Monthly Archives: January 2011

Choose! Today is the Day of Testing.

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Unspeakable is the desire that all people would turn to their creator, the Father of Jesus; the Living God.  I look about and see such great wickedness in this world.  I am told of the Day of the Lord, which is surely coming.  My heart aches to lead others to He who is eternal and does not lie.  Yet, as Isaiah said, “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” 

Which one of you will join me as the word of “calling” goes out?  Who will stand with the God of Glory and speak that word of warning?  There is no end of increase to the sins of men.  And every day dawns with more and more, wicked and wicked, lifting man instead of his God.  Every day the call goes out to all men to repent and seek righteousness through the forgiveness offered by Christ Jesus.  But so very few even open their ears, let alone turn from wickedness.

Holy God, these words are presented for Your Holy Glory.  You alone know the heart of the one who presents them here.  Yet it is Your heart these words uphold.  It is Your way presented.  Glory, all Glory belongs to the Most High God!  Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty! 

Prepare, world.  Set your feet strong in your way, for the day is soon coming when the very ground on which you set your feet will be shaken and removed.  Set your mind and heart on the things of sin and wickedness.  Pervert the ways of God’s Holy name.  For this is your day.  But remember with sobriety, God’s day is soon coming also.  He sets His Holy feet on the ground of eternity.  And where His feet stand will never be shaken. 

He has spoken and has set a day for all to come before Him.  He has moved among us and His Christ has been revealed.  It is God who will be forever praised because He has done for man what man could not do for himself.  His hand has offered redemption, yet who has ears to hear?  His Holy throne is established and will not fail.  Yet man will falter and fail.  Why would you die?  He has done all He is willing to do by His wisdom.  Turn to your God and live.  Turn to the Holy name of Jesus and find life. 

Oh, World, you speak of “religion” as though it were an answer in many forms.  Yet God himself has set Jesus as His doorway into eternity.  You who speak the name of Jesus and mingle with idols, beware!   It is not idols and false Gods which will save you on that day.  Horrible!  Horrible!  What great horrors await those who reject the Living God!  Joy!  Joy!  What unspeakable joy awaits all who humble themselves under God’s Holy hand and receive His word of life through Jesus.

By His Grace.

The Message of Enoch, the Seventh from Adam.

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We all have our heroes.  A hero might be very popular among the world, such as John Wayne.  Or a hero might be so obscure as to only be known by the one who lifts them up to hero status, such as your dad or mom.  A hero can be defined as a man, woman, or child, set apart by exceptional courage and nobility and strength.  But in all things our hero is our personal perception.  One man’s hero might well be another man’s enemy.  “Hero” is a word subject to subjectivity, or opinion.

We look for our heroes by setting up criteria and looking for the one who best fits that mold.  Since, by His Grace, I adore God, I look to His opinion as the final authority in establishing what is “opinion”.  And when I see God honor someone, I rest assured that this one is worthy of being a hero.

Beyond question and debate, Jesus  was and is honored above all else in the eyes of God the Father.  Some would differ, but in the end, that statement regarding Jesus will be proven true to all creation.  But there are a few men mentioned in the Bible who stand tall before the Most High God as men worthy of mention and our respect; David, Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, and (the subject of this post) Enoch.

In searching my limited knowledge of the world I look for a hero among men.  Without fail my pointing finger would rest on Enoch.  Included next are the three passages which speak of this man.  They are short, but filled with information regarding Enoch:

“When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.   After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters.   Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years.   Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.”  (Genesis 5:22-24)

 “Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”  (Jude 1:14)

” By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.’ ”  (Hebrews 15:5)

There is a book which floats around which is said to contain some of the sayings of Enoch.  You can find it here:  http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/boe/  I’ve read the majority of it and find it even more inspiring.  But as is with all our heroes, we tend to pick the one which matches our own heart and desire.  Love for God has become my burning passion, almost to the exclusion of humanity.  Yet He has set us to the task of speaking to our brothers and sisters for the sake of their souls.

The passage from Jude strikes the deepest with in me.  “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones  to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” 

As I write for His Glory, I am reminded that it is God’s convicting that is coming.  What a fine line we walk as we hold out the words of life.  It is written, “Zeal for your house will consume me”.  And we know that was meant to apply to Jesus, the Christ of God.  Yet we read also, “The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.   It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters.”  What applies to Jesus, in some way applies also to His people.  And in this case I find truth and resounding echo.  The closer I get to God, the more I feel the zeal for His house and His name.  And in getting close to God, there is no record of any one else pleasing God so much that God took him from this world.  He did not taste death.

What I ask of myself every moment of every day, I ask of the reader: Are you pleasing God?

By His Grace.

The Mechanic

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Your car is not running right.  Oh, you get down the road.  But your top speed is 17 mph.  Well now.  You’ve done everything you know how to do and it still won’t do what you want or what the manufacturer says it should do.  That’s going to require some experienced mechanic.

So you make the appointment with Joe and limp the car in for a peek.  After some careful inspection with his eyes and ears, (a few wire wiggling, and a couple screwdriver taps) Joe says what you don’t want to hear.  “We’ve seen quite a few of these problems.  And we’re sure we know what the problem is.  But the fix is both time consuming and expensive.  You’re going to have to sink quite a pretty penny into this ole beast”.

Ok, so we got a problem that’s going to cost us.  But 17 mph isn’t something the “White Picket Fence Dream” was supposed to include.  You were promised far more than these kinds of troubles.  The perfect wife, the perfect kids, the perfect job, and so it goes on for millions of perfects.  The reality is far less than promised, however.  And your brain screams, “IT’S NOT FAIR!”   You expected a few bumps in your life road.  And you were told you can trust that car.  But you didn’t make plans for 17 mph!

We come to Christ with great expectations.  We read and hear stories of wonderful success.  We gather to ourselves the joy of knowing we have it made now.  Jesus is our Lord and we will not falter.  Heaven is our future home and we’re happy about that!  But the reality of our walk in this “place of testing” becomes far less than the marketed triumph we are fed.  How come?  What happened?  Why can’t I experience that greatness I hear about?

Well, like the mechanic, let’s open her up and find out.  Take off the facade of fairytale Christianity and we’ll give her a look.  The mechanic looks past the Bible, after all, you drove it in here.  He pays no attention to prayer, you seem to have had plenty of that.  diligence, love, mercy, patience, no they seem ok.  Wow this is really becoming a bit of a quandary here.  “Ok.  Well, let’s look at the faith module”.  He pulls back the cover and says, “Well, there’s the problem!  You’re not sure you’re saved here.”

Allow yourself to ask an important question: “What would it be like for you, this walk in the “Place of Testing”, if you knew with absolute assurance that heaven was your home?  What would change about your faith and all the other trappings of the Christian walk?”

Now let yourself answer this question: “Does God lie?”

By His Grace.

Are You Aware?

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This note is not to those who are not under the leadership of Jesus.  This is put to those who have recognized the rule of Christ Jesus in their lives. 

Are you aware of the war that goes on all around you?  Do you hear everything through the strainer of truth?  When your friends mention the name of Jesus as if it were a word equal to surprise, do you hear it as they meant it?  When you see a yellow light, do you listen to the flesh and speed up?  Or are you listening to the truth of God to obey authority and make plans to stop?  When there is something you know needs doing and you’ve acknowledged it in your heart, do you respond by the flesh and say to yourself, “Oh I got my priorities mixed up.  I’ll do such and such first”?  Or do you listen to what is true and go get it done?

When you feel that urge, that familiar urge toward that sin which debases you before the Most High God, do you realize that you’re being urged by both your flesh and the enemy whispering behind your head?  You strive to become holy and devoted to God, but when you’re tempted you give in.  Why?  Hasn’t Jesus set us free from the law of sin and death?  So, where is that devotion to Him?  How has He asked us to suffer beyond what the world encounters?  There are millions who run into the same problems you have, yet they seem to be able to handle the situation pretty well.  What is it about believers that we stumble so?  Where is our strength to defend and create a worthy testimony to the Lord of Life?

There is a war.  Those under the control of  the lord of flies are rarely hit as hard with “whispering temptation” as the believer.  The reason is that they pose no threat to his kingdom.  We, on the other hand, do pose a great threat if we ever get wind of being manipulated.  We are the players in this war who receive the greatest blows.  And this is as it should be. 

I became aware of his whispering one day.  I can’t remember how I knew it wasn’t me.  But I clearly recognized how out of place the thought was.  It was then and there that I started to listen carefully to my thought patterns.  I began to pay careful attention to what entered and what was produced by that entrance. 

Ponder what I’ve brought to the table here and consider His demand for Holiness on our part.  “Be Holy, even as your Father in Heaven is Holy”.  What cha gonna do bud?  grovel like a little child all your life?  You gonna let him bully you around?  Or are you gonna take charge with the power of the Holy Spirit God gave you?

By His Grace.

RISE UP AND LIVE IN HIS HOLY NAME!

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God!  To God we send our service.  The world serves themselves so that they might eat from their bountiful table of waste.  Yet the servants of the Lord Most High will eat of what He gives.  We struggle through this place as a people foreign and forgotten.  But we are not aliens to the floor of God’s Holy Throne room.  And we are remembered by He who cannot lie. 

How should His people walk in this great blackness?  Should our feet not find each step with a sure boldness?  We stand by the strength of the One who stands forever.  He enables as He sees fit.  And we are not left as orphans. 

Beware, all you who stand against the Holy Will of God.  You stand amiss.  He is about to close the door on all that is wicked.  For He has promised that His Spirit will not contend with the wickedness of man forever.  Be wise and consider your ways.  It is God who will judge.  You do not stand beneath the judgment of men, even the men of Christ.  You will be judged by your own standards, and that against the perfection of the Holy One of Israel.

Strength!  Be strong, you people who call upon the name of Jesus, the Christ of God!  We are entering into His rest.  Watch!  Watch with eyes of an eagle.  For He calls us to Holy service for His Glory.  Speak to one another with Holy words.  Speak to your heart of the peace He gives.  Remember your calling to become His people.  We do not serve any but He who never ends.  Rise up and LIVE!

By His Grace.

Self Righteous Trap

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Two scriptures:

 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”   “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.    Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”   “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.

And the other scripture:

“. . . Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.”

How can men know truth when it is God Himself who has set the limit of man’s understanding?  His purpose in this is that man might consider his limitations and seek the One who has no limit.  So many I’ve seen speak of how they are working toward eternity trying to do good.  And how many have I confronted with the fact that It’s Jesus who will be glorified, not man?  Yet what is their reply?  “Well, what you say is good.  But I’ll take my chances.  Thanks.” 

What is it with human pride?  How curious that even when presented with hell people won’t let go of their own “righteousness”.  It’s kind of like the trap set for monkeys.  A cage or container is set up with an inticing bait inside.  The slats or hole will allow a monkey to reach the hand in and grab the stick.  But they can’t bring a closed fist back out.  They will scream and dance around when approached for harvest.  But they won’t let go.  Death is the next experience these monkeys deal with.  How it will be on that day when we are presented with God’s plan of salvation, Jesus’ sacrifice.  Billions will stand there and expect to be received because they were such good people.  But billions will be horribly saddened when they are shown their selfish intentions.

Accept Jesus’ sacrifice and stop relying on your own ability to please God. 

By His Grace.