The greatest rescue that God ever brought in Scripture was in the work of His own Son upon the cross. At the cross Christ did what he came to do, rescuing all of those who ever had or would believe on him (John 3:16). He brought peace with God. But there is a fearful aspect to the cross as well.

 

My wife and I like to talk about family worship--not because we have it all figured out, but because we actually enjoy experimenting with different ways to draw ourselves and our five daughters to God (Yes, five! Yes, daughters!). Of course, family worship with little children can be particularly intimidating to young parents trying the balance the complexities that go with that season of life. Be encouraged, meaningful family worship is within reach.

 

Christ Jesus--as our High Priest--is in the Holy of Holies and He has our names inscribed upon the palm of His hands. We are ever before His face. He always remembers us. In John 10, He says, "I am the good shepherd, I know my own." We may not be able to see Him right now, but that doesn't mean He doesn't see us. We may not hear His audible voice from heaven right now, but He is far from silent. He is praying for you. And whatever He asks of the Father is granted to you. As He says in John 11:42, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me." The Father always hears Him, His prayers are always effectual, and He is always praying for you. He is faithful and will not leave His post. You have a besetting sin, He knows. You have a troubled marriage, He sees. You cannot seem to overcome the death of your loved one, He hears. He is ever there, crying out on your behalf, showing forth His wounds on your behalf. He is your intercessor. He is your High Priest. That should give us great comfort when the trials seem too much, the sin too great, the loneliness too present, or the doubts too real. There is comfort in knowing that He is interceding for us.

 

That concept of welcome and invitation is so woven into the implicit expectations of a church that we often lose sight of the theological basis for being a welcoming people toward our siblings in Christ and the non-Christians that visit our churches.

 

What makes God so happy? Three times we are told that our God is “blessed forever” (Rom. 1:25; 9:5; 2 Cor. 11:31). But what makes Him so happy? Well, I’m sure there are many contributing factors. For example, being perfectly holy must be a great source of happiness. The absence of uncertainty, through knowing the end from the beginning, must also engender huge happiness. But maybe we can also learn about divine happiness from human happiness.