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

Maria Maria

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!" - Luke 1:42

That was Elizabeth talking to Mary when the latter came to visit her. Mary certainly was blessed alright. She was carrying the Savior of the world in her womb. But what is the extent of her blessedness? Should Mary be prayed to and worshipped?

Key verses:

"You shall have no other Gods before me." - Exodus 20:3

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." - Hebrews 4:14

Where religions fail is when we humans start adding our own ideas and laws to them. Mormonism is like that. Jehovah's witnesses too. And sadly, the same can be said for Catholicism.

Somewhere along the line in the Christian faith one branch decided that it should start worshipping Mary, the mother of Jesus. They elevated her and made several "assumptions" about her.

These assumptions are that Mary led a sinless life, that she is still a virgin to this day, and that she was taken up to heaven just like Jesus was. Mary is also prayed to in the Catholic faith. So too are all of their saints, which the church came up with, not God.

Let's review those two verses we just read. 1.) No other gods and 2.) Jesus is our high priest.

Christianity is really quite simple. We must answer just one question. Who is Jesus in our lives? All of the other man-made rules are just our attempt ro customize God to our liking.

After the Gospels, is Mary even mentioned at all in the Bible? She is mentioned once, in the Book of Acts, a sidenote as part of the church, along with her other sons.

"They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." - Acts 1:14

Speaking of which, if Mary was a perpetual virgin as the Catholic church says, where did these children of hers come from? Scripture also tells us that Jesus had sisters.

When Jesus came to Nazareth, His hometown, it's citizens wouldn't believe His teachings, saying:

"Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” - Mark 6:3

Mary certainly was blessed above all women. We should honor her as the mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus. But we should not be praying to her. She is not our God. Jesus is our only intercessor when we pray to God the Father. He is the High Priest.

Key take aways for today:

1.) Read and understand the Bible.

2.) Believe in the One True God - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

3.) Obey His commands.

"Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you." - Deuteronomy 4:2

I love all of my Catholic 'brothers and sisters.' It's the church's doctrine that has me concerned and in prayer.

To learn more about the Catholic church and their beliefs about Mary check this out:

Catholic Beliefs About Mary

This song is only here to give my story a title (Maria = Mary).

Maria Maria - Santana 

La Porte

Like lots of Packers fans on Sunday, my wife and I were watching the Vikings-Lions game which preceded our big game. The Lions have a tight end on their team named Laporta.

"Laporta?" I said to myself. "Why does that sound familiar?" Welcome to High school French class.

Back then, after we were all seated in our desks, our teacher would say, "Fermez la porte," which means "Close the door."

Why do I even remember that? I was 15 years old! That was 55 years ago!! Yet I knew, today, that "la porte" means 'the door.'

"I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture." - John 10:9

Jesus told us that HE is the door. And what is a door? Is it not a means of entry through a wall? A barrier where there is no other means of access? Jesus is la porte into heaven.

But why did I remember that? It is because I heard it everyday in my French class for an entire semester. Repetition is how we train ourselves to remember things.

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates," - Deuteronomy 11:18-20

God commanded us to memorize scripture. How are we doing with that?

We're like, "I don't have enough time in my day to sit down and memorize a bunch of verses."

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

"Fermez la porte et mettez-vous au travail."

Mountain Man

When you hear the words "mountain man" who do you think of? For me it's Jeremiah Johnson - a character portrayed by Robert Redford in the 1972 Sydney Pollack film aptly named Jeremiah Johnson.

Johnson got tired of life in the city, the crowds, and also the war (the Civil War). So he left all the noise and people behind and moved up into the mountains.

Does anyone else come to mind as a mountain man? What about Jesus? It seems like every other story about Him took place on a mountain, of after coming down from a mountain, either alone or with the disciples.

How about Moses? Didn't he go up on a mountain by himself to receive the ten commandments? He was up there for 40 days!

Let's look at Jesus in the Book of Matthew and The Mount of Olives.

"Now when Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to Him and He began to teach them."- Matthew 5:1-2

You know, it's interesting to note here that Jesus is going to return to the Mount of Olives one day. The prophet Zechariah spoke about it.

"And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives." - Zechariah 14:4

It seems like there is something about going up on a mountain that literally, and spiritually, brings us closer to God.

We don't have any mountains here in Wisconsin, but we can get closer to God by reading His Word, by convercing with "God On High" through prayer, or serving Him by serving others in our daily lives.

So, let us lace on our hiking boots, grab our walking stick, and be off on our journey this week.

"Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." - Hebrews 10:19-25

Jeremiah Johnson Trailer

Blind Eyes

I had cataract surgery a few days ago. Basically, they cut into your eye, remove the original lens, and replace it with a new one. Sounds simple, right?

Wrong.

This was like REAL surgery! Lol! Hospital gown, IV in my wrist, anesthesiologist, operating room, the whole thing.

The actual procedure took five-ten minutes, but the prep time took an hour. My surgeon had 17 such surgeries Thursday morning. Then he met with each of us patients that same afternoon to see how we were doing.

So, is my vision all clear this morning? Nope. I can see but my vision is still a bit cloudy. That's normal I guess but I was hoping for some kind instantaneous restoration. Again . . . nope.

It reminds me of Jesus and His healing of the man born blind.

"He (Jesus) took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?”

He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly." - Mark 8:23-25

The interesting thing about the account we just read was that Jesus healed the man in two stages. With other similar healings of blindness in the Bible people could see immediately. So, why wasn't this man's healing the same?

It doesn't really say, but there is a hint a few verses earlier when read that it was "some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him." The blind man himself did not ask to be healed.

Perhaps by being partially healed at first the blind man himself then had faith in Jesus. He certainly had no hope before, but now he actually could see, although not clearly. But now the man himself believed in the healing power that Jesus had. And that's what Jesus was waiting for.

Elsewhere in the Bible we read of many other such healings of the blind and lame and we hear this from Jesus:

"Your faith has healed you."

The blind man was brought to Jesus because of THEIR faith, not his. Total restoration (the second time) was a result of the blind man's faith, not theirs.

I believe my eye surgeon when he says that the cloudiness in my eye will disappear in a few days. His testimony is based on thousands of other such surgeries that he has performed.

But my ultimate faith is in Jesus. My faith in Jesus is based on the total restorative surgery that He has already performed on my heart. Only through Him was I made able to clearly see.

Seeking Emmanuel

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” - Matthew 2:1-2

The Magi were in the east according to verse 1. Stars and planets appear to travel east to west as the earth rotates. Looking west towards Jerusalem, these heavenly bodies would then appear the decend not rise for the Magi. The "star" had to have been something else. But what? Here's my theory.

Note in verse 1 above where it says, "we saw the star when it rose." It sounds like they saw the star actually rising . . . moving. Impossible. Unless it was something else.

"After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light." - Matthew 17:1-2

The star was not Jesus, obviously. He was down below in the manger. An angel perhaps? Maybe, but I don't think so, although they do make appearances dressed in white.

What about the Holy Spirit? He is part of the Trinity. He IS God, just like JESUS is God. Could the Holy Spirit be transfigured like Jesus was? From Spirit to Light? JESUS  is light. Why not the Holy Spirit?

When we come to faith in Christ isn't it God's Holy Spirit who draws us to God? Don't we follow the Holy Spirit's leading as we seek Jesus?

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

Or was it God Himself who rose up and drew the Magi to Himself. John 6:44 just told us that He does that sort of thing. What do you think? Wouldn't God The Father want to be present for the birth of His One and Only Son?

“His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” -  Matthew 28:3

Emmanuel literally means "God with us." God HAS come to earth before (Jesus' transfiguration, Jesus' baptism, with Moses at the tent of meeting, etc.).

A mystery.

But why did the Magi stop in Jerusalem to ask where the newborn king was? They were following the star, right? Bethlehem is beyond Jerusalem to the northwest.

I'm thinkin' that, when they got into the big city they lost sight of the star with all of the tall buildings and narrow streets. They couldn't see it.

So they stopped in to see Herod. Wouldn't this visit have occured during the day when Herod was awake? I think they lost sight of the star. Only when they searched for it again at night did they find it. Another mystery.

"With God all things are possible.” - Matthew 19:26

The moral of this story is this: Never stop searching for God. Never take you eyes off of Him. When the Magi couldn't follow the star anymore they became lost. And they asked the wrong person for directions. A literal 'anti' Christ.

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." - Jeremiah 29:13

Keep searching. Never give up. You WILL find Him.

A Quiet Place

"Let us go alone to a quiet place." - Mark 6:31

Jesus often withdrew to "a quiet place," either by Himself or with His disciples. Why did He do that? And should we? The example above from the Book of Mark is just one of many in The Bible.

With all of the healing that Jesus did and all the teaching and miracles He performed, He usually drew a pretty large crowd wherever He went.

Why did Jesus like to get away from the crowds? And what lessons can we learn from His desire for solitude? First, let's read the verse above in context.

"Jesus said to them, `Come away with me. Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.' Many people were coming and going. They could not even eat.

So they went away in a boat to a lonely place by themselves." - Mark 6:31-32

In this example Jesus was with His disciples. His boys had just gotten back from the journey He had sent them on. They most likely had many stories to tell Him. This time away by themseves was going to be a teaching time, specifically for the disciples.

Unfortunately, many people had seen them leaving and followed them along the shoreline. How many people followed them in their attempt to retreat to a quiet place? Welcome to the story about the feeding of the 5,000. 

Jesus still taught that day but His class was just a little bigger than the twelve He had hoped for.

But we can still see Jesus' desire to get away from it all. Do YOU have a quiet place you like to go to in order to focus on God?

For me it's my living room chair before my wife, or the sun, have gotten up yet. There are zero distractions, other than the ones in my head. It is a very quiet time.

But what is YOUR quiet time? And where is your quiet place?

Even in our prayer time with God, Jesus told us to 'go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.' - Matthew 6:6

It is there, when it is just us and God, that we can offer prayers that we want no one else to know. We can pray about our innermost thoughts and sins without fear of gossip or rumor.

My prayer for you today is that you would find that quiet place to pray. And don't forget to listen! For God speaks in whispers, not earthquakes, wind, or fire (1 Kings 19:11-12).

Seek out the quiet places in your life. God will speak to you there.

God Speaking - Mandissa

First Love

So, like, umm, have you been busy lately? It's a good thing we have our phones and computers to help us meet our busy schedules, right?

The computers that once filled entire buildings now sit on our laps or are worn on our wrists. The phones that once sat on countertops or hung on walls are now in our pockets.

Our flatscreen televisions of today would seem like science fiction compared to the console models that contained radios and record players. In short, we have made it really easy for us to become distracted. From what? God.

In John's Book of Revelation Jesus tells the church in Ephesus that they have "forgotten their first love." That's Jesus. And we have done the same.

"You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. " - Revelation 2:4-5

And just to be clear, having Jesus come and "remove our lampstand" is NOT a good thing.

Our "first love" should be Jesus, God. And we truly have forgotten Him it seems. We tend to worship ourselves and our "things." Or we might worship A god, but not THEE God. And if we don't like the One True God, we just change him to our liking. We create our own versions of god.

For example, our current president, Joe Biden, claims to be a Catholic. Yet he is in favor of abortion and same-sex marriage. How can THAT be? Isn't he modifying the god he believes in for a political purpose?

And, speaking of Catholics, the Pope has come out and said that priests can "bless" same sex marriages now. Even though the Lord, Our God, would never do this. He calls same-sex sex an abomination.

"You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination." - Leviticus 18:22

Our first love should not be ourselves nor should it be our own selfish desires. Do you remember "the first and greatest commandment?"

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself." - Mark 12:30-31

We have become so incredibly focused on ourselves and our own desires that we truly have forgotten our first love - Jesus.

So how do we correct that?

The first thing we must do is examine ourselves. Make note of the parts of our lives that are not honoring to God and eliminate them.

Next, we need to change the focus of our lives. Quit reading the news and read the Bible. Stop worshipping "reality" and DIY shows and make worship a reality in our lives. Change the direction of our lives and set our G.P S. to G.O.D.

It's doable, but is it likely? Sadly, I don't think so. Not for society anyway. But it's not too late for us indivisuals to make a change. But a time is coming when it WILL be too late.

Place Jesus first in your life today. He loves you! He loved you before the creation of the world. And He died so that you may live. Live in Him . . . the Love you had at first.

The Finger of God

Sometimes I think we forget about the incredible power of God. The things that He has done, and has yet to do. He can speak and destroy entire armies, divide the waters of the Red Sea, and create the sun, moon and stars, etc. Yet He is "small" enough to answer our individual prayers.

For example, there are four instances in the Bible of God "writing with His finger." The first is located in the Book of Exodus when Moses was sending plagues on Egypt. Pharaoh's magicians could not duplicate the plagues sent forth by God and exclaimed, "This is the finger of God."

The second is found in the Book of Exodus when God wrote His law on two tablets of stone.

"When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the covenant law, the tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God." - Exodus 31:18

This is also duplicated in Deuteronomy and the twin account of God writing on the tablets of stone.

The fourth and final mention of God's finger is in the Book of Luke. Jesus just got done freeing a blind and mute man from a demon. Jesus said this to His critics:

 "If I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." - Luke 11:20

I mention these things for two reasons. 1.) To remind us of the unmistakable power of Almighty God. God is spirit and has no fingers. "The finger of God" speaks to His immeasurable power. 2.) With all this incredible power at His command in mind, now read this:

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.  But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger." - John 8:3-6

Was this Jesus telling the Pharisees that HE was God by writing with His finger as a hint? Was He demonstrating how it was God Himself who wrote "the law of Moses," with His own "finger" and now Jesus was doing the same?

No one knows exactly what Jesus wrote on the ground or why He did so. But isn't it interesting to see the finger of God actually working?

Honestly, I think Jesus was just patiently giving the Pharisees the opportunity to realize their OWN sin.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." - John 8:7

We are ALL sinners. We have no power to change things like He can. Repent and believe in Jesus. He can absolutely change YOU. And the interesting thing is, He already knows whether or not you will allow Him to do so.

Cardinal Love

[Inspired by a friend . . . my 2023 Christmas story.]

Do you have a bird feeder in your yard? We do. My wife and I love to watch the birds, especially our chickadees and cardinals.

We do nice things for our little bird buddies so that they will continue to linger outside our sunroom windows. We feed them sunflower seeds and we have a bird bath for them to drink out of and bathe in. We also have lilac bushes to provide them with protective cover.

Our favorite birds are a pair of cardinals that visit our feeder. Or should I say 'used to.' A few years ago we noticed that the female cardinal was missing. Something had happened to her – a predator maybe, disease, unknown.

Cardinals mate for life. They would always come to the feeder around sunset. Mr. Cardinal watched from a tree branch above while Mrs. Cardinal ate. And she always ate first.

It was sad to watch Mr. Cardinal sitting in the lilac bush, all by his lonesome, after he lost the love of his life. This year though we have a pair of cardinals again. It could be a new pair I guess, but I like to think that maybe Mr. Cardinal found someone new.

It is said that whenever we see a cardinal, after a loved one of ours dies, it is some sort of angel visiting us. I don’t believe in that kind of thing. But I do think of lost ones whenever I do see a lone cardinal.

It's easy to picture the male cardinal as a type of Jesus, don't you think? He’s always watching out from above for the benefit of His bride, the Church. There are lots of predators out there these days, seeking after an easy meal to devour. That 'meal' would be us - Christians living in a secular world.

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." - James 4:8

The people that God has placed in our lives are there for a reason - to love. None of them is perfect, and neither are we. But God's command is clear.

"Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." - John 13:34

Interesting. Twice in one verse Jesus tells us to love one another. Hmm. Maybe that's important.

So, that is my prayer for you this Christmas. May you draw nearer to God this year than you ever have before. May you 'love one another' better than ever, like Mr. Cardinal loves his bride, and like Jesus loves His Church.

And may you get yourselves a bird feeder for YOUR backyard as well. By doing something nice for someone else, whether for birds or for humans, you will find that YOU are the one who is being blessed.

Merry Christmas! Love you all.

The River That Flows

Here's a puzzle for ya. How can something that is dead be brought back to life again? No, this isn't a story about the resurrection of Jesus. Well, it kind of is, but it isn't. This is a prophetic story about the Dead Sea. And how it will one day be "born again."

The Dead Sea is pictured above. And it IS truly dead. Nothing lives in it. And that isn't snow you're seeing in the picture. It's salt. It is SO salty that nothing can live in the sea or even near it.

If you look at a map of Israel you will notice that the Dead Sea is east of Jerusalem. The Jordan River flows southward into the Dead Sea. Water flows in but it just evaporates, leaving all the mineral deposits behind.

There are intermittent streams that do flow eastward from the area around Jerusalem but nothing permanent or continual.

I was reading in the Book of Ezekiel and came across this prophecy about the Dead Sea.

"The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east)." - Ezekiel 47:1

A couple of interesting things to note here. 1.) There is currently no temple in Jerusalem. 2.) Water flowed eastward. How is that possible when the Jordan River (east of Jerusalem) is flowing north to south?

Are you ready for this? This is from the prophet Zechariah. It hasn't happened yet. None of this has.

"On that day His feet (the feet of Jesus) shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward." - Zechariah 4:14

Hmm. Suddenly there will be a valley running east and west out of Jerusalem. Ezekiel tells us, again in chapter 47 verse 1 that the water came out from under the temple on the south side then flowed to the east.

"The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar." - Ezekiel 47:1

Later in Chapter 47 Ezekiel is still with this "man" and his measuring rod. As they walk eastward the water keeps getting deeper and deeper. And then we read this about the Dead Sea.

"Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live." - Ezekiel 476-9

This is all prophetic. This will all happen in the future, and some say that it will happen soon. But this is also a picture of a nonbeliever coming to faith in Christ. And "The River" is Jesus. When Jesus enters us it is WE who become clean and fresh.

"Where the river (Jesus) flows, everything will live."

“If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” - John 4:10

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” - John 7:37-38

Is there living water flowing out of you?

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]