Random Thoughts on the Really Good News

When all the theologians and politicians have finished arguing about what man must do to be saved; When the Calvinists and Armenians have finished bludgeoning each other with lengthy and boring arguments about predestination and free will; When Christians and Muslims have finished threatening and killing one another with words and weapons; When all religious and governmental organizations have failed to save and deliver a better world - what do we have left to give us strength and hope? What it comes down to is pretty simple for me. I either find peace in my faith in what God has promised in the bible, or I do not. And what God has promised is easy enough for a child to understand. God has promised to… Save me, my family and friends, and the whole world, “We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” (1 John 4:14) And He has promised to send Jesus back to earth to raise us all from the dead... “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all...

“And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.” (Acts 3:16) Here we see clearly that it is the faith OF JESUS, not our own faith, which makes us strong, or makes those we see strong. Faith that comes from our own heart or desires cannot and will not strengthen us. Most likely it will depress us for often our will does not coincide with His, therefore it does not come to pass... “Jesus explained, my food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work…The One who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases Him." (John 4:34; 8:29) So what is the will of God that Jesus finished?  The salvation of the world! Don't fall into the trap of thinking our free will is stronger than God's will. It is not, nor can so called free will prevent Jesus from finishing that which he came to do -...

“Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the just one by faith shall be living…Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Habakkuk 2:4; Hebrews 12:2) Quite frankly, my personal faith for most of my life was not authored by Jesus, much less finished. My faith was authored by the denomination that I grew up in.  It was a faith in a decision I had been encouraged to make.  “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them…through him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.” (2 Corinthians 5:19; Colossians 1:20) There seems to be little “peace” within evangelical Christianity, especially between those who differ on doctrine.  They do not believe that the "blood of his cross" has reconciled the world to God.  They are ever creating new programs and plans to get members on fire to go save ...

“We walk by faith, not by sight…” (2 Corinthians 5:7) Biblical faith is a term which most people struggle with. Faith is not a blind leap into the dark, nor is it just saying we trust God or Jesus. Faith is believing something God or Jesus has SAID he has done or will do for us. Salvation by faith is not “inviting Jesus into your heart”, or joining the church, or confessing your sin, or “calling upon the name of the Lord”, or getting baptized. If those things are of any value at all, they are just a way to express that we believe what God says he will do. Those things are NOT a condition to God being faithful to save mankind, they are a response to the realization that they have been saved by the GRACE of God “not of works lest any man should boast” . (Ephesians 2:8-10) “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15) All of our evangelistic efforts will not add to what Christ Jesus came into the wor...

"Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5) Grief is not our home. Joy is our home. Just like our memories, grief is just a place we visit from time to time. So remember, visit and grieve...then wipe away the tears and go home. "...forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)

“All things work together for good….” (Romans 8:28) Is your God in Aladdin’s lamp? I get mad at that god sometimes. I rub the lamp with much prayer and yet He doesn’t grant me any of my three wishes. The last time was an immature and childish attempt at getting my Genie to help me play golf better. I mentioned in another post my score of 102. What I didn’t mention is that I tried to put the blame on God for not helping me do better, being the righteous person that I considered myself to be….I deserved a couple of wishes, or birdies. What I got was triple bogies or what my golf buddies like to call TFBs. You can ask them what that means. But that Genie god is not the God of the bible. It is the God of men and their religions. He is seen as some powerful entity sitting on a throne somewhere in Heaven just waiting for us to get his attention by rubbing the lamp with just the right amount of prayer time and faith.  Again, that is the Genie of Aladdin’s lamp, not the God of t...

"We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people." (1 Thessalonians 5:14-15) Is that all Paul? Well no... "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (16-18) Good grief, are you done? Not quite... "Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." (19-22) Alrighty then, guess I'll just mosey out to the golf course where I'll attempt to make a hole in one on every hole....be much easier. No wonder I have never met anyone from Thessanolica. That letter ran them off. Surely there is more to this than meets the eye... Yep, there is another way, you can chill out and l...

“Those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Does God like people more than other animals? I wonder. Sue Ann loves animals, and she and I have been trying to save a newborn Llama. Its mother abandoned it at birth for some reason. She just now called to tell me it did not make it, but in the few days we nurtured it, she and my grandson gave it some of their love and compassion. Yesterday I told Sue Ann it was not going to make it and did not notice that my grandson was in the room. When I saw that he had heard me I spontaneously told him “just believe that in the resurrection she will be perfectly healthy and she will remember you with a smile for caring for her”.  I am not sure why I said that to him. We normally only think of people as the object of God’s love and salvation thanks to religious tradition. But what I said made my grandson smile ...

“I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.” (John 12:46-47) There are multitudes of Christians and others who do not believe Jesus came to save the world. They believe he has commissioned the church to do so.  They spend countless hours and millions of dollars trying to do what Jesus has already promised to do… “save the world” …he does not need help.  I do not believe he will  judge us for not getting people saved, he will judge us for not believing he would save them. And when he does save them, his word will judge us for our unbelief. “He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day.” (John 12:48) Whatever you have heard this means in a church, forget it, it most likely is wrong. The judg...

"And He was saying to them all, If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23) Have you ever been told "Don't burn your bridges"? Not always good advice. There are some bridges that should be burnt to the ground.  Traditions of Religious institutions are some of those bridges that we need to burn. Not  because people might follow you across them...few will be so bold. Most are bound with an oath to what you left behind. The bridges need to be burnt so that YOU can't get back to what you left behind. You will be tempted to do so...at least I am.  The Greek word translated "cross" in verse 23 above is "stauros" which literally means an upright stake in the ground. When Jesus told his fellow Jews to "Take up your cross and follow me " I think he was saying untie yourselves from the stake in the ground you are bound to...the Jewish Rabbinical traditions of men. O...

Did you see the movie “The Green Mile”. It was about a man on death row. On death row when the inmate made his final walk to his death they called it the Green Mile and those around him would say as he passed by - “Dead man walking”. Mankind, from the cradle to the grave, are simply dead men walking for the Bible tells us that… “All have sinned...the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 3:23a; 6:23a) But God has given us the good news that after our death… “…the free gift of God is eternal life…” (Romans 6:23b) Baptism is sometimes misunderstood in churches. In the church where I grew up in the Pastor would repeat these words when he baptized someone - “buried with Christ in Baptism, raised to walk in newness of life”.  To many this meant that the one being baptized had been saved, had died to sin of the old life, and when they come up out of the water they were clean from sin and would go live thereafter in newness of life among the church family.  That is not what Bapti...

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven.  Many will say to me IN THAT DAY, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23) The "many" who have prophesied in Jesus' name, cast out demons, and done wonders in his name "in that day" cannot be unbelievers, atheists and Muslims, etc. None of them do such things. So who are the  "many " ? Assuming we are “in that day” today, the "many" are probably: 1.  Many Jewsish religious leaders who deny Jesus is their Messiah. 2.  Many Christian leaders calling him Lord and preaching and teaching in his name...Catholics, Protestants and Independents. 3.  Many Christian leaders casting out demons, prophesying...

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10) I do not think Jesus was referring to abundant life in this present age. Jesus knew that it is appointed that all men must suffer and die. All mankind are in the process of dying, not living abundantly. Jesus came so that we may have life "abundantly" when he returns to resurrect us to "immortality" . Jesus is the only man who has been raised and now has immortality…. “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive…When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory…which He will bring about at the proper time. He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:22-54; 1 Timothy 6:15-16) We do not have abundant immortal life yet, only the promise of it and...

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16) Neither commentaries and books written by Theologians, Sunday School literature or Pastor's sermons are Scripture, and yet most Christians have gained what knowledge they have about God from those sources. That is much better than nothing I suppose yet as scrumptious and filling as it may taste, it is still the product of sinful men, mostly very fine people, but as good as they may be, their thoughts, nor mine, are “God-breathed” .  Pork is one of my favorite foods, and I occasionally dine on swine. Bacon, ham, ribs, sausage and pulled pork, all of it.  But when I get heartburn from the pork, I know to take a strong dose of Scripture and soon return to a more joyful and healthy life focused on the Spirit of God. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit...

"No one has ever seen God...God is Spirit"  (John 1:18; 4:24) I like the following common sense statement by Arthur P. Adams (1847-1925)… “Why do people not trust God? For the very same reason, I answer, that we do not trust strangers, because we are not acquainted with Him.” So how do we, or will we, or can we become acquainted with Him who is an unseen Spirit? Good question and I find little if no help from Theologians. Not that there are not countless commentaries written by them on how to “walk in the Spirit” or be “Spiritual” or produce the “fruit of the Spirit”. There is so much written on the subject that it has become mind numbing to me…and useless mumbo jumbo for the most part. After thousands of pages of writ, their conclusions are essentially the same - If we trust God and get saved, we will change into a “Spiritual person” who is like God, with the fruit of the Spirit flowing out of us. Which of course is not true and simply brings us full circle to Arthur P. A...

“God is love…Love never fails” (1 John 4:8; 1 Corinthians 13:8) That God is love is a characterization of his essence. When we talk about God being Just, or God being Omnipotent, or God being Omniscient we are talking about his attributes. But His essence is love and it is absolute.  And it dictates that He must save the sinner and He must justify the unjust…because He has the power and wisdom to do so. His love, operating through His attributes of justice, power and wisdom, is directing the outcome of His creation to a place where every knee will bow VOLUNTARILY to God, because they have experienced his Love in the undeniable truth that they are alive, though they had been literally dead. They cannot deny the obvious truth that He has at that time resurrected both the just and the unjust...by the grace of God alone. “…there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust...For by Grace are you saved...Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth: for I ...

"Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins...truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death" (John 8:24, 51) So what did Jesus mean when he said “you will die in your sins” and “whoever obeys my word will never taste death” ? First let’s be honest and admit that even believers “ die” . All those who believed and followed Jesus during his earthly ministry died. Jesus was simply saying that it was sin for the Jewish leaders he was addressing NOT to believe that he was sent by God as their Messiah. And since they did not believe this, when they died they would die in that sin of unbelief. Now look at verse 51 when Jesus says to them “I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death” . Again, be honest and admit that none who heard him say that are still alive, even his followers. So what did Jesus mean when he said “whoever obeys my word will never see death” ? It has always b...

“…pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called…looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ” (1 Timothy 6:11-12; Titus 2:13) To be honest, I sometimes doubt the gospel. And by gospel I mean the biblical good news that after I die, at some point Jesus will return to resurrect me to immortal, eternal life.  Is that bad? No, just common sense working in me questioning something that I have never personally seen. That is, I have never seen someone who has died and was later brought back to immortal, never ending life. Jesus is the only person who has done so according to the bible and that occurred 2000 years ago and he is no longer physically present to prove to us he is alive, or immortal. “…our Lord Jesus Christ…who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can se...

It has been a week since my father in law went to sleep in Christ and I have been trying to find the right words to say about him. I cannot imagine another father in law who holds as much respect from a son in law as he has from me. There is so much good to say and condensing it into a short narrative is difficult but here goes. “I was born to work” – That is the summary from his own mouth of what he was created to do. “He was born to work in the service of others” – That is the summary from my own mouth of what he was created to do. Ernie’s dad was born in Wild Horse Hollow Kennady in the Indian Territory now known as Oklahoma. Ernie himself was born in Paris, Texas. Those early years of his life are interesting and being the oldest of seven children he learned to work early and the value and satisfaction of hard work. He served his country in World War II in the 12th Air Force of the US Army Air Corps in the support group for the famed “Flying Tigers” attaining the rank of Serg...

“For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, since in the days to come both will be forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 2:16) Black Lives Matter – All Lives Matter – Blue Lives Matter Matter in what sense? Matter to Whom? Matter for how long? It has been my observation over 66 years that the only lives that actually matter to anyone are those they love, or are currently dependent upon. That is not a cynical view of life, but simply common sense reality. I have been to, or witnessed on TV, funerals where the house was packed, tears were abundant, and eulogies were long. But two weeks later, the deceased did not matter to anyone but those who had really loved them or had been dependent upon them. That is OK. That is life as most men understand it. Napoleon nailed it for most men when he said...  “Glory is fleeting, but obscurity is forever” – Napoleon Bonaparte Do people really matter? I think so, but my hope will not be in Donald Trump or Hillary C...