Earned and Unearned

           Every now and then I get an “earning” report from my bank. Every month the report comes of how much interest I have earned over the past month. I get reports like I earned $0.06 for the last period so I guess I could say that I am not on the road to being a wealthy person. Then one of my plastic cards will tell me how many points I have earned towards my first prize which may include something like a cheap umbrella where my 40 points is going to accumulate with other months earnings towards the 10,000 points to get the prized umbrella. In some places, a “pay check” is called your “earnings.” Some people, probably just a select few, have large earnings while most others have just enough to get by from day to day. There is one unusual thing that we get that is not something we earned, but something that we didn't earn. Ephesians 28-10 says, “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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

       Grace is something that you can't earn no matter what you do. You can be the richest person in the world or the poorest person in the world and you still would not be capable of earning grace. Richest don't buy grace and poverty doesn't deserve grace. Grace is God's love that is given freely to those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation. All the money in the world would not be able to purchase grace for one sinner. There have been a couple of definitions of “grace” over the years such as the acronym, God's Riches At Christ' Expense” or Unmerited Favor. You soon are able to get the idea that grace is the most valuable thing in the world and it is certainly something that is undeserved or not merited. The Apostle Paul gave us the comparison right in the passage for today. He mentions that we are “saved by grace” and then goes on to make it even clearer when he says, “Not of works.” God has given you a balance sheet which says, Earnings equal zero, Grace equals 100% and because of that grace, you have the most useful and most important possession that money can't buy nor work can produce. It is called “eternal life.” When the Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas what he must do in order to be saved, the answer was, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ...” Many think that they can “help” God by doing some good works that will add frosting to the cake. That is not the case. We cannot add anything to that which God has freely provided. As the passage goes on, it does make reference to works but that they are the result of that great salvation. Because we have been saved, we desire to do that which is righteous and good. Because we have been forgiven, we seek to please God in all that we do. Since we have been saved by grace, we seek to praise Him with our imperfect voices as we scream out to God with thankful hearts for the free gift of salvation. We cannot thank Him enough for what He has done for us. As Romans 8:1 says, “ There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Praise God today for His grace.

On Being Homogenized

     When you get milk from the cow, it isn't homogenized. We came up with that process in order to have equal amounts of cream present in the entire bottle of milk. Our ship was heading South along the coast of South America and docked at Montevideo, Uruguay. The things about this port is that it was the only port on our cruise where we could get fresh milk for the crew of the ship. It was pasteurized but it was not homogenized. The result was the fact that most of the crew members were drinking the top third of the bottle which contained the cream and then getting rid of the “skim” milk that was left. They did a good job of separating the cream from the milk. Separation in some things is good and in other things it is bad. Death is described as the separation of the soul and the spirit from the body but not the destruction of the soul or the spirit. In the second death, as described in the New Testament, the soul and the spirit are separated for eternity from God and is a terrible state. There is one matter that is not a cause for separation. Romans 8:38-39 says, “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

      The Apostle Paul provides a list of all of the things that will not separate us from the Love of God. As you read the list you see that it goes to the maximum of extremes and all of the opposites in order to state the fact that there is nothing that will separate us from the love of God. As if the list was not complete enough, Paul includes the phrase, “nor any other creature...” Why would he include such a phrase. The inclusion of this phrase also points out that even you cannot separate yourself from the love of God. We may not be too concerned about angels, principalities or powers, but we might think that we, ourselves, could make a separation between us and God's love. That, however, is not the case. There is not one thing that can make the separation between us and God's love, not even our own selves. No matter how I feel this morning or the next morning or the morning after that. I am still loved by God Himself. I notice day after day how quickly things can change in a person's life. It is like getting the spiritual wind knocked out of you by the situations in your life. I fell out of a hay mow one day right across the manger below and it knocked the wind out of me and I thought I was going to die, but I didn't. We can get the spiritual wind knocked out of us by the words of someone else or a gesture or action that is contrary to what we think is right. We can go from the mountain top to the valley in a split second and in those times, we still have the assurance that we have not been separated from God's love. When you go out into the world today, just realize that here is nothing that is going to separate you from God's love. You might have some terrible moments but always remember the passage for today. I remember walking with my parents and my hands were too small to grip theirs, but they had their whole hand wrapped around my whole hand and even when I stumbled, I didn't hit the ground. You and I are in God's hand and nothing is going to separate us from His love. Praise God today for His unending love for us. John 3:16

The Party Line

        When I was a teen aged kid, I didn't spend a lot of time on the telephone. We had seventeen other people on our “party line” and it wasn't available that much of a time. There was only one time that I can recall when I used the phone and it was about midnight on a Saturday night when the house was on fire. I cranked the phone for about 3 seconds and the operator answered and I told her what was going on. She didn't know where I was until she asked my name and then she immediately sounded the alarm for the local volunteer fire department. I then called my Mom and Dad who were out at a party that night and told them the situation and they immediately came home. There are times when you call out to someone and really hope that someone answers quickly. With our party line, you could interrupt whoever was speaking and tell them you had an emergency and everyone would usually hang up and let you use the line. That usually works for fires, robberies, medical issues and other frantic times of a physical nature. There are, however, some times when the problem isn't physical, that is, a time when no person here on earth can take care of the problem at hand. Psalm 4:3 says, “But know that the LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the LORD will hear when I call unto him.”

       The Psalmist here makes comment about one simple fact. “The LORD will hear when I call unto Him.” Wow! What a statement and what a comfort to us. There may be those times when you would like to pick up your phone and call someone to take care of your depression or your anxiety, or your spiritual need. You might be discouraged at the way things are going in your life and things might just be piling up and you wonder how you are going to be able to take it. Some people can't take it and often take the route of false hope or just trying to forget the problems and hoping that they will go away. For the believer, the answer lies in the capability of our Great God. He will answer. That is what we like to hear. It does us no good to just stand there yelling to the moon or wringing our hands in desperation. We need to take the advice of the Psalmist and realize that the LORD will hear and answer. When I think of the issues that are going on just in my life, I soon realize that probably every person on earth is going through something right now that should require that person to call upon the LORD. A lot of things are small and seem to be insignificant while others are big and catastrophic. All of them should be taken to the LORD and set before Him. There are going to be some new things in your life today and the question is, what are you going to do with them? Take the advice of the Psalmist and know with the confidence of the Word of God that you can take them to the LORD and He will hear. When I called the operator and told her my predicament, I knew she would take care of the problem and sound the alarm. When things are piling up in your life, know that God will here and as Jeremiah 33:3 says, He will answer. First Peter 2:2-3 also reminds us that we can bring all of our burdens to the LORD. Because God is God, He hear and answer every plea and answer in every situation because He is God. Praise God today that He answers when we call on Him.

Great Expectations

I enjoyed my class in literature while in high school. I am not sure it was a specific subject in grade school as we just had a class in “reading.” In my ninth and tenth year of high school, I had a “literature book” from which I would be required to read the writing and often memorize portions of it to recite in class which I often found distasteful as I stuttered terribly and it was never a pleasant experience for me. Certain writing from my high school classes have remained in my mental files, one of which was a condensed version of “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens. I can't tell you much about it except the title. Oh, I looked it up and found out about Pip and the fact that it was written entirely in the first person but that is about all I can tell you about it. What has kept my attention is the title of the work. The title grabs your attention and focuses on something great in the future. For the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, there are many “Great Expectations.” First Thessalonians 4:16 says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:”

       This is one of those “I don't know how it's going to happen, but it's really something great” type of things that will occur sometime in the future. Much has been written about the event especially in the last twenty years with the “Left Behind” series that kept coming out over about a ten year period. In the day of the Apostle Paul, people assumed that the Lord Jesus Christ would return in their lifetime, but when He didn't arrive, they got concerned because believers were dying and the concern for the living believers was that their family and friends that were dying, would miss the return of the Lord. The Apostle Paul writes about this to the church at Thessalonica and to assure them that both the living and the dead would be present when this “great expectation” would take place. It seems that every generation has looked forward to this event and the possibility of it taking place in their own lifetime. The “signs of the times” seems to be present with increasing severity in every generation. Believers have been persecuted to the point of death in every generation since the crucifixion of Christ Himself. Every Apostle died a martyrs death. So, we are here in the 21^st century after the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and the signs are still increasing. The ultimate hope of the believer is in the doctrine of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Every chapter of the Thessalonian epistles contains a reference to the second coming. Paul taught on the doctrine many times in other books than the Thessalonian epistles. For us, there is the “Greatest of Expectations” and it is the second advent, or the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I get excited about it just when I read about it in God's Word and I get the mental picture going to meet the Lord in the air. Do you look forward to this Great Event? Praise God for the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is coming again and it may be sooner than we all think.

Remembering

        I have a tendency to keep things because there may come a time when I will need them. So, I keep coffee cans or other suitable containers filled with washers, nuts, bolts, cotter keys, old drill bits and on and on. I know that some day they will all end up in the landfill because nobody wants them. I also collect other things in envelopes that contain certain pictures, notes of one sort or another, receipts to long lost items and even one lock of hair that I don't know from whose head it came. I have kept it along with a torn obituary notice and a casket ribbon that says, “Rest in Peace.” I don't know where that came from either, but I have it just in case someone remembers it in the future. The more valuable remembrances are not in coffee cans, but in the old German family Bible, envelopes in drawers and in my desk itself. I have threatened to get rid of it but take it out, look at it and think it might be important, so place it back in the drawer. We like to remember things from our past that remind us of previous accomplishments or milestones in our lives. I will never get rid of my “shellback” card just in case old men are called back into service. Ecclesiastes 12:1 says, “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;”

      When I first came across this passage, it was written in my tenth grade literature book in the state of Indiana. I had to memorize verses one through seven. It appears to be an admonition to young people to remember God, their Creator, now when they are young when their mind is sharp and still forming ideas and character in their lives. The rest of the passage, verses 2 through 7, would be humorous if they were not so true. It describes my life now. I didn't start remembering God until that day came when I gave my life to Him, that is, I received Christ as my Lord and Savior and accepted His payment on the cross for my sins, which are too numerous to tell and would bring up things I would much rather forget. The blood on the cross washed them away. Now, my focus on remembering is upon God and He will never be forgotten. I have many kind of triggers around my house that remind me of God. Some might be plaques, or crosses, or Bibles, or music. The one things that helps me to remember God are the verses of Scripture that are in my mind. I often call on them in the middle of the night when I am trying to get to sleep and my mind seems to be on other things, so I take a moment and begin to remember the verses, reciting them in the darkness of the room under the covers, until all of a sudden it is morning and I have had what the Bible refers to as, “sweet” sleep. Remembering your Creator is that which takes place when you are in tough situations, or even just can't get to sleep. What do you remember when your find yourself in the pressure cooker? What steps do you take to fight the stress in your life? The Preacher said that we should “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth...” Praise God today that He take care of us in each and every moment of our frustration and provides the peace and tranquility that only He can provide.

The Verdict

         We sometimes hear the phrase, “Seeing is believing.” We recently celebrated the landing on the moon some 50 years ago. There were some however, who said that it was all fake and that they were just filming something happening out in the desert in the Western part of the country and just made it look like it was real and that they had not gone to the moon at all. They say it and still did not believe it but came up with a story to explain their own disbelief. Television made it possible for the whole world to see it at the same time. I saw a couple of years ago that the Japanese had made watermelons square so they would fit better in the refrigerator. They forced them to mature in a wooden frame that made them grow in the shape of the frame. You could stack the watermelons up on top of each other. Yes, seeing is believing. Some people see and still don't believe just as the people who saw the landing on the moon and still didn't believe it. Romans 1:19-20 says, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” 

       God has given us a mind that can choose and one that can make a deduction when confronted with certain events. You can look at things that are big and you can look at things that are small and the only deduction that you can see after looking at the evidence, that there is a God and that He is real, and He is alive and He is the Creator of everything that exists. You can look at the smallest living organism and the complex design of DNA and have to come up with the conclusion that it was all designed by God. Flagella motors are interesting things in each cell of the human body. This small motor has all of the parts of an electrical motor, even a rotor and a propeller and moves about inside of a cell. The deduction of the seeing the motor and the activity it does in the cell declares the evidence of a Creator and that Creator is God Himself. Job was having a discussion with God and God finally told him to be quiet and listen and then proceeded to give Job the evidence from the planet earth to the far reaches of the universe. As the passage says, every person, every man, woman, boy and girl is without excuse. Every person has the capacity to evaluate the evidence that is before them and all of us have received the same evidence. It is all around us and yet many people refuse to accept the evidence that is before them. Whose fault is it that they do not believe? If I evaluate the evidence before me and still refuse to believe the result of the evidence, I am like the one who refused to believe that the astronauts actually landed on the moon but were out in the desert in some remote area of the country. It is evidence for the unbeliever. The natural revelations of the universe are evidence for the unbeliever that God is there, that He is real and that He is in charge of the universe. This same evidence is a blessing to the believer as it substantiates his or her belief in God. Every flower, every bug, every picture in the sunset and sunrise, every star, every storm all give testimony of God. God has given us all the evidence and the verdict of the evidence is, God is the Creator of the universe and everything that is in it. So praise God today as you look out from wherever you are, inside or outside, dark or light and see God's handiwork.

The Plight of the Earth Dweller

           We enjoy many wonderful benefits living in this country that others around the world do not enjoy. We have a lot more choices available to us in our daily living. I have already mentioned the choice of which cereal to purchase since we have so many different kinds compared to other country's choices. It doesn't stop at cereal. We used to go to a church that was about 5 miles away from the house and we would make the drive there every Sunday that the church was opening which was most of the time except during wintry storms. On our way to church, we would notice the large number of cars and people that would come to a local flea market. Everyone had the same choice. They could go to church or they could go to the flea market and look through another man's junk. They chose the flea market. Our pastor at the time would often refer to people who had no interest in God as “earth dwellers.” They were involved in the things of the earth and not the things of God. Revelation 13:8 says, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” 
       This verse uses a term that is very similar to “earth dweller.” It refers to the people as those that dwell upon the earth as the ones that are worshiping the “dragon” which is another name for the devil himself. They have made the choice to worship the dragon, which is so easy to do. The first step is to separate yourself from anything that is religious or to be more specific, to separate yourself from anything that refers to God or the Lord Jesus Christ. From then on, all you have to do is to follow the dictates of your flesh. “If it feels good, do it.” So, the earth dwellers continue to worship the devil in the choices that they make looking for treasure that lurks in a pile of junk at the local flea market. When trouble does come into their lives, they make mention of calling for prayers for their situation but they have no idea to whom to pray or what prayer is all about. The saddest part of the above verse is the phrase that says, “...whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” If your name is not written in this book of life, then you will be eternally separated from God. The earth dwellers say that it is okay with them but they do not know all that it entails. The earth dweller assumes that hell will just be a continuation of their search for treasure in the junk pile of the universe but the reality of eternal separation is far from that. Now, the plus side of all of this is that people like you who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have the opportunity to change the outcome of the life of the earth dweller. You have the ability to share with them the love of God as mentioned in John 3:16. You have the ability to show them how they can be saved and to have their names finally written in the Lamb's Book of Life. You can plead with them to change their lives by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sin. As long as they are on this earth, they can still make the choice to worship God instead of worshiping the devil. You are still the one who has a connection with many in your own circle of friends and family that no one else has, not even your pastor. So, share the love of the Lord Jesus Christ with others before it is too late and their fate is sealed when they pass from this life to the next. Oh, and by the way, everyone will exist eternally, many without God since they chose to worship the devil instead of God. So, praise God today for the offer of salvation that has been made to “whomsoever.” That includes you and your neighbor.

I Am Unique!

         Sometimes we hear the expression, “Wow. After they made you, they broke the mold.” We use the expression to state that a person just did something different or funny and then to say that there is no one like them. It is true. You can say it about every person on the earth. We are all unique. I recall how interesting it was in my early teen years to discover that everyone had a different finger print. I couldn't imagine how that was possible. When a person has a telephone number and then cancels their service, that number can be reassigned to a different person. That, however, is not true with finger prints. When a person dies their finger prints are retired also. God doesn't reassign the finger prints to some new baby that is going to be born. The uniqueness of a person goes even further. The iris in our eyes are all different. Then, we find out that our DNA is also different. I also learned from our Son in Law that trees also have unique DNA. We can all say, “Well, there is no one like me.” Psalm 139:1-3 says, “ O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.  Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.   Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art accqainted with all my ways.”

        Long before we discovered our own uniqueness God already knew it and had written it down in the Scriptures. God knows each and everyone of us individually. We cannot fathom the magnitude of His greatness let alone His ability to know about each and every member of His family. We can close our eyes and still distinguish the voices of our children and grand children as we see the differences in each of them but just think how great it is that God can no the difference between each and everyone of us. I am amazed at the story of the Lord Jesus Christ and the instructions given to Peter to catch a fish and then to find in the mouth of the fish a piece of money that was to be used for tax purposes. What is the likelihood of catching the first fish and finding the coin in the mouth of that fish when you think of all of the fish in the sea of Galilee at that given moment? There are no coincidences with God no matter how impossible it may seem to us just as it is so amazing to notice our own differences. Since God knows even our finger print and the iris of our eyes and the DNA that makes us who we are, then is He going to take care of us in all of our troubles and in all of our failures and in all of our distress and discouragement? Not one person was ever thrown away on the trash pile during its creation. All were perfect in what God had intended. When we create something in the basement workshop or out in the shed and it gets to a point where a cut is made too deep or too far, we may have to throw it away and begin again. Not so with God and His working in the lives of His creation. So we are special. We are different and we are a part of God's handiwork. The sad part of all of this is that many souls of God's creation have rejected Him. We had a cat that we loved very much and provided all that that cat needed. One day, however, the cat was afraid and jumped out the carrier and has never been seen again. The following week the temperatures went dangerously low and the cat probably did not survive. As much as we provided for the cat, we couldn't make it stay. Unfortunately, many people are that way and cannot see that God desires all to be saved and for all to love and worship Him. That same group of people, as unique as they are, cannot see the handiwork of the Creator in their own fingerprints and so run away from God as fast as they can. Some will never realize their own destiny until it is too late and so will be cast into the Lake of fire according to the Book of Revelation. The result is that they have fled the safety of their Creator for the things of the world. Pray for those who are close to you from your contacts of family and friends. Pray for those who do not know their Creator. Praise God today that you are unique.

Staying Focused

            What do you think about? I have mentioned before about cultivating corn in a large field when the corn is about 1 foot tall. I was assigned the task of cultivating the corn for the first time after it had sprouted. You had to drive the tractor, which in this case was a Ford/Ferguson, in first gear and about one third throttle. It was a slow process and you had to make sure your concentration was centered on watching the corn go between two plates without deviating from one side or the other. I recall one time when my mind began wandering and then I realized that I had let the tractor slip to the right and I had buried about twenty feet of two rows of corn. I stopped the tractor and straightened the corn the best I could hoping that it would grow up straight and tall. My mind had slipped off of the subject at hand. There are many times in life when it pays you to keep your full attention on the task at hand. Our minds are wonderful things and I soon learned that your mind could take you around the world, or to be involved in great feats and would go as far as your imagination would take you. When questioned about the great commandment by the Scribes, Jesus gave us a very important lesson. Mark 12:29-31 says,”And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:   And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”

      Notice that Jesus said that we should love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. He have us a very important lesson and that is that the mind should stay focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ should be the number one thing upon which we think and nothing else should matter or take up our time even for just a minute. That is a hard thing to do but certainly it can be done. In the spiritual state of each believer, we are involved in a growing process and so can be growing day by day in our ability to focus on God in all that we do. When we deviate from the process even for just a moment, the result can be far worse than just plowing our twenty feet of corn. Satan is always ready to take advantage of your mind slipping into neutral or onto a subject of which you should not be thinking. Psalm 1:1-2 says, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”  Notice that the person who is blessed is one that meditates on the law day and night. It is no accident nor is it just some wishful thinking. It is important for every believer to be having their mind focused upon the Lord in all times. It is also interesting to note that of all the rows of corn I cultivated that day and the days to follow, the only ones I remember are the twenty feet that were plowed up when my mind had wandered off of the subject at hand. So, again I ask the question, “What do we think about? Is your mind focused on the things of the Lord or is your mind wandering off of the task at hand? Praise God for His Word.

What Are Your Final Words?

         We live in a world of negativity. This is especially true when you watch the evening news as our congress spends more time yelling at each other than they do trying to correct the problems of the country. At least, that's what I hear on our media system in which I put less trust as the days go by. Almost all reports have tried to include one great story at the end to leave a good taste in your mouth. Since I am getting up in years, I sometimes think that my next message will be my last message so on what should I speak? Should I speak against the rising crime rate or the abortion issue or inhuman activities going on around the world or theological differences? If I had one more message to preach it would probably be on the following verse of Scripture. John 3:7 says, “ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”

        The message would undoubtedly include John 3:16 and probably the whole discourse with Nicodemus. It was amazing to watch a recent documentary on the life of Dr. Billy Graham. His message always had the words, “God loves you” somewhere in the text. It was always a positive message. Now don't get me wrong. The message needs to include the reason we are in this predicament which has always been due to the sin that has permeated our culture and not only ours, but that of the rest of the world. Repentance is necessary and the results of sin need to be expressed and in that message, we have hope because of the finished work of the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross at Calvary. Christ provided the propitiation, or the satisfaction for the payment for our sins according to First John 2:2. The preaching of the gospel message, which to me is defined in First Corinthians 15:1-4 and tells of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, is that which gives us hope and not to us only but to all the people of the world. There are those that would spend long hours of preaching against the problems of the world instead of giving the positive message of salvation and the simple act of believing on the Lord Jesus Christ. I got involved in preaching at a retirement community just a couple of months ago. When I thought about what to preach, the answer fell on the Gospel of John, as even from the beginning of the book, the message is about the Son of God, Who is the Lamb that was there to take away the sin of the world. Now, that's a positive message to me. I don't want to spend my last days debating over Calvin or Arminius, or creation verses evolution or even pre trib or post trib. I don't want to spend time debating over where Cain got his wife or how Elijah went up into heaven. I don't want to spend time discussing UFO's in the Bible or debates over the KJV verses any other translation. The time is short and the message of salvation is far more important to get out. Dr. Graham was right. God loves you and has a plan for your life. The Philippian jailer asked the most important question of all, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul gave him the answer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ...” So, if you had one more message to speak, what would you say? Praise God today for His plan for our lives and especially the way to heaven and to spend eternity with Him.

No Magic Formula

          I remember that my grandfather supposedly had the gift of healing. I had an earache one day and he came over and blew in my ear, said some words very quietly, and I never had an earache for the next 8 years. My grandmother said it had to be passed down from male to female, to male, etc and she showed the verses from the Bible to my Father. He forgot where they were, so it stopped with him. One of the things that is prominent in the life of the believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is trying to do the will of God in all things. A book came out in the early 70's entitled, “No Magic Formula.” There are no places in the Scripture where it says, if you do thus and thus you will know for sure what is the will of God. We sure would like to have a “magic formula” from the Bible, but there just isn't one. There are however, several times in the New Testament where it plainly says, “This is the will of God.” First Thessalonians, 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

         Well, there it is. You can't be too much plainer than that. There are several more examples where it clearly states, “this is the will of God.” Many books have been written that are designed to give you a scheme of things in order to find out what the will of God is for your life. If you ever had an opportunity to conduct a class or seminar on finding out the will of God and charged a lot of money for those to attend the class, you would probably have a profitable result. People really do want to know what God's will is for them in this life. Another verse that is prominent on this issue is First Thessalonians 4:3 which deals with our sanctification and that you should abstain from fornication. So we have come up with at least two things in the life of the believer that if you do them, you will be doing God's will for your life. The believer needs to give thanks in every thing and to abstain from fornication. We may think at this point that these two things are so easy for the believer but the problem still exist in our present age, in our culture and even in our churches. People, generally speaking, seem not to be very thankful for what is going on in their lives and the results of fornication are seen throughout the Christian community. You know what goes on in your own mind and your attitude towards others and it soon leads to trouble because we are failing in these areas among others. So, you see, there is no magic formula for discovering God's will. It is plainly written in His Word. When you want to God's will in your life seek to give thanks in all things and to work on your own sanctification which is a process of spiritual growth in which we are all involved. Praise God that He has given us the way in which we are to do His will.

Be a Missionary Every Day

        I remember that in the early 70's I made a statement to myself that I would never want to be a missionary, but if I ever was to be a missionary, then I would go to the country of Spain. So years went on and every Spring and Fall, a group of missionaries would come to present their works in various parts of the world. I recall the vivid details of being a missionary in the country of the Congo and since I am not a reptile or bug person, it cast a very dim outlook for me to ever be a missionary. Then, in the early 80's a man came from Spain and told of his work in that country and how there was only one Bible believing church in his city of 200,000 people. One thing lead to another and soon we were on our way to Spain. There were no bugs and no reptiles that I ever saw. We even had the patio doors wide open all day and never even saw a fly. Maybe it was the scent of the garlic that kept them away. The word “missionary” is defined as “a person undertaking a mission especially a religious mission.” Acts 13:2-3 says, “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.  And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

        The word “mission” or “missionary” does not occur in the Bible. The idea is there but not the specific words. Acts 1:8 was one of the great “sending” verses from the Lord Jesus Christ as well as the “great commission” as seen in the end of Matthew 28. The journalese of Paul during his life time make the concept of “missions” real in our world today. While some may be called to serve in countries in different places, the work of missions is just as important in the place in which you live. We once heard a husband and wife who were called, so to speak, to go to the Philippines. They raised their support including about $32,000 to get them there. They lasted only six months before they were never heard of again in the area of missions. My concern for missions was prompted by the fact that our town at the time had about 20,000 people and about 40 churches, 20 which were preaching the gospel message. It just seemed like a terrible unbalance of resources. At the very least, lessons were learned by our mission board. Missions, however, is not confined to foreign fields. Missions really begin at the front door of your own church. It involves the spreading of the gospel message to those who are on your own street and the streets surrounding your church. Basically, if you are not doing missions in your own area, you are not going to do it across the ocean. Your own Jerusalem is in your own home town. Some churches have a notice written above the door on the inside of the church that you will see as you exit your church. The notice reads, “You are now entering the greatest mission field in the world.” Missions is real and commanded for all of us. Piper once said, “Missions exists because worship doesn't.” If there is one area that is not worshiping God, then that area is a mission field. Can you think of a home, or a town, or a state where they are not worshiping God? If you can, then that is your mission field. You don't have to raise “outgoing expenses” or have a monthly support to do the work. It is right there in front of you. Our mission is to spread the truth of the gospel to as many people as we can and it will start in your own Jerusalem. When you are involved in doing that work, then God may send you out to your Judea as was commanded in Acts 1:8. Praise God today for the message of salvation. It was great for you and you should be sharing it in your own mission field.

Past, Present and Future

         I spent a few moments “cruising” the internet this morning as I looked for some background information. The result was a tad shocking as I came across some web locations that were very negative towards Christians in general. A lot of the negative comments were due to a mixing of doctrines and situations that exist in the world today for all types of non Christian people. An atheist or a “sinner” is not going to view Christian values at all which was quite evident by the negative comments usually paired with bad language at the same time. My original search was for the time when the following passage of Scripture was incorporated into a children's ministry. Titus 2:11-13 says, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;”

         The passage came into the courses about 20 years ago and became one of my favorite passages as it has the past, present and future present in it for people in the world today. In Paul's message to Titus, he emphasized here that the grace of god that brings salvation has appeared to all men. That's the past part as it shows that the Lord Jesus Christ came on the scene in a bodily form around 2,000 years ago. There are millions of people who know about Him in one way or another even if it is only in the writing of the date, which used to be A.D. And has now been changed to C.E. to try to get rid of Christ from history. Fortunately, The Lord Jesus Christ has appeared to “all” but not “all” have welcomed Him. Those who are more content to dwell in their sin will reject Him even from the beginning. You see, when you begin to follow Christ, you come to the next verse which says, “teaching us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust and to live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world. Now that is going to dramatically change your behavior, your goals and basically much of your life. A sinful people do not want that to happen so they reject the grace of God that has been revealed to them through the Lord Jesus Christ. The third part of the passage is the future as it relates how we look for the glorious appearing of our Great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. Believers truly look for His “glorious appearing.” It is one of the tests mentioned in First John for the believer (1 John 3:1-3). The above passage has meaning for our past, our present and our future. One of the most difficult parts of the passage is living out the present part. That is where we are supposedly progressing in our sanctification process. It is a daily matter with all of us as we seek to grow living soberly, righteously and Godly in this present world. This is where we might say, the rubber meets the road. So, Praise God today for the fact that He His grace has appeared to you and that you are growing day by day in His Word and that we are all waiting the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Could You Put Your Finger Here?

         The word, “help” is defined as a noun which means to give aid or assistance. It has a number of definitions all connected to that basic definition. We often find ourselves in need of help in some way or another. My most recent example is due to my double vision. My first experience just riding in a car made it look as though trash cans, parked cars, grass and mail boxes were all coming at me across the front of the car. I had the tendency to close both eyes. I knew then that I would not be able to drive. Thus, one of my most common abilities was taken from me in just one day. One day, I was driving and it seemed as if I had on the wrong glasses and the next day, double vision set in. It turned out to be another result of shingles on my face and head which affected the number six nerve on the right side. I don't' know what that means, but it is the only medical diagnosis that I have at the moment. While computer connections to various churches is available, it is not the personal fellowship of other believers. Oh, the messages are good but you are on the outside looking in instead of being there with the body of believers. This prompted me to ask for “help” in this situation. It was answered in about thirty minutes by our good friends, Wesley and Mary Lee. We have a ride to church. Psalm 121:2 says, “ My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”

        Of the 126 times the word appears in the Bible, 40 of them are in the Book of Psalms. The Book of Psalms speaks about our relationship with God and so it is only natural that this book would speak more about God's help than any other. There are numerous times when help is needed. Hitching a wagon to a tractor sometimes requires help. You need to have someone holding the tongue of the wagon while you back up the tractor to hitch it to the wagon. You need someone to hold their finger on the “bow” when you try to tie it tightly on the package. Certainly, there are times when we have to cry out to God for the help that we need in our daily lives. One of my favorite verses in this regard is found in Hebrews 4:12 which says, “ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” We should ask ourselves the question, “When are we not in a time of need?” I seem to be in that time most of my life. If it's not one thing, it's another. We are always in a time of need and the Only One Who can supply that help is God Himself. My computer does a lot, but it doesn't pray for me nor does it help me in the areas in which I need help. You may find yourself in the same situation. In fact if you admit it, you are in the need of help most of the time. Our difficulty is trying to fulfill the need ourselves and not relying on God. It is a lot simpler to give it to Him in the beginning rather than waiting until God is the last resort. Give it to Him first. If you need grace to help in a time of need, then where else are you going to turn. Only God can do that for you and so skip all of the other steps that you try to work out yourself and turn to Him in the beginning. You will cut out a lot of worry, discouragement and anxiety by looking to Him. Praise God today that He supplies “help” in all of our needs.

Whom Do You Trust?

   In whom do your put your trust? That question might have a deeper meaning as it depends on what you are leaving to someone else to watch over. My trust in someone else might depend on if the article left in the care of someone else could be replaced or not. I was a bassoon player up until I left the U. S. Navy. My bassoon had some special changes made to it by our excellent repair staff at the school of music. It was one of a kind and I would recognize it if I ever saw it again. Up until the time I left the navy, I would not trust my bassoon to the safe keeping of many people. I would have to know them rather well before I would entrust them with my treasured bassoon. The list of acceptable people in which to trust gets smaller and smaller depending upon the value of the item you are about to leave with them. That brings me to the question, “To Whom will you trust with your own soul?” Psalm 18:2 says, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”

         Even the Lord Jesus Christ made the comparison between all of the things of the world and the soul. What good would it be to have all the riches of the world and still forfeit your soul to eternal damnation? Christ asked the question, “What profit would it be to have gained the whole world and still to lose you own soul.” As you might well imagine, the list of acceptable persons in which to trust is really small. In fact, there is only One in whom I would trust for the keeping of my soul. God and God alone is the Only One in which to place the trust for the keeping of your soul. There are perhaps many who do not even regard the fact that we have a soul and therefore, the question does not concern them but that does not deny the fact that we are different than the rest of living organisms in the world. Men and women today seem to put their trust in their own imaginations as to what heaven is like and how to get there. When you read the obituaries in the newspaper, you can see that people's concept of heaven is what they have manufactured in their own mental process. One needs to compare what God says about heaven with one's own concept of heaven and see if they agree. Go with what the Bible says about it and you won't go wrong. So, in the end, I will put the trust of the keeping of my soul with the Only One Who is capable of keeping it and that is the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone. He is the Only One Who has the credentials of an empty tomb to guarantee that what He said is true. You see, the list is indeed small and has only one name on it, the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. You might trust your neighbor with your lawn mower, your spouse with you children, your doctor with your appendix and your dentist with your molars, but your soul can only be trusted to God Himself. Praise God for the fact that He is our Trust not only for our soul but for everything that we have and ever hope to have.

The Sense of the Word

  I want to thank all of you that, as you read these devotions, you automatically make the corrections that are necessary. Fort he most part, you are able to correct the words that are not spelled correctly or the repeated words that are out of place and eventually, you come to the true sense of what I have written. I know I don't make it easy for you to do so. Reading my devotions could be compared to reading the vanity plates on automobiles. Eventually, you get the meaning. Getting the true sense or the meaning of a passage of Scripture was not always the easiest thing to do even in the history of the Israelites. Nehemiah 8:8 says, “So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”

       The Israelites had been in captivity for 70 years, living in a land and culture quite the opposite of their own. At the time of the writing of Nehemiah, the people had mostly forgotten their own culture and found themselves not understanding what was being read from the Hebrew scriptures. Ezra was getting ready to read from the Word of God but the people were going to have a hard time getting the sense of the word so men were used to act as translators between the reading of Ezra and the hearing of the people. After they heard the translation of the Word, then they could understand and get the true meaning of what was being said. When we look at the characteristics of God, or to look at His “attributes” we see that He is all powerful, all knowing and all present among other things. His knowledge surpasses ours in such a magnitude that we cannot even begin to comprehend His knowledge and power in all things. He could have written the Bible in such a way that we would never understand it, but He didn't. All of the words are simple and clear. Even the Hebrew language is very close to that which it was in the days of Nehemiah. It has been said that Jeremiah or Isaiah could walk the streets of Jerusalem today and be understood and to understand what was being said. Fortunately for us, the Bible is easy to understand, to get the meaning of it without having to look up every word in a dictionary. We can rightly say, “If God didn't mean what He said by what He said, then why didn't He say what He meant?” The fact is, He did say what He meant to say and the meaning is always clear. When a matter is said to be sin, it is sin. When Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to be born again, guess what? He had to be born again. When Paul quoted the Old Testament and said that “all have sinned” guess what? All have sinned. The meaning and the sense of the Word is plain and we are without excuse. We can take the simplest of verses and understand what they mean by taking them as they are written such as John 3:16. What is so hard to understand? Praise God today for the fact that He has given us His Word written in a way that we can clearly understand what it means. Many times, I come to the end of a matter and simply say, “God said it.” “I believe it.” “That settles it.”

Prayer and Cats

        

          My cat has the tendency to wake me up early in the morning. She walks on the bed and then runs across my body with all of her 9.9 pounds of energy. She is persistent and if she decides I should get up at 4:00 AM, then I better get up. I try to ignore the nudging and jumping but soon, I am awake anyway and might as well get up. We have our schedules and try to stick to them as much as we can. We are used to doing things a certain way and to have that way interrupted doesn't sit well with us. How much would you be willing to disrupt your schedule to meet with God? I recently read where Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China many years ago, would find it necessary to get up at 2:00 AM in order to spend time alone with God without being interrupted by the business of life. Psalm 5:3 says, “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.” 

          The Psalmist mentions that he will “direct” his prayer to God and that he will look up. The directing of the prayer has the meaning of placing in order as does a person who is preparing a sacrifice as he lays the wood in an orderly fashion for the fire. We always had a certain way to stack wood when we were getting ready to build a fire. Whether it was large or small, the wood was stacked so that the flames would go evenly and consume it all. You can't just throw a handful of wood in a haphazard fashion and expect it to burn. Each piece must be arranged to ignite each other and the combined effort produces the fire for the sacrifice. The Psalmist uses this word to describe his prayer to God. The primitive meaning of the word was “to set in a row.” We do a lot of “haphazard” praying and that is fine. I often pray when a need comes to mind and at my age, it might come here and there as I go through life. There are those times, however, when we should be having our “appointment” with God when there is a time set for communion with Him in the business of prayer. When you go through the Psalms, you find out that people prayed at almost all times of the day, not just in the morning. Mornings are good, because your day hasn't got underway yet and you can focus more attention on your time with God before the hustle and bustle of the day begins. I had one professor that referred to morning prayer this way. “You get a cat and don't get a litter box. When the cat wants to go out, you get up and let the cat out of the door to do its business. As you wait for the cat to return, you spend the time in prayer. Then, when the cat returns you can let it in and return to your own affairs.” So, instead of me being aggravated with my cat for waking me up early in the morning, perhaps I should use the time alone to commune with God before the day begins. When you find yourself in situations where you ask yourself what you should be doing at that moment, perhaps you should be praying. Praise God today that He desires to commune with us in prayer.

Short and Long prayers

        

         While in boot camp in the summer of 1958, I had a time in the pool. I don't mind the pool, but I am not much of a friend of diving. We were instructed to jump off the end of the high diving board to practice “abandoning the ship.” The water below was still, which made it look even farther down. Now, there was a man with a long pole that if you didn't jump or hesitated too long, he would knock you off the diving board. I closed my eyes, held my nose and jumped. You then had to dog paddle for a long time and if you attempted to get near the edge of the pool to hold on, the man with the pole was there again to push you away. You were in the middle of the simulated ocean and you had to either sink or swim. Matthew 14:30 says, " But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me." 

       A lot can be learned about the experience of the young Apostle. He saw Jesus walking on the water and asked Jesus to let him walk on the water. Jesus said, "come" and so Peter actually began walking on the water. It didn't last oo long as the large waves soon got Peter's attention and he seemingly took his eyes off of Jesus and onto the where he was. As soon as he did that, He began to sink. Peter than uttered perhaps the quickest and shortest prayer in the Bible. Three words are recorded as Peter began to sin, "Lord save me." He didn't have time to organize a prayer such as, "Lord, may your humble servant find grace and help in my time of need and that I might be rescued from this terrible state in which I find myself...." No, He simply said, "Lord save me." The Lord was right there and Peter probably didn't even get his head wet. The Lord's hand was there to rescue Peter from the sea. One lesson for us is that the length of one's prayer doesn't make any difference. Short prayers and long prayers are all equally good. Second, don't try to fix the situation yourself. You may not have sufficient time to rectify any situation in which you find yourself. Call out to God for help right at the beginning and don't wait for your going down for the third time before you call out for help. Third, God has the power to help you when you call out. Many of us come to situations in our lives when we have to call out to God for help. We should be calling out the moment that we realize that we are peril. We don't need to analyze the situation and try to come up with possible routes to take, but we do need to call out to God in prayer. Here again, we emphasize the fact that the length of the prayer is not what make it more or less possible, but the intents of the heart. God will provide the help that you need today and every day. God doesn't go on vacation nor does he sleep or is off doing a building project. He is always available to help. Hebrews 4:16 reminds us, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” You and I can go directly to the throne of God to plead for help. Have you ever thought about that? Have you ever thought about where you are when you call out to Him. You are right in God's throne room and surely you can call out to Him, “Lord, save me.” So if you find yourself in the position of sinking or swimming, call out to the Lord immediately and then you will realize the God is holding on to you and lifting you up. Praise God for His answers to prayers, both short and long. 

Embarrassment

        Are you easy to be embarrassed by other? Are others embarrassed by your actions? I was thinking about the word and how it has affected me in past years. The meaning, according to the dictionary, is “to cause to experience a state of self-conscious distress. Some people may be embarrassed by my actions. When you reach 80 years old, you may do things that are an embarrassment to others. I used to sing to the residents at a retirement community where I worked. I would sing “Happy Birthday” in a rather loud manner with an imitation of an opera singer. People there thought it was great. So, I went on to look for people who had birthday balloons at a restaurant. When I saw them, I would go up and ask about the birthday person, their name, and if it was okay to sing to them. All of them always said,”yes.” So, I let go in my imitation opera voice and sang to the top of my lungs. No one through tomatoes or mad any negative comments, so I have sung “Happy Birthday” in about a dozen restaurants in our area. I used to worry about embarrassment when I was younger especially the day after I was saved and my pastor wanted me to give my testimony at church the following weekend. I had been in that church for about 3 years, working in numerous capacities and now I was going to announce my my new birth to them. Matthew 7:21-23 says, “ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

       People may sometimes worry about embarrassment to the point that they don't want to come to the Lord Jesus Christ as it would be an embarrassment to their friends and neighbors and perhaps, even to their own family. The above passage from the Bible presents the most embarrassing situation that one could even encounter. The scent unfolds at the Great White Throne judgment and you suddenly find yourself standing there in front of the Lord Jesus Christ and perhaps you are thinking that this is a great mistake. You shouldn't be there. You try to come up with all of the excuses you can about why you should not be there, but you hear the words, “...I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity.” Talk about embarrassing times. You will try to come up with all of the works that you ever did but He says, “Depart from me...” The scene depicts the story of so many people in the world today. In their eyes, they are good and surely they are headed for heaven, but they end up at the wrong judgment in their eyes. Where will you be the most embarrassed; confessing your sin today or trying to proclaim your innocence at the Great White Throne? Salvation has been made possible today and the proclamation has been made by Christ Himself through the ages via the witness of believer, the printed page and through film, radio, television and the internet. There is no excuse for one in this country and in this society for not hearing the message and responding to it. To refuse the offer of salvation today will lead to the most embarrassing scene ever. Praise God for His message of eternal life.

The Test

          How many things to you know? I mentioned before that we used to take a test at the end of each school year to determine our grade level on certain subjects that would perhaps reveal just how much we knew about those things. I am pretty sure that I know that the world is round and not flat. After all, I have seen pictures sent from satellites that show the shape of the earth and although I did not personally take the picture, I assume that it is true. I know that if I jump off of the garage roof, I will fall to the ground because I did it with an umbrellas which did not help the landing at all. I know that if I plant a kernel of corn in the ground that a corn stalk will soon come up providing the bugs didn't eat it and it got sufficient water. I know things that I have experienced. You can list a lot of things that you know just based upon your own knowledge of things that you have done and seen for yourself. One of the most important questions however, is do you know you are going to heaven? How do you know that there even is a heaven and a hell? Basically, our answers come from the only thing we can trust in this present age, the Bible. First John 5:11-13 says,"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.  These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 

         John spent a lot of time in this epistle explaining the things that we should know in connection with God, His plan for your life and His plan for your arrival and stay in heaven. In this little epistle, John gave us about sixteen different “tests” that examine our knowledge of certain facts involved with our Christian life and the life we will spend in eternity. An interesting note is that everyone is going to spend eternity somewhere and according to the Bible there are only two choices. Since the Bible is our only source of real truth, then those two choices are either heaven or hell. We will either end up eternally with God or eternally without God. Your choice determines the condition in which you will spend that eternity and that choice must be made on this side of death and not after death. After death, it will be too late to change your mind as you will have already sealed your fate. I plead for all to examine every word of the three verses mentioned in today's text for they are all important. The simple answer is that if you possess Christ, or to put it another way, if you have “believed” on Christ, then you have the Son. If you have not, then you don't have the Son and therefore, you don't have life. This is the most simple of tests that we have. Either you have Him or you don't have Him. It is as simple as that. People however have added much more to the process resulting in man made religions that have forgotten the basic test for eternity with God. Praise God that the Apostle John said that we can KNOW that we have eternal life.

Independence Day

      Dates bring certain things to remembrance. For me, June 21 is my birthday, April 29 is my second birthday and September 11 is the day we were attacked by terrorists, December 7 is Pearl Harbor Day and July 4^th is the day of independence. July 4^th was also the day that I met my wife, Diane, in 1959 so it was sixty years ago. We were married the following year on June 12, 1960. Dates have a way of reminding you of certain things. July 4^th reminds me of the freedom that I have being born in this country. Since I was born in this country, I have been blessed more than most people in the world. The world is filled with what we have termed to be “third world countries” which means that they have very little comforts in this life and most of the time live in fear of their governments. The definition of a “third world” country has come to mean, “.....In recent years, the term has come to define countries that have high poverty rates, economic instability and lack basic human necessities like access to water, shelter or food for its citizens. These countries are often underdeveloped, and in addition to widespread poverty, they also have high mortality rates.” I have indeed been blessed to be born in this country. No matter how much freedom I possess in this land that has been blessed beyond measure, I can still be a prisoner and to be a prisoner indeed being bound by the Prince of the Power of the Air, Satan himself, but a solution came to that problem. John 8:36 says, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”

         There was that day almost 2,000 years ago on a hill called Calvary, where the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was raised up on a cruel cross to provide real freedom for people. He died for more than the blessed people of the world, but He died for every human being on earth. His blood sacrifice was sufficient to pay the price for all of the sins of mankind and so thereby made us potentially free beyond what we could ever imagine. The death on the cross had the potential of freeing everyone, but it won't be applied to everyone because there are some who will rather remain in their sinful condition than to accept the payment that has been made for them and thereby freeing them from the penalty of sin. We often speak of the work of salvation, that it saved us from the penalty of sin, is saving us from the power of sin and someday will save us from the presence of sin. That is real freedom. While the Statue of Liberty if the symbol of our freedom as Americans, the Cross of Calvary is the symbol of our freedom as Christians. I am thankful for being an American but above all, I am thankful for being a Christian. I have been twice blessed. Praise God today that the Lord Jesus Christ can make you free indeed.