A Perfect World?

God designed a perfect world for us to live in but something happened along the way. We corrupted God's creation with our sinful lusts and desires. We made the world all about us instead of all about God. That was a big mistake.

"They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator." - Romans 1:25

There is a passage of scripture that indicates this situation perfectly. In the span of four verses God's people went from following God to following ourselves.

"The people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua," - Judges 2:7

Then, just four verses later . . . .

"Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD." - Judges 2:11

I can't tell you how many times God's people agreed to do everything God wanted, and then went right out and did exactly the opposite. They were SO easily distracted. WE are so distracted.

You and I are no different than "God's people." Throughout time we have always proven ourselves faulty and disobedient. So, what now? Is there a solution?

Yes, there is. However, it's not in THIS life. I don't believe the solution exists in the here and now. What I AM sure of is that the path to get to that life is here in front of our eyes. If we're looking at a Bible that is.

Jesus said that "in this life you will have trouble." He was right. He's ALWAYS right! We all go through struggles in this earthly life. Why?

We're missing the point. This life i snot about having fun or getting as much "stuff" as we can get. No! This life is about "finding Jesus!" We get so distracted with 'finding ourselves' that many of us will never find the very answer that will save their lives! Jesus!

The perfect life we all are waiting to live is in the next life, not this one. Oh, we might get hints of it here and there in the present but, contrary to what Joel Osteen preaches, our best life if NOT NOW. It's after we leave this world for the next. Comprede?

Let me leave you with this encouragement from the Book of Revelation.

"Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” a for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ b or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” - Revelation 21:1-5

Foreshadowing?

I need a little help. (No comments please) Could you read these verses and let me know what you think?

I was reading in the Book of Joshua the other night and came across these verses that I had previously underlined. The verses are from Joshua 6 - The Destruction of Jericho.

Before I talk about those verses let me remind you of one thing. The name 'Johua' is synonymous with the name 'Jesus.' Just a little fun fact for you to keep in mind as you read. Now the text.

"Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 2And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 3You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 4And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 5It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.” - Joshua 6:1-5

Now read this:

"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52

Do those two stories sound similar? The text from Joshua has Israel conquering Jericho. God's people (good) triumphing over the people of Jericho (evil). Both stories show God's people being led by Joshua / Jesus. Both stories feature trumpets sounding just before something happens. And both stories contain examples of people "going up."

Coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not.

The Old Testament is full of stories that are foreshadowings of things to come. Noah and the Ark, Jonah and The Whale, Moses delivering his people. There are also several appearances in the Old Testament of Jesus, the Commander of God's Army in Joshua 5:13-15 for example who appears to Joshua just before the story about Jericho.

Maybe it's just me but when I see Jesus appearing in story after story . . . in the OLD Testament, it's a reminder to me anyway that the entire Bible . . . is about Jesus.

The Church, God's people, will be entering The Promised Land soon. We will do so at the sound of a trumpet. And when we hear the sound of the shofar, we will ALL go up.

Giving Thanks

It's the day before Thanksgiving and two days before Black Friday. Those two days seem philosophically opposed to one another. One is a stay at home, family, loving kind of day while the other is a "go to the mall, spend all kinds of money, battle to the death over a great deal" kind of day.

My wife is a great shopper. She loves getting "deals" on things. We have a pantry shelf in our basement that's overflowing. My wife has gotten so many great deals on food that I recently had to expand our shelving!

Look at this picture! These people were sitting around the dinner room table just the day before and now they are willing to trample each other over a television set. I haven't heard Dr. Fauci condemn black Friday shopping as a "super-spreader event." But that's a different topic.

When I think about Thanksgiving, I think about the Thanksgiving meal itself, all the great food, sitting bloated in my recliner pretending to watch football as I moan in pain after eating too much.

How much time do we actually spend giving thanks? A pre-meal prayer that lasts for a minute, tops? What would a longer prayer look like? What would it sound like?

There is not enough time in the day to express our thanks to God for everything He has given us. Is your heart beating? Are you breathing? Did you wake up this morning? Did everyone arrive safely? And where did all of this food come from?

If we just answered "The store!" to that last question, we need to think a little deeper. All things come from God.

I pray that you would have a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your family. Make it meaningful. Offer a special prayer around the dining table. Everything you have is from God. That's a lot to be thankful for!

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." - Psalm 107:1

His Love Endures Forever - Chris Tomlin

The Penitent Man

Everyone once in a while we come across something that makes us stop and think. Maybe it's the actions of a total stranger, or a thoughtful gift from a friend at just the right moment. Their deeds or words have an impact on us and change us in some way.

I have labeled this story "Penitent" because that is how I felt after reading a passage of scripture this week. It made ME stop and think. Let me set the stage before you read it. Old Testament. Moses is leading Israel through the wilderness and they are about to enter the promised land.

God warns His people not to assimilate any of its people or any of their culture into their families, traditions, or worship. "Have nothing to do with them!" is God's message, basically. 

"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land, those you allow to remain will become barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land where you will live."

The people God wanted Israel to replace were nasty people. Fully of sin and corruption. God's instructions sound simple and easy to understand yet God's people never seem to listen. And neither, it seems, do we.

The scripture tells us that we should not allow sin to enter our lives. The attributes of "this world" should not be present in us either. Yet, day after day, we allow them in, contrary to God's advice. His COMMAND for us.

Then comes verse 56. God tells Moses what He will do to us if we become like the inhabitants of the land. If we continue to allow sin into our lives and continue to walk in the ways of "the world," the truth is not in us and we will be condemned. If we fail to obey God's command . . .

56then I will do to you what I plan to do to them." - Numbers 33:55

Not good!!

I was reminded of a scene from one of the Indiana Jones movies. Jones is trying to enter a cave when previously others have perished trying to so the same - decapitated by a pair of large swinging blades. His only clue was "Only the penitent man shall pass."

Ain't that the truth!?!?!

Are we penitent? Are we penitent for the sins we have committed? Are we still allowing the ways of "the world" to find a place in our lives and in our hearts? If so, we must repent and cast out the things that God does not want us to have in our lives.

Who gets into heaven? Only the penitent shall pass. Repent therefore . . . and thank God for Jesus!!

Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade - The Penitent Man

The Great Escape

Are you familiar with Steve McQueen? I have written about him before. Movie star, race car driver, The King of Cool!

This screen shot was taken from the movie The Great Escape. Set in World War II Germany, Steve plays a prisoner of war. He spends most of the movie trying to escape.

The German army is the enemy. They don't want Steve to escape. At the end of the movie, some of the prisoners escaped, some were killed. Steve was captured and thrown right back into prison.

This movie is analogous to the world we live in today, only our enemy cannot be seen. Despite his invisible nature, Satan's hatred for God can be seen everywhere. You and I get to play the roles of the prisoners. It is our job to escape.

In the movie the prisoners dug tunnels to get beyond the barbed-wire fence that surrounded the POW camp. In this life there are no fences but we are prisoners none-the-less. So how do we escape when it seems like there is nowhere to escape to?

The old Eagle's tune Hotel California describes our condition. "We are all just prisoners here of our own device." We are prisoners in this world.

Our sins have made us guilty in God's eyes. God's punishment for sin is death. There's no getting out of it. We are guilty! However, our death sentence comes with an 'escape' clause. His name is Jesus.

By placing our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, God has promised to airlift us out of the prison camp. Death no longer has any meaning to the Christ-follower. We have received eternal life through the atoning sacrifice that Jesus offered to God on our behalf.

Whatever your crime, whatever law you have broken, God has PROMISED to forgive you! Just come to Him in prayer and confess your sins. It will be the most difficult and yet the easiest thing you will ever do to receive such a prize.

The ability to escape the prison we are in is in our hearts. It's up to us. God has given us a ways to get out of our prison. It truly is a "great escape" because we are giving up death in favor of life. It's a no-brainer! Escape now!! Before the enemy comes to get you.

And Steve McQueen?  He made the choice for Jesus before he died from cancer. And although he died, yet shall he live.

"Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” - Luke 21:36

Who Is On Your Thrown?

The Antichrist is here. The antichrist is already sitting on God's thrown, in His Holy Temple. Consider these things:

"Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour." - 1 John 2:18

God has called us to be 'holy'. That means 'set apart.' Are we holy? Consider that as you read this passage from the Apostle Paul:

"Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst."- 1 Corinthians 3:16

In Paul's second letter to the church in Thessalonica he wrote the following:

"He (the antichrist) will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." - 2 Thessalonians 2:4

Did you get that? The antichrist "sets himself up in god's temple."

WE are God's temple! WE are to be 'holy.' WE are to be God's Holy Temple!!

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, which is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own" - 1 Corinthians 6:19

"What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” - 2 Corinthians 6:16

The question that is set before us is this - If your body is God's temple, who is sitting on the thrown? Is it God? Or is it the antichrist? Here are some self-examination questions for you to help you fins out who is seated on the thrown of The Most High God in your temple:

“If you love me, keep my commands." - John 14:15

Remember what Jesus asked Peter on the beach? "Do you love me?"

DO we obey God's commands? Or just some of them?

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? - Luke 6:46

We need to take a look at our hearts and find out who is truly sitting on its thrown. It belongs to God. Is Jesus sitting on it? He'd better be.

Heavenly Father, examine my heart. It belongs to You. Sweep Your thrown room clean of any dirt or filth that might be in it. And please, seat Yourself on Your thrown in this pitiful temple. And may I bow down before You, seeking Your forgiveness and mercy. This is YOUR house, YOUR temple. And I am your servant. Here I am. How may I serve you today?

Amen.

Bartering

Do you know what bartering is? No? Well, how about trading? I used to do a lot of that as a kid. The common currency of my childhood was baseball cards.

Today things are different, the stakes higher. "I'll trade you half a year's salary for a shiny new car." But the concept is still the same.

We trade something WE have for something somebody else has.

Today I am installing some cabinet doors for a friend. In return they are creating some graphics for a project I am working on. No money is exchanging hands. There is no tax paid to the government. Yet we are both getting something we desire, or need.

"So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he fed them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year." - Genesis 47:17

Jesus offers a trade for each of us in this life, and it's a pretty sweet deal. OUR sins for HIS righteousness. You see, you and I, we are all sinners. The punishment for sin is death in God's eyes. However Jesus has offered up Himself as payment for our sins - a more than worthy sacrifice for the sinful things we have done.

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:45

All that we have to do to complete the deal is to place our faith and trust in Jesus. He has already laid His "trading cards" on the table. The question is . . . are we willing to pick them up and trade Him our obedience?

The Parable of The Midwives

Today's story is about obedience and doing what is right in the eyes of God. Our text for today is from the first chapter of Exodus. The story of Moses. Pre-Moses actually.

The king of Egypt was trying to curb the population boom of his Hebrew slaves, fearing an uprising by their ever-increasing numbers.

"Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, 16“When you help the Hebrew women give birth, observe them on the birthstools. If the child is a son, kill him; but if it is a daughter, let her live.” - Exodus 1:15-16

What were the midwives to do? Should they obey the king? If they did they would have innocent blood on their hands in the eyes of God. What did they decided to do?

"The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live." - Exodus 1:17

That's an incredibly bold thing those midwives did! Disobeying the king is usually followed by a swiftly applied sword. But look what they did. They feared God more than the king of Egypt. They feared God more than death.

What would WE do if we are ever faced with choices like theirs? Well, the first thing we need to find our is "What does God want us to do?" And how do we find out what THAT is? Read the Bible.

"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: 17haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood . . ." - Proverbs 6:16-17

There it is! The midwives KNEW that God hated what the king had commanded them to do. Even before King Solomon did!

God-honoring decisions go beyond just the present-day abortion issue. What about medical decisions regarding end-of-life care? Lying is another thing that God hates. Have any of us lied lately? Hmm.

If we all obeyed God with our daily decisions, what would our world look like? No murder, no sexual sin, no lying or cheating, we would love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. And we would all love God. We would take care of the widow and the orphan. We would give to one another as there was a need.

That sounds like a better life than the one we're all living right now, doesn't it?

And what about those midwives? Whatever happened to them? Did anyone ever thank them for the many lives they saved? Including the life of Moses?

"So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became even more numerous. 21And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own." - Exodus 1:20-21

Amen.

Shifting Paradigms

Discoveries can lead us to change our minds about many things. Our changed minds undergo what is commonly known as a 'paradigm shift.' It's basically out with the old ideas and in with the new! Have you ever gone through a change like that?

People once thought that the earth was flat and that the sun actually circled around the earth. Later, ancient philosophers proved those ideas false and there was a paradigm shift in our world.

When Jesus rose from the dead there was another big paradigm shift. People began to believe that Jesus actually was the Messiah. Luke wrote about this in the Book of Acts.

"After his suffering, he (Jesus) presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God." - Acts 1:3

Although all of His disciples abandoned Jesus at the cross and fled, after their encounter with the risen Christ they all believed and went to their death defending those beliefs. That was a MAJOR paradigm shift for them. Jesus does that.

Jesus offers each of us an opportunity to shift our paradigms. The only question that must be answered is "Will we do it?" I have. Hopefully you have too.

You know, when my dad was teaching me how to drive stick in our old '68 Mustang he offered me one word of advice when the engines revs got too high.

"SHIFT!!"

The world is a crazy place these days. Jesus still offers us that opportunity to shift our worldly thinking and place our faith in Him. He is waiting for us to make that change, but He won't wait forever. And, judging by the headlines, our time to shift is running short.

Make the change. Push in the clutch and make the shift to Jesus today.

The Truth Hurts

Looking at this picture of Aaron Rodgers, what do you suppose I am going to write about today? Well, you're wrong. Lol!

This is the face of someone who has turned their back on God. And it shows.

When the Packers won their first Superbowl with Aaron Rodgers as quarterback, Rodgers gave credit to God for the win. Since that time Rodgers has changed his mind about God.

A person's or team's or nation's prosperity can have an adverse effect on someone's faith. "Why do I need God? Look at all of the cool things I have accumulated on my own."

Statement's like that are usually followed by someone's slow spiral downward. Rodgers publicly announcing that he was never a Christian makes us wonder why. At the end of this story is a link. Listen to it and you will find out the truth about Aaron Rodgers, in his own words.

Aaron Rodgers was NEVER a Christian. We went to church but he never truly believed. He used many "Christian" words but never understood the true meaning of the Gospel. I wonder how many other people have similar beliefs. How many do not actually take the time to understand the God they are worshipping, or are PRETENDING to worship.

We must pray for Aaron Rodgers. He clearly needs our prayers. The truth often hurts when we are confronted by it. Jesus is that truth and there will be a lot of pain for those who don't believe in Him.

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” - John 14:6-7

Aaron Rodgers Explains Why He Was Never A Christian - Wretched Radio

Woke Yet?

Someone asked me recently, "What does 'woke' mean?" I explained as best I could, then verified my answer with some research.

Woke is defined as being "being awake (makes sense) to social injustices in our society. It's a slang term.

Continuing my research, I read numerous articles about 'woke'-ism. I saw phrases like 'Black Lives Matter,' 'Social Justice,' and 'Cancel Culture.' These three phrases are synonymous with the "progressive" left, Socialism, and Marxism. And Woke-ism.

Feeling satisfied with the definition I gave, I looked over at my Bible and wondered. "What was it Jesus had to say to His churches in The Book of Revelation?"

(The first three chapters of Revelation consist of letters written to seven churches, dictated by Jesus and written down by John).

These seven churches were in need of correction and Jesus called them out for their errors. Here's a sampling:

"You have forsaken the love you had at first. 5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first.: - Revelation 2:4-5

"I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God." - Revelation 3:1-2

"You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. " - Revelation 3:17

Just for grins I then picked up my phone and Googled 'woke denominations'. I wondered what kind of letter Jesus would write to any present-day churches in need of correction. I found this listing:

The Five Woke Churches (a link to the article is below)

The Presbyterian Church, The United Methodist Church, The Episcopal Church, The Southern Baptist Church, and The Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA).

Being on this list of apostate churches is not a good thing. If a church's teachings do not line up with what the Bible says, what kind of church is it? Is it really a "Christian" church?

If we choose to stay in a church despite it's straying from Biblical truths, are we worshipping that church rather than the Word of God? Are we worshipping a man-made god? I'm no Biblical scholar but that seems like an extremely bad thing to do.

A word of advice: When Jesus returns, I wouldn't go running to any of the churches listed above. The wrath of God is not a pretty thing to behold. Run to Jesus! Run to Him now!

Five Signs Christian Churches Are Going 'Woke'

The Sleeping Giant

"This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” - Ephesians 5:14

By now everyone on the planet has heard about the Loudoun County School Board and Critical Race Theory. The parents of the school children got rather upset and were voicing their opinion and it made national headlines. This is not to lessen the news that the school board covered up a rape case that occurred on their watch.

The Democratic Candidate for governor of Virginia, Terry McAuliffe, sure wishes that the sleeping giant, the parents of Loudoun County school children, never would have been awakened. Their votes likely swung the election in his opponent's favor.

There is a lesson that needs to be learned here. Two lessons really.

Lesson #1 - Remaining silent when our children are being taught things against our wishes, and God's wishes, is NOT an option.

Lesson #2 - We need to remember that we are "One nation, Under God." That comes with some responsibilities.

We have been silent for too long. And despite what Barrack Obama says, "We ARE a Christian nation." We have just forgotten to act like it.

Everybody should remember 2nd Chronicles 7:14 by now.

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

Remember, we are called to "be holy, as I am holy." And what does "holy" mean? It means "set apart ones." If we as a people are truly holy, maybe we should start acting like it. We should be set apart from those in our communities who want us to blend in or to be eliminated. God is ONE "sleeping giant" we don't want to awaken to wrath.

May this November 2nd election be the first day of God healing our land.

Rise Above It

There is a general feeling of depression rising from deep within our country. I know where it comes from. Do you?

You have felt it too. I know you have. Yet our objections to it have been, for then most part, silent.

We watch in horror the videos of a woman pushing another women in front of an on-coming subway train. We hear news reports of a woman being raped and no one stepped up to help her. Yet everyone who was watching the attack was more than willing to film it on their phones.

Something has gone really wrong with the world we live in. With our country. We can sense it at our jobs. At our schools. It's everywhere! So, what do we do? The answer is really simple. The actual application is the difficult part.

"Things will get better," we say. Wrong. Things are not going to get better. In fact, things will be getting worse. But there is hope. Our hope is found in Jesus.

Look, we didn't create this mess. The evil in this world is Satan-made. And it's not an earthly battle either. It is a battle for our very souls. And we've been waging this spiritual battle for thousands of years.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." - Ephesians 6:12

The only way to win this fight is to forge an alliance with Jesus. He is ruler over all. He can destroy our common enemy with a word from His mouth. And He will one day.

"Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty." - Revelation 19:15

How do we win today's battle though? Right here and now? Place your faith and trust in Jesus! Through our faith and hope in Jesus we can rise above all of this mess. We can obtain hope for our future. And our weapon of choice is love.

Let us rise above it today, with the love of Jesus in our hearts. Victory will be ours! Rise! Jesus did.

Rise Above It - Switchfoot

Rise - Skillet