I wish the English language had more words to express love. We are stuck with one word to describe our strong preference for certain foods and the affections we feel for those closest to us. I love steak and I love my wife, just with a different type of love. Though you may have heard of the different words for love in the Greek language, you may not be as familiar with a special word for love in the Old Testament. ‘Hesed’ is used throughout the Bible and is normally translated as ‘love.’ But the word doesn’t have a direct translation to English. In other contexts, the word is translated as kindness, mercy, loyalty, and steadfast love. When translated as ‘steadfast love,’ it is meant to communicate God’s covenant love. That is His solid, committed, sacrificial love for those He is committed to. As Sally Lloyd-Jones says in The Jesus Storybook Bible , it is His “never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always, and forever love.” Marriage is the closest example we have of this type of love. And I am not talking about the happy couple walking out together on their wedding day. That is nice and all, but it doesn’t illustrate hesed. Hesed is shown as the couple grows old together, perseveres through trials, forgives when wronged, supports when needed, and cares for each other until one or both draw their last breath. Hesed is more often found in the ICU than in the wedding chapel. With that type of love in mind, I appreciate God’s promise to the future forever King. “But my steadfast love (hesed) will not depart from him.” (2 Samuel 7:15) This is not a complicated verse, but it is an enormous promise. God showed hesed to His people, but they kept rejecting it. The same would soon be true for the kings after David. But God’s hesed would not give up. In His great plan, He sent Jesus to bring His hesed to the world. Jesus, as the promised king descended from David, is where God’s hesed is perfectly given and perfectly received. Why is this good news for us? Because we are in Christ, all the hesed given and received by Jesus is accounted to us. When we don’t feel like loving God, His hesed will not depart. When we fail, His hesed will not. When we doubt or face discouragement, His hesed will remain close by. Whatever trials you are facing, take heart that God’s “never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always, and forever love” will never depart from those in Christ. Rest in Him today. By Philip Jones Philip and his wife Stacy have been attending Immanuel since 2015. They are blessed to be raising four kids. His passion in ministry is to help others follow Jesus through teaching, preaching, and personal discipleship.

If you hate vegetables, I might have good news for you. Researchers at the University of Kentucky have found a gene that causes some people to taste extreme bitterness in some veggies. If you cried while your parents forced you to finish your broccoli, brussels sprouts, or cabbage, you might have a legitimate complaint. On the flip side, some people have genetics that are tuned to sweets. Though not tested, my dietary preference puts me here. When it comes to the Bible, I think some people are given a prophecy gene during their new birth. Just like the genes that can give some people a sweet tooth, the prophecy gene gives some an intense curiosity for all things prophecy. They know various timelines, can easily map historical events to God’s Word, and probably consider Daniel and Revelation to be their favorite books of the Bible. This isn’t a bad thing, but it isn’t where most Christians land. I don’t study prophecy to this extent, but I do enjoy seeing how God’s promises are fulfilled. A key Old Testament prophecy that doesn’t get enough attention is 2 Samuel 7. In His promise to King David, God gives us the clearest prophecy concerning the kingship of Jesus. For us to properly understand Jesus’ triumphal entry in John 12, we must know what God said to David. Consider these promises. “I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.” (v. 9) “Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.” (vv. 11b-12) “He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” (v. 13) “My steadfast love will not depart from him.” (v. 15) “And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.” (v. 16) Some of these promises were partially fulfilled in Solomon, but he was not the ultimate fulfillment. The One who completely fulfilled these promises entered Jerusalem on a donkey, on the way to the cross. Take a few moments to read 2 Samuel 7:8-17. Identify the promises of God and how each one gives you hope. And may you have the genes to taste the sweetness of this prophecy. By Philip Jones Philip and his wife Stacy have been attending Immanuel since 2015. They are blessed to be raising four kids. His passion in ministry is to help others follow Jesus through teaching, preaching, and personal discipleship.

He Has All Authority Royalty captures our attention. The Netflix series The Crown was watched by over 73 million households as they dramatized Queen Elizabeth’s life. Two billion people watched the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. And though it occurred 14 years earlier, Princess Diana’s funeral also drew a worldwide audience of 2 billion. The British royal family fills headlines and imaginations, which can give us a skewed view of royalty when we open our Bibles. We are accustomed to kings and queens being figureheads with no real authority in many countries. Things have not always been this way. Kings played a significant role in Israel’s history, usually for the worst. From the moment they rejected God as their king in favor of an earthly king (1 Sam 8:7), Israel’s fate was largely determined by royalty. With absolute authority, the king could send them to war, lead them in worship to God or idols, raise taxes, build a temple, steal land, and many more things that would have significant impact on the people. To simplify things, their experience went like this: Good king = good authority = God’s blessing Bad king = bad authority = God’s curse Israel knew their hope depended on a good king to rule with godly authority and lead them to God’s blessing. We can hear the excitement in their voices as they recognized Jesus as this king. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13) As we consider Jesus coming as king, it is good to reflect on His authority. He was not a figurehead or celebrity; He came to reign over God’s people. He didn’t come to hold an election so we all get our say in how God’s kingdom should be run. He came to rule. And this is a good thing. We have a king who rules with righteousness and justice. He liberates His followers from sin so we can know and worship the one true God. He does not abuse His authority but lovingly serves His people, even to the point of death. Do you rejoice in the authority of Jesus? Sure, His authority over us constrains us but only in good ways. He is a good king with a good purpose. Trust Him. Submit to Him. And rejoice with the crowd who welcomed Him. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” (Zechariah 9:9) By Philip Jones Philip and his wife Stacy have been attending Immanuel since 2015. They are blessed to be raising four kids. His passion in ministry is to help others follow Jesus through teaching, preaching, and personal discipleship.

Let me tell you a brief love story. Stacy and I will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary this May. God has blessed us with an amazing life, but it almost didn’t happen. You see, we met while attending the same church. We were in our 20’s so a lot of that time was spent serving in the youth group. Within a few years, most of the kids accused us of secretly dating. We were that close, but we were really just friends. Call me slow, but the love of my life was right in front of my face and I didn’t see it. Thankfully, God and Stacy were patient. I don’t know if you can relate, but I think the disciples can. John records Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, then adds an almost humorous line. Read it for yourself: The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first… (John 12:12-16) These were the same people that had seen Jesus calm a storm, turn water into wine, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and just recently had raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus had revealed His identity and mission to them numerous times. And now when it is time for Him to fulfill the prophecy from Zechariah concerning the coming of Israel’s king, “they didn’t understand these things.” It’s easy to pick on the disciples. But are we that different? We hear the stories of Jesus. We see Him work in our lives. We enjoy fellowship with Him through the Spirit. We have heard the Easter story time and time again. Yet there are times we may not understand these things we so often see. Life gets busy. We get distracted. The worries of life weigh us down. We’ve heard the story before. This is why it is good to reflect on what it means for Jesus to be king. We may not encounter new information, but we can make sure we understand and apply what we know. Take a few moments to ponder what it means for Jesus to be king. And ask yourself, “Do I understand these things?” By Philip Jones Philip and his wife Stacy have been attending Immanuel since 2015. They are blessed to be raising four kids. His passion in ministry is to help others follow Jesus through teaching, preaching, and personal discipleship.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. (Romans 13:14 ESV) We wear clothes that fit our activities, don’t we? We put on sweats for a workout, a jersey for a game, maybe a collared shirt with the company logo for our job, a formal suit or dress for a wedding, and comfy pajamas for a good night’s sleep. We would probably get strange looks if we wore our gym clothes to a wedding or our pajamas to work. Likewise, when we follow Jesus, we should also look like Jesus. So, what does it mean to “put on” Christ? But put on the Lord Jesus Christ… When we trust in Jesus, we are no longer under the rule and reign of sin. We are in Christ, bought with His blood. He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds . (Titus 2:14 NLT). If we claim to identify with Christ by calling ourselves Christians, we should also identify with Him in right living. How do we do this? Well, there’s no better way to look like Jesus than to spend time with Jesus. The more we know and love Him, the more we desire to obey Him. We must choose to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” by displaying a Christlike character, showing our devotion to Him. …and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Although sin no longer controls us, it is still at war within and around us. If we are not living for Christ, we are living for something else. We must actively turn away from our sinful desires, leaving no room for darkness because we have the light of life (John 8:12). Paul tells us in Romans 6:2b-3, How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We are dead to our sin and have been given new life in Him – so we need to act like it! Let’s remember who we are “wearing” and show a lost and broken world that we serve the Lord Jesus Christ by how we live. Would others recognize that you belong to Christ by how you live? Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to be clothed in the presence of Christ and cast off the sin that has entangled you. By Jessica Fox Jessica is an early childhood teacher and pastor’s wife. She and her husband, Travis, have been married for 23 years and attend Immanuel Baptist Church at Armstrong Mill with their three teenage children.

This week we are in John 17. "Your mission, should you choose to accept it..." This iconic phrase from Mission Impossible, both the original television series and the subsequent movie franchise, introduces viewers to seemingly impossible tasks that a team of agents is asked to undertake. The message would self-destruct to maintain confidentiality as the agents decided whether to accept their assignment. While it never affects the plot, it always troubles me that the message self-destructs before anybody writes anything down, and that there is apparently no feedback mechanism informing management that the mission has been accepted. How do they know when they need to send the same mission to another agent? These are the kinds of unnecessary details I think about. (And of course, the Mission Impossible theme song is fantastic. If you can’t remember it, I’ll wait here if you want to go look it up). As Christians, we too are called to accept a mission. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. (John 17:18 HCSB) Just as the Father sent Jesus with the divine purpose of providing a path of salvation, Jesus commissioned us to go into the world and continue His work and bring others onto the path we’re traveling. This is reinforced in the Great Commission: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20 HCSB) Just as I can get distracted by unnecessary details in a movie, we might similarly question just how God expects us to reach a world of over 8 billion people with the gospel, especially considering how restrictive and violent some nations are about Christianity. I personally get discouraged when I see high profile Christians behaving in ways that, and I say this with all humility about myself, sure seem counter-productive to our mission. But I must remember not to despair; it’s not up to me to figure it all out. When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?” But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:25-26 HCSB) By Mark Stuart Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob (Bailey), and grandfather of Charley.

This week we are in John 17. My understanding of gold prospecting was shaped by television. I learned that in prospecting, excitable, bearded fellows like Yosemite Sam from Looney Tunes , or Yukon Cornelius from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer run around seeking their fortune with pickaxes. Now that I’m an adult, I know better. In the modern world, the excitable bearded fellows use metal detectors. When gold is extracted from the earth it is mixed with impurities such as minerals that reduce its quality and usefulness. For gold to be purified, the internet tells me that it must go through a refining process involving combinations of heat, chemical treatment, and filtering. It sounds like an intense process. Like impure gold, our hearts need some work as well. Jesus prayed the following: Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. I sanctify Myself for them, so they also may be sanctified by the truth. (John 17:17-19 HCSB) Our hearts are sanctified and purified by God’s Word. For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12 HCSB) It sounds like an intense process. But we don’t have to figure it out alone. The Bible teaches us that Jesus isn’t standing in the distance waiting for us to complete this lifelong sanctification process; He goes through the process with us. He doesn’t shun us until we achieve some threshold of refinement; He shows us how it’s done. He is the Word and was with God in the beginning, and He’s with us at every one of our beginnings. He’s there refining through our many victories and failures. And speaking for myself, there’s a lot of impurity that needs to be heated and continuously filtered. And every time I turn around there are more impurities that I too easily let infiltrate. The Word of God is living and effective, sharper than any sword, and I need to let Him do His work. By Mark Stuart Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob (Bailey), and grandfather of Charley.

This week we are in John 17. In my youth I was a competitive runner. I ran track and cross country in high school and college, and the time spent with teammates was a very impactful time in my life. Running was tough and took discipline, but I came to love it. Thirty-plus years later, every October there is a day when the weather and smell is just so, and I get the urge to go run a cross-country race. I know that sounds weird to a lot of you. I still run today but have devolved into that guy who shuffles around the neighborhood whether it’s extremely hot or cold, and whose neighbors likely question his decision-making. But there was a brief period in between youth and not-so-youth in which I dabbled in running marathons. I completed three before my body informed me that it was retiring from such nonsense. The mind was still willing, but the flesh became weak. One of my marathons went particularly poorly. I am not exaggerating when I say that in the last couple of miles, my thighs hurt so much that I contemplated what depth of stab wound would be comparable. But a funny thing happened when I crossed the finish line. Pain and despair turned to euphoria in one lurching step. The journey was tough, but completing it changed everything. This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent - Jesus Christ. I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. (John 17:3-4 HCSB) A marathon is 26.2 miles, and I’m here to tell you that while my body didn’t feel much different at 26.1 versus 26.2 miles, my perspective was incomparable. The same screaming muscles that wailed in despair immediately became a Hallelujah chorus. My limping walk back to the hotel might as well have been dancing. Jesus said He had glorified God the Father by completing the work given to Him. Jesus completed His work perfectly, but we don’t have to be perfect. While I never ran my marathons as fast as I wanted, you better believe I am glad that I finished them instead of giving up and quitting when I realized my target time was out of reach. God has given us work to do here on earth. We know we can’t do it to perfection, but we can glorify Him nonetheless by finishing it. The most important step in finishing a marathon isn’t the first one or the last one. It’s the next one. By Mark Stuart Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob (Bailey), and grandfather of Charley

This week we are in John 17. Has somebody ever surprised you? I don’t mean like a surprise party - I’m thinking here about a situation where you thought of somebody one way, but once you got to know them you thought of them much differently. Years ago, I was part of a work team that interfaced regularly with another team. We managed different phases of a project and in between was a hand-off period. The other team had a guy I hadn’t worked with before. He was gruff and foul-mouthed; and I confess to you here that right off the bat, I didn’t like him. Many of my co-workers rolled their eyes when talking about him. You can see where this is going. Over time I came to learn that while some of his demeanor was just his personality, a lot of it was because he had a difficult job and not enough help. What came across as gruffness was because he was super-focused and just trying to get things done. And what a couple of my coworkers didn’t like was that he was holding them to an appropriately high standard on our part of the project. Working with him ultimately made me better at my job. Much to my surprise, I came to truly like and respect him. We’ve all heard we should not judge a book by its cover, and we should remember it takes time and effort to really get to know somebody. Jesus prayed this: This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent - Jesus Christ. (John 17:3 HCSB) There is a big difference between knowing about God and knowing God. If we’re not careful we can let our relationship with Him be more like our relationship with some famous person we admire but don’t really know. Through this prayer, Jesus is reinforcing that eternal life comes from knowing both God and Him. Knowing God requires time and intentionality, just like any deep relationship. Occasionally my wife will order a meal for delivery when I am tied up in a late-day work meeting; and despite not asking me what I want, she has a perfect track record of ordering something I enjoy. She can do that because she’s spent so much time with me that she knows the kinds of things I like. There are a lot of good and bad distractions in this world. This is a good reminder to me that any time I am feeling distant from Jesus, I just need to spend more time with Him. By Mark Stuart Mark is the husband of Laura, father of Shelby and Jacob (Bailey), and grandfather of Charley.