If Jesus were to have come to America 2 years ago to run for president what do you think would happen?
Author Archives: hiwaychristian
The Rocks Will Cry Out
I wake to consider the things of the Living God’s Holy Son. No matter where I look among the things of God’s Holy wisdom, I find no fault. Yet why should this amaze me?
To the things of man I look, and I find no righteous faithfulness. And isn’t this the cause of my amazement?
Consistency abides in the Living God, toward life and all things good. Consistency abides in the camp of Man’s horror, toward rebellion and all things wicked.
What has God done but we should despise him so? What has Man accomplished that we should revere him in fear?
How is it that the people who call themselves Christians suppress the beauty of the One who offers them life; those who give God praise in secret yet seal their mouth when they walk among the dead.
“I have riches”, they say. The faithfulness of God in his promise is that sure, yes. But don’t the rocks along the Way of Glory also have the blessing of God to lay unmolested? There they are lay, prepared to do his will. And surely if the people had not given praise to the Living God’s Holy Son, the rocks themselves would have cried out the words. Are we no better than rocks strewn along the path of life? Are we like rocks which adorn a valley of death, fruitless and simply a nuisance ( dressings which mark the barren land).
“If God will touch us, we will serve him. If God will drive back the wicked we will speak and walk among them. If he will drive them back beyond a stone’s throw, we will proclaim the words of life. As long as there is no threat we will be brave. Yet if he will not cause the wicked to recede, we will continue to praise him in secret. I will leave the fearsome work to those who desire to die.” Is this what we say by our actions? Will not God protect those the march ahead in faith?
But clean yourself. Primp and prune your feathers. Lining every hair in its proper place. let every thread of clothing be presentable and immaculate. Let your life be dressed with all the things that cause Man to nod in appreciation. If you hide the Light of Christ, you are no different than the rocks along the Way.
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Is it too much to ask?
Is it unjust to require us to join Jesus in his suffering?
Is the shame of righteousness too much to bear?
Is the Cross of Christ too heavy to share?
Then what can possibly be our lot?
When we appear before He by whose Blood we are bought?
Socially Acceptable Murder
So many think it is admirable to wield a good argument. Just as many more think it is wise to shut your mouth and offer no good advice. What they are saying by these things boils down to this: “Either kill them or let them die”.
What’s that mean to you?
Seeing and Hearing
I said to a man, “I have prayed often that the Lord would cause you to see and to hear”. What is his best response? “I see just fine.”
I know the man meant to be truthful. And I don’t doubt that he does see. For he was asking me questions in regard to the Living God. But what does he see?
Earlier he referred to me as a religious man. He does not yet make the distinction between religion and faith, lawful and holy. He does not yet see any differently than any man who ever lived.
We have spoken together about the things of Christ hundreds of times before. But he has not heard my words. He still thinks he is a religious man. He has not yet comprehend it the Eternal meaning of righteous.
Jesus heard the Father clearly, for he is the very Word of the Living God. And he saw all things from the perspective of Eternity. For he was sent from eternity into time. There never was a man who could be said to have accomplished that in his life.
What locks us in such a place that our eyes and ears can only see and hear the things of man? Simply put, it is the pride of man; that somehow he is able to save himself. Perhaps we estimate by percentage; “I am more good than evil. I am as compassionate as I can be. And I give to others what I think I can afford. I strive hard to restrict judgement of others within myself. All of this because I know God is watching”.
Is that how we find ourselves perceiving the things of salvation? Is that how we see and hear?
Mutual Tears?
The warnings for sin have gone out since man was first made. Sin is death. When you have committed sin there will be consequences to follow.
Such consequences as Sin rears up will often charge you with horrifying and utterly devastating sadness. Eventually, hopefully in this life, you will cry great tears of sadness for the things you have done.
But when you cry because you have broken life’s rule, do not expect others to give you a loving embrace. You have no right to expect them to cry with you. Those tears belong to you. They are not tears of suffering for the name of Christ. They are not tears a man may cry when unjustly persecuted. They are tears that you have brought death upon yourself.
Face reality. Seek strength. Strive to understand. All the while, get up on your shaky legs and start walking.
The Lord loves mercy, yes. But mercy comes in a variety of forms. Our need may not be as we perceive it.
The Now.
A man doesn’t look at his watch to see what time it was. His watch can only tell him what time it is. It doesn’t tell him what time it’s going to be. It tells him what time it is. You can’t lay hold of the past. And you can’t lay hold of the future.
Regret reminds him of what time it was. Perhaps we regret that we cannot have the good times we had. Or we may regret that we have destroyed joy, for ourselves or others.
What is regret but a knowledge of what is right. A knowledge of appropriate restraint. Truth restrains us in “the now”. You’re not going back my friend. And as you reach the future you bring the old man with you. What you did back then, you are doing now. You need a change of heart, not a change of time.
We may look at the past desiring some pleasant time. Or we may look at the past, regretting abject folly. But we can only do this looking from “the now”. The man who lives in Nostalgia does not know what time it is. Regrettably, this is to his constant loss.
Nostalgia will always be beyond our grasp. But regret can happily thrive in our house. All the while, truth says something imperative. “I am here. Come live with me. I am here to offer you life.”
It is impossible to fix a misdeed. The best we can possibly do is offer reparation. And the cost of repair is vastly more than a man’s resources will ever afford. You can’t undo anything, whether good or bad!
Man thinks that by paying for his horrible mistakes, he becomes a righteous man. Perhaps he thinks if he regrets his past enough, there is some reparation made. As if suffering produces anything of value. But no action on our part undoes the death we have born.
Christ Jesus is in the now. No matter what clock you look at, there is the Lord holding out his hand to help stop the engine of regret. Will you reach out and take his help?
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One thing I will say about regret, it is a useful tool. It teaches humility. And in an odd way, it gives validity to the warnings we offer to those who are as blind as we.
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The man who climbs out of an open cesspool is happy to warn those who are walking toward disrepair. Blinded by the darkness of their mind, they stagger toward loss. And isn’t such a man rather frantic as he tries to help his brother?
Their response doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter if they hate him. It doesn’t matter if they give him some superficial glory. He knows from experience they are about to encounter regret. He busies himself to remind his brother of the now.
Christ is in the now. And he alone is The Living pure truth. Listen to him. His wisdom and strength are ever-present.
As the blind are walking toward the pit. As they are falling into it. As the shock of their disrepair dawns on their dull minds. As they thrash about to release themselves from their present aberration. As their hands lay hold of solid ground. As they pull themselves out, covered with stench. And as they sit perplexed on the edge of the pit, wondering what to do next, or how they could possibly have been so stupid.
Christ is in the now.
Christ is in the now.
He is not just a historical figure. He is the now.
If you have freed yourself from a certain pit, I promise you, without Christ there’s another one waiting just in front of you.
Answer to yourself, what time is it?
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Words From There 