Agape Love

    

         During the final week of the life of Jesus on earth, much happened.  The Gospel of John spends a lot of time, from chapters 12-20, dealing with the last week.  Chapter 12 begins with the preparation for the entry into Jerusalem and Chapter 20 begins with the events of the tomb and the fact of the risen Savior.  Everything else in between tells us what happened during that last week.  One of the events, was the account of the "new commandment."  John 13:34-35 says, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."   

     Jesus tells them this and it has become of great importance ever since.  This type of love was indeed rare in the Greek language.  The Greeks knew of other types of love, but they didn't know that much about this type of "agape" love.  They didn't know of the "righteous deeds to meet the needs of another."  This has become a prominent teaching, however, in New Testament times.  We often find that certain attributes of the Christian faith are more difficult than others.  This is one of them.  One might think that love should be easy to do, but it doesn't.  The world, following the lead of Hollywood and other so called experts, have missed the mark so badly on the issue of love, that everyone seems confused.  The real issue of love cannot be found in most cases.  It, love, is that act of doing things, right things, for others who have need of them.  It is doing when you don't feel like doing.  It is loving those whom you don't feel like loving.  It is following the example of Christ in all of your dealings in life.  So, it has become very difficult to actually do in the present day church.  You don't have to be a prophet to look around and see the evidence.  Churches are splitting and forming other churches.  Pastors and other church leaders are becoming involved in extra marital affairs.  Anger and division are evident throughout the world.  The testimony of churches has become so ineffective, that no one really knows who the real Christians are.  Did you remember the last sentence of today's Scripture?  "...By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples..."  It's not the bumper sticker that says, "Jesus is the Answer" nor is it the religious jewelry or other quaint gadgets that we have that identifies the true believer.  It is their love for one another that should be the primary example.  So, when you wonder the testimony of believers is falling a little short, take a look at the "love issue."  Remember, this is not about feeling good, having your heart skip a beat over someone or the general warm fuzzies.  It's about doing right things for people who have needs in their lives and having people do right things for the needs that's in your life.   Love is righteous acts to meet the needs of another.   Praise God today for His love in sending His Son to die for our sins.  Now, that's real love.

When You Need a Friend

     I just received a notice from the insurance company that my funeral expenses are now paid for.  We had been paying so much a month for the past five years so that there would be no plans to be made at the time of my demise.  We have a tendency to make plans ahead for whatever event that could possibly take place.  Then we can say, "If everything goes according to plan, we should be OK."  The events of the crucifixion were not going according to the plan of the disciples or probably not even Mary.  They probably had not even thought of what they were going to do with His body after the crucifixion.  Matthew 27:57-60 says,"When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:   He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.   And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,   And laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed."  
      When Jesus died that day on the cross on Calvary a man steps forward to take charge.  His first requirement is to go to Pilate and ask for the body of Jesus which he did and he got permission to take the body.  Joseph is mentioned several times throughout the gospels and the emphasis was on the fact that he was a rich man.  He already had made his own burial plans, and so had a new tomb that had not been used.  In those days, after a period of time, the bones of the person in the tomb would be removed and placed into a box called an ossuary   The tomb could then be reused.  In the case of this particular tomb, no one had been placed in it.  It was a new tomb.  Joseph is accompanied by an individual we all know from John 3, by the name of Nicodemus.  Together, they wrap the body, place the spices throughout the wrappings and place Him in the new tomb.  From the family's point, it was a relief.  Now they at least knew where the body would be and could visit it later.  There are times in our lives when we find ourselves in the middle of an event for which we had not planned.  Those are the times that someone may step forward out of the background and take care of the needs that have come up in our lives.  You may be the "Joseph" that can take of a need for someone else when they are dealing with much more than they can handle at the moment.  It is good in these situations that we are obedient to the leading of the holy Spirit in our lives.  So, If God has called you to be a Joseph to someone in your life today, don't hesitate but rather follow His leading.  Praise God today for the fact that He guides each and everyone of us in all the situations of life.

Death, Burial and Resurrection

         Two things were vital so many years ago.  First of all, Christ had to die for our sins.  Without His death on the cross there would be no possibility of salvation.  A payment had to be made and Jesus made it.  He uttered those words on the cross, "It is finished."  Jesus was the payment.  The second thing that is important to us is the fact that the grave was not going to hold Him prisoner.  He was going to raise from the dead.  This was accomplished a few days later when on the first day of the week, Jesus was raised from the dead.  John 19:41-42 says, "Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.  There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand."  
        There are many people in the world that want the story to end with these verses.  In their eyes, Jesus was just a good teacher, or maybe even a prophet.  They call Him a good man and one who had a cause for which to fight.  They don't see Him as He is, the Son of God.  Their denial of that fact however, doesn't change the truth one bit.  The fact still remains that Jesus did raise from the dead.  We don't have just the testimony of one person, or two, or three but of over 500 people who saw the Lord Jesus Christ.  Atheists, agnostics, Jews, Romans or zealots could not produce the body of Christ because it had been raised from the dead even as He said it would be.  With these two facts:  That He died for the sins of the world and that He was raised from the dead, guarantees the complete message of Christianity.  If either of these items were not true, we would be in trouble.  But, the truth is, He did die and He did rise.  For that, we can praise the Lord today.  Luke 24:5-6 reminds us, "And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?   He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,"  The angels were there to again make an important announcement.  Jesus was not in the tomb and not only was He not in the tomb, He was alive.  Because of this great fact, we have a calendar that tells us that this year is the 2018th year of our Lord.  We have churches on many street corners.  We have Christian music, Bibles and hymn books.  All because of a risen Savior.  More than all of these things, we as believers have hope that this life is not all that there is.  Something greater, something bigger, something better is coming and it is all because of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Praise God today because of the words, "He is risen as He said."

No Coincidences

         Is anything coincidental?  Is it a coincidence that I wake up at 3:00 AM?  Is it a coincidence that I go to a certain place or take a certain route or come up to a certain person during my travels of the day?   Is it a mere coincidence when a person comes to mind and you feel a pressure to pray for that person even when you don't know why?   Can there be anything that is coincidental when you think of the sovereignty of God?  God does not choose to speak to you just between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM.    John 19:34-37 says,  "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.  And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.  For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.   And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced." 
       The whole life of Christ is a filling of prophecy after prophecy.  There were no coincidences in His life.  Every step and every action had a purpose as it moved from the cradle to the cross and then to the empty tomb.  John records some of the events of the day of the crucifixion as does Matthew, Mark and Luke.  Every now and then you read words like, "should be fulfilled" or "another Scripture saith"  and realize that prophecy after prophecy had been fulfilled and many of them took place on the Day of the Cross.  Many have been amazed at the robe that Jesus wore and how it was made as recorded by the Apostle John.  Being one solid piece, it was not going to be easy to divide it so the best solution was to cast lots for it.  We might thrown dice, cut cards, flip a coin or some other way to determine who wins the prize.  The soldiers at Calvary chose to cast lots and the winner would take the robe.  No bone was broken during the crucifixion even though a spear was thrust through His side.  His legs were not broken as those of the other two hanging nearby.  Another prophecy was fulfilled.  Soon, Joseph of Arimathea would come to ask permission to take the body and place it in his own personal tomb that had never been occupied.  It would be the borrowed tomb of a rich man of Isaiah 53.  We might stand back and say, "What a coincidence."  That would not be the case but the fact would emerge that it was all part of God's plan.  So, we look at our own lives and suddenly see purpose in that which goes on.  We suddenly realize that the words of a friend to you give you hope and that they are necessary and part of God's plan.  We also see that our plans and actions the urgings that come upon us are not mere coincidences, but that they are the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your life.  No, it is not a coincidence.  Praise God that He is speaking today and guiding each and every one of His family.

Paid in Full

          Many times, people remember the final words that someone said.  When General Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines, he said those famous words, "I shall return."  We remember saying like that as they portray some characteristic of the individual who said them.  People can make promises or statements and for many, they probably can't keep them no matter how profound they might be.  Even we can make statements, like, "I'll see you tomorrow." and not know for certain if we will be able to keep those words or not.  The casual "I'll see you later." may never come to pass.  We are in what is called "Holy Week." where the events of the last 7 days of Christ on earth before the resurrection take place.  I would call your attention to one of the final sayings the Christ spoke as recorded in the Gospels.  John 19:29-30 says, " Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put i upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost."  
     The Scriptures record these words as being the final words of Christ on the cross.  They of course, were not His final words since He is eternal, but during the crucifixion, these were His final words.  As He hung in agony on the cross and paying the price for our sins , He finally came to the point where every single sin was paid for.  How massive the sin, probably was not the importance, but the amount was important.  The Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ became the application for the payment of our sins.  Then, there was that point in time when He uttered the words in regard to every sin that had ever been committed from the farthest point in history to the most future point.  Countless sins were committed that we could not fathom.  The number kept growing faster and faster and it would seem impossible to keep up,  That, however, was not the case for the Lord Jesus Christ,  That point in history finally arrived when every sin had the Sacred blood had been applied to it.  As the Lord Jesus Christ hung on that cross, He uttered the words, "It is finished."     We have heard so often what those words mean.  A single word is translated, "Paid in Full."  Every sin you and I have ever committed were now paid for by His act on the cross.  This great salvation was completed that day on the cross and then guaranteed by the resurrection.  No one either before or after has been able to say those words in the context in which they were given in regard to the payment for sin.  So, praise God today that Jesus Paid it All.

Two Flakes

        The weather seem to dominate our lives by dictating what we are going to do simply based upon the weather.  I was standing next to a man recently who said, "Nothing scares a Baptist more than 2 flakes of snow."     When it snows on a Tuesday evening or a Saturday evening, right away the thought is that we are not going to be able to attend church.  I know that in my later years, snow is frightening especially when you are thinking about falls and broken bones.  So, we are more careful about it.  In my earlier years, I took a lot of tumbles in the snow and ice but just got up and walked away.  I also recall driving an old Pontiac and having to take the fender skirts off to put on the chains when things got really bad.  Nothing, stopped us from going to the grocery store to get our supply of milk, bread and toilet paper to last through the storm.   Psalm 122:1 says, "I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD."
       The weather wasn't a factor years ago.  We went to church even when you had to drive on hard packed snow from November to April.  The little word "glad" that is in the above verse is the clue.  The person who loves to worship God in a group isn't going to be stopped by a few flakes of snow.  I know of one pastor who lived close to the church and who made the statement, "We will never close even if it means that I will be the only one here."   Offering worship to God is important but it isn't the snow flakes that stop so many from coming to church.  It could be, basketball, football, a headache, relatives and the list goes on because in today's culture, church is quite a few notches down on the list.  We say that we can worship God in a Laz-y-Boy with a peanut butter sandwixh, chips, a drink and Charles Stanley.  They might be good but the experience of coming together as a group of believers with one purpose in mind is far better.  You may feel like you just can't make it to church but when you go, it is amazing to have a feeling of joy replace that of despair when you leave the worship service.  It is true that Satan doesn't want anyone to go to church.  He would rather that all of us stay home.  Victory comes when we find ourselves singing and praying together and offering praise to God for what He has done for all of us in the past 24 hours or more.  So, praise God today that we have an opportunity to gather together to offer praise and worship to Him.  Will you be there at the next appointed time?

The Value of a Soul

 

    There are some things in this life that I feel I cannot do without.  Most of them are small things such as printer ink.  You always need to have a spare cartridge of printer ink.  Oh, and there are the numerous little coffee cans that are filled with countless washers, nuts, bolts and other things that don't reveal from where they came.  Then, we can start adding up all of the material possessions that we have such as houses, cars, boats lawn mowers and don't forget, cordless screwdrivers.  You never have too many of those.  When you think about it, what things are there that you could do without?    Matthew 16:26 says,   "For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"   

     It must have been an age old question that the Lord Jesus Christ asked that day.  We could get personal and ask ourselves the same question and most would not hesitate to say that the most important thing of all is our own soul.  The Philippian Jailer asked Paul an important question when he asked, "What must I do to be saved?"   This question, the one asked by the Lord Jesus Christ on that day is just as important especially to us in this country, in this place.  Christ asked the question, "What if you have everything in the world and in the end, lose your own soul and then spend an eternity without Christ, totally separated from God and totally separated from any other being.  Jude describes it as a "wandering star"  in total blackness forever.  There are those in the world who had to make that choice but who rejoice in that they chose Christ instead of the pleasures of the world.  It can go back a long time to such men as Polycarp who could have lived a peaceful life simply by offering a pinch of incense to the Roman gods and saying, "Caesar is Lord."  The early Christians, however, made the choice to follow the One Who has power over our souls instead of the Romans.  The suffered, were martyred, but still rejoiced.  They would rather suffer at the hands of the government than deny the Lord Jesus Christ.  We can say that Christ has never failed us in all of our years, so why should we fail Him now.  May we say with Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD."  Praise God today for His faithfulness.

 

A Cup of Water

March 21, 2018

Greetings to you all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,

     Sometimes, the simple things in life mean the most.  Such is the case that I am about to share with you.  In April of 2005, we came to this church on Guilford Avenue called, Grace Baptist Church.  In about 2 week, I was involved in teaching the Sunday School class.  That's when I began to notice something.  Every Sunday morning, there would be a fresh cup of water next to the podium.  Then, I began to see Brother Dean Marion coming into the room with a little tray of cups of water for the speakers and for the piano player.  Everyone got a cup of fresh water, each Sunday morning.  At times, I would be teaching the Sunday School class and then preaching the morning or evening service.  Each time, there was the cup of cold water present.   Mark 9:41 says, " For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward."   Last Wednesday night, Brother Dean brought in a cup of water for me and placed it on a special wooden tray that he had constructed in a glass coaster so as to not stain the wood finish.  I drank half of the cup of water after I taught the Wednesday night service and set the rest of it on the coaster.  This past Sunday morning, the same cup was still there, half full of water.  The two white dots in the parking lot that marked his Dean's parking spot were unoccupied.  He had a fall and did not come to church.  Then, this morning, he had some pains and the rescue squad was called, but brother Dean Marion has gone on to glory to see his Savior face to face.  He will be missed to say the least.  I will especially miss him each time a cup of water is brought to the pulpit or teaching podium.  Over the past years, Dean faithfully brought to me over 2,500 cups of water.  Of course, Brother Dean was faithful in a lot more than my water.  He often was the first one at church, opening the doors and setting the thermostats throughout the building.  His handiwork is seen on the book racks on the backs of the chairs in the assembly room and in the large cross hanging behind the pulpit over the baptistry.  Other woodworking can be seen throughout the church.  He would recognize a problem and then fix it.  So, I will miss Brother Dean Marion, the cups of water and the smile with which he greeted people as they came into the door of "Grace Baptist Temple,'" then, "Grace Baptist Church." and finally, "New Grace Baptist Church."   Praise God for a cup of water from one of the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ.  May we all be just as faithful in the endeavor that God has given us to do in the place where we are.

Pray for Deana Bea and other members of his family in the passing of Brother Dean Marion.

Just imagine, being face to face with Christ your Savior!!

pastor dan

Spiritual Guidance

  I have never been in an institution such as a college or university, where there have been no rules whatsoever.  While the rules may change from school to school or even from year to year, there are still some rules.  A Christian school would be one where you would expect there to be more rules and regulations than a secular school.  Such was the case in Washington Bible College, where I was a student.  One day, we learned of a young man who had been disciplined for breaking a rule.  He had violated curfew and was walking around in an area where he wasn't supposed to be.  His excuse was that the "Spirit" had led him to write a letter and to mail it immediately which was why he was where he wasn't supposed to be.    The officials of the school then reminded him of the Spirit's leading in the establishment of the rules for the college and that the Spirit was not going to violate one rule in order to substantiate another rule.  We have also learned that there are some groups who promote certain sins, even including adultery, as being OK if done while "in the Spirit."  Again, the Spirit is not going to go against doctrine that is already established in the Scriptures.  According to the Scriptures, they in fact were prompted by the Holy Spirit.  Proverbs 25:28 says, "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."  While you and I seek to be "led by the Spirit" in our lives, let us also realize that the Holy Spirit is not going to direct our spirit to do something that would be against His will in the first place.  We are reminded in the Scriptures that it was under the direction of the Holy Spirit that the Word of God was written.  Therefore, to advocate something contrary to the Scriptures would result in a conflict between the two.  Basically, we can say, "It won't happen."  So, as the Proverb states, a person needs to have "rule" over his own spirit and to make sure that it is in line with the Word of God and not with our own thinking.  It boils down to our having a set of standards for guidance.  Of course, that standard is the Word of God.  He, God, has given to us a detailed plan on how we are to live our lives.  While the rule is perfect, we are not and therefore violate those rules, or standards, and the result is the committing of sins which demand payment.  Naturally, our payment comes from the act of the Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross at Calvary.  If you or anyone desires to find out just how to live this life, you just need to go back to the standard that has been given to us.  Praise God for His Word.  It will never lead you astray.

Keeping the Commandments

       I must admit that I take a glance now and then to the material that is on my Facebook page.  Everything that people "post" appears on my page.  To be honest about all of it, I don't forward, paste or "like" a page that demands that I "share" it with all of my contacts.  I get those requests that inform me that if I don't like, paste and forward this to my wall, I do not love Jesus, I am unpatriotic, or not willing to ban some product.  According to many of these posts, I will have refused to be blessed, experience good luck or be one of 300 people who will eat free at Wendy's for the next year.  You see, in my life, I would much rather take the advice, command and example of the Scriptures.   John 14:21 says, " He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him."  
      There are certainly many people who claim to "love Jesus" with all of their hears.  There are probably more who claim this fact than actually do because they fail to pass the test.  it is much like what James said when he mentioned that faith without works is dead.  The Apostle John wrote the above words saying that if a person has the commandments of Jesus and keeps them, he will be that person who really does love Him.  Jesus summed up the law when He said that a person needs to love God with all of his strength, mind, will and all of his heart, and to also love your neighbor.  A person can find out how to do this by reading the Ten Commandments.  The Lord Jesus Christ also commanded that we believers love one another, even those people who are believers but you pretend don't exist.  Those are the people that you avoid, don't speak to or just in generally, ignore.  Forwarding a piece of electronic mail will not grant you great spiritual benefits but keeping the commandments of Christ will.  The final days of the Lord Jesus Christ on earth provided a great opportunity for Christ to teach His disciples especially recorded in John chapters, 13 through 17.  He taught them many things which we are most fortunate to have.  He knew where He was going and how things were going to play out, and so imparted some great pieces of wisdom to His disciples.  The above verse is one of those instructions.  Many people can say one thing and simply do another.  The lesson for us is to indeed have His commandments and then to keep them.  You see, by keeping them, we will be agreeing to what He said.  Are you able to love your neighbor?  Are you able to love God with all of your heart?  Praise God today that we have His instructions for our daily living.

The Grand Prize

      There is one piece of mail that many of us have received and is not from the government.  It is the announcement that your name has been selected as a possible finalist in the grand prize of the Publisher's Clearing House.  All you have to do to be eligible is to follow their instructions, place all of the stamp indicators in their proper place, check certain boxes and then, you will be eligible to be a possible winner.  In my younger years, i did all of that a couple of times than it became clear that I would have a better chance of being hit by lightning while walking between the 9th and 10th hole of a golf course in Sweden on a Saturday in December than winning or even coming close to winning the Publisher's Clearing House.  There is, however, a Grand Prize that is far better than $5,000 a week for life for you and another person in your family.  The odds of winning this one hinge only on one condition.   Acts 16:30-31 says, 'And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?   And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. "  
     The way to heaven is given quite often in the Bible.  The information is accurate and simple to follow.  There can also be more than one Grand Prize.  In fact, the Grand Prize is offered to "Whomever."  The Jailer from Philippi asked the famous question of how he could be saved and got the simple answer.  That simple answer seems to have perplexed the world for centuries.  All they had to do was to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  That must really be difficult for many people because they go on searching for what seems to them to be a more plausible way of entering into heaven.  There are those who believe that you need to be born and die over and over again until you reach heaven.  Others will believe that you have to cross a certain river after you die and that the equipment in your tomb will help you get there.  Others just simply give up and place their Bible on the stack of Publisher's Clearing House Notices.  If you really want to know how to get to heaven, then just follow the instructions in Acts 16:31 or Ephesians 2:8-10 or Romans 10 and countless other sections of God's Word.  Perhaps the Bible can be summed up in four words.  Man's Problem, God's Solution.  I know that is over simplification, but the answer is plain.  No special degrees are necessary nor giving records from the church or your baptismal certificate will suffice.  Review once again what Paul said as an answer to that profound question:  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ."  Praise God today that the offer is out there for all to accept.

Comfort

      We seem to like the word, "comfort."  You can buy a "comforter."  You can indulge in "comfort food."  My sister once said that she wanted a Golden Retriever, a cup of hot chocolate by the fire and a good book with the snow falling outside.  Well, she never got even one of those things before she passed away.   When Job's problems came upon him, there were a number of friends that came to offer comfort to him.  At first, they just sat there and mourned with him and then finally they began to speak.  They would each take turns and Job would answer.  later on, Job comes to the conclusion that they aren't very much good when it comes to comfort.  Some people are that way.  They mean well and they want to offer comfort to you when you are down but often, the comfort comes out to be blame.  It is as if they are saying that "It's your own fault so just deal with it."  In some cases that might be true but it doesn't offer much comfort.  There is a greater source of comfort.  Psalm 119:50 says, "This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me."  
     A person can offer comfort, real comfort, if they take the Word of God and use it rather than their own philosophies.  The comfort that is offered by the Word of God is always filled with hope for the future.  Once you begin to take in the promises of the Scriptures and learn more about God who wrote them, you begin to see that there is hope and you do have comfort.  How often have you prayed for God to heal someone only to have them die and leave you alone?  You prayed earnestly for that individual only find yourself planning their funeral.  It can sometimes leave you wondering.  In reality, God did answer your prayer.  He just didn't do it in the way that you expected or the way that you wanted.  Death is often the healing that God provides.  Consider the fact that When a person dies they go on to be with the Lord and that their physical pain is gone.  They have a perfect existence in the presence of God.  Their disease is gone.  Now what was it for which you prayed?  God gave you the answer to your prayer.  Again, it just wasn't in the way we expected.  There are other instances where God answers and since it isn't in the way we expect, we feel that He didn't hear us.  But, just be strong in the Word of God and depend upon Him in each and every thing.  God will provide and He will comfort.  Praise Him for the fact that God comforts and that we are made alive through His Word.

Missing the Bulls Eye

       How good are you at hitting the target?  I have a dart board in the basement which was left here by the former owner.  There are also a couple of darts but to be honest, I don't think I have ever thrown them.  Even the concrete wall is pock marked with failed attempts to hit the target.  That means that not only are people not hitting the bulls eye, they are not even hitting the target which is about 2 feet in diameter.  Maybe, if  I practiced real hard, I could hit the target but never good enough to hang the dart board in the living room.  It needs to stay in a concrete surface which probably dulls the darts when they hit the wall instead of the target.  We have all kinds of "targets" in our life.  They seem to be little goals that we set or objectives that we want to achieve.  We may even get a few of those but not near as many as we would like.   Romans 3:23 says, " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;"
       God set some goals for us and the objective was absolute perfection.  God requires a bulls eye every time and nothing less.  His targets were listed in the Ten Commandments.  In all reality, there isn't one of them that has been right on for any person except the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is all summed up in the above statement where the Holy Spirit mentioned that all have sinned and come short.   No one ever hit the target when it came to the ten commandments.  No one could ever live that perfect life.  After we get up, out of bed and become awake enough to get around, we begin to experience the "falling short" of God's expectations.  We can fail in two ways.  One of those ways is the actual committing of an act that is against the laws of God.  Secondly, we can fail by omitting something that we should be doing but fail to do.  The positive omissions are like loving God with all of your heart, praying enough, reading enough, witnessing enough or helping enough.  Yes, we all fall short and since we fall short, we need a substitute to do what we cannot do.  We need a sacrifice that is able to make sufficient payment for all of those sins that are piling up and where James reminds that if you are guilty of just one of them, you are guilty of the whole law.  What seems almost hopeless suddenly becomes answered in the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As the songwriter expressed, "Jesus Paid it All."  Praise God that my sin debt has been paid.  How about your sin debt?

The Choice

      My hometown, Rolling Prairie, Indiana, had two churches.  There was the Christian Church and the Methodist Church.  There was a Catholic church near the town but it was out in the country.  For us, we had two choices.  When I went down to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, I found that I had many more choices and so went to a different church almost every Sunday .  I was just looking for something that pleased me and my "search" for religious peace.  I finally settled in at a very "formal" church with great music, a lot of incense, tradition, color and history.  It seemed to be what I was looking for.  Unfortunately for me at the time, it was not what God had in mind.  I was drawn into the church system until my Father finally said, "enough is enough."   "Come on home, your going into the service."  He didn't mean the am or the pm service, but a branch of the military.  God has His way of getting you where He wants you.  So, I was in the U. S. Navy and God moved in a mysterious way to plant me in the music school in the suburb of Washington, D. C., called Anacostia.  I was teaching music and a fellow instructor came by one day, opened my door and said the following words:  "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.   He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."  
      They were the words of First John 5:11-12.  He gave no reason for doing it, just said the words and closed the door and left.  Those two verses, however, changed the direction of my life.  God plainly said how I could achieve that for which I was looking.  If I had the Son, I would have eternal life.  That's what I wanted.  If I were to chose another way, I would not have life at all.  The answer seemed plain at the time but I did not jump at the chance to achieve this life.  God was still taking me down road after road, smoothing out old things that had been important at the time, but now they were different.  It was sometime later that I surrendered to the Lord Jesus Christ when two men, Dolphus Price and Dr. Fred Brown preached sermons about people who thought they were Christian, but really were not.  It was that night that I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ.  God had moved one stubborn sheep for a cliff to a pasture.  He had to guide me constantly as I just went this way and that way.  His Rod and Staff moved me to where I ought to go.  That is the message I preach today.  If you have the Son, you have life.  If you don't have the Son, you don't have life.  The Lord Jesus Christ makes all the difference.  Praise God for His offer of salvation.

Slat and Pepper

              There are a lot of pairs in the world, like mustard and catsup, mercy and grace and salt and pepper.  My parents built a hot dog stand when we had a gas station for a couple of years.  On Saturdays, we would usually go to the wholesale food place and purchase large bottles of mustard and catsup for the stand.  You could run out of relish and onions, but you couldn't run out of mustard and catsup.  When you purchase  salt shakers for the table, they come in pairs.  One is for the salt and one is for the pepper.  A lot of things in life just seem to always go together.  If you see one, you also see the other.  We had two men, twins, in a city where we had a church.  They always walked together even though one would be ahead of the other.  People began to refer to them as Pete and Repeat.  Spiritually speaking, there are some interesting pairs.  I already mentioned mercy and grace but how about faith and works.  James 2:26 says, " For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.  
     We all know the verse that reminds us about how we get salvation in the first place.  Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us, " For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."  Salvation is free to all.  There is no catch.  There is no way of earning it on your own.  It's completely free.  So, what about James?  We also know that a great many people claim to be Christian who really are not believers at all.  How are we going to know the difference.  Well, we probably never will know for certain who are believers and who are not, but we can have a pretty good idea by using the thoughts of James.  If a person is really saved in the first place, there will be some kind of works that signifies that they are believers in the first place.  Faith and works will go together, hand in hand.  Works will be there BECAUSE of their salvation and no FOR their salvation.  When you think about it, that's a big difference.  It can be the same work for two people, one saved and the other not saved, but the reason they did the work was the opposite.  One did it to try to earn salvation, which they can't do, while the other does it because of their salvation, which was what Paul went on to say in verse 10 of the Ephesians passage.  If you are trying to earn your way into heaven by your good works, you will never make it.  If, however, you are doing good works as a result of your salvation, then you are manifesting your love for your Savior because of what He did for you.  Praise God today that we can show our love for Him by what we do.  Is your faith dead or alive?

Restoration

     Every now and then you come across a person who really likes to restore things.  There are those who like to restore certain cars.  They might find an old one just rusting away in someone's field.  They take it home and spend a lot of time and energy trying to make it look just like it did when it rolled off the assembly line.  Then, there are those who like to restore houses.  Again, they spend a lot of time reworking the house until it looks like it did the day it was built.  I can't say that I have ever restored anything to its original condition.  I had my grandmother's watch restored by a jeweler who had to make a piece for the watch out of surgical steel.  The watch ran for a while, but is again not moving at all.  It looks good but doesn't work.  It is still an old watch.  Restoration involves getting the product to be almost like it was the day it first existed.   They don't try to make any improvements, but just like it did years ago.  In fact, with some restoration projects, if you make an addition that wasn't there in the beginning, the value decreases instead of increases.  King David was looking for restoration.  He wanted to get back the way he was before the sin that he had committed separated him from God.   Psalm 51:12 says, "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit." 
       There are many lessons that can be learned in this Psalm.  But, for now, just look at the matter of restoration.  This is what King David desired.  He knew he had sinned against God and now he strongly desired to have the joy of God's salvation present in his heart.  Our Christian lives are like this quite often.  We soon realize that there is something different in our lives.  It is the fact that the joy has disappeared because of some sin in our past.  You have been robbed of your joy and sometimes don't eve know it.   It may have crept in on us in such a way that we didn't even realize that it was happening.  Once we did know the outcome of our sin, it is then that we need to turn to God for that restoration.  Do you know the joy of God's salvation today?  Has sin crept in and robbed you of the presence of that joy?  If so, cry out to God today for that restoration and let God do the work in your life.  In fact, God's restoration projects are the only ones that last.  Praise God today for His restoration.

Reading the Bible

        The world is filled with all kinds of books.  Obviously, books are meant for reading.  Some books however are what we would call reference books.  There are only a few people who read dictionaries from cover to cover.  I say, "only a few" but actually I know of no one who has been an ardent reader of a dictionary.  Fiction books are meant to be read from cover to cover as they usually tell a story.  Other books that are meant to be read from cover to cover are stories that relate a true event.  Of all of the books that have been written, there is only one book that gives life and that is the Bible.  Yes, other books are important yet they will not matter when your dying breath comes.  It is only the Bible that is meant to give life.  Revelation 1:3 says, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."  
     This verse of Scripture contains a special blessing just for the reading of the Book of Revelation yet the principle can be applied also to all of the Scriptures.  A person will receive a special blessing when they have read the Bible.  It is interesting to note that when you purchase the Bible on cassette tape, you can actually tell just how long it would take you to read the entire Bible.  In the King James Version, the cassettes add up to less than 90 hours.  We often start out on January 1 with the intent of reading through the Bible in a year.  We have our various Bible reading programs that will help us read approximately 5 chapters a day, or three chapters a day, or a portion from the Old Testament and The New Testament.  You may have such a plan.  The summer months seem to be critical months for the failing of many Bible reading programs.  Different people have different types of goals when it comes to Bible reading.  I knew of a man who was a bit unusualy, but who would read through the Bible ten times a year and every time would be in a different language.  He would read straight through the Bible and would not take food until he was finished.  One would say that perhaps that man had a higher regard for the Bible than many others.  I don't know how effective this would be, but I have often felt that it should be required that a person read the Bible before they read any other book.  After all, the Bible is the main guide book, the book of truth, the Lamp unto our feet and the Light unto our path and the very words of God.  So, therefore, doesn't it just seem logical that it is more important?  Praise God for sending His Word.  Now, just take some time to read it.

Needs and Wants

  A lot of people have what is called a "wish list."  These are things that they wished they had but probably can't afford to get.  They have seen the item and then came to the conclusion that they wanted them.  All of these things are those items that we "want" but may not necessarily need in order to get by.  The contrast is the list of those things that we need.  We feel that we cannot possibly get by without them.  While working at a large grocery store in Northern Virginia, I noticed that every time the weatherman would forecast snow, people would flock to the store and fill up their carts with those things that they felt the needed in order to get through the storm.  Every check out line was busy and the lines would reach far down the aisles.  Milk was one of those things that people felt that they needed.  Many would buy far more than they would ever used but they were fearful that they wouldn't be able to get out of the house.  At times, it seems to be difficult to determine what things we "want" and what things we really "need."  Philippians 4:19 says, "But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."   
     The Philippians had given much to the ministry of Paul.  As a result, they found themselves to be in need of some basic things.  Paul reminded them here that God would provide all of their needs and that He would provide it "according to" His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.  There was one thing for sure.  God was going to supply that which they needed.  This doesn't mean that people will get all of their wants but it certainly means that God will supply their needs.  As I look back through my life and as you do the same, we all realize that God has never left us in need.  In the end, He supplied our needs.  It is equally true that sometimes, we were hard pressed right up to the last moment, but God always provided.  We also realize that God doesn't always answer in the way in which we think He should.  It may be necessary for us to learn that what we thought was a need was just merely a "want."  God always supplied the needs of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  God supplied the needs for the Israelites in the wilderness.  God supplied the needs of Elijah and Elisha.  God supplied the needs of the apostles and God supplied the needs of the Philippian believers.  Since God has always been faithful in the supplying of needs, there is no reason why we should be fearful today about our needs.  God will provide.  Praise Him today for His working in your life and for the fact that you have all that you need.

The Best Hiding Place

     Many of you have probably played "hide and seek."  These were played in or outside and did not require an electronic device of any kind.  As a child, you would look for the best place in which to hide.  Outside, I preferred in inside of a large lilac bush.  You would lie in wait in your hiding place and as soon as the "seeker" went past your spot, you would make a dash for "home."  If you arrived there before the seeker, you were safe.  Hiding places are often nice places to have.  As adults, we still like to have a hiding place now and then.  They are safe little places where we feel secure from the attacks from the world and in which we can just rest, relax and take a break from our hectic schedules.  Hiding places can be in the wide open spaces, or even in a busy place.  They are just some places that are different and are off of our beaten path.  The Scriptures mention some hiding places that we might also consider.  Psalm 32:7 says, "Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah."  
     In this verse, we discover that God Himself is our hiding place and that we have been compassed about with songs of deliverance.  One of the greatest songs of deliverance is that of salvation.  Once we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we discover that we have been delivered from eternal punishment and have been given eternal life in God's presence.  We also soon discover that we have been delivered from the power of sin.  We no longer have to sin but now we have a choice.  According to First Corinthians 10:13, we have an avenue out of temptation when it occurs.  Of course, it is up to us to decide whether or not we are going to take the escape that God has given to us.  We also find that we have been delivered from worry and fear.  We now possess a peace that the world does not comprehend.  Even in the face of great troubles and griefs, we possess a peace that "passes all understanding."  We also find that we have been delivered from the snare of the fowler.  Oh, there are a number of songs of deliverance that we might think about in this life that are an encouragement to us.  We have all of this just because God is our hiding place.  Praise God today for His working in our daily lives and for His protection.