Grace, Faith, and Works.

 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph.2:8-9).

This is, quite possibly, one of the most frequently quoted statements in the New Testament, after John 3:16. It deals with three essential aspects of the Christian Faith - grace; faith; and works. That faith (or belief, it's the same Greek word) in the substitutionary work of Jesus, the Christ, on the cross, is essential to salvation (see John 3:15-18, etc.). But faith does not stop there; it grows as a disciple of Jesus matures. Let us look at some of the characteristics of a growing faith in God.

One who has accepted God's gracious offer of forgiveness and salvation, one who, by faith, has found God trustworthy, comes to trust Him and His promises in other areas as well. Paul, who had been sorely persecuted for his faith, claimed, "I am not ashamed, for I know Whom I have believed, and I am sure that He is able to guard until that Day what I have entrusted to Him." (II Timothy 1:12). God will faithfully fulfill His promises, and we can have faith that He will.

The great heroes of faith, some of whom are listed in Hebrews 11, all had one thing in common. They dared to trust God for great things, even impossible things, and moved out on that basis. Consider Joshua: "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days." (Heb.11:30). Joshua was confronted with an impossible problem, but dared to trust God for a solution.

Then there is the mature faith which can "rest in YHWH, and wait patiently for Him" (Psalm 37:7) in the face of hardship and opposition. "For the wicked shall be cut off; but those who wait for YHWH shall possess the land." (v. 9).

But, as James reminds us: "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." (2:14-17). Some try to suggest that James and Paul were "at odds" with one another. Nothing could be further from the truth! Read on from those words at the head of this post! "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Eph.2:10). 

So, we are saved, by grace, through faith, for good works.

At every stage of our lives as disciples of Jesus, Father God allows us opportunities to exercise and expand our faith. Remember, "without faith it is impossible to please Him." (Hebrews 11:6). 

Born to Die

At the end of March, I attended a Celebration of the life of a brother in the Lord whose spirit is now with his Saviour. Such events are happening with increasing regularity as I draw, day by day, more closely to my own departure from this mortal life. Of course, there are many of us who, as we look around us and see more and more Biblical prophecies being fulfilled, are convinced that the Rapture* of the saints of God - i.e. all of those who are truly disciples of Jesus - could occur within the lifetime of even people of my advanced age!

Mind you, there is a sense in which the first thing that we do when we are born is to start to die! That is the destiny of each and all, until the Rapture. What is important is what we do with the life we are given. The testimonies to the life of my friend were positive and encouraging. I pray that even some of what was said about him may be able to be said about me when my time comes!

However, there is one death that was the most important in the history of humankind. Many of us remember it daily, but especially did we do so last month. It was the death of Jesus, the Christ, on a cross at Calvary. He, more than any of us, was born to die. 

He, Himself, identified many reasons why He had been born. Consider the following sampling of verses and references. First and foremost, the Christ came to redeem those who would believe: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16). But under that umbrella of redemption come many other aspects.

 Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me, and to accomplish His work." (John 4:34). God's will was paramount even in judgment (John 5:30) as well as resurrection. "For this is the will of my Father, that every one who sees the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:40). It also governed His teaching (7:16-17). In everything, Christ sought to bring glory to His Father (7:18).

 

Many aspects of Christ's work are to be realized in this life, for He said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). His desire in it all was that we might have an eternal relationship with God. "That they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).

 

But the primary goal was to bring to climax His redemptive strategy. He knew that none of the other aspects of His work had any effect without atonement for sin, which was only possible if a blood sacrifice was made for that sin. "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). "I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep" (John 10:11). This was the reason He came to earth - to pay the penalty for your sin and for mine. And only through Him are we able to come to the Father, receive His forgiveness, and be assured of eternity in His glorious presence. 

*This is one of the "Great Words of the Faith" that is dealt with in my book of the same name - as promoted at the end of March. Please remember that I receive no financial, or other material, benefit from the sale of my books, as all royalties are sent, directly, to Release International, in support of the persecuted Church.

The Romans Road

Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at what a disciple of Jesus really is. Now I know that many of those who receive these posts are already born-again of His Spirit. But there may be others who are not and who are now asking: "How do I become a disciple of Jesus - knowing that I may enjoy His presence; be able to share everything with Him; and trust Him, implicitly, in every situation?" That is the question with which I will deal in this post.

First of all, however, let me state that what follows is not something that I have "produced" myself. Indeed, I do not even know who first formulated it! However, it is based on Paul's letter to the early disciples of Jesus in Rome and, as such, has become known as "The Romans Road". Interestingly, during the week, I watched a video on YouTube on how the Romans constructed roads, many of which have survived until today. It is very brief, and may be worth watching at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1aFWtBXHII (you may have to "copy and paste"!). Regardless of that, I trust that the following will help - even if it is just one person!

The Romans Road - a well-engineered path to Salvation.

Although many people believe that they will go to heaven because of the 'good' things that they have done - living a good life; doing charity work; having been baptised (christened) as an infant; attended a worship service regularly; treated others fairly; or given financial support to "good works"; the Bible makes it perfectly clear that none of us is able to live up to the standards of righteousness that Almighty God has set. That means that we need a way to God that doesn't rely on anything that we may do, but on the gift of His grace alone. The Romans Road provides what we may refer to as a 'map' for our salvation, and eternal fellowship with Father God. There are seven steps:

1. You must acknowledge God as the Creator of everything, and accept your humble position in His created order and purpose. "Ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature, namely, His eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honour Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened." (1:20-21; see also Gen.1:1).

2. You must realise that you are a sinner, who needs forgiveness. Not one of us is worthy under God's standards. "For there is no distinction; since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (3:22-23; see also Gen.3:1-13).

3. Father God has provided the way by which we may receive that forgiveness. He showed us His love by coming into this world, in the Persona* of the Son Who became sin for us, and Who paid the penalty for your sins, and mine by dying on the cross for us - the perfect sacrifice. "But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (5:8; see also Gen.3:14-15).

4. If we remain as sinners, we shall die - eternally. However, if we repent of our sins, and accept that salvation that was gained for us, at such great cost, at Calvary, acknowledging the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we shall have eternal life. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (6:23; see also Isaiah 59:2; John 3:16-18, 36).

5. You must share that Jesus, the Christ, is your Lord and Saviour, believing in your heart that the Father raised Him from the dead, and that you are truly saved in Him. "... if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved." (10:9-11; see also Ephesians 2:8-9).

6. That's just about it! There are no religious formulae or rituals. You simply, and sincerely, call upon His name, and you shall be saved! "For, «every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.»" (10:13; see also Acts 16:30-31; John 17:3). 

7. Determine, in your own heart, to make Jesus, the Christ, the Lord of your life - today, and every day. "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory for ever." (11:36; see also Acts 1:8). 

Well, that's the road - but are you ready to start walking on it, accepting God's Gift of salvation? If so, may I welcome you to the most wonderful family on earth! Oh, it's not perfect! I know that only too well - and I know that I am a part of the imperfection. But I would rather be a part of that family - which is the very Body of the Christ, on earth - than of any other group of people.

Finally, our good works do not save us - but once saved, there are certain things that we should do! 

• Tell someone else about your new-found faith in the Lord Jesus.
• Be baptised, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - as commanded by the Lord Jesus. (Matt.28:19)
• Spend time with God each day. It does not have to be a very long period of time. Just develop the daily habit (without it becoming no more than a habit!) of praying, and reading God's Word. There are many useful books that will help you to structure your Bible reading in a helpful manner.  
• Find a Fellowship where the Bible is faithfully preached, and attend the worship services - developing a group of believing friends who will support you, and help you with questions you may have. 
• Support your Fellowship, and other Christian ministries, by your tithe and offerings.

If I can be of any personal assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at the e-mail address in the heading. May God bless you in your new life.

* This word, and many others, are explained fully in my first book: "Great Words of the Faith." There is a link to the site at which it may be purchased, at the top of the page. ALL royalties go directly to Release International, in support of the persecuted church.

Death - the final frontier!

As I have mentioned before, I am an avid reader, and enjoy reading not only my Bible, and various theological books, but also a good novel. I especially enjoy a good detective story - trying to figure out  the identity of the perpetrator of the crime involved (usually a murder!). Often, I fail miserably, and it is only in the final chapter that the criminal is exposed! Some of the novels I have read have been real 'cliffhangers', and it has been almost the last page before I discover "whodunnit"!! However, there is one cliffhanger that none of us will ever resolve until we experience it for ourselves - what happens after physical death?

Anyone who has watched, in sadness, as someone close to them has died may wonder about their new existence (if they believe that there is "anything" after physical death, in the first place!). Our hearts may ache to know what they are doing, or where they are. Some appear to have the idea that the after-life is just a continuation of this one. How often have I read, on the pages of Facebook, "birthday anniversary" wishes being sent to someone who died, perhaps many years ago? I even read one 'tribute' (and I have no doubt that that was what was intended) to a mother who had died. I can't recall the exact wording, but the wish was expressed that, now that she and the father who had died many years previously, were able to celebrate their wedding anniversary together, the father would be treating the mother to a nice meal in an Italian restaurant "up there"!

That, I would respectfully suggest, is simply wishful thinking. The Bible clearly teaches that if a person had a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, the Christ, then that person's spirit is with Him, awaiting that call, and sound of the shofar, to which I referred in the previous post. Awaiting the resurrection if the body as it is instantly transformed into the new body that will be theirs throughout eternity. 

So we do have some clues regarding those who have died, in Jesus. We know that they are enjoying God's presence. Paul, inspired by God the Holy Spirit, writes these words to the early disciples of Jesus in Corinth: "We are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord." (II Cor 5:8; emphasis added).  We also know that they are recognisable, and conscious of their surroundings - just like the rich man and Lazarus the beggar, of whom the Lord Jesus spoke (Luke 16:19-31). We also know that they haven't yet received that perfect body that will be theirs at the Rapture, as stated above.    

There is more that we may know - but that refers to after the Rapture; the seven years of the Tribulation; and the Second Advent when the Lord Jesus will vanquish His enemies. That is yet another topic for another post!  The only other truth that I would share just now is that Father God, in His matchless love and power, has a glorious reunion planned. Then, our eternal rejoicing will truly begin. The last page of the mystery has a very happy ending - if you are in Jesus! If not ... !!!

This is why I so often end a post by urging you to, if you have not already done so, turn to the Lord Jesus, confessing your sinfulness, and your sins; accepting the forgiveness that He gained for you at Calvary; and handing over the reins of your life to Him. It's something I did more than 60 years ago and, although I have let Him down more often than I care to remember, He has never let me down. He won't let you down, either!

Making up!

It may surprise some folk, but not all of my reading is Biblical or theological. Indeed, I enjoy a good novel as much as anyone and, with a Kindle, I can now read almost anywhere! Last week I read a series of books from one of my favourite genres: Science Fiction. Like most such books, there was much more of the "fiction" than there was of the "science". However, as long as one takes everything with the proverbial "pinch of salt", there should be no harm done.

My reason for mentioning all of that is that the story I read last week actually started me thinking along theological lines! Without trying to provide a synopsis of a four-volume tale, there was one woman, named Deirdre, who had been responsible for a terrible catastrophe that had struck mankind. She was now experiencing great guilt, and was seeking some way by which she might make up to the survivors for what she had done. In theological terms, she was seeking atonement. Sadly, she was unable to do so. Nothing was sufficient to enable her to make up for, to atone for, her terrible deed.

The English-language word "atonement" provides its own definition: "at-one-ment"! Atonement refers to the 'coming together' of God and man. Our sin has created a barrier between us and our loving Creator. Atonement has to do with the breaking down of that barrier. It has to do with reconciliation. So Paul writes that the Father “… through Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (II Cor.5:18-19).

At the beginning, of course, there was a close relationship between Father God and the humans He had created - so much so that He walked with them in the beautiful garden in which He had placed this first couple. However, as we read in Gen.3, the serpent deceived the humans, and sin entered the fresh, new world. The close relationship between the Creator and the crown of His creation, was broken - and there was nothing that man could do about it.

In his latest book (A.S.K.) David Robertson writes: "When we do something wrong against a friend or someone in our family, I guess we can make up for it – we can atone for it. I once kicked a ball through a window – and I atoned for it by paying for the glass to be replaced. But when we sin against a pure and holy God, it’s not just a small matter…and it's nothing we can atone for." (ch.17: Forgiveness)

Praise God, He could do something - and He did! He established a ritual of animal sacrifice as "... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (Heb.9:22). You may read all about that in the book of Leviticus. That system led, in time, to a unique sacrifice by which full restoration might be accomplished.  It was in the death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, that atonement was fully realised.  It was as He gave Himself, willingly, in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies, that reconciliation was made.

One of the old hymns that I love begins: "Not all the blood of beasts, on Jewish altars slain, could give the guilty conscience peace, or wash away one stain. But Christ, the heavenly Lamb, took all our sins away; a sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they." (Isaac Watts). As I type these words I am listening to a more modern song that proclaims the wonderful truth that "My sins, they are many; His mercy is more."!

Like Deirdre in the story, I can never, however hard I may try, make atonement for my sins. Praise God that He loves me enough that, in the Persona of the Son, He paid the price. It was in the unique sacrifice of the Lord Jesus that restoration was accomplished.  It is in Him that Father God is able to again have a loving relationship with you and with me.  In His humanity, He bore the punishment that we deserved; in His deity, He provided the perfection that alone could satisfy the righteous wrath of the Holy One. "He paid a debt He did not owe, because I owed a debt I could not pay."

Have you responded, positively, to that amazing grace? Have you accepted the reconciliation that was gained for you at Calvary? Are you "at one" with Father God? The offer is there and, as soon as you accept it, you will enter into that new relationship with your Creator that will last throughout eternity. 

[There is a full chapter on the word "atonement" in my first book: "Great Words of the Faith", which I recommend to you (as well as the other two currently available!). Remember that I have no hesitation in promoting these books because (a) I think that they are well worth having (or giving to a friend!) and (b) ALL royalties go directly to the bank account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church. Links available to both paperback and Kindle versions, at the top of the page.]

Religion - or Relationship?

Mary works hard because she wants her boss to recognise her accomplishments and reward her with a promotion that will increase her salary. Nancy loves her job, and the product that her company sells and, out of a deep sense of loyalty, she works hard to make the product better.

Mary is like the person who hopes that good works, or religion will, one day, be rewarded by Almighty God (of Whose existence she may not even be totally convinced!). Such a person counts on their good deeds to gain them entrance to heaven.

Nancy is more like a picture of the person who has faith in God, and His grace, through a personal relationship with Jesus, the Christ, and is assured of eternal life. Such people do good deeds out of gratitude and love for the Lord.

Someone with "religion" may believe in the existence of God; attend a worship service - even regularly; 'say prayers' (which is not necessarily the same as 'praying'!); show kindness; and be considered to be a generally 'good' person. People who have "religion" have many good qualities - but religion is not, and never can be, a substitute for a saving relationship with Father God, through  the atoning* sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, the Christ (Messiah; HaMashiach), and the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKadosh).

People with faith put their trust in the Lord Jesus for forgiveness of sin. They have assurance of eternal life, and seek to become more like Jesus on a daily basis - the process known as "sanctification"* It is not a matter of my 'works', as if I could somehow earn salvation. Paul, writing to the early believers in Ephesus stated: "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God - not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph 2:8-9). There is one Way, and one Way only. Jesus said: "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6) - words that appear to have been forgotten (or are ignored!) even by some members of the clergy with whom I am acquainted!

Religion - that is man-made, and leads to hell; or a relationship with the Sovereign Creator of all that exists - a relationship that does not depend on what you have done, or can do, but solely on His love, and grace, and mercy?

Remember: we are saved, not by what we do, but by trusting in what the Lord Jesus has done!

*These words, or a cognate, are dealt with in my first book: Great Words of the Faith (access details above). The first 10% is available for preview on the Amazon link. Remember that ALL of the royalties earned go directly to the bank account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church.

What's in a name?

When a couple are expecting a child, one of the exciting things that they tend to do is to think about what name(s) they will give the baby when it is born. When my wife was pregnant, we had chosen two sets of names - one if the baby should be a girl, and another if the baby should be a boy. Today, of course, the gender of the unborn child may be known from quite early on in the pregnancy - giving the lie to any suggestion by the pro-abortion lobby that what is aborted is merely an amorphous lump of cellular material!

In the last post, I looked at the Old Testament prophet, Hosea, and how he was commanded by Almighty God to take a wife - who would be unfaithful to him! However, as we read the book that bears Hosea's name, we discover that his marriage to Gomer appeared to have started well. Before too long, their first child was born. What name would they give this little boy? They didn't name him after his father - or after any other relative. Instead, in obedience to God, they gave him the name 'Jezreel' = 'God shall scatter' for, said YHWH, "... yet a little while, and I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. And on that day, I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel." (Hosea 1:4-5; see II Kings 10:1-11).

Then gradually, Gomer's interest in her marriage began to fade and, soon, the symptoms of an extra-marital affair began to show - unexplained absences; unreciprocated love; endless excuses; etc. However, although Hosea's suspicions were surely growing, it was not until the arrival of a second child - a daughter - that his doubts became certainty. "And YHWH said to him, “Call her name 'Not pitied', for I will no more have pity on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by YHWH their God; I will not deliver them by bow, nor by sword, nor by war, nor by horses, nor by horsemen." (Hos.1:6-7).

After this little girl had been weaned, this unfaithful woman bore a second son. "And YHWH said, 'Call his name 'Not my people', for you are not My people and I am not your God'." (Hos.1:8).

What a sad story! According to the law of the time, Hosea was entitled to have his wife stoned to death for her repeated adultery. However, he chose to forgive her. His love for her was too strong to be broken by her infidelities. Of course, he was considering God's particular interest in his marriage. It was, after all, to be a visual aid for Israel, enabling them to see what was happening in the bigger 'marriage' between themselves and their Covenant God.

This, Hosea declares to the people. Speaking the words of YHWH, he says: "Plead with your mother, plead - for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband - that she put away her harlotry from her face, and her adultery from between her breasts; lest I strip her naked  and make her as in the day she was born, and make her like a wilderness, and set her like a parched land, and slay her with thirst.

4 

Upon her children also I will have no pity, because they are children of harlotry. For their mother has played the harlot;  she that conceived them has acted shamefully." (Hos.2:2-5).

As I look around me, I see so much of that which claims to be the Church - the Body of the Lord Jesus, the Christ - acting like the kingdom of Israel. I hear those who have been ordained to the ministry of the Word, diluting it; diminishing it; denying it; destroying it. Those who proclaim from their pulpits that when Jesus said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6), He didn't really mean that He is the only way! Those who support the 'marriage' of persons of the same gender, in spite of it being contrary to the clear teaching of the written Word of God. Those who appear to be happy with the latest fad of 'transgenderism', by which I may simply declare myself to be a woman, and society must treat me as such - including allowing me to share the ladies' showers at the gym: a veritable pervert's charter!

There are those who claim that it is only by conforming to the standards of the contemporary culture that the Church can survive. Yet I see those denominations, and congregations, that espouse this point of view continuing to lose members (many of whom were only 'paper-members' in any case!) hand over foot. Perhaps they need to return to the Word; to reflect on the inspired words of Paul that we should "... not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom.12:2).

Of course, all of us may learn from Hosea, and the patience and forgiving love that he displayed towards his wayward wife. We will be learning from the Lord Himself - Whose love for us is beyond anything that we can think, or imagine. As I shared recently, in a preached message (you may hear the message here: http://www.eel-bergerac.fr/message%20du%2001.10.17.mp3 but I should warn you that it is in French!), He cannot love you any more than He already does - and Calvary proves it!

Blood relatives.

Many of us will remember the tradition, in some cultures, of a "blood brother" - with the ceremony of cutting one's arm and mixing the  blood with the blood of another who had also cut his arm. Of course, in a western culture, the expression "blood relative", tends to refer to those who have the same parents, or grandparents, or whatever.

However, on Sunday, I listened to a young Afro-American refer to his brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus as his "blood-brothers and sisters". It was something of a revelation to me! Yet, I realised, instantly, how true the description is!

What is a disciple of Jesus? I have, in the past, preached a number of sermons seeking to answer that very question. Indeed, I suspect that I have dealt with it, over the years, in this blog! However, the very least that one may say is that a true disciple of Jesus is one who has been washed in the sacrificial blood of the Saviour. It is that blood that, "... cleanses us from all sin." (I John 1:7). It is that blood that is the "crimson flow" of which the hymn-writer speaks: "Oh precious is the flow that washes white as snow. No other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus." (Robert Lowry:1826-1899).

The same blood is necessary for all, and available for all. It is necessary because "... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (Heb.9:22). It is available for all because "... Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;" (I Peter 3:18).

This, of course, ties in with the whole idea of disciples of Jesus being brothers and sisters; adopted into the family of Father God. We are "... all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal.3:28). I now realise that we are "blood relatives" - not because we have shed our own blood (although so many in the persecuted church in more than sixty countries around the world, are faithful to the Christ, even to the shedding of their blood, and physical death), but because, on a hill called Calvary, almost 2,000 years ago, He shed His.

Are you my blood-brother/sister? Please don't be put off by what you know (or even think you know!) about me! Look to Jesus "... the pioneer and perfecter of our faith Who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb.12:2). If you are washed in His blood, then you are His blood brother/sister also. Now that is something really worthwhile!

Concert carnage.

It is rare for me to comment in the immediate aftermath of an incident, but I am making this post one of those exceptions.

The latest reports that I have read have stated that 22 people - including children - died as a result of the "suicide bombing" at the end of a concert in Manchester. Accounts of the injuries sustained by many more would suggest that that number may well rise in the next few days.

How does one react to such an atrocity - apparently planned over a number of weeks? One can bring pious platitudes - but they seldom have any positive effect. One may rant and rave - but anger seldom has any positive effect either. One may turn away, simply relieved that one was not personally involved - but that, to me, would be a display of callousness.

It would appear, from reports, that the first problem was inadequate security precautions at the venue. many have complained - sadly, too late - that they were not properly searched; that bags were not even checked. This is, most assuredly, a major factor in such a situation. These large venues need to ensure that their patrons are as safe as is humanly possible - especially when groups such as Daesh (aka ISIS) have made no secret of their intention to inflict mayhem in "western" countries.

Of course, the situation is made easier for the terrorists when we permit a claimed 3,900 who were involved in the conflict in Syria, to return to the UK with no more than "a watchful eye" being kept on them! With numbers like that, it is no surprise that many "slip through the net"!

Another problem is that of the so-called "moderate Muslim". It is reported that "The Muslim Council of Britain said the Manchester attack was “horrific” and “criminal”. Secretary general Harun Khan said: “May the perpetrators face the full weight of justice both in this life and the next." However, what many decide to ignore is that the terrorists are the true Muslims! Since its founding by the false, paedophile "prophet", Muhammad, the aim of Islam has been the world-wide Caliphate - the whole world under the control of Islam, and under the restrictions of shariah (Islamic Law), by military force where that is deemed to be necessary. So how do the so-called "moderate" Muslims fit in with this, in the light of their pious-sounding comments? They are simply following the example of their founder. It is called "taqiyya" and is the deliberate deception of the infidels (that's all of us who do not profess to be Muslims) in order to further the expansion of Islam and the attainment of that final goal - that world-wide Caliphate.

How then should we infidels - and especially Jews and Biblical Christians - react? We should certainly not shun any Muslims we know. Rather, we should seek to win them over from what is, I firmly believe, a satanic cult. That is not easy - yet there are reports, from many parts of the world, of hundreds, even thousands, of Muslims turning to the Lord Jesus for salvation. We who believe in the power of prayer must engage in that particular activity, faithfully and fervently. However, we must also remember the words of Jesus that His followers be "wise as serpents [whilst being ] harmless as doves." (Mt.10:16). The first is every bit as important as the second.

The government, also, has a major part to play. One of the first responsibilities of any government is the safety and welfare of the people it governs. Under the Terrorism Act 2000, the police have extensive powers. Using these powers, people can be detained for up to nine hours, with DNA samples and fingerprints taken, without the need for any reasonable suspicion. If it is considered to be necessary, police may also detain and search an individual, with the aim of determining whether, or not, that person appears to be someone who is or has been concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

However, the latest quarterly Home Office report on the use of police powers under the Terrorism Act, which was released in March, shows that there has been a decrease in the use of these powers. This, it has been claimed, is due to pressure from groups like Stop Watch, which argues that they infringe the human rights of Muslims and other communities.

It is my personal opinion, that enough has been done to pander to the alleged "rights" of, particularly, the Muslim community. Those 22 young people and children who were so callously murdered last night, surely had some right to life! However, that right was over-ridden by one man's desire to kill and maim in the name of Islam!

I pray for those who have been bereaved; I pray for those who have been injured; I pray for those who have been traumatised; I pray for the members of the Emergency Services who responded so quickly and so competently. I pray, too, for the perpetrators of all such deeds, in the UK, in France, in other parts of the world; that they may yet be saved by the only blood that was ever shed that has a lasting, and positive, affect - the blood of Jesus the Christ, on the cross at Calvary. In Him, and in Him alone, is found salvation, and the forgiveness of sin. And one doesn't have to be an Islamic terrorist to need all of that!

It's February 13th!

Today has been a special day for me. It's that one that comes around, with unfailing regularity, every year on this date! Yes, today I have been celebrating my birthday. I have been blessed by good wishes from the UK (mostly Scotland!); from France; from Germany; from Canada; from New Zealand; and even from the United Arab Emirates.  Many of the greetings have been from former pupils at Lesmahagow High School - and many of them remembered that this is not my "birthday", but the anniversary thereof! It's always good to know that they remember something of what I taught them - even if it doesn't have anything, directly, to do with the regular lessons!

However, this is the second birthday anniversary that I have celebrated this year - the first one being just a few days ago. Today, I celebrate the anniversary of my physical birth; on February 9th, I celebrated the anniversary of my spiritual birth, when I was "born again" in the terms of the words of the Lord Jesus to a man named Nicodemus, as recorded in the New Testament Scriptures: "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." (Jn.3:3).

My physical birth set me off on this journey that we call 'life'. It's a journey - as my former pupils may recall - that has lasted twenty-seven years ... ... ... and a few months (okay, it is now quite a few months!). It's been a varied life in which I have been wonderfully blessed in so many different ways. I was born to parents who loved me, cared for me, and often sacrificed their own comfort for mine. I received an excellent education so that I could read, write, count and, perhaps most importantly, think for myself! I was raised in a God-fearing environment; I was encouraged in all that I tried to do.

Then, I eventually "flew the nest" - but I saw a great deal of the world during my time in the British Merchant Navy. I moved on to tertiary education. I found the most wonderful girl in the world, and she agreed to become my wife. She gave me two beautiful daughters. She has been my faithful companion and friend for decades - encouraging me, caring for me, loving me; and she is still the most important human being in my life.

I have had three full-time careers - and dabbled in so much else from radio broadcasting to legal representation (and I never lost a case!!!).  Yes, my physical life has been varied, interesting, exciting - and has had its mixture of joy and sadness.

So what about my spiritual birth? Well, when I accepted that I am a sinner and unable, in my own strength, to do anything about it; when I accepted that the sacrificial death of Jesus, the Christ, cancelled all of my sin; when I came to Him, in repentance and faith; I became an adopted child of the Creator and Sustainer of all that is. I received that forgiveness that so many seek.

As an adopted child of the living God, I also have eternal life - that is, His own life in me, here and now! I have had a great life as a disciple of Jesus. Oh, I have often let Him down - but He has never let me down! However, the best is yet to come. When I "shuffle off this mortal coil" - either by my physical death, or by my being "... caught up in the clouds ... ... to meet the Lord in the air; ..." (I Thessalonians 4:17), I shall then spend eternity - which is not "endless time", but "timelessness" - in the presence of Almighty God, praising and glorifying "... the Lamb Who was slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev.13:8). And there shall be no "... mourning, nor crying, nor pain ..." (Rev.21:4).

I wonder how many birthday celebrations you have, each year? Each of us has one - but it's the second one that decides our eternal destiny. May you come to Him, "... the author and finisher of our faith, Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb.12:2).

Why?

It was the title of a book that was mentioned in a specific Christian web-site, that caught my attention: "If you could ask God one question." Just one?! I suspect that I could spend all of eternity asking one question after another - and eternity is not just "endless time", but "timelessness"!

But if I were to be put "on the spot", and had this amazing opportunity to ask just one question of Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, what would it be? Well, as soon as I started to think about it, I realised that, for me, it wouldn't take much thought! If I could ask God just one question, it would be just one word: "Why?".

Now, it may be that you want to know the rest of the question! After all, "Why?" isn't really a question if it is on its own. Did I mean: "Why did you allow Adam and Eve to introduce sin into Your perfect creation?". Or perhaps it should be more personal: "Why did you allow me to make that decision that, much later, I realised was a wrong decision?" Maybe it should be: "Why did (name a particular relative/friend) die in such pain from an inoperable cancer?"

Well these, and many others, may well be valid questions. However, because God is God and, therefore, omniscient (all-knowing), He would know exactly what I meant when I asked: "Why?". He would know that I was looking at myself, and wondering why He would come, in the Persona (not a typo!) of the Son, and pay the penalty that I deserve(d) to pay for my sins, and sinfulness.

Hymn-writer Isaac Watts phrased the thought like this:

"Alas! and did my Saviour bleed
And did my Sov’reign die?
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?"

It's the mystery of the ages - the holy and sinless One becoming sin (II Cor.5:21) for you and for me!
And, actually, I already know - within my mortal level of comprehension - the answer to my question: "Why?" It's already been revealed in what may well be the best-known words from all of the Biblical writings. John, the beloved disciple, was inspired to write these word: "God loved the world (that's you and me!) so much, that He gave the only-begotten Son (Who came to this earth as the Lord Jesus), that all who place their trust in Him for salvation might not perish but, here and now, have God-quality life" (John 3:16; Ross paraphrase!). 

The celebration of that amazing event, when the Creator entered His creation, is still fresh in most of our minds. Many of us will have received gifts - from the sublime to the silly. I suspect that we will have gratefully received those gifts. However, we had the choice to reject them. To have done so would probably have upset the giver, and maybe even have destroyed a relationship. That would not have been good.

Rejecting the Gift of salvation through the Lord Jesus is MUCH more serious. Your eternal destiny depends, not on your social status; the importance of your job; your financial wealth; the size of your house, or car; or the number of exotic holidays you enjoy each year; but solely, and fully, on your relationship with Almighty God, through Jesus, the Christ.

Did you make any "New Year Resolutions"? If so, have you managed to keep any of them?! It's not too late to make one very important one - to come, in repentance and faith, to the foot of the Cross, and there yield your life to Jesus, receive the forgiveness of Father God, and go into the rest of the year in the power of God the Holy Spirit. Will you do that? Will you? You won't regret it if you do - either in this life, or in the life to come.

Conformity.

Today, as many will know, is St Andrew's Day. St Andrew is the patron saint of a number of countries, one of which is Scotland. The Free Church of Scotland called for this St Andrew's Day to be a national day of Prayer - for the nation of Scotland, but also for the world in general. I know that I was not alone in spending some of today in prayer for Scotland, the rest of the UK and, of course, France.

The denomination kindly provided some specific prayer points that I certainly found to be very helpful.  However, one "bullet point" jumped out at me.  It stated: "Confess sins of conformity to the world and failing to prioritise Jesus Christ over all the world."

I have no doubt that a well-known verse from the Scriptures of the New Testament were in the mind of the person(s) who decided to provide that particular point. Paul, writing to the early disciples of Jesus in the 1st century city of Rome, encouraged them to "... not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom 12:2). How often I allow myself to conform in this way, and it is right and proper that I should confess to that, and receive the forgiveness of Father God that has already been gained for me through the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lord Jesus as He paid the penalty for my sins.

However, I remembered that Paul had already written about "conforming", in that same letter. A little earlier he had explained to his fellow-believers that "... those whom He [Father God] foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He [the Son; the Lord Jesus] might be the first-born among many brethren." (Rom 8:29; emphasis added).

So, it would appear that it is not "conforming" that is the problem - but to Whom, or to what, we conform!

Last evening, we had a number of friends join with us for dinner.  The gathered company included a little boy who is about 18 months old. He and I had great fun - if I did something, he would copy me. One might say that he was "conforming" to what he saw me do. It's a perfectly normal reaction in a child - copying what an adult does. It's how we learn in the early days of our human lives.

What a difference it would make in, and to, my life if I was to be as faithful in copying Jesus as that little boy was in copying me last evening! Yet Paul says that this is what I have been predestined to do! Now, I can accept that - and despair. I can look at myself, and easily recognise how poor a copy of Jesus I am! However, I can also accept that, if Father God has said that I shall be like the Son - then I shall be! The transformation will not be completed until I reach Glory - but the process is already in operation! As a friend from 'way back used to put it - "I'm still a work in progress"! (For more on this - what theologians refer to as "Sanctification" - read my book "Great Words of the Faith"; details above!).

So, to Whom, or to what, do you conform - or, at least, seek to conform? It's a question that only you can answer - but it's a question, the answer to which has eternal consequences!

Power v. Pardon!

I have just looked at some amazing photographs of butterflies and some other insects, on Facebook.   The colours; the designs; in one case, the transparency; of those little creatures is beyond verbal description.  When we look at the world of nature is is, indeed, full of wise design.  The bird is a clever architect; the beaver a skilful builder of dams; the silkworm is a superb weaver; and even the spider is a remarkable net-maker!  There are also, in the natural world, many intricate checks and balances that speak of a great, directing, Intelligence.

But not only is there great beauty, and order in the world that we experience, there is also great power.  The earth quakes on the ocean bed - and a might tsunami surges towards land where it destroys all in its path, for sometimes miles inland.  A tornado rips through a town, and leaves only havoc in its wake.  Wind and wave have created many strange formations in the rocks that are all over the planet.

Of course, we may also look out from Earth, and marvel at the night sky - with its thousands of stars visible to the naked eye; and millions more that require optical assistance in the form of great telescopes.  We are informed of the mind-blowing distances between these stars, and from the Earth - distances so vast that they are measured, not in miles, or nautical miles, or kilometres, but in "light years".  A light-year, of course, is the distance that light travels in one earth year - at a speed of more than 186,000 earth miles every second!  That gives us a measurement of almost six trillion miles!

However, while God's grandeur, knowledge, and superior mind are displayed in the wonders of His creation, they reveal neither His heart nor His full personality - nor do they tell mere mortals like you and me, how we may ever make contact with such an all-powerful Being!  Nature, in all of its vastness, and beauty, and power says nothing about the need of sinners such as you and me - pardon; forgiveness; the removal of guilt.

I have a quotation in an old set of Daily Bible Reading Notes that reads: "Not a whisper of forgiveness comes to us from the blue heavens above us, or from any of the works of the Almighty around us.  His infinite, all-pervading Spirit cannot be comprehended.  The thought of this powerful Being brings fear to our hearts.  But when God comes near in the Person of the perfect Man, speaking of love, pardon, and adoption into His family, then the guilty dread flees away, and the love which casts out fear takes its place.  Now this is what we see in Jesus Christ - God manifested in the flesh." (Robert Boyd; emphasis added).

"Can't I worship God in the green fields, or on the rolling waves, or in the grandeur of the mountains?", someone might ask.  I suppose that you can - but it is unlikely that you will!  For centuries, the inhabitants of parts of the African continent sat at cannibalistic feasts surrounded by natural scenery that surpasses most of what you and I regularly experience, in beauty and in grandeur - yet nature, in all of its splendour did not lead them to the true God, the Creator, and Sustainer, of all that exists; the One Who, in the Persona (not a misprint - see my book on "Great Words", the chapter on The Trinity!) of the Son, came into this world, this planet Earth, this mere speck in the vastness of the universe, to die on a cross so that those who place their trust fully, and unreservedly, in Him, might be saved.  As I shared, yesterday morning, with some friends, "He made the Son of His love to be the object of His wrath, so that the objects of His wrath might become the sons of His love!"

Nature speaks of power; but it never speaks of pardon.  If you would know that forgiveness, you must come to Him, Who alone can meet your deepest need.

The way of the cross.

While speaking with a friend, earlier this week, he made the point that too many in the church today don't preach the Gospel of salvation.  "All that I hear", he stated, "is that we should 'love one another' and be nice, kind, people.  That," he said,"is not the Gospel."!

He certainly had a point!  We may learn a number of things about the Gospel of salvation by observing the actions of the two who were crucified with Jesus.   For example, it is possible to want salvation, and yet not experience it.  Luke provides the record: "One of the criminals who were hanged railed at Him, saying, 'Are you not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!'" (Luke 23:39).  

Paul assures us, in his letter to the infant church in Rome, that "every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." (Rom 10:13). Why, then, was this particular man lost?  We may see three reasons:

1. he was thinking only about physical deliverance;

2. his plea was not genuine.  Luke informs us that he "railed" at the Lord Jesus. That's a word that may be defined as "reviled or scolded in harsh, insolent, or abusive language."  Some other translations use terms such as "scoffed" (NLT); "hurled insults" (NIV); "spoke insultingly" (Darby).

3. he didn't want salvation by the way of the cross.  He cried out: "Save Yourself and us!'".  What he didn't realise was that if the Lord Jesus had come down from the cross, He could not have rescued others!  

Again, writing to the Roman believers, Paul assures them that "... God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." (Rom 5:8; emphasis added).  The anonymous writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus tells us that "... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." (Heb 9:22; emphasis added).

Yet, in spite of these clear instructions in the written Word of God, many appear not to want anything to do with the message of the needed sacrificial work of the Christ. They call it a "bloody" Gospel - and it is!  They would rather talk about Jesus' life, teachings, and example.  Now, it is true that the Saviour's life is important; His teachings are an absolute storehouse of wisdom and truth; His example is worthy of being followed by all.  However, it is not only through His life, but also His death and resurrection, that salvation and forgiveness can be offered to a guilty world.

The other malefactor came as we all must come - in humility and faith.  Luke continues the record: "But the other rebuked him, saying, 'Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.'  And he said, 'Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" (Luke 23:40-42).  What a difference in attitude!  And he received a response from the Saviour: "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." (Luke 23:42).

If you wish to reach heaven, you cannot avoid the way of the cross.  It's the place where, as Graham Kendrick reminds us in one of his songs, "wrath and mercy meet" - where the sins of the world, and the love of Almighty God, met in the redemptive encounter.  It is only "... the blood of Jesus, His Son ...", John reminds us, that "... cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7).

Have you been "washed in the blood of the Lamb?"  Have you come by the way of the cross?!

Stop the world - I want to get off!

Was it a film?  Was it a song? I can't recall, but the phrase (or something very similar!) was certainly in vogue when I was a lot younger.  "Stop the world - I want to get off!"

As I try to keep abreast of contemporary world news, it is a sentiment that any sane person would surely understand - and with which many would readily identify.  Today's, apparently co-ordinated, attacks in the German city of Munchen (Munich) are but the latest in an ever-lengthening catalogue of violent and fatal incidents.  We have witnessed an abortive coup in Turkey; police officers murdered in the USoA; Bastille day celebrations in Nice cancelled because of another mass murder, using a bus.

Yes - will someone please stop the world.  I, for one, would be happy not to be here!

Of course, we know that such a wish is impossible to fulfil - at least in physical terms.  However, as Shakespeare has his character Hamlet say: "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." (Hamlet: Act 1, scene 5).

Yesterday morning, I completed a period in which I have been using the "minor" prophets of the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures) as the basis of my private devotions.  It has, at times, been like reading the morning newspaper!  

The book of the prophet Joel is particularly applicable, as he writes about the coming "Day of YHWH".  His words are, of course, the words most quoted by the apostle Peter in the first Day of Pentecost of the Christian era.  That "Day of YHWH" has two applications.  The first may be seen as the destruction of the Second Temple and the dispersion of the Children of Israel when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D.  However, that date and event does not exhaust the prophetic word.   Those words of Joel also point to the end-times - times in which many believe we are currently living.

Obadiah - the shortest book in the Tanakh - also speaks of "the Day of YHWH", and makes clear that, while the forthcoming destruction of Edom would be the immediate fulfilment of the prophetic word, that it also applied to the final move of Almighty God before the end of time itself, and the judgment of mankind.   

However, there is also a message of hope.  Obadiah assures his listeners and readers that "... in Mount Zion there shall be those that escape, and it shall be holy; and the house of Jacob shall possess their own possessions." (v.17).  The later equivalent of that promise, that goes beyond the Children of Israel (Jacob), is found in the letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus who, the writer claims: "... have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a Judge Who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel." (Heb 12:22-24; emphasis added). 

Joel also makes clear that if we are to escape that great judgment, then we must repent: "'Yet even now,' says YHWH, 'return to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.' Return to YHWH, your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil." (Joel 2:12-13). 

That, of course, is also the message of the Christian Gospel - that we confess that we are sinners; that we are, of ourselves, unable to do anything about our sin; that we accept that Almighty God, in the Persona (not a typo!) of the Son has, Himself, graciously paid the penalty for our sin; and that we need only come to Him, with repentant hearts, to receive cleansing and forgiveness, and begin a new life under His control.  If we have done that, then we need have no fear.  John writes that: "... He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (I John 4:4).

The crucial question is this: Have we found that salvation, deliverance, shelter, and strength only the Lord can provide when the final “day of the Lord” comes?   If not, then remember that "... now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Cor 6:2; emphases added).

If I may be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me at author@minister.com Alternatively, there are some useful links further down the page.  May you know the prompting of God the Holy Spirit.  May He give you no rest until you have accepted the great gift, purchased at such great cost.

The cosmic significance of the cross!

This is the first part of a series that I should probably have started at the beginning of Lent! However, better late than never so it is my intention (DV) to publish a number of posts, between now and Resurrection Day, that focus on the Lord Jesus, the Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach).

In John's great vision, recorded for us as "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to His servants ..." (Rev 1:1), the apostle refers to "... the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." (Rev 13:8; NKJV).  This is, of course, a reference to Jesus, the sinless, spotless, Lamb of God; the perfect, all-sufficient, atoning sacrifice.

But hold on a minute!  Was not Jesus crucified a mere 2,000 (app) years ago, on the first "Good Friday"?  So what is the Bible, the inerrant Word of the Living God, talking about when it says that He was "... slain from the foundation of the world"?

The cross is, in fact, an event of cosmic significance.  It is not merely an event that took place on a specific day in time.  The cross stands in time in order that we might see something that is eternal - i.e.timeless.  From His eternal perspective, outwith time, Father God saw the cross long before, in time, it was raised on Calvary.  It was in His heart (if I may use an anthropomorphism) in eternity, before, in time, it stood outside Jerusalem.  The cross transcends time.

Had the crucifixion of Jesus merely taken place in time, it would have been just another event in the history of mankind.  But because it was planned in eternity, it shows me that what was 'captured' in a moment of time, is held eternally in the heart of God.

The story is told of a young boy who was visiting a large cathedral.  As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he looked up at what is known as the "rood screen" and said, "There's a cross up there."  The adult who was accompanying him pointed to the floor of the cathedral, and said, "There's a cross down here as well!"  Indeed, the whole building was a cross.  It was a cruciform building - the chancel and the nave symbolising the upright; the two transepts symbolising the cross-beam.

Take time to look for the cross in your everyday life - the letter 't'; a telegraph pole; the sword on a War Memorial.  It is everywhere.

Of course, if you have never come to the foot of that cross in repentance and faith, then for you it was, and is, a cosmic waste!  It is through the sacrificial blood of the Christ, and by no other way, that we may receive forgiveness, and know God's wonderful peace in our lives.

"Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood;
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless; are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?"       (Elisha Albright Hoffman).

God sent a Saviour.

Many may already be aware of the following.  I have just come across my copy while doing some further 'organising' in my study!  I share it, with some slight amendments, for those who are unaware of it.

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.

However, our greatest need was, and is, forgiveness;
So God sent us a Saviour.

Have you submitted your life to Him?

Financially embarrassed!

It's not an easy thing to admit, but I am skint!  (For those who do not know the word, it is the vernacular in certain parts of the country for being extremely short of cash!).  Here I am, in SW France, and I had to borrow some cash in order to purchase some basic groceries!

"How could this be?", I hear some ask!  Well, it's really quite simple.  On our way south, last Friday, my wife and I went to a bank to withdraw some cash from the ATM installed in the outside wall.  I inserted the Deutsche Bank card (this is the Bank in which we currently keep our Euros) and waited for the message on the screen to instruct me to enter the PIN.  I waited; and I waited.  As nothing was happening; as my wife was in the car; and as there were very few people around; I made my way to the entrance to the Bank - to discover that it was closed!  Eventually, telephone contact was made to the number that was being regularly displayed on the screen.  The Bank was closed until Tuesday so I was informed that I had two options - to return on that day (this would have involved a return journey of almost 600 miles!), or to have the card cancelled.

Next stop was McDonald's who, regardless of what they serve at the counter, do provide a free wi-fi facility.  Yes, I know that it is meant for paying customers, and we usually purchase ice-creams if we want to browse the 'net for a time, but this was an emergency.  I sent off a brief e-mail to the manager of our Deutsche Bank branch, explaining the situation, and asking him to replace the card as quickly as possible, and to send it to the camp-site.  I had hoped that he would receive the e-mail that day, but he maybe has an early closure on Fridays!   It was Monday before I received a response.  I would need to fax a signed request, as I had asked for the replacement to go to an address other than the one that is in their records!  No fax available, but I wrote out the request; had it scanned by the site owner; and e-mailed it.  The new card is now, I trust, en route - but could take up to seven days, with a further wait for the new PIN!

Thankfully, we had enough cash remaining to purchase fuel, and we had left some foodstuffs in the refrigerator and the freezer.  However, it is a less than ideal situation knowing that we have cash in the bank, but are unable to access it!

Why am I sharing this?  Simply because it is a bit of an analogy!  You see, all of us are guilty of sin.  We don't even need the Bible to tell us this (although it does - and very clearly: Rom.3:23).  We know that we don't even live up to our own standards and expectations, let alone those of Almighty God.  However, because of His love for us, He has already paid the penalty, in the Persona (not a typo!) of the Lord Jesus, for your sin, and for mine.  But there is a wee catch!  I have to accept that fact, and receive, by faith, the forgiveness that He offers.

Sadly, many simply refuse to do so.  Forgiveness, and eternal life, there for the taking - and it is rejected by so many!   I can't get at my own cash because a machine 'swallowed' a piece of plastic.  Please don't lose out on the riches that belong to those who accept the Saviour, because you are too proud to admit that you cannot save yourself (or too arrogant to admit that you need saving!).

If I can be of any assistance, at a personal level, please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address at the top of the page.