Tag Archives: Righteousness

Can you see?

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One man percieves God as hideous monster; full of Holy law and demanding.  Such a man does not know the law of God, he only knows his own hideous sin.  He attributes what he knows to the Holy One.  “Surely God is like me.  He will strike me with death when I die”.

Explain to him that God is love, and out of the fear that is in his heart, he will nod in agreement.  But there is no agreement in his soul.  He keeps on in his way because he sees no hope of any change.  If God is cruel then he is a dead man, even while he lives, and he knows it.

To another man, God is purely love.  In this man’s mind, God throws His own Righteousness and Holiness aside to embrace the sinner.  The man perceives that his sin will be erased by some miraculous working of God. 

But he does not understand his own obligation to do “The Way” of Christ.  He perceives “The Way” is too hard to walk, but he does not consider the power of prayer in Christ Jesus.  This one hungers for acceptance.  He does not hunger for righteousness.

This man thinks he will be granted entry into the perfection of eternity simply because he exists.  Speak to this man of a necessity of holiness and righteousness, and he will count you a fool.

Still another man will perceive that God demands certain rituals from all his worshippers.  This man may have started out in Christianity, by receiving forgiveness for his sins, but he has studied the law of God and has determined to do the law.  This one will add to his worship “a little here and a little there”.  In the end, he becomes far less a Christian then before he began.

Each man holds the perception of God that he has grown to love dearly.  Some hold fear, some hold love, some hold law.  As a man believes so he does.

Each of the above ways is flawed, and will suffer loss.  How very sad, when the answer for wholeness in Christ lay so clearly before us.  If a man will humble himself and pray, God will direct him into what is true.

But men love sin.  Men love pride.  Men love praise.  All three of these, the Holy Most High God abhors.

You can have the perception of God you want.  No one will stop you.  They may try to teach you with all they have, but you will refuse.  You men, as mentioned above, will do as you please regardless the will of God.  The loss is yours.

What more is there to say

That is healthy to say? 

What is written here is true.  

What would you do?

Similarity of Directions

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A sign near Chillicothe Ohio reads, “For outdoor drama stay right“.  Evidently there’s an outdoor theater somewhere near.

When I saw the sign, I had to laugh out loud.  I wonder if the signmaker realized what he was making, and just how true those words are. 

For in Christianity, everything is outside.  It was begun, remains, and will finish, outside the city of man’s intent.  All Christians are called to live outside the social norms of the world.  And the laws the Lord Jesus teaches us are completely outside the attainment of man; they are Holy, Holy, Holy.  Without him we can do nothing.

And if you want drama, become a Christian.  You will be talked about behind your back, without cause or reason.  You will have difficulty with your relatives and “friends”, for they know the person you used to be.  You will be called, in one way or another, an enemy of the state.  And the war that will rage in your soul is intense.

Christianity is completely dependent on he who is perfectly Right.  Staying wrapped up in his righteousness is essential.  And living rightly is our spiritual worship; our rightful way of saying thank you, for the Living Promise of eternal life.

Since I mentioned the theatre here, it’s only fair to give them a plug.  I don’t have any idea about the quality of their plays.  But I sure got a kick out of their sign.  Thanks folks!

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By His Grace

Depravity Without End

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All men are the same.  Though life is found in billions of variations, at their base, all men are the same.

I could point to our need to be loved.  But there are men who do that in a seducing manner already.  They use our need to be loved, as a tool to get what they want.  From soap, to sex and to acceptance, there are men who manipulate that necessity.

I could point to our physical frailty.  But there are men who exploit every facet of the human body.  From ailments to physical beauty, men exploit others for the sake of gain. 

I could point to our mutual end; that inevitable place of death.  But even there: inheritances are fought over.  The plot of land is sold at a high price.  The casket is ornate and costly.

But I will speak of our depravity.  How worthless men are for doing what is purely good.  And how completely unable we are to change our situation.

Let us lay aside our former sins, and we would still find ourselves unable to do what is pure and good.  We are hopelessly depraved.  The judgment of God waits to receive us.  Yet who among us has considered the severity of our plight?

Men are careful to look for the singular things they do, which will draw judgment upon them.  With meticulous mind they strive to avoid the obvious.  Murder, adultery, hatred, discord, jealousy, lies, and the like, are the focus of their eyes, as they peruse their situation. 

They look for the obvious, while they miss the subtle.  But any sin, no matter how small, can throw us into condemnation on the day of judgement.

With diligence, men strive to avoid these obvious pitfalls.  But the size of such sins masks the horror beneath.

“I have not murdered.  Therefore I am better than my brother who has.”  “I have remained faithful to my wife (or husband).  Therefore I am a righteous man (or woman).”  “I am patient and compassionate to those of lesser value.  Therefore I am merciful even as God is merciful.”

With endless proclamation, men justify their life.  It is as if they rehearse what they will say to the living God on that day.  And they prepare by comparing!  Oh how men love to compare!

Billions of dollars are earned for the sake of man’s valued comparisons.  One is left to eat from the trash bin, because he was found unable to compete.  He was compared by society, to what is held in high esteem, and thrown to the wolves for his lack.

Another counts himself beautiful and well endowed.  He competes with great skill.  Comparatively speaking his body is beautiful.  And comparatively speaking, his mind works well, to gain what he desires.  He is the one who is honored among men.  For he is compared to the man who eats from the trash bin.  And the beautiful one is exalted to the highest places.

For our pride, we will be judged, by he who is perfectly humble.  For the sake of our greedy desire to gain, we will be judged by he who has given everything he has.  For the sake of our love of division, we will be judged by he who is the same yesterday today and forever.

If you have thought that you can stand before God on the Judgment Day, it would be good for you to rethink your position.  The Holy One has spoken that no man will stand on his own.  God has proclaimed that every man is a liar.  And the smallest infraction against his Holy Law, is deserving of only death.

Men conveniently overlook their own faults.  With desperation, they search themselves for what might be considered good.  Though what good they find is small and rare, they hold to these things with a deadly grasp.  But God sees the entire man.

At whatever place you think highly of yourself, you are severely mistaken.  You have compared yourself to others.  This is the source of your confidence.  But men fail to compare themselves to the Living God or his Holy Son Christ Jesus.

If you are still willing to listen I will tell you a truth of hope.  All need not be lost!  A way has been made for every man to stand strong on the Day of Judgment.

Your complete lack of what is good has been seen by the Holy Lord.  His Holy and Faithful Son’s sacrifice can cover you with confidence on that day.  But do not think you will wait for his covering when you appear before the Most High God.

There is holy work to do within you even now.  To appear with confidence before the Most High God requires a certain garb.  A man must be dressed in righteousness, holiness, a distinct lack of willingness to compare, and a vibrant willingness to forgive the sins of others.

As I pointed out before we are not capable of such attire.  Man, if left by himself, can only become dressed in everything that is wicked.  The very place we live demands it. 

Accept the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.  Put down your own perceived righteous behavior.  Learn from the Lord what he expects from all men.  Humble yourself before the Living God.  Pray, and seek His face.  Present yourself to him as you are.

If you wait until the day of judgement you will be sorely hateful of yourself.  You will not be welcomed with open arms.  You will be cast away without the slightest regret.  On that day, no amount of tears or violent anger will change his mind.

There is a transformation that needs to take place here.  We must learn to submit to his leadership.  We must become worthy. 

Without him we can do nothing.  But with him we can overcome the selfish desires of man.  By the work of God within us, we can become like the Lord Jesus.  But this requires a humble submission from us.

There are millions who think they have a free pass to eternal life.  By speaking of few words, they count Jesus as their Savior and Lord.  But there is no change in their heart, mind or desire.  These, very many people, will be horribly surprised.  For man is condemned before he appears before God!

The only ones worthy of eternal life are those who do the will of the Sovereign God in Christ Jesus. 

If you do not fully understand what I have said here, do not bother to ask me to explain.  The Bible is freely available in almost every place of the world.  And prayer is only a knee bend away. 

If you are looking for a man to tell you what to do, you are looking in vain.  Only Jesus the Christ is able to save your soul.  We can point you to him, but we have no strength to save you. 

And if you look to men to help you are, by comparison, ignoring the command of God. 

You will stand all alone and naked on that day.  The teaching of no man can clothe you sufficiently.  To put it in the way of the Bible, you need to be washed and clothed in the Holy Blood of Jesus.

By His Grace

Willing Heart

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I tell you a truth.  I do not worship God because I am a righteous man.  I worship God because he has shown me how to love him. 

The world is mistaken.  They see God as a taskmaster, a demanding and angry Lord.  Even all the divisions in the Christian Church appear because of this. 

But man is horribly in error.  It is written, “Unless the Lord builds a house the builder builds in vain.”   The truth of that comes home when a man understands that the Lord is willing to build His Holy house within him.

I could continue with my own words but to no great advantage.  Let me place here a more beautiful way of saying all these things.

“Once I stumbled in the darkness
doing only as I pleased.

But, I wasn’t really happy,
And, my heart was not at ease.

I just didn’t have the willingness
to follow His commands,

‘Til I layed my heart completely in His hands.

If you don’t have a willing heart,
ask Him to give you one.

If you can’t seem to make a start,
Trust in His power.

For the Lord of Love is watching you,
He sees what you’re going through.

And, He can make a way,
If you want Him to.

Oh, do you want Him to?
… Then, tell Him so.

(Kelly Willard “Willing heart”)

If you want to live, simply ask.

“Yes!”

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God says, “Yes“.  And he has engraved that Holy Word in the Holy Blood of his Holy Son across all creation!

He says “yes” to our desire to live forever.  He says “yes” to everything that is righteous and good.

If we do not live, as if he has said “yes” to us then, by whatever measure we fall short, we call him a liar.  It is established that God cannot lie.  So then who are we to refuse his answer?

He says “yes“, and so there is sure joy toward the promise of eternity.  He says “yes“, and so we become a righteous people in His Holy Christ.

The first is to believe and be set free from all the things that bring failure and shame.  The second is to “become” and overcome sin and temptation.  The first gives us strength to honor his Holy Name and testify with great boldness, even in the face of hatred and ridicule; even in the face of wicked and unholy doubt. 

The second gives our testimony the strongest possible foundation.  This is the strength to stand with glory; that standing which causes men to wonder and marvel.  We become His “yes” before their very face

God has said “yes” in the very suffering and blood of His Holy Son.  He has said “yes” to the destruction of all who do not believe and remain in the filthy death of unbelief.   He has said “yes” to any man who desires righteousness from his Holy Hand, and looks for it earnestly.

How do we dare say no?  Let us combine our knowledge with faith, and rise up to give Him the glory that is rightfully His! 

Let us not be like those who fell, dead forever, in the desert!  Let us be as the example of Stephen, his holy and righteous servant!

From Dark Perversity to Blazing Light

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It may seem odd to many people, for they see what I write.  But I am not a righteous man.  I have never been a righteous man.  Nor is it possible for me to say I am now a righteous man.  And I will wake in the morning a wicked fool.

You may think this is some kind of trick.  “Perhaps he’s about to make some play on words.”  But I am telling you what is true.

Take away the Spirit of Christ within me, and I immediately fall to the man I always have been, and far worse.  Do you doubt me?  Then I propose to you that you do not know the gospel of Christ Jesus.

Do you really think a man must be righteous in order to speak of the gospel with boldness?  Must a man be righteous, in himself, in order to speak against the wicked?  I tell you no on both counts.

The Spirit of Christ within me speaks these things.  I simply relay what I hear.  “Perspective” comes from him and I speak what I see.  And if I do what is right it is not because I desire to do all good things.  The Spirit of Christ tells me what I must do, and I do it.

I have come to lean on the Lord Jesus for everything.  And this is not to my credit.  He has taught me to listen to him in everything I do.  Even my desire to love him is not from me.  It is a gift from him for he has taught me to trust him.

“This is what is meant by, Unless the Lord builds the house the builder build in vain.”

You may think this is some silly attempt at humility.  If that’s what you think, you are deadly wrong.

Please let me ask you a question.  How can a man act in a heavenly way, when all he has ever known his wickedness and death?  that os to say: with what understanding can he lay aside all that he has been taught?  My mind retains the horrors of my own wicked sins.  But the love of God quiets me, as if a crying child.

It is as though a man wears a certain kind of glasses.  What he has known, discolors everything he sees.  Even as we read the Living Holy Scriptures, we are prone to interpret them according to our own knowledge.  And even while someone, with understanding, tells us what the Scriptures mean, we hear with our own wicked ears. 

What was born and thrived in wickedness cannot give birth to what is holy.  A wicked heart can only give birth to death.  It takes what is Holy to come and give birth to what is holy.  And a perverse parent cannot teach a child to be a righteous man. 

What is black cannot make itself white.  Pure whiteness has no darkness in it.  Things that are “not” will not find ability to become.  But God can raise the living dead to eternal life!

We need someone to listen to our very thoughts, and help us correct them as they appear.  This is what the Holy Spirit of Christ does in the believer.  And as a man sees how radically different truth is from his own perception, he begins to love the truth. 

This is how he desires to dress all men.  And I testify that he does this, if a man will only ask in humility. 

Men fear to come to him because they know they are wicked and they know he is true.  But they hate him for no reason.  He shows us what we are, and humility is born.

I have spoken what is true here.  It is eternally impossible for a man to be a Christian on his own.  This is why so many live such horribly pathetic Christian lives.  They have a “form of religion but deny the power of it”. 

To “deny” means more than to say that something is not true.  To deny the power of God, is to stubbornly raise your hand and stand in your place saying,  “No I will not obey!  I refuse to believe!  I refuse to receive what you offer”.

We are born in death.  But by his promised willingness, he transforms us into life.  Go to him consistently, and you will see that what I say is true. 

Present your ragged and useless soul to the living God in Christ Jesus His Holy Son, even in his Holy name.  In a short time you will begin to see what a vicious murderer of righteousness you are.

He has promised, and cannot lie, he will raise up all who come to him.  But do not be deceived by the liars of this world.  To be transformed from death to life is no pleasant task.

There are great tears to shed.  There is horror to endure as you see who you really are.  There is great fear to fall upon you.  And all this will come to you, far before the peace of God gives you strength.  But endure this Holy beating, and you will find he is compassionate and full of generous love.

Many have tried and failed.  They testify that the way of God is full of misery.  But they testify from the volume of their own wicked heart.  They did not come to love the living God in Christ Jesus. 

They remained in their own depravity and would not allow God to open their eyes.  They came before God that he might praise them for being good men. 

To their shock, they began to see what a lie they have been.  So they quickly turned away from him and screamed to all men, while pointing at God,  “He is wicked and his promises are not true!”  Thus they have proudly announced that God is dead.

So they testify to all men, the first and greatest lie:  “God demands too much of us and is not willing to lend a hand.  He demands holiness and gives us no tools with which to grasp.  His promises are not but a trick; an evil and unholy trick.”

They will receive the proper reward for their insolent and wicked perceptions.  And to add to the plight of these perverse men, is that they have taught others their perversity.  God will surely call them to a Blazing Fire of Holy accountability.

But if you desire life, understand what I have written.  If along the way you desire to return to death, you will know it and die.  But you are dead already; condemned before God for the wickedness that you are.  What then, can you possibly stand to lose? 

If you don’t go buy food, from those who sell it, you will not eat.  And man is not a garden of holiness in himself!