Category Archives: Hope

A Righteous Rebellion

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In the utter darkness of this world, this man will not remove his cloak to toss it over the Light of God.  Though I perceive the wickedness of men with clarity, I will raise up the Lantern of hope.

I refuse to be ashamed.  I refuse to hide the Gospel of Christ Jesus.  I refuse to lower the Lantern.  I refuse to fear as I walk among the angry dead.  And I refuse to obey Man; “Take this filthy name away from us!  We have no desire to hear it spoken again.  If you continue, so will we.  The punishment of obscurity is in our hand to deliver.”

I will not cease to speak the only hope you have.  There is no hope among you but the message of Christ Jesus, the Holy Son of God!  In Him alone, is the forgiveness of your sins.  In Him alone, is the majestic power to raise you from the dead. 

From the living grave of rebellion you gnash your teeth at his Holy name.  Therefore proof lives among you that you need his eternal sacrifice.

I do not write this as a declaration of war.  I do not stand defiantly against you.  Though I defy your order to cease, I do so that you may learn to live.

I will not hide the Light of Life.  I will ascend to whatever prominent place among you I can.  And I will speak and live among you that you may know there is hope.

The declaration of war is impressed upon your heart from the day you are born.  And how gladly and easily you obey the rebellious one.  You are bent toward sin like the trees along the coastline.  But God is able to straighten your crooked trunk. 

He will cause you to chase the Sun like a sunflower.  Malleable bark will cover your stiff frame.  He will cause righteousness to blossom on your limbs.  Instead of the fruit of rebellion, you will produce the fruit of Godly love.

God will come and eat the fruit of righteousness you will offer.  He will promise you, on oath, a portion in his Garden of Eden.  He will walk among you with pleasure instead of eternal threats.  And joy will be yours forever.

You call his name filthy because you do not know him.  You are blind and ignorant to the definition of love.  And for this reason I will hold high the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

By His Grace

Amazement Thus Beckoning

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I will speak of myself, for it is impossible for me to know the heart of anyone who might read this.  I do not want to give confidence where it is not warranted.  But I find desire within me to encourage those things that warrant encouragement.  And I desire to share a mutual amazement.

When I ponder the Glory of Christ within me, I am astounded.  That I should contain the Gospel of the Glorious and Eternal God!  That I should not be tossed about by all the rumors regarding him.  But that I should know the Holy and Living God in Christ Jesus his Righteous and Holy Son.

When I think of the billions who have died without this knowledge, I am amazed that this man should understand.  I say “knowledge”, knowing that it is only in small portion.  And the same is true of the word “understand”.  But that there is a seed in me is undeniably true.  And the joy of this knowledge goes far beyond words to express.

There are many who hold what they say is the Gospel, yet are thoroughly hard-pressed to give account of themselves.  This too, adds to my amazement.  Not that they are at all amiss, but that I should know the truth.  In this great joy there is no room for judgment or comparison!  Oh that I could live this way all my days!

For the glory of Christ!  Again, for the Glory of Christ!  These words are placed prominently for the Glory of my Lord. 

Let all the world hear.  Let all the world be told.  I will not shrink back into the sea of men.  I cannot, for he sustains me in “The Way”.  No enticement shall bind me!  No tears of beckoning shall sway me.  Such things have no hope of any Life.  They are like the useless tapping of bird’s feet on my roof.

Can you agree with these things?  Do you find proof in your soul that the Living God has come to you with all his Glorious Promises?  Then say “Amen” full of thanks, for the willingness to obey which lives in you with endless strength.

I do not need to perceive your agreement.  Who am I that I should demand any such thing from any man?  But render your agreement and thanks to the Living God in his Holy Son.  And let what is unseen receive what is rightfully his.

Let us all go to the Holiest Holy of Holies.  Let us spread our soul before the Light and Life of all creation!  There, in that place, let us render to God what is God’s.  There, in that place, we shall be as one.  There, in that place, we shall be at peace and unity.

He has spoken, there are far fewer of his people than those who are destined to destruction.  But do not think I say such a thing with malice, or boasting.  For I have not received this joy because I am a righteous man.  It is God’s mercy to teach us these things, and to cause us to become his children.  And anyone who desires this place I have described, is welcome to come share in the things of joy.

Are you a filthy person?  That need not remain your case.  All you need to do is believe that God’s Holy Son is Glorified in the very presence of the Most High God. 

But in the beginning of your transformation, do not believe the weakness of lies; those words which tell you that belief is the end of your responsibility.  There are many who have gone out of Christianity.  They spout such a weak expectation.  And sadly they have destroyed millions.

If you are to receive this joy, it will require you to agree with the Holy Lord in all that he commands you to do.  You cannot be his, and remain bound by the things for which you are now ashamed.  He will grant you release but you must receive it.  If you are to attain this joy you must become his disciple.

But indeed come, all who will!  Come and share with us in this scourging from men!  See how they hate you, they do not love you!  They only love the things they can take from you.  They only love you in that they may debase you and use you for no good purpose.  Why would you willingly submit to such things?

See how boldly his children proclaim their love for him.  See how fearless they are.  Yet you can see how full of fear your soul remains.  Why would you not desire freedom?

By His Grace

Obey?

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The ignorance of man is astounding!  I say that knowing that I am a man.  And that I am ignorant of many things.  But there is a difference between not knowing something, and knowing it for the sake of abuse.

How dearly humanity loves the law of God.  But we do not love it so that we might obey it, for we know that is impossible.  Men love the law of God because it is a tool with which they can readily hate their brother.

But this is so absolutely contrary to the nature of the law of God. 

I don’t want to make this a long post.  But there is something key to understanding the law of God, that I have never heard men speak of: how all of heaven embraces the law of God without question, yet man turns it into a tool of death.  Enough apology.  Let’s get at it.

When the law of God was delivered to Moses for the people, at a certain point they begged that no further word be spoken.  Realization struck them and fear overwhelmed them.  Yes they wanted God but they knew they could not have him.  The inability of men to obey the Holy law of God was blatantly obvious.

But still God commands us to be holy, and to obey His law.  How can this be?  Does he demand too much?  Is the devil’s accusation against him valid; You demand too much and you do not give the resources to obey?

Isn’t this what men say?  Isn’t this what every single one of us finds our soul believing at one point or another?  But we know that cannot possibly be true. 

We know we will die and we know that God never will.  He obeys his great Holy Law with the most perfect ease.  And so do all the other creatures in heaven!  And the Christ of God has walked among us, fulfilling the law completely, again with the greatest of ease!  How can this possibly be?

Because the creatures of heaven, and the Christ himself, love the Father more than anything in all creation.  Never once does rebellion cross their mind.  Eternity is sustained by this love.  It is not sustained by obedience to a set of rules.  Yet this is the perspective of man!

We raise the Ten Commandments and scream at our brother!  “Do these or you will die!”  But we know they cannot.  And even the one who is screaming knows he cannot obey these laws!  And so we divide and hate one another by the very law that brings unity in heaven.  By the very law that is the foundation of eternity.

There.  That’s what I wanted to say.  But I don’t find myself feeling any better for having written it.  For I know it will not be received or understood.

We will all nod our heads in agreement.  But we will turn right back around and hate our brother.  We will read the Ten Commandments as if there might be something we missed.  But we will not find it.

Let’s add one more key to this proclamation that will devastate the heart of the one who considers it. 

What is the first and greatest commandment?  Jesus replied: “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22: 38)

There’s the key to obedience.  Love.  But when we read the Ten Commandments we don’t hear love do we?  All we hear is fear. 

Fear gives birth to rebellion and hatred.  Fear reads the law of God and despises it.  Fear turns away from God with a great willing heart.  And fear will eventually lead to complete obliteration.

You ask perhaps, how can I love God?  There is only one way.  Look to Jesus the Christ of God.

Without him you will never love God.  Without him you will only obey according to your understanding; you’ll find your obedience is nothing more than a mental exercise.  It never finds its way to your fingers or feet.  Not to mention her filthy mouth.

I do not need to say more than this.  Because if you will not turn to Jesus, you will not believe these words anyway.  Yet if you do turn to Jesus you will find yourself in complete agreement, and I will be rightly pushed to nothing.  That is my proper place.  I am only a messenger of he who lives forever.

May God bless this testimony to the very door of eternity.  Amen.

By His Grace

Be Faithful

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No one here can say,

What waits for us after passing “away”.

But come the very day,

We see his face we’ll know!

80 billion years will pass.

What then shall we be?

Tiny creatures rescued at last?

I don’t think that’s very likely.

We don’t work for reward.

That’s true.

But I know we won’t be bored.

How bout you?

Our God creates what pleases him.

And in us there will be no sin!

Perhaps we’ll be creating too!

Does this give you help to follow through?

By His Grace

Diffused Triumphs

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Diffused jet trail

How magnificently obvious and roaring is the Majestic power of God.

A plane had flown from east to west, leaving a trail of disturbance.  A disturbance that was never intended to be, in the beginning.

But God, in his Magnificent and Glorious Strength, diffused the wake of man’s tiny triumph into a painting beyond the imagination.

So it is this morning, as I begin my day.  So is his glorious promise, when the Day of God dawns.  The tiny triumphs of man will be diffused.  They will not be found among the Glorious Beauty which is Jesus the Christ of God!

By His Grace

What Does Jesus Do?

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Jesus will forgive your sins.  How would it feel to have a clean conscience for a change? Will others understand?  No, but you will.

He will teach you to listen.  If you let him, he will teach you how to obey his Heavenly Father.  Even if you are full of rebellion and are difficult to teach, he will provoke you to obedience.  If only you will continue to call on him.

He will teach you of the eternal way.  What men say is good, changes from hour to hour.  He will teach you what lasts forever.

One thing at a time, you will overcome difficulties in your life that you did not even know you had.  Then as the appearance of maturity arrives, you and He will do a significant work to obliterate rebellion.

In the process of becoming a man of God you will develop peace.  With a clean conscience, and proof in your soul that God has accepted you, you will find you have no fear.  And the longer you walk with Him as your Lord, the deeper that peace will penetrate.

You will find yourself teaching others.  Not because someone told you you have to go out and evangelize, but because you simply can’t keep your mouth shut.  And you will not only tell them the words, but you will act them out in the their presence.

In time you will come to know you have eternal life.  You will not just believe the words that you were told, you will know, with clarity, those words are true, and that they belong to you. 

Because he is always reliable, you will find yourself looking to him for every possible solution to every possible problem.  It won’t be a matter of discipline to go to prayer.  You will find you never leave it.

What does jesus do?  He will create such a change in you, that you will not be any resemblance to what you were.  And if you continue in the way, all this will happen to you while you were here.  Yes he can prepare you to be a citizen of heaven here.

By His Grace