Tag Archives: pleasure

This is the Judgement

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Truth, faithfulness, the righteous expectations of God, prayer, holiness, glorification of God’s Holy Son, willing obedience to heavenly things, and a daily renewal of all these things.  This can be expected for those who willingly submit to the leadership of Christ Jesus.

But pleasure of this world’s desires, chasing after everything that is not God, short and useless prayers (such as God bless america), powerless religious observances, and oh so many other things, this is the nature of a man without Jesus.

19 “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”  (The Gospel of John chapter 3)

How incredibly sad that this should be our epitaph; that at the moment of our death, our pursuit of anything but God is all we bring to the Holy Throne of the Sovereign God.  All the while he offers freely so very much to any who will purposefully place him in his proper position.

By his own nature man is lazy.  Oh he’ll provide for all the things he wants.  But is he willing to let God cause him to provide all the things that God wants?

Those who diligently seek the truth of God in Christ Jesus will be granted God’s desires.  There is no need to qualify that statement.  But those who only desire the things of this world, such people will not find the things that God is willing to offer so freely.

By His Grace

From Trauma to Glory

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Birth is no easy experience.  Neither is death to be desired.  Yet once birth has happened, death is inevitable.  In between the two is an innumerable number of choices to be made.  But for what purpose?

Pain calls our name.  Toil and heartache know where we sleep.  Adding to the difficulty of life, the expenses of pleasure call from every corner. 

There is nothing profitable about pleasure.  Everytime we take a break from toil and heartache, we lose something valuable; money, reputation, preparation, and resources.  Yet we justify it by saying, “I just need a little rest.  Then I’ll be stronger”. 

But no sooner do we get back to our toil and heartache and the entire pleasure becomes a forgotten matter.  All we have left is memories, pictures, souvenirs, and wasted time.  Yes, even the pursuit of pleasure is toil in itself.

You might be thinking I’m just a stick in the mud.  But you know that what I’m saying is true.  From front to back, and everywhere in between, life is full of difficulty. 

People do everything they can to remove the rough edges of life.  But even as they rub them smooth, the smoothing quickly breaks loose and sharp edges reappear.

This world has a singular design for humanity.  It is designed to teach God’s people to endure through faith.  The wicked heart will strive to find pleasure here.  But God’s righteous elect will keep their eyes firmly fixed on his Holy promise.

The wicked will have their tumultuous pleasure.  But the people of God will find pleasure in pleasing the Living God’s Christ. 

Christianity recognizes that this place was sufficient to test the Holy Son of God.   And here is where I mention that he is a very example God’s elect must follow.

Did the Lord shrink back from righteousness?  Not once.  Did he seek to use his body for pleasure?  Again, not once.  He did nothing but what his Heavenly Father told him to do. 

Did he take a vacation?  Did he chase after money?  Did he lie or cheat or steal?  He did not seal up his mouth, for fear of Man.  He did not cease to pray.  And if he had any knowledge in this world, it was the entirety of what is called the Old Testament.

There is our example. 

Consider the outcome of his life.  He is now firmly fixed as first in all creation.  Now allow yourself to ponder the outcome of mimicking his life.

Who is man, that God should send His Holy Son as a sacrifice for our sins?  What is it the righteous elect are to inherit?  How can any pleasure in this world compare to what God has in store for those who love him?

Psalm 82:6.  While you’re at it, consider the outcome of satan’s choice.  Ponder the meaning of the differences between Christ Jesus and the one condemned to destruction.

By His Grace

“Away With God!”

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(I wrote the following piece, but found no pleasure in publishing it.  How I would much rather speak joyous things.  But the day does not warrant it.  So be it!)

They say “World Peace” is the objective.  But while they speak such a lofty phrase, there is no love for the Peace of God.  The only reason they want world peace is so that they can pursue their own pleasure.  “Level the field, and we can run uninhibited!”

We are told to manage our bodies.  Foolishly, people think the government cares.  The only reason they want you to manage your body, is so that you will not be a drain on the economy.  Otherwise they don’t care if you live or die.

We are commanded by law to respect every man’s mind.  The vernacular calls it “politically correct”.  But there is no politically correct stance of inclusion for the Christian.  There never has been.  For the Living God has never been acceptable among men.  Man believes the lie of satan: “You ask too much of us and do not give us what we need to accomplish your will!”

With a weak struggling soul, I will chase after the things of Christ.  I know I am not alone.  But you couldn’t prove that if you watched my life.  There is no brotherly embrace.  They have scattered us to the wind.  They have infiltrated our ranks with a bevy of politically correct minds.  And they are about to make the proclamation that they are free of Christ!

I have no time to embrace that folly.  My days are markedly short.  I have no time left to pine for Love; that sweet embrace of a brother in Christ, as we ascend the mountain of God.

I would betray the Holy Christ if I turned to join the world in their great celebration of the power of Man.  “United we stand, yes we can, world peace, economic stability, subjection of rebellion, control of all resources, and the horrible thought which they cap with the word Tolerance.”

The wicked scurry about like ants on a cube of sugar.  They perceive sweetness of freedom to be within their grasp.  There’s a smile on their face now.  The men of power are pleased.  “We are so very near achieving our goal, I can almost taste it.”

God has spoken, but no one hears.  The tumult of abhorrent chants drowns out the truth.  Captured by video and audio entertainment, the masses have become oblivious.  No longer is God spoken of in the streets.  The Holy Word of greeting has been replaced by “Hi”.  If one believes in God he keeps it a deep dark secret.  It has become a blight and shame to obey the living God’s Christ.

Religious cults abound.  The Gospel has been so watered down, the followers rarely know the fullness it used to be.  And they are not interested to learn.  For there is pleasure in dispensing the Gospel with fleshly tools.  “We will have what pleases us!”

“More beautiful music about Christianity! 

More peaceful words of love. 

More lofty poetry!

More smiling brothers and sisters. 

Away with condemnation from above!”

Have what you desire.  Who am I that you should listen to me?  I am a useless truck driver.  Like the night janitor, I am an obscure human being. When I do my work, I am only in the way.  For the sake of earning a wage, I am forced to deliver useless trinkets to a useless people.  I take heart in this however, for in this I am treated like God’s Christ; tossed away without a care.

But you will continue in your unholy way, all you people who love the things of Man.  God has promised that you will not abandon the work of your hands.  And true to his promise, I see no hope of repentance in the fabric called humanity.

But if you have read this far, how much does it take to cause you to finish this reading? 

You have heard that God loves all men.  Is that true? See what God has said in Psalm 139.

19 “O that You would slay the wicked, O God;
            Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed.

      20 For they speak against You wickedly,
            And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

      21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD?
            And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?

      22 I hate them with the utmost hatred;
            They have become my enemies.”

May your will be done Holy Father!  Who can let his shadow darken your Holy Throne, that he may give you counsel of men?

By His Grace

True Profit

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I do not respect the customs of Men.  I have no regard to the differing “customs” of certain groups.  One eats just these things.  Another eats other things.  Certain clothing is appropriate for differing circumstances, relegated to the demands of pomp, pleasure, and expectations of society.  What do I care?  Eat what you will.  Dress as you desire.  What is that to me?

But the things of the soul.  Now these things matter!  Differing languages, differing customs, differing surroundings, differing expectations of society, what are these things?  When it comes to the soul, none of these things have any bearing at all.  For we are all created for the singular purpose of being profitable to the Most High God.

Profit, profit, profit!  That’s all the body desires.  We wake to “do”, that we might gain profit.  To one man profit is pleasure.  To another, profit is to gain, that he might add to his mountain of treasure.  But profit to God is that His Holy and Righteous Son be glorified.

Some call profit for God in various and differing terms, each according to the religion he has been taught.  But God has elevated His Holy Son to the place of First Above All.  And wouldn’t it matter that God has done this for His Righteous Son?  What does it matter if man considers another religion above Christianity?  It is God, alone, who dictates what is Righteous.

But let it be said, Jesus is the King of kings.  He is the Lord of lords.  He is the Mighty One over all!  It is to Jesus that every knee will bow and give Glory to God the Holy Father.

You say, “This is your opinion.  You were raised up under the constraints of Christian teaching.  But we were raised under the constraints of Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism, Baha’i, Confucianism, Jainism, Shinto, atheism, humanism, [or a million other worthless tripe of human reasoning].  To you, Christianity is singular.  Realize that our faith is singular to us”.

But God has chosen His Christ.  God has secured salvation by His own Holy Hand.  And this is the message that has no dependence on the customs of man.  For it comes from Heaven.  It is delivered to God’s chosen ones to speak.  And it is secured in their souls by the Holy Spirit’s presence.

Do you want profit of Man?  Or do you want Profit of God?  Seek the Holy Father’s advice regarding this.  Strip your mind of the customs you were taught.  Strip your expectations from your soul.  Seek His Holy Face in Truth.  As we humble ourselves before the Living God, so the Living God responds.  Likewise, as we stand proud in our own understandings, the Living God is shrewd in his response.

Profit comes from humility.  True profit.  The profit of eternity that is dressed in the Glorious Living God’s Holy Son, Jesus the Christ.

Now you take offence at these things.  For I have spoken that Jesus is the singular means to God the Father.  But Christians should take no such stance as you.  We do not take offence at the accusations against Christianity.  We do not defend the Christ.  It is the Christ who defends us.  We have no means to sustain our teachings.  It is God who sustains the teachings of Christ.  We are witnesses, not defenders.  We testify that the Living God has secured our salvation.  We do not defend the Faith He has given us.

Perceive the difference.  Listen to what I am saying.  There is no salvation for anyone outside the Holy Son of the Living God.

Marginal Christianity 101

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Have you settled for social Christianity?  Do you go to church like a good little boy, because it’s what we’re supposed to do? 

It is socially acceptable to have a painting of Jesus on a wall in your house.  It’s even okay to have a worn out looking Bible on the coffee table.  And if somebody has an emergency it’s okay to pray some kind of helpless prayer.

All the while such people use the Holy Lord’s name in vain.  They keep what they know about the Gospel to themselves.  You may occasionally find them in a Christian book store.  But you’re not likely to find them living a holy life.

Is this what you’ve become?  Is that what Christianity means to you?

I’m not going to browbeat you.  And I didn’t write this to make you feel bad.  But I want to help you examine that kind of Christianity.

Why would anyone be satisfied with some small settlement for eternity, when he could have been a son of God?  Why would anyone do something at the marginal levels, when they have the promise of the Holy One to help them aspire to greatness in the kingdom of God?

You do realize, don’t you, that we’re talking about eternity here.  At 100 billion billion years, you would still be considered a child.  That’s a long time to live with a regret.  For your sake, I’m speaking like a man, in that there might be what can be called marginal Christianity.

Personally I don’t believe there is such a thing as marginal Christianity.  Because I don’t recall a place in the Bible where God says that’s okay.

Instead, I find list after list of description belonging to those who do not receive eternal life.  So that begs this question, why would any sane person want to play games with eternity?

I know what the problems are my friend.  If you start talking about God you lose friends, and fast.  You’ll be forced to give up a lot of pleasures.  You will likely have difficulty with your spouse.  If you have teenagers, they are likely to think you have gone insane.  You may lose your job.  Even your many friends at church may turn their face when they see you coming, just like you do to God’s people now.

But if you want marginal Christianity, have at it.  What am I going to do, tie you to a chair and beat you with a rubber hose?  It’s entirely your choice, isn’t it?

But have you considered what’s at stake?  You may lose everything on this earth.  But you gain an unspeakable joy forever.  You may be driven to the place where you do not have one single friend.  But for eternity you will have a family who will never desert you or accuse you of any wrong.

You will suffer anguish over the things you have done.  That’s what repentance provokes.  That means you lose a lot of sleep.  But isn’t that why you have seared your conscience with a hot iron?   You have cauterized your shameful history, lest it bleed out into your mind.  For you can’t put up with any guilty thoughts.

You don’t look back at the bad things you’ve done, because you can’t take the shame of it.  But if you don’t join with Jesus, God will show you these things himself.  And when he does that, there will be no opportunity for you to make repairs.  And at that point there is no more offer of forgiveness.

But you’re welcome to keep your marginal Christianity.  You will not do harm to eternity if you are not there.  No one in the kingdom of heaven will talk bad about you.  My friend, they won’t even remember your name.

The people who are disobedient to the Gospel, do not have eternal life.  But you can keep your marginal Christianity, while so many strive with all they have to enter in.  Just where did you expect to fit in?

By His Grace

Times Up?

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Rising up in their midst, in this particular generation, is a man who speaks of the ancient ways.  They call them ancient ways, as if they are dead, but they have simply been pushed out of the way.

Much to their amazement, and to some extent disgust,  the old words present themselves again.  They thought time had destroyed them.  They thought the modern age had made them obsolete.  To complete their pleasure, all they had to do was wait for the old ones to die.

How surprising that the ancient words of history live even today!  And how surprising it will be, that when they think their victory complete, babies are raised up to speak them again!

My friends, they are not ancient words, as if the eyes of man sees decay.  They are ancient eternally long before the beginning of this place.  They are as strong this moment as they were from the beginning.  And to your amazement, they will thrive long after you are dead.

The language of man has changed, and so his toys and the use thereof.  But truth and mercy are never ending; from eternally before to eternally after.  It is only your wicked perception that gives truth a time limit.  It is only the perception of wicked men that relegates truth to the old folks, in the obscurity of their death.

By His Grace