God The Father. Jesus His Righteous Son.  

Faithful, glorious, beautiful, Good, first, last, and every good word.  


Nothing, nothing matters more.  


Those who speak on his behalf are not to be admired. They have done nothing more than is right to expect from every man.  


He moves. And who sees Him do his doings? He sustains His own Holy Name. He causes the dead to praise Him. He causes the unrighteous to love Him. He causes rotted trees to rise and walk.    


He brings Life to be as He desires, and no one gives Him counsel in His Holy work. The dead cannot perceive the life around them.  


None, of this world’s rabble will love His people, whom Himself has raised up. As they hate the Lord’s commands, so they will despise His work among them.  


Let such things be. It has been so from the beginning, it is so now, it will even be so when God gathers all souls together in the valley of judgment. As a man is, so he is sealed at death. So be it.  


Popularity belongs to God alone, but see how Man usurps God’s right to judge importance and honor.   


Love belongs to God alone. See how twisted, dishonorable, and wicked is the tongue of Man to associate every wicked lust with Love.  


Righteousness belongs to God alone. See them praise the work of slaves as if they should rule nations by their charitable deeds. They did their master’s bidding with the wealth of their master. Even their very lives belong to someone else. Why praise a flea for leaving your body?


May your Holy will be done forever, O Blessed and Faithful One! Even the shadows honor You by their rebellious ways.  


By His Grace in Christ Jesus.  

Amen.  

The Startling Memories


Regrets are easily pushed aside by simply dwelling on something pleasant. But I have in mind a place where pleasant things are no more. In this place, even the memory of pleasant things has been evaporated. In the brilliance of this place, hope has become an Eternal arid desert.  

As I wake this morning, one or two of these regrets come to make a visit. The power of them is devastating.  


Accused! I am accused and have no recourse. I am accused and I am undone. Not only do I remember them, I am forced to admit my guilt.  


And I realize something more. Not only do I remember them, those to whom they were done remember them also. And the witnesses! I dare not forget the witnesses! The testimony against me is everywhere, waiting in silence. The entire world has been witness to my doings!


Then I realize something utterly astounding.


These are just two items in my soul. There are hundreds of thousands more I have forgotten. If these two can devastate my heart, how would I stand against the onslaught of things I have done?


But for the strength of the forgiveness of Christ, I am a walking dead man. Not only I. But every man who has ever lived. Our sins are a mold of guilt that covers our soul. It comes with us to the throne of God. Unseen for now, do we dare be dressed in the filthy things we have done as we stand before him to be Judged?


We need the strength of Christ. More than anything in this world, we need the strength of the forgiveness of Christ!   


Every day that goes by, in which we do not take note of this and respond, is another day that adds to the mold. All the while, the moment of our appearing before the Holy Lord God Almighty does not tarry. It stands in place, where it has always been, and will not be moved!


I don’t write this to scare anyone. The fear will come on it’s own. I write this to wake as many souls as I can. Go to Christ. Accept his mercy. While you can still voluntarily do so.  


Yes we have an option. Remain as you are and appear before God, naked and ashamed.  

The Good Ritual


I said to the Lord, “I am a liar and a fool. The only good I have is imagined honor. Imagination is not food.  

But you Holy Father, in Christ your Holy Son, are righteousness and purity forever. In your wisdom you created mercy. In your Holiness you created justice.”


Then I said, “Let me own my sins. Let justice rain on my soul. Let the condemnation of my doings come and cast me to the ground. Let me see the damage I do so easily. Let me understand the murder I inflict.  


It is then that I will seek mercy. It is then that I will cry out to you. It is then that you will offer your gracious hand of love. It is then that you will forgive my sins, allowing no punishment to come to anyone else because of me.  


Let the matter be finished in the blood of your Holy Son. Let my legs find strength to stand. Let my folly be replaced with wisdom and restraint. Let me bring you honor by believing your Holy Word; your promise to bring life through forgiveness of sins.”


And so begins another day. And so the next morning will hear these words again.  


By His Grace.

Sufficient


Mud cakes I make.  Diamonds are His.  

His voice like many rivers.  

Mine is more a hiss.  


I speak like shadows 

From behind the flesh.  

He speaks of Light.  

From Eternity’s chest.  


By nature I am contrast. 

By Glory He is Life.  

By Righteousness He’s free.  

From hiding I am strife.  


So much revealed.  

Vast sums are hidden.  

Yet it’s enough,

To speak as bidden.  


He’s so much life

That even so,

Our tiny words

Produce His will.  


To bring His Glory

Down to us;

To shape His message

From the dust.  


Do You Worship Chaos?


Thought process:  Warning, the following may be tough on your brain.  

Sitting all night in Chicago. Yeah in Chicago. The O’Hare oasis as a matter fact. The Lord brought me to a parking spot just before rush-hour. Unless you’ve tried to do that with a 53ft trailer, you have no idea what a miracle it is. Thank you Lord Jesus.  


Why would anyone seriously choose to live here. I break it down to the elemental things, it has to do with distractions. They prefer a busily entertained life to following cows around in the pasture.  

Warning leap of thought:

God is not a distraction.  


(That would be the reason why most of the billboards around Chicago have to do with sex, luxury, gambling or alcohol. Oh yeah, there is the occasional “make you feel guilty” billboard. Hospitals, oh yeah, hospitals are a Big thing. And I can’t leave out the governmental mandates to be happy. Apparently God’s not allowed to be the God of Chicago. It beats me to death to figure out how a city, that has to be so well organized, can worship chaos.)


He himself, in Jesus, is life. Religions are distractions. But Jesus is the center of every religion.  (just leaping from one rock of thought to another.  Following me this morning takes a little bit of agility.)


This is not to say that every religion recognizes or worships the living God’s holy son. But Jesus provides life. Man’s interpretation of Christ’s sustaining is called religion.  


A thought I had earlier:


You can tell someone that Jesus is the son of the living God. They might nod, meaning they understand. But learn to spend quality and dedicated time in prayer with him and the meaing changes exponentially.  He is no longer just an invisible figurehead, he becomes the source of your very life. Gladly our personal religion gets tossed out the window. In its place comes a living faith.  


(here’s a bit of a rub for you: The living faith I’m talking about is not based on opinion. It is based on the words of the Bible and constantly compared to those holy words. If it weren’t, it would be no different than any other religion; filled with opinions of Man.)


There are fanatics of every distraction, from religions about God to football 🏈 🙃, and every conceivable aspect of life in between. But the true fanatics of Jesus know what I’m talking about. Once he touches your soul personally, you never forget it. You don’t have to memorize a personal religion anymore. You’ve arrived at the place that surpasses them all.  


Sorry if this is disjointed. I didn’t intend to write a 300 page book. But to explain all this would surely take at least 300 pages. The mind can put things together in a much smaller space.  


Happy assembling.  

In God We Trust


“In God we trust.” I know what that means. You know what that means. Our minds understand the definition. But our lives will prove something greatly less.  

In the history of Man, only Jesus could say it fully; “In God I trust”. Everyone else holds something in reserve to themselves.  


It is because of our living definition (the proof of our choices) that we find so much tragedy in this world. Every single place we reserve the right for judgment, wisdom, righteousness, and doings, we add to the chaos of this world. Everyplace we deny him the right to be our God, we frustrate his desire.    


You want a New Year’s resolution? Improve your intent to trust God. Strive to let Jesus be your master more and more this year.  


It was said that when Jesus knew his time was near he set his face like flint toward Jerusalem. As we employ that same attitude we can refine our definition of trust in the living God.  


May God grant us eyes to see and ears to hear that he may have what rightfully belongs to him.  


Amen.