Category Archives: Salvation

The Dumb Thing

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One of the oldest bits of wisdom in the Bible says, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  Except God didn’t say it like that.   Speaking through His prophet, Jeremiah, He said:

13 “My people have committed two sins:
They have forsaken me,
the spring of living water,
and have dug their own cisterns,
broken cisterns that cannot hold water.  (Jeremiah 2:13)

Cisterns hold water but they can’t fill themselves.  You have to do that.  If the cistern is leaky, then you have to keep filling it, even if you haven’t used any of the water. Moreover, have you ever tasted water stored for a long time in a cistern?  Funky stuff.  So then, why would anyone exchange a continuous spring of fresh, clear water for a cistern they had to dig and fill which would give them brackish tasting water?  Be dumb, right?

And why, God asks, would anyone turn away from the continuous interaction with God, Who gives strength, peace, joy, insight, love and life itself, in order to make up his or her own god out of dead stuff?  Dead stuff like wood, stone, metal, plastic… or money.  One of most common reasons people turn away from God is to pursue more money.  But money is very much like a broken cistern.  You have to fill it yourself.  It leaks away when you aren’t looking (If you don’t believe me, check your wallet:  Not as much money in there as you thought, right?)  And money doesn’t satisfy like it promises to do.  Most of the time the aftertaste of money is brackish.

Don’t be dumb.

Done

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Can you really forgive if you don’t forget?  God doesn’t think so.  When He forgives He forgets.  Speaking about all those who accept His forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus, He says:

12 For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.  (Hebrews 8:12)

So, this woman goes to her priest and says, “I have a word from God for you.”  “Oh no,” he replies, “we don’t do that in this church.”  She persists and he finally tells her to prove she really is in contact with God.  He tells her to ask God to tell her the last sin he owned up to in confession.  If she gets it right, he’ll listen to what she has to tell him.  When she comes back, the priest asks her what God told her was his last confessed sin.  She says, “God said He can’t remember…”

Of course, you could ask all sorts of logical questions about what could be impossible for an all-sovereign deity.  But the point is this:  once God has forgiven you, that is the end of it.  He will never bring it back up and hold it as leverage against you.  When you accept Jesus’ payment on the cross as a full payment for all  your sin, your account is paid in full.  It’s done.

The How and Why of Miracles

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David Blaine blows your mind by doing things that seem impossible.  But if you knew how he did his tricks, they would not have the same effect.  When God performs a miracle, He deliberately hides how He did it, in order to preserve the full effect.  Because it’s the why that’s important with miracles, not the how.  I know people who declare, “There’s no such thing as a miracle.”  What they mean is there must be some physical explanation for how God pulled off His tricks.  Perhaps they are right.  But in getting all focused on the how, they’ve probably missed the why.  And that is a shame.

Miracles are often called “signs.”  Signs point to something.  When you see a sign for a hospital, you don’t stop there to get medical attention; you head in the direction it points to.  In the New Testament, most of the miracles, or signs, point to the validity of the identity, message and work of Jesus Christ.  They are designed to work like starter fluid for faith.  You don’t run your engine on starter fluid; you just squirt some in the intake when you are having trouble getting it started.  God uses miracles to help people get their faith started.  When you read about or experience a miracle of God, don’t get so distracted wondering about the how that you miss out on why it happened.

1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2:1-4)

 

Christmas Lights – Part 3

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The next morning, it took Fred awhile to remember where he was.

 [This short story begins here]

When he looked around and remembered, he wasn’t sure just how much of what had happened had been a dream. Trying to get a better grip, he got up and splashed cold water on his face from the basin in the corner.  He quietly made his way down the stairs, thinking, “I’ll just leave a note of thanks and some money.” But Papa was just setting out a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and called him into the kitchen.

As they ate together, Papa said, “You are probably a bit confused just now about what has happened to you. It’s all right; don’t worry. That is the way it feels to most people when they come here. They wake up with a lot of questions, wondering if they have been dreaming or something. That is why I gave you the book. You are going to find a lot of answers in there. You will be amazed at how, the more you learn, the more questions you will have and the more you will want to know. Just keep that book handy.  Gradually, you’ll begin to get the hang of it.”

“What happened to me?” Fred asked.

“You had your heart fixed; you came to Life – real Life. That empty place in your heart has been filled with life and light. Jesus has come to live in your heart. You don’t have to protect yourself from being hurt anymore, you don’t have to be afraid to love and be loved. You don’t need to worry about being vulnerable. Now that He is alive in you, you will never be alone. You have been given a new kind of life and power – a new kind of light. It takes some getting used to, but as you will see, everything will be different. Oh, your car is still broken. It’s still cold and snowy outside. Your wife and kids are still gone. None of that has changed. Perhaps some of that will get fixed, in time – who knows? But you will discover as you leave here and go back out to your car, you will experience all these things with new peace, new power. But don’t worry: Trust Him, like He said. And, oh, by the way, let me be the first to say it to you: Merry Christmas!”

About an hour later, as Fred climbed up into the cab of the tow truck, he noticed how the snow, which had looked so menacing last night, now seemed to sparkle with beauty. The driver looked over at Fred, jammed the truck into gear, and growled, “Bummer to be stuck on Christmas, eh?”

Fred just smiled and said, “You know, the most amazing thing happened to me last night…”

The name of that story is, Christmas Lights. There are many kinds of light that we experience at Christmas.

  • There are Christmas lights on houses, for example. Some only see those lights from a distance, but others go over to get closer. The Wise Men did that.
  • Then there is the light that is an invitation, spilling out from God’s front door. Some see that light and walk on by, feeling a bit wistful but not going in. Others kick the snow off their boots, go in and accept a hot mug of cider and a seat by the fire. Mary did that.
  • Some are content to just sit in the glow of the firelight, and the lights on a Christmas tree – but others see a gift with their name written on it. As they open the gift to see what it is, they discover that the gift is Jesus, who offers to heal the wounds, take away the twistedness and sin, and light a lamp of life in the darkness in their heart.  Some say, “No thanks, I can do this by myself.” But others trust Him and receive the gift. Lots of times they wake up the next day, a bit bewildered. With amazement, they begin to learn what has happened, and how Jesus died to make it possible. They have heard these things before but now they begin to understand. It is like the dawning light of a new day – the thrill of watching the sunrise on Christmas morning – as they begin to see how it all fits together.

Of all the different kinds of Christmas light, that one is the absolute best. It is the light that Jesus lights in a heart that never goes out, the light of true life. Jesus said it like this: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

“Yet in the dark streets shineth
The everlasting Light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.”

Merry Christmas!  May you be blessed in 2017!

Tom

Christmas Lights – Part 2

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I must be dreaming, Fred thought.

[If you haven’t read it, this short story begins here.]

But with a sense of creeping wonder, he began to untie the ribbon and open the gift. He looked inside the box and saw a very old book. “A book?” he asked, “Is this really for me?”

The old man said, “Yes, but that book isn’t really the gift, it’s just the instruction manual.”

Now Fred was sure he was dreaming, but he said, “Where is the gift?”

A voice, behind him said, “Turn around, Fred.” Don’t ask how he knew, but he when turned around he was looking at Jesus. Holding up his hands, Fred said, “I don’t know how you knew my name, or how you pulled this deal off – and I want you to know that I really appreciate your kindness and offer of a place to stay for the night – but I’ll be honest with you, I’m not interested in religion right now. But thanks, anyway.”

Jesus smiled at him and said, “This isn’t about religion, Fred, this is a gift. Don’t you want to know what it is? This is about fixing that lonely, empty, dead hole in your heart.”

Fred said, “I’m going to be all right. I’ll find a new home, get a new job and turn my life around. I don’t need sympathy – I’m a “can-do” kind of guy and I want to fix this by myself.”

But Jesus said, “Fred, if you will simply trust me, I can fill up that empty place inside you. You have convinced yourself the only safe place in this world is to be all by yourself, with no one close enough to hurt you. But, no matter how much you fight to ignore it, no matter how much money you make, or how many fun things you find to do, deep inside, Fred, you know you are lonely. You are empty inside. Dead. But, if you will trust me, I can fix that. Not just for tonight, but forever.”

Fred started to work up a rebuttal. He told himself he wouldn’t let this guy get to him, that it wasn’t safe. He wanted to grab his coat and run back out into the night, where at least he knew what was going on. But despite all of those thoughts that were pulling on him, when he opened his mouth to reply, what came out surprised him. He said, “I’m not sure I know how to trust You. Can You help me with that?”

Before he had even finished saying the words, he felt a warm rush of something filling his heart. It was like a hot-spring had begun bubbling up inside him. It was like a candle had been lit in a dark corner of his heart and now the light was getting steadily brighter.” He tried to hold it back, but began to cry. All he could say was “Thank you, thank you.” For a long time he just closed his eyes and wept as the most amazing and confusing emotions swept through him. He felt as though he was coming to life in a way he couldn’t understand.

When he finally pulled himself together and opened his eyes, he was alone with Papa. With a smile, Papa said, “Let me show you where that bed is. You’ve had quite a night.” Bewildered, but grateful, Fred followed up the stairs and down the hall. Before long he was sleeping as he had not done in a very long time.

(To be continued…)

 

Night Light

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2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
3 You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
4 For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
5 For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. (Isaiah 9:2-7)

Merry Christmas!

Unwrap Music

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The mysterious thing about gift wrapping paper is it slows time to a crawl.  After I wrap a gift, I can hardly wait, and frequently fail to wait, until the moment the gift is first unwrapped.  The more special the gift, the slower goes the time.  It’s not just me, it’s a rule, a law of physics.  Which means angels in heaven must have had a very hard time waiting for Jesus to be “unwrapped.”

Think about it from their perspective:  In heaven, you hear about God’s plan to have His Son become a human and be born on earth.  Earth is a sphere that spins around some tiny speck of light way out in the universe.  Humans are creatures God made to live on that sphere.  And Almighty God has decided to send His Son there as a human! You can hardly imagine it, let alone understand it.  More amazing than if the Orkin man decided to become a termite.  And after Jesus has been “wrapped” in Mary, so to speak, imagine the gathering anticipation for the reveal.  Imagine how slowly those nine months would pass, worse than waiting at the DMV.  And how excited you would be to witness this miracle.  You would be ready to explode!

So now, God comes and says, “We’re getting a choir together to celebrate it when Jesus is born.  What do you think, would you be interested?”  “Are You kidding?  Of course I’m interested; I can’t wait!”  And after Gabriel is done setting the stage for the shepherds and gives the cue to the angelic choir director, how enthusiastic would your singing be?  This is probably a vast understatement:

13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”  (Luke 2:13-14)

Jesus is going to come again, this time not as a baby but as the King of Kings!  Time is creeping at an agonizing pace.  But, as we wait, you don’t have to try to contain your excitement.  You can get ready to pump your fist and sing!

Kindness

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The divers came upon a whale, tangled in an abandoned net, who would die if not released.  Trouble was, the whaled was freaked out and likely to injure or kill them if they got close enough to help.  But by their gentle and peaceful approach they gradually won her trust.  She allowed them to begin the tortuous task of cutting away the tough net to set her free.  Their gentleness, their kindness, convinced the whale she could trust them and submit to their rescue procedures.  I watched this amazing story with awe and will give you the link below.  But read this verse from Romans carefully and think about that principle:

4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?   (Romans 2:4)

God’s kindness was costly.  He accepted the risk of excruciating death in order to draw close enough to cut away the net that holds us captive.  Don’t dismiss that kindness or take it for granted.  Submit to what He is trying to do for you.  Let Him cut you free.

To watch the whale video, click HERE.  Make sure to watch all the way to the end to see a pretty good image of what Jesus meant by “life to the full.”

 

 

Square Bidness

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Square bidness.  Translation?  I am telling you the absolute truth.  I learned that expression from New York slum street kids back in the 60’s.  Don’t know if they still say it, but God does.  Check this out:

18 For this is what the Lord says—
he who created the heavens,
he is God;
he who fashioned and made the earth,
he founded it;
he did not create it to be empty,
but formed it to be inhabited—
he says:
“I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
19 I have not spoken in secret,
from somewhere in a land of darkness;
I have not said to Jacob’s descendants,
‘Seek me in vain.’
I, the Lord, speak the truth;
I declare what is right.  (Isaiah 45:18-19)

Sometimes I underline or highlight the main ideas in long Bible sentences, as I have done above.  That’s so I can hang on the main thrust of what is written.  In this passage, the main idea is that God, the only One Who is real, made the earth to be inhabited by us and has clearly told us in His Word how to find Him.  If we seek Him, He said, it won’t be in vain.

Think about how much effort around the world goes into the pursuit of God, most of it in vain because the method of seeking has been designed by what people have imagined would work.  But God said, “Look, if you want to truly find me you have to seek in the way I have clearly told you.  It’s not some secret knowledge but is clearly laid out in My Word.  Seek Me in that true way and it won’t be in vain.”

And Jesus added,

45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. 46 No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. 47 Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life.”  (John 6:45-48)

Square bidness.

To Know Better

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We’ve known each other for years, but just the other day, over hot coffee and breakfast burritos, down at Janie’s Cafe, I got to know him better.  Mack (not his real name) is a guy I can talk naturally with – no pretense.  Breakfast at Janie’s was a rich time.

Paul writes that one of the things he strives for most is to know Jesus better.

8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord... (Philippians 3:8a)

10 that I may know him…  (Philippians 3:10)

He probably knew Jesus better than most, but not well enough for his own satisfaction:

12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (Philippians 3:12)

This morning, after reading those lines, I asked Jesus to show me something about Himself that I didn’t understand well enough.  Kind of looking forward to how He answers that request…