The on-going ferocious struggle for your soul

There are titanic struggles occurring in the universe at almost every level. Galaxies
are closing in on other galaxies (that's a slow struggle). On a much smaller level, within
each person's cells, virus are struggling against the body's immune system. We are
healthy when the body wins out. 

It's good vs. evil, darkness vs. light, truth vs. lies... yet the single most important
struggle is the one being engaged over the eternal existence of our souls. In a small,
but significant way, each of us plays a part, but the major combatants are ones 
who have been at odds since before the creation of the universe: Jehovah and 
the fallen angel, Satan. The prize, here, is the very soul within your body.

God is sovereign, completely so! He is in control of our lives, our path and our
future. We, and here is the crucial component, have to TRUST Him. The very
essence of faith is the complete trust that God is with us, not apart from us; that
He is engaged, even when it may seem that there is only silence when we struggle,
face hardships,  that he is with us,even when we pray and seem to have no response. 

Satan is already a loser. Christ's resurrection completed the defeat of both death
and Satan. He had been tossed out of heaven, having been the most beautiful angel,
yet rebelling against God. He will, upon Christ's glorious return, be cast forever into
a very hot locale. But for now, he strives to create doubt, impatience...sin, which by
its very definition is rebellion against God. Not only does the devil work at our
weaknesses, he also attacks in areas that we may perceive as being strengths. He
tells is that God is too busy, doesn't care, isn't listening. Because we are born into
sin, continue to sin even when we wish not to and are in rebellion against God,
we are weak and prone to fall away, we decide to take matters into our own
hands, we think we can be in charge. We can be prideful, stubborn and very
impatient. We want quick fixes and it's very hard to just become quiet and wait
on God to lead.

Our part? We had better be more than observers in this struggle for our eternal
destination! We have to depend on God's Spirit within us to strengthen us each day,
we need to put on the armor of God, we need to quiet down and wait with the 
understanding that God is in control...always....forever. Praise God our Father!!

We have to be reminded to remember!

It is my belief that deep within us is the knowledge of God's existence. I have called it
the God spot; yet the concept is certainly not mine. Add to this inner knowledge the fact that
we deeply wish to have a relationship with God. Agnostics and Atheists alike, in my
opinion, are just fooling themselves, or trying to fool us. The search for meaning in
our lives and answers about why we even exist, all point back to that realization that we
are creations of God.

So how does all that apply to the Christmas mess? Have you noticed that Christmas is
upon us? It's in the stores, on the tele, on Al Gore's internet, in the mail...  Halloween ended
and, "boom," Christmas materialized. Tiz the season, but what's the reason? I spent
several day-after Thanksgiving mornings going into work at 4am so that the shoppers who
lined up for gifts after midnight would have breakfast options. Those were folks standing
in line for Kiss Me Elmo's or Cabbage Patch Kids or Beanie Babies, etc. 

Joy to the World, the Lord is Come..

It is a season for joy, yet statistics suggest that it is also a season when depression and
angst show up, big time. There are financial pressures, there are the pressures of preparing
for family, etc. But I believe that there is something missing in all this Christmas hustle and
bustle: Jesus Christ. 

We need to be reminded to remember that this is not Tiny Tim's Christmas. not the Grinch's
Christmas, not Santa Claus's Christmas.. it's Christ's Christmas. 

Had you visited me any time in the first 60 years of my life during the holiday season, you
would have seen the traditional secular items. There would have been some decorations,
presents under the tree (with the star, on top, of course), Christmas carols in the air...maybe
even a cute manger scene. What there would not have been is the underlying recognition that the greatest gift ever given to anyone, at any time, for any reason
was the real reason for celebration... the glorious birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

I was in need of a reminder to remember. 

So do we wring our hands, gnash our teeth and shake our heads over this secularization
and materialization of Christmas? No, I'd rather we take that energy and reach out
to remind those around us to remember the real reason for Christmas joy. One person
at a time; one heart at a time.

Let Earth receive her King!  Her King, indeed. Something we should remember and
rejoice over Every Single Day! Praise God!

By all means, please eat from that tree!

As usual, I am having some fun with the title and topic. It would be less than smart to
question anything that God does! Scripture assures us that God challenges but never
tempts; that's Satan's area of expertise! 

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 6:23

So, it would be less than fair to criticize Eve or Adam for falling into Satan's trap, for
doing that which God forbade them. On one of the CD's I have listened to recently, the
speaker commented that ALL of us, we humans, would have fallen for the same guise. 
The result of that fall into temptation set in motion events that God, himself, envisioned
before the beginning of creation, events personified in the life of Jesus, the Son of God
who came into this world to free sinners into atonement with God through the cross
and resurrection.

Now having been a teacher for oh so many years, and knowing a bit about the nature of
human beings, children and adult, it may have been better, in retrospect, to not tell
those original humans what NOT to do. It's crazy how telling folks what they cannot do
seems, frequently, to result in them doing that very thing against which they have been
warned. I actually, purposely, set up situations where I "tested' the ability of my students
to avoid what I had asked them not to do. Well, they failed... miserably. I "left the lid off
the cookie jar, and they, despite my warning, went right ahead and gobbled!" "Read
the entire quiz before you answer any of the questions...!" I could go on with a bunch of
examples. Reverse psychology? No, just the habit of folks to respond when someone tells
them not to "touch the stove!"

No one knows people better than He who created them. He knows them and loves them.
He knew that we would fail the test, that sin would enter this world and leave us
helplessly unable to measure up to His Holiness. He knew that eventual judgement
would render us "undone" before His hatred of sin. He brought into existence a plan
for the ransom to be paid by the perfect, spotless, sinless Jesus Christ, His only and
beloved Son. Propitiation through the blood of Christ hanging on a tree. He wouldn't
let Abraham sacrifice his son; yet, He gave His beloved to wear the sins of all of us
so that we could be brought into the presence of God and seen as righteous.

Want to know why He is our Lord and Savior? The gospel! Praise God!

A Most Excellent Christmas Present

What would I really like this Christmas? That's quite easy, actually. I would like for someone who reads, or has read, any of my blog entries to reach out to God and accept the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. One person who responds to the woos of the Holy, Majestic God of the universe and turns his or her life over to He who created them; that would be glorious.

A lot of folks choose to deny God. It's different, I believe, than not being aware of God, although I have argued that all of His creation is indwelled  by the knowledge that there is a God by the fact that they are created in his image. A great metaphor was shared by R.C.Sproul Jr. in a talk at this year's Ligonier Ministry Conference, when he spoke of denial of God as people covering their ears and yelling, "La, la, la...I can't hear you!" God, after all, has given us free will; we're are not part of a puppet show.  But he has also given us ample evidence in this world around us, His word as written down and in His Holy Book and, what
I call the little nudges that, if we are listening carefully and fully aware, are happening
during our lives that point unmistakably to the presence and participation of God in our
lives. 

Those who deny God may be people who are unaware, dangerously, that all will be
called before a Holy God and judged, their entire lives brought forth and compared to
the Holiness of God. The chances of being accepted by this kind of Holy God based upon
the sinful lives we lead each and every day, are zero. Not going to happen! Yet God,
in his wisdom and loving-kindness has provided a ransom. This ransom was paid by
the very Jesus whose birth we celebrate at Christmas time; the most wonderful,
glorious gift ever given to mankind. Through His ministry, His walk, His death
upon the cross, His resurrection and eventual Ascension to the right hand of God
to intercede on behalf of those who have given their lives over to believe and trust
in Him, we have been given the chance to stand before this God of Holiness justified,
forgiven of all sins and accepted as His adopted children.

So, that's a gift I would cherish. Wouldn't even mind if several folks ended up giving me
the same gift. No return policy needed. It will already be wrapped in the most glorious
gift wrap ever created... the glorious light of Jesus Christ. 

Praise God for the birth of his precious son, the lamb who takes away the sins of the
world!! 

Alistair Begg

"All the deepest longings of the human heart are answered in the gospel." 

 Isn't that a phenomenal set of words? They were spoken by Alistair Begg in a talk
given at a Ligonier Ministry conference this year. I'm not sure if these are his original words  or if they are ones spoken by another, but I am sure that they are profound. 

Had I known that Mr. Begg was the pastor at Parkside Church in the Cleveland area
while I was living and teaching in a suburb of Columbus, I would gladly have made the
100 mile drive to Bainbridge to be among his congregation. I just love the man and his
teaching. (I also must admit that I love the accent..so much so that I have to be careful
not to lose the important stuff just listening to the way he forms the words)

The quote above was a part of a talk he was giving about mercy. Luke 6:27-36 was the
scripture base for his talk, and these are verses that represent great challenges in
our lives. There is no question that living a life that honors the words of Jesus and
seeks to be like Him is a monumental goal for humans who sin. Showing mercy
as the words from these verses suggests, loving those who mistreat us, giving to others
without the expectation of the gift being returned, doing to others as we would 
have them treat us are easy to read and digest and very very difficult to fulfill. Left
to our own devices, our own pride, our own self-contentedness; living in this sinful
world, a world that seems to emphasize getting ahead and taking care of ourselves,
we are definitely in need of the Holy Counselor to help us try to live up to His
directions. God is merciful. Jesus is merciful. We need to strive to show mercy
to others through prayer and guidance.

As for the quote above, those words seem so very very truthful. We all, in the depths
of our hearts, have a desire to see meaning and good in our lives. We all long for
a future and, I believe, whether admitted or not, we ALL long to know God. It's
a part of our creation, a part of our humanity to be united with He who created us,
indeed, He who loves us and has forgiven us through the justifying blood of the
Lord, Jesus Christ. The gospel is the Good news, the news that answers our hopes,
our fears and our needs. Praise God for His loving-kindness and mercy!

G. P. S. coming down from Heaven

Jeremiah 29:11 

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  

God's Provision System. We are all on a journey, of sorts. We're not really sure where
this journey will take us; yet, we have, with Christ Jesus as our savior and lord, a special
GPS built in to get us to the eventual destination. You don't need to plug this GPS into the
port of the car because it's automatic and thoroughly dependable. It doesn't need to
depend on satellites to determine where you are, and you don't need to plug in parameters.
You simply have to turn the steering wheel over to God; let Jesus take the wheel.

The journey, itself, will surely have some detours. There will be delays, traffic jams,
fender benders, moments of uncertainty. This GPS doesn't promise smooth sailing. It
promises that God knows the way. He has a plan mapped out for you, a trip-tik, if you 
will, designed to lead you in His ways for His good and glory. He knows how to get
the very best mileage out of those feet and that engine. He is, after all, the master
mechanic, the designer and creator of the creation that is you. 

The key is giving Him the keys. We need to allow Him to be our driver, to give up
the driver's seat and be His passenger. We have a tendency to want to be the driver,
to be in charge of the travels. We can, God forbid, just turn off this GPS, turn away from
He who knows what is best for us, design our own journey and provide our own
guidance. We can ignore the signs, if you will. We can just set out on our own
without accepting the realization that left to our own devices, we are headed toward
the eternal traffic accident, train wreck, catastrophe. If we turn away, there will
be no re-calibration. We will be lost and will not find our way, alone. 

So sit back and depend upon God for this journey you are on. Set your sights on
the prize ahead, the end of the trip, the entrance to Heaven and a great reunion
with Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Take the wheel, Jesus. It's all yours. I am all
yours!

TRUTH or Consequences

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

Well , I will admit, up front, that I am small-brained. I have taken Philosophy courses
that dealt with the concept of truth and that didn't go so well. I have listened to tapes,
read books and engaged in discussion with those smarter that I, and I always come away
shaking my head, trying to clear the fog.

So don't read on if you expect anything other than my feelings. 

I believe there has to be A TRUTH. For there to be a whole bunch of truths, I think
that fits into the relativism category, each one real because it is what that person
thinks is true, sounds like mental anarchy. Truths aren't the same as feelings,
opinions, preferences, etc. Truths aren't grey areas somewhere between black
and white. I guess I am saying that for anything to make sense there has to be some
absolute truth. 

It is my belief that God is truth because I do not believe that he is capable of being
untruthful. I believe that the Bible is the true word of God. If He is truth then His word
is truth. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He, is therefore, also the truth.

My concern, here, is the consequence of not accepting God, rejecting Him and His truth.
God did a very brave thing, a loving thing. He created us with free will; the right to choose
to accept Him or reject Him. We all meet people who decide to believe in their own truth;
people who, in a real sense, are "being their own God."

Wow, I think that is eternally dangerous. Rejecting the truth, rejecting Jesus, rejecting
the unearned gift of salvation  through the grace of God, means that there is an eternity
facing that person. An eternity in the absence of God. I'm not the hell fire and damnation
sort, but it is a fact that Jesus did not skirt the concept of Hell. he spoke often and
clearly about those who would choose not to believe in Him. There's no attempt to sugar
coat things; it's gonna be eternal, and that's a long, long time. That's why I pray
daily and work daily to try and reach those I love who haven't accepted Jesus. He is
the way and the truth and the life. It's an eternally important thing...the truth. God.
Praise Him!!