Monthly Archives: February 2015

What Day is This?

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Timidity and fear, what do they have to do with the people of God in Christ?  Boldness and peace, confidence and love, now these are the targets to which Christians should shoot their life.

Why are we timid?  Isn’t it because the voice of wickedness is so loud? 

Why do we fear?  Isn’t it because we fail to believe?

How does a Christian become bold?  Isn’t it because he trains his ear to deafen at the roar of the world, entertaining no sound but the beautiful whisper of God in his soul.

If a man will learn these things he will have peace, confidence and love.  He will become bold for Christ.

The more wicked the day, the more opportunity.  What day then is this, that Christians should cower in a corner?

By His Grace

Fasting and Sabbath

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What has this world taught me about rest?  What a curious mix of instruction.

“Be diligent and do everything that’s expected of you!  If there is time at the end of the day you may rest.  If you do this consistently for a year, we may speak of a vacation.  If that vacation appears, then you can do what pleases you.”

This is what men call rest.  They do and do and do, so that they can do what they please.  They strike themselves hard for the sake of prosperity.  Then take what they have earned, and go and do as they please.  Is this really a prosperous rest?

In the doing of this kind of rest,  America turned away from the Sabbath when I was a boy.  The stores no longer closed and we ceased to go to church.  Is this what you call rest, America?  Yes it is.   And you live out your Sabbath every day of the week without fail.

There’s no need to throw that at you as if it is a condemnation.  That condemnation will do you no good.  For you will not turn because someone rightly accuses you.  It’s simply a truth.

And isn’t it just as well that you have tossed away the Sabbath of God, that day when you restrain yourself for an hour or two from doing the things you desire to do.  For when you kept that day you did not keep His way.  Perhaps it is good that someone finally rose up and closed the door.

The Sabbath is not Sunday.  The Sabbath is not Saturday.  The Sabbath of God is a way of life.

I will not bother to interpret it to you.  Rather, I will give you the words of God Himself.

1 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.

2 For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

3 ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for people to humble themselves?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousnessa will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

11 The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

13 “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the Lord’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

14 then you will find your joy in the Lord,
and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
The mouth of the Lord has spoken.  (Isaiah 58)

Perhaps a person may read this who has No desire to serve the living God.  Perhaps they will laugh and say to themselves, “This doesn’t apply to me”.  Aren’t you created also?  Doesn’t the one who created you desire you to come to him?

Now I know the gospel of the world, which is no gospel at all.  You say I will be kind to my brother and that will be enough.  But in this you are kind to your brother for no reason at all.  For you do not do these things that the Most High God may dwell in your heart.  You do these things that you may be considered a righteous man.

The pendulum of Man swings far to the left and far to the right.  From complete disobedience to a presumption of glory, the will of Man is not dependable.

Between rebellion and false humility is the Holy Lord God Almighty.  This is the place his Holy Son walked as he was among us.  The entirety of his life was for the Glory of his Father.  He did nothing to glorify Himself.

I don’t want to write a book about it.  If any man will look into these things he will learn far more than I can say.  The question is are you willing to look into these things?

By His Grace

Classic Horror Movies

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In any horror movie you might watch, you’ll find the victim fairly clueless until understanding comes home.  The world is living a real horror story.

They’re all happily busy hating and devouring one another, thinking quite highly of themselves, and gathering whatever kinds of trinkets they can gather.  Yucking it up with parties and laughter.  All the while time is pushing them forward to the judgement day.

Isn’t it interesting that they pay millions of dollars to be scared, but they pay no attention at all to the truth.

By His Grace

The End

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Come all you birds of the air.  Gather in one place where peace and food are plentiful.  Your wings are tired, your bellies are hungry.  Come, rest and eat.

In the open field the bounty awaits.  No man will drive you away.  With their greedy violence spent, they have no strength to bury their dead.  Come, you birds of the air, and taste the forbidden fruit.

As it is in the open field, so it is in the houses and buildings of society.  The rebellion against God has come to completion.  They murdered His Holy Son.  Now they murder one another. 

A feast for the birds, a bounty for the rodents!  The pride of man is decimated.  No longer will he sin in freedom!  As he lived to destroy, now he is forced to present himself for judgment.

Rest peacefully, Oh beautiful creation.  Rest peacefully until the Lord covers you with a holy fire.  The ones who have taken from you, have taken from themselves.  Your loss will be avenged.

By His Grace

The Nature of Temptation

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What have I learned about temptation that is worthy of writing?  So much is written on the subject.  I did not dare write about it until I had something more to offer.

I have learned about its true nature.  It is not just an unwise choice, born of rebellion against God.  And it is not a single action. 

It always starts as something small.  It never comes upon us in its full-blown nature.  In this it is rightly called an enticement.

Among men there are things of beauty.  Among men there are things that can rightfully be desired under the right circumstances, and within a proper limit.  But the enticement of temptation will draw you a little farther.

Consider the beauty of woman.  Along with desire for wealth, her beauty rates very high in the failure of man.  What does temptation whisper, as it begins its routine enticements?  Doesn’t it make remark in regard to the things of our perceptions?

We say yes.  She is beautiful.  Then temptation agrees, adding an observation of your desire.  The enticement has begun.

Temptation whispers to you that lust is only natural.  By now you are ready to agree.

But as the foolish man enters in, temptation does not keep quiet.  He adds more shame upon shame.  By now you are not only too weak to resist, you encourage him to speak.  Pathetically, by now you consider temptation as an honorable teacher.

Before a short while is done abominable things have crossed your filthy heart.  Temptation does not end with enticement.  It takes a man or woman to the classroom of filthy thoughts and actions.  And when physical satisfaction has been found, it laughs at you!

Now temptation does what it is renowned to do.  Its strip you of pride, and rubs your face with all that is filthy.  You are a disgrace before God.  You are a disgrace before the Holy Angels.  You are a disgrace before all humanity.  You are a disgrace to yourself!  The only one who is pleased by your stupid choice is temptation.

Worse upon worse, temptation now knows your weakness!

Take note in all these things, I did not call temptation the devil.  The book of James tells us that we are tempted and drawn away by our own desires.  Yes he is called the tempter.  But we, my friends, are the ones pointedly to be blamed.

I have used the example of woman.  But I do not blame her singly.  It is the most pervasive temptation among man.  But it by no means stands alone.  Everything that draws us away from what is good and pure is sin.

To some it is lying.  To another is money.  To one it is gluttony.  To someone else it is self-abasement in any form.  And temptation will testify, “The myriad is large”!

Temptation knows your weakness.  Be honest with yourself, my friend, so do you!

I tell you a truth.  You will not overcome the things that tempt you from within.  Try as you might you will not find the strength.  You are bound like a prisoner to repeat your filthy ways.

The only one who can free us is Jesus the Christ of God.  And I do not say so with the slightest sliver of shame.  I testify to you that overcoming temptation is quite possible.  But you will not overcome if you do not call out to him.

Eternity will be purged.  Did you know that?  Once this place is done, this place of temptation and testing, nothing that is sin will ever find life.  If you needed provocation to consider resisting temptation, let eternal death sink into your mind.

Those who desire righteousness will seek His Holy face.  Those who are content to be filthy will never raise their eyes.  Death will cover them forever.  And no one will say, “Sweet dreams”.

By His Grace

Two Boxes

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Another day, driven from the possibility of opportunity.  Ripped from our hands by the weakness of humanity.  The seconds, appearing on the day, have exacted their proper respect from unwilling victims.

What was accomplished remains as “was”.  And our failures retain the same name.  The front of a second is full of potential.  Its back is an eternal seal. 

Every second becomes like an impenetrable box.  They appear predictably, yet mysteriously, then vanish from our grasp.  Nothing else in creation is quite like them.  In the language of men, seconds are the building blocks of time.

Forgiveness and glory are stored in the one kind of box.  Sin and regret have a box of their own. 

Yesterday becomes but a wish.  We wish we had done more.  Or we are forced to wish we had not done.

Today is upon you.  Today is upon us all.  What will be in the boxes of tomorrow is in our hands right now.

Millions of people prove that it is entirely possible to leave the box of forgiveness and glory completely empty all their lives.

I am up the firm persuasion that it is equally in our grasp to leave the box of sin and regret empty also.  But for that you need the power of Christ Jesus in you.

The end of every day must see additions to a box.  And each man owns two.

And by the way, this entire concept applies to our thoughts as well.  Just because they refuse to unveil themselves to our perceptions, doesn’t mean they don’t have substance.  If anyone thought they were in trouble because of their doings, they should realize their thoughts are also vulnerable to condemnation.  After all our brain belongs to us.

By His Grace