Permission

              Every now and then a person comes to my door and begins by saying, “I would like to show you how you can improve your driveway.” Well, they don't mention my driveway but it is a request for permission to present whatever they have to sell in hopes that I will jump on it and purchase whatever it is. It could be house repairs or driveway or lawn or even as happened recently, a request to cut down my large Siberian elm tree. The point is that the person request my permission to present their idea in hopes that I will like it and purchase whatever it is. A sermon recently brought home a point that is worthy to note for us. It is this: God never asks our permission to do anything.” In some cases God explains it but He doesn't ask a person's permission to do it. The aforementioned sermons was on the account in Luke when Gabriel came to make an announcement to Mary. Luke 1:31 says, “ And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.” 

          God never sought Mary's permission nor did  God ever seek anyone's permission to allow a pandemic to spread around the world and to change the way in which we live. God never asks our permission to force your children to be home schooled or to go to school on a computer. God never backs away and says, “Oh, alright, I'll get someone else to do it.” A good case is poor Moses who approached the burning bush. God had chosen him to take the people our of Egypt even though Moses tried the best he could to come up with reasons why he was unsuitable for the job. In the end, It was Moses and Aaron who stood in front of the Pharaoh of Egypt. It was Moses who led the people out and who stood before the Red Sea with his rod and God parted it in front of them and they walked over on dry ground. God didn't ask permission to choose David, or Solomon, or Saul, or anyone else in regard to God's purposes for their lives. They were chosen by God and God placed them into the midst of some mighty great events. It comes down to us. God doesn't ask our permission to do certain things in our lives. God never asked my permission to give me cancer or to cause my heart to block up and have a heart attack. God never asked my opinion or permission to do anything in my life. You see, it isn't about me or you either. It is about God and what He is doing in the world today and even in your own life. God doesn't ask your permission to chip away some part of your life that doesn't look like the Lord Jesus Christ. He just does it. You can read the rest of Luke 1 and find Mary's response. In all of the problems of such an announcement, Mary gave glory to God in Luke 1:46-56. We should be doing the same even in the midst of all of our situations whether they be good or bad. Just remember that God didn't ask your permission, He just did it. Praise God for working in our lives each and every moment. You might be surprises by what God does in your life today.

Born Again

            There are some groups that have their own lingo. That is, they have a lot of terms that are peculiar only to them. When I joined the U. S. Navy, I found that I had to learn a whole new basic vocabulary. A wall became a bulkhead, a floor became a deck, a ceiling became an overhead, right became starboard and left became port. Any mistake in the use of those words would cause an immediate ridicule with such names as a land lubber. Buoys were also important and had two basic colors, red and green. When you were returning to port in the night, the rule was, “red, right, returning.” You needed to keep the red lights on the starboard side of the ship while returning into the harbor. The three “r's” gave permission to use the word “right” instead of “starboard” in this saying. It was a mnemonic device that was important to getting to the dock in the middle of the night. I was a musician, but that didn't make any difference when I was teaching in my little cubicle which had four bulkheads, an overhead and a deck even while on land. John 3:3 says, “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 

            The term “born again” was stated by the Lord Jesus Christ some 2,000 years ago but it became very popular when Chuck Colson wrote a book with that title. Mr. Colson had come to know the Lord Jesus Christ when he was born again. Many believers doubted his conversions saying it was just an example of escape from reality when facing prison for his involvement in the Watergate affairs. There may be other groups who use the term but I don't know of any at the moment. The phrase, “born again” seems to apply only to a person who is convicted of their sin, repents and calls upon the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. The above interview with Nicodemus shows the vital importance of such an act. How important is this act? Well, the Lord Jesus Christ said that unless it took place in an individual's life, they would not be seeing heaven at all. There are those that frown at the teachings of fundamental evangelicals and the use of the term, but nevertheless, it makes no difference in the end. A person will not be admitted into heaven that has not been born again. That's a pretty brash statement but look at the words of the Savior in the above passage. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” No matter what you think about evangelicals, fundamentalists, baptists or Holy Rollers, the truth is still there. You must be born again. The next question is how does that take place. One of the best examples was the Philippian Jailer in Acts 16:31. The Jailer asked the question and Paul answered it. He needed to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and he would be saved. The whole matter is summed up in John 3:16. The Son was given by the Father that the world was given the gift of salvation that whosoever believed in Him would have eternal life. That was what Paul said to the jailer.  A lot of people have trouble with the simplicity of salvation. The mass of people think that God is great therefore the process of salvation must be great also. Mankind goes on to think that one must prove himself worthy by attending catechism classes, religious education classes, be confirmed, join a church, sign a card, walk and aisle or clean up your life. God made it so simple that many miss it due to their own blindness. John 3 shows the simplicity of the gospel message, the good news about how to have eternal life.  I have also remarked in the past that the word “believe” is used about 78 times in the Gospel of John. For some, it must be very hard to simply believe. Praise God today for salvation. The door is still open.

Black Friday

            For the past several years, we have become accustomed to the term, “black Friday.” The term signifies that retailers want to finish the period in the black and not in the red. They want to make an overall profit and so they have every trick in the book to get you into their store and to attract you to all kinds of bargains that will ultimately make them a profit in the end. I had a hard time with the name of the day at first as I didn't understand what it meant. To be honest, when I first heard the term “black Friday” I immediately thought of Calvary. That was truly a black day in history but it had nothing to do with businesses and making a lot of money. It had to with the Lord Jesus Christ dying on the cross at Calvary for our sins. Luke 23:33 says, “ And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.” 

              In the black Friday of today all you have to do is to write a check and take home your purchased items. It is a simple transaction. We might think that it would have been nice if Jesus could simply write a very big check and give it to His Father in order to compensate for our sins. Wouldn't that be nice. The idea of blood being shed in compensation for sins goes way back to the garden of Eden when we see God shedding blood to make adequate clothing for Adam and Eve. Blood being given for an offering then goes on and on as we see it with Abraham and then the Books of Moses, the Pentateuch. The Book of Leviticus describes exactly how each sacrifice would be performed. One of the largest examples was the dedication of the Temple by King Solomon where thousands of lambs were offered for the sacrifices. The blood line continues through the Old Testament all the way of to the statement of John the Baptist when he sees Jesus coming over the horizon and heading his way. John 1:29 says, “he next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” That was the end of it. The Lord Jesus Christ didn't write a check to cover the payment for our sins. He died on the cross and shed His own blood to make the payment that was required. There was no other way and for Him, it was the most awful and painful thing to suffer. To me, that is black Friday. Our bodies and nervous system make such a death unbearable to even think about. We often think today that the execution of prisoners should be done as humane as possible and so we tend to just put them to sleep with a lethal injection. Crucifixion was the ultimate producer of pain and suffering. It usually didn't occur in just a short time. Some cases took hours and perhaps a full day to happen. Christ hung on the cross in agony for six hours, the last three the most painful as our sins were paid for. Every nerve in His body cried out in anguish until He finally said, “It is Finished.” Those are the words for the expression, “telestai” which means, “Paid in Full.” the final check was written to pay for our sins. When a person wants to end up with a profit, they need to think of the expression from the lips of the Lord Jesus Christ, 'What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses His own soul” in Mark 8:36. Black Friday that occurred on a hill called Mount Calvary was where your sin debt was paid for in full. The profit is yours if you believe in Him as your Lord and Savior. Even though I know what the term means today in our culture, I am still pointed back immediately to Calvary. That was the true Black Friday. Praise God for His unique plan for salvation.

Thanksgiving 2020

            The past year has not been a bed of roses hardly for anyone. We have been plagued by a pandemic which is not the usual thing in our day. The Pandemic has caused us to do a lot of different things and to evaluate our lifestyle. Jobs have changed. Businesses have changed. All kinds of adjustments have been made. Even missionaries are using new methods to reach people with the Gospel. If that were not enough, most of us have experienced new kinds of health issues. After all, we are a year older than we were last year at this time. I have spent more time in doctor's offices this year than ever before only now I have to sit and breathe through a mask which when no one is looking, I sneak a breath of fresh air which has been saturated with hand sanitizer. For some, you just want to sit down and cry. For others, we rejoice in the fact that God fully knows what is going on. Psalm 100:1-5 says, “A Psalm of praise. Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

             This is the Thanksgiving Psalm. The believers are the sheep of His pasture and we are to enter into His gates with Thanksgiving. And into His courts with praise. We are to be thankful to Him and to Bless His name, even in 2020, the year of the mysterious pandemic. First Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” How many times have we sought to do God's will? We find many books written on how to find God's will and yet here it is plain and simple. It is not by all means complete but it is one of the ways in which we are to do God's will. We are to give God thanks for everything. This might be a tough piece of turkey to swallow, after all, there is a pandemic, but nevertheless, God says to give Him thanks in every thing. Keeping that in mind, we say “Thanks God for getting my attention. Thanks God for providing the food on my table today. Thanks God for giving me a night's sleep. Thanks God for the people who are stepping up to fill the needs of people around the world. Thanks God for the hope that we have in You. Thanks God for making the best place ever for us in which to spend eternity.” Praise God today and thank Him for all that He has done for you yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The Word

             An apartment in Spain had many rooms. Our apartment had a living room and four smaller rooms one of which became my “study” as it was where I did most of my study of the Bible and of Spanish and the writing of some Spanish courses for an institute that we had begun in the local church. Most apartments had a formal living room where unfamiliar guest would be entertained. There was another room where the family would normally spend most of their time in the winter months. It was called the “sala de estar” or the room to be in. this is where you would be entertained if you were a friends. Due to the cost of heat, they would only heat one room during the day and we all sat around a round table with a long table cloth and a heater underneath. If your legs were warm, the rest of you felt warm. We give different names to something to often describe their function. Psalm 19:7-9 says, “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.” 

            Psalm 19 is in a small way similar to Psalm 119. In Psalm 119 there are 176 verses and 171 of them refer to the Word of God. This small section of Psalm 19 uses words like law, testimony, statutes and commandment to describe the Word of the LORD. All of them combined point out the value of the Word of God in our lives. Unfortunately, the Bible often is used as a centerpiece on a coffee table or a storage place for important information. While cleaning out my family Bible, I found a lock of reddish blond hair, a picture of an Aunt, an obituary, a union card, and a number of ribbons from the sprays of flowers on the top of caskets as well as a few dried up carnation from funeral flowers. None of those things were of any value. Sermons can be preached on each of the above characteristics of the Word of God. We cannot spend too much time in God's Word as we need its instruction in everything that we do. The Scriptures remind us how to find salvation in the first place and then how to go on to live our lives in a very complex world. Of all of the millions of books in the world, the Bible is the “libro de estar” or the book to be in. It will do far more than Shakespeare or the Encyclopedia Britannica or any books on the religions of the world. It is the single work in the world of writing that has the answer to all of life's problems. It can be called the law, the testimony of God, the ways, the precepts, the commandments, the statutes. God said what He meant to say to us and it is recorded in His Word. It doesn't need to be changed to meet the culture in which we live as it is perfect for every culture and for every people. Where do you spend your time? What is your “book to be in?” May we always be found in God's Word for every situation. Praise Him for His Letter to us. It will never fail us.

The Shot

              I walked into a coffee shop in a hospital and the scanner for the cash register was on, causing a red line to appear on the counter. I jokingly put my hand under it and the cashier said, “If that thing responds, I'm running.” She was referring to the prophecy whereby chips are put into humans thus causing them to be read by any number of digital readers and also fulfilling a prophecy in the Book of Revelation. The fear of worldwide control of people is in the air today and has been ever since the invention of digital chips inserted in a number of things including our cat.. Tina the cat is micro chipped and our address and name is on file if she should ever get lost and later scanned by a vet or animal rescue group. I do hear many stories of people being “chipped” in the world and wonder how many of them are actually true. I did find evidence that in “Sweden, a country rich with technological advancement, thousands have had microchips inserted into their hands. The chips are designed to speed up users' daily routines and make their lives more convenient — accessing their homes, offices and gyms is as easy as swiping their hands against digital readers.” quoted from Wikipedia. We may have wondered 50 years ago how such a thing could be possible. How could a large number of people be willing to be stamped with a mark that would be related to the governing of their lives in absolutely every way. Revelation 20:4 says, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshiped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.” 

        The verse mentioned refers to the millennium or the thousand rear reign of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the earth which occurs after the tribulation. It is interesting to note that the church is mentioned in chapter 1 though 3 and then the wonderful scene in heaven at the glorious throne of God and chapter 4 and 5 but then as John proceeds into the next chapter, chapter 6, there is no mention of the church. The scene is involving earth and what is going on there with the opening of the seals, trumpets and bowls. Finally in Revelation 19:11 we read, “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” What is important for me at this point is the absence of the church from Revelation 6 through Revelation 19:11. There may be many who have wondered how so many people could be persuaded to take the mark of the beast. All we have to do is to take a look at the results of a pandemic that recently plagued our world and that is still causing worldwide actions. As people began to speak of worldwide shots with the same vaccine, it became clear that the world population could very well be persuaded to take a “mark” if you wish to call it that. For the believer, the truth remains in the rapture of the church. I certainly believe in the prophecy of 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The Latin word for being caught up in St. Jerome's translation of the Scriptures says, “rapture” in its Latin spelling. From this passage plus the absence of the church in thirteen chapters of Revelation, I won't have to be concerned about it. Maybe this is just a test run of how easy it is to control the general population of the world or maybe not. Time will tell. We are living in the last days but the rapture has not yet occurred. All prophecies have been completed and the next is the church being caught up together with the dead in Christ. It may be today or tomorrow. Are you ready?

More Good News

            I recently had some blood work done and waited anxiously for the report. The report came that the kidneys were holding their own and were not any worse than before. That was good news for that day anyway. There are those times in life when you expect bad news. When the phone rings and you are in bed, and you are a pastor, you often expect it to be bad news. After all, who would call you after 0:00 pm? Someone would usually be in the ER of some hospital somewhere and who needed spiritual assistance. When you receive a telegram, you expect it to be bad news. In our day, one seems to have the idea that whatever test we had done is going to be bad news. It just seems that is the way of life. We really don't expect to hear about a long lost uncle that left us a small fortune and a vacation home in the Bahamas. The network media also realizes that most of their news is bad news about something. This is brought out by the fact that they try to include one story at the end of the newscast that is good like the little girl that gave the earnings of her lemonade stand to a special charity. Our human nature often looks to receive more bad news then it does good news.  In some cases, we feel that if we expect to receive bad news, then any news that isn't bad is in reality, good news.  Still, you sometimes get the jitters when you receive a special piece of mail that is insured or registered or a private letter from the IRS.  Our reaction is, “Now what do they want?” There is a word however, in the New Testament, however, which mean "good news." It is the word "gospel." So, when Paul used the word in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, he was telling the people that he had some "good news" for them. That is what the word actually means. Paul's good news was what Christ had done. "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according tot he Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."

             Now, that's "good news." It means that we have hope in this world. It means that we not only have hope in this world, but hope for the future. With the payment already made for our sins, it means that we too can have eternal life. We will be able to go to be with God when we die and we will be with Him forever. This is truly good news for us. So, while you may think that you don't ever receive much good news, think of the word "gospel" as it is used in the New Testament. Whenever you see it, you know that you have received some "good news."   Realize that not all news is bad news.  Some of it really is good.    Praise God today for the Good news that He has for us in His plan of salvation. The Gospel however, is the only real “good news.”

Construction Project

            After our house fire in the early 1950's, my Father began making plans to construct a new home on a different part of the property. Finally a bulldozer came and dug the hole where the basement would be. Dad went down to the hole with boards and chalk line and began laying our the footer. Concrete was poured into the boards and with string, levels, trowels and such, He began to make sure that everything was as level as possible. This would be the base where the cement blocks would begin to go up. Soon the walls were up as he laid the blocks one by one after driving truck all day and on the week ends. As the blocks went to the maximum height, beams were put across and covered with wood and then tar paper was put over the top. The basement was finished including the “upstairs” bathroom as it would be in the finished house. Dad put the tile down on the floor, did the plumbing, constructed the kitchen and soon we moved into the basement of the new house. We stayed there for the next six years, safe, warm and as snug as a bug in a rug. After that, he purchased the frame of a modular home and set on top of the structure, and then did all of the finishing including the wiring and the pluming and the roofing of the house. It took about 8 years, but the house was finished. I saw the finished product after I came home from the Navy while on leave. Some projects take a while to finish. Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” 

        Every believer, including you and me, are a continual work in progress. This spiritual project is going on right now even as you read this small devotion. God is continually working in so many areas of our lives maturing us into the finished work that will be completed the day you meet the Lord Jesus Christ. We are never going to be complete while on this earth, but we will be going through the daily construction that God will be doing on that particular day. God may use something soft and soothing in certain areas, but then comes the chisel that will be used to chip away all that does not look like the finished product. A sculptor was once asked how he made a statue. The sculptor was making a horse at the time, and he replied that he simply chipped away everything that didn't look like a horse. God is currently chipping away everything that does not look like a finished saint of His family. While the process is going on, we may feel that life is too hard or that we are not going to make it or what else can happen today. God knows all of that while He forms you into the finished product. That brings us to His promise. He will finish the work but it will be on His time schedule and in the manner in which He works and not our own. God knows how much you can take and what the outcome is going to be so just be patient as you continue to grow into His finished product. It will be finished on your “coronation day.” That is the day that you will be welcomed into heaven itself. As the Apostle Paul said, We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” Praise God for the working of the Master Carpenter.

Things To Do

 

              There were many times when I would leave the house for work with my “Daytimer” in my hand as it held the list of all the things I would need to do that day. It's probably not because I had a lot to do, but there seemed to be always one thing that got forgotten. The unexpected always seemed to pop in causing me to rearrange my proposed schedule for the day. A phone call would sometimes require immediate action or the news that someone just went into the hospital and you needed to be there. Changes would come quite often and tend to interrupt you intended accomplishments for the day. The Psalmist writes about how to keep your direction in daily life. The following verses probably would need to be at the head of every day's activities. Psalm 37:3-7 says, “Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” 

          The passage is longer today because of the list of “action” verbs. He reminds us to trust, delight, commit to rest in the Lord and to fret not. The more things I had on my schedule made it even more important to incorporate the above list in my life. Knowing about this didn't make it happen. Granted, there were times when I did the above things but there seemed to be even more times when I would try to take it all on my shoulders which would undoubtedly lead to more frustration. We sometimes look at the above list as an “overall” type of thing but it sometimes lacks being personal for the day in which you live. We may question as to if it will work on the seemingly little things of life. The answer to that question is, “Of course it will work for today's problems no matter how big or how small they might be. We sometimes forget what God can do or is doing each and every day of our lives. The dead battery in your car on the day you need to do something important just causes you to be where God wants you to be at that moment. We never know about the situations that might arise had we been in a certain spot at a certain time. Five minutes can make a lot of difference and you and I didn't even know about it. I was once told that god is working a 7.3 billion piece puzzle every moment. Nothing is happening that He does not know about. He is not caught off guard nor is He running around frantically trying to keep everything in its proper place. Then, the best thing is to “trust” in Him no matter how messed up your day might be. Then, commit your day to Him. Then just rest in His decision and finally fret not, or don't even worry about it. At the end of the day, you will find “sweet sleep” which only God can grant. Praise God today for His comfort and guidance in our daily lives.

What Do You Believe?

             My patents once told me, “Don't believe everything you are told.” It prompted a spark of mistrust against people who told you things that were not true. I was once practicing the clarinet as a youngster and my fingers didn't quite reach all of the holes resulting in a lot of harsh sounding squeaks. I was getting very frustrated and mad at the same time with the instrument and it brought tears to my eyes. A man happened to be in our house at the time who was running for sheriff of the local county. He was trying to get my mother's vote and he proclaimed to me, “Keep practicing, Sonny. Someday you will be playing in a sympathy orchestra.” That is not a typo, but the actual statement of the the man. My mother later proclaimed that the man was not going to get her vote. I did end up year's later playing bassoon in an orchestra but that was not to be my professional career. A lot of things were told to me in my formative years about how we got where we were as a human race. My education told me that we came from an organism in a primordial swamp. Somehow, even at that time, it did not seem possible but that's what my teacher's told me. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” 

            Then, there came the day that I believed what the Bible said about every area of life. The Bible has proclaimed much in regard to our creation but the small statement at the beginning says all there is to say about our creation. “In the beginning, God created...” It was once stated that how you believe the first eleven chapters of Genesis will determine how you believe the rest of the Bible. We look at the making of something with our own hands as taking a lot of time. If I were to physically build a house it wold take a year or more. If however, God created the same house, He would speak and it would be there. Both houses look the same. Mine took a year to build, and God's took the twinkling of an eye to build. They look the same. When God created the earth, it had the appearance of billions of years, but He spoke it into existence in an instant. The questions always come up about Noah and the flood and how much water it involved. I believe in a worldwide flood that happened just as the Bible says it happened. I believe in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah just as the Bible said it did and for the reason that it says it took place. The problem with many people is that they cannot accept what God says about these important things in the history of the earth. The answer to them involves making the first eleven chapters of Genesis as a myth or that God really took billions of years create and to refuse the Genesis account. Don't believe everything you are told except when it comes to the statements that are made in the Holy Bible. You can always rely on what God says as being absolutely true in every detail. That does not mean that we understand it all, but we can rely on what God says is true. How do you look at the first eleven chapters of Genesis? Praise God that we can believe what He says in His Word, the Bible.

Flying

                Every time I eat something and then doze off, I dream.  I can almost count on it. I once ate a peanut butter sandwich and then went to bed and it brought up a nightmare which causes me to not eat a big sandwich and then go to bed. Most of the time, the dreams are rather interesting but I have some that are exceptional.  One of them is the dream of flying.  Now, I don't mean in an airplane.  I mean flying.  I usually begin by running down a hill and all of a sudden the gravity lessens and I begin to rise.  It's always slowly at first, then I go higher and higher, diving in and around houses and trees and swooping down to rise up still higher.  It's a fun feeling.  It reminds me of the time when I will be able to fly only it will be much faster, much higher and in the twinkling of an eye.  By now, you probably know where I am heading.  First Thessalonians 4:16-17 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:  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."  

           The words, "caught up" are the words which give the translation from the Latin word, which end us in our English word, "rapture."   The world has become familiar with these words through the "Left Behind" series.  What is important to me in these verses is the fact of the being caught up to meet the Lord in the air.  This is one of those things that is coming in the future, but we don't know when it is going to be.  While I might get a kick out of flying, that's not going to be the most important thing happening on that day.  Can you imagine what it is going to be like to meet the Lord?  While in the Navy, we would often have the opportunity to play for heads of state from many different countries.  It was always exciting to play "Hail to the Chief" as the president would come into the immediate area.  Some bands would even employ herald trumpets to play the Ruffles and Flourishes.  When the "trump of God" sounds, it is going to be far greater and will demand immediate attention.  it will be glorious.  It is no wonder that Paul concludes this section with the words,  "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."  It is a comfort because we know that whatever happens today or tomorrow or all of the problems that we have had in the past, they will all be chucked into the waste basket on that glorious day.  So, praise God today for the fact that "Coronation Day is Coming." 

Lord Indeed

           We are sometimes attracted to a certain item in a store or online and read all about it as to what it will do for us in our lives. We are not without knowledge that there are a lot of things that don't measure up to what they were advertised to do. The more expensive an item, the more it is guaranteed. Some things are guaranteed for one year and then it diminishes over the years. You sometimes have two weeks to a month to decide if you like it or not and then the window of returning the item stops. It is yours. Some things come with a lifetime guarantee. We always wonder about a lifetime guarantee as to which lifetime are they talking about, the produce or the owner? I was reminded about a quote from C. S. Lewis the other day as I listened to a sermon. The quote was in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ and said in effect, “You have to decide if Jesus is a liar, a lunatic or Lord.” John 14:6 says, “ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” 

           The statement that is made in this verse is one of those statements that a person has to decide whether the person making the statement is a liar or a lunatic or indeed Lord. We know the answer as the One making the statement is indeed the Son of God and as such is Lord. He is Lord of all that there is. The statement states that there is only one way to the Father and it is through the Lord Jesus Christ. The world in general comes up with multiple ways to reach heaven. It is quite popular these days to be engrossed in Buddhism as you seek the wisdom of a bald man in a yellow robe and think that his quaint sayings will help you reach a final destination somewhere that will be peaceful for all eternity. Unfortunately, they are on the road to eternal destruction and all of the yellow robes and incense will not make any difference. Most religions of the world system are based upon your own works and what you can do to get to peace and tranquility. Many use prayer beads and say the same prayer over and over and over in the hope of appearing at lease somewhat spiritual. Again, the final result will be that they are on the road to destruction. The founders of most religions of the world are all in a grave somewhere. That is true with only one exception. The founder of Christianity is the Lord Jesus Christ and fortunately, He is not in the grave but was resurrected. That is our guarantee that the Lord Jesus Christ is not a liar nor a lunatic, but indeed the Son of God and therefore, Lord. Famous people cannot save one person. Even Martin Luther could not save one person but he found the answer in Romans 8:1 which states, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus...” This is our guarantee for eternal life. This is our hope for heaven and it is all guaranteed by the empty tomb. By following the Lord Jesus Christ, we also will someday rise up conquering death and hell to a life with God in heaven for all eternity. It won't be the number of prayers or any amount of money that you gave because you can never pay for your salvation in any way. There is only one way and it is full surrender to the Savior Who died for your sins and my sins and for all the sins of the whole world. Life is only guaranteed with Him. Praise God today for the empty tomb.

The Promise Keeper

           The dictionary defines the word “promise” as, “a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.” The ability to keep a promise is dependent upon the power of the individual making it. There have been just a few times that I have made promises such as one's marriage vows or when entering the military. I recall the time in Chicago, Illinois that I raise my right hand and made some promises to the U. S. government in order to join up with the U. S. Navy. I do recall that we all had to raise our right hand and repeat after the man reading the pledge. I was a musician and not what you wold call a “fighting man.” Nevertheless, while on the destroyer for a good will tour of South America, I was stationed on a 44 MM antiaircraft gun. I was a handler of the shells that would come up from the below decks to be placed into the gun. You had to do it fast. Fortunately for me, I never had to handle a single shell, but I had still promised to defend the U. S. A. in a time of war. I don't know how I would have performed such a task while be bombarded by an enemy. There are times when we make promises such as cleaning up your room or taking out the garbage. They might be the easy ones in life. 1 John 2:24-25 says, “Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.” 

          The Bible mentions the word “promise” some 50 or more times and “promises” about 7 times. Promises in the Bible are different in that they are involved in things that a human being simply can't do. Abraham was promised many things and it seems that they were impossible. How was he going to have a son when he and Sarah were so old? How would he be the father of a nation of millions of people? Best of all, how are we going to get to heaven? This is where it is vitally important about the ability of the One making the promise as in these cases is none other than God Himself. The final line of the passage for today says, “And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life.” We are used to people breaking promises and are very skeptical of anyone making a brash promise that we know they cannot keep. The One Who has made the promise above however is God, the creator of the universe and the One Who has conquered death itself. I have seen small books that are filled with just the promises of God which are meant to be an encouragement to us. When God makes a promises, you can be assured that it will come to pass. One of the great testimonies is the fact that God has never failed in any of His promises. While there are promises of eternal life there are also promises of punishment for those who continually do evil. While we may not understand God's means in a matter, we must stand firm on the fact that God is faithful to His Word to us in all things, both large and small. Praise God today for His promises.

How Are We Known?

           I put up a picture of me in the Navy playing in a band and one comment was, “Which one is you.” Since that photo was taken, my hair is longer and I have added a few pounds so it is hard to see which one is really me. Recognizing people can be important at times. It was said that the sign of the fish was a recognition that was used for early Christians. The Greek word for fish is Ichthus. It is five letters and have become an acronym for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior. It was said that a person upon meeting an individual would draw a curve in the sand and if the other person was a believer, they would put the bottom cure on the sand thus making the outline of the “fish symbol.” There was also another way that people were recognized as believers such as the church in Thessalonica. First Thessalonians 1:7-8 says,”So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia. For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing.” 

          The reputation of the church in Thessalonica spread because their works were a witness to their faith. Paul's statement made it plain that wherever he went, he heard about the work that was going on in Thessalonica. We pretty much have become attached to a local group of believers, which some refer to as a church and others refer to it as an assembly. In either case, it consists of a group of people that believe basically the same thing. How are they known by others? Are you known by your name? I was in one church that was known throughout the community by the name of the one who was building it. Nothing else was known in the community about its purpose or activity. There were two churches in my home town and they were simply known by the doctrine and the location, one being a Christian Church, Disciples of Christ and the other one the local Methodist church. In some case we are known by our location such as the fact that many live in what is called, the Bible belt. It is an area in the United States that is predominantly evangelical and so it is loosely called the Bible belt. Very few churches if any are known by their example of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Apostle Paul were to come to your area, what would be said about the witness of the local churches? Some are known by their music and entertainment value and others are acclaimed because of their ministry to children and youth and some are known by their involvement in sending missionaries around the world to spread the Gospel message. The message from Thessalonica had spread throughout Macedonia and Achaia. That is a big area for not have our modern means of communication. The church at Thessalonica fulfilled the commission in Acts 1:8. They were telling others. They were the witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ. May we be doing the same. Praise God today for the message of salvation.

Planting and Reaping

           In our move to the country when I was six year's old, that would make it about 1944, we had no power tools. The lawn mower was a push type and a couple of hand scythes. Our gardening implements included a shovel, a hard rake and a hoe. There was no such thing at our place as a tiller or tractor. In the Spring, Dad would dig up the soil of a large garden plot and then with the rake and the hoe, chop up the clods until the seed bed was smooth. He took string and two sticks to mark off the row and carefully moved the how along the string, making a small seed bed for next year's crop. He would carefully drop the seeds into the little trench and then gently cover them with the fine dirt, gently tapping each section of the row. At the end of the row, a stick was placed into the ground with the seed packed on the top of the stick. Soon, the little seeds would spout and send up a greet shoot through the ground. In three months, the house would be filled with green beans, tomatoes, corn, potatoes, and other vegetables. Dad would reap that which he had sown. Second Corinthians 9:6 says, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” 

          The principle is basically the same with our spiritual lives. The seed that is sown is the word of God. We are the ones who do the sowing and God is the One that does the reaping. One implement for preparing spiritual soil is prayer. We begin by praying for the one to whom we wish to cast forth the Word of God. Another mode of preparation is kindness and it reflects our attitude to the person who will be our “field.” There is also the matter of our testimony before the individual who will receive the seed. As you can readily see, this process is going to take some time and will be going on at various levels all of our lives. The Apostle Paul reminds us that there are some who plant the seed, some who water the seed and perhaps others who finally reap that which was sown. The growth time is different for every person. In gardening, radishes pop up quickly while carrots take a little longer. Of all the ways to spread the Gospel message, God chose to use believers. Mankind doesn't have to be saved. With the free will of man, each has the opportunity to make a decision. It is interesting to note that people in a nation such as our have heard the Gospel message time and time again and many refuse to decide for Christ. At the same time, a village who has never heard the message finds it easier to accept and believe when they hear it for the first time. We are all “missionaries” so to speak as we represent the Lord Jesus Christ here on earth and seek to spread the Word to those who need to be saved. While there are many believers in the world today, the world is still only about one third Christian so there is much to do. The ultimate goal is that the gospel would go out to all the ends of the earth until every person is worshiping God. For you, that might mean the people in your family or your circle of friends and co workers or perhaps the person living down the street. If someone is not worshiping God, then there is your mission field. Praise God today that He is still the Lord of the Harvest.

Peace With God

            World War I was to be the war that would end all wars. It was a hard fought war and tough to be involved in. It was one of the first experiences of using chemicals in warfare which brought on the “gas mask” and other equipment associated with chemical warfare. At the end of the war, there came the event of the time it was to end and it was at a particular moment in history. It stopped on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. That was to be the time that it would go into affect. Perhaps it was done that way to keep the attention of the people in a form of, “We won't forget about it.” As it turned out, it wasn't the war to end all wars. It was just the beginning as the arms race continued for the next 100 years. World War II soon came and ended with the introduction into the atomic age and a whole new range of weapons. Now, no one is beyond the range of a missile from somewhere.  Peace as it so often longed for, seems to be out of reach. Even worse is the peace that is mentioned beyond God and man. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” 

            While wars can be a big bother in the activities of a world, there is one thing worse than all of that when we consider that there is enmity beyond God and man and has been that way ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. The problem of sin came into the picture and a large chasm developed in the relationship between God and man. We could never find peace in our spiritual lives until we found peace with God. Romans five comes to our rescue and begins with the statement that we can have peace with God. Once we have peace with God then we can experience the peace of God in our lives. Romans 5:1 goes on to say that this peace with God is only available through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only “through” our Lord Jesus Christ that we can find this wonderful peace. This means that we can have that personal relationship with God as we come to the Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is the peace the ends all war as we are reconciled back to God the Father through the work of His Son on the cross at Calvary. Spiritually speaking, once you have peace with God, you can now experience the peace of God no matter what is going on around you. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be disease, pestilence and other atrocities going on around you and you can still be a person who is at peace. We are at peace because we know that God is able. He is able to take care of all the things in our lives no matter how extreme they might be. You might have the tendency to be upset over your circumstances but God is able to take care of them all because you have peace with Him. This armistice day, just be reminded not only of the ending of World War I, but of the fact that you have a peace with God because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God today for His peace that is beyond what we ever thought of.

Saying Good Bye

            Saying “Good bye” can be a long and difficult process. In some cultures, perhaps a person getting up, pushing the chair back and then saying, “Well, see you later” would be enough while in other cultures, the process can take five to ten minutes or even more after announcing your intentions to get up and leave. The process can go from the living room to the car with numerous announcements of their intention to leave and then end up with a wave and even a flashing of the porch light as they drive away. Second Timothy 4:7-8 says, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” 

             The Apostle Paul was saying Goodbye to young Timothy and the tone of the words indicated that it was going to probably be the last time he would have to speak even by a letter to the young Bishop of Ephesus. Paul could see the handwriting on the wall and he knew what he had done in his lifetime. It looked like the end was coming and so Paul makes the final statement that we probably all would love to be able to say at the end of our lives. Paul truly did it. He accomplished what he had set out to do. He spread the Gospel message to every place he went and when he was done he would go on and on until it had been spread in areas never before heard of. He had started out in Jerusalem and ended up in Rome. He had been to numerous cities in Asia Minor and then went into Europe with the Gospel. He saw a lot of their jails usually after spending a few weeks preaching. Then, someone would complain and Paul and his team would end up in a prison such as the one in Philippi that feel to the ground in a God inspired earthquake. In his own testimony, he described how he had been ship wrecked, robbed, beaten and thrown in prison and how he even was attacked by seemingly his friends. It would be enough to make and average man quit and go back to his employment of making tents. The example of Paul's life was one for us to follow. He was the best missionary and he showed us all how to do it. Could we dare say any of the three phrases that Paul made? Could we say that we have fought the good fight, or that we had finished the course or finally that we have kept the faith? Paul's final remarks refer to the crown of righteousness that is given to those that love the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ? That crown is available to all that love the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. That means it is available to us, today if we look forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There may be many of the American church who don't look forward to that event as they are so content to view the handiwork of God at the beach or the mountains and the other blissful scenes that have been created by God. To the starving in countries around the world, or to those who are facing death at the hand of an unbeliever, or those that are in war torn countries with no bed to lay on at night, to them, they cry out, “Please Lord, Come and take me home.” May we strive to be like Paul and to stay on the course that God has given to us and to be faithful no matter what happens in our lives. May we always remember that God is still on the throne and that He is fully aware of each and every believer and what is going on in their lives. That means you and me. Praise God today that He is fully Sovereign in all things.

Itching Ears

            I have a small book in my library by J. Dwight Pentecost entitled, “Things Which Become Sound Doctrine.” The fourteen chapters go from “Depravity” to “Resurrection.” Each one word chapter title cover most of the major doctrines in connection with man and with his pursuit of eternal peace with God. At a conference many years ago, the book store in which I worked set up tables that contained books for sale. This was one of the books but there were however, some titles that had to do with demons and demonology. The books about demons outsold those that were heavy on doctrine. Even in our day, people do not seem to be interested in doctrine. Second Timothy 4:3-4 says “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 

          One commentary has stated of this passage in regard to the itching ears, “like to hear teachers who give them mere pleasure (Act_17:19-21), and do not offend by truths grating to their ears. They, as it were, tickle with pleasure the levity of the multitude [Cicero], who come as to a theater to hear what will delight their ears, not to learn [Seneca, Epistles, 10.8] what will do them good.” Mainly, people don't like to be told that they are going to end up in hell if they do not respond to the Gospel message. They keep looking for a person who is going to say flowery words that don't disturb their lifestyle or one who does not offend them in any way. The very first chapter of this little book by Pentecost deal with the depravity of man. Now that's a topic that no one likes to hear about and which is quite evident in the manner in which many people live. The depravity of man has progressed to the point that they consider it quite okay to take the life of an unborn child and in some states, ignore a newborn until it dies. At the same time a man can go to jail for mistreating animals such as puppies or disturbing or destroying certain turtle eggs. Many animals have more protection than we give to human life. Even in my own area, it is unlawful to kill a buzzard since they eat all of the carcasses of dead animals. The depravity of man has also progressed to the point of immoral life styles which are condemned in the Scriptures. The average person in our country will look for someone, and anyone, that tells them pleasant things rather than the truth. We have even gone to the extreme of worshiping Satan and witches, but we decide to have a TV program about the “Good Witch.” Yes, man's depravity keeps going down further and further. The little book goes on to deal with chapters that are titled, “Grace, Regeneration, Imputation, Substitution, Repentance, Redemption, Reconciliation, Propitiation, Justification, Security, Predestination and Resurrection. These are some of the areas which give mankind hope for the future and certainly needful for a depraved mankind. All of these areas are covered in the Bible and give us hope for the future in our eternal home in heaven. As the song writer once said, “Tell Me the Old, Old Story.” May we never get tired of hearing the message of salvation. Praise God today for His doctrine.

One Second

            This is a year where we seem to be focused on how many people die of the new virus. If you pass by a news channel, you soon hear how many people have died today and how many people have died in the past year as a result of the virus that is traveling around the world. Statistics are wonderful things to get people stirred up. Virus deaths seem to be a staggering number but there are other areas that are even higher that we don't report about as they are not as newsworthy as talking about the virus. Another statistic that one should consider is this. Every second of the clock, five people die without Christ. In the two or three seconds it took you to read that sentence, ten to fifteen people died without Christ. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you know the ramifications of what that means. Jesus said that He was the only way to the Father so everyone who dies without Christ is lost forever, in hell. There will be no comfort, no hope, no peace, no love but lost for eternity. This statistic would come out to sixty people dying every minute and ten minutes would see 3000 people going to a Christless eternity. You can expand the statistic as far as you want. Now what does that do to us? How do we respond to such a statistic? Second Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” 

            Every area where Christ is not the head and worshiped is a mission field. Paul reminded young Timothy about the frequency of his preaching. He was to be ready in season and out of season. In other words, he was to be ready at every moment to share the message of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was to proclaim the message to everyone and in everywhere. It is the same message to each and every believer. You may not have a title as a preacher or an evangelist but that doesn't make any difference. It is not the title on your name, but God has done in your life. One of the important observations about this passage is that it is centered on the Word. Timothy wasn't to speak about a social gospel or mother earth or mother nature but about the Supreme Originator of the universe, God Himself. In being ready to share the message, we have to look just outside our on walls to the field before us. It consists of those who will be walking by or who stop to chat about the weather or to comment on their cute little puppy but what if God called them home today? Where would they spend eternity. Everyone thinks that they have a lifetime to make such a decision but the fact is, we don't know how long our lifetime is going to be. One cannot assume that it will last a hundred years. We must assume that this is the last day and that there is no tomorrow to wait for the spreading of the message of hope and peace through the Lord Jesus Christ. The statistic continues and in the time you took to read this, perhaps 1800 people died without Christ. Yes, virus deaths are alarming but they are only a part of the picture and it is a very small part when compared to those who pass away without believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Sow some seed from the Word of God today and let the Lord of the harvest reap those who would come to Him. As Paul said to Timothy, “Preach the Word...” Praise God that He is still calling for people to be saved.

Growing Up

           When I was born, there was no such thing as a cell phone nor a camera on a phone so photographs were taken using some sort of film. The first picture I ever recall of myself was one where I was sitting on my Mother's lap with one leg tucked under the other. The picture had then been “colored” with a blue tint that brought the picture to life. It was a good picture but I was pretty small at that time. In the following years, more pictures were taken but not like the present day barrage of photos. Film was expensive as everything else was and so you didn't just go around taking twenty different shots of the same thing. Eventually, I grew up to be about 5 feet 10 inches tall and about 125 pounds. As I have aged through the years, the weight has gone up and the height has gone down. I sometimes remarked, “I went from a string bean to a Lima bean.” Growth takes place in all areas of our lives, even our spiritual life. Second Peter 3:18 says, “

        But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” We like to call the process,”sanctification.” It is the process whereby we grow spiritually and it is a lifetime process. Peter also remarked in his first epistle that we were like spiritual babies that required milk in order to grow. In his first mention of this in 1 Peter 2:2-3, Peter remarked that we should desire the “milk of the Word” as a baby desires milk in order survive. In the beginning of our Christian lives, we knew perhaps only that we were sinners in need of a Savior and that we couldn't do it ourselves. Then, in the simplicity of the Scriptures, we found out that God had loved us so much that He had sent His Son to die for us, in our place, as our substitute, on the cross and that by believing in Him we could have eternal life. We didn't know how it worked, but it did. We had not seen God face to face, but we believed in Him for salvation. Our knowledge of Scriptures was small and perhaps only included areas like the “Romans Road to Salvation.” We didn't have the answers to a lot of questions, but we did know what God had done in our lives. Then came the process of spiritual growth. Peter remarked that we should grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior. How are we going to do that. We do it by being in His Word, the Bible. We read it, we listen to it, we study it, we memorize it and we meditate on it. Our lives are to be centered on nothing else but the Word of God. That is how growth takes place. Soon, your new life leads you to an intimate and satisfying relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ simply because of what He has done for you. Some may ask if they can possibly have this type of relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and the answer is “yes, you can.” If you have never done so, read the Gospel of John as John points out how Jesus Christ is the Son of God and thereby fully capable of making salvation possible for you. Our bodies will naturally age and the process will continue whether we like it or not. Our spiritual relationship, however, will not naturally progress on its own. You and I need to saturate ourselves with the Word of God. Praise God today for the fact that we are able to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can do it through the Words of Scripture.

 

Casting Your Cares

            There are times when I have difficulty going to sleep as I am concentrating on different things that I have to do or things that are going to be needed to be done the next day. That was the case last night. I have a procedure today that I don't care for as they inject either dye or carbon dioxide into the artery of my right left leg. Then you have to lie on your back for about 4 to 5 hours. As that loomed in my future, I found it difficult to get to sleep. When that happens, I deliberately start quoting in my mind every verse I know by memory. I often fall asleep after about ten verses. There comes that time when you have to take your own advice. First Peter 5:7 says, “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” 

            This has always been one of my favorite verses and it says a lot begin tucked away the end of Peter's first epistle. It suddenly pops up and gives us all hope for the all of the “whatevers” that are facing us at the moment and in the time to come. For some reason, that is usually not the route that we take. The first thing that comes to mind is to try to rationalize it all away or to come up with some other route that you think might work instead of taking the obvious step. That is to give it to God in the first place. Not only do we give it to Him, we then leave it there. That is also hard to do. It would seem that we want to find our own solution just in case God is too busy for something that small. A lot of things are small when compared to what God is doing in all of the world at any given moment. Kings and kingdoms are being directed according to His will. Storms are being guided by His hand. In light of all that He is doing we might have the feeling that this little problem of a 5 hour intervention, that is what they call it, is just too small for Him to be concerned about. When we start thinking that way we need to look just how personal the passage is. It says, “...He careth for you.” He didn't use the word “world” in this case, but got down to the real personal level. He cares about you and He cares about me. We praise the Lord when we discover such a deep love for little people like us, but it is there. At the same time, we so easily drawn back to our old practice of “worry” and “despair” because of what is going on around us. It is true that there are probably over 7 billion things going on right now that God is dealing with and you and I are both one of them. Praise God today for His working in your life in every circumstance.

Faithfulness

          Just when you thought that things couldn't get any worse, they did. One might easily say that in this present day. The year, 2020, has been a real roller coaster ride and it's not over yet. We have about 8 more weeks of this year and it is still packed with disease, unusual weather, forest fires and political and economic turmoil. One might hope that there is some glimmer of change in the future as to how we are going to get through it all. Well, there is. Lamentation 3:22-23 says, “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” 

          Lamentations is the name of this book because it is a “Lament.” It is supposed that the book was written by Jeremiah, the weeping prophet because of the terrible condition of Jerusalem after the siege by the Babylonians. It is written in an unusual style with the first four chapters being alphabetical in the Hebrew. There are 22 verses in each of the first two chapters, 66 verses in chapter 3 and 22 verses in chapter 4. Chapter 5 is not in this form even though it also has 22 verses. God wanted people to remember what had happened and to say in their time and fashion, “Never forget.” Jerusalem had been left in a heap of ruins with devastation all around. There was very little food and most of the able workers had been carried off. Everything seemed to be turmoil but in the middle of chapter three comes a great promise from God. The promise is almost in the middle of the whole book with turmoil, sadness and despair in the rest of the book. Right in the middle, God reminds them of His mercy and of His faithfulness. God is always faithful even when we are not. The kingdoms of Israel and Judah had been unfaithful to God and had followed after pagan ways and had ignored God's warning to them. And so, it came. A siege in those days was a painful experience as there was a ring around the city and the Babylonians just waited them out and then took everything of value. So, now, in their pain and misery, God reminds them of His faithfulness to them. A famous hymn has been written about his passage, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.” Things might get worse in 2020 before it is all over but we can still hold to the same promise that was given to “Jeremiah” in that God is still faithful. None of His promises are negated by our stupidity or our ignoring of God. He is still faithful and all of the promises are still in tact. So, we know that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We know that Jesus will return just as He promised He would. We are guaranteed about the sufficiency of God's grace in all of the areas of our lives. Praise God today for His faithfulness to all of His promises.

Out of the Grave

             Preparing a “homily” or a “sermon” whichever you prefer to call it, requires a lot of time. Some preachers take Monday off but then the process begins for the preparing of the sermon for the following Sunday morning service. Most preachers know basically where there are going in this regard but all of the details have to be worked out. A minimum of perhaps sixteen hours is needed to get it all together realizing you also have to prepare a message for Wednesday evening and Sunday evening. You begin with a “central idea” that is, some basic purpose for the sermon. Then comes research in the Scriptures, cross referencing, outlines, and in some cases, actually writing out every word. Much prayer is spread about in all of the preparation. I had done all of this in one of my messages and after preaching the message, my friend, Paul Gillespie came up and said, “Well, you didn't get Him out of the grave.” In all of my words that morning, I had not mentioned the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. At first, I felt a little sad that after all of my preparation, someone didn't like the message. He was, however, right because everything in Christianity depends on one event. Matthew 28:5-6 says, “And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” 

          When the women arrived, had they found the body of the Lord Jesus Christ, it would have stopped there. There would be no church, no hymns, no bells, no services, no Christian books, no witnessing, no missions and no hope for life after death. We know, however, that the statement made by the angels to the women opened the way for the only hope for mankind. The grave, with its linen wrapping and a rolled away stone gave evidence that the Lord Jesus Christ had raised from the dead. One might say, “well, others have also raised from the dead such as Lazarus.” The difference is that they eventually died again. The Lord Jesus Christ,however ascended into heaven after spending forty days walking around in His resurrected body preaching and teaching to all that He met. And, so it began! The early disciples began spreading the word and so soon, “called out gatherings” of people began to form in all of the areas beginning at Jerusalem, then to Judea, then to Samaria and finally to all the parts of the world. So, it is true. If you are going to preach the full gospel, you need to get Him out of the grave. First Corinthians 15:3-4 tells us what the gospel is and then goes on with the rest of the chapter telling us that if it wasn't true, we would be in big trouble. But, Hallelujah, it is true. He raised from the dead and because of that no matter what problem you are facing today, He is there to help. All of the promises of God are activated by the resurrection. So, when He said, He would never leave nor forsake us, we can be guaranteed by the events on one day, the day of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is truly the way to eternal life. Praise God today for the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.