Uh Huh……


“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” 

Oh yes they can.

34 “You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. 35 A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. 36 But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. 37 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”  ( matthew 12)

By His Grace

The Nature of Heaven


As I drove along in the dark last night, I let my thoughts drift to the nature of heaven.  With whatever my imagination could provide, I thought about peace, living creatures, a safe and inviting environment, and a people that will never again know any sin.

I tried to think of heaven millions of years passed the day of judgement.  I thought of a place where what is here is never mentioned.  They do not remember the wicked greed of man.  They do not remember sickness and death.  And for eternity this will be their life.

As I woke up this morning I tried to consider my thoughts about heaven.  I recognize that they are only based on what I can perceive here.  And then I found myself amazed at how little God has revealed about eternity.

His message to man does not contain the indescribable beauties of his heaven.  God and all his creatures have lived in splendor for millions of millions of years.  But exceedingly little information has been given to man.

Partly, the restraint has to do with our language.  And partly the restraint has to do with the frailty of this creation.  But more so, the restraint has to do with God’s will toward Man.

God is not interested in making us happy here.  The entirety of this place is designed to cause us to hate it.  Nothing is stable.  There is no secure place.  Nothing is friendly unless it is manipulated.  And the strength of our bones wears out so that we can no longer manipulate.

The entirety of this place is designed for faith.  We have hope in faith alone.  We are to put our trust in the Living God and His Holy Son Christ Jesus.  Even the very character of our mind is full of unrest and unpredictable behavior. 

God did not desire that we should live at peace here.  It is God’s desire that we desire his peace.  So instead of describing what is his, he tells us that he is firm and true, peace, safety, strength, purity, and that his promises are fully reliable.

The nature of this place is designed to test the heart of every man.  The question hangs in the sky over the head of every man here:

“Do you desire what you have; this place full of chaos and unpredictable things?  Or will you open your heart to honesty; looking about you and confessing the true nature of this place of testing.  And that you yourself are not able to do one right thing.”

If we will turn to God out of despair, for the sake of the things we can see that are wrong, he is willing to embrace us.  But if we want to dig in our feet, and live in this place of lies, full of rebellion, full of unbelief, full of hatred for our fellow man and for God, we will suffer unto death then be cast away as unprofitable.

If you want to know the glories of heaven, listen to the righteous words of God and do them.  Allow yourself to believe in the Holy Son of God, do not harden your heart with restraint.

Read his Holy words that HAVE been sent us.  Believe them and stop second guessing the Holy Word of the Living God.  Listen to your conscience and confess your sins to him.  Ask him to strengthen you in the things that are pure and right.  Then do what you are told to do.

All of these things can be gained in Christ Jesus.  He has promised, and is reliable, overcoming this place of chaos is possible. Heaven can be attained if we listen to him.  Then we will know the nature of the eternal heaven of the Living God.  Then our language will be like his, for the place of our perception will be an eternal place.

So many like me desired to know what is in heaven.  What a perfect example of wasted time.  A better deployment of the minutes is to teach myself godly restraint, and this according to His Holy Word and the prompting of His Holy Spirit.

May God have mercy to grant understanding to those who read these words.  Those who desire will hear.  Those who hate God will stop up their ears.

In Christ Jesus, the Righteous and Holy Son of God, I pray.  Amen.

By His Grace

To the Youth


The righteous retain the right to speak.  But the wicked have forfeited their place among the people.

Blessed and at peace are the ones who obey the Living God; those who are trained from birth to do what is good and pure.  But woe to the wicked man who wakes to his wickedness; the one whose eyes have become open to all the wicked things he has done.  For that one will come to understand, yet he will not be accepted in the ears of the people.

Truth demands a voice.  And he who has truth will find himself compelled to speak.  But woe to such a man as he who has forfeited his right among the people.  A burning fire will consume his heart.  But he will have no place to stand and vent.  Though he knows the answers and can teach them well, no one will hear his words.

Listen to this, you young!  Before you let the folly of youth consume you, hear these words.  Remain dressed in what is good, so that the old man you will become may have a place to stand and speak.

Will you listen to this man?  He was once young just like you.  But in his embrace of wicked folly, he has lost his place among the people.  As truth has come upon him, his heart is changed, but too late.

You do not need to follow his example.  Seek the Lord Jesus and continue in his way all your days.  Then you will retain the right to speak among the people when wisdom has filled you.

Will you be warned?  Will the old man or the old woman you will become, be pleased with what you have done?  For you will certainly learn what is true and wise.  Desire will come up on you to speak.  But if you do not hear these words you will have no place of prominence.  And the wickedness you love so much will become a bitter taste in your mouth.

You will find yourself of value.  But you will be like a beautiful diamond, left in the desert, with no place to be displayed.

By His Grace

Classic Horror Movies


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 Nature of Temptation


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

No Room for Humanity


I recently met up with an old friend.  We did a lot of talking about the days gone by.  Soon we turned to the present time, catching up on what each one does.

Over the weeks and months, my love for God came out strong.  I tried to talk with him about the things of his interests.  But those things no longer interest me.

As is sure to happen, a distance begin to develop.  It is an uncomfortable awareness that we are no longer the friends we were.  He is of the world, I am of God.

With hopes that we would not have disagreement, I tried to coax him toward understanding.  I tried to lace everything I said with something to do with eternity.  As if a man might try to tame the lion.

But a lion is what it is.  And history can tell us of many people who were ripped to shreds.  The trainer cannot be the lion.  And the lion cannot change from being a lion.  Sooner or later one of them will have to step up and take the lead.

So it is with our dealings with the unsaved.  Their minds are firmly set on the things of this world.  A love for God is a foreign and obscene idea.

The argument finally came.  His feelings were hurt by some small thing I said.  He commanded that I repair my ways or distance myself.  Ok, fine.

“I will stand where I do.  You go back to what you love.”  This is the sum of what I was forced to tell him.  It is not God in me that closed the door.

But in parting, as it is with the end of all arguments, a remark is always made to punctuate the truth.  This particular relationship has ended on the same note.  He will go his way into the chaos of all the world.  And I will remain attached to my feet; those items of my soul which are firmly secured in the salvation of God.

He is upset because he thinks it’s unfair that God should trivialize the human condition.  He does not want to be holy.  He wants to be accepted just like he is.  In this, my friend is not much different than the majority of Christians (At least those I have met.  At least what I have read from what Christianity today has become).

But his parting volley of words missed me by a mile.  I’m sure he intended to cut me to the heart.  It was his last ditch effort to change my mind.  He said to me,  that he didn’t want anything to do with a religion that has no room for Humanity.

What does he mean by that?  I doubt that he would truly know.  But I know what that means.  That means what God has been saying all along.  There is no room in eternity for sin.

Many people think the frailty of humanity is to receive welcome out of pity.  What a completely uneducated perspective that is.  God’s promise to the frailty of man remains.  Everything that is sin will be utterly destroyed.

In His mercy he will teach us how to become holy.  But so many millions think it is unfair.  They hate the things of God but they love the pity that comes their way.

There is far more to Christianity than the forgiveness of sins!  Christianity is about becoming a godly man.  It is not a certificate of license handed out by God so you can continue in your unholy way.  If you think that’s unfair then you are likely not a Christian, no matter what you’ve gone around calling yourself!

There is so much to say concerning this.  I feel the anger in me rise to the top.  Not because of my friend, but because so many have misused the love of God.  I think it is wise for me to just shut up right now.

By His Grace