What To Say

"Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

“¹²But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. ¹³And so you will bear testimony to me. ¹⁴But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. ¹⁵For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict." - Luke 21:10-15

Why is my heart troubled these days? Why am I downcast? I feel like David right now. Why?

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? 

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. 

My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you." - Psalm 42:5-6

Well, I am remembering God right now. I am remembering how Jesus told His disciples not to worry about what they should say because Jesus would give them words to say.

In all of my "what if's" and "shoulda said's," I must remember what David said. I must "put my hope in God" and "praise Him."

I become troubled when I remember all of my friends and family members who don't know Jesus. It saddens me because I know what awaits them. I don't want to see that happen to them, or anyone. I love them!

These are the words that I would say:

I believe in God, and I also believe He is perfect. "In Him there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5)

God demands perfection from all of us (absolutely no sin allowed in heaven).

Our problem is that none of us is sinless. As Peter said to Jesus, "Who then can be saved?" (Luke 18:26) The answer is that no one can be saved, apart from God's grace.

The Bible says that, "without blood, there is no remition of sin" (Hebrews 9:22). There has to be a sacrifice.

Enter Jesus. He led a sinless life while here on earth. And He died for OUR sins. A spotless, sinless lamb, sacrificed for OUR sins.

This is where God hits it out of the park - John 3:16. 

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

That's it. We have to repent of our sins and believe in Him. And that's the snag for many, including many whom we love. They're too busy, or the lifestyle they have chosen is more important to them. It's frustrating. Our hearts break. I keep hearing the words of Isaiah in my head. "Here I am Lord. Send me!" (Isaiah 6:8).

But really, the only solution is prayer. We cannot change people's hearts. That's the Holy Spirit's job. The Holy Spirit draws people to God. And that is what we should pray for. And we should "pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Instead of feeling bad about this situation, I need to be praying about it! Won't you please join me?

The Words I Would Say - Sidewalk Prophets

Come To Jesus

We had another Youth Night at our church on Friday. I gave a Bible study about three people in the Bible - The Roman Centurian, The Woman at The Well, and the Apostle Peter.

As I was reading the account of the centurion to the kids, this jumped out at me.

"When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶“Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” - Matthew 8:5

"Come to Jesus." Suddenly I was hearing a song in my head (link at bottom).

I wonder how many "come to Jesus" references there are in the Bible...

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." - Matthew 11:28

"Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” - Matthew 19:14

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." - John 6:44

"On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." - John 7:37

That's probably enough. There ARE more, but you get the idea. The point is we MUST come to Jesus.

There is a verse somewhere (Philippians?) that speaks about every knee bowing and every tongue confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. That needs to be us. We need to come to the end of ourselves, and to the beginning of our lives with Jesus.

Remember those wise men in the Christmas story? They WERE wise, right? THEY came to Jesus. Be wise! Come to Jesus, and live!

Come To Jesus - Chris Rice

Virus

Have you ever had a virus on your computer? They're nasty things. We recently discovered one on our laptop. It's still there.

At first, we thought all of our files had been deleted - pictures, music, documents, etc. When you think you've lost everything, it's an incredibly sinking feeling. But then . . .

My wife took our computer to our son - the usual path for tech-illiterate parents. Have a kid do it! He found all of our files, but we still had a virus.

We ended up getting a new computer on Cyber Monday. Saved $299! Let me tell you something. Opening up that new computer was an amazing feeling! Everything was clean and fresh. And there were no viruses! I felt whole again! Restored!!

(You already know where this story is going . . . Lol!) Jesus!

If you have repented of your sins and turned to Jesus for forgiveness and restoration, you already know how it feels to be "virus-free." Yet many people still choose to live a life filled with sin. Sin is just like a computer virus for the soul.

Thankfully, there IS anti-virus software that we can get for our computers. However, the subscription ran out for our computer, and I didn't renew it.

When our "subscription" runs out in this life were are living, DO NOT be found without Jesus in your heart. You will experience an eternity infected with a "virus" without any hope of a cure.

After King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, he prayed this prayer. It's worthy to remember it. Especially when we are convicted of our sins.

"Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

²Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.

⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge.

⁵Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

⁶Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

⁹Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

¹¹Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.

¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you.

¹⁴Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

¹⁵Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise.

¹⁶You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

¹⁷My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart." - Psalm 51:1-17

Thank you God for providing a way, Yahweh, to pay for OUR sins through His sacrifice on the cross. Thank you Jesus for hanging on that cross, in my place. And thank you Holy Spirit for convicting us of our sins and for drawing us near. No amount of thank yous would ever be enough for all you have done, and have yet to do. Amen.

You Decide

I am currently writing a Bible study for our church's new youth group. It features three biblical teens - David, Mary, and . . . Manasseh? Who is Manasseh? And why him?

David and Mary we know. David was "a man after God's own heart." And Mary, well, she was the mother of Jesus so, you know . . . yeah.

Manasseh was King Hezekiah's son. He became king of Judah when he was 12. He was also in the lineage of Jesus.

"¹This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham: ¹⁰Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, . . ." - Matthew 1:1, 10

That's good, right? Let's turn to 2nd Chronicles 33 and find out.

"Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-five years. ²He did evil in the eyes of the Lord." - 2 Chronicles 33:1-2

Uh-oh. That's not good.

Let's keep reading. Verse 11

"So the Lord brought against them the army commanders of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles and took him to Babylon." - 2 Chronicles 33:11

Oh boy. That's REALLY not good. Let's keep going. Verse 12

"¹²In his distress he (Manasseh) sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly before the God of his ancestors. ¹³And when he prayed to him, the Lord was moved by his entreaty and listened to his plea; so he brought him back to Jerusalem and to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord is God." - 2 Chronicles 33:12-13

The point of this lesson is that we all must decide which path to take in life. Each decision we make effects our future, even our future decisions.

Here's a prayer from King Solomon, who also was in the lineage of Jesus.

"When they sin against you - for there is no one who does not sin - and you become angry with them and give them over to their enemies, who take them captive to their own lands, far away or near; ⁴⁷and if they have a change of heart in the land where they are held captive, and repent and plead with you in the land of their captors and say, 'We have sinned, we have done wrong, we have acted wickedly'; ⁴⁸and if they turn back to you with all their heart and soul in the land of their enemies who took them captive, and pray to you toward the land you gave their ancestors, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I have built for your Name; ⁴⁹then from heaven, your dwelling place, hear their prayer and their plea, and uphold their cause. ⁵⁰And forgive your people, who have sinned against you." - 1 Kings 8:46-50

Smart guy, that Solomon. He wrote that 10 generations before Manasseh. It almost sounds like Solomon knew his distant descendant was going to sin badly. Perhaps Manasseh should have studied the writings of his ancestors.

You decide

(Who will you run to?)

Wrong or right

(There is no reason)

For you to hide

Only love can change your life

You decide

God is calling out to you again

Let him pull you, let him take you in

From the fear that swallows up your life

Will you stay the same or will you fight?

You decide

You Decide - Fireflight

A Turning Point?

Am I the only one who thinks that Charlie Kirk's organization's name - Turning Point USA - is prophetic in nature? I don't think so. Look at the arrow in their logo. It's turning 180°! And to the right!! His recent assassination HAS to become a turning point for our country, and us as individuals, or this nation is doomed to destruction.

"The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left." - Ecclesiastes 10:3

There was a prayer request made on the floor of the House last week - a prayer for Charlie Kirk's family. Yet many not only refused to pray but audibly voiced their decent. What's wrong with praying for someone's family?

The Utah governor gave an update the day after Charlie's death. In it he praised the people of his state noting that there was no rioting, or looting, or setting buildings on fire as a result of Kirk's murder. Interesting. Why do you think those things didn't happen? 🤔

This incident needs to become a "turning point" - a repentance. Repentance literally means turning one's life around. Merriam Webster describes it this way:

Repentance - "the action or process of repenting especially for misdeeds or moral shortcomings."

And what does 'repent' mean? "To turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life. To feel regret or contrition. To change one's mind."

"Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." - Luke 13:3

If you are reading this, and are pleased that Charlie Kirk died, it is YOU who needs to repent.

"Oh, you're just a fascist. A white supremacist."

Really? I'm a Christian.

“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." - Matthew 5:43-45

If Charlie Kirk's killer repented while in prison, Charlie himself would want to be the first in line to congratulate him.

I pray therefore for those in our world who hated Charlie Kirk and refused to pray for THEIR enemies. In the end, THEY are the ones who will perish. So says the Lord our God. Charlie Kirk is alive and well and with Jesus right now. Who then is the victor?

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” - 1 Corinthians 15:55

Q & A

I have been struggling with something for quite a while now. I'd call it a frustration but it's really more than that. It's a deep sadness, as well as that feeling of being frustrated.

It has to do with "the world" in which we live. For example, the evening "news." But I have pretty much given up on that. Social media is another source of frustration and sadness. So, I try to keep my interaction on that platform to a minimum as well. Apparently, King David had similar feelings.

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? - psalm 43:5

Amen, my brother! Why, indeed! It's very easy to get frustrated and downcast. But that's because we are focusing on the wrong things. We should be focusing on God instead of the things of this world. The second half of that very same verse above goes like this:

"Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." - Psalm 43:5

Same verse, in two dramatically different parts. The verse contains both a question AND the answer.

The more we read the Bible, the more we understand just what God's will is. And that changes us. At least is should.

I've read the Bible 18 or 19 times now. I am still being changed by it. Knowledge keeps increasing, but I will never "know it all," much less understand it all. That's called sanctification.

What frustrates me is that "Christians", who say they believe in God, do not do what He tells them to. I'm guilty of this as well. It's like reading a 65mph speed limit sign and then doing 120 into town to get milk. That's called disobedience.

And that brings me to the sad part. By reading the Bible, we can get a pretty good idea who will and won't be going to heaven. I'm not judging here, I'm just reading, and writing. For example, what do you think this means? Remember, Paul is writing to a church.

"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Here's some advice from God through the prophet Ezekiel. 

"I take no pleasure in the death of anyone. Repent and live." - Ezekiel 18

We need to stop doing what displeases God and start doing what we wants us to do. That's simply called obedience.

We need to spend a little more time thinking about what is pleasing in the eyes of God, rather than satisfying our OWN desires our what "feels good" in our own hearts.

"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

If we disagree with what the Bible says, who do you think is right or wrong? Us, or God? The born sinner? Or the Righteous One?

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

Easy Believism

I was scrolling through YouTube, looking for something to watch, when I came across a video by J. Vernon McGee. I've heard him on the radio (WRVM) many times before with his "Through The Bible" series, but I'd never seen his face before, so I clicked on the video.

The video was entitled "Dr. J. Vernon McGee DESTROYS Lordship Savation heresy!"

"Heresy? Hmm. I believe in Lordship salvation..." So I watched the video. And then I did some research.

According to Wikipedia, Dr. McGee died in 1988 - an ordained Presbyterian pastor. Uh-oh. From what I have read about the Presbyterian church, it is a very left-leaning organization. Here's my proof of that from their own website.

Next, I Googled "Lordship Salvation" and found GotQuestions.org's article on the same. I read it from beginning to end. It only confirmed my lordship salvation belief. That's where I found the title for today's story - Easy Believism. Apparently, it is the opposite side of the lordship salvation discussion.

In their article, Easy Believism is described as "salvation by faith alone to the extent that those who trust in Christ are under no obligation to live transformed lives. Easy believism is not just holding to sola fide (“faith alone”). Rather, easy believism is a rejection of any degree of repentance or change as a necessary aspect of saving faith."

In other words, salvation is by faith alone and there is no reason to live a changed life as a result.

Here are some examples of Easy Believism teachers I have found - Joel Osteen, Bobby Schuller, Chuck Swindoll

Lordship Salvation pastors - John MacArthur, Voddie Baucham, Paul Washer, Billy Graham, David Wilkerson

Here's what the Bible says:

"Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." - Ephesians 4:22-24

And James says this:

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what goodb is that? ¹⁷So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." - James 2:14-17

If there is no change in our hearts, are we then truly saved? I think not, according to the Bible.

"Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." - 2 Corinthians 7:10

There must be repentance of our sins before we receive salvation. It says it right there!

"Jesus is Lord!" people say in Easy Believism. Jesus says, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" - Luke 6:46

Here's a fun little exercise. Open your favorite Bible app and do a word search for the word 'repent.' Count all of the verses and see how many you can find (I found 70+ in most translations. 105 in the King James Vesion.

'Repent, Believe and Forever Receive' is what we teach in VBS. Not Repent, Believe, then do whatever you want.

Lordship Salvation - GotQuestions.org

Same Difference

A friend of mine asked me to listen to a song recently, so I did. It wasn't my favorite kind of music (lots of screaming). But my usual criteria for song quality is 'what do the lyrics say?'

The song appears to be about our human nature to consume life. Words life 'greed,' 'wanting,' 'consuming,' and 'mine' appear in the opening verses. But then there was this line:

"The reflection I see doesn't look like the man I want to be."

Hmm. Is that repentance? Regret?

There comes a point in everyone's life when we must choose who we want to be. Do we continue with the life we have always lived? Or do we make a change and start fresh?

The song continues with more self-absorbed lines until this...

"What if I gave it all away, and shed the layers of the selfishness I hate? I want to be free but I'm so afraid that I am too far gone and I'm stuck with all the choices I have made."

And there it is. This is the point where the Gospel does its best work. This guy needs to read the Bible and learn the good news about Jesus.

In the Book of Luke we can find the story of a similar man - the thief on the cross. Here are HIS words as he reached the same point in life that this song writer did.

“Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” - Luke 23:40-41

This guy, a thief and murderer, recognized he was a sinner. He knew he was deserving of death. Yet Jesus saved him. Why?

Because God loves every one of us. And, no matter what we have done, if we wake up and recognize our sinful state and acknowledge that Jesus is the only way for us to be saved from our just punishment, WE WILL BE SAVED.

There are different types of songs out there is this world, just like there are different types of people. But there is only ONE Savior. And His name is Jesus.

Believe in God, receive His Holy Spirit, and be saved.

Finally, to quote the lyrics of another song...

"I was dead in my sin, separated from you,

I was lost, without hope, not a thing I could do

I needed a rescue, I found mercy in You.

Jesus, you are the door to salvation,

For all who believe, You made a way, you are The Way, Jesus."

You Made A Way - AIG VBS

No One Does Good

Do you think you're good enough to get into heaven? The answer to that question, no matter who you are, is 'no.'

"God looks down from heaven on the  children of man to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

They have all fallen away; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one." - Psalm 14:2-3

During Vacation Bible School this summer I asked my students if any of them thought they were good enough to get into heaven. One kid out of 18 raised his hand.

"Really?" I said. "You'd better put your hand down. 'No one does good. Not even one.'" (That was our verse of the day).

I hoped that his embarrassing moment got him thinking.

Last week that same kid was baptized at our church picnic. I still have that hope. That he KNEW he was not good enough to get into heaven on his own, but that through the shed blood of Jesus, he was.

I wonder how many of us think we've been 'good enough.' We go to church, we did a good deed, we got baptized, we wear a cross necklace. None of that means anything. Here's what DOES matter.

Remember the thief on the cross next to Jesus?

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” - Luke 23:39-43

The thief acknowledged 1.) his own sin and 2.) that Jesus was God. That's all it takes.

"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

No One Does Good - Answers VBS

The One-State Solution

Many of the world's "expert" politicians think that a two-state solution is the only solution that will bring about peace between the Palestinians and the nation of Israel. They want Israel to give the Palestinians some of their land so they can have their own country. It will NEVER work, and here's why.

First of all, neither Hamas nor the Israeli government want peace right now. Both sides in this Middle East conflict want the total elimination of the other. And, as if that isn't enough of a deterrent to peace talks, there is this fact. God does not want a two-state solution either.

Open up your Bibles to Ezekiel 37 and let's begin reading at verse 21...

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. 

That prophecy (highlighted in bold) was given to Ezekiel in 597 B.C. It was fulfilled in 1948, 2545 years later. God's Word never fails.

Then God told Ezekiel this:

"There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms." - Ezekiel 37:21-22

Why is there any question about this? It's almost like our politicians, many of whom CLAIM to be Christians, are not really reading their Bibles at all! Hmm. Strange . . . 

Why do we keep fighting against God and His will for us in this world? God has an answer to that question as well.

"Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’

“I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” - Exodus 32:7-10

If we would only listen and obey God we would not be having ANY of the problems that we are experiencing today.

I guess we are STILL a stiff-necked people. We should be praying for Israel, not condemning it. We are living in Satan's world, not the one God created for us. We will never learn.

But God will rescue us one day, and it will be soon. Only then will we know peace. Trust in Jesus today if you would like to experience that peace. "Repent, Believe, and forever Receive."

Oh, what a glorious day that will be!

Divergent

I was flippin' around the TV channels, looking for something to waste my time watching while I ate lunch, when I came across Allegient, one of the Divergent series of movies.

It only took a few minutes of watching it before I began to see the similarities between the plot of the movie and the world we are all living in today.

In the first movie of this trilogy, Divergent, society is divided up into "factions." Have you ever seen OUR country so divided as it is today?

There are those in our society who like to separate people into "factions" based on a person's race or gender. Watch the national news tonight. It doesn't matter what channel. Listen for key words like 'black,' 'white,' 'hispanic,' or 'trans.' This is all wrong. There is only one race - the HUMAN race.

"From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands." - Acts 17:26

"He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them “mankind” on the day when they were created." - Genesis 5:12

In the Divergent movies the elites (called the Erudites) are trying to rule over the other factions. Are our governments today any different? It's all about power and money.

Ultimately the 'deplorable' factions in the movie rebel. This has happened once before in our country. It was called The Civil War.

There were four basic reasons for The Civil War - the economy, cultural issues, power of the federal government over the states, and of course, slavery.

Is today any different? The economy has taken a nose dive, there are many cultural divides, the federal government is WAY too powerful and we, the taxpayers, are the slaves.

We haven't learned.

Abraham Lincoln was the president back then. What did HE think? Did he have a solution?

"Whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord."

Amen, brother! This is our challenge today. We must become divergent. But not with guns and war. We must repent and follow God. The choice is ours. 

"The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as he delighted in your ancestors, if you obey the Lord your God and keep his commands and decrees that are written in this Book of the Law and turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." - Deuteronomy 30:9-10

Finally . . .

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -

I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

- Robert Frost

The Perishing

Are there people in your life who don't know Jesus? Who put Him off in favor of living their own lifestyle? We need to pray for them boldly, as we see the day of our Lord quickly approaching.

"For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:18

Perishing . . .

God has given us a sign here, an indicator for us to observe fruit in others regarding their faith, or in this case, their lack of faith.

Of course, we cannot know what is truly in someone's heart, but we can see their "fruit."

"By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." - Matthew 7:16-19

Jesus was talking about false teachers here, but the same fruit inspection concept applies to ALL people. Scripture even supplies us with a fruit inspection guide.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." - Galatians 5:22-23

So, we can know who these people in our lives are by observing their fruit. Next, we must pray for them and talk to them lovingly about the lifestyle they have chosen. Which is really no life at all. It is a death sentence - "cut down and thrown into the fire" as Jesus calls it.

The first thing I would do is ask to meet with them - one-on-one. Then, ask them straight out, "So, what do you think about Jesus? I mean, who is He in your life?"

Their answer should clarify things. It will be the starting point.

It may be they have a different idea about who Jesus is. A warm and fuzzy Jesus perhaps rather than the one  who brings division and a sword.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." - Matthew 10:34

If a blind person was waiting to get on a train and you saw them standing a bit to close to the track, would you say anything to them before the train came? Of course you would.

Jesus is the train. It's time to get onboard.

"There is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!" - Luke 15:7

People Get Ready - Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck

The White Stones

We've all done stupid things in our lives. Sometimes we get caught. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes we can pay a very high price for our stupidity. And sometimes, well, sometimes those stupid things can haunt us for the rest of our lives.

In the privacy of your own thoughts, I would like you to think about the stupidest thing you have even done. Something you would like erased from your past. Got it? Good. Let's proceed then.

Most of the stories I write are about faith in God, Jesus, or something I see happening in the world that makes me think of God or Jesus. Today's story is about you.

You and I are not all that different. We've both done things that we regret. We both wonder what our lives would have been like if we hadn't done what we did. Oh.... to erase it and start all over again! Or simply have it blotted out and forgotten.

Today you will read a short little story that hardly anyone talks about. It's an amazing story of forgiveness and grace. But it won't make any sense without the hidden meaning that will follow.

The first story is found in the Bible. It is just one verse long. Jesus is talking to one of His churches - the one in Pergamum. But it's really addressed to all of the churches, and to all of us individually as well.

"Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it." - Revelation 2:17

And now for the backstory.

Back in Jesus' day the Roman Empire controlled Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Whenever someone committed a crime they had to go to court and convince a panel of judges of their innocence.

If a judge felt that you were guilty they would place a black stone in a jar and pass the jar on the the next judge. An innocent vote was given with a white stone. After all the judges had voted, the jar would be emptied and counted.

If the majority of stones were white you were judged as being innocent. If not, you were found guilty and sentenced accordingly. Now, read the last sentence of that verse again.

We will be tried by Jesus for our sins and He just told us in verse 17 that He is going to find you innocent. In fact, the Bible tells us elsewhere that our sins will be forgotten and separated from us "as far as the east is from the west."

How does that make you feel? The absolute worst thing you ever did will be forgotten. EVERY sin you have EVER committed will be totally forgotten and forgiven!

Jesus has done that already. He has already served your sentence. Jesus was found guilty of all of our sins, He has already been punished for them. OUR sins!

All He requires in return is our faith in Him. Our obedience.

WHY? WHY did He do this?

Because He loves us!

When Jesus gives you your pure white stone, with a new name written on it . . . known only to you, how will you feel? How will you feel as you look at the white stone in your hads with your new name written on it? Knowing you have been made clean and new by the One standing right in front of you?

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." - Galatians 2:20

Four Words

The Christian faith can seem rather complex if we look at the number of pages in the Bible. The Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew translations of millenia-old texts can be daunting. People have studied it for their entire lives and will tell you that they can only grasp a fraction of its meaning. Yet, it can be summed up in just four little words.

This is the season that the whole world celebrates the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Talk about something hard to understand. The Jewish religious leaders of Jesus' day were looking for a mighty king who could lead them in victory over the oppressive Roman Empire. They weren't expecting a baby to lead them.

Yet, today, the Roman Empire is long gone and Christianity remains. It seems as if Jesus was right. He sits at the right hand of God the Father this very day.

Our faith in Jesus is the key to our being with Him in heaven one day. And although the Bible tells us to "believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved" (Acts 16:31),  belief must be accompanied by repentance and surrender or it is useless.

The following Christmas song contains a powerful chorus and is the source of the title for this story - four words. Those four words are an instruction to us and the key to unlocking heaven's door. Those words are . . .

Fall . . .

On . . .

Your . . .

Knees.

Listen to this song and see if you don't get chills hearing those four little words in a most powerful way.

O, Holy Night - Lindsey Stirling

[Note: Lindsey Stirling is a Mormon. Mormons do not believe in the same Jesus that Christians do. To learn more about Mormon beliefs click here]

To Be Chosen

When I was in high school gym class our gym teacher would pick two captains and let them pick the teams. They picked their friends and teammates first, then the guys they didn't know anything about. That was me.

It sucked, waiting to be chosen. Everyone picked before me was just a way of saying, "I think they're better than you."

With God however, there is no such feeling. Rather, there is a feeling of disbelief.

"Really? God chose me?"

This is not going to be a Calvinism vs. Arminianism story. Rather it is a telling of how God DOES INDEED chose people. Here's a few examples.

“You are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” - Deuteronomy 7:6

"In these days He (Jesus) went out to the mountain to pray, and all night He continued in prayer to God. And when day came, He called His disciples and chose from them twelve, whom He named apostles." - Luke 6:12-13

God chooses people. Which also means that God does NOT choose others. And we interact with them every day. How do we handle that?

But God doesn't want anyone to perish.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

The question then becomes WHO is "anyone?" Anyone on the planet? Or any one of those He has chosen. I have no idea.

God is omnipresent. That means He exists outside of time. He knows what you're eating for breakfast tomorrow. He knows when your children will finakly come to repentance and place their faith in Jesus.

We should ALL be grateful . . . to be chosen.

The Angel of The Lord

"David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown." - 1 Chronicles 21:16

God had sent His angel to punish Israel for David's not trusting in Him. God's angel killed 70,000 fighting men before God told him to stop.

Why do we disobey God? Surely people have heard of His might and power, yet we don't follow His commands.

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

The answer is easy. We choose NOT to obey. He's not a priority for us in our daily lives. We get so involved with ourselves and our lives that we forget about God desires for us.

That's a problem. As David clearly found out.

How many of us are being punished by God without our even knowing it? That's hard to say with any certainty but I think it happens more often than we realize.

• I believe in God but I have never been married and have two kids.
• We believe in God but we don't attend worship.
• I believe in God but the church I attend worships 'Mother God' and embraces LGBTQ+ pastors.
• We believe in God but we also think that abortion should be the law of the land.

Why has our country gone downhill in recent days? Some would say, "It's Biden's fault! The economy sucks and the border's wide open."

Really?

"There is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." - Romans 13:1

If we are going through struggles and hard times, it is VERY possible that we are doing so because we have disobeyed God or dishonored Him in some way.

We need to examine ourselves for any fault and then repent of it if things are ever going to change in our lives or in this world. David repented of a bad decision he had made, THEN God commanded the angel to stop the killing.

1. Examine
2. Pray
3. Repent
4. Obey

And don't forget about Jesus. Only by placing our faith in Him can we avert God's wrath and be forgiven.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

The Witch of Endor

If you are a fan of Star Wars or Lord of The Rings, you have probably heard of Endor. For Tolkien, Endor was also known as Middle Earth. For George Lucas, Endor was a planet inhabited by Ewoks. But did you know that Endor is actually a real place in The Bible? And a witch lived there.

"Then Saul said to his servants, "Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a medium at Endor." - 1 Samuel 28:7

Consulting mediums, spiritists, witches or sorcerers was against God's will.

“Do not defile yourselves by turning to mediums or to those who consult the spirits of the dead. I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 19:31

So, why was Saul consulting with a medium if it was against God's will? Good question!

Saul was desperate for some guidance. God had stopped answering him because Saul had sinned. Repeatedly. Saul then remembered the prophet Samuel. Samuel was someone who had guided him in the past. Why not summon him from the dead, right?

The Bible contains many commands from God that we ourselves choose to ignore. We think they are ridiculous so WE DECIDE to disobey. Do you think that's wise?

One thing to remember about witches and the like - they are sinners just like you and me. We all face an eternity in hell unless we repent of our sins and turn to God in humble submission.

One more thing about The Witch of Endor. She knew that her 'occupation,' and what she did, was against both the king's command AND God's law. Yet, she did it anyway.

One might say, "I am no different than her." But we ARE different - if we have placed our hope and faith in Jesus.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:16-18

Our Devoted Things

When Joshua was leading the Israelites into the promised land, God instructed the people about what they should and shouldn't do. They were about to attack Jericho and God didn't want them to become corrupted by the people who lived there. 

"But keep away from the devoted things, so that you will not bring about your own destruction by taking any of them. Otherwise you will make the camp of Israel liable to destruction and bring trouble on it." - Joshua 6:18

But, of course, someone disobeyed the Lord and stirred up God's wrath against them.

"But the Israelites were unfaithful in regard to the devoted things; Achan son of Karmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of them. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel." - Joshua 7:1

God punished all of Israel and only relented when the offender was found out, repented and was punished.

"Then Joshua said to Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honor him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

Achan replied, “It is true! I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel." - Joshua 7:19-20

Achan was then taken outside the camp and was stoned to death for his sin.

There are some interesting things we can glean out of this story. But most notably, God will punish an entire nation for the sin of one person.

If we think of "the world" as Israel, and "outside the camp" is hell, what 'devoted things' of Satan's have we hidden in OUR tents?

"For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.” - Mark 7:21-24

Even if we repent of having these things in our hearts, God's wrath still burns against us. We can say we are sorry and repent, just like Achan did. It doesn't matter. We are destined to be taken outside the camp and 'stoned to death.' Hell.

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." - Hebrews 9:22

We're all doomed! But....

"For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son...."

Jesus! Jesus died for our sins. He shed HIS blood for OUR sins. The sins of the entire world, "once for all." (Hebrews 10:10)

"...that whoever believes in Him shall not die but have eternal life." John 3:16

Jesus is our only hope.

Without Jesus we are destined to spend eternity in hell - "outside the camp." We must repent AND allow Jesus to be Lord of our lives. Now.

Without the blood of Jesus covering our sins we have no hope at all.

But...

"Blessed be the name of The Lord from this time forth and forever more." - Psalm 113:2

Living In Egypt

Where do you live?

Sorry. I shouldn't have sprung that question on you so early in the morning. It's a trick question you see.

"For in him we live and move and have our being." - Acts 17:28

Today's verse is not attributed to one of the Apostles or to Jesus. It is a quote from Epimenides, an ancient Cretan philosopher. Paul used the quote when he spoke to the Greeks in the Areopagus in Athens.

Paul used the words of someone they were familiar with to explain to them who he was and what he was doing there. And what was Paul doing in Athens? He was spreading the good news about Jesus, The Messiah. What Paul was saying was that, in Christ, he lived and moved and had his being."

I invite you to read that verse again. Read it slowly and let its words seep deep down into your heart.

Now.....with the words of Epimenides fresh in your mind, 'where do you live?'

We live....in Christ!

Why?

Because, "in Him, we live and move and have our being." At least we should.

When God's people lived as slaves in Egypt they prayed for a deliverer. God heard their prayer and sent them Moses. But when Moses led them out of Egypt most wanted to return there when times got tough.

"They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” - Exodus 14:11-12

My friends, wherever we are physically living, this world is spiritually "living in Egypt," right now. Even though we are slaves to it, we like it here. We're used to it. We're comfortable.

Jesus is our deliverer. He came to deliver us out of Egypt (this world). And He will do it again one day. Soon. But until then, we will keep "making bricks," or whatever else it is we do. Only we will do so with an incredible hope. Hope in our deliverer,  Jesus. 

"Where do you live?"

"In Christ!"

If Then

One of the few things I remember from my high school algebra class was the transitive property of equality - the "if/then" statement.

"If A = B and B = C then A = C"

It's like this.....

If Mary is my sister, and Tom is my brother, then Mary and Tom must be sister and brother. Something like that anyway.

There is another "if/then statement" statement that I read the other day that is also true and very important. It's in the Bible! Here it is.

"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 will forgive their sin and heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

That's another if/then statement but the "ifs" outnumber the "thens."

1. Humble ourselves
2. Pray
3. Seek God's face
4. Turn from our wicked ways.

IF we do ALL of those things, THEN God will hear us, forgive us and heal our land.

Look at that list. Do you see us doing those things as a nation anytime soon? Me neither.

"We're not going to make it, are we? People, I mean." - young John Conner - Terminator 2: Judgement Day

The thing about the world right now is that we have turned our backs on God. Not all of us, but most have. God can do anything. I'm convinced of that. But will He heal our land if we don't do any of those things?

Good question.

We keep forgetting one important thing about the Bible. It's for the Jews first, THEN the Gentiles. But Israel is just as bad off as WE are.

We as individuals can and must do all four of those things listed in the verse above. We'd best get to it. Our time is running short.

Maybe, if enough of us do these four things, God will hear our prayer. It's worth a shot, don't you think?