We Must Come To Jesus

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

Jesse died at the age of fifty-one. He’d lived a life of simplicity and had been a generous man. He had a deep abiding love for his family. Jesse also loved horses. There wasn’t a week that went by that you didn’t see Jesse with his kids and grandkids riding in the evening after he returned home from work. Seeing his children raised with good manners, sound moral character, and generous hearts was important to him. But until three weeks before his death, Jesse hadn’t known Jesus as his personal Savior.

At his funeral a gentleman stood and spoke a simple, yet powerful truth, “We all know Jesse was a generous man…in most part because he learned it from his mother. But that generosity wouldn’t have gotten him into Heaven. Had he not accepted the pastor’s offer to make Jesus his Lord and Savior three weeks ago, today would be a dark day. But because of his decision to do that, we can celebrate Jesse’s death!”

“You may be a good person…” he said, making eye contact with each person, but if you don’t know Jesus the way Jesse came to know Him, you’ll spend eternity in Hell, and the day of your funeral will be a dark day. Please think about that,” he said and returned to his seat.

†

Short of accepting Jesus’ sacrifice, laying claim to His righteousness alone, you will discover upon the day of your death that Heaven and Hell are real, that God only inhabits one of them, and that you are going to spend eternity tormented with the knowledge that things could have been different if you’d only made the right decision.

There is no other way to speak this truth; you are either saved by the blood of Jesus, or you will receive a spiritual death sentence the moment you die. To gain salvation, we must come to Jesus.

I urge and invite you to make the right decision today.

Prayer

“Father God, thank You for the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, that covers all my sin. I accept that sacrifice, now. Please forgive me, and show me how to live my life for You. Amen.”  

Sowing Forgiveness

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger…Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31, 32

Life on a dairy farm is demanding; two or three milking shifts per day, crop production, and machine maintenance tie farmers to the homestead. Mark had left the farm as soon as he’d turned eighteen…but not because of the hard work.

“I got up each day wondering where Dad was gonna hit me. All I thought about was ending the beatings once and for all, but…” his voiced trailed off. Eventually he continued, “Over the years God replaced the anger with a desire to share the gospel with my parents. Finally, it got to the point that their salvation was all I could think about! So one night after church I took them a Bible...” the tears came again. “Dad said, ‘Is that some magazine or somethin’?’ I told him, ‘No! It’s a book about your salvation, and you can either read it and follow its teaching and have eternal life with Jesus, or you can spend eternity in hell!’ I surprised myself speaking that way to Dad,” he said candidly. “I talked about Jesus’ love for them for more than two hours…I shared things I didn’t even know I knew!” His voice carried a note of sadness as he said, “Dad cried a little…but that’s as far as it went with him.” But joy replaced the sorrow as he said, “Mom accepted Jesus into her heart, and I baptized her two days later! I guess I’ll just have to keep praying for Dad.”

†

Too many people identify with Mark’s story. Child abuse steals the soul; it’s not easily forgiven, and next to impossible to forget. In Mark’s case it took twenty years for the anger to abate, allowing the Holy Spirit to move in such a way that Mark became more concerned about his father’s salvation than the memory of his beatings.

In many cases it takes years, but God can heal all wounds. As with the crops on a dairy farm, forgiveness must be sown to produce a harvest. But once sown, Jesus will faithfully help us tend the crop.

Prayer

“Father, today it’s difficult to forgive. Help me continue to walk in forgiveness each day until it becomes complete in my heart. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

Living as Sacrifices

For to me, to live is Christ...

Philippians 1:21

“I can’t do this anymore!” Jack all but hollered. “I don’t know what God wants from us? I have no idea what step to take next that would bring resolution to our problems!”

Jack’s frustration stemmed from the ongoing trials he and his wife, Tanna, had been experiencing over the past four years. The unrest in the home, brought on by persistent physical and constant financial struggles, was at a fevered pitch. They rarely went a day without arguing over things that would normally be overlooked as insignificant. And the periods between these arguments were filled with deafening silence.

When more than a minute passed without her response he silently blamed her…It would be nice if you’d engage!

Locked in his own reasoning-challenged battle, Jack couldn’t know that Tanna’s mind was filled with her own fear-driven thoughts. So, he began building his own argument for his wife’s lack of response…Right, you think this is all ‘MY’ fault! Which wasn’t true, but by this time Satan had planted seeds of guilt and shame over his inability to earn a living. He uttered his last statement aloud, “I’m so tired right now I’d rather be a dead martyr than a living sacrifice.”

†

Sound familiar? Many Christians share Jack’s sentiment, which begs the question: Why does a loving God allow His children to experience this kind of turmoil when He has the power to do otherwise?

Many New Testament scriptures tell us we will suffer, Jesus Himself said it. But, like Jack, we desire an answer that will at least offer comfort in the midst of the conflict.

Paul writes in verse fourteen, “Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”

The list of reasons of why God allows us to work through our trials is long. But in many cases He knows someone else is watching for our reaction to our circumstances. He believes we have the strength to show the world what a living sacrifice looks like. What we show them is how we choose to respond to life’s trials.

Prayer

“Lord, sometimes I feel it’d be easier dying for You than living through these trying times. Give me Your strength to walk in integrity, as a living sacrifice in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

The Appointment

…the Spirit of truth…will guide you...

John 16:13

Intending to take about a half hour break, Rich and Don began preparing a quick lunch on the narrow beach just below the class III rapids they’d just navigated. Not their regular putout, they’d pressed on down stream because Rich had felt an urge to go a bit farther before stopping.

It was Labor Day weekend, and the river was packed. As they watched, group after group of novice rafters struggled to navigate this perilous stretch of Green River rapids. Suddenly, a family of five rounded the bend and entered the gorge. Inexperienced, they were unable to keep the bow of their raft headed down-stream. As they hit the rapids the raft slammed against the sheer granite wall and capsized, spilling everyone into the rushing water. The young boy managed to grab onto a huge rock in the center of the river, while dad got the two girls to shore. Mom, however, was nowhere to be seen. Don, trained in river rescue, and Rich, a S.W.A.T. Commander, responded immediately by launching their raft into the lower section of the rapids, heading for the buffeting raft.

“I think I saw something near the stern,” Rich hollered as they stroked against the current. As they reached the wildly bouncing raft, training took over. Rich launched himself into the now half submerged raft and crawled to the stern. Looking over, he found the mother, with only her face above water, struggling to hang on. Pulling her onto the raft, Rich paddled to shore. Not long after, the boy was rescued from his perch on the rock.

†

Many would call what happened destiny, luck, or coincidence. Those who follow Jesus Christ call these ‘divine appointments’. Had Rich and Don not yielded to the subtle urging to press on, that holiday weekend might have ended in tragedy. Thankfully, Rich listened, and showed up for the divine appointment.

God gives His Holy Spirit as a guide to all who follow His Son. The Spirit, gently urges us, knowing when an extra mile down-stream will make all the difference, then He leaves the choice to follow up to us.

Prayer

“Help me to be sensitive to Your urgings, Lord. Teach me to be discerning and obedient. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

The Truth About Death

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

1 John 4:10 KJV

Attending her third family funeral in as many months, Kendra was angry…This isn’t fair! A loving God would never do this! her mind screamed.

The recent deaths had caused Kendra to doubt the existence of God; because if there was, He wouldn’t keep killing the people she loved! And since there was no God, she rejected any notion of salvation through Jesus Christ as well. Friends had told her she was being too analytical, and needed to accept certain things by faith. They’d told her that this side of Heaven there was no such thing as complete understanding. But she wanted proof!

The pastor began the eulogy, “On this side of death we are faced with the greatest decision we will ever make.” Searching the eyes of each mourner, his glance settled on Kendra. “The Bible tells us that our spirit will live forever after our mortal death. If you’re not sure what lies ahead, I challenge you to listen to this message of hope in Jesus Christ. You see, what happens the moment following our last breath on earth will be determined by what we believe, because following that breath we will be in the presence of a loving, and holy God. At that moment we will have complete understanding.”

It was as if God had spoken audibly to Kendra. Her anger, and her facade, melted away as tears streamed down her cheeks.

†

Kendra’s anger over her loss is understandable. However, her analytical assumption about why God allows death is wrong.

Death was never God’s intention. Adam’s disobedience brought that sentence upon humanity. But because of God’s great love for us, provision was made so that we would not live forever in our sin. He sent His Son to die in our place in order that we might not suffer our deserved fate: eternal separation from God due to our sin.

Jesus came to die…to bring peace between God and man. Only His shed blood makes us righteous before a holy God. But that blood must be applied before our last breath. If you have not claimed the blood of Jesus, I invite you to do that now.

Prayer

“Come in to my life today, Lord Jesus… Amen.”

Lone Ranger Syndrome

Do not forsake your friend…and do not go to your brother’s house when disaster strikes you—better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away.

Proverbs 27:10

Blair rarely asked for help with anything. And this morning his do-it-yourself ideology almost cost him his life…

Blair had decided it was time to start cutting firewood for the coming winter. So, loading his chainsaw and other woodcutting tools into his pickup, he headed up on the hill to cut two dead trees he’d spotted during a recent hike.

He notched the first tree in the direction he wanted it to fall and began cutting on the opposite side, just above the notch. Unexpectedly, the tree ‘POPPED!’ and twisted off the stump prematurely, catching him off guard. As he turned to run the tree fell, catching his left leg, pinning him to the ground. Feeling around, he determined nothing was broken or bleeding. But no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to free himself. With the realization that his cell phone was out of reach in his jacket pocket, Blair prayed, “God, I need help. I know I shouldn’t have come up here alone, but please send someone to find me.”

Minutes later he heard the low, droning sound of a four wheeler. Up the well road came his neighbor, Fred, who would later tell him that he’d heard the chainsaw, and had come to offer a helping hand.

†

In the long-running 1950s TV western, ‘The Lone Ranger’, the title’s hero fought bad guys and brought them to justice. Sadly, many of us take on the persona of a Lone Ranger, fighting our battles alone, exposing ourselves to pitfalls, dangers, and setbacks that could be avoided if we would only part with our pride.

As today’s text points out, Lone Ranger Syndrome is not part of God’s plan for our lives. In truth, the Lone Ranger wasn’t a loner. His trusted companion, Tonto, was always by his side, ready to help his friend.

God has positioned our ‘Tontos’ within the sound of our voice. But it’s up to us to ask them for help.

Prayer

“Help me be humble and wise, Lord. Help me put to death this Lone Ranger mentality. Teach me how to ask for help. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”     

Keeping Watch

Be on guard! Be alert! ...keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back…  If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
Mark 13:33, 35, 36

Tom watched as Warren grabbed his lunch pail and headed for the factory door following the ‘Shift’ whistle that signaled the end of the workday. That man definitely knows when quitting time is. What Tom didn’t know was that Warren worked a second job as shift supervisor at a warehouse across town. Appreciating Warren’s situation, and his strong work ethic, the owner of the warehouse allowed him to start his job a half hour later than normal. Having just thirty minutes to travel the ten miles between locations, Warren kept close track of time.
A second fact Tom wasn’t aware of was that the employees Warren supervised took advantage of his absence during their first half hour of work by lounging around in the break room. A couple of them brazenly used the time to take a nap.
So they were shocked when, today, Warren walked through the door fifteen minutes early, catching them lounging around instead of stocking orders!
Warren had suspected something of the kind and had made special arrangements to leave his factory job early to confirm his suspicions. The lazy employees were given a written notice and warned that any further abuse of company time would see them losing a week of work without pay.

†

Jesus’ words in today’s text are not a suggestion. He speaks them with the ring of warning…because being asleep at His return will cost us more than a written notice in our employment file. Unfortunately, most of us don’t think He’s coming before we lay our head on the pillow tonight.
Belief in Jesus’ warning is paramount to resisting the temptation to fall asleep spiritually. This truth can only be confirmed by being in relationship with the One Who spoke the words. So how do we remain spiritually alert when weariness threatens to shorten our attention span?  By keeping watch with Jesus each and every day.

Prayer

“Holy Spirit, help me remain alert and watchful. I want to be wide awake when Jesus returns. Fan the candle of my heart into an eternal flame! In Jesus’ Name, amen.”