Abundance of The Heart

"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." - Matthew 12:34

When I first saw this picture, I just stared at it for a while. I looked at the hearts - a symbol of love. I examined the hands - they are giving hands.

The giving of one's heart to someone else is the ultimate expression of love. It tells that person that we love them.

Of course, we don't really give our hearts to anyone. We would be killing ourselves if we actually did that. But sometimes our love for that person is so strong that, if they truly needed our heart, we would relinquish it. That's sacrificial love.

After my mother died several years ago, I was at a festival downtown. I was busy doing something. I wasn't really thinking about my mother's death at all. That's when the crowd parted and a friend of mine came walking towards me.

"Hi Bob! Long time, no see. What's new in your life?"

It wasn't long before I was telling my friend about the loss on my mom and getting all emotional as I did so. I hadn't really grieved for my mom until that very moment.

Recently, that same friend, who had comforted me simply by listening and giving me a hug, lost her own mother. I knew I HAD to go to her mother's viewing to express my condolences. AND to return the favor.

When I got to the church, I saw a group of people off to the side, talking with one another. I signed the guestbook and walked into the sanctuary. I didn't see my friend but began talking with her son and then with her husband who were both in the room.

Soon however, my friend came walking down the aisle towards me. Her entrance reminded me of that day we had talked about my mother's death. Only now the roles were reversed.

I was originally going to call this story 'Moccasins'. Why? Because of the old Native American proverb - Never judge another man until you have walked a mile in their moccasins. We don't really know what someone else is going through until we actually go through the same thing for ourselves.

The compassion we have for others comes from the heart. Some hearts are small. Others, like my friend's heart, have ample amounts of love to give - the abundance of the heart.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 5For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Christmas Has Changed

All is quiet now. Christmas has come and gone. Scrolling through pictures of everyone's Christmas celebrations, I wonder, "what has happened to Christmas?"

Everyone looks so happy in their Facebook pictures. Unwrapping presents, eating Christmas cookies, and watching "Christmas" movies. Is that what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown? It almost seems like the true meaning of Christmas has been forgotten.

Jesus makes an appearance once in a while, but the majority of our "Christmas" pictures seem to be about ourselves. Just like any other day of the year, but on steroids.

I have nothing against these family pictures whatsoever or documenting anyone's family fun. I'm all for those things actually. We should do MORE of it. But what do all of these moments and pictures have to do with Christ's birth, other than that they happened on or about December 25th?

Christmas, and Thanksgiving too, have just become reasons to get together and celebrate family. Again, there's nothing wrong with family time, but these holidays were designed for celebrating Christ's birth and for giving thanks to God. Our knowledge about God, and why we celebrate, and HOW we celebrate, has changed.

We might say we believe in God, but we also tell our kids the same thing about Santa and the tooth fairy. There is a disconnect here.

We tell our children not to lie but then we turn right around and lie to them. Kids are smart. Their parent's lying plants seeds in the minds of the young.

The Bible says that God hates a lying tongue.

“There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers.” - Proverbs 6:16-19

Lying makes the list TWICE! If we truly knew God, why would we ever lie? Forgetting Christ and Christmas is also a lie.

We can know OF God, but we don't really KNOW Him. If we actually KNEW God, would our Facebook pictures and posts look totally different? And why do we need special holidays to give thanks and celebrate Christ's birth? Shouldn't that be an EVRERYDAY thing?

“’These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." - Matthew 15:8

Have you ever watched The Nativity Story movie? It's not about Christmas as we think of it today. The movie is about the actual birth of Christ. But really, it is about the struggle we humans have to find a place for Him in our lives . . . and to have Him born . . . in us.

If we profess a faith in Christ, shouldn't our Christmas celebrations reflect that belief?

How can we honor God more at Christmas? Attend a Christmas Eve or a Christmas day church service. Give gifts, not to ourselves, or to others, but to God. Those are good, but what about the way we live our lives. Every day. Isn't that what God truly wants from us?

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ - Matthew 12:30-32

Basically, God wants US. He wants us all and He wants our all. He wants our "everything."

Here is an ominous verse for all who think everything is fine just the way it is. I'll leave it here in the King James version. Read it and pray for God's return to our Christmas celebrations. And to our everyday lives.

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. - Hosea 4:6

Christmas is a wonderful thing to celebrate, as long as we remember WHY we celebrate.

Be Born In Me - Francesca Battistelli

The Story of Migdal Eder

700 years before Jesus was born, the prophet Michah wrote these words:

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” - Micah 5:2

This was the promise of The Messiah that would come, saying that He would be born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem is located just 1,000 paces south of Jerusalem. Also, Bethlehem is the place where the sacrificial lambs were raised for the temple sacrifices in Jerusalem. The sacrifices were used to take away the sins of the people. Remember these words from John the Baptist, when he saw Jesus coming?

"The next day he (John The Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" - John 1:29

Let’s go back to the Book of Micah.

"And you, O tower of the flock, hill of the daughter of Zion, to you shall it come, the former dominion shall come, kingship for the daughter of Jerusalem." - Micah 4:8

The Hebrew words Migdal Eder translate to “watch tower of the flock”. The shepherds used the old abandoned military watch tower to “keep watch over their flocks by night” (Luke 2:8).

It gets even more interesting. The bottom of the watch tower was used for birthing lambs. Because the lambs were to be used for sacrifice, the shepherds had to take special precautions to keep them spotless. The shepherds (are you ready for this?) wrapped the spotless lambs in swaddling cloth.

Was the basement of Migdal Eder also the birthplace of Jesus? The Bible doesn’t really say that, straight out, but it sure makes sense. It does say that Jesus was born in a manger (Luke 2:7) and there were mangers at Migdal Eder . . . in the basement . . . where the special shepherds were, keeping watch over their sacrificial lambs.

You know, all of this stuff is really cool to me. The more I study the Bible and dig into its rich content like this, it just literally comes to life for me. But the really important thing to remember, whether you are a Bible geek like me of just prefer to keep things simple, Jesus was born a human. He was born, to die. A sacrificial lamb.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment - to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ." - Ephesians 1:3-10

Merry Christmas. May God bless you during this advent season as we celebrate His birth and await His second advent – His glorious return. Amen.

The Invisible Trap

The thing about traps is that we don't expect them, we simply can't see them, or we just can't understand how they could possibly even BE a trap. That's what makes a trap, a trap. Everything LOOKS safe. It looks innocent. What could possibly go wrong . . . right? SNAP!

We have mice that get into our house every now and then. I set traps, baited with peanut butter or some cheese. It doesn't take long. That's because the mouse is more interested in the bait than it is in the workings of the trap.

My wife and I went to a high school jazz concert the other night. We walked in as they were setting up the stage. We were supposed to meet a friend there, but they never showed up. We were even given a program that said, "Christmas Jazz Concert" on it. And we were seated at a table just like they were expecting us. That's because they were. It was a trap!!

And what was the trap? The trap was of our own doing. In our own beliefs. My wife and I had walked into the wrong school. They just happened to also have a jazz Christmas concert going on at the same time, on the same night. No wonder our friend wasn't there!

Why did we go to the wrong school? Lack of information on my part. All of the information was there. I just never read it. I had made an assumption, and my assumption was wrong.

The Gospel of Jesus, the Messiah, is NOT a trap. It is the truth. But there are other religions and false gospels out there. People are believing in them as if they are fact. They are traps - invisible traps for unsuspecting.

Other religions can sound good. They can relax us and make us feel comfortable. They can even make us feel safe and secure. SNAP!

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6

For those who want to avoid getting caught in the trap of false doctrine and false religions, there is an easy way to do that. Educate yourself on the workings of "the trap." Dig into each belief. Compare them to the teachings of The Bible. Read! Understand! Retain!

Mormonism is false. Scientology is false. Buddhism is false. Hinduism is false. How do I know that these other religions are false? I compared their teachings to that of The Bible. And how do I KNOW that the Bible is the absolute truth?

The Bible was dictated by God (who cannot lie) through His prophets. God's Holy Spirit spoke to the writers of the New Testament through people who witnessed the risen Christ (Jesus) personally and were given revelation by God Himself. The same God who raised the dead, parted the Red Sea and fathered the only sinless man (Jesus) through a virgin. And told us that it would happen hundreds of years beforehand.

But the final piece of evidence in my life that the God of The Bible is who He says He is, is this: He changed ME. He changed who I was, into who I am today, all in the twinkling of an eye.

We should not fall for the trap of comfort in our faith. Our faith should be living and active. Not comfortable. Jesus said, "In this life you will have trouble," not comfort.

There is no arguing with the truth. There are no "versions" of the truth. There is only ONE truth. We can either accept it or deny it. It's up to us to test everything that comes at us in this world. Only the Truth (capital T) will set us free.

“Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8: 34-36

Christmas Tears

Do you have a Christmas song that gets you all choked up inside? All TRUE Christmas songs should do that.

A friend of mine and I were talking about this topic after church yesterday. For him it's The Little Drummer Boy. The little boy in the song had nothing to give baby Jesus so he gave the only thing he had - a drum solo. He gave God the very gift that God had given him. A talent to play.

For me it's What Child Is This? Not so much the verses of the song, but when we sing "This, this is Christ The King" my eyes get all watery. 

Any Christmas song can makes us sad if it is associated with someone who is no longer in our lives. Or perhaps some other sad even associated with Christmas. But tears of joy are something else entirely.

What is YOUR favorite Christmas song? And why? Don't look now but if your favorite Christmas song makes you shed tears of joy that God came to earth as a man to die for our sins, you might just be . . . a Christian.

"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." - Isaiah 7:14

What Child Is This?  - The Petersons

The Little Drummer Boy - Carrie Underwood & Isaiah

Gently Weeping

It's funny how certain events can join together to form a single cohesive thought or message. That happened the other night as I was watching a few YouTube videos.

The first video was of Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann Moss. They were being interviewed about their soon-to-be-released movie - Matrix Resurrections.

Keanu was excitedly talking about alternative realities featured in The Matrix movies. There are actually lots of people living in "alternative realities" in the world right now.

Democrats, Republicans, various religious denominations and religious belief systems. Even individual humans can live in a different reality through Alzheimers or dementia.

The next video I watched was of the late George Harrison (the former Beatle) performing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" with Eric Clapton.

You might wonder how those two videos could possibly be related. Until you come to the line in the song that goes, "Look at you all, see the love there that's sleeping."

As God sits on His thrown, looking down at us and our alternative realities, couldn't you almost hear Him saying, "Look at you all. You think you are awake but you are really sleeping. How quickly you turn away from worshipping me. You have forgotten your first love. I see the love in you. It is sleeping. Lulled to sleep by "the world". Wake up! The world has become your reality. You are not of this world! Wake up! Your redemption is near and you are sleeping!!"

"When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" - Luke 21:28

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." - Romans 12:2

"You have forsaken the love you had at first" - Revelation 2:4

There are many people, sleeping their lives away in this world. They worship gods that cannot heal or save. They worship the gods that they themselves have created. Idol worshippers. This is not good!

But there is always hope, in God. He always provides a means of escape for His remnant. WE are that remnant. Let's live like it.

"The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry." - Psalm 34:15

It's not too late for us to repent, but soon it will be.

"Examine yourselves."

"Look at the world and notice it's turning. While my guitar gently weeps. With every mistake we must surely be learning. While my guitar gently weeps." - George Harrison, While My Guitar Gently Weeps

The Curse of Jeconiah

In the first chapter of Matthew, we can read about the genealogy of Jesus, The Messiah. This written lineage goes all the way back to Adam and concludes with Joseph. There's only one problem. Verse 12 of Jeremiah, and The Curse of Jeconiah.

Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin, was the last king of Judah to sit on the thrown before Israel was carried away to Babylon. There was never another king after him.

God cursed Jeconiah in the 22nd chapter of the Book of Jeremiah the prophet, saying, "none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah.” (Jeremiah 22:30). How can that be? JESUS is one of his descendants!

Although Jesus was listed in the genealogy of Jeconiah, Joseph was not the father of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was. The royal blood line came through Mary. Mary was a descendant of David. You can see Mary's genealogy in the Book of Luke.

It's amazing that, no matter how many times people question God's Word, God always has proven Himself true. Trust in the Lord!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-4

The world is filled with people who doubt God, who think the world is really billions and billions of years old. They tell their children that Santa Claus is real. The Tooth Fairy exists and that they're going to heaven because "that's where EVERYONE goes when they die."

Later on, our kids find out that both Santa and the Tooth Fairy and fake news. And they also find out that Mommy and Daddy are liars. And that it's okay to lie as long as our motives were right. No!

The curse of Jeconiah was proven true through May's family tree just as the curse of Adam (sin) has been proven through our family trees.

We have a choice to make. We can keep on living like Jeconiah or we can repent of our sins and live like Jesus. It's a simple choice yet it has proven so difficult for so many. Make the choice today to follow Jesus. Read the Bible. Live your faith out beginning today. Otherwise, we are living a lie if we don't.

Nothing Else Matters

Nothing catches your attention like a little Metallica at your granddaughter's first dance recital but that's exactly what happened yesterday.

My wife and I were sitting there watching all these little girls dancing around, and then I was hearing . . . Metallica? Nothing Else Matters. What?

So, now I've got these words on repeat, running through my brain.

"Nothing else matters, nothing else matters,"

That's when another young lady took the stage, and another song found its way into my already overloaded brain. This one was a Christian song whose catch phrase was "Light of The World." Great! Now I've got TWO songs bouncing around in my head! Or is it just ONE song?

The words of BOTH songs kept repeating over and over again. Next thing I knew the songs in my head blended into one.

The Light of The World - Nothing Else Matters.

Well, that's certainly true. I wonder if the lyrics might contain any more inspiration. From Metallica:

Trust I seek and I find in you

Every day for us something new

Open mind for a different view

And nothing else matters

Seeking someone to trust in this world can be a difficult task. There is only one place to place our trust and hope, and that's Jesus. The trust I seek I find in You, Lord.

"I will say to the LORD, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." - Psalm 91:2

The worldview most people have these days does not contain God. It is a secular world view. But if we open our minds to a different view - a Biblical worldview - then we can find it truly is the only view that makes any sense. Nothing else matters. Then the next song from Lauren Daigle:

The world waits for a miracle

The heart longs for a little bit of hope

Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel

This is a time of miracles alright. A baby born in a manger, He came to save the world. A virgin birth, God coming to earth as a man, miracle after miracle for us to see and still so many do not believe.

"Even after Jesus had performed so many signs and miracles in their presence, they still would not believe in him. 38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” 39For this reason they could not believe." - John 12:37-39

The message I received in these two songs is a perfect one, especially during this time of year.

The Light of The World (Jesus) is worthy of our trust. He never lies, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Won't you let Him perform a miracle in your heart? Let Him give you the hope that you seek. Considering the world we live in today, could placing our trust in Jesus cure the sad feelings in our hearts? Pray this prayer with me:

Heavenly Father, I am so sick of this world. I place my trust in You, and You alone. I pray that You Lord would perform a miracle in me. Change my heart. This world holds nothing for me anymore. You are the Light of the world! I place my trust in You and You alone. Lord, nothing else matters . . . but You. Amen.

Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

Light of The World - Lauren Daigle

Look Up!

Before weather radar was a thing we relied on 'signs in the sky' for our weather forecasting. 'Red sky at night, sailor's delight.' Remember that one?

Our modern weather radar is pretty good, but it can still get things wrong. Yesterday, for example, my phone's weather app said it was snowing where we live yet, when we looked outside, there wasn't a snowflake to be seen.

A popular weatherman in our area once said that before he went on the air with his computer-generated weather projections, he always stuck his head out the back door and looked at the sky. Smart man.

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption is drawing near.” - Luke 21:28

The Bible talks about things that will happen in the future. It's called 'prophesy.' Jesus said this:

"You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times." - Luke 12:56

Weather forecasts can be useful for preparing us for the day. What we will wear and what we will do often depend on the weather. But to be properly prepared we have to heed the tornado warnings and blizzard warnings. Our beliefs about the weather forecast affects our actions.

The same if true for God's prophetic words. If we don't listen to them, what good are they doing us?

Does your church teach out of the Book of Revelation? Daniel? Matthew 24? If it doesn't, how will you be prepared for the storm that is coming? You might as well wear shorts and flip-flops to church this winter then. Acceptable in Florida perhaps, but not in Wisconsin!

Bible prophecy is there for a reason. The Book of Revelation is the only book where God says that He will bless its readers.

"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." - Revelation 1:3

Be blessed today! Read it and heed it.

The Humble Servant

 

Yesterday was an interesting day. I didn't realize that I had signed up for a life lesson in humility but that's what I received. And I am grateful for receiving it.

My wife and I drove down to Milwaukee yesterday to visit her father. He is nearing the end of his life and is in hospice.

He woke up and looked at us both as we arrived but then returned to sleeping. Then a CNA came in with his lunch and my humility lesson got underway.

This woman caringly fed my father-in-law while at the same time reassuring my wife about how well he was doing during this transition time. A spoon full of chicken casserole, a spoon full of water, a wiping of the lips. How gentle she was. How caring.

My wife left the room to fill the bird feeder outside his window, not that he would ever see it, but the birds would appreciate the effort. I took the opportunity to pray for my father-in-law. And upon my wife's return, I read him the Christmas story from Luke 2. That was all good.

As we drove back home, we remarked how wonderful the CNA was to my wife's father. Even commenting that she was an angel. We didn't even catch her name.

Arriving in Appleton, we stopped at a store so my wife could pick up a book she ordered. Pulling into the store's driveway we noticed a man seated on the sidewalk and leaning up against the building. He had just fallen on the slippery sidewalk and was waiting for help to arrive.

Perhaps inspired by the CNA we had witnessed earlier in the day, I went over to the stranger and asked if I could pray for him. He said 'yes' and so I did. When I opened my eyes the EMT crew was there. I backed away and left them to their work.

It was a good day.

Am I always open to, and observant of, opportunities to pray for someone or to serve someone? It was nine degrees that day. Would I have so easily offered prayer on a "normal" day, without the example of the caring CNA to follow?

It seems to me that we should ALWAYS be prepared to serve and to pray for those who are in need. Jesus is our example. Shouldn't we be following His example if we are "followers" of Christ? Are we followers only on SOME days when we feel like it?

"Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first must be your slave - 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” - Matthew 20:26-28

This is the season for miracles. We must keep our eyes open for opportunities to love and to serve, in humility and with compassion. We must reflect God's love for us by loving others. That's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Slippery Roads

We got a couple inches of snow over the weekend. Living out in the country where we do it's always hard to navigate on weekends until it gets closer to Monday (a school day). The snowplows don't come through until they have to, for the school bus.

The highway into town is usually pretty good. But getting TO the highway is the problem for us, more often than not.

We never know when that icy patch or snow drift crossing the road will pop up and pull us into the ditch. It's best to take it a little slower during the winter months to where you will have time to react to whatever is on front of you.

Our faith can be like a slippery road on a dark night. if we let it. When our headlights go dim and we don't keep our eyes on the road. Boom! We're in the ditch - sin.

Having a strong faith is like having a snowplow. They have plenty of lights to see where they are going. They have a big blade to push sin out of the way (The Holy Spirit). But most importantly, they have lots of power (God). When was the last time you saw a snowplow that got stuck in the snow?

Navigating a typical snowstorm is not that difficult to do. The big ones however can cause us lots of trouble. The same with our faith. Getting through day-to-day things in our faith is easier than slogging through a blizzard.

Be safe out there!!

And should you ever get spiritually stuck in life's trials, call on Jesus, or call on a friend. Sin is a giant snowbank, just waiting for you to stop by for a visit.

"You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance." - Psalm 32:7

The Anchor

Have you ever been on a ship in a storm? If you have, hopefully it was nothing like what's going on in this picture. Storms can get quite nasty at times.

We can go through storms in our personal lives. They can be just as deadly as a storm in the middle of the ocean.

If only there was some way to safely navigate life's storms. Well, there is actually. His name is Jesus.

"A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” - Mark 4:37-40

Very interesting. Jesus was so calm during the storm that He was sleeping. Everyone else was panicking. They were actually safe in the boat with Jesus. But they didn't trust in who Jesus was. Jesus calmed the storm!

The key to having Jesus calm the storms in your life is two-fold. First, you have to be IN THE BOAT! We have to be IN CHRIST. That brings us to the second point. Our faith has to be IN JESUS too. Not in technology, not in any man-made thing. IN CHRIST!

When ships are in danger of running aground or crashing against the rock, they throw out an anchor. The anchor keeps them in one place and steadies the boat amidst the waves.

"Come steady me, steady me now."

Anchor - Skillet

The Wilderness

When I was younger the word 'wilderness' had a wonderful connotation - rugged, untouched places, with bald eagles and whitewater canoe trails through the north woods of Wisconsin.

After reading the Bible a few times and watching the Ten Commandments movie, the word 'wilderness' has a much bleaker meaning.

The wilderness of The Bible is synonymous with a period or trial or time of testing.

God made His people wander through the desert wilderness for 40 years until an entire generation had passed away. Only then did God allow His people to enter into His rest - The Promised Land.

Have you undergone a period of testing in YOUR life? A wilderness of the soul? It can be a very trying time. But what are we to learn from our trials . . . our time in the wilderness?

I was talking with a friend he other day about his Thanksgiving. He told me that who they were seated at the table each one took turns telling the others what they were thankful for. My friend's son said that he was thankful for the difficult time his family experienced this year. Why?

He was thankful because the hard times brought his family closer to one another. Their time of testing made them stronger.

Are YOU thankful for times spent in the Biblical wilderness? Do we lean on God when times get tough? If we fully trust in God, we will have fewer trials to go through. And the trials we DO experience won't seem nearly as bad . . . if we trust on The Lord.

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” - Matthew 4:1-4

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.