Category Archives: the gospel

Chaotic Building Materials

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He who would save his life will lose it.  Yes, the Lord said that.  But did you know there’s an absolutely logical reason for it?  The saying is not a threat from God.

Nothing man can build, in the way of a life, can last.  The only items he has in his hand to build with, come from chaos. 

He gathers and digs, and scrapes together items that form his life.  Where did he get these things?  He got them from the mass of chaos that is this world.

It can be compared to a man trying to build a house out of rotten and twisted lumber, rusty nails and screws, and a tape measure that was drawn by a child.  He tries to build a straight house on a foundation that is crooked and rough.  To top it all off he builds in a place prone to storms.

Chaos is chaos, it can’t be anything else.  Such a life is bound to explode into futility, and horrible frustration.  The one who desires to save this life, will find himself busy in repair forever.  So yes, he who desires to save his life will certainly lose it.

But the life that God offers is not built on chaos.  God offers a man the things that are built on eternal life.  By their very nature, they are perfectly unshakable.

Here’s the rub my friends.  All we have ever known is a life of constant repair.  We have been duped into believing this is life.  Pathetically, we are secure in this belief. 

When the offer of life from God arrives, it is perceived as another form of chaos.  It threatens to tear down the sweat and blood house we have built.   Since a man is already busy, beyond his ability, repairing what he has, there is an automatic rejection of more demands.

Only those people who recognize the futility of their life, receive God’s gift readily.  But God is insistent.  “I’m trying to give you life.  Let go of what you have and you will live a joyous and full life.”  So a struggle unto death becomes.

The resulting war is no joke at all.  A God born faith is required, as if a man stares down a hungry lion.  But the battle will not relent.  The only closure to this war, is the grave itself.  Sadly, many millions have gone to the grave, embroiled in this battle but never receiving God’s grace. 

Not every man perceives these things.  Most often the battle is rejected without consideration. 

Look at it this way, you will fight a war with something until the day you die.  Why not wisely pick your battle?

The Apostle Peter addressed this: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”  (1 Peter 4: 12)

Give up and live.  Strive to retain what you have and you will die. 

Chaos cannot give birth to life.  Life cannot give birth to chaos.  The two are forever opposing.  Chaos will destroy itself.  Life lives forever.

Christ Jesus offers life.  But who will take it?

By His Grace

Just Worthless Noise

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Words that you will likely never hear from the HR staff of a company:

“Let God come in here.  Talk about him all you want.  Because wherever God is, good things happen.”

You will not see a sign like that posted in a bar. 

There will be no places made along the highway, where people can pull over and pray.  A secluded and beautiful little place, where quiet is the only regulation.  And Christianity is the commanded focus.

The government will never find funding for a public memorial, depicting the beautiful things that Christ has done for humanity.   Certainly nothing similar to the memorial of the Vietnam War, Mount Rushmore, and the like.

You will never hear the president give orders to the citizens of America to fast and pray to the living God in Christ Jesus, for the sake of some trouble.  Never.

But you will hear the glorification of man.

From very early in the morning to deep into the night, Man babbles about with words for everything but God.  All his celebrations have one purpose: “Make Man happy”.

The statistics are vague but they are consistent in variation.  It is said that women speak about 20,000 words a day.  While men use about 7000.  How many of those words, do you think, relate to the glory of Christ?  Let the reader do the math, but multiply those numbers times the population of the world.  What is the volume of words used by Man everyday?  How little is dedicated to the Holy One?

Heaven is!  And there, Christ is King and glorified.  For the time being, the world is.  But take note of how Christ is not glorified.

Judge for yourself,  should we really ask God to bless America?  Does any nation really have the right to ask for the blessing of God?

PS: How many words of yours glorify God’s Holy Son all day long?

By His Grace

Sweet Dreams are Made of These

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I was at a truck stop scanning in my papers while I listened to a song that was playing.  The song is “sweet dreams are made of these”, by the Eurythmics.

I’ve heard that song hundreds of times before.  But the power of what she was saying dawned on me like the rising Sun.

Everyone is looking for something.  That must mean we are all compelled to search.  And she’s right.

The variety of religions in the world range from obedience to what they call holy law, to the abuse of self and others.  Regardless, men search as a compulsion.  This is proof that there is something to be found.  Even the atheist searchs diligently to disavow the search.  But his activity proves there is something to be disavowed.

How happy then is the one who finds it?  How secure in his way, does his life become?  And what great peace should overshadow him 24 /7?

Christ is the answer.  He is the one that is provoking the search.  The errant things men do are caused by their misunderstanding. 

If you would have what everyone is looking for, search diligently into the things of Christ Jesus.  You are compelled to search. Why not search what is true?

If a man can’t find the truth he’ll create his own series of lies.  But I testify that the Living God is alive among his people in Christ Jesus.

By His Grace

From My Point of View

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From my point of view, God is indescribably great. 

Some may call my point of view theology.  But in saying that, I think they would have a hard time nailing down what I believe.  Even I would have a hard time finding supporting scriptures.  But then I’m not a scholar.  And my knowledge of Scripture is usually pointed in the direction of application, not theology.

What I believe has come to me by Bible reading, faith, prayer and diligent observation of God moving in my life. 

In the way of Bible reading, I am relatively fluent.  But there are certainly masters of the art.  I may well remember what it says, but I likely can’t tell you chapter and verse.

I say faith.  I’m afraid you need a microscope to find mine.  If faith the size of a mustard seed can move a mountain, how much can I hope to brag.  The Rockies are still where I found them.  The Appalachians are still filled with trails to hike.  And there are still enough hills in America to hide gigantic wheat fields.

As far as prayer is concerned, I am no prayer warrior.  I am more the man who will pray as he knows, and ask to be taught.  It is here that God has revealed enough to make me able to walk as a Christian. 

I am no prophet as some define Prophets.  And I am no teacher, but for the fact that we all teach by the way we act.

And as far as diligent observation goes, I see with what bleak eyes God has chosen to give me.  I watch the wind blow.  I listen to the words men speak.  I take note of the way of men as opposed to the way of God.  And I even listen to the birds.

All of this was written to admit I know nothing.  All of this was written to avoid a war of words and ideas.

With all that said let’s get back to the idea of how great God is.

We are a product of an answer to an accusation.  The accusation is that God demands too much and does not provide sufficiently.  (this is the specific belief that may draw conflict)

How great is God?  God is so great that he allowed an enemy to amass, in a place that he willingly created. 

God is so great that he entered this mass of enemy.  He assumed their form and there was nothing beautiful about him that he should be desired.

God is so great that he willingly taught this enemy about a way to live instead of die.  All this he has done knowing what would happen. 

God is so great that he allowed his enemy to take him by force. 

God is so great that he did not complain while they mocked and beat him. 

God is so great that he allowed them to strip him of all his glory.  He let them flogg him to the point that he was no longer recognizable as a man.  And in this he made no complaint or accusation.

And here is the crowning achievement of the greatness of God:  that when the Word of God assumed his place as the rightful King of kings, he reached down to his mass of enemy, and continually offers salvation for those who hate him.

Yes God is great!  Men may dispute his existence.  But for those who believe, he is the supreme power of salvation.

Oh how my soul wants to continue.  There are so very many reasons why God is great.  But I’ll leave this to stand. 

May the spirit of God strengthen, convict and convert as the will of God dictates.

Amen!

By His Grace

I Don’t Understand Why

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Why do your people love good works, yet turn away from the man who gives You open praise.  I don’t understand why the public proclamation of the Holy One’s name is such an abomination to the ears of Your people.

I don’t understand why it is apparently an impropriety  for a man to give praise to God in public.  Even if it is spoken in the hearing of those who say they believe, it is not received with mutual joy.  I don’t understand, Sovereign God.

But Who am I to voice my lack of knowledge?  You have spoken of this profusely.  Why do the people who call themselves “of God”, refuse the joyful words you send?  As they have killed your prophets, and stoned those you have sent to them, so they ignore the praise you deserve.

Is this too harsh a conclusion for me to own?  I do not intend to judge, I intend to understand.  Therefore let my assessment be heard in the Holy Court of my God

Is it because religion has taken the place of faith?  Is this why they respond to the joy of Your Holy Spirit as if the man is insane?  “Are you such a fool as to not realize it is inappropriate to speak of God here?  Such lips are exclusively used in church.  Speak here with your “outside” voice.”

I find it impossible to understand.  And so I present my consternation to You, Great Sovereign God of eternity.

By His Grace

Ethics 101

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We all see it happen all day long.  Relatively decent people making wicked choices.  But let’s face facts.  Wicked choices are expected among the population of this world.

If you don’t strive to be first, your counted as insignificant and stupid. 

If you don’t break the law, just a little, you’re just not an intelligent person.  After all, they won’t throw you in jail for small infractions.

If you don’t lie a little bit, you will be hated by everyone who knows you.  No one confides in the man who tells the truth.  Curiously, such a man is utterly untrustworthy in this world.

In light of all this, I thought to myself, I would like to teach a class whereby men are taught ethics.  But within a fraction of a second, I changed my mind.

Though they would all nod with agreement while they were in class, by the time they got out the door they would forget everything they learned. 

So I thought, the fix, then, is to create a fast search chart.  Let the men hold it while they do all the things they normally do.  But who would be stupid enough to do that?

It was then that the comparison ignited in my mind.  This is what the Holy Spirit does for those who believe in Christ Jesus.  He is the living educator.  And he lives in the soul of those who trust in the Son of the Living God.

What is the summation of all this?  The summation is that those without the Holy Spirit have no hope of doing righteousness.  They are locked in a battle to see who can be the most wicked and get away with it.

They are not free men, regardless what society says.  They are bound to wickedness as surely as the moon is bound to the earth.

As the Apostle John wrote, “Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous . . .”  (1 John 3: 7)   And surely, the one who does what is wicked is a wicked man.

No man can hope to do what is right without the Spirit of God leading him constantly.  No one can hear the Holy Spirit accept that God gives him spiritual ears.  Man is completely hopeless without the sacrifice of Christ.

It is important to note that the word “practice” is often used in conjunction with righteousness.  He who practices righteousness will eventually do it habitually.  We already know how to be wicked.

There, I just held ethics 101.  You don’t need a cheat sheet.  You simply need to fall to your knees and ask God for help.  Or you can remain just like you are.  The choice is right there before you.

By His Grace