The following is a news item about four daughters of the King of Saudi Arabia. Although we cannot presume to know his motive, and although the young women pictured in an article about them appeared well, it is apparent that they are being held in their palatial prison against their will. One account stated that the reason for their long incarceration is because they are "too Westernized."
This seems to be a variation of 'the women's room,' a punishment for women who are somehow offensive to their fathers or their brothers or their husbands. For more insight into the treatment of women in SA, read PRINCESS by Jean Sasson.
Deprived of their basic needs, the four Saudi royal princesses kept in 13-year isolation by their father, King Abdullah, have surpassed 60 days without food.
The monarch’s daughters fell out of their father’s favor for speaking out against the ill treatment of women in the Gulf kingdom. It is also believed that the king was angry at the girls' mother for not giving him a son.
Two of the princesses, Sahar and Jawaher, say they are being kept against their will in two mansions inside a royal compound in the city of Jeddah, along with their other two sisters – Maha and Hala. They say they have been deprived of food for over 60 days and have very little access to water.
“It’s a horrible situation, it’s a forced famine basically. They are confining us, depriving us of food and water, freedom and rights. We are struggling, we are surviving, we are resisting, we are trying our best to stay alive,” the two sisters told RT via Skype.
“How can we continue living like this? We have to take the risk of [speaking out]."
Having spent so much time deprived of freedom, they struggle to understand why they have been locked up.
“The king and his sons need to answer these questions: What are we charged with? What exactly is our crime?”
“What is the crime of 99 percent of women in this country, who are basically suffering under male guardianship? A male guardian can do whatever he wants; he can cut off everything and she is left with nothing,” they said on behalf of the female citizens of the ultraconservative kingdom.
“We are making these statements right now [in order to] gain our rights, our freedoms.”
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (Reuters / Brendan Smialowski)
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (Reuters / Brendan Smialowski)
Their health is slowly deteriorating. Past appeals by their mother, Alanoud Al-Fayez, for outside assistance - including from Western leaders like US President Barack Obama - have not come to fruition. The administration is turning a blind eye, according to some critics. But the situation cannot be helped by appealing to the Saudi government either, as it maintains that the princesses are in fact perfectly free to move around the city of Jeddah, provided they are accompanied by bodyguards.
The four sisters are between the ages of 38 and 42, with at least one said to be suffering from psychological problems.
Earlier, in rare interviews with foreign media, the sisters said they don’t have any passports or IDs and the king has also forbidden any man to seek his daughters’ hands in marriage. The entire time they have been kept in isolation, both electricity and water have been shut off at random, often for days – even weeks.
The 89-year-old monarch and father of 38 children, given to him by multiple wives, is listed among Forbes magazine's most wealthy and influential men, with a fortune estimated at around US$17 billion.
The princesses' mother, Al-Fayez, divorced King Abdullah in 1980, consequently leaving for London in 2001. The sisters' ordeal then began around 2002. Less than one year after their mother escaped, Abdullah began tormenting his daughters. The sisters told their mother that he drugged their food and water to keep them docile when they openly spoke against women being illegally detained and placed in mental wards.
The director of the Institute for Gulf Affairs, Ali Al-Ahmed, believes the grave human rights situation in the kingdom is compounded by a political strategy from the outside, whose purpose is to keep any negative press at bay, and is a force to either change things for the better or keep them as they are.
“This is the nature of the Saudi monarchy, who are oppressing the people in their country. But now it’s very clear that they’re oppressing their own female members. The king who is portrayed in the international media – in the Western media - as a reformer, is oppressing his own daughters; healthy adult women, who have been held for 13 years…they’re being starved deliberately,” Al-Ahmed told RT.
“People outside the country definitely can speak and hold those people who are responsible for this crime accountable; namely the Saudi king and his sons…who are deliberately doing this.”
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Whose God Is Compassionate and Merciful?
May 31
“Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor,” John 12:20-26.
Meriam Ibrahim has been given a reprieve of sorts. The judge has decreed that she may live until her child is weaned, at around the age of two years. What this pseudo compassionate man is failing to factor into the equation is that her newborn infant stands very little chance of surviving that long in the filthy, germ and infection infested, vermin-ridden dungeon where she and her children are being caged.
What we see here is the distinct contrast between the religion of Miriam’s captors and hers. The judge would, we may say with confidence affirm that the god he worships is “compassionate and merciful,” yet we must question the compassion and mercy of his earthly representatives.
A married woman, loved by her husband, a tender mother to her children is being treated like a caged animal. Her tormentors are people who think they are doing their god a favor by incarcerating her and torturing her emotionally and physically. How different from the GOD SHE SERVES, the GOD WHO SAYS, “Vengeance is Mine! I will recompense evil,” Romans 12:19.
How different from Jesus who when the woman taken in adultery was brought to Him by the accusers who wanted to stone her said, “I forgive you; go and sin no more,” John 8:10. Her judge, who has condemned her to death, believes she is a woman living in sin because she dared—as a woman professing faith in Christ—to marry a man of like precious faith!
Instead of condemning her to death, should he not instead release her to her American husband with the stipulation that he take her and their children to the United States and forbid them to ever return to Sudan!
The judge subscribes to the notion that America is the Great Satan. In sending her here, he would be relegating her to a punishment fitting her crime of marrying an American Christian. The judge would be placing into allah’s hands the fate that would befall her here.
A precedent has already been established within his own legal framework. A group of men were accused of treason by their government. They professed their innocence. The judge in the case ruled that allah would be the one to determine their guilt or innocence. The men were to be taken into an airplane and required to jump out without parachutes. If they lived, allah ruled that they were innocent. If they died, he punished them by their deaths.
If Miriam’s God counts her guilty, she will be miserable in America; if He counts her innocent, she will live and breathe free, loving her husband, loving and nurturing her children in “the wisdom and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4, and she will bring forth much good fruit from her godly life.
Yet if this judge has his heart hardened against Meriam, she will still be like the kernel of wheat that falls to the ground. In her death, her faith and courage will bring forth more fruit than even her life can do.
“Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor,” John 12:20-26.
Meriam Ibrahim has been given a reprieve of sorts. The judge has decreed that she may live until her child is weaned, at around the age of two years. What this pseudo compassionate man is failing to factor into the equation is that her newborn infant stands very little chance of surviving that long in the filthy, germ and infection infested, vermin-ridden dungeon where she and her children are being caged.
What we see here is the distinct contrast between the religion of Miriam’s captors and hers. The judge would, we may say with confidence affirm that the god he worships is “compassionate and merciful,” yet we must question the compassion and mercy of his earthly representatives.
A married woman, loved by her husband, a tender mother to her children is being treated like a caged animal. Her tormentors are people who think they are doing their god a favor by incarcerating her and torturing her emotionally and physically. How different from the GOD SHE SERVES, the GOD WHO SAYS, “Vengeance is Mine! I will recompense evil,” Romans 12:19.
How different from Jesus who when the woman taken in adultery was brought to Him by the accusers who wanted to stone her said, “I forgive you; go and sin no more,” John 8:10. Her judge, who has condemned her to death, believes she is a woman living in sin because she dared—as a woman professing faith in Christ—to marry a man of like precious faith!
Instead of condemning her to death, should he not instead release her to her American husband with the stipulation that he take her and their children to the United States and forbid them to ever return to Sudan!
The judge subscribes to the notion that America is the Great Satan. In sending her here, he would be relegating her to a punishment fitting her crime of marrying an American Christian. The judge would be placing into allah’s hands the fate that would befall her here.
A precedent has already been established within his own legal framework. A group of men were accused of treason by their government. They professed their innocence. The judge in the case ruled that allah would be the one to determine their guilt or innocence. The men were to be taken into an airplane and required to jump out without parachutes. If they lived, allah ruled that they were innocent. If they died, he punished them by their deaths.
If Miriam’s God counts her guilty, she will be miserable in America; if He counts her innocent, she will live and breathe free, loving her husband, loving and nurturing her children in “the wisdom and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4, and she will bring forth much good fruit from her godly life.
Yet if this judge has his heart hardened against Meriam, she will still be like the kernel of wheat that falls to the ground. In her death, her faith and courage will bring forth more fruit than even her life can do.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Save Meriam
May 30
Save Meriam By Peter Roff
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim is currently under a sentence of death in Sudan. Her crime? According to a Sudanese court, Ibrahim renounced her Islamic faith in favor of Christianity, and so, in accordance with Islamic law, she must be put to death.
According to CNN, Ibrahim says that while her father was a Sudanese Muslim, he left when she was six. Her mother, an Ethiopian Orthodox, opted to raise her as a Christian. Sudanese Parliament speaker Fatih Izz Al-Deen, the network said in its reporting, says the claim that Ibrahim was raised as non-Muslim is untrue, that she was raised in an Islamic environment, and that her brother, who is Muslim, filed the complaint against her.
Ibrahim was given until May 15 to renounce her faith but refused and, now that her baby has been born, is awaiting the result of an appeal to the nation’s highest court. If it affirms the lower court ruling, which is likely, she could be put to death immediately or after the child is weaned.
Either way the outcome is morally unacceptable, all the more so because her husband, Daniel Wani, is an American citizen. Yet the Obama administration again appears powerless to help.
Likewise, there’s apparently been no high-profile private diplomacy. No cabinet secretaries, current or former, have been jumping on planes and no members of Congress, Republican or Democrat, have flown over to demand they be allowed to meet with her and check on her condition. It’s almost as though she doesn’t exist.
This situation has been allowed to go on for far too long. One would think there would be daily demonstrations outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C., and at the New York consulate where the United Nations’ delegation is housed. So far, though, nothing.
Nor do the television networks have teams on the ground in Khartoum covering the unfolding drama of this very brave woman who refuses to renounce her faith, who puts her trust in God and is depending on Him to deliver her from her captivity much as He did Daniel in the lions’ den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace.
Her faith is a testament to a kind of courage sorely lacking among those American women who purport to speak for women all over the world. They have not the courage of their convictions, at least as far as Meriam Ibrahim is concerned, and they should be ashamed. By week’s end, let’s hope her name is as commonplace…and that President Barack Obama will come to her defense, on behalf of the United States and the rest of the world.
Peter Roff is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report. Formerly a senior political writer for United Press International, he's now affiliated with several public policy organizations including Let Freedom Ring, and Frontiers of Freedom. His writing has appeared in National Review, Fox News' opinion section, The Daily Caller, Politico and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @PeterRoff.
Peter Roff is quite right—the Western World, America in particular—should be speaking against the heinous injustice that is being done to Meriam Ibrahim and her family, but the muslim world should be speaking out as well.
The Koran states: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Quran 2:256)
Further it says, “If it had been your Lord’s will, all of the people on Earth would have believed. Would you then compel the people so to have them believe?” (Quran 10:99).
Their own holy word makes it quite clear that faith is a matter of the conscience of the individual. Though it may be preferable in the tenet of this religion that one accept its tenets, it is quite clear that the choice to do so must be left with the one who stands before God.
The judge that has convicted and sentenced Meriam Ibrahim seems to be unaware of the doctrine of his own religion.
May we who call ourselves Christian turn to the One who “inhabits eternity” Isaiah 57:15 where we can “find mercy and grace,” Hebrews 4:16. May we pray day and night in the behalf of our sister, whose only “crime” is to love her Savior Jesus Christ and to refuse to deny Him.
Save Meriam By Peter Roff
Meriam Yehya Ibrahim is currently under a sentence of death in Sudan. Her crime? According to a Sudanese court, Ibrahim renounced her Islamic faith in favor of Christianity, and so, in accordance with Islamic law, she must be put to death.
According to CNN, Ibrahim says that while her father was a Sudanese Muslim, he left when she was six. Her mother, an Ethiopian Orthodox, opted to raise her as a Christian. Sudanese Parliament speaker Fatih Izz Al-Deen, the network said in its reporting, says the claim that Ibrahim was raised as non-Muslim is untrue, that she was raised in an Islamic environment, and that her brother, who is Muslim, filed the complaint against her.
Ibrahim was given until May 15 to renounce her faith but refused and, now that her baby has been born, is awaiting the result of an appeal to the nation’s highest court. If it affirms the lower court ruling, which is likely, she could be put to death immediately or after the child is weaned.
Either way the outcome is morally unacceptable, all the more so because her husband, Daniel Wani, is an American citizen. Yet the Obama administration again appears powerless to help.
Likewise, there’s apparently been no high-profile private diplomacy. No cabinet secretaries, current or former, have been jumping on planes and no members of Congress, Republican or Democrat, have flown over to demand they be allowed to meet with her and check on her condition. It’s almost as though she doesn’t exist.
This situation has been allowed to go on for far too long. One would think there would be daily demonstrations outside the Sudanese embassy in Washington, D.C., and at the New York consulate where the United Nations’ delegation is housed. So far, though, nothing.
Nor do the television networks have teams on the ground in Khartoum covering the unfolding drama of this very brave woman who refuses to renounce her faith, who puts her trust in God and is depending on Him to deliver her from her captivity much as He did Daniel in the lions’ den and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace.
Her faith is a testament to a kind of courage sorely lacking among those American women who purport to speak for women all over the world. They have not the courage of their convictions, at least as far as Meriam Ibrahim is concerned, and they should be ashamed. By week’s end, let’s hope her name is as commonplace…and that President Barack Obama will come to her defense, on behalf of the United States and the rest of the world.
Peter Roff is a contributing editor at U.S. News & World Report. Formerly a senior political writer for United Press International, he's now affiliated with several public policy organizations including Let Freedom Ring, and Frontiers of Freedom. His writing has appeared in National Review, Fox News' opinion section, The Daily Caller, Politico and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @PeterRoff.
Peter Roff is quite right—the Western World, America in particular—should be speaking against the heinous injustice that is being done to Meriam Ibrahim and her family, but the muslim world should be speaking out as well.
The Koran states: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth has been made clear from error. Whoever rejects false worship and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” (Quran 2:256)
Further it says, “If it had been your Lord’s will, all of the people on Earth would have believed. Would you then compel the people so to have them believe?” (Quran 10:99).
Their own holy word makes it quite clear that faith is a matter of the conscience of the individual. Though it may be preferable in the tenet of this religion that one accept its tenets, it is quite clear that the choice to do so must be left with the one who stands before God.
The judge that has convicted and sentenced Meriam Ibrahim seems to be unaware of the doctrine of his own religion.
May we who call ourselves Christian turn to the One who “inhabits eternity” Isaiah 57:15 where we can “find mercy and grace,” Hebrews 4:16. May we pray day and night in the behalf of our sister, whose only “crime” is to love her Savior Jesus Christ and to refuse to deny Him.
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Pray for Meriam and Her Little Ones
May 29
Thirty years ago, as of this writing in 2014, two businessmen who were living in a country where religious tolerance is unheard of formed an underground branch of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Association. Before long, many other believers were added to their number and their monthly meetings at an American sponsored restaurant called “The D.I.” were well attended.
Each month a different one of these men testified as to his experience in coming to know Christ as his Savior and each month one of them gave a little talk regarding faith in the unchanging and eternal God who gave Himself that men might be free.
At one of these meetings, an unlikely speaker took his place at the podium. He was from an African nation and although he was attired in western clothing, the scars that covered his face and arms seemed to indicate that he had been involved in some tribal ritual. That presumption was quite far from the truth.
A hush fell over the auditorium as he began to speak. He told of the take-over of his country by the Communists and the imprisonment of anyone who had been in a position of influence under the previous government. Consequently, he and his family were cast into prison.
The treatment of prisoners was abysmal. Many were tortured and beaten, he among them. The scars he bore were not from primitive pagan practices but because of the severe lashings and beatings that were inflicted upon him.
When he had been beaten to within an inch of his life, he was cast back into the prison population where he was nursed back to health by a group of people who seemed to enjoy safety from the heinous treatment of the sadistic guards. This kindly group were known as “the Pents.” They were a group of Pentecostal Christians.
According to the testimony given by the speaker, every time one of them had been abused by a guard, some dire fate fell upon the guard—he became ill or a member of his family died. Without fail, when one of the Pentecostals had been subjected to the horrific treatment that was rampant in the prison, a high penalty was extracted upon the one who inflicted that treatment. Consequently, the Pents were left alone by the guards.
The speaker was persuaded by them to accept Christ as his Savior and he became one of them. From that time until he was unexpectedly released, without papers and without any way to support himself in his native country, he remained safe under the protection the Lord put over His people.
Because he had no way to support himself under the Communist regime, he fled to the country where he lived and worked under the auspices of a company that supplied manual labor to the wealthy kingdom that was growing beyond its ability to sustain itself without foreign technology and foreign labor.
With all that said, may I ask YOU to pray for Meriam Ibrahim, that the judge in her case, the guards in her prison, that the person tasked with administering 100 lashes to her will either be touched by compassion and release her and her children to her husband or that they shall experience the same fate as befell the sadistic guards in this tale of another time and another place where man’s inhumanity to man was rampant.
May the U.S. officials who are doing nothing in the behalf of this American man and his family be compelled by the demands of decency to move in the behalf of this woman and her babies—or may they feel the retribution of the mighty God who loves her and her children and died for them that they might live eternally.
May our concerted prayers “set the captive free,” Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18, as we beseech the God of mercy and grace, the Christ who died that we may live, in the behalf of our sister and her precious little ones--let us beseech Him that THEY MAY LIVE!
Thirty years ago, as of this writing in 2014, two businessmen who were living in a country where religious tolerance is unheard of formed an underground branch of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Association. Before long, many other believers were added to their number and their monthly meetings at an American sponsored restaurant called “The D.I.” were well attended.
Each month a different one of these men testified as to his experience in coming to know Christ as his Savior and each month one of them gave a little talk regarding faith in the unchanging and eternal God who gave Himself that men might be free.
At one of these meetings, an unlikely speaker took his place at the podium. He was from an African nation and although he was attired in western clothing, the scars that covered his face and arms seemed to indicate that he had been involved in some tribal ritual. That presumption was quite far from the truth.
A hush fell over the auditorium as he began to speak. He told of the take-over of his country by the Communists and the imprisonment of anyone who had been in a position of influence under the previous government. Consequently, he and his family were cast into prison.
The treatment of prisoners was abysmal. Many were tortured and beaten, he among them. The scars he bore were not from primitive pagan practices but because of the severe lashings and beatings that were inflicted upon him.
When he had been beaten to within an inch of his life, he was cast back into the prison population where he was nursed back to health by a group of people who seemed to enjoy safety from the heinous treatment of the sadistic guards. This kindly group were known as “the Pents.” They were a group of Pentecostal Christians.
According to the testimony given by the speaker, every time one of them had been abused by a guard, some dire fate fell upon the guard—he became ill or a member of his family died. Without fail, when one of the Pentecostals had been subjected to the horrific treatment that was rampant in the prison, a high penalty was extracted upon the one who inflicted that treatment. Consequently, the Pents were left alone by the guards.
The speaker was persuaded by them to accept Christ as his Savior and he became one of them. From that time until he was unexpectedly released, without papers and without any way to support himself in his native country, he remained safe under the protection the Lord put over His people.
Because he had no way to support himself under the Communist regime, he fled to the country where he lived and worked under the auspices of a company that supplied manual labor to the wealthy kingdom that was growing beyond its ability to sustain itself without foreign technology and foreign labor.
With all that said, may I ask YOU to pray for Meriam Ibrahim, that the judge in her case, the guards in her prison, that the person tasked with administering 100 lashes to her will either be touched by compassion and release her and her children to her husband or that they shall experience the same fate as befell the sadistic guards in this tale of another time and another place where man’s inhumanity to man was rampant.
May the U.S. officials who are doing nothing in the behalf of this American man and his family be compelled by the demands of decency to move in the behalf of this woman and her babies—or may they feel the retribution of the mighty God who loves her and her children and died for them that they might live eternally.
May our concerted prayers “set the captive free,” Isaiah 61:1, Luke 4:18, as we beseech the God of mercy and grace, the Christ who died that we may live, in the behalf of our sister and her precious little ones--let us beseech Him that THEY MAY LIVE!
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Meriam's Baby Girl Is Born
Shackled Christian Sudanese Mother Gives Birth in Prison
by Joanne Moudy | May 28, 2014
Shackled for four months to the floor of her prison cage in Khartoum, Sudan, Dr. Meriam Yehya Ibrahim Ishag gave birth to a baby girl five days early. She wasn’t afforded the luxury of being transported to a hospital or even a decent clinic. Instead, her shackles were temporarily removed and she was taken to the hospital wing at Obdurman Federal Women’s Prison, a filthy hell-hole no American would be caught dead in.
Except two are. Martin, Meriam’s 20 month-old son and now Maya, her one-day old baby, who fortunately appeared healthy at birth. Both are U.S. Citizens because Meriam is married to Daniel Wani, a 27 year-old biochemist, U.S. Citizen, and the father of the children.
According to the Daily Mail, Daniel, Meriam and Martin were in Khartoum in September when his wife was originally arrested. Daniel brought them to the city to visit the U.S. Embassy in order to arrange for the family to live in the U.S. Meriam was three weeks pregnant at the time of the arrest.
After Meriam’s arrest, Daniel repeatedly reached out to the officials at the U.S. Embassy, to no avail. He was told that they were too busy to help, especially since Meriam herself is Sudanese and not a U.S. Citizen.
They seemed to miss the salient point that the children are by birth, U.S. Citizens and thereby entitled to U.S. protection. That point seems to elude our illustrious State Department as well.
So now the clock starts ticking on Meriam’s two sentences. It is unclear when the first of two will be carried out, but it is expected to be relatively soon. That will consist of Meriam being severely flogged with 100 lashes for alleged adultery. Since the Shari’a law and/or the Sudan government does not allow females to marry outside the Muslim faith, Meriam’s legal marriage to Daniel is not recognized and she will be punished for having relations with her husband.
The second sentence is hanging for the alleged crime of apostasy. According to family records, Meriam was born to her Ethiopian Christian mother who was married to a Sudanese Muslin. The father deserted the family when Meriam was only six, and her mother raised her in the Christian faith. According to Meriam, Christianity is the only faith she has ever known.
Unfortunately the Sudan Government and Shari’a law do not agree with Meriam’s position. Shari’a law strictly dictates that children must be raised in the father’s faith, i.e. all kids must be raised Muslim. Irregardless of Meriam’s mother or her upbringing, the court is forcing Muslim upon her, to the point of death.
According to her attorney, Mohaned Mustafa Elnour, it is likely the sentence of hanging will not be carried out until the baby is older, as children are ‘cherished’ in Muslim countries. It is definitely great news that Meriam may have a bit of time before she hangs to death, but it is a joke that her children are ‘cherished.’
Quite the contrary, her 20 month-old son Martin has been locked in a cage during the entire time of Meriam’s incarceration, and is enduring terrible torture and repeated infections from the bug infested dungeon where he is kept. It is safe to assume that the baby girl’s fate will be just as bad, if not worse. She is, after all, female. According to Human Rights Watch, the prison is overcrowded, unsanitary and rampant with death, especially the deaths of many children living with their mothers.
Meanwhile, where oh where are the President, Secretary of State and all the bleeding heart liberals who can’t say enough about the bogus ‘war on women’ in the U.S? Where is the mass media who support the liberal idiocy of Obama’s never-ending dogma? Just like Benghazi, they are deep into tootling around on Air Force One, sleeping at the switch, ignoring the obvious, and covering up the truth. The last thing they care about is saving American lives.
The only possible answer is Congressional pressure to make our State Department engage. Although Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N. and Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO wrote to John Kerry, no apparent action has been taken by the Secretary of State. Similarly, Rep(s). Trent Franks, R-AZ, Scott Garrett, R-N.J., and 22 other members of the House have signed a their own version of the letter to Kerry. Again, no affirmative action has been taken.
Meanwhile, the clock is ticking while a fragile family of four Christians wait, suspended in a living hell. All four need to be rescued from Khartoum immediately, three of them are U.S. citizens and two of them are under the age of two.
Predestined?
May 28
Romans 8:29-30 is probably one of the most confusing verses in the entirety of holy writ, for it flies in the face of the assertion that man has been given a free will.
It says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
It implies that man has little say in the matter of his own salvation for he is either destined to be born again or he is not. It seems here that the initiative is all God’s. Man is simply the responder who accepts the gift that is bestowed upon him by the God who has called him to salvation.
To believe that, however is to negate many other verses that suggest, if they do not directly state, that man indeed has a will of his own that is very much in effect in how he will view the matters of time and eternity. Here are a few of those verses:
John 8:24 - I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: if you believe not that I am; yes, you shall die in your sins.
Proverbs 16:9 - A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.
Ephesians 2:2 - In time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, according to the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:
Romans 13:2 - Whoever resists the power of God, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 13:3 - I tell you, except you repent, you shall all perish.
Joshua 24:15 - And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
John 8:32 - And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 7:17 - If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Obviously, the term ‘free will’ is not mentioned in any of these passages of scripture but each of them certainly implies that individuals come to a place of decision where they have a profound responsibility to decide to believe in the One True and Living God—or to accept the consequence of the choice to disbelieve.
If each individual has a choice in the matter of acceptance or rejection of the Word, if each individual has the freedom to decide whether he will embrace the message of the Gospel or deny it, then the sole responsibility for his eternal destiny is in his own hands.
That in no way negates, however, the foreknowledge of the God who is omniscient as well as being omnipotent and omnipresent. Although He knows a man’s choice, He does not require that a man decide in favor of belief in Christ.
Certainly there is much evidence that the Holy One reaches out to unbelievers in His endeavor to lovingly draw them to faith in the “ONE NAME GIVEN UNDER HEAVEN WHEREBY MEN MIGHT BE SAVED,” Acts 4:12, but He does not compel anyone to receive His “unspeakable GIFT,” II Corinthians 9:15.
May we then be compelled by the love that took Christ to the cross to receive the precious treasure that He holds out to us—so we may be among those He foreknew would be believers.
Romans 8:29-30 is probably one of the most confusing verses in the entirety of holy writ, for it flies in the face of the assertion that man has been given a free will.
It says, “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”
It implies that man has little say in the matter of his own salvation for he is either destined to be born again or he is not. It seems here that the initiative is all God’s. Man is simply the responder who accepts the gift that is bestowed upon him by the God who has called him to salvation.
To believe that, however is to negate many other verses that suggest, if they do not directly state, that man indeed has a will of his own that is very much in effect in how he will view the matters of time and eternity. Here are a few of those verses:
John 8:24 - I said therefore unto you, that you shall die in your sins: if you believe not that I am; yes, you shall die in your sins.
Proverbs 16:9 - A man's heart devises his way: but the LORD directs his steps.
Ephesians 2:2 - In time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, according to the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:
Romans 13:2 - Whoever resists the power of God, resists the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Acts 2:38 - Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Luke 13:3 - I tell you, except you repent, you shall all perish.
Joshua 24:15 - And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
John 8:32 - And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
John 7:17 - If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.
Obviously, the term ‘free will’ is not mentioned in any of these passages of scripture but each of them certainly implies that individuals come to a place of decision where they have a profound responsibility to decide to believe in the One True and Living God—or to accept the consequence of the choice to disbelieve.
If each individual has a choice in the matter of acceptance or rejection of the Word, if each individual has the freedom to decide whether he will embrace the message of the Gospel or deny it, then the sole responsibility for his eternal destiny is in his own hands.
That in no way negates, however, the foreknowledge of the God who is omniscient as well as being omnipotent and omnipresent. Although He knows a man’s choice, He does not require that a man decide in favor of belief in Christ.
Certainly there is much evidence that the Holy One reaches out to unbelievers in His endeavor to lovingly draw them to faith in the “ONE NAME GIVEN UNDER HEAVEN WHEREBY MEN MIGHT BE SAVED,” Acts 4:12, but He does not compel anyone to receive His “unspeakable GIFT,” II Corinthians 9:15.
May we then be compelled by the love that took Christ to the cross to receive the precious treasure that He holds out to us—so we may be among those He foreknew would be believers.
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
The One We Believe
May 27
"In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness." Psalm 31:1
We tend to become anxious when our circumstances appear to be beyond our control. We want to feel like we are in command of the things we face but often we are not. It is comforting to us at those times to lean on the truth that even when we have not employed the power He’s given to us to transform our challenges into our victories, HE is still Lord over all the universe—including our problems.
David expresses our heart in the psalm quoted above. He reflects our yearning to find security within the high tower of His love and salvation. In Psalm 144:2 David says it this way, “You are my refuge and my strength, my strong tower of safety, my deliverer.”
The reality is that life is fraught with trial. “The rain falls on the just and on the unjust; the sun shines on the just and on the unjust,” Matthew 5:45, states clearly that good and bad things befall all people—even professors of faith in Jesus our Lord.
In fact, Jesus told us to be prepared for trying circumstances. In John 16:33 He said, “In the world you shall have tribulation…” He didn’t want the unfortunate realities of life to take us off-guard. But, He didn’t leave us in the quandary of them! No! He went on to conclude in that verse, “…but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.”
Whether our problems are health problems, or relational problems, or societal problems, or problems rooted in our very belief in Jesus (indeed He has said, “If the world has hated Me, it shall hate you also,” John 15:18), may we not be overburdened by our difficulties! Rather may we stand on the assurance that Jesus is in charge and that He will ultimately prevail.
May we say with Paul, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed to Him…” II Timothy 1:12. May we be persuaded because the One we believe is the One who is “…the TRUTH…” John 14:6.
"In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness." Psalm 31:1
We tend to become anxious when our circumstances appear to be beyond our control. We want to feel like we are in command of the things we face but often we are not. It is comforting to us at those times to lean on the truth that even when we have not employed the power He’s given to us to transform our challenges into our victories, HE is still Lord over all the universe—including our problems.
David expresses our heart in the psalm quoted above. He reflects our yearning to find security within the high tower of His love and salvation. In Psalm 144:2 David says it this way, “You are my refuge and my strength, my strong tower of safety, my deliverer.”
The reality is that life is fraught with trial. “The rain falls on the just and on the unjust; the sun shines on the just and on the unjust,” Matthew 5:45, states clearly that good and bad things befall all people—even professors of faith in Jesus our Lord.
In fact, Jesus told us to be prepared for trying circumstances. In John 16:33 He said, “In the world you shall have tribulation…” He didn’t want the unfortunate realities of life to take us off-guard. But, He didn’t leave us in the quandary of them! No! He went on to conclude in that verse, “…but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world.”
Whether our problems are health problems, or relational problems, or societal problems, or problems rooted in our very belief in Jesus (indeed He has said, “If the world has hated Me, it shall hate you also,” John 15:18), may we not be overburdened by our difficulties! Rather may we stand on the assurance that Jesus is in charge and that He will ultimately prevail.
May we say with Paul, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed to Him…” II Timothy 1:12. May we be persuaded because the One we believe is the One who is “…the TRUTH…” John 14:6.
Monday, May 26, 2014
A Mighty Army Of Forgiven Sinners
May 26
Jesus spoke a parable, “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
Simon answered and said, ”I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And Jesus said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.
You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. Then He turned to the woman and said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’
And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace," Luke 7:41-50.
The Bible tells us, “They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12 yet many who consider themselves to be adherents of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will admit that they do this very thing.
We look at our brothers in the faith and we look at our neighbors and we compare our status to theirs. We compare who is healthier, who is wealthier, who is more or less blessed and if we find ourselves in the negative side of the equation, we wonder why.
In this parable, Jesus tells of an adulteress who was accused and condemned by those who considered themselves to be superior to her in character.
The Lord points out that the depth of her sin enabled her to appreciate the profound gift that was given to her; that the magnitude of her downfall caused her to breathe the rarefied air of salvation into the depth of her sin-sick soul and to be cleansed and refreshed as many who have not lived in such depravity cannot do.
Let us, whatever the nature or magnitude of our sin as man measures sin, recognize the enormity of the “unspeakable gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) Jesus extends to us. Let us love Him and let us gratefully receive the forgiveness He obtained for us at such great cost.
Let us not compare ourselves to others but let us join hands with them that we may go forward together into the fullness of the joy of our salvation which the Lord has promised will be restored to us, Psalm 51:12.
Let us say with David in Psalm 51:1-13: “1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that you are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge.
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You.”
Let us go forward together as a mighty army of forgiven sinners, as believers in the One who died to set us free from bondage to sin--whose mission is to share the gift He’s given us with as many as will receive it.
Jesus spoke a parable, “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
Simon answered and said, ”I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
And Jesus said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.
You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little. Then He turned to the woman and said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’
And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?"
Then He said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you. Go in peace," Luke 7:41-50.
The Bible tells us, “They who compare themselves among themselves are not wise,” II Corinthians 10:12 yet many who consider themselves to be adherents of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will admit that they do this very thing.
We look at our brothers in the faith and we look at our neighbors and we compare our status to theirs. We compare who is healthier, who is wealthier, who is more or less blessed and if we find ourselves in the negative side of the equation, we wonder why.
In this parable, Jesus tells of an adulteress who was accused and condemned by those who considered themselves to be superior to her in character.
The Lord points out that the depth of her sin enabled her to appreciate the profound gift that was given to her; that the magnitude of her downfall caused her to breathe the rarefied air of salvation into the depth of her sin-sick soul and to be cleansed and refreshed as many who have not lived in such depravity cannot do.
Let us, whatever the nature or magnitude of our sin as man measures sin, recognize the enormity of the “unspeakable gift” (II Corinthians 9:15) Jesus extends to us. Let us love Him and let us gratefully receive the forgiveness He obtained for us at such great cost.
Let us not compare ourselves to others but let us join hands with them that we may go forward together into the fullness of the joy of our salvation which the Lord has promised will be restored to us, Psalm 51:12.
Let us say with David in Psalm 51:1-13: “1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that you are proved right when You speak and justified when You judge.
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones You have crushed rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will turn back to You.”
Let us go forward together as a mighty army of forgiven sinners, as believers in the One who died to set us free from bondage to sin--whose mission is to share the gift He’s given us with as many as will receive it.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Go To The Ant
May 25
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?” Proverbs 6:6-9
Ants may be an annoyance at a picnic, because they tend to crawl over our food but the aggravation we feel at their presence might also be because of the fact that their industry puts ours to shame.
These tiny creatures set about tasks that are beyond human ability to perform. Those who study the science of entomology tell us that ants are able to carry up to three times their own weight. No wonder we must guard our picnic table!
But their God-given attributes of strength and industry are those that the immutable Word of God admonishes that we emulate. Whether or not we possess great physical strength, we are told that it is imperative that we be, “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” Ephesians 6:10.
The chapter goes on to admonish that we “…put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against… that evil day,” Ephesians 6:11-13.
Paul is very clear in his letter to the Ephesians that the evil one is the ultimate source of whatever dilemma we face and it is he against whom we must direct our spiritual energy in order to attain victory.
Our diligent industry in confronting the machinations of the enemy of our soul is stated succinctly in Ephesians 6:11-18 where Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Therefore take to yourself the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done everything you can, you will stand firm in faith.
”Hold fast to truth and wear the breastplate of righteousness; let your feet be shod with the Gospel and above all, hold fast to the shield of faith which you can use to deflect all the fiery arrows of the enemy!
“Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch by the power of the Holy Spirit with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…”
While we are to emulate the ant for its industry, we are clearly told in Ephesians 6 that our strength is to be in the Lord. It is by the power of His Holy Spirit that we shall overcome any and all things that come against us; it is by His might that we shall be able to pray in power for those of like precious faith at the point of their need.
When we encounter those little creatures, rather than be annoyed, let us be inspired to pray resolutely with the power that He has given to us (see Romans 8:11) and to receive with thanksgiving (see Philippians 4:6) the gifts of the Spirit that are ours.
“Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, which, having no captain, overseer or ruler, provides her supplies in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?” Proverbs 6:6-9
Ants may be an annoyance at a picnic, because they tend to crawl over our food but the aggravation we feel at their presence might also be because of the fact that their industry puts ours to shame.
These tiny creatures set about tasks that are beyond human ability to perform. Those who study the science of entomology tell us that ants are able to carry up to three times their own weight. No wonder we must guard our picnic table!
But their God-given attributes of strength and industry are those that the immutable Word of God admonishes that we emulate. Whether or not we possess great physical strength, we are told that it is imperative that we be, “strong in the Lord and in the power of His might,” Ephesians 6:10.
The chapter goes on to admonish that we “…put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against… that evil day,” Ephesians 6:11-13.
Paul is very clear in his letter to the Ephesians that the evil one is the ultimate source of whatever dilemma we face and it is he against whom we must direct our spiritual energy in order to attain victory.
Our diligent industry in confronting the machinations of the enemy of our soul is stated succinctly in Ephesians 6:11-18 where Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Therefore take to yourself the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done everything you can, you will stand firm in faith.
”Hold fast to truth and wear the breastplate of righteousness; let your feet be shod with the Gospel and above all, hold fast to the shield of faith which you can use to deflect all the fiery arrows of the enemy!
“Pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch by the power of the Holy Spirit with all perseverance and supplication for all saints…”
While we are to emulate the ant for its industry, we are clearly told in Ephesians 6 that our strength is to be in the Lord. It is by the power of His Holy Spirit that we shall overcome any and all things that come against us; it is by His might that we shall be able to pray in power for those of like precious faith at the point of their need.
When we encounter those little creatures, rather than be annoyed, let us be inspired to pray resolutely with the power that He has given to us (see Romans 8:11) and to receive with thanksgiving (see Philippians 4:6) the gifts of the Spirit that are ours.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Wherever 'There' May Be
May 24
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord,” I Thessalonians 4:17.
Perhaps it should be sufficient for us to know that we who believe in the Christ shall be forever with Him, but some of us speculate exactly where we shall be.
Some of us envision ourselves flying, angel-like, from cloud to cloud while others of us picture ourselves at the feet of Jesus being taught all the mysteries that eluded us while we were in this tabernacle of flesh.
Daniel 7:27 says, “Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” This seems to suggest that the people of the One True and Living God will govern His everlasting Kingdom which shall be “under the whole heaven.”
Acts 1:11, 12 asks, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same manner as you have seen Him go.”
In Luke 23:43, Jesus said to the ‘good thief’ who hung on one of the crosses on either side of Him, “Today, you shall be with Me in Paradise.” In John 14:3, Jesus assured His disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you may be also.”
There are variations in the way it is promised, but the intent of His Word is true—the Lord Jesus Christ wants those who believe in Him, who are born again, washed in the cleansing flow of His shed blood to be with Him eternally.
Wherever that glorious place may be, may we walk with Him through the corridors and path-ways of time so we may abide forever with Him there—wherever ‘there’ may be.
“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord,” I Thessalonians 4:17.
Perhaps it should be sufficient for us to know that we who believe in the Christ shall be forever with Him, but some of us speculate exactly where we shall be.
Some of us envision ourselves flying, angel-like, from cloud to cloud while others of us picture ourselves at the feet of Jesus being taught all the mysteries that eluded us while we were in this tabernacle of flesh.
Daniel 7:27 says, “Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” This seems to suggest that the people of the One True and Living God will govern His everlasting Kingdom which shall be “under the whole heaven.”
Acts 1:11, 12 asks, “You men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same manner as you have seen Him go.”
In Luke 23:43, Jesus said to the ‘good thief’ who hung on one of the crosses on either side of Him, “Today, you shall be with Me in Paradise.” In John 14:3, Jesus assured His disciples, “I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am, you may be also.”
There are variations in the way it is promised, but the intent of His Word is true—the Lord Jesus Christ wants those who believe in Him, who are born again, washed in the cleansing flow of His shed blood to be with Him eternally.
Wherever that glorious place may be, may we walk with Him through the corridors and path-ways of time so we may abide forever with Him there—wherever ‘there’ may be.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Meriam
May 23
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power,” Colossians 2:9, 10.
There are other places in scripture where the assertion Paul is making here, that it is in Christ that we live and move and have our being, Acts 17:28, is emphatically made. Here, too, it is stated unequivocally.
Anyone who reads the scripture empirically and who looks upon his own life objectively must conclude that the words of Jesus in the matter are absolutely true, “Without Me, you can do nothing,” John 15:5.
At this juncture in time, a Sudanese woman who is a Christian is being persecuted mercilessly. She has been tried and sentenced to torture and death because she is a believer in Christ, she is married to a Christian man, and she will not recant her faith.
Many of her fellow believers around the world are praying for her deliverance from these horrific circumstances although they understand that they are powerless to favorably affect her dire situation. But they also know that the God they serve is not helpless and HE can intervene in her behalf.
There is a scripture that says, “I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living,” Psalm 27:13, and as we lift up our sister in her plight before the Throne of Mercy and Grace, we are beseeching Him not only for her but for ourselves, for we long to see Him reveal His glory.
But she has taken a stand for her Savior that is not contingent upon the circumstances that surround her. She has not stood firmly for Him so she will be delivered; she has stood firmly for Him in spite of the dire prospect before her that she will not be delivered.
How can a young woman, the wife of a man who loves her, the mother of a baby who needs her, allow her life to be wrenched cruelly from her when she need only mutter a few words denying the God who died for her?
Perhaps she can because she knows that loving God personally and she believes that “through Jesus, she can do all things for He will give her strength,” Philippians 4:13. Perhaps she can because she is fully persuaded that He is able to keep all that she has committed to Him for time and eternity, II Timothy 1:12.
Perhaps she can because she is not merely giving lip service to her faith but she has the assurance deep within the recesses of her being that when she has endured this horrific trial, she shall “come forth as gold,” Job 23:10.
Perhaps she sees clearly the glorious reception that awaits her at the conclusion of her ordeal--like Stephen who, when he was stoned to death for his faith in Jesus saw the Lord standing to receive him home (see Acts 7:55, 56).
Perhaps she is a woman who sees not as the world sees, but as God sees. Perhaps she knows that nothing she suffers here can compare to the glory He has prepared for her.
May we who are praying for her see as she sees.
“For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power,” Colossians 2:9, 10.
There are other places in scripture where the assertion Paul is making here, that it is in Christ that we live and move and have our being, Acts 17:28, is emphatically made. Here, too, it is stated unequivocally.
Anyone who reads the scripture empirically and who looks upon his own life objectively must conclude that the words of Jesus in the matter are absolutely true, “Without Me, you can do nothing,” John 15:5.
At this juncture in time, a Sudanese woman who is a Christian is being persecuted mercilessly. She has been tried and sentenced to torture and death because she is a believer in Christ, she is married to a Christian man, and she will not recant her faith.
Many of her fellow believers around the world are praying for her deliverance from these horrific circumstances although they understand that they are powerless to favorably affect her dire situation. But they also know that the God they serve is not helpless and HE can intervene in her behalf.
There is a scripture that says, “I had fainted unless I had believed to see the goodness of God in the land of the living,” Psalm 27:13, and as we lift up our sister in her plight before the Throne of Mercy and Grace, we are beseeching Him not only for her but for ourselves, for we long to see Him reveal His glory.
But she has taken a stand for her Savior that is not contingent upon the circumstances that surround her. She has not stood firmly for Him so she will be delivered; she has stood firmly for Him in spite of the dire prospect before her that she will not be delivered.
How can a young woman, the wife of a man who loves her, the mother of a baby who needs her, allow her life to be wrenched cruelly from her when she need only mutter a few words denying the God who died for her?
Perhaps she can because she knows that loving God personally and she believes that “through Jesus, she can do all things for He will give her strength,” Philippians 4:13. Perhaps she can because she is fully persuaded that He is able to keep all that she has committed to Him for time and eternity, II Timothy 1:12.
Perhaps she can because she is not merely giving lip service to her faith but she has the assurance deep within the recesses of her being that when she has endured this horrific trial, she shall “come forth as gold,” Job 23:10.
Perhaps she sees clearly the glorious reception that awaits her at the conclusion of her ordeal--like Stephen who, when he was stoned to death for his faith in Jesus saw the Lord standing to receive him home (see Acts 7:55, 56).
Perhaps she is a woman who sees not as the world sees, but as God sees. Perhaps she knows that nothing she suffers here can compare to the glory He has prepared for her.
May we who are praying for her see as she sees.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Work Out Your Salvation
May 22
“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness,” I Corinthians 10:1-5.
Some people espouse the doctrine of ‘once saved, always saved.’ They are convinced that in having placed their lives at the feet of Jesus, in having baptized into the household of faith in infancy, that they are eternally secure.
This passage in I Corinthians 10:1-5 seems to dispute that concept. Here it gives a litany of the credentials possessed by our forefathers in the faith but goes on to say that their credentials availed them nothing.
They saw miracles—they followed the cloud through the wilderness. When Pharaoh’s army pursued them, they went through the Red Sea on dry ground while their oppressors were swallowed into the waters.
When they hungered in the desert, they were supplied with manna from heaven. When they tired of the manna, the Lord sent quail that they might have meat. When they thirsted, Moses struck the rock and waters of refreshing gushed forth. (See Exodus 3-15).
Miriam’s song in Exodus 15:1-4 tell of the joy the people felt because of the Lord’s exploits in their behalf, “I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously! He has cast the horses of Pharaoh and their riders into the sea! The Lord is my strength and my song and He is my salvation. He is my God and I will worship Him…He is a Man of war…”
Yet these same people wandered in the desert for forty years because they did not cling to their faith in the One who had delivered them. Though they had followed the Spiritual Rock that was Christ, though He had led them to freedom, they went back into the place of their spiritual bondage.
Like them, many of us have seen our need for a Savior. Like them, we have followed our spiritual Rock. But like them, we have turned back from our pursuit of the Holy One whose is the “only name given under heaven whereby men might be saved,” Acts 4:12.
Unless we desire to perish like them in the spiritual desert we have created for ourselves by our recalcitrance, we must avoid returning to our spiritual wasteland. We must, "work out our salvation with fear and trembling," as Paul tells the Philippians in 4:12.
We must allow the light of Jesus’ love to draw us close to His heart and we must follow in the path He walks with us, the path that leads out of darkness into light; out of bondage into freedom; out of death into life eternal.
“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness,” I Corinthians 10:1-5.
Some people espouse the doctrine of ‘once saved, always saved.’ They are convinced that in having placed their lives at the feet of Jesus, in having baptized into the household of faith in infancy, that they are eternally secure.
This passage in I Corinthians 10:1-5 seems to dispute that concept. Here it gives a litany of the credentials possessed by our forefathers in the faith but goes on to say that their credentials availed them nothing.
They saw miracles—they followed the cloud through the wilderness. When Pharaoh’s army pursued them, they went through the Red Sea on dry ground while their oppressors were swallowed into the waters.
When they hungered in the desert, they were supplied with manna from heaven. When they tired of the manna, the Lord sent quail that they might have meat. When they thirsted, Moses struck the rock and waters of refreshing gushed forth. (See Exodus 3-15).
Miriam’s song in Exodus 15:1-4 tell of the joy the people felt because of the Lord’s exploits in their behalf, “I will sing unto the Lord for He has triumphed gloriously! He has cast the horses of Pharaoh and their riders into the sea! The Lord is my strength and my song and He is my salvation. He is my God and I will worship Him…He is a Man of war…”
Yet these same people wandered in the desert for forty years because they did not cling to their faith in the One who had delivered them. Though they had followed the Spiritual Rock that was Christ, though He had led them to freedom, they went back into the place of their spiritual bondage.
Like them, many of us have seen our need for a Savior. Like them, we have followed our spiritual Rock. But like them, we have turned back from our pursuit of the Holy One whose is the “only name given under heaven whereby men might be saved,” Acts 4:12.
Unless we desire to perish like them in the spiritual desert we have created for ourselves by our recalcitrance, we must avoid returning to our spiritual wasteland. We must, "work out our salvation with fear and trembling," as Paul tells the Philippians in 4:12.
We must allow the light of Jesus’ love to draw us close to His heart and we must follow in the path He walks with us, the path that leads out of darkness into light; out of bondage into freedom; out of death into life eternal.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
A Christian woman, Meriam Ibrahim, has been sentenced to death.
Sudan says she must die because she is a Christian.
She is pregnant; and before they execute her, they will punish her with 100 lashes because she married an American Christian.
Her other child - a 20-month-old boy, a U.S. citizen - is being forced to suffer in prison with her.
The Sudanese judge who sentenced her to death gave her three chances to recant - to abandon her Christian faith. Meriam refused. "I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian," she said.
She won't abandon her faith. We must not abandon her.
We're aggressively mobilizing our international teams to save her life. She must be freed; her American son must be freed.
Your voice can make the difference, but time is of the essence. Be heard.
Sign Our Urgent Petition at the Be Heard Project: Save Meriam.
Sudan says she must die because she is a Christian.
She is pregnant; and before they execute her, they will punish her with 100 lashes because she married an American Christian.
Her other child - a 20-month-old boy, a U.S. citizen - is being forced to suffer in prison with her.
The Sudanese judge who sentenced her to death gave her three chances to recant - to abandon her Christian faith. Meriam refused. "I am a Christian, and I will remain a Christian," she said.
She won't abandon her faith. We must not abandon her.
We're aggressively mobilizing our international teams to save her life. She must be freed; her American son must be freed.
Your voice can make the difference, but time is of the essence. Be heard.
Sign Our Urgent Petition at the Be Heard Project: Save Meriam.
Will a Man Rob God?
May 21
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation has robbed Me! Bring now the tithes into the storehouse so there may be meat in My house and prove Me now, says the Lord of hosts if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing that you will not have room enough to receive. And, I will rebuke the devourer for your sake and he shall not be able to destroy the fruit of your ground nor shall your trees cast their fruit before the time of harvest.” Malachi 3:8-11.
God wants a tithe from you. He wants ten percent of your ‘first fruit.’ Simply put, He wants one tenth of all you gather into your coffers. He doesn’t want ten percent of what’s left after the government and the creditors take their cut of your earnings. He doesn’t want ten percent of what’s left when you’ve concluded your spending spree or taken your much-needed vacation. He wants His tenth off the top.
You might say that He’s being a bit over-demanding of what He receives from you but when you factor in the reality that it is He who has given you the ability to prosper you must conclude that everything you have is His--and He lets you keep 90 percent!
Deuteronomy 8:18 states very clearly, “It is God who gives you the ability to create wealth.” Ecclesiastes 6:2 goes on to say that some people who have wealth do not enjoy it, for the ability to do so comes also from God.
We can conclude from this that if we have wealth apart from having a relationship with the Lord, the increase that we enjoy will not be to our advantage. We all know people who have great holdings but seem abysmally miserable. They spend themselves seeking the pleasure that their wealth affords them, but they never realize any joy in their pursuits.
But we who know Christ, we who have “the joy of the Lord” as our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) realize that whatever we have in the way of good things in time is merely a sampling of the wonderful things He has prepared for us. As I Corinthians 2:9 states, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Knowing that there is an eternal wealth to be had when we give our lives to Jesus, should we not gladly lay the totality of our earthly treasure at His feet along with the totality of our lives? Should we not enthusiastically give not only our tithe but all that we have and all that we are in exchange for the riches of heaven forever?
“Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation has robbed Me! Bring now the tithes into the storehouse so there may be meat in My house and prove Me now, says the Lord of hosts if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour out a blessing that you will not have room enough to receive. And, I will rebuke the devourer for your sake and he shall not be able to destroy the fruit of your ground nor shall your trees cast their fruit before the time of harvest.” Malachi 3:8-11.
God wants a tithe from you. He wants ten percent of your ‘first fruit.’ Simply put, He wants one tenth of all you gather into your coffers. He doesn’t want ten percent of what’s left after the government and the creditors take their cut of your earnings. He doesn’t want ten percent of what’s left when you’ve concluded your spending spree or taken your much-needed vacation. He wants His tenth off the top.
You might say that He’s being a bit over-demanding of what He receives from you but when you factor in the reality that it is He who has given you the ability to prosper you must conclude that everything you have is His--and He lets you keep 90 percent!
Deuteronomy 8:18 states very clearly, “It is God who gives you the ability to create wealth.” Ecclesiastes 6:2 goes on to say that some people who have wealth do not enjoy it, for the ability to do so comes also from God.
We can conclude from this that if we have wealth apart from having a relationship with the Lord, the increase that we enjoy will not be to our advantage. We all know people who have great holdings but seem abysmally miserable. They spend themselves seeking the pleasure that their wealth affords them, but they never realize any joy in their pursuits.
But we who know Christ, we who have “the joy of the Lord” as our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) realize that whatever we have in the way of good things in time is merely a sampling of the wonderful things He has prepared for us. As I Corinthians 2:9 states, “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
Knowing that there is an eternal wealth to be had when we give our lives to Jesus, should we not gladly lay the totality of our earthly treasure at His feet along with the totality of our lives? Should we not enthusiastically give not only our tithe but all that we have and all that we are in exchange for the riches of heaven forever?
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Please Pray for Your Sister
Please pray for our sister in Sudan. She is scheduled to be stoned to death after 100 lashes have been administered as soon as her child is born. Her 'crime'? Being unwilling to recant her Christian faith.
She was raised as a Christian by her Christian mother after being abandoned by her muslim father. Her husband, an American citizen, is a Christian.
When one of us suffer, we all feel the pain, but our silence in this case exacerbates her dilemma. Please lift your voice and beseech the Lord of Mercy and Grace to release her from this horrible bondage.
May His love for His daughter overcome the hatred the enemy has unleashed against her.
She was raised as a Christian by her Christian mother after being abandoned by her muslim father. Her husband, an American citizen, is a Christian.
When one of us suffer, we all feel the pain, but our silence in this case exacerbates her dilemma. Please lift your voice and beseech the Lord of Mercy and Grace to release her from this horrible bondage.
May His love for His daughter overcome the hatred the enemy has unleashed against her.
No One Estranged
May 20
“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith,” Galatians 5:4,5.
There was a TV commercial some years ago where a mother offered to assist her daughter with a frustrating task. The younger woman’s response was terse and unappreciative, reflective more of her frustration and stress than her feelings; she said, “Please, Mother! I’d rather do it myself!”
Sometimes we tend to have the same attitude with God. He has sent His “only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16, but we live our lives as though we were responsible for our own salvation.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of our endeavor to win our salvation through our own effort comes when things happen that are not advantageous to us. Our first response in such circumstances might be, ‘Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?’ The underlying reason we say such things is that we think we’re being good and therefore God should guard us from adversity.
This thought is in direct variance with the Biblical fact that, “The rain falls on the just and on the unjust; the sun shines on the just and on the unjust,” Matthew 5:45. There is no connection between how we comport our lives and how advantaged our lives may appear.
We cannot earn our salvation or God’s blessings because we are moral, upright people.
Our obedience to or defiance of the law of God hasn’t any bearing upon whether or not we can be candidates for salvation. The Word tells us, “whosoever will may come,” Revelation 22:17.
Salvation is not something we can achieve for ourselves but neither can our sins separate us from Christ if we are willing to lay them at His feet and receive the cleansing of His shed blood.
None of us needs to be estranged from the Lord, either through our sin or through our attempt to be justified through our own adherence to the law. Whatever our present spiritual condition, we may be made new; we may be set free from the yoke of sin.
All we must do is recognize our total inability to save ourselves; repent of our sins and foibles and embrace the salvation Jesus has purchased for us at Calvary.
“You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith,” Galatians 5:4,5.
There was a TV commercial some years ago where a mother offered to assist her daughter with a frustrating task. The younger woman’s response was terse and unappreciative, reflective more of her frustration and stress than her feelings; she said, “Please, Mother! I’d rather do it myself!”
Sometimes we tend to have the same attitude with God. He has sent His “only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” John 3:16, but we live our lives as though we were responsible for our own salvation.
Perhaps the most compelling evidence of our endeavor to win our salvation through our own effort comes when things happen that are not advantageous to us. Our first response in such circumstances might be, ‘Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?’ The underlying reason we say such things is that we think we’re being good and therefore God should guard us from adversity.
This thought is in direct variance with the Biblical fact that, “The rain falls on the just and on the unjust; the sun shines on the just and on the unjust,” Matthew 5:45. There is no connection between how we comport our lives and how advantaged our lives may appear.
We cannot earn our salvation or God’s blessings because we are moral, upright people.
Our obedience to or defiance of the law of God hasn’t any bearing upon whether or not we can be candidates for salvation. The Word tells us, “whosoever will may come,” Revelation 22:17.
Salvation is not something we can achieve for ourselves but neither can our sins separate us from Christ if we are willing to lay them at His feet and receive the cleansing of His shed blood.
None of us needs to be estranged from the Lord, either through our sin or through our attempt to be justified through our own adherence to the law. Whatever our present spiritual condition, we may be made new; we may be set free from the yoke of sin.
All we must do is recognize our total inability to save ourselves; repent of our sins and foibles and embrace the salvation Jesus has purchased for us at Calvary.
Monday, May 19, 2014
I Know Whom I Have Believed
May 19
“Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him,” Mark 7:32.
We know the outcome of the incident that is told to us in this passage of scripture. It is the same scenario that is played out time and again in the Gospels. The sick and lame and blind and deaf and demon possessed are brought to Jesus and He speaks to their affliction and they are delivered.
We are told that the same works done by our Lord when He walked the dusty streets of Galilee will be performed in response to our command. In John 14:12 Jesus tells us, “The works I have done, if you believe, you shall also do.” He makes it completely clear that if we will simply believe, the prayer we lay before God will be answered.
Why then are we hindered by unbelief? The answer lies in each of our hearts, but a broad generalization as to our failure to attain the answers to our supplications might be the fact that we have so many other alternatives. We don’t have to put our faith in the Lord in order to see miracles.
We can attain them in a doctor’s office or under a surgeon’s scalpel or from a bottle of medication. Of course, it is our prayer that the doctors, surgeons and medications will be effective in remedying our condition, but we certainly needn’t rely solely upon Jesus to deliver us from our problem.
Consider the deaf man in the introductory verse whose situation was 180 degrees from ours. He had no hearing whatsoever and he had no hope of gaining it through any natural means. There were no hearing specialists who offered a solution to his dilemma. They couldn’t simply remove the wax from his ears or insert a hearing aid and enable him to hear. There was NO remedy for his condition. No remedy but Jesus.
When the Lord is our only option, we are more inclined to place our total faith in Him. When He is our only hope, we place all our hope upon Him, and in the power of that hope, in the presence of that faith, He moves and we are set free from what besets.
It is that mustard seed faith (see Matthew 17:20) that produces miracles; it is that tiny, seemingly insignificant faith that “moves mountains,” (see Mark 11:23. It is the faith that says, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him,” II Timothy 1:12.
Lord, help us to appropriate that mustard seed faith so we can see mountains topple in response to our prayers! It is in Your mighty, matchless name we ask, Jesus. Amen.
“Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him,” Mark 7:32.
We know the outcome of the incident that is told to us in this passage of scripture. It is the same scenario that is played out time and again in the Gospels. The sick and lame and blind and deaf and demon possessed are brought to Jesus and He speaks to their affliction and they are delivered.
We are told that the same works done by our Lord when He walked the dusty streets of Galilee will be performed in response to our command. In John 14:12 Jesus tells us, “The works I have done, if you believe, you shall also do.” He makes it completely clear that if we will simply believe, the prayer we lay before God will be answered.
Why then are we hindered by unbelief? The answer lies in each of our hearts, but a broad generalization as to our failure to attain the answers to our supplications might be the fact that we have so many other alternatives. We don’t have to put our faith in the Lord in order to see miracles.
We can attain them in a doctor’s office or under a surgeon’s scalpel or from a bottle of medication. Of course, it is our prayer that the doctors, surgeons and medications will be effective in remedying our condition, but we certainly needn’t rely solely upon Jesus to deliver us from our problem.
Consider the deaf man in the introductory verse whose situation was 180 degrees from ours. He had no hearing whatsoever and he had no hope of gaining it through any natural means. There were no hearing specialists who offered a solution to his dilemma. They couldn’t simply remove the wax from his ears or insert a hearing aid and enable him to hear. There was NO remedy for his condition. No remedy but Jesus.
When the Lord is our only option, we are more inclined to place our total faith in Him. When He is our only hope, we place all our hope upon Him, and in the power of that hope, in the presence of that faith, He moves and we are set free from what besets.
It is that mustard seed faith (see Matthew 17:20) that produces miracles; it is that tiny, seemingly insignificant faith that “moves mountains,” (see Mark 11:23. It is the faith that says, “I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him,” II Timothy 1:12.
Lord, help us to appropriate that mustard seed faith so we can see mountains topple in response to our prayers! It is in Your mighty, matchless name we ask, Jesus. Amen.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Sailing Toward His Light
May 18
"Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him," Colossians 3:17.
Sometimes we are oblivious to the impact we have on others. Sometimes we are totally unaware of how many eyes are upon us because we profess faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot be like other people who express themselves as they will. We can’t fly off the handle when we’re upset. We can’t give someone who cuts us off in traffic the ‘hand signal’ that expresses our disdain for his action.
We can’t ignore the fact that when unbelievers look at us it is often with the hope of catching us in a fault so that through our imperfection, they can dismiss the claim on their lives to which the perfect Christ is entitled. We know they must not look to us, but we also know that they do.
When we fail to live up to the expectation of worldly people who have no interest in following the scriptural admonition, “Be ye perfect, as I the Lord your God am perfect,” Matthew 5:48, we are subverting our desire to be God’s instruments of their salvation. We relegate ourselves to the sidelines of faith.
When we allow ourselves to be unwitting pawns in the hand of the evil one, he will gleefully remind the lost within our sphere of influence of how abysmally we live our Christianity.
In order to beat old slewfoot at his own game, we must first of all recognize that he is right in one point—of ourselves we can do nothing, John 5:30. We cannot begin to hope to be effective witnesses to those around us on the merit of our own goodness or our own accomplishments.
But second, we must remind the enemy and be ever mindful ourselves that, “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us,” Philippians 4:13. When we are sure of our sound footing on the Ship of Faith, we will have no difficulty in sailing forward as He leads to carry others out of the Sea of Darkness into Christ’s shining Orb of Eternal Light.
"Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him," Colossians 3:17.
Sometimes we are oblivious to the impact we have on others. Sometimes we are totally unaware of how many eyes are upon us because we profess faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot be like other people who express themselves as they will. We can’t fly off the handle when we’re upset. We can’t give someone who cuts us off in traffic the ‘hand signal’ that expresses our disdain for his action.
We can’t ignore the fact that when unbelievers look at us it is often with the hope of catching us in a fault so that through our imperfection, they can dismiss the claim on their lives to which the perfect Christ is entitled. We know they must not look to us, but we also know that they do.
When we fail to live up to the expectation of worldly people who have no interest in following the scriptural admonition, “Be ye perfect, as I the Lord your God am perfect,” Matthew 5:48, we are subverting our desire to be God’s instruments of their salvation. We relegate ourselves to the sidelines of faith.
When we allow ourselves to be unwitting pawns in the hand of the evil one, he will gleefully remind the lost within our sphere of influence of how abysmally we live our Christianity.
In order to beat old slewfoot at his own game, we must first of all recognize that he is right in one point—of ourselves we can do nothing, John 5:30. We cannot begin to hope to be effective witnesses to those around us on the merit of our own goodness or our own accomplishments.
But second, we must remind the enemy and be ever mindful ourselves that, “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us,” Philippians 4:13. When we are sure of our sound footing on the Ship of Faith, we will have no difficulty in sailing forward as He leads to carry others out of the Sea of Darkness into Christ’s shining Orb of Eternal Light.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Ask...and It Shall Be Done
May 17
“Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him,” Mark 7:32.
How many of us have begged Him to put His hand on someone we love and cause His healing balm to flow through them? How many of us have walked away from our prayer disappointed and diminished in faith?
The reality is that Jesus does heal today. The Word of God tells us that “He is the same yesterday, today and forever,” Hebrews 13:8; that there is “no shadow of turning in Him,” James 1:17. We are also told, “Ask anything you will and it shall be done,” John 14:13.
There is a ‘catch,’ however. James 1:6 states it clearly, “ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let not than man think he shall receive anything from the Lord.”
It seems that it is the Holy One’s delight to hear and answer our prayers but it does not please Him to do so if we are not convinced of His willingness and ability to do so. In that regard, He is rather like a loving parent who does not want to reward negative behavior in his child.
As much as parents delight in their offspring, as much as they wish to lavish them with every good thing it is in their power to give them, the father or mother who truly cares about the well-being of the child will not allow the child to perceive success through negative means.
Crying, foot stomping, shouting, cajoling of any sort cannot result in the youngster’s attainment of his wishes or he will be persuaded that such behavior is a viable means to an end. He may not cry and stomp his feet as an adult, but we are all familiar with grown-up manifestations of these infantile traits.
Because God desires mature faith from His people, because He wants them to be grounded in His truth and to apply it to all their circumstances He will indeed withhold reward from them when they endeavor to attain the answers to their prayers through any but the most profitable methods.
And in the estimation of the Holy One, what is ‘profitable’ is not necessarily what is expedient for us in our immediate circumstances. He cares little for how much wealth we possess or how successfully we influence other people or how long we enjoy this brief exercise we call ‘life,’ when in His sphere, life is eternal.
May we then endeavor to think as He thinks and to ask according to His will in all matters that we lay before Him in prayer. If we do, we will discover that all the promises, such as that of John 14:13 are absolutely true for us.
“Then they brought to Him one who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech, and they begged Him to put His hand on him,” Mark 7:32.
How many of us have begged Him to put His hand on someone we love and cause His healing balm to flow through them? How many of us have walked away from our prayer disappointed and diminished in faith?
The reality is that Jesus does heal today. The Word of God tells us that “He is the same yesterday, today and forever,” Hebrews 13:8; that there is “no shadow of turning in Him,” James 1:17. We are also told, “Ask anything you will and it shall be done,” John 14:13.
There is a ‘catch,’ however. James 1:6 states it clearly, “ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. Let not than man think he shall receive anything from the Lord.”
It seems that it is the Holy One’s delight to hear and answer our prayers but it does not please Him to do so if we are not convinced of His willingness and ability to do so. In that regard, He is rather like a loving parent who does not want to reward negative behavior in his child.
As much as parents delight in their offspring, as much as they wish to lavish them with every good thing it is in their power to give them, the father or mother who truly cares about the well-being of the child will not allow the child to perceive success through negative means.
Crying, foot stomping, shouting, cajoling of any sort cannot result in the youngster’s attainment of his wishes or he will be persuaded that such behavior is a viable means to an end. He may not cry and stomp his feet as an adult, but we are all familiar with grown-up manifestations of these infantile traits.
Because God desires mature faith from His people, because He wants them to be grounded in His truth and to apply it to all their circumstances He will indeed withhold reward from them when they endeavor to attain the answers to their prayers through any but the most profitable methods.
And in the estimation of the Holy One, what is ‘profitable’ is not necessarily what is expedient for us in our immediate circumstances. He cares little for how much wealth we possess or how successfully we influence other people or how long we enjoy this brief exercise we call ‘life,’ when in His sphere, life is eternal.
May we then endeavor to think as He thinks and to ask according to His will in all matters that we lay before Him in prayer. If we do, we will discover that all the promises, such as that of John 14:13 are absolutely true for us.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Work Out Your Salvation
May 16
Isaiah 1:4-17
“Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel; they have turned away backward…Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom; we would have been made like Gomorrah.
“Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah: To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?
“Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you.
“Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
The Lord our God has sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of all mankind, John 3:16. The Lord’s propitiatory death in our behalf completely paid the price for all our sin (see Hebrews 12:24 and I John 1:7); the cleansing flood of Calvary has washed away every sin of every man who ever bowed his knee before the Christ.
But the Word also tells us that we must, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12. That is not to say that we must earn our salvation or that we must pay for our salvation. No. It tells us that we must establish our salvation within ourselves.
Jesus made it clear in Matthew 12:44 and Luke 11:25 that merely sweeping our souls clean of sin is not enough, for the enemy, who “comes to steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10, will not relinquish his hold over us just because we plunge ourselves into the cleansing flood. The evil one will endeavor with all the allurements that he has—“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,” I John 2:16—to draw man back into the sinking sand of sin.
To counter the effort of old slewfoot and his minions, the born-again believer must indeed, “work out his salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12. If a man will do that, if he will esteem his salvation of such worth that he will not take it for granted but strive to make it everything the Holy One desires that it be, then that man will be “more than a conqueror,” Romans 8:37, and he will walk in power over sin on earth and he will walk the streets of gold in Heaven.
Isaiah 1:4-17
“Alas, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a brood of evildoers, children who are corrupters! They have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel; they have turned away backward…Unless the LORD of hosts had left to us a very small remnant, we would have become like Sodom; we would have been made like Gomorrah.
“Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah: To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me? I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats. When you come to appear before Me, who has required this from your hand, to trample My courts?
“Bring no more futile sacrifices; incense is an abomination to Me. The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and the calling of assemblies— I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting. Your New Moons and your appointed feasts My soul hates; they are a trouble to Me, I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands, I will hide My eyes from you.
“Even though you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.”
The Lord our God has sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of all mankind, John 3:16. The Lord’s propitiatory death in our behalf completely paid the price for all our sin (see Hebrews 12:24 and I John 1:7); the cleansing flood of Calvary has washed away every sin of every man who ever bowed his knee before the Christ.
But the Word also tells us that we must, “work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12. That is not to say that we must earn our salvation or that we must pay for our salvation. No. It tells us that we must establish our salvation within ourselves.
Jesus made it clear in Matthew 12:44 and Luke 11:25 that merely sweeping our souls clean of sin is not enough, for the enemy, who “comes to steal, kill and destroy,” John 10:10, will not relinquish his hold over us just because we plunge ourselves into the cleansing flood. The evil one will endeavor with all the allurements that he has—“the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life,” I John 2:16—to draw man back into the sinking sand of sin.
To counter the effort of old slewfoot and his minions, the born-again believer must indeed, “work out his salvation with fear and trembling,” Philippians 2:12. If a man will do that, if he will esteem his salvation of such worth that he will not take it for granted but strive to make it everything the Holy One desires that it be, then that man will be “more than a conqueror,” Romans 8:37, and he will walk in power over sin on earth and he will walk the streets of gold in Heaven.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Yes! Every Man Should
May 15
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need,” Ephesians 4:28.
All of us have done or are engaged in doing things for which we are not proud. We know in our hearts what is right and true and good, but we fall short of our own perception of right conduct. If we cannot even live up to our own standard of goodness, we can imagine by how great a gap we fall short of God’s holy, immutable standard or righteousness.
One of the world’s great monotheistic religions believes that on Judgment Day each man’s works will be weighed in a balance. If his good works outweigh his bad, he will go to eternal paradise. If his bad works outweigh his good, he will be plunged into eternal punishment.
Christianity does not subscribe to this notion of staying one jump ahead of hell by being sure to do good more frequently than doing bad. Christianity subscribes to the Biblical admonition that all sin is an affront to our Holy God (see Romans 3:23). It may not be equal in magnitude as man measures sin’s gravity but it is equal in that all sin is a stench in God's nostrils and separates man from Him.
God created us for fellowship with Himself. Man is made in His image (see Genesis 1:27) where it says man is made in His own likeness. That distinction makes man capable of interaction with the Holy One that other created beings cannot enjoy. Neither can man enjoy it as long as he is encumbered with sin.
Whether a man merely dabbles in sin or whether he is immersed in sin—whether he pilfers the occasional penny from the cash register where he works or whether he is a terrorist on whose hands is the blood of uncountable innocents—each man has separated himself from his Maker because of his involvement in sin.
The Word says, “Let him who stole steal no more…” as quoted above. It could say, “Let the adulterer stray no more,” or “Let the liar lie no more,” or “Let the terrorist hate no more,” or “Let the murderer kill no more,” or “Let the false minister deceive no more,” or…and we may here charge man to forsake all manner of sin.
But we know that as a dog “returns to its vomit,” and as “a washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud,” Proverbs 26:11, so man, in spite of his best intentions, is inclined to return to the sin that besets him. But in Christ, He can be set free! Because of the shed blood of our Lord, he can be washed clean! As Isaiah 1:18 tells the sinner, “Though your sins be scarlet, they can be washed white as snow.”
Should not every man, everyone who is under the curse of sin avail himself of the wonderful cleansing power of the blood of the One who lived and died and lives again! Should not everyone under the curse of God’s perfect and immutable law that he cannot possibly keep though his own strength or his own resolve (see Galatians 3:10) let the cleansing flood of Calvary course over him and through him that he might be made forever clean and righteous before our Holy God!
Yes! Every man should!
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need,” Ephesians 4:28.
All of us have done or are engaged in doing things for which we are not proud. We know in our hearts what is right and true and good, but we fall short of our own perception of right conduct. If we cannot even live up to our own standard of goodness, we can imagine by how great a gap we fall short of God’s holy, immutable standard or righteousness.
One of the world’s great monotheistic religions believes that on Judgment Day each man’s works will be weighed in a balance. If his good works outweigh his bad, he will go to eternal paradise. If his bad works outweigh his good, he will be plunged into eternal punishment.
Christianity does not subscribe to this notion of staying one jump ahead of hell by being sure to do good more frequently than doing bad. Christianity subscribes to the Biblical admonition that all sin is an affront to our Holy God (see Romans 3:23). It may not be equal in magnitude as man measures sin’s gravity but it is equal in that all sin is a stench in God's nostrils and separates man from Him.
God created us for fellowship with Himself. Man is made in His image (see Genesis 1:27) where it says man is made in His own likeness. That distinction makes man capable of interaction with the Holy One that other created beings cannot enjoy. Neither can man enjoy it as long as he is encumbered with sin.
Whether a man merely dabbles in sin or whether he is immersed in sin—whether he pilfers the occasional penny from the cash register where he works or whether he is a terrorist on whose hands is the blood of uncountable innocents—each man has separated himself from his Maker because of his involvement in sin.
The Word says, “Let him who stole steal no more…” as quoted above. It could say, “Let the adulterer stray no more,” or “Let the liar lie no more,” or “Let the terrorist hate no more,” or “Let the murderer kill no more,” or “Let the false minister deceive no more,” or…and we may here charge man to forsake all manner of sin.
But we know that as a dog “returns to its vomit,” and as “a washed sow returns to wallowing in the mud,” Proverbs 26:11, so man, in spite of his best intentions, is inclined to return to the sin that besets him. But in Christ, He can be set free! Because of the shed blood of our Lord, he can be washed clean! As Isaiah 1:18 tells the sinner, “Though your sins be scarlet, they can be washed white as snow.”
Should not every man, everyone who is under the curse of sin avail himself of the wonderful cleansing power of the blood of the One who lived and died and lives again! Should not everyone under the curse of God’s perfect and immutable law that he cannot possibly keep though his own strength or his own resolve (see Galatians 3:10) let the cleansing flood of Calvary course over him and through him that he might be made forever clean and righteous before our Holy God!
Yes! Every man should!
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Be Strong
May 14
“Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest,” Joshua 1:9.
The earth belongs to our Father. Anywhere the child of the Most High is sent to do the work of the Kingdom of Christ, he is on home soil, for all the world is God’s.
The story is told of the woman whose husband approached her regarding an employment opportunity that would involve a promotion and a salary increase. The woman was delighted until he told her that it would require working on projects that were being done in a very intolerant nation that is noted for its harsh punishments against anyone caught practicing a religion other than the one to which it subscribes.
In deference to his wife’s concerns, the man agreed that he would not pursue the opportunity.
The following Sunday, in a little Pentecostal Church, the couple was taken aback when there was a message in tongues, followed by the words, “You can go anywhere in the world and I will be with you and I will bring you home safely,” Genesis 28:15.
They looked at each other with astonishment and eagerness to discuss the amazing word the Lord had just spoken in their behalf.
In the car, on their way home from church, they acknowledged that the Holy One they love and serve saw their situation and was in charge of it. He had assured them that His protection was over them and that His Holy Spirit would go before them. When the husband applied for the job, he was selected to fill the position.
They and their children lived in the nation that had seemed so foreboding and they were able to function there without incident in spite of the fact that they weekly attended underground Christian worship services.
What does this modern-day reflection of the Book of Acts say to believers? It says that Jesus is infallible! It says that the Word of God is, in Christ, “yea and amen,” II Corinthians 1:20. It says that though the enemy may rage, though he may strut his hour upon the stage, he cannot undo the purposes of God in the life of any man who lays his life at His feet and follows where He leads.
It says, “Be strong and of a good courage, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you,” Deuteronomy 31:6.
Be strong, for “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world,” I John 4:4. Be strong.
“Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest,” Joshua 1:9.
The earth belongs to our Father. Anywhere the child of the Most High is sent to do the work of the Kingdom of Christ, he is on home soil, for all the world is God’s.
The story is told of the woman whose husband approached her regarding an employment opportunity that would involve a promotion and a salary increase. The woman was delighted until he told her that it would require working on projects that were being done in a very intolerant nation that is noted for its harsh punishments against anyone caught practicing a religion other than the one to which it subscribes.
In deference to his wife’s concerns, the man agreed that he would not pursue the opportunity.
The following Sunday, in a little Pentecostal Church, the couple was taken aback when there was a message in tongues, followed by the words, “You can go anywhere in the world and I will be with you and I will bring you home safely,” Genesis 28:15.
They looked at each other with astonishment and eagerness to discuss the amazing word the Lord had just spoken in their behalf.
In the car, on their way home from church, they acknowledged that the Holy One they love and serve saw their situation and was in charge of it. He had assured them that His protection was over them and that His Holy Spirit would go before them. When the husband applied for the job, he was selected to fill the position.
They and their children lived in the nation that had seemed so foreboding and they were able to function there without incident in spite of the fact that they weekly attended underground Christian worship services.
What does this modern-day reflection of the Book of Acts say to believers? It says that Jesus is infallible! It says that the Word of God is, in Christ, “yea and amen,” II Corinthians 1:20. It says that though the enemy may rage, though he may strut his hour upon the stage, he cannot undo the purposes of God in the life of any man who lays his life at His feet and follows where He leads.
It says, “Be strong and of a good courage, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you,” Deuteronomy 31:6.
Be strong, for “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world,” I John 4:4. Be strong.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Our Maker, Our Redeemer
May 13
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible,” Hebrews 11:3.
It requires faith to believe that God spoke and the world came into existence, but it also takes faith to believe that everything that exists came into being because somehow the correct amoeba was in the right place at the right time and all manner of life came into being through the right conflux of events.
The best refutation of the notion of random selection resulting in precise outcomes is the old adage about the 747. How many such sophisticated aircraft came into being because a tornado swept through a junk yard and a fully-functioning jumbo airliner was assembled? I don’t know of any, either.
Nor do I know of any chocolate chip cookies or loaves of bread or donuts that were mixed and baked without the activity of a baker. And I can’t think of a single item of clothing that hasn’t been designed or assembled without the input of a viable mind. If all these relatively simple activities require thought, why would we imagine that the earth came to be without an intelligent mind?
How many traffic engineers does it take to assemble a highway system? How many air traffic controllers does it take to keep air traffic moving safely? For anyone to accept the notion of a creator-less universe is to extrapolate that bread can be baked without human input or that airplanes navigate the skies safely without the help of human minds and human-made instruments.
The logic of there being a Divine Creator who brought the universe and all that exists into being by “the move of His Holy Spirit upon the face of the deep,” Genesis 1:2, and who can, if He so chooses, eliminate errant creation “by the breath of His nostrils,” Job 4:9, should give us pause before we too hastily dismiss Him or the One He has sent to redeem us from our sin.
If common sense dictates that a supernatural being with unfathomable power made all that exists for His glory (see Colossians 1:16) should we not also accept that His holiness demands a perfection of which we are not capable in and of ourselves? Does this not then bring us to the conclusion that “In Christ we live and move and have our being,” Acts 17:28 and that His is the “only name given under heaven by which men might be saved,” Acts 4:12.
WE NEED HIM! Let us not be so smug in our human sufficiency to convince ourselves that we were made apart from Him and can exist apart from Him. Let us receive the blessing of being made in His image and being fully alive forever by the power of His love. He is our Maker and our Redeemer and therein are we eternally blessed.
“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible,” Hebrews 11:3.
It requires faith to believe that God spoke and the world came into existence, but it also takes faith to believe that everything that exists came into being because somehow the correct amoeba was in the right place at the right time and all manner of life came into being through the right conflux of events.
The best refutation of the notion of random selection resulting in precise outcomes is the old adage about the 747. How many such sophisticated aircraft came into being because a tornado swept through a junk yard and a fully-functioning jumbo airliner was assembled? I don’t know of any, either.
Nor do I know of any chocolate chip cookies or loaves of bread or donuts that were mixed and baked without the activity of a baker. And I can’t think of a single item of clothing that hasn’t been designed or assembled without the input of a viable mind. If all these relatively simple activities require thought, why would we imagine that the earth came to be without an intelligent mind?
How many traffic engineers does it take to assemble a highway system? How many air traffic controllers does it take to keep air traffic moving safely? For anyone to accept the notion of a creator-less universe is to extrapolate that bread can be baked without human input or that airplanes navigate the skies safely without the help of human minds and human-made instruments.
The logic of there being a Divine Creator who brought the universe and all that exists into being by “the move of His Holy Spirit upon the face of the deep,” Genesis 1:2, and who can, if He so chooses, eliminate errant creation “by the breath of His nostrils,” Job 4:9, should give us pause before we too hastily dismiss Him or the One He has sent to redeem us from our sin.
If common sense dictates that a supernatural being with unfathomable power made all that exists for His glory (see Colossians 1:16) should we not also accept that His holiness demands a perfection of which we are not capable in and of ourselves? Does this not then bring us to the conclusion that “In Christ we live and move and have our being,” Acts 17:28 and that His is the “only name given under heaven by which men might be saved,” Acts 4:12.
WE NEED HIM! Let us not be so smug in our human sufficiency to convince ourselves that we were made apart from Him and can exist apart from Him. Let us receive the blessing of being made in His image and being fully alive forever by the power of His love. He is our Maker and our Redeemer and therein are we eternally blessed.
Monday, May 12, 2014
There Is No God????
May 12
“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created,” Genesis 2:1-3.
The Bible is emphatic. God created the heavens and the earth and then He rested. Man can dispute that assertion or man can accept it. It is one of the two clear options that he has. Of course, he can tip-toe around his decision about what to believe, but in essence, he believes the creation story or he does not.
Whether he accepts as absolute fact the Biblical claim that the earth was fashioned by God in the time frame of a week—or whether he construes that week to be eons of time—he is essentially embracing or denying the power of an Almighty Being who “with the breath of His nostrils,” Genesis 2:7, formed man as the hallmark of His divine creativity.
Many people find it difficult to accept any aspect of the Biblical version of how time and space and earth and life came to be. They find it far more plausible to believe the theory that every variation of life, including man, crawled out of a primordial slime that had the inexplicable ability to evolve into various forms of being.
Perhaps there is an obvious fact that isn’t getting through to me, but I find it far more believable to think an all-knowing, all-powerful God spoke everything into existence that He formulated in His infinite mind than to accept the fanciful notion that single-celled life forms somehow contained within themselves the ability to develop into sophisticated entities such as plants, animals, and human beings!
The one thing the skeptic avails to himself when he negates God at the point of creation is that if there is no God, there is certainly no need to identify sin or to have a Savior who can deliver from sin. If there is no God, there is no one to whom man must be accountable. The person who denies God at creation also denies Him on the cross.
So, the bottom line of believing the creation story is the necessity it poses of believing the SALVATION story. If the creation chronicles are denied, it then becomes easy to say, “There is no God,” Psalm 14:1. Believing that there is no God makes living with sin not only much more tolerable but also much more pleasurable. However, it makes dying with sin much more dismal.
“Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created,” Genesis 2:1-3.
The Bible is emphatic. God created the heavens and the earth and then He rested. Man can dispute that assertion or man can accept it. It is one of the two clear options that he has. Of course, he can tip-toe around his decision about what to believe, but in essence, he believes the creation story or he does not.
Whether he accepts as absolute fact the Biblical claim that the earth was fashioned by God in the time frame of a week—or whether he construes that week to be eons of time—he is essentially embracing or denying the power of an Almighty Being who “with the breath of His nostrils,” Genesis 2:7, formed man as the hallmark of His divine creativity.
Many people find it difficult to accept any aspect of the Biblical version of how time and space and earth and life came to be. They find it far more plausible to believe the theory that every variation of life, including man, crawled out of a primordial slime that had the inexplicable ability to evolve into various forms of being.
Perhaps there is an obvious fact that isn’t getting through to me, but I find it far more believable to think an all-knowing, all-powerful God spoke everything into existence that He formulated in His infinite mind than to accept the fanciful notion that single-celled life forms somehow contained within themselves the ability to develop into sophisticated entities such as plants, animals, and human beings!
The one thing the skeptic avails to himself when he negates God at the point of creation is that if there is no God, there is certainly no need to identify sin or to have a Savior who can deliver from sin. If there is no God, there is no one to whom man must be accountable. The person who denies God at creation also denies Him on the cross.
So, the bottom line of believing the creation story is the necessity it poses of believing the SALVATION story. If the creation chronicles are denied, it then becomes easy to say, “There is no God,” Psalm 14:1. Believing that there is no God makes living with sin not only much more tolerable but also much more pleasurable. However, it makes dying with sin much more dismal.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Speaking of Wisdom
May 11
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, here is a list of scripture verses that speak of wisdom:
Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool [is] right in his own eyes: but he that hearkens unto counsel is wise.
Proverbs 11:14 - Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is]safety.
Proverbs 19:20-21 - Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter years.
2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Psalms 1:1-6 - Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
Psalms 119:105 – Your word, O God, is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 4:13 - Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life.
Proverbs 20:18 - Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
Proverbs 13:10 - Only by pride comes contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
1 Kings 12:6-19 - And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do you advise that I may answer this people?
Proverbs 3:1-35 - My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments:
Proverbs 15:22 - Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
Psalms 33:10-22 - The LORD brings the counsel of the heathen to notjomg;: he makes the devices of the people of none effect.
2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Romans 13:1 - Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Proverbs 15:24 - The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
Isaiah 11:2 - And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Proverbs 28:26 - He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoever walks wisely, he shall be delivered.
This extensive, but far from complete list, evidences the value the Lord places upon wisdom. If our God, who is all wise and all knowing, and totally omniscient esteems understanding so highly, should not we, frail grasshoppers that we are (see Isaiah 40:22) endeavor to lay aside the foolishness of our own hearts and take to ourselves the eternal wisdom of the Holy One!
As a follow-up to yesterday’s post, here is a list of scripture verses that speak of wisdom:
Proverbs 12:15 - The way of a fool [is] right in his own eyes: but he that hearkens unto counsel is wise.
Proverbs 11:14 - Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is]safety.
Proverbs 19:20-21 - Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter years.
2 Timothy 3:16 - All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Psalms 1:1-6 - Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful.
Psalms 119:105 – Your word, O God, is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Proverbs 1:7 - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Proverbs 4:13 - Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life.
Proverbs 20:18 - Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
Proverbs 13:10 - Only by pride comes contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.
1 Kings 12:6-19 - And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do you advise that I may answer this people?
Proverbs 3:1-35 - My son, forget not my law; but let your heart keep my commandments:
Proverbs 15:22 - Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
Psalms 33:10-22 - The LORD brings the counsel of the heathen to notjomg;: he makes the devices of the people of none effect.
2 Timothy 2:15 - Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Romans 13:1 - Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
Proverbs 15:24 - The way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from hell beneath.
Isaiah 11:2 - And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Proverbs 28:26 - He that trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoever walks wisely, he shall be delivered.
This extensive, but far from complete list, evidences the value the Lord places upon wisdom. If our God, who is all wise and all knowing, and totally omniscient esteems understanding so highly, should not we, frail grasshoppers that we are (see Isaiah 40:22) endeavor to lay aside the foolishness of our own hearts and take to ourselves the eternal wisdom of the Holy One!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Truly Wise
May 10
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” I Peter 5:5, 6.
Humility is something foreign to modern thinking. Today’s parents and educators do not endeavor to instill the ideas of submission and humility into the current crop of youth; rather, the effort is put forth to assure that they ‘feel good’ about themselves.
It is purported that no less illustrious a personage than Bill Gates stated, “it’s important that young people actually accomplish something before they feel good about themselves,” but that wise counsel has not been widely embraced.
The outcome is a generation that does not submit itself to the wisdom of its elders but rather, is contemptuous of older people. Perhaps the shift in attitude has come because of the way parents and grandparents are portrayed by the media. Instead of being wise characters with sage counsel, they are depicted as dunderheads who can’t quite grasp reality until it is explained to them by their children.
By embracing this reversal of Biblical roles, we are propagating the fallacious notion that youth equates to superior intelligence when in actuality it generally expresses itself through its fallibility. Instead of “seeking wise counsel” as the Bible admonishes us to do, we take counsel with ourselves and in so doing, we are undone.
May the Lord help us to return to the old pattern established to enable the young to learn from the old, and in so doing, may the generations that follow us be truly wise, not “in their own conceit, “ Proverbs 26:12, but wise in “the nurture and wisdom and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4.
Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” I Peter 5:5, 6.
Humility is something foreign to modern thinking. Today’s parents and educators do not endeavor to instill the ideas of submission and humility into the current crop of youth; rather, the effort is put forth to assure that they ‘feel good’ about themselves.
It is purported that no less illustrious a personage than Bill Gates stated, “it’s important that young people actually accomplish something before they feel good about themselves,” but that wise counsel has not been widely embraced.
The outcome is a generation that does not submit itself to the wisdom of its elders but rather, is contemptuous of older people. Perhaps the shift in attitude has come because of the way parents and grandparents are portrayed by the media. Instead of being wise characters with sage counsel, they are depicted as dunderheads who can’t quite grasp reality until it is explained to them by their children.
By embracing this reversal of Biblical roles, we are propagating the fallacious notion that youth equates to superior intelligence when in actuality it generally expresses itself through its fallibility. Instead of “seeking wise counsel” as the Bible admonishes us to do, we take counsel with ourselves and in so doing, we are undone.
May the Lord help us to return to the old pattern established to enable the young to learn from the old, and in so doing, may the generations that follow us be truly wise, not “in their own conceit, “ Proverbs 26:12, but wise in “the nurture and wisdom and admonition of the Lord,” Ephesians 6:4.
Friday, May 9, 2014
He Shall Conquer
May 9
"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast," Psalm 33:8,9.
Remember Whose you are. Remember He has promised that He will "never fail you nor forsake you," Hebrews 13:5.
Equipped with this marvelous knowledge, be mindful that, "You can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives you strength," Philippians 4:13.
"Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, whether in the earth, or on the earth or under the earth," Philippians 2:10. So you NEED FEAR NOTHING!’
The world can be an intimidating place. There is strife on every hand. Disease decimates whole populations. War and rumors of war (see Matthew 24:6) dominate newspaper headlines and the nightly news broadcasts. Vitriolic hatred is instilled into the hearts of the young; therefore they will grow to adulthood without the opportunity to, “Love one another as I have loved you,” John 13:34.
It is unsettling to live on this volatile planet. The Polar ice caps are melting and global warming threatens to ultimately wash away the coastlines of many nations. Vicious storms wreak havoc over large swaths of land. Drought in prime growing areas means food prices will rise and many people will be unable to partake of the fresh, nutritious fruit of the land.
But the God who is the Author of the Book, the God who spoke words of life to everyone who will believe and accept His only plan of salvation—Jesus Christ and Him crucified—has said that we must not be afraid. In fact, God Himself stated very clearly that those who believe in Him must walk in holy boldness.
In Isaiah 41:10, He says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will help you; I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.”
In Mark 13:29 and in Luke 21:28, Jesus Himself said that when the convergence of evil upon the world manifested itself through many of the things listed above, believers in Him were to, “Look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.”
If we believe He is who He says He is; if we trust Him for time and eternity; if we know “He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him,” II Timothy 1:12, then we will, “…fear no evil, for Thou art with me,” as we are told in Psalm 23:4.
We will trust as David did that even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we cannot be undone, for our Jesus has conquered death, hell, and the grave—and He will certainly conquer everything that besets believers in these closing days of time.
"Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast," Psalm 33:8,9.
Remember Whose you are. Remember He has promised that He will "never fail you nor forsake you," Hebrews 13:5.
Equipped with this marvelous knowledge, be mindful that, "You can do all things through Jesus Christ who gives you strength," Philippians 4:13.
"Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, whether in the earth, or on the earth or under the earth," Philippians 2:10. So you NEED FEAR NOTHING!’
The world can be an intimidating place. There is strife on every hand. Disease decimates whole populations. War and rumors of war (see Matthew 24:6) dominate newspaper headlines and the nightly news broadcasts. Vitriolic hatred is instilled into the hearts of the young; therefore they will grow to adulthood without the opportunity to, “Love one another as I have loved you,” John 13:34.
It is unsettling to live on this volatile planet. The Polar ice caps are melting and global warming threatens to ultimately wash away the coastlines of many nations. Vicious storms wreak havoc over large swaths of land. Drought in prime growing areas means food prices will rise and many people will be unable to partake of the fresh, nutritious fruit of the land.
But the God who is the Author of the Book, the God who spoke words of life to everyone who will believe and accept His only plan of salvation—Jesus Christ and Him crucified—has said that we must not be afraid. In fact, God Himself stated very clearly that those who believe in Him must walk in holy boldness.
In Isaiah 41:10, He says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will help you; I will strengthen you; I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.”
In Mark 13:29 and in Luke 21:28, Jesus Himself said that when the convergence of evil upon the world manifested itself through many of the things listed above, believers in Him were to, “Look up and lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near.”
If we believe He is who He says He is; if we trust Him for time and eternity; if we know “He is able to keep that which I’ve committed unto Him,” II Timothy 1:12, then we will, “…fear no evil, for Thou art with me,” as we are told in Psalm 23:4.
We will trust as David did that even in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, we cannot be undone, for our Jesus has conquered death, hell, and the grave—and He will certainly conquer everything that besets believers in these closing days of time.
Thursday, May 8, 2014
Essayons!
May 8
While in Iraq, Major General Michael Walsh mentioned to a French-speaking ambassador that the motto of the United States Army Corps of Engineers is "Essayons."
The ambassador said, "Oh, that is French for, 'Give us a shot at it; we'll try.'"
General Walsh responded, "No, Sir; that's French. The U.S. Army term means, "Let US try...when others have failed, let US try...when others don't know what to do, let US try! When the mission must be accomplished, ESSAYONS!"
Major General Walsh has expressed the heart of the ‘can-do’ spirit that is essential to the accomplishment of any task. He has stated a mindset that will produce favorable results in every area of endeavor, from military battles to academic accomplishment to business success.
It is the mindset that got the Washington Monument completed, the Panama Canal built, WW II won. We are not likely to fail if we truly believe we shall succeed—even if others have failed.
This is the kind of focused thinking that the Lord encourages for His people. Paul tells us very specifically, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13. In Ephesians 3:20, he tells us that the Christ within us, “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, according to His power at work within us.”
In the Great Commission(Mark 16:15) Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” The Lord isn’t speaking here to a group of wealthy, well-educated, cosmopolitan men. No, He is speaking to a rag-tag group of fishermen and tax collectors—to people who were quite ordinary by the standard of their day and who would be esteemed as totally without credentials for their task if they were among us today.
Did the disciples go back from His marching orders? Indeed not! They expressed the spirit of ‘essayons’! They were the epitome of ‘Let US try!’ They didn’t say, “But Lord, we have no resources to accomplish Your bidding!” They didn’t say, “But Lord, we can’t speak the languages of the people to whom You are sending us!” They didn’t say, “But Lord, who will support our families if we begin the task You’ve set before us?”
No, they did not…and neither must we.
What has the Savior set before you to accomplish? Where has He told you to go? Who has He commanded you to reach with the good news of His gospel of salvation? Wherever, whoever, your only response must be, “Essayons!” Let ME try!
While in Iraq, Major General Michael Walsh mentioned to a French-speaking ambassador that the motto of the United States Army Corps of Engineers is "Essayons."
The ambassador said, "Oh, that is French for, 'Give us a shot at it; we'll try.'"
General Walsh responded, "No, Sir; that's French. The U.S. Army term means, "Let US try...when others have failed, let US try...when others don't know what to do, let US try! When the mission must be accomplished, ESSAYONS!"
Major General Walsh has expressed the heart of the ‘can-do’ spirit that is essential to the accomplishment of any task. He has stated a mindset that will produce favorable results in every area of endeavor, from military battles to academic accomplishment to business success.
It is the mindset that got the Washington Monument completed, the Panama Canal built, WW II won. We are not likely to fail if we truly believe we shall succeed—even if others have failed.
This is the kind of focused thinking that the Lord encourages for His people. Paul tells us very specifically, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13. In Ephesians 3:20, he tells us that the Christ within us, “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think, according to His power at work within us.”
In the Great Commission(Mark 16:15) Jesus says, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.” The Lord isn’t speaking here to a group of wealthy, well-educated, cosmopolitan men. No, He is speaking to a rag-tag group of fishermen and tax collectors—to people who were quite ordinary by the standard of their day and who would be esteemed as totally without credentials for their task if they were among us today.
Did the disciples go back from His marching orders? Indeed not! They expressed the spirit of ‘essayons’! They were the epitome of ‘Let US try!’ They didn’t say, “But Lord, we have no resources to accomplish Your bidding!” They didn’t say, “But Lord, we can’t speak the languages of the people to whom You are sending us!” They didn’t say, “But Lord, who will support our families if we begin the task You’ve set before us?”
No, they did not…and neither must we.
What has the Savior set before you to accomplish? Where has He told you to go? Who has He commanded you to reach with the good news of His gospel of salvation? Wherever, whoever, your only response must be, “Essayons!” Let ME try!
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
All Men Shall Know You...
May 7
“God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith,” Acts 15:8, 9.
Peter is here defending the concept of equality. It is the basis of the Western concept that all people are created equal in the sight of our God. Until this declaration, women did not enjoy a high place on the societal ladder. Many lines of discrimination were drawn in other cultures for various reasons. But the Jewish people had enjoyed a uniqueness in the eyes of Jehovah that no other nations could claim.
Because they alone were believers in the One True and Living God, they were required by Him to separate themselves from the other people of the world. They could have limited contact required for commerce and they did at times form military allegiances with other nations (although God never sanctioned their doing so); but they were not to intermarry and they were not to intertwine their lives with those of unbelievers.
Peter recognized the enormous change that occurred when God poured His Holy Spirit upon gentiles. No longer would there be a wall of separation between the Jews who espoused Christ and their gentile counterparts. Forever, they would be bound together with the strong chords of God’s love as it was manifested to all mankind through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
As Peter proclaimed, there would no longer be any distinction between men, for any man whose heart has been purified by faith in the Lord is now one with all other believers.
Today, that policy of inclusion is still in place. Today, we who profess Christ are still expected to, “Love one another as I have loved you,” John 13:34. Our love is to be without regard to race or skin color or nationality of origin or any other point of difference between ourselves and others. Nor are we are to allow any man-made wall of separation to be between us and our brothers in Christ.
Although we must never compromise the integrity of the truth we hold in these earthen vessels (see II Corinthians 4:7) we cannot let points of minor differences alienate us from our brothers. The Holy Spirit who has been given to us by faith will also enable us to appropriate to ourselves the love of God that never fails, I Corinthians 13:8.
With His help, we shall then fulfill the word that assures us, “All men shall know you are My disciples by your love,” John 13:35.
“God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith,” Acts 15:8, 9.
Peter is here defending the concept of equality. It is the basis of the Western concept that all people are created equal in the sight of our God. Until this declaration, women did not enjoy a high place on the societal ladder. Many lines of discrimination were drawn in other cultures for various reasons. But the Jewish people had enjoyed a uniqueness in the eyes of Jehovah that no other nations could claim.
Because they alone were believers in the One True and Living God, they were required by Him to separate themselves from the other people of the world. They could have limited contact required for commerce and they did at times form military allegiances with other nations (although God never sanctioned their doing so); but they were not to intermarry and they were not to intertwine their lives with those of unbelievers.
Peter recognized the enormous change that occurred when God poured His Holy Spirit upon gentiles. No longer would there be a wall of separation between the Jews who espoused Christ and their gentile counterparts. Forever, they would be bound together with the strong chords of God’s love as it was manifested to all mankind through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
As Peter proclaimed, there would no longer be any distinction between men, for any man whose heart has been purified by faith in the Lord is now one with all other believers.
Today, that policy of inclusion is still in place. Today, we who profess Christ are still expected to, “Love one another as I have loved you,” John 13:34. Our love is to be without regard to race or skin color or nationality of origin or any other point of difference between ourselves and others. Nor are we are to allow any man-made wall of separation to be between us and our brothers in Christ.
Although we must never compromise the integrity of the truth we hold in these earthen vessels (see II Corinthians 4:7) we cannot let points of minor differences alienate us from our brothers. The Holy Spirit who has been given to us by faith will also enable us to appropriate to ourselves the love of God that never fails, I Corinthians 13:8.
With His help, we shall then fulfill the word that assures us, “All men shall know you are My disciples by your love,” John 13:35.
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Pigeon-holed
May 6
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 3:38.
Man tends to delineate distinctions between himself and others. Many ‘royals’ find it unthinkable that they might ever associate with, let alone marry, a commoner. Rich people find little commonality with their less-financially endowed counterparts (other than perhaps to make tax-deductible donations to causes that are designed to alleviate poverty).
Well-educated people rarely conduct conversations with those whose academic credentials are wanting. Nationality and race are two frequently used points of differentiation with which man separates himself from his brothers.
Recently, a wealthy sports team owner found himself in a firestorm of angry criticism because of remarks he made to his mixed race paramour regarding her association with people of a race other than his own.
The total irony of this situation is that an aging lothario, an adulterer, insisted that the woman in question was perfectly welcome to interact with anyone whom she chose, as long as she did not bring them to his team’s sporting events. My speculation is that it isn’t the race of the men in question that this unfortunate tycoon disdained, rather, it is their youth and physical prowess.
Although he was baited into making racial comments that were inappropriate, a viable speculation is that it is his own unfavorable comparison to these young, attractive, virile men that he could not abide.
In light of the fact that the only advantage he has over any of them is his financial portfolio, it seems probable that his preference that his young girlfriend not be with them at his team’s games is because he didn’t want to have to face the reality of his agedness. How could he look at her with them and tell himself she finds him desirable (other than for his money!)
The team owner is paying a steep price for his comments, whatever their true intent may be. His discrimination has cost him much money and much respect in a community that had honored him in the past and intended to honor him again.
No doubt he has been required to ponder at great length the firestorm of criticism that has befallen him since the publication of his remarks, but I wonder if he has given any consideration at all to the one line of demarcation between men that God sees.
We see clearly from our introductory verse (Galatians 3:38) that God does not categorize people by societal status, by wealth, by political clout, by gender, by nationality, by race, but He does mark a very clear line of separation between those who are eternally damned and those who are eternally favored—and that line of demarcation is Christ.
No matter what pigeon hole the world puts us into, we are free to enter the flock of believers who will soar into the heavenlies to join Jesus in the air on that great and glorious day when the trumpet of the archangel sounds and the Lord comes to take the redeemed to Himself forever! (See I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:16.)
And that’s one category into which we all should aspire to be placed.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” Galatians 3:38.
Man tends to delineate distinctions between himself and others. Many ‘royals’ find it unthinkable that they might ever associate with, let alone marry, a commoner. Rich people find little commonality with their less-financially endowed counterparts (other than perhaps to make tax-deductible donations to causes that are designed to alleviate poverty).
Well-educated people rarely conduct conversations with those whose academic credentials are wanting. Nationality and race are two frequently used points of differentiation with which man separates himself from his brothers.
Recently, a wealthy sports team owner found himself in a firestorm of angry criticism because of remarks he made to his mixed race paramour regarding her association with people of a race other than his own.
The total irony of this situation is that an aging lothario, an adulterer, insisted that the woman in question was perfectly welcome to interact with anyone whom she chose, as long as she did not bring them to his team’s sporting events. My speculation is that it isn’t the race of the men in question that this unfortunate tycoon disdained, rather, it is their youth and physical prowess.
Although he was baited into making racial comments that were inappropriate, a viable speculation is that it is his own unfavorable comparison to these young, attractive, virile men that he could not abide.
In light of the fact that the only advantage he has over any of them is his financial portfolio, it seems probable that his preference that his young girlfriend not be with them at his team’s games is because he didn’t want to have to face the reality of his agedness. How could he look at her with them and tell himself she finds him desirable (other than for his money!)
The team owner is paying a steep price for his comments, whatever their true intent may be. His discrimination has cost him much money and much respect in a community that had honored him in the past and intended to honor him again.
No doubt he has been required to ponder at great length the firestorm of criticism that has befallen him since the publication of his remarks, but I wonder if he has given any consideration at all to the one line of demarcation between men that God sees.
We see clearly from our introductory verse (Galatians 3:38) that God does not categorize people by societal status, by wealth, by political clout, by gender, by nationality, by race, but He does mark a very clear line of separation between those who are eternally damned and those who are eternally favored—and that line of demarcation is Christ.
No matter what pigeon hole the world puts us into, we are free to enter the flock of believers who will soar into the heavenlies to join Jesus in the air on that great and glorious day when the trumpet of the archangel sounds and the Lord comes to take the redeemed to Himself forever! (See I Corinthians 15:52 and I Thessalonians 4:16.)
And that’s one category into which we all should aspire to be placed.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Purged of the Leaven
May 5
“No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire. As for the offering of the first fruits, you shall offer them to the LORD, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma,” Leviticus 2:11-12.
“You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the first fruits to the LORD. . . . The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest,” Leviticus 23:17, 20.
"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke 12:1.
Throughout Matthew 23, Jesus lists a multitude of Pharisaical sins that could be grouped as legalistic externalism.
In Matthew 16:6, Jesus warns of the leaven of the Sadducees. Their sins are not listed here, but elsewhere we find they at least denied the supernatural and the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8).
Jesus also warns of the leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15), who was involved in a great deal of lying in his political wheeling and dealing, abusing the power of his office, adultery, and other behaviors that clearly evidenced the fact that he cared nothing for the law of God but was immersed in the sins of the world.
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” I Corinthians 5:7, 8.
“We know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me,” Romans 7:14-20.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the prevalence of the leaven of sin can be clearly seen. We recognize its impact upon even the best of our offerings before our Holy God.
The recognition of our inability to be righteous before Him makes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ all the more precious to us. We understand that the One who is high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1), who inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15), who is of purer eyes than to behold sin (Habakkuk 1:13) cannot allow us into His presence as we are. Of ourselves, because of our sin nature, we are completely undone.
In I Corinthians 15:50-52, Paul states our quandary quite clearly but he also proclaims our hope: “:Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
It is because of Jesus, the God-Man who lived a sinless life in our behalf and who died in our place and who rose to the everlasting glory of the Majesty on High that we may proclaim that I am Christ’s and He is mine! Thank You, Jesus, for purging us of the leaven of our lives that we may stand as righteous in Your sight.
“No grain offering which you bring to the LORD shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the LORD made by fire. As for the offering of the first fruits, you shall offer them to the LORD, but they shall not be burned on the altar for a sweet aroma,” Leviticus 2:11-12.
“You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the first fruits to the LORD. . . . The priest shall wave them with the bread of the first fruits as a wave offering before the LORD, with the two lambs. They shall be holy to the LORD for the priest,” Leviticus 23:17, 20.
"Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy." Luke 12:1.
Throughout Matthew 23, Jesus lists a multitude of Pharisaical sins that could be grouped as legalistic externalism.
In Matthew 16:6, Jesus warns of the leaven of the Sadducees. Their sins are not listed here, but elsewhere we find they at least denied the supernatural and the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8).
Jesus also warns of the leaven of Herod (Mark 8:15), who was involved in a great deal of lying in his political wheeling and dealing, abusing the power of his office, adultery, and other behaviors that clearly evidenced the fact that he cared nothing for the law of God but was immersed in the sins of the world.
“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth,” I Corinthians 5:7, 8.
“We know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me,” Romans 7:14-20.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments, the prevalence of the leaven of sin can be clearly seen. We recognize its impact upon even the best of our offerings before our Holy God.
The recognition of our inability to be righteous before Him makes the sacrifice of Jesus Christ all the more precious to us. We understand that the One who is high and lifted up (Isaiah 6:1), who inhabits eternity (Isaiah 57:15), who is of purer eyes than to behold sin (Habakkuk 1:13) cannot allow us into His presence as we are. Of ourselves, because of our sin nature, we are completely undone.
In I Corinthians 15:50-52, Paul states our quandary quite clearly but he also proclaims our hope: “:Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
It is because of Jesus, the God-Man who lived a sinless life in our behalf and who died in our place and who rose to the everlasting glory of the Majesty on High that we may proclaim that I am Christ’s and He is mine! Thank You, Jesus, for purging us of the leaven of our lives that we may stand as righteous in Your sight.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Cleanse Your Heart
May 4
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings, “ Jeremiah 17:9, 10.
The Lord our God knows us. There is nothing within ourselves that we have succeeded in hiding from other men or that we have buried so deeply within our bosom that we have hidden it even from ourselves that He does not know.
Within the heart of who we are there is the likeness of who we really are—the likeness of who we are before God. He sees us and He knows us in the reality of our personhood. We may “fool all of the people some of the time, and we may even fool some of the people all of the time,” as so wisely observed by President Abraham Lincoln, “but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
And you cannot fool God at all.
The very fact that we might want to is a sure indication that our hearts are indeed, “deceitful above all things.” We who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we who have allowed our hearts to be the abode of the Holy Spirit, II Timothy 1:14, must be ever vigilant that we do not allow His holy presence to be removed from us because we have allowed ourselves to incorporate into the inner sanctum of our lives the essence of evil that He cannot stand.
We know that the devil himself is called, “the father of lies,” John 8:44. When we give ourselves to falsehood, we are emulating the evil one. We must not allow ourselves to be “caught between two opinions,” I Kings 18:21.
We must as Joshua proclaimed to the people of Israel, “Choose you this day whom you will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” Joshua 24:15. We must not allow ourselves to give place to the enemy in this, for if we relinquish to him our solid foundation of honesty toward other men, he will endeavor to confiscate the totality of the truth we possess.
In all things, we must align lives with Jesus who is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, because no one can ever approach the Father but by Him (see John 14:6).
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings, “ Jeremiah 17:9, 10.
The Lord our God knows us. There is nothing within ourselves that we have succeeded in hiding from other men or that we have buried so deeply within our bosom that we have hidden it even from ourselves that He does not know.
Within the heart of who we are there is the likeness of who we really are—the likeness of who we are before God. He sees us and He knows us in the reality of our personhood. We may “fool all of the people some of the time, and we may even fool some of the people all of the time,” as so wisely observed by President Abraham Lincoln, “but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
And you cannot fool God at all.
The very fact that we might want to is a sure indication that our hearts are indeed, “deceitful above all things.” We who profess faith in Jesus Christ, we who have allowed our hearts to be the abode of the Holy Spirit, II Timothy 1:14, must be ever vigilant that we do not allow His holy presence to be removed from us because we have allowed ourselves to incorporate into the inner sanctum of our lives the essence of evil that He cannot stand.
We know that the devil himself is called, “the father of lies,” John 8:44. When we give ourselves to falsehood, we are emulating the evil one. We must not allow ourselves to be “caught between two opinions,” I Kings 18:21.
We must as Joshua proclaimed to the people of Israel, “Choose you this day whom you will serve; as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” Joshua 24:15. We must not allow ourselves to give place to the enemy in this, for if we relinquish to him our solid foundation of honesty toward other men, he will endeavor to confiscate the totality of the truth we possess.
In all things, we must align lives with Jesus who is the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE, because no one can ever approach the Father but by Him (see John 14:6).
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Rebellion Is Put Down
May 3
Now a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword," II Samuel 15:13, 14.
David served God with all his energy and with all his might. God was able to say of him that David was indeed, “a man after Mine own heart,” I Samuel 13:13, 14 and Acts 13:22. But David had not followed after the command of the Lord when it came to the living of his personal life.
Amnon, David’s son, was very attracted to his beautiful half- sister Tamar. Amnon concocted a scheme where, because he feigned illness, she took food to his bedroom. Amnon seized the opportunity to rape her, but once having his way with her, he no longer found her to be of any interest to him.
David had not imposed any penalty upon Amnon for his grievous treatment of his half-sister Tamar and this enraged her brother Absalom who was emboldened to take further measures against his father (see II Samuel, Chapters 13-15). The extent of Absalom’s rebellion went so far as to attempt to wrench the Kingdom of Israel from his father.
As we are told in II Samuel 15, David fled because he felt it would be impossible to defeat Absalom while remaining within the City of Jerusalem. David, still a warrior, even in his old age, preferred to fight in the open than to be under siege by his foe.
In II Samuel 18:32, David inquires after his son, for he had commanded that no one harm him. Even though Absalom’s heart was full of vile conceit and rebellion, David still loved him and wanted him to be safe, but that was not to be.
The story of his death is told in II Samuel 18:
Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going.
When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” II Samuel 18:19-II Samuel 19:8.
Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
The man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Protect for me the young man Absalom.’ Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.”
Then Joab said, “I will not waste time here with you.”
So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.
Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people. They took Absalom and cast him into a deep pit in the forest and erected over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
We can empathize with Absalom who desired revenge for the indignity suffered by his sister yet we know the command to honor one’s father stands even when such ignominy is endured.
We know that had David managed his own household well, had he been faithful to the wife of his youth rather than taking other women to his bosom, his fellowship with God would have been unbroken and his authority over his children would have been fully established.
May we, in our living of our Christianity before our friends and families, take every matter that is of importance to the Lord as our basis for the establishment of our lives and the lives of the precious children He entrusts to us. May we never relent in our effort to assure that we and our children and their children, for all generations that the Lord tarries His return, are committed to the law of God that is immutable (see Psalm 19:7).
May we hold fast to Jesus, who has fulfilled His own perfect law in our behalf and may we go forth into the future in the assurance that our own past rebellion, our thoughts, or words, our deeds, are under the blood of the One who lived a holy life in our behalf.
Now a messenger came to David, saying, "The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom." So David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword," II Samuel 15:13, 14.
David served God with all his energy and with all his might. God was able to say of him that David was indeed, “a man after Mine own heart,” I Samuel 13:13, 14 and Acts 13:22. But David had not followed after the command of the Lord when it came to the living of his personal life.
Amnon, David’s son, was very attracted to his beautiful half- sister Tamar. Amnon concocted a scheme where, because he feigned illness, she took food to his bedroom. Amnon seized the opportunity to rape her, but once having his way with her, he no longer found her to be of any interest to him.
David had not imposed any penalty upon Amnon for his grievous treatment of his half-sister Tamar and this enraged her brother Absalom who was emboldened to take further measures against his father (see II Samuel, Chapters 13-15). The extent of Absalom’s rebellion went so far as to attempt to wrench the Kingdom of Israel from his father.
As we are told in II Samuel 15, David fled because he felt it would be impossible to defeat Absalom while remaining within the City of Jerusalem. David, still a warrior, even in his old age, preferred to fight in the open than to be under siege by his foe.
In II Samuel 18:32, David inquires after his son, for he had commanded that no one harm him. Even though Absalom’s heart was full of vile conceit and rebellion, David still loved him and wanted him to be safe, but that was not to be.
The story of his death is told in II Samuel 18:
Now Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. For Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. And his head caught fast in the oak, so he was left hanging between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him kept going.
When a certain man saw it, he told Joab and said, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” II Samuel 18:19-II Samuel 19:8.
Then Joab said to the man who had told him, “Now behold, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
The man said to Joab, “Even if I should receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, ‘Protect for me the young man Absalom.’ Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.”
Then Joab said, “I will not waste time here with you.”
So he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor gathered around and struck Absalom and killed him.
Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the people. They took Absalom and cast him into a deep pit in the forest and erected over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled, each to his tent.
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar which is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to preserve my name.” So he named the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
We can empathize with Absalom who desired revenge for the indignity suffered by his sister yet we know the command to honor one’s father stands even when such ignominy is endured.
We know that had David managed his own household well, had he been faithful to the wife of his youth rather than taking other women to his bosom, his fellowship with God would have been unbroken and his authority over his children would have been fully established.
May we, in our living of our Christianity before our friends and families, take every matter that is of importance to the Lord as our basis for the establishment of our lives and the lives of the precious children He entrusts to us. May we never relent in our effort to assure that we and our children and their children, for all generations that the Lord tarries His return, are committed to the law of God that is immutable (see Psalm 19:7).
May we hold fast to Jesus, who has fulfilled His own perfect law in our behalf and may we go forth into the future in the assurance that our own past rebellion, our thoughts, or words, our deeds, are under the blood of the One who lived a holy life in our behalf.
Friday, May 2, 2014
Letter
May 2
Although the following letter cannot be 100% authenticated, its credentials for authenticity are substantive. May its publication here be a blessing to everyone who reads it. May everyone who reads it resolve to seek the one of whom Pilate said, “I find no fault in Him,” John 19:6.
LETTER TO TIBERIUS CAESAR FROM PONTIUS PILATE
(The original of this letter is in the library of Rome. An authenticated copy is in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.)
A young man appeared in Galilee preaching with humble unction, a new law in the Name of the God that had sent Him. At first I was apprehensive that His design was to stir up the people against the Romans, but my fears were soon dispelled. Jesus of Nazareth spoke rather as a friend of the Romans than of the Jews.
One day, I observed in the midst of a group of people a young man who was leaning against a tree, calmly addressing the multitude. I was told that his name was Jesus. This I could easily have suspected, so great was the difference between Him and those who were listening to Him.
His golden coloured hair and His beard gave to His appearance a celestial aspect. He appeared to be about thirty years of age. Never have I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance. What a contrast between Him and His hearers with their black beards and tawny complexions. Unwilling to interrupt Him by my presence, I continued my walk but signified to my secretary to join the group and listen.
Later, my secretary reported that never had he read in the words of all the philosophers, anything that compared to the teachings of Jesus. He told me that Jesus was neither seditious nor rebellious, so we extended to Him our protection. He was at liberty to act, to speak, to assemble, and to address the people. This unlimited freedom provoked the Jews - not the poor but the rich and powerful.
Later, I wrote to Jesus requesting an interview with Him at the Praetorium. He came. When the Nazarene made His appearance I was having a morning walk and as I faced Him my feet seemed fastened with an iron band to the marble pavement and I trembled in every limb, as a guilty culprit, though He was calm.
For some time I stood admiring this extraordinary Man. There was nothing in Him that was repelling nor in His character, yet I felt awed in His presence. I told Him that there was a magnetic simplicity about Him and His personality that elevated Him far above the philosophers and teachers of His day. All in all He made a deep impression upon me and everyone because of His kindness, simplicity, humility and love.
Now, Noble Sovereign, these are the facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth and I have taken time to write you in detail concerning these matters. I say that such a man who could convert water into wine, change death into life, disease into health, calm the stormy seas, is not guilty of any criminal offence and as others have said, we must agree truly this is the Son of God!
Your most obedient servant,
PONTIUS PILATE
Although the following letter cannot be 100% authenticated, its credentials for authenticity are substantive. May its publication here be a blessing to everyone who reads it. May everyone who reads it resolve to seek the one of whom Pilate said, “I find no fault in Him,” John 19:6.
LETTER TO TIBERIUS CAESAR FROM PONTIUS PILATE
(The original of this letter is in the library of Rome. An authenticated copy is in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.)
A young man appeared in Galilee preaching with humble unction, a new law in the Name of the God that had sent Him. At first I was apprehensive that His design was to stir up the people against the Romans, but my fears were soon dispelled. Jesus of Nazareth spoke rather as a friend of the Romans than of the Jews.
One day, I observed in the midst of a group of people a young man who was leaning against a tree, calmly addressing the multitude. I was told that his name was Jesus. This I could easily have suspected, so great was the difference between Him and those who were listening to Him.
His golden coloured hair and His beard gave to His appearance a celestial aspect. He appeared to be about thirty years of age. Never have I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance. What a contrast between Him and His hearers with their black beards and tawny complexions. Unwilling to interrupt Him by my presence, I continued my walk but signified to my secretary to join the group and listen.
Later, my secretary reported that never had he read in the words of all the philosophers, anything that compared to the teachings of Jesus. He told me that Jesus was neither seditious nor rebellious, so we extended to Him our protection. He was at liberty to act, to speak, to assemble, and to address the people. This unlimited freedom provoked the Jews - not the poor but the rich and powerful.
Later, I wrote to Jesus requesting an interview with Him at the Praetorium. He came. When the Nazarene made His appearance I was having a morning walk and as I faced Him my feet seemed fastened with an iron band to the marble pavement and I trembled in every limb, as a guilty culprit, though He was calm.
For some time I stood admiring this extraordinary Man. There was nothing in Him that was repelling nor in His character, yet I felt awed in His presence. I told Him that there was a magnetic simplicity about Him and His personality that elevated Him far above the philosophers and teachers of His day. All in all He made a deep impression upon me and everyone because of His kindness, simplicity, humility and love.
Now, Noble Sovereign, these are the facts concerning Jesus of Nazareth and I have taken time to write you in detail concerning these matters. I say that such a man who could convert water into wine, change death into life, disease into health, calm the stormy seas, is not guilty of any criminal offence and as others have said, we must agree truly this is the Son of God!
Your most obedient servant,
PONTIUS PILATE
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