Tag Archives: friends

Old Friends?

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It came to me in a dream.  Was it from the Lord?  Let the reader decide.

At a social gathering, I met Bill.  I hadn’t seen him for almost 30 years. 

I can’t say I was happy to see him, but I was certainly surprised.  He was my boss when I used to work the oil rigs.

In the course of a very short conversation, I asked him if there was a place for me on his team.  I can’t possibly explain why.  At over 60 years old I wouldn’t be much use.

He seemed to be half sincere with his stammering answer.  “I’ll see what I can do.”  Curiously, all of a sudden, he developed a broken foot. So, understandably, he prepared to leave.

In the process of trying to follow him, I passed by a beautiful young woman I used to know.  I didn’t say hi, but I certainly noticed.

At the end the dream I got up and sat in a chair to think.  A few moments later I heard the familiar wisdom of God.  “They may come around long enough to tempt you back, but they don’t want you.”

When a man faces temptation to join the world in all their extreme folly, it would be good for him to remember, he is of no value to them.

For even if he abandons the Sovereign God in Christ Jesus, he is tainted with some level of holiness.  Everything he does and says will contain something of God.  I can guarantee you such a man will not be embraced by those of the world, regardless what he does.

Learn to hate temptation.  It only tries to manipulate you.  It doesn’t care if you live or die.  It does not want your friendship.  It is absolutely void of the concept of love.  And whatever pleasure it apparently gives, is found exclusively in you.  There is no such thing as mutual joy in sin.

By His Grace

The greatest possible

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It is impossible that a man should find himself standing anywhere other than where he puts his feet.  What he has done and what he is doing is where he is.

All the while the man has traveled to be where he was he was always where he found himself.  Whether he traveled in righteousness or wickedness, there he traveled.

All the while the Holy Lord has remained where He is.  It is man’s to wander and to do.  And everywhere he has wandered the Holy Lord has been aware.

According to a man’s faith, according to what he believes is true, the Holy Lord has either been the greatest of possible friends or the greatest of possible enemies.

The sovereign God does not move between wickedness and righteousness.  This belongs to men.  Either we embrace the Holy Lord and all His righteousness, or by measure upon measure we remain wicked.

Jesus has been sent to draw us to what is righteous.  He has been sent to cause us to cease our wandering.  He has been sent to bring righteousness to where we stand.  So that when we perceive our location we find a friend in the Holy Lord.

When and where will a man submit?  When will he stop and find himself at peace with the Most High God?  He will find himself arriving when he learns to listen to and obey the Son of God.

Either the living God is your greatest of possible friends, or he is your greatest of possible enemies.  Jesus has appeared at the will of the Father to bring us into friendship.  We began as enemies.  By His grace we end as friends.

By His Grace

Hell is where the cool people are.

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Do you know someone who has said they aren’t concerned about hell cause all their friends are there?  Well, perhaps they’re right.   But what they don’t  consider is the following.

There are a lot of things in hell.  And there are a whole lot of things that aren’t there.  Identity is not there.  You have no name and no one cares.  No tomorrows, only regrets for what you did or failed to do in your yesterdays.

Nothing to divert your attention from your failings.  No sky.  No ground.   No sleep.  No gadgets to help you pass the time.

You will remember that you are guilty of sin.  That memory will be with you without relief forever.  You will consider your everlasting fear and desire that your loved ones don’t share the same fate.  But you will be utterly helpless to help them.  And the simple pain of your self purchased torment will never leave.

What freedoms you have now, from activity to hope, will no longer exist.  Yea your friends might be there.  But neither you or they will find the slightest solace in that fact.

Turn away from folly and pride.  What good will they do you in hell?  Humble yourself before God.  As it say, “Humble yourself before the Lord and He will lift you up.”  Or not.  The choice belongs to you.

Please share this.  Perhaps one or two will read it and come to an understanding.

The Pain We’ll Never Know

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Build a house on your property.  Build it to your own dreams.  All the windows just the right size and pointing to just the view you had in mind.  You used the certain cedar you wanted, and the house smells Wonderful!  When you walk from one end to the other, there is nothing about this house that doesn’t meet your joy.  All your dreams and hopes are finally come to fruit.  It’s a beautiful place and you’re perfectly happy with what you’ve accomplished.

Now it’s time to invite your loved ones to come see it.  When they arrive they too are astounded at the beauty of the place.  There is a great joy because you finally get what you’ve dreamed about for so very long.  After a joyous celebration in the back yard, and many trips from your friends into and around the house to marvel at what your hands made, the guests filter home.  You are left alone in silence with your wonderful peaceful accomplishment.  And, finally, you’re happy.  To bed you go.  Your first night’s sleep in your dream house.  Oh it’s not possible to explain the joy you feel.

You wake up the next morning and stare at the intricate hand work of your bedroom.  “Beautiful”, you sigh.  After getting dressed and enjoying that exquisite view out your bedroom window, you skip down the stairs to make a pot of coffee.  “What’s that smell?”  It’s not cedar.  There’s an odor you can’t identify.  At first it’s so unexpected to your senses you think it’s a sweet smell.  But a second whiff and you realize it’s such a foul smell that your brain couldn’t identify it.  “Wow, that’s nasty”, you think to yourself.  But you just can’t find the source.  Something’s wrong with your dream house and you can’t find it.

Weeks have passed and your dreams have become shattered by that smell.  Now a green fungus has begone growing on the walls.  At first you thought it was just a dust.  You’ve worked at it for a while now and made no progress.  You took it on the chin at first.  Thinking to yourself, “I put a lot of sweat, blood, and sleepless nights into building this place.  I’m not gonna let a little smell and a speck of mold destroy my dreams.”  But no matter what you do you can’t get the place clean.

One day, months later, you come home and put your hand on the door knob.  It doesn’t turn.  You can’t even get into your house without breaking something.  You’re locked out of your dream.  Hours you’ve spent trying to figure out what’s wrong.  But you find no solution to the problem.  You can’t even sit on your porch swing to ponder what to do, because that mold is all over everything now.  Your legs lose their strength to walk down the steps into the yard.  Your hands drop in a great experience of depression.  And you stand under a tree, staring in disbelief at your shattered dream.  The work of your hands, the pride of your whole life, is destroyed.  How deeply sad you’re becoming as you realize it’s over.

There’s not much choice now.  And your mind begins to realize the full extent of the problem.  “There’s nothing left to do but burn it down”.  Tears begin to flow.  And soon you find yourself sobbing without shame.  Sadness has broken your heart.  “It’s over.”

How does God feel when He looks at us?  We are the work of His perfect hand.  He made this place for His joy.  And now we’ve become so very corrupt and foul.  He tries to enter our lives and we refuse Him His joy.  It is the heart of God that has been wounded.  It is perfection and eternity that is locked out of our lives.  And we did it.  It was not His desire that these things should be. 

By His Grace