Freedom or Chains


I wanted to be careful about how I wrote this. But then the Lord reminded me, “Every word of God can be misused”. So I’ll just write what I saw and let be what will be.  

It is not the size of our sin that condemns us to hell. It is the size of our faith to receive his desired gift of forgiveness.  


We were dead in our trespasses. We can’t possibly know the grandeur of that death. Likewise, with his forgiveness we are offered eternal life. We can’t possibly know the grandeur of what he holds in his hand.  


But what if someone holds onto remorse and shame, thus spitting into the hand who offers life? Hiding in the shadows, not daring to draw near.  


Do you believe? Then take his joy. Take his strength. Take his fearless abandon. Take his dedication. Take his wisdom. Take his godly and never ending love.  


Aren’t those the things that are spawned by the forgiveness he offers? For by those things we approach the throne of the living God with confidence. There we learn things we did not know. There we are strengthened by the touch of his hand or the smile on his face. But without forgiveness, God remains no more than a religion. And the shadow of death is our closest friend.  

Sufficient


Mud cakes I make.  Diamonds are His.  

His voice like many rivers.  

Mine is more a hiss.  


I speak like shadows 

From behind the flesh.  

He speaks of Light.  

From Eternity’s chest.  


By nature I am contrast. 

By Glory He is Life.  

By Righteousness He’s free.  

From hiding I am strife.  


So much revealed.  

Vast sums are hidden.  

Yet it’s enough,

To speak as bidden.  


He’s so much life

That even so,

Our tiny words

Produce His will.  


To bring His Glory

Down to us;

To shape His message

From the dust.  


Anonymity, the Silent Killer


I see a silent injustice, Anonymity by name. 


What injuries delivered.  

All losses, just the same.  


One sits in silent sorrow. 

Another one cast out.  


Accountability, the family. 

I know without a doubt.  


The cause is lack of love,

From within and from without.  


A love to render service,

A proclivity to pout.  


They sit there and embrace

Their rejection from the race.  


All the while God’s “Life” insists:


“Cast off your selfish sorrow.  

My name, you’re bound to borrow.  

Get up and claim your fame;

Proclaim my Holy name.”

Penniless for Eternity


What is mankind like?

He is like a tiny town nestled in the valley of the mountains.  


He plants a vineyard and a crop is yielded.  


He wakes, come the day of the harvest, and excitedly runs to reap his crop.  


He gives no thanks or honor to God. His busy fingers rape the vine, making sure not to leave even a 10th on the ground.  


He and his friends praise one another for the good work they have done. They think they have accomplished the meaning of their life.  


Greatly pleased with their reward, they repeat these things over and over until they lay in the grave.  


When their soul is wakened to give account, even then they are surprised.  


Ever harvesting but never gaining. Ever diligent but the poorest of all creatures.  

Do You Worship Chaos?


Thought process:  Warning, the following may be tough on your brain.  

Sitting all night in Chicago. Yeah in Chicago. The O’Hare oasis as a matter fact. The Lord brought me to a parking spot just before rush-hour. Unless you’ve tried to do that with a 53ft trailer, you have no idea what a miracle it is. Thank you Lord Jesus.  


Why would anyone seriously choose to live here. I break it down to the elemental things, it has to do with distractions. They prefer a busily entertained life to following cows around in the pasture.  

Warning leap of thought:

God is not a distraction.  


(That would be the reason why most of the billboards around Chicago have to do with sex, luxury, gambling or alcohol. Oh yeah, there is the occasional “make you feel guilty” billboard. Hospitals, oh yeah, hospitals are a Big thing. And I can’t leave out the governmental mandates to be happy. Apparently God’s not allowed to be the God of Chicago. It beats me to death to figure out how a city, that has to be so well organized, can worship chaos.)


He himself, in Jesus, is life. Religions are distractions. But Jesus is the center of every religion.  (just leaping from one rock of thought to another.  Following me this morning takes a little bit of agility.)


This is not to say that every religion recognizes or worships the living God’s holy son. But Jesus provides life. Man’s interpretation of Christ’s sustaining is called religion.  


A thought I had earlier:


You can tell someone that Jesus is the son of the living God. They might nod, meaning they understand. But learn to spend quality and dedicated time in prayer with him and the meaing changes exponentially.  He is no longer just an invisible figurehead, he becomes the source of your very life. Gladly our personal religion gets tossed out the window. In its place comes a living faith.  


(here’s a bit of a rub for you: The living faith I’m talking about is not based on opinion. It is based on the words of the Bible and constantly compared to those holy words. If it weren’t, it would be no different than any other religion; filled with opinions of Man.)


There are fanatics of every distraction, from religions about God to football 🏈 🙃, and every conceivable aspect of life in between. But the true fanatics of Jesus know what I’m talking about. Once he touches your soul personally, you never forget it. You don’t have to memorize a personal religion anymore. You’ve arrived at the place that surpasses them all.  


Sorry if this is disjointed. I didn’t intend to write a 300 page book. But to explain all this would surely take at least 300 pages. The mind can put things together in a much smaller space.  


Happy assembling.  

Panacea


Thinking about medicines. How we all wish there was one single pill you could take and everything would be great forever. That pill is called panacea. “The fix all to end all troubles.”  

This week I’ve been stuffed full of antibiotics. So I’ve given a Little thought about a panacea. Surprise! Wouldn’t it be great. But it’s just wishful thinking. There is no such pill. But there is a panacea.  


Everybody gets to take it. And it’s strength is endlessly useful. The funny thing is, no one seems to want to take it. But as soon as they do everything becomes perfectly right. It’s called death.  


At the moment we take it, everything is divided into the places it should be and will be forever. Everything evil goes to the place where everything evil belongs (The wastebasket of eternity). And the righteous are released into eternal glory and joy. It is so powerful that once you take it it can never be undertaken.  


Now that’s a panacea!   Who’s next?