Helplessly Hoping?

It has been said that "absence makes the heart grow fonder." That's true. Oh boy, is it ever.

As an example I give you my granddaughter. She is absent from me now but one day she will visit and we will play silly games and make goofy faces at each other. Until then I an hoping to see her soon. I have hope. But it is not a helpless hope. I KNOW I will see her again.

What concerns me though are those people in my life that don't know Jesus. Am I 'helplessly hoping' that one day they will change their minds and believe? Where do they find their hope? 

A few words from Crosby Stills and Nash:

Gasping at glimpses of gentle true spirit, he runs
Wishing he could fly

Wordlessly watching, he waits by the window and wonders
At the empty place inside.

How sad it is to be without hope, without the possibility of a future - a forever future, in Christ.

Let's pick up our Bibles and find some hope then.

"Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:31

More hope....

"Renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:12-13

Titus tells us that Jesus is our hope. Therefore, we should not be 'helplessly' hoping but rather PATIENTLY hoping....FAITHFULLY hoping....JOYFULLY hoping.

More hope....

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

Helplessly Hoping - Crosby Stills & Nash

Missionary

What is something that Jesus told us to do that very few Christians are doing?

When we hear the word 'missionary' what image comes into our heads? Perhaps it's someone traveling to Africa aboard one of those tall sailing ships 150 years ago. Or perhaps someone being guided up a South American river through a hot, humid jungle to reach the lost. Well, this past week I have had encounters with three missionaries. All in my own community of 6,000 people.

The first was a former youth group kid heading off to India soon. The second was a former missionary in Tunisia. And the third is a missionary in Kenya.

That got me thinking. What am I doing? How am I sharing the Gospel in MY life.

Then I heard this verse in church yesterday.

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." - Matthew 28:19-20

It sounds like Jesus wants us ALL to be missionaries. And what exactly does a missionary look like these days? Go look in the mirror.

The real question for us here is, "Where is OUR mission field?"

It could be at work or school. It could be at home or even at church. And, really, our mission field is wherever we are.

The next question we need to be asking is, "What are we waiting for?"

That is a question only we ourselves can answer. In that scripture we just read from Jesus ...."Go" is not a request. It is a command. Sounds like it's beyond time for us all to get busy.

Omni-X

Who is God? What is He like? Is there anything He cannot do? The answers to all these questions are in the Bible. But here's an incomplete, insufficient, and absolutely pitiful summary.

Basically God is everywhere. God is eternal. He is not bound by time. He has no beginning and He has no end. He IS all and is IN all. He is 'omni' . . . everything!

He is omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent. 

In other words, God is in all-places at all times. He is all-powerful. That means He can do anything. God also KNOWS everything.

God is outside of every possible word or description that we could even think of. Mere words cannot contain Him. He is greater than we can ever comprehend.

So, why am I even trying?!

Because someone out there may be in a dark place right now. They might need to know that God is bigger than any hurt they could possibly be feeling. He has more compassion and love than can even be imaged. And He wants you to know that. God loves you! You!! Think about that. And let Him love you!!

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you." - Psalm 139:7-12

The Heliotrope

There are numerous examples in nature (creation) of how we humans should be living our lives. Our problem is that we are often too busy to notice.

We can see an example of a perfect marriage by watching Canadian geese. They mate for life. Both parents can be found sitting on the eggs and watching over their children.

The "neighborhood watch" concept can be found in the beaver. If they see you getting too close, they will slap their tail on the water, warning all those around them. Then they disappear under water. 

Earlier this month I was traveling south of our house when I came upon a field of sunflowers. It was early in the morning and all the sunflowers seemed to be looking at me through my passager side window.

From that information alone you can tell that the picture above was taken looking west. The road I was traveling on was running north/south. And I was heading south. How can you know all that?

Sunflowers are heliotropes. They follow the sun. In the morning they all face east. Throughout the day they rotate, following the sun as they go. At sunset they are all facing west.

Christians are heliotropes. At least we should be. We should ALWAYS be keeping ourselves focused on The Son - Jesus.

If Christ is our center and our focus it is SO much easier for us to grow and find the things we need to survive life in this hostile world.

How does the sunflower know it's time to rotated it's head 180°? Ask God. How does a Christian know to follow Jesus? Same answer.

Have you ever sung this old hymn?

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace."

Keep focused on The Light of the world and all of life's problems will fade away. You will also find nourishment for your soul.

"As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” - John 9:4:5

Helping Others

One of the basic elements of the Christian faith is helping others. We can find it in The Golden Rule.

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." - Matthew 7:12

This principle goes far beyond simply 'helping' someone though. The concept can be found in feeding the poor and clothing the naked. In fact, helping others is SO important to God that, if we DON'T help them, it will cost us . . . big time.

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left." - Matthew 25:31-33

You do NOT want to be on the left. Or a goat.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” - Matthew 25:41-46

The desire to help others should come naturally to the believer. It is part of who we are. Love someone today, enough to help them through whatever they are going through. You will be blessed. And you will be walking in the will of God.

Honor

A friend of mine died recently. He was a veteran of the United States Army. He was also a cop in the City of Chicago. Honor and respect were due him, and he received both at his funeral.

My friend was a member of our church. He still is. That's because members of our church, and the bigger Church in general, have an eternal home, and eternal life, through our faith in Jesus. And by the grace of God.

I used to sit next to my friend in church. Everybody has "their seats" you know. Lol! We had many good conversations before the church service began - mostly about the crazy world we live in. And the fact that "God is still on His throne."

But the thing I will always remember about him was the number of people at his graveside service. It seemed like half our church was there! And it was a work day!!

Why did so many people show up? Was it because he was a veteran and a cop? Maybe. Partially. But I think the reason so many people came to pay their respects was because he was loved and because he was our brother in The Lord.

There were no tears. There actually were a few smiles. Why? Because our brother was home with The Lord! "Rejoice! I say again, rejoice!" - Psalm 106:1

As I left the service, I wondered, would there be as many people at MY funeral as I had seen today at my friend's? I think the answer lies in how we live our earthly lives.

Did we love others, as Jesus commanded us to do? Did we love God? It is our common love for God that unites us with such a large family of brothers and sisters.

I look forward to future conversations with my friend and brother. See you soon! 🙂

"Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." - Romans 12:10-12

In The Twinkling of an Eye

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." - 1 Corinthians 15:52

"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words." - 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Well. There it is. God removing the church from the face of the earth. It all happens "in the twinkling of an eye." I've never timed "the twinkling of an eye", but it sounds pretty quick to me.

So, what happens after all of the Christians on Earth are gone? Hmm. And what if the rapture happens before the midterms? Who will be in power then? Here's a few random possibilities.

Most Christians vote Republican you know, so the Democrats would win a bigger majority than they have now. Abortion would quickly become the law of the land. Immigration law would also be changed - amnesty for all! Come on in!

Of course, those who are left behind would have to be taxed more to pay for it all.

Most complaining parents at school board meetings would no longer be around so Critical Race Theory could quickly and easily be reinstated.

Guns would naturally be outlawed for all citizens (except the rich and powerful) and cashless bail would become the law of the land. Police forces across the nation would be decimated. Many officers would have been raptured off the earth. Others would be killed or would outright quit. Martial law would then be instituted and curfews imposed.

Criminals would still have guns though. They won't obey the new gun laws. Battles will be fought in the streets, but that's nothing new.

Food supplies would be scarce. Many farmers are Christians. A lot of truckers are too. Also, most food pantries are run by churches. But they won't be anymore. Food will be very hard to find. In time, the goverment would provide you some, but your taxes will rise still higher to pay for it all.

Our armed forces would be greatly reduced in number. Sensing weakness, Iran, Turkey, and other Arab countries would quickly band together and attack Israel.

And that's where God would step in.

Does all this sound far fetched? That past paragraph can be found prophesied in The Bible.

The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel, the Lord Jesus, the Apostles Paul and John all predicted end time events.

But don't believe me. Pick up your Bible. Google some of these things. Do your own research.

You actually could ask many of today's pastors what they think after all the Christians are gone. They'll probably still be here. Lol!

Read your Bible. Find a good, strong, Bible- believing church. And do it now! Time is short and events like these will all begin to happen . . . . in the twinkling of an eye.

Breaking The Habit

This is a hard topic, but it is essential reading for those who have not placed their faith in Jesus yet. You are going to die.

Let me clarify. We ALL die. But only those who choose Christ have the opportunity to survive that death and to live again in heaven.

I watched portions of two random movies today and a music video. The movies were Alita Battle Angel and Divergent. The music video was Breaking The Habit by Linkin Park.

So, what's the connection? In the Alita movie it was a scene near the end where Hugo was about to die. As he hung from Alita's hand he told her, "Thank you for saving me." To which she replied, "I love you!" And then he fell.

Hold that thought. Fast forward to the Divergent movie. The story is about a young woman (Tris) who also had to make a choice. She chose to trust and make a leap of faith. That choice changed her life. She jumped off the roof of a building into uncertainty - a hidden net below. She fell.

And now the Linkin Park song. The official music video for Breaking The Habit is kind of depressing. The video comes with a watning because one of the scenes features someone falling from a high building. A suicide. Their choice led to death. They fell and that was it.

All that plus Saturday (the day I watched and wrote all this) was the birthday of a youth group kid who ended her life through suicide.

Summary: Each of us must make choices in this life. We all 'fall' at some point. Some choose death through suicide, some have their lives end sooner than expected  - against our will - through disease or accidents. Although none of uf can avoid death, we can choose to escape its permanence.

God offers us a life AFTER this one. He doesn't force it on us. But we must make a choice prior to our death, if we want to live afterwards.

Sadly, most will not make that choice. They are addicted to the life they are currently living. It's a habit they choose not to break. And that choice, or lack of it, seals their fate.

Break the habit! Choose life!! And live!!!

Then thank the Lord for saving your life. And don't forget to say, "I love you!"

"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." - John 5:24

Hugo's Death - Alita, Battle Angel

Tris Jump Scene - Divergent

Breaking The Habit - Linkin Park

Two Weeks Notice

Have you ever left a job and turned in your two weeks notice? I did that a few times. It actually felt liberating. There was suddenly no pressure at all. What are they going to do? Fire me? I'm leaving! I have another job waiting for me.

I keep thinking about the Feast of Trumpets, which is just two weeks away. I know I just wrote about it but I can't get it out of my head. Only now, with THIS two weeks notice, I am feeling LOTS  of pressure. Pressure to share the Gospel. And to pray.

This week I heard from a former youth group kid. I love it when that happens. They already know I'm going to ask them about Jesus. No pressure!

But our text conversation was different. This kid asked ME what I needed prayer for? What?!? That's MY job! Lol! But it felt so good knowing that someone was praying for me.

"Thank you so much for your prayers. I will pray for you as well. Maybe we could pray together soon."

This kind of thing should happen all of the time, but it doesn't. And quite honestly, that's what's wrong with this world. Not enough love for one another and not enough prayer for each other. I don't do either of those things enough.

Each night before falling asleep, I pray for whoever pops into my mind. Some are newcomers, some are permanent recipients of prayer in my life. But all get prayed for. And then , whenever possible, I let them know they HAVE been prayed for.

God tells us we should pray in private and not on the street corners. I get that. But the times we are living in right now are so uncertain....well, sometimes I think we need to know someone's praying for us. Know what I mean? 

We should let people know that we are praying for them and also let people know that we love them. Why?

Two weeks.

None of us knows the future. None of us knows for sure when Jesus might take us away from this mess of a world. Let us be remembered as someone who loved and who prayed.

What would you do if you found out that Jesus was coming for His church in just two weeks time? Wouldn't you do the same?

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." - Ephesians 6:18

Pray and love. Seems pretty simple. Neither one costs anything but both could be priceless to someone who is in need.

Not of This World

It's hard watching our nation crumble from what it once was to what it is now. I'm not talking about any kind of Trump or Biden thing. The problems of this world are far greater than any one man can dish out. And sadly we haven't seen the worst of it yet.

This will be hard to take for many but the verses I am sharing today are from Jesus. And He is ultimately where our hope is found. This first verse should get you thinking.

Jesus was praying to God The Father about His disciples shortly before His death ....

“I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it." - John 17:13-16

Are you of this world? Does the world seem strange to you lately? When you express your concerns about it, do people attack and condemn you for your observations?

Congratulations! You too are 'not of this world.' That should be a badge we wear proudly.

Things can seem pretty dark when we watch or read the news stories these days. Here's a reminder from Jesus ....

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” - John 16:33

Shortly before His crucifixion, Jesus had this exchange with Pontius Pilate. 

"Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”

“You are a king, then!” said Pilate.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” - John 18:36-37

We should have hope when we see these crazy and evil things happening in this world. Why? Because it means that Jesus will be coming back very soon! In the meantime, remember what Jesus said.

WE ARE NOT OF THIS WORLD!

The Living Dead

We've all heard people say, "Well, he or she is in heaven now" after the death of a loved one. But are they? Are they really? How does anyone really know?

Let's start with some basic truths from the Bible.

"To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 5:8

That's a good truth. An important thing to remember though is that The Lord is God. God is omnipresent. God is everywhere.

Here is some more evidence that God is everywhere.

"If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there." - Psalm 139:8

For a little more insight into where we go after we die, read the parable of the rich and poor man that Jesus told His disciples.

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Remember, this is a parable, but we can see that the two men are clearly in two different places after they died. One was in torment. The other was with Abraham, a man who was considered righteous in God's eyes.

Abraham and Lazarus were 'above' and the rich man was below. None could cross to the other side. This is known as a place called Sheol - "the place of the dead." The living dead.

There are two parts in Sheol - Abraham's bosom (where the righteous go to wait for Jesus) and the more general Sheol (where the unrighteous go to await judgement). ALL are waiting on Jesus. And although Sheol is an Old Testament word, the concept makes a New Testament appearance in the parable we just read in Luke, told to us by Jesus Himself.

So, when we die, do we immediately go to 'heaven'? The Bible would seem to indicate that we do not. No one says this any better than Jesus Himself.

"NO ONE has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven." - John 3:13

It doesn't get much clearer than that!

We are made righteous by the shed blood of Jesus, our Savior. ALL who believe in Him will be saved. And we can have great confidence that, when we die, we will be standing there with Abraham, Lazarus - and with Jesus - the Lord of us all.

Jesus ascended into heaven 40 days after He was resurrected, according to the scriptures. As He was ascending, two angels told His disciples that He would return one day "in like manner." Are you ready for His return?

"And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.'" - Luke 24:10-11

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that where I am you also may be." - John 14:3

The Watchman

In biblical times, watchmen patrolled the walls of the city. Their job was to keep watch (obviously) for invading armies and other dangers that might harm the people.

They were much like shepherds of their day - "keeping watch over their flock by night" (Luke 2:8). They had a very important job.

In the Book of Ezekiel, God laid out the responsibilities of a watchman, and the consequences for not doing the watchman's job. 

If the watchman did not warn the people, their blood was on the watchman's head. But if he warned them, and they ignored his warning, their blood was on their own head.

"When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. “Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself." - Ezekiel 3:18-19

It is difficult seeing all of the evil that exists in the world today. It will be even more difficult for us if we keep silent and say nothing.

That's one of the main reasons I write these stories. I read about something in the Bible, or I hear a good sermon in church, and I share it. Often it is in the form of a warning.

Jesus has promised to return for us (His Church) one day. I believe Him. Why? Because He cannot lie. He said that He will return and take us to be with Him.

"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." - John 14:3

The time of His return is imminent. Many theologians feel it could be any day now. I have written before concerning this time we are living in.

Rosh Hashanah, the Festival of Trumpets, is coming up quickly. It is my belief that during this feast Jesus will remove His church from the earth.

I don't know the exact day or hour. Nor do I even know the year. But I do know that Jesus has promised to do this. And the time is coming soon.

Look at the world. It's gone crazy. This is a sign that the end is near. Read Romans 1.

You might say, "People have been saying that for years." That's true. But one day they will be right, and the Church will be gone.

Will you be one of them? Or will you be left here to deal with this ugly mess?

There are three weeks and a few days until Rosh Hashanah. Should He return this year, will you be ready?

The following is a link to an article about Jesus fulfilling the prophecy on the Jewish feast days. Read it and discern for yourself.

How Did Jesus Fulfill the Meanings of the Jewish Feasts?