Sifting

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” - Luke 22:31-32

What an interesting couple of verses. Let's start with the first two words - "Simon, Simon." That's weird. Why did Jesus call Peter "Simon?" When they first met, Jesus Himself changed Simon's name to Peter.

"You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated as Peter)." - John 1:42

And now Jesus is calling him Simon again? Why? Think about it. Jesus is just about to be crucified in that opening verse. And Peter was just about to deny Jesus three times, although Peter denied that he would.

But the interesting part of Jesus talking to His disciples that day was this:

"Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat."

What in the world is going on here? Jesus then goes on to say that He was praying specifically for Simon. That his "faith would not fail." Why didn't Jesus just tell Satan "No! You can't 'sift' any of my disciples?"

I think it's because Jesus WANTED Peter to be 'sifted.' Why? Perhaps to teach Peter something about what true faith is. It is not denying Jesus. It's not that Jesus didn't love Peter. He did. It's because Jesus loved Peter that He wanted to teach him to fully embrace his beliefs - no matter what the cost. 

In one of them most vivid and chilling passages in the Bible, Jesus doesn't say a single word.

"Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly." - Luke 22:60-62

Sifted.

I think that was the moment when Peter truly changed - from Simon into Peter.

I read that story and wondered about my own faith. Would I too deny Jesus if my life depended on it? Would you?

And how about the sifting we have already encountered in our own lives. Have we emerged stronger because of that sifting?

I hope so.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." - James 1:2-4

[The following song is from a little-known rock band from Sweden. The second verse speaks of Peter turning away when Jesus looked at him.] 

Pitiful - Blindside

Spiritual Inertia

"Hey, what's that test dummy doing in the front seat? I thought I told you to put him in the back seat."

"I DID put him in the back seat. I just forgot to fasten his seatbelt."

Inertia is defined as "the tendency of a body at rest to stay at rest, or a body in motion to stay in motion." Inertia is why we wear seatbelts and have airbags in our cars.

But enough about those dummies. Let's talk about a more dangerous type of inertia. One that can ALSO kill - SPIRITUAL inertia.

Spiritual inertia can occur in individuals or in churches. In both cases it is usually fatal unless it is cured. And the only cure is Jesus and God's Holy Spirit.

There are actually people in our churches who simply go to church and then keep on living whatever lifestyle they choose. There has been no change in them. They're no different than the unsaved "dummy" in the back of that car, only they are sitting in a church. 

Here's some good advice from the Apostle Paul that he gave to the church in Corinth.

"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you - unless, of course, you fail the test?" - 2

 Corinthians 13:5-5

Is Christ in us? There should have been some kind of change when we came to believe. We should be different. You know, 'set apart.' Holy.

We should hold our lives up next to God's Word. Do they look similar? Or are they different? When people look at us, do they see the Christ? Or do they see someone content and satisfied with the world they live in?

The moral of this story is . . . . don't be a dummy. Wear your seatbelt, which is the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.

Road Trip - Part 4

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” - Romans 5:1

On our Romans Road journey we have learned that we are ALL sinners and that none of us is worthy to go to heaven when we die. But those who do choose to follow Jesus will be given a gift - to spend their eternal lives with Him in heaven. 

It has been said that "the road to hell is paved with good intensions." One could also add that that same road has been paved with good deeds, if they have been done in order to gain entry into heaven. Here is a better saying:

"The road to heaven is paved with the blood of Jesus Christ Our Lord."

The best part of any journey is finally being at home and for the Christian, that home is heaven. Personally, I can't wait to arrive there.

Are you troubled with the things that are going on in the world right now? If you are, that's good. That's because you know that there has got to be something better. That's called hope.

And faith is believing that something yet to happen WILL happen.

Trust in the Lord today if you haven't done so already. Jesus loves you and actually died for you, all so that you could live. Choose life! Then, and only then, can you find peace in your life.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Road Trip - Part 3

"But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

Last time we got off "the road" and took a look at just how much God loves us. Maybe just one more reminder....

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life." - John 3:16

The first few verses of our Romans Road road trip have been a pretty dismal. Basically, no one is good, and we're all going to hell. But today that changes. We finally receive some GOOD news!

First of all Romans 6:23 says that we get a gift! A FREE gift!! And what a gift it is - eternal life! To be honest, we ALL will live forever, it's just a matter of location, right? Heaven or hell.

For those of us who have chosen Jesus, heaven will be our destination. For those who don't believe in God or don't want to partake of God's free gift, well, those people will get to live forever too - in a lake of fire.

As believers, God's gift of eternal life sounds good until we remember that we have family members and friends who will basically choose to go to hell because of their refusal to believe in Jesus. That hurts us deeply. Why? Because we love them.

There's that word again. Love.

Jesus died so that ALL might live. "The WHOLE world" John 3:16 says. He died for all of us! In our place. How incredibly humbling for us, that God Himself would die for us. We are not worthy. Yet God, in His divine grace, sacrificed His own life so that we could be with Him forever.

But not all of us choose to believe that. And that makes us sad. Why? Again, it's because we love them.

Next time we will learn just what is meant by 'believing' in Jesus. As James says? "Even the demons believe."

[Come back on Wednesday for the final leg of our journey along the Romans Road to Salvation.]

On My Mind

Hey look! There's a rest stop up ahead. Let's get off this Romans Road Road Trip we're on and rest up for this next verse on our journey. We really need to be properly prepared for it.

*****

"When I woke up this morning, you were on my mind."

That's the opening line from an old 60's song by We Five. I'm thinkin' that that line needs to be active in our daily lives, especially these days.

What do we think about when we first wake up in the morning? This morning (Friday, as I am writing this), I find myself thinking about a young friend of mine who is battling addictions and how I haven't seen any replies to my latest texts.

That led me to the FIRST thing that I should be thinking about every morning and that is God.

After praying for my friend I began thinking about God and his incredible love for us. My conclusion is that most of us don't really understand His love fully. As Paul said....

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 8:38-39

Amen to that!

Love is the answer to all of life's problems. And how can I best describe that for you? Let's try 1st John 4.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." - 1 John 4:7-8

There's a lot of love in that verse. And it's there for a reason. Now, take a look at these verses and see if you can detect a similar pattern .

"Love one another as I have loved you."

"God IS love."

"Love the Lord your God."

"Love your neighbor."

"Walk in love, just and Christ loves us."

Love is the key to this whole crazy life we're living. Love is the beginning of prayer. Love is also the result of it. Love extends grace, shows mercy, and corrects a wrongful child.

Love is the most important thing that we can give or receive. But we must first receive that gift of love into our hearts before we can properly give it.

More about that next time. We'll be back on our Romans Road road trip!

You Were On My Mind - We Five

Road Trip - Part 2

"For the wages of sin is death," - Romans 6:23

Last time we learned that no one is good and that there is no amount of good things that anyone can do to earn entrance into heaven. As the disciples once asked Jesus, "Who then can be saved?"

Not only are we not good enough to get into heaven, no matter what we do, but our sins will result in our ultimate eternal "death." Even if we think we've been good.

Wow! This is really depressing. And here we thought that EVERYONE goes to heaven when they die. We've been lied to.

What a dismal future we all have. If only God would have mercy on us.....

It has been said that "It's always darkest before the dawn." That's especially true when it comes to our sin.

We were born sinful. In darkness, if you will.

"The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth." - Psalm 58:3

But God....provided a way for us to live and to gain entry into heaven. Just like He provided a way for His people to leave Egypt and to enter The Promised Land. Zurely God had given us a reason to have hope in this ever-darkening world.

More on that next time.

[Come back on Saturday to find out just what happens. This short series on the Romans Road to Salvation DOES have a happy ending, but sadly, only for some] 

Road Trip - Part 1

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" - Romans 3:23

I once asked a teen, "Do you think you've been good enough to get into heaven?"

"Yes, I hope so," was their answer.

Then I had them read the verse above from the book of Romans, followed by this one.

"No one is good except God alone." - Mark 10:18

And those were the words of Jesus! 

"What do you think now?" I asked.

This person, a pastor's kid, just stood there, looking quite disappointed.

When Jesus, who is Himself God, tells you that you are not good, that should tell you something. Read the opening verse again.

"For ALL fall short..."

That includes you, me, your pastor, the Pope, Billy Graham, and a newborn baby. ALL.

No matter what ANYONE does they will never, EVER, be "good enough" to earn their way into heaven.

This is nothing new. It's not just a New Testament thing.

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." - Isaiah 64:6

"Oh, great! So.... now what?"

Society today is all about pleasing everybody. EVERYBODY gets a participation trophy.

"What do you mean I'm not good enough to go to heaven? How dare you!"

"Well, just wait my friend. It gets worse."

[Come back on Wednesday to find out just how bad it gets. This short series on the Romans Road to Salvation DOES have a happy ending, but sadly, only for some] 

The Mechanic

Have you ever had a divine appointment? A "random" meeting with someone that was for your mutual good and God's glory? They happen more often than you'd think.

When God wants you to meet with someone it's going to happen. Whether you want it to or not. Like Wednesday for example.

I took my car in to see the mechanic to get a few things fixed. It was done that same day but my wife and I had our granddaughter over and we were too busy to pick it up.

"I'll pick it up in the morning....sometime," I told the mechanic.

[And there you have it. The stage was set for one of God's divine appointments.]

The next morning I walked in the door at my mechanic's shop and there was a friend of mine I hadn't seen since her husband's funeral.

"Well, hello my friend. Fancy meeting you here."

And the conversation began. We talked for an hour before the mechanic came in and said the work on HER car was done.

God knows when someone needs to talk or simply touch base with someone. And if it doesn't happen, He can make it happen.

My friend and I had tried to find a time to talk after her husband's death but it never worked out. So God made an appointment for us both.

God IS The Mechanic. He not only makes appointments but knows exactly what's wrong with us and He fixes us.

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you." - Psalm 32:8

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11

"The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way;" - Psalm 37:23

"Thanks be to God!" - 1 Corinthians 15:57

Top Ten List

Here are today's Top Ten reasons that you should become a Christian (or be grateful that you ARE one):

#10 - Hope - "But 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

#9 - Love - "And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." - 1 John 4:16

#8 - New family - "For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” - Matthew 12:50

#7 - Sins forgiven and forgotten - "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." - Psalm 103:12

#6 - The Holy Spirit - "And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:38

#5 - Heaven - "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." - John 3:36

#4 - Peace. No war - "He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore." - Isaiah 2:4

#3 - Glorified body - "The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" - 1 Corinthians 15:42-44

#2 - No darkness - "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." - 1 John 1:5

And the #1 reason for becoming a Christian . . . Jesus!!

"If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." - Romans 10:9

This was a fun little Bible study, but these are just ten reasons that I came up with. There are more. What are your top ten reasons to believe?

Vengeance?

When I turned on the news Saturday morning I wasn't really expecting to see that Israel was under attack, but they were. And this creates a problem for the United States.

Israel is our ally. Our number one ally. Yet for over a year and a half we have been supplying Ukraine with money and weapons in the billions of dollars. What is left for us to help Israel?

The Christian faith is forever linked with Israel. Our Savior, Jesus, is a Jew. So were all of the apostles. Surely God cannot be pleased with what has happened. And my guess is that we will hear from Him soon.

However, and maybe I missed this, but I didn't hear Netanyahu calling on the name of The Lord. Instead I heard him promise, "mighty vengeance for this black day."

Vengeance?

"Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” - Romans 12:9

Does God want us to take vengeance on others when we are wronged? I don't think so. The words of Jesus.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also." - Matthew 5: 38-39

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." - Matthew 5:43-45

Perhaps Mr. Netanyahu needs to examine himself, along with all Israel, because the 'vengeance is mine' concept is God's, not man's. And it's in Deuteronony, part of the Torah.

I don't think any of us are dependent enough on God. We always try to do things ourselves and that's a mistake. Our default is set to 'self,' not to 'God.'

We don't pray enough, nor do we seek God's will often enough. We are therefore the result of our own failure. Mr. Netanyahu, I fear, is following after our age-old pattern of 'self.' And that is why we fail, time and time again.

Who knows, perhaps Netanyahu HAS inquired on the Lord. But unless he has done that, well, retaliation on their own has never ended well for Israel.

Edge of Tomorrow

Have you seen the Tom Cruise movie Edge of Tomorrow? He keeps reliving the same day over and over again. It's kind of like Bill Murray's Grounghog Day, only a lot more bloody - he dies every day.

In Edge of Tomorrow, Mr. Cruise keeps making progress in his attempt to figure out what's going on - eventually saving the planet and himself.

You and I don't have the luxury of getting a do-over when we die. The decisions we make in this life are the ones we have to live with UNTIL that day.

What has been the biggest decision in your life so far? Saying 'I do' at your wedding? Getting that big job? Buying a house?

Of course, placing our faith in Jesus is huge. But what led to us do that? What was it that caused us to believe? Think about it.

Remember when you heard the Gospel for the first time? Or when something amazing happened that changed your life completely? Wasn't it when we became convicted of our sin in some way? The sudden realization that God is real?

That's the Holy Spirit working in us.

"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them." - John 6:44

And how does God draw us to Himself?

"God KNOWS our deepest thoughts." - Romans 8:27

He knew we were going to say 'yes' to Him before WE did.

"Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.

"The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace." - Romans 8:5-6

And when we made that transition "from death to life," we began to figure this crazy life out. We began to understand.

That's called sanctification. Sanctification is the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in us.

In the Tom Cruise movie he eventually figured things out in his own strength. However, he will eventually die just like the rest of us. The difference is that we who believe in the One True God will die just once. And then we get all eternity to REALLY live. Everyone else gets to die twice.

We are all on the 'edge of tomorrow' this very day. Do YOU believein God? Has He changed YOUR life?

The Man of Lawlessness

"Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour." - 1 John 2:18

John is the only apostle to use the word 'antichrist.' Others have written about this end times character  - Paul for example. He called him "the man of lawlessness."

The Man of Lawlessness -  "the man doomed to destruction. He 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." - 1 Thessalonians 2:3-4

If we ARE living in the last days, as many, including myself, believe, then the antichrist must be alive and living in the world somewhere. This very day.

The real question is 'Who is he?' Good question!

There have been plenty of candidates in recent years - Emmanuel Macron, Barack Obama, Mohammed bin Salmon, King Charles, The Pope, Elon Musk, even Donald Trump. But no one knows for sure. That's because Satan hasn't entered him yet.

One thing's for sure though, if you are a Christian, you will never know who the antichrist is. Why? Because we'll be gone.

I have a theory though. Read the following verse and I'll tell you about it. 

"One of the heads of the beast (the antichrist) seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast." - Revelation 13:3

Donald Trump rose to power and became the leader of the free world. But his political career seemed to have been dealt a "fatal blow" when he lost the last election, not to mention the persecution of the left. But guess what? It only "appeared" to be fatal.  He is currently leading all Republican contenders for 2024.

Could Donald Trump be the antichrist? We'll never know. But nothing surprises me anymore in this crazy, Satan-controlled world.

But here's my sleeper pick . . . . He brokered the Abraham Accords.

"He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ - Daniel 9:27

I really have no idea. But God does. It's all part of His master plan.

The Rest of The Story

We've been told how AI will be a benefit to mankind, thinking and doing things faster and more efficiently than we humans EVER could. As Paul Harvey used to say, "And now, the rest of the story."

Did you see where the NYPD has purchased two robotic dogs? "Digi-dogs" they're  called. $750,000 each.

But that's just one example.

In China they are using these robotic dogs for a slightly different purpose. They have attached a machine gun to the "dog's" back.

These AI developments are just a sidebar to the real story. A story that no one is covering. Headline: WE Are Now God. We have created 'life' for our own purposes.

"Well, it's not really life. Ha ha! It's not really thinking for itself."

Yet.

There's another story out there. This one is being written by Elon Musk. He's funding research to link a brain to a computer. His "brain-computer interface company (BCI), which began last year, is called Neuralink. 😳

What are we doing to ourselves? 

"The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” - Genesis 11:6-7

When we ourselves begin to act like God, He is not very far from altering the situation. In my mind, we are living in the last days. Our "intelligence" is getting the better of us. It's time to repent, but we won't. And that is why God will act. Then He will show us 'the rest of the story.

And the story is already written. It just has to play out. NOBODY does things like we're doing and gets away with it for long.

Yet . . . . maranatha!

NYPD Digi-dog

China Robot Dog