I sit in the body provided in a provided place of work on a stool provided.
My provided hand holds the provided paint brush.
I dip the provided brush into the provided paint.
I place the tip of the provided brush on the canvas provided at the spot where the provided vision begins.
And He who provides glories over His work.
(All Glory will belong to God through Christ Jesus. For He is the provider of all good things.)
By His Grace.
Pondering the Glory of Jesus’ birth I am put to a task. I have seen a baby and there are very few living on this world who have not. We all know of animals and the places where they live. We know about Dads and Moms. We know about breathing as Jesus breathed as a baby. But there is something about this baby that defies understanding.
If I point to a sock and say this is a sock, and I ask someone to consider something that is like it, that person might say “A bag is like it.” If I point to a tire and say, “This is a tire. What is like it?”, someone might say, “A doughnut is like it.” And so it would go with everything in this world. But let me point to Jesus and say, “This is Jesus. What is like Him?” What will we compare Him to?
He made the universe with His hands. Hebrews tells us that “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” And we have no understanding or likeness with which we can compare this statement. We live in a world already created and we have no reference to “speaking into existence”. To what will anyone compare the creator coming into His creation to live among those who do not know Him? The birth of Jesus is an intense mystery to man. And it must be taken by faith.
Faith is designed by God to test the hearts of man. It is by faith we believe and are saved. Yet it’s not just believing that will cause our hearts to rejoice. Lets put a lion and a kitty side by side. The lion is the more awesome animal. We would be naturally drawn to his magnificent form. Now tell someone that embracing the lion is the way to be saved. They might nod with wide eyes at what you’ve said. They might even believe what you’ve said. But few would venture forth to embrace that awesome creature. They would much rather pet the kitty. God says, “Come to Me. For only by entering before My Majesty can you find safety”. The lion has spoken and few enter His Holy Fire to find safety. Most run to the things of this world and embrace darkness and death rather than risk all for Him.
God has spoken and now you’ve read it. These words are life in that they point to He who can save. He is the true life. He is a Holy Fire which will consume His enemies. Only those who venture to believe in action will find peace on The Great and Terrible Day of The Lord.
By His Grace.
I have heard some say they searched for God and found nothing. I have heard people say they have found God, yet I see no evidence in the way they live their lives. I have heard people say there is no need to search for God; it is His task to seek us. In short, we have all heard many versions of this statement. The following is an observation regarding seeking God.
He says “You will seek me and find me when you seek for me with all your heart. And I will be found by you”. The promise is true. I can testify to that. So why don’t more people find what they’re looking for? They seek Him with wrong motives. He will not honor pride. So the one who looks for Him as though He was an anomaly won’t find Him. That one is looking for God as if God were the created one. That person is still holding himself up as God and taunting God by forgetting who made who.
Some say they have found God, yet there is no apparent difference in the life they live. These people lie by their actions. It is possible they can identify what God is. But that’s as far as they intend to go. God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows. He who sows to the sinful nature, will reap that crop. He who sows from the Spirit of God will reap his reward according to God’s will.
He who thinks it is the Creator’s task to find and secure lost souls is missing a great mark. God knows where you are. He knows who you are. He knows what you’ve done. He knows your attitude. And He makes the demand that you seek Him.
By His Grace.
I have watched what you say regarding Jesus. And I see you make mistakes that any good school boy of ages past would not have made. You run Him down and call Him any name you chose. These things can and will be forgiven if you repent of your sins and seek His face.
But one mistake I see repeated is blatant and shameful even in the things of this world. You call to His account any wrong you find which bears His name. For instance, if we see someone who uses “Christian” as a personal identity doing something non-christian, you automatically determine that Jesus has done it. You neither know Him, nor know His ways. Your judgment is flawed because you define your judgment on the basis of your narrow and sinful views.
If a family has a “bad” child we do not run the whole family into the ground. We identify the “bad” one and consider his ways as separate from the family. And we certainly don’t blame a good father for the failings of his criminal son. Each man will pay the penalty for his own sins. Yet you apply every wrong done by anyone calling themselves christian to the Lord Jesus. Your judgment is flawed because you do not know the Lord.
By His Grace.
Talking with the Lord tonite He gave me something to ponder: “Every man is dry ground. He is neither plowed, planted, nor rained upon”. It took me quite a while to unravel that one.
In sharing the Good News of Jesus with others we often make a classic blunder. We assume they know what we’re talking about. After all, Jesus is and has been the focus of so many debates and conversations over the centuries. “How could they not know”? But what the Lord has said is true. If we believe they do know what we know about Jesus, and they still disobey Him we fall into judging one another. It is important that a man or woman of God refrain from prejudging. Especially when trying to share the Gospel.
The Lord always gives something ponderous to ponder, doesn’t He.
By His Grace.
The door swung open and the man walked in. With eyes that have seen blood and terror, he looked around quickly. Having located those who might pose a problem, he began to speak. “Which one of you wants to take me on? Let’s get to it. He waited. Those he had assessed as a possible problem proved him right. Three of them stood up with anger in their faces. The four of them stood straight and still for a moment. You could just smell the tension in the room.
The one who had the most potential for trouble turned to his friends and said, “I say we go across the street and catch the action at Millies”. With a laugh, the three walked past the man with eyes that never left their target. The man turned slightly as they left and watched them go. Then, when they were dedicated to their words, the man turned to those left. “Good evening folks”, the man said with a great joy in his voice. “My name is Keith. I’m the preacher from Tombstone. I’ve come to hold service with you tonite. Put down your drinks and lets rearrange the chairs”. After a moment of shock and gawking to each other they got up and moved all the chairs. Without any farther dilly dally, the man began his prayer.
“Father in Heaven, I thank you for Your Glorious grace and mercy. It is good what You have taught me; When you enter a place make sure to shake out those who would stand against My Word. Now, by Your Majesty, we will begin to share the truth You have given Your servant. In the Glorious name of Jesus we pray”. And the people said “AMEN”!
The message was filled with a beautiful mix of death and life. With simple words, the preacher laid out the truth. One of the men sitting near him watched him intently and the preacher began to worry that a snake had remained. None-the-less, with a sharp corner of his eye keeping watch on the man sitting near, the preacher kept on. Perhaps he was just very interested in the message and the messenger.
At the end of the message, that man came up to the preacher. He said, “Mind if I ask ya something?”. “Shoot”, said the preacher and it made the man smile. “Where’s your guns?”, the man whispered. “I didn’t see any sign of em under your top coat. You got a special place to stash em?” The preacher laughed. “Guns!”, he spoke loudly. “What guns? I don’t carry any guns on me”. The man squinted hard at the preacher. “Maybe he ain’t all there”, he thought to himself. “You don’t appear to be stupid to me, preacher. So why call those men out when you walked in? If they called your bluff, you’d be dead by now”. The preacher’s face got grim and a scowl crossed his forehead. He turned and looked the man face to face and eye to eye. Bending closer, the preacher whispered in a coarse tone, “You don’t get it. If they plug me through they only send me home. Though I die in this body I will never die.” The man squinted back at the preacher. And he whispered back with the same corse tone, “You just ain’t all there mister”.
The man turned and left shaking his head. He had paid no attention to the message given. He had no eyes to see and no ears to hear. How about you?
By His Grace.
We: Live, Die, Face Judgment. Jesus or die twice.
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