The Hope of Rahab


Rahab and the Emissaries of Joshua

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As we live our lives under the rule of Jesus, we are brought from understanding to understanding.  We are always growing in our knowledge of the Love of God.  And everyone of us who are learning to love Him have a testimony to share.  For this reason I drop this tidbit of words for the sake of His Glory:

We hear of how we should strive with all our might to obey all His perfect commands.  And it is impossible to remove any of them from before us.  There is, however, the element of humanity and sin within us.  Though He sets us free from the necessity to obey the sinful nature, we all find ourselves engulfed in evil foolishness from time to time.  This is something the world can’t understand.  They will say, “How can the people of God act so lawless from time to time, yet speak of a life free from ungodly actions?”  This is something rather odd, I readily admit.  But I submit the following for consideration:

Rahab, the harlot, was promised salvation because of one action.  She gave save harbor and escape to the men of Israel when they came to spy on the land they were about to conquer.  The Lord said that she would not be forgotten for this action.  It was in the identification with His people that she warranted being counted among them.  Though most of us won’t risk our lives in defending the Gospel, it is important that we recognize that the Lord is just and will not forget our sacrifices, words, actions, and intentions regarding His Holy people.

I encourage you who strive against great odds.  Many of the Lord’s people come from horrible backgrounds.  And shedding some of those styles of living is extremely hard to do.  Many will never completely rid themselves of these hedious problems before they are in His presence.  But we should strive, above all else, to remember that the Lord is Love, compassion, forgiving, wise, and Holy.  It is the Lord who will be glorified on the day of His appearing.  Man will never receive the same level of glory as will the Lord.  So we rest in that confidence.   This is why we serve Him.

I hope this gives hope to those struggling against despair.  Keep that confidence you had at first.  It is Jesus who saves from first to last.

By His Grace.

Explain This.


Crashed Toyota Matrix

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A man was in a multi-car accident.  It wasn’t fatal for anyone involved.  But the incident rattled the very soul of each survivor.  Parts of automobiles lay in every direction for 50 yards.  Air bags deployed now lay like fading mushrooms.  Doors sprung open display the vulnerability of the flesh of man.  Tears on the faces of the women, and the wide eyed faces of the men, testify to the shock.

The miracle is that no one was hurt.  Not even a scratch on any of them.  The wonder of their situation began to sink in.  And, as they stood together, one by one they began to laugh.  Six people stood among carnage laughing.  When the police finally arrived, the scene was a bit macabre.  The ambulance and fire crews had no work. Officially, the only work was cleanup and writing.

Later in the month those six people gathered at a café to share their joy at being alive.  As they sat around the table and recounted the possibilities, they began to slowly notice something.  There were no words to describe their encounter.  Each of them could tell their story but what words could describe the shock, horror, fear, and anxiety in those fateful moments?  Language was the barrier which could not be surmounted.  And they eventually sat silent.  Each of them began to break down in different states of tears.  At this point they realized just how alone they were.  Unable to tell the completeness of the story, even to those who were involved, isolation was almost a tangible element between them.  Such violence gone silent.

Though their experience is unique, we all understand the limits we face each day.  I want to tell someone something.  But the words don’t always come out quite right.  And there is always need to clarify.   Yet, the clarification itself isn’t clear!  What frustration!  Yet, what a common bond between lay us all.  Even if we say, “Here, let me show you”.  The message is filtered through the mind and heart of the receiver and the sender.

With this foundation, I present the reason for this entry:

I have warned about the reality of God’s promise to the wicked.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been there to see it happen.  And even if I had seen it with my own eyes, how could I relate it to anyone?  But I believe with a fever that such things are going to occur.  I have also spoken loudly about the promise of God to those who accept the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice.  Though I haven’t received it in full, I believe it with a severe passion.

Like those in the accident, how can I hope to explain what I know to anyone?  Even other Christians are hard pressed to share their experience of Jesus with each other.  And these people have a common bond beyond this world’s perception!  We use words like glorious, joyful, peaceful, amazing, and such.  But none of them can hold even one sliver of a moment in His presence in prayer.  Nor can they relate how amazing it is to experience the reality of His forgiveness after we have knowingly sinned before His very face.  How can any of us hope to convince the wicked of their plight?  It has to be a God thing, this conversation about what is coming.  It is God who communicates the completeness of His promises to each one of us.

Hell is real.  The promise of God to utterly wipe out the very souls of the wicked (history, name, hopes, and work) is true!  But these are just words, aren’t they?  If you don’t believe, what can be said to you?

This post is a venting of frustration.  Because I know that if you don’t believe, there’s nothing more I can do for you.  You will, indeed, experience a horror far more real and lasting than those possibilities of the accident I spoke of. And, if any of them had died, they would still face the Most High God.  There is a “second death”.   Yet, those promises of God to those who believe are to be like the six who survived without a scratch.  There is eternal life!

Consider that story.  If those people realized they couldn’t even share among themselves, how could they hope to explain it to others?  A life shattering miracle happened to them.  But that “happening” is uniquely theirs alone.  Salvation is absolute and real.  And, to those who are actively living under the rule of Jesus, life in the Lord is more real than the things of this world.

Please consider my words.  The accident coming on the unsaved is going to be no accident.  If you’ve read this, it is much like someone having a vision before the drivers left their house, office, ball game, or wherever they began their fateful trip.  And the one who had the vision warned the driver to stay a moment longer.  Would any of those drivers listened to the one who had a stern face?  Would they have stayed a moment longer?  Please consider the promises of God in Christ Jesus.  Come!  Come share in the reality of the forgiveness of God in His Lovely Son.

By His Grace.

How to Escape Condemnation by God.


Gatorade Rain bottles lined up on a supermarke...

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These are the top 10 excuses God will happily allow for not letting the Lord Jesus be your King.

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And in case any of those don’t work, try using this effective excuse:

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Outcast from the Outcast.


Perhaps I would be better off to not post this entry.  But it consumes my thoughts on this Christmas eve.  And I consider that nothing I post will find a grand welcome in most homes anyway.  So I’ll post this pondering.

All my life I have had only a tiny handful of friends.  I’ve had many who tried to love me.  But to no avail.  Did their love fall short?   No, I was not lovable.  But what does that mean?

I look and look at society and consider the answer:  What does it mean that I was not lovable enough to retain friends or loved ones?  Does it mean that I am such trash that even the outcast among us would gladly throw me away?  Does it mean that I hate who we are with such a venom that even venomous snakes of men are repulsed at the vicious nature of my heart?  This line of questioning will certainly result in a unfruitful line of answers.  If I question myself along this line, I will most certainly conclude that I am not worthy to breathe the same air as everyone else.  And frankly, this has been my conclusion for decades.  Since I have gained no ground prior to this using these questions, it would be good to seek questions that provide a different group of answers.

How am I different than any other man that I should experience this alienation?  There is nothing about me that you would recognize at first which would provide that answer.  I’m just like you in a variety of ways.  Where the difference appears is in what I hold as important.

English: Indian Spectacled Cobra, Naja Naja Fa...

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When I voice that “important” information, the result is alienation.  What is the difference?  I am quick to call things as they are.  I don’t monkey around with politically correct speech.   I have found that to do so simply puts off the inevitable games people play.  These games have to do with pride, importance, personal worth, gain, lies, greed, gossip, hatred of anything not “me”, and so very much more.

I’m not saying that I’m a perfect man.  I’m simply not willing to play the games of society.  Why?  Because I learned at an early age that no one wins in the games people play against each other.  Society says that we have to become something important.  And important is always defined by someone else.  If important were defined around a camp fire, we would consider bringing wood, killing something to eat, and providing some kind of shelter as indicators of what is important.  But add invention, and “important” escalates into something far more difficult to grasp and identify.  A man will say to himself, “I have gained what others do not have.  Thus I am important.  And it is important that others recognize me as important.  And those who won’t recognize my importance will suffer by my important hand.”

This is why I am an outcast.  I will not recognize this self made importance as valuable.  It is a lie.  And I won’t give glory to a life led by lying.   I give myself no glory for such behavior.  I certainly won’t give it to others.  Do you realize that even wearing the title of mom or dad can become a lie?  Even such a very reasonable title can become a “right” which demands obedience.  And in society such titles supercede righteous living.  How awesome to think that such a reasonable title can become so corrupt.

I am forced to accept my position in this world.  And it is often saddening to look around and count my friends by looking in the mirror.  But then I realize that even I have not been my best friend.  For I put myself into situations unholy and unrighteous.  Even I can’t trust myself.  Isn’t this why the Lord says to us, “Worship God only.”

Believe it or not, I would love some feedback on this issue.  We are all part of this painting of life in this place of testing.  So we are all vulnerable to the same problem I’ve laid out here on the table to eat.

By His Grace.

The Wings of the “I”


Psychology SymbolYou read our books.  You watched us worship.  You listened to how we talk.  And you watched and mimicked us as we lead our lives.  You said to yourself, “I will become like they are.  I will do and speak the same as they.  Then I will surely have what they have.

You made a science out of relationships.  You analyzed the mind of men and used our teachings to create what you call “normal”.  You said that if men were to follow your teachings they would be good men.

But there is something you have not appropriated to yourself.  You do not have the Lord Jesus among you.  You do not have the prayer of The Faith walking with you during the morning, noon, and night.  You do not have the hope of eternal life.  For you it is enough that you have a working society.  But how long can you possibly think your society will work?

What you have is a mirror of what you perceive in Christians.  It is a reflection.  It is not real.

A Shred of Faith


English: Folio 9 from the codex; beginning of ...

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There are times, in every Christian’s life, when faith is so very small.  Those moments come and go.  And the reasons for them vary when we look at it from our perspective.  But in times like those, I take heart remembering when simply speaking the word “God” was nearly impossibly difficult.  And it is good to remember what the Lord said, “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory.”  (Matthew 12:20)

Take heart!  The Lord knows your name!  And in His promise, He can neither lie nor forsake.  Two other scriptures enter here:

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  (Deuteronomy 31:6)

And:

“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”  (Psalm 51:17)

We are told to tear our hearts, not our garments.  If your heart is broken or shrunken before the Most High God, consider that this is a proper situation for a Living Faith.

 

By His Grace.