I've known the pain of watching a beloved brother or sister in Christ abandon the Lord. I've wept as I pled with a young Christian, whom I'd treated as a daughter, not to turn her back on heaven. I had to hear her defiantly declare that she no longer loved the Lord and intended never to serve Him again. If I live to be a hundred I'll never understand how one who was bought by the blood of Christ can make such a choice.
I've known some who said that it was just too hard to be a Christian and they simply couldn't do it anymore. But, I think they are trying desperately to sell themselves a bill of goods. The truth is, they know on some level that their lives will be miserable after they turn their back on the Lord. There is just too much knowledge that they must forcibly bury in order to abandon God.
The apostate must bury his knowledge that Jesus died for his sins. It must be hard work to wall off one's heart from the memory that Jesus humbled Himself and took the form of s servant, and then humbled Himself to the point of the death of the cross (Philippians 2:6-8). And He did this all for the very one who so callously turned his back on Jesus.
The apostate must forcibly bury his sweet memory of the love of God. God loved him enough to send His only Son to die for the apostate's sins (John 3:16). How do you distract yourself from that memory, especially when you love your own children and would die for them?
The apostate must bury the yearing of his heart for fellowship with God. "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Galatians 4:6). It can't be easy to ignore the knowledge that such fellowship is available, but it's being pushed away by stubborn rebellion. The apostate is wounding himself for all eternity. Try as he might, there is just so much one can lie to himself - no one made him leave the Lord. He alone bears the blame.
The apostate must distract himself from the memory of heaven. Oh, no one has seen heaven, but we've read plenty about it in the Bible. It must be exhausting to wish for the pain and sadness to be dispelled while knowing that heaven promises all tears will be wiped from our eyes of the faithful (Revelation 21:4).
The apostate must try to somehow forget that eternity is real. How do you remove from your mind the haunting fear of the fires of eternal hell or the worm that does not die (Mark 9:44)? There's not a well of whiskey deep enough to permanantly erase the horrors of hell.
The apostate must fight the growing terror that there is no salvation in apostasy. The world constantly assaults our hearts with the the lure of sin's carnal pleasures. It appeals to our pride, offering a "better" life outside of Christ. The world screams that we've been lied to - "You shall not surely die!" (Genesis 3:4). No matter how bitter the apostate may grow, or how fiercely he proclaims his liberty from Christ, he simply cannot shake the knowledge that he has chosen the avenue of his eternal doom when he left the Lord's side.
No thank you. I won't abandon Christ, my Savior. I simply couldn't bear it. I'm not strong enough to live my life without Him.
What would the daily tracking polls say about Jesus’ chances for victory if He were to run for public office today? Some will surely say that the Lord would win in the biggest landslide in history. I’m not so sure. If Jesus ran for office it would be on a platform that many would find distasteful.
Jesus would campaign for respect for authority. His ads would say: “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth…” (Matthew 28:18). Paul wrote that Jesus Christ is head over all things to His church (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18). In another place Paul said that every knee shall bow to Jesus (Philippians 2:10), and John called Him King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). How would voters today feel about a candidate who stated in campaign speeches that every man should submit himself to God’s will? How many would cast their vote for the Lord to have all authority over their lives? It’s a whole lot easier when it is just a slogan, but it is a lot harder to actually adopt the practice of submitting to Jesus’ authority in everything.
Jesus would campaign against sin. Anti-sin speech is not too popular today. The mantra of our age seems to be: “If it feels good, do it.” In the minds of many people there is very little that is wrong unless it hurts other people. In an odd twist, some people will only condemn those who condemn sin. How would Jesus poll in such an environment? We have Jesus on record saying: “If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast if from you; for it is more profitable that one of your members perish than for your whole body to be cast into hell” (Matthew 5:30). Further, Jesus can be heard to say: “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea” (Matthew 18:6). His apostle Paul said: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
How many votes would Jesus lose by telling men and women that they are sinners?
Jesus would campaign that marriage is between a man and a woman. We know that this would be Jesus’ platform because He already said it: “And He answered and said to them, ‘Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” (Matthew 19:4-5). His apostle Paul said of homosexuality that it is “vile passions” and is “against nature” (Romans 1:26-27). In another place Paul said: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,” (1 Corinthians 6:9). This position would surely have Jesus branded as a bigot and a homophobe and would cost him many votes.
Jesus would call on people to obey the gospel. I know that Jesus would call on men and women at every campaign stop to obey the gospel, because we have Him on record in His own words doing that very thing. He preached the following words: “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16). On another occasion, Jesus called on his followers to “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). It’s the “take my yoke upon you” part that I’m afraid would cost Jesus the most votes. Many people don’t like hearing that in order to be a Christian you must actually do what the Lord says.
Of course, the Lord will never run for a public office, but He is asking for followers. The Lord calls upon us all to come to Him and take His yoke upon us. That means, we must believe and do whatever He says. Will you cast your vote with the Lord?
They used one of those fancy computer programs to age enhance a photograph of you in your youth. The resemblance is uncanny. The age enhanced version is holding a fried chicken leg in one hand and a cup of Folgers in the other....
My mother made cornbread the way it's supposed to be made. Iron skillet, buttermilk, etc. Rarely did she resort to a mix, and if it tasted like it had sugar it was an abomination to her!
Don't know if she ever treated you to it, but it was good stuff.....
When Jesus stood before Pilate, Pilate asked Him: “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Many people today think like Pilate. Some think there is no real truth, others think truth is relative and is whatever you want it to be, others believe truth exists but it is so ethereal that only the most learned sage can know it. None of these views is accurate. Truth exists, it is not relative, and it is something all men can know and embrace. Jesus taught that He came to bear witness to the truth (vs. 37).
Concrete truth exists. Moral certainty bothers immoral people. Uncertainty better fits their agenda, because they can scurry and hide behind the popular notion that there is no real truth. If there is no genuine concrete truth, then there is no basis upon which people can criticize and condemn them. What is ironic is that many people who say there is no real truth also claim to be Christians. How can this be? Jesus said there is truth: "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Do you believe in Jesus? Then you must believe in the existence of truth! Not only did Jesus affirm that God’s word is truth, He also said the truth saves men (John 8:32). Those who want to live in sin may run and hide from the light (John 3:19-21), but the light of truth still blazes brightly.
Truth is not relative. Moral relativism is the next retreat of the ungodly. Since immoral men cannot deny the existence of truth, their best bet is to make truth look as muddy as possible. With righteous indignation they cry: “What is right for one man may not be right for another!” This is one of the most hollow and untrue arguments ever invented. It has no bearing at all on the truth of God’s word. Consider. God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). He made the sun, the moon, and the stars (vs. 14-16). The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. It has followed this course from the very first day that it gave its light, and it will never rise in the west. When I stand facing north, east is on my right and west is on my left, but if I turn to face the south, my left now faces east. Has my perspective to the sun’s rising changed the truth of where the sun rises? Does it suddenly rise in the west because my left side faces east? The truth of the sun’s rise in the east does not at all change with my perspective!
Neither does divine truth change based upon the perspective of men. One cannot say “I just don’t see it that way” in order to reject divine truth that makes him uncomfortable. He cannot say “In my religious tradition we look at things differently.” Whatever one’s perspective, Jesus is divine (John 1:1). Whatever one’s religious “tradition” baptism is still essential for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; Galatians 3:27). And, one’s personal perspective does not diminish the fact that sin exists and it will condemn men (1 John 3:4; Romans 6:23).
Truth can be known. The last gasp of the immoral man is to declare that no one can understand the truth - it is only for the most enlightened theologians to know truth. With great contempt, the sinner says: “Who do you think you are? No one really knows whether my actions are right or wrong!” Remember, Jesus said that the truth saves and that people can know the truth (John 8:32). It has been said by those who analyze such things that the Bible was written on the reading level of a grade school child. Good and honest hearts have no trouble understanding the truth of God’s word that pertains to the salvation of their souls. What people find difficult is finding creative ways to justify their sinful conduct while the brilliant light of truth shines on them.
When I look at the division among my brethren I often find myself in Pilate's position. However, I take comfort in "let God be true though every man a liar". His truth is revealed but I often wonder whether we have made seeking that truth more complicated than He did.
We attended a high school graduation ceremony during which a student named Celanese Fortrell graduated. And we wondered if the mother had gotten the name from the tag on the neck of the baby's shirt in the hospital.
I can't believe it either!! It all happens in the blink of an eye... I'm definatly making a conscious effort to slow down and ENJOY everything!! Tell Lindsey I say hi!
I suppose it's a small thing to most people, but I resent the fact that penmanship is no longer taught like it once was. There are probably a few older readers who remember learning the Palmer Method. Thousands upon thousands of pushes and pulls and loops rounded out a kid's education, and after the arduous torture, his well trained hand could actually write what was in his mind in a legible fashion.
The age of email has doomed the art of beautiful writing. Keyboards have no personality, and word processors can only ape carefully drawn letters with fancy fonts. The practice of forwarding spreads terribly impersonal (not to mention annoying) "I thought you might like this" blurbs to hundreds of people with the stroke of a key. Much of what passes through my inbox can scarcely be called communication. Sometimes the Fwd's include a trail of email addresses in the heading through which it has passed on the way to my inbox. I'm convinced that a Fwd could be sent by a monkey poking computer keys with his feet, considering how much forethought seems to go into many such missives.
But, a letter written on real paper, with an actual pen filled with genuine ink, sealed in a carefully addressed envelope, takes time, thought, care, and an intention to communicate. One has to have something he really wants to say in order to go to all that trouble. And when I open the envelope, admire the fine hand writing, I'm inclined to appreciate the effort.
I have a bottle of ink and a dipping pen sitting on my desk, and I try to write something every day. My handwriting isn't that attractive, but when I send you a letter, you can be sure that I touched the paper you're holding. It wasn't spat out by a bunch of diodes.
That's your writing up there isn't it? You have BEAUTIFUL penmanship! I agree with all you said and it saddens me that the muscles in my hands won't let me write the letters I used to love to send. Great post.
While I do like email (in business terms it does allow you to quickly catch up on an ongoing issue), I will heartily agree that the handwritten word has much more of a "human" element. Sad isn't it.
When I was in high school I was on the ready-writing team. That means two hours of hand-writing 8-10 pages on a subject. I haven't written that much TOTAL since I graduated.
