scientist Jean-Bapiste Le Roy, providing his friend with an update on young America. In that letter, Franklin wrote this – “Our Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Later on, in that same letter, Franklin also lamented about his own failing health. He would die just six months later.

That “nothing is certain” adage, or some version of it, has been used over and over throughout the years. I am not here to debate the validity of that statement, but I trust you agree that in life not much is guaranteed.

The financial security you once had seems less secure coming out of the lengthy pandemic and now facing rising inflation and an unstable global economy. Your “till death do us part” marriage suddenly ends in divorce. The job you have had for a decade unexpectedly ends because your company “down scales” their operations. Your health has been good, only to see it all quickly change after a serious medical event. A lifelong friendship is ruptured over a seemingly meaningless disagreement. A loved one who you just talked to a few days ago is killed in a tragic accident. A dream you poured your heart and soul into for six years ends unfulfilled. You get the idea; here today, gone tomorrow, sometimes with advance notice, other times, out of the blue. (Click on the link to read a similar post.)

Today I want to look at a two-letter word that offers us a certainty that is here today and here tomorrow; a promise that withstands the test of time.

In the beginning verses of 2 Corinthians 12, Paul tells us that he has an affliction, the precise nature of it we do not know. Paul pleaded with God to have this affliction taken away, but his “thorn” remained. That takes us to these words we read in v.9 – “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”     

Notice what God says to Paul, and to us today – “My grace is sufficient for you.” Did you see that little two letter word? My grace IS sufficient for you. The Lord does not say, it might be, it could be, or maybe it will be. Instead, the Lord promises that His grace is, and always be will, sufficient for us. He is all we need as we walk through life, facing everything thrown our way. His grace has no limits, it has no measure, it simply “is sufficient.”

That little two-letter word is an unequivocal and unequaled guarantee, exceedingly more so than even death and taxes, that withstands the test of time.

So, my question isn’t whether you understand that truth, instead, my question is, do you, and will you, fully embrace that truth, and walk out your journey knowing and trusting that God is all you need? God’s ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and they often don’t make sense to our human minds. We are called to trust in the Lord and not rely on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Right now, no matter what your current circumstances, God says to you – “My grace is sufficient for you.”

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The first images from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope are absolutely amazing. These images are some of the farthest that humanity has ever seen into the universe’s time and distance. The Webb Telescope is one million miles from earth and will peer back into the earliest days of the universe. Our solar system (the sun and everything bound to it by gravity) is part of the Milky Way Galaxy. A galaxy is a collection of gases, dust, billions of stars and their solar systems, held together also by gravity. The Milky Way is just one of billions of galaxies in the universe. And the Universe is all of space, matter, energy, time, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. It is the totality of all that exists, the entire cosmos.

The equatorial circumference of the Earth is about 25,000 miles and each of us are just a tiny speck on the Earth’s surface. And this planet that we all call home is an even tinier speck in the expanse of God’s created universe. The totality of the universe is unfathomable to our minds, at least to my mind.

I am aware that there are numerous beliefs and opinions regarding the age and origin of the universe. It is my belief that God created all that is out of nothing. It is my belief not only that God created all that is, but that He also upholds and governs all that exists; the heavenly places, the angelic hosts, the universe, the earth, human beings, and every living thing. God is not an absent creator but rather He is an active creator, one who still actively cares for his creation.

Hebrews 1:3 tells us that “he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” In Colossians, these words about the preeminence of Jesus – “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (1:15-17). And we find this is Hebrews 11:3 – “By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.”

Just as it is hard to fathom how expansive the universe is, it is also hard to get our arms around why a God so big and powerful, able to create all that is and will be, would care for you and me. King David apparently had that same question. Here is what he wondered – “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4). God intimately knows every human being. He knit us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). He knows and numbers every hair on our head (Luke 12:7).

As the universe we are able to see grows bigger and bigger, making us, or at least me, feel smaller and smaller, God’s love, care, and compassion for us is far greater than the farthest that any telescope can see into the expanse of outer space. The true essence of God’s character is love, love that is unrivaled, love that never ceases. The expanse of God’s great love is endless. Let me end with Psalm 136:26 – “Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.” Do you believe that today?  

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There are those voices that when we hear them, we quickly recognize whose voice it is, often without actually seeing that person. For whatever reason, some voices are more easily recognizable than others. I think of James Earl Jones, Morgan Freeman, Rod Stewart, Julia Child.

There are other times that when told what someone whom we know well said, we confidently know whether or not that person actually said what they were purported to have said. When told that my wife said this or that, I know her well enough to know whether or not she really said it, even without asking her if she actually said it. And I trust the vice versa is true as well.

While sometimes we can pick out voices by their uniqueness or peculiarity, I think most often it is because we are familiar with that voice. Due to my intimate familiarity with my wife’s voice, I am able to hear her voice amongst a group of voices, often even when she isn’t the loudest voice.

One of the images of Jesus found in scripture is that of a shepherd. What do we know about shepherds? Shepherds generally came from the base elements of society. They were on the lowest rung of the economic scale and had little or no formal education. Shepherds had no power or influence, they simply tended sheep. They were also totally committed to their flock and would do anything, including risking life and limb, to care for and protect their sheep. And sheep are very familiar with their shepherd, so much so that they recognize his or her voice. In the early centuries there were usually multiple flocks in the same pen, so it was important for survival that the sheep knew and recognized their own shepherd’s voice.

In the Bible, Abel was the first male to be called a shepherd (Genesis 4:2) while Rachel was first female shepherd(ess) mentioned (Genesis 29:9).  

In John 10, as Jesus faces growing opposition, He desires to draw his followers into more intimacy with himself, using a metaphor they would greatly understand, that of a shepherd. There is much packed into this passage but what I want to focus on is that Jesus says He knows his sheep and his sheep know him and his voice. In v.14, we find this – “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” And later on, here was what Jesus says – “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (v.27). To keep these verses in context, it is important that you read the entire narrative (10:1-30). Click here to read the full passage.

My sheep listen to my voice implies an experiential intimacy with Jesus, our Good Shepherd, one in which we not only know him and his voice, but also that we follow and obey. Recognizing His voice requires attentive listening and discerning his voice from all the rest. Attentive listening to his voice, and for His voice, comes primarily through Scripture. Attentive listening is an ongoing every day thing, and it takes practice. Attentive listening leads to faith. And faith leads to obedient response – “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

Whose voice do you recognize?   

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Our country’s celebration of Independence Day is on Monday. This holiday commemorates the United States independence from Great Britain. The Second Continental Congress voted in favor of independence on July 2, 1776, but the Declaration of Independence was not ratified until two days later, on July 4. Thomas Jefferson is credited with authorship of the document but it was actually drafted by a committee, that along with Jefferson included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson wrote the first draft because of his wordsmithing ability. It was then edited by the others on the committee before being lastly edited and ratified by the entire congress.

Freedom is something we all desire. None of us like to feel enslaved to anyone or anything. I once worked for a company where employees felt enslaved. The owner of that company paid his key managers twenty percent more than they could make elsewhere, thus those employees felt trapped. Maybe you right now feel enslaved, trapped, in a job, relationship, some ongoing health issue, an addiction, or some unhealthy or sinful behavior that just seems to have a grip on you. And let me define sin as any thought, action, or attitude that falls short of God’s holiness. It is transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) against Him (Deuteronomy 9:7).

You and I have one thing in common with every other human being. We are all born with a sinful nature. Scripture tells us that sin entered the world through Adam and has been passed on to all mankind (Romans 5:12). King David said this is Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” Because of our sinful nature, we all sin, which because God is just, has separated us from Him. We find these words in Isaiah 59:2, “But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.” And here is what we read in Romans, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (3:23).

God gave all of us a bridge to reconcile with Him, allowing us to no longer be enslaved to sin. That bridge is his Son, Jesus Christ, who died a horrific death on the Cross on order to free you and me – “All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him” (Isaiah 53:6).

Our ticket to that freedom is putting our complete trust in Jesus, committing our life to following him – “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life (found) in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Jesus himself, in answering a question asked by his believers regarding being enslaved said this, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

I encourage you to read the above verse in its context (John 8:31-59). I see the tone of this section as argumentative, in that while these believers accepted Jesus’s messianic claims, they persisted in doing so not in faith but rather by their own ideas and the fact that they were children of Abraham.  

So, this holiday weekend, as you celebrate our country’s freedom, also take time to reflect upon the freedom that is offered to you through the blood of Jesus. Have you accepted that gift? If not, this “freedom” weekend is a perfect time to do so; commit or maybe re-commit yourself to Jesus, and in doing so, you will be free indeed.

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