Keys

I learned a potentially costly lesson on Wednesday. I was almost stranded with no way of getting home or into my house. I lost my set of keys . . . in a 26 acre park!

"They probably fell out of my pocket," I feared. "Out THERE . . . somewhere." Gulp.

I began wondering how I would get home if I couldn't find them. Who do I know in Point? Dakota? Todd? They were both working. This was not good. So I began walking backwards through the front nine of the disc golf course I was playing, stopping and looking at every place I had made a shot.

Then, as I approached the tee pad for Hole #5 I saw something shiny. My keys??? Yes!!!!

The first thing that occurred to me, other than the joy of being able to get back home, was what it will be like for "Christians" who miss the rapture. The first thing they will think is why wasn't I taken? Why didn't I get to go?

They will retrace their steps of faith. They will go back and question the teaching they received, they will wish they had listened to the warnings from their friends - the REAL Christians. And then they will come to the point where they realize that somewhere along the line they believed a lie rather than the truth of God's Word. And there is no way for them to get home. The key, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, was lost somewhere along the way.

I am grateful to be writing this story instead of sitting in a dark park tonight. My keys are on the counter, God's Holy Spirit is in my heart, and I am ready to go. Any time.

Many people will arrive at that moment when Jesus returns and they'll be looking for the key to their salvation. And then they'll watch Jesus rising up into the clouds - wishing they had kept better track of God's Word and His promises for those who truly love Him.

There is nothing more important than our salvation and the God who gifted it to us. It is the key to eternal life. That key is given to us by God through His Holy Spirit who dwells within us. It is through our faith in His Son who died on the cross for us that we will get to rise from the dead, just like Jesus did.

Once we have been given that amazing key we can never lose it. And that's a good thing. Especially for this old man who is forever misplacing things.

"We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his." - Romans 6:4-5

The Lord Is My Salvation - The Gettys

Vet Me

There has been a lot of talk this past year about vetting. What is vetting anyway? What does it mean to vet someone? Does it hurt? Our cat hates to go to the vet, but that's different. Why is it so important that we vet someone?

Vet - make a careful and critical examination of (something). To check, examine, scrutinize, investigate, inspect, look over, screen, assess, evaluate, appraise.

I see many Facebook posts about failed relationships and broken trust. To use the word of the day, it sounds like some people were not properly vetting their friends - weeding out the bad ones - only letting the good ones into their hearts.

As we look at whether or not to allow refugees from countries that allow terrorist activities into ours, let us remember the Ebola outbreak. What did we do with the guy on the plane who had been exposed to Ebola? Well, he was placed in quarantine, until it as proven that he didn't have it. Then he was released. Very similar.

What does God think about all this? I have no idea, but I can guess based on what I have read in the Bible. I know God wants us to love everyone of those refugees, especially our brothers and sisters (1 Peter 2:17). I also know that God commands us to cast out the evil ones among us (1 Corinthians 5:13).

There are many examples in the Old Testament about how Israel was instructed to treat people of different religions. It was never very pretty and not very politically correct. It was often bloody and complete. None being left alive.

Jesus brought a different message with Him in the message of the Good Samaritan. You can read my take on that here.

The Commands of Jesus: Go And Do Likewise

The issue of vetting refugees and immigrants splits the nation in two - detain them 48%, don't detain them 42%. So who's right? Not us humans.

Jesus will vet each one of us one day. And not every "refugee" will be allowed in.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. "

⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 25:31-33 & 46

Personally, I feel we Christians are called to take care of all the refugees, whatever their religion. But I also believe that we are to treat our Christians brothers and sister above the rest - still, at the same time, helping all. Should we let refugees for our "enemies" countries into our country? I'm not so sure about that one. I think our president is erring on the side of safety for American citizens at the expense of those seeking to get in. That's unfortunate but that's what its come down to now.

That said, we must remember that WE are not citizens of this world anymore. We are aliens in our own country. Jesus will vet us all one day. Do you have proof of who you are in God's eyes?

The Sheep And The Goats - Keith Green
Separating Sheep and Goats

Be Prepared

They say there are no atheists in fox holes. I think that's generally true. When we are faced with certain death, we are more willing to entertain the possibilities of life through faith. But fox holes during times of war don't have a monopoly on praying for help. Black ice can have a similar effect.

When I got home from work after a particularly scary drive I checked Facebook as I tried to unwind. I read a post from a friend of mine that said he'd been in an accident, totalled his car and he received 12 staples in his head at the E.R.

My friend is a believer so there was no danger of his losing his eternal life but my friend came close to losing his earthly life and that's what I'd like to write about today.

Have you ever had a near-death experience? One in which you could have easily died had things turned out differently? I've had a few. It's amazing how close we get to God when we don't have any control over an earthly outcome.

I think most of us go along through life without really thinking about the possibility of dying. "Not today," we think. "I've got too much to do. Well, one day death WILL come knocking on our door and no busy schedule will stop it from coming in. The question is, "Are we prepared?"

One of my son's high school classmates died this week. It was a surprise. Death usually is. The real question is, are we prepared for it? Most are not. To most, death will occur without them really thinking about it. It will be sudden and swift. No real time to talk about the important things in life. Like Jesus.

Jesus has promised us eternal life, if only we would believe in Him. No offense but that sounds like a pretty good deal to me. The only catch is, Jesus wants to be more than an insurance policy. He wants to be Lord of your life. That's a little more demanding and many refuse to allow it.

I still minister to a few young adults and teens from my youth leader days. Many have "prayed a prayer" and tell me that they "accepted" Jesus into their hearts. That's actually a sure sign that they have NOT been saved, in MY opinion. They continue on with their sinful, pre-prayer lifestyle and keep Jesus in the truck in case of emergency like a spare tire.

Here's a typical conversation with a young adult who says they know Jesus.

Me: "How's your walking with Jesus going?"
Them: "Good."
Me: "Have you been attending church?"
Them: "Well, not really. I haven't really found a church I like."
Me: "Have you been reading your Bible?"
Them: "Not really. I've been really busy."
Me: "What about a Bible study? Are you in a small group?"
Them: No.

There's an old saying that goes, "If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck!" The opposite is true for Christians. If you don't walk like one, serve like one and love like one, you are not a Christian! My friends, that's the most dangerous kind of Christian - the one's who think they are but really are not.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. ³³ And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

⁴¹ “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴² for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’

⁴⁴ “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ ⁴⁵ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ ⁴⁶ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” - Matthew 35:31-46

When we place our faith in Jesus we become changed. We don't just continue on like nothing ever happened. People should notice a change. WE should notice a change! We should be acting like who we have placed our faith in, not like the world. And that is the problem. We don't want to change, yet change . . . repentance . . . is a prerequisite for eternal life.

We had better be sure that we not only know OF Him, but KNOW Him before we venture out on life's highway. Be prepared! When you're spinning out of control, that is not the time to find out you are lacking in the faith department and get set aside with the rest of the goats. Be prepared.

Winter Storm Survival Tips
Prepare Him Room - Northland Church

Got Goat?

How do you show someone you love them? A hug perhaps? A kiss on the cheek? Maybe it's doing something FOR someone like washing the dishes so your wife doesn't have to. Maybe it's rubbing her feet after she has spent a long day using them at work. Not me. I took my wife to see some goats!

I know. That doesn't sound like the most romantic thing anyone has ever done, but you need to know my wife. My wife LOVES goats. Personally, I could take them or leave them. They don't really make me turn my head and shout, "Goats!" But that's how they effect my wife.

Do you do things for people you love to make them happy? Of course you do. That's what love is all about, thinking of others before we think of ourselves.

Do we show God that we love Him in a similar way? How do we love God? What are some of the things we do for Him to make HIM happy? Umm . . . go to church? Umm . . .

15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." - John 14:15

Oh.

Have I kept God's commands? Do I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength? (Luke 10:27). Do I love my neighbor as much as I love myself? (Mark 12:31).

This morning my friend bought me some Munchos. She knows I like them. She was demonstrating her love for me by getting me something I enjoy.

My wife made me fresh green beans last night for dinner? Why? Because she knows I like them and wanted to make me happy.

I think we make God happy when we do things for others. When we sacrifice ourselves or go out of our way to help someone.

A few days ago I visited a friend in the hospital. He fractured his back in several places - shattered his vertebrae. He's in quite a bit of pain. As I stood to leave he reached out his hand to me. As I grabbed it he said this to me.

"Let me pray for you" and he did.

Do you think God was happy when this man offered prayers for someone else, even though he himself was in need of them? I do.

As we walk through this world let us be on the lookout for opportunities to express our love for God through the way we treat others.

"34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’ - Matthew 25:31-46

Love One Another