He who has the Son

We live in a world of choices, and incredibly, we have been endowed by our Creator with something that nothing else in creation has been given: the power to choose. From the clothes we wear to the car we drive to what we’re having for dinner, we get to choose from an almost endless variety of choices. The same goes for the place we call home or the job we go to.

This power of choice carries over into our spiritual life as well. For starters, we can choose whether to have a spiritual life at all, and judging by the prevalence of evil in the world it is safe to say that billions have chosen this path.

For the rest of the human population, choosing a religion, or belief system is vitally important to them. From the eternal perspective of Christianity, for example, nothing is more important than answering the call of God upon their heart. To do otherwise is to flirt with eternal separation from Him.

This fact is lost on those who believe that all religions lead to God, or that there is some good to be found in all religions. I know a few of these individuals, as I’m sure you do as well. What’s interesting is that they willingly embrace “religion”, yet wholeheartedly reject the notion that there is only one true God.

All of this goes hand in hand with a sermon I delivered several months ago that I called “Buffet Christianity”. In that message, I explained that when people decide which parts of the Bible they will either choose or reject, they end up with little more than a man-made, watered down smorgasbord of religion wrapped in deceptive, flesh-pleasing packaging of their own making.

The point being is this: whether a person claims one of the 4,200 recognized religions that are scattered throughout the world as their own, or if they choose no religion at all, the Bible is clear that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life.

To be sure, this flies in the face of those who reject the lordship of Christ. It always has and it always will. Since Eden, man has wanted to devise a god that is available only when needed to provide a service for him, not a god to be loved and worshipped as Lord of his life.

Solomon, purported to be the wisest man ever born of earthly parents, had an acute understanding of this when he uttered these words:

There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. Proverbs 16:25

Carrying this thought a little further, the Apostle John speaks to this issue in a clear, no-nonsense manner when he states that without God’s Son, we have no eternal life abiding within us. In other words, organized religion will not save us. Joining a church will not save us. Neither will a smorgasbord of cherry picked religious sayings or verses. Read along with me as John leaves no doubt as to who has eternal life and those that do not.

He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. 1st John 5:10-12

These are strong, powerful words that leave no room for argument about who has eternal life abiding in them and those that do not. These words are offensive to most of the world because this world continues in its hatred of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. They are also offensive because they take man’s feelings, wants, opinions, and desires completely out of the equation.

I cannot state this strongly enough: our salvation is in Jesus Christ and His shed blood on the cross. God has offered no other way for man to be redeemed. No other religion, whether one of the 4200 recognized religions or one devised by ourselves, can satisfy the requirements necessary to cleanse us from sin.

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

My prayer is that you are trusting in Christ today and not in religion. You have the power to choose between life in Christ or death without Christ. I implore you to choose wisely, for your decision bears eternal consequences

Have a blessed Sunday,

Ron

God’s Word Reveals Our Heart

”Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7

Those words, spoken by the author of the book of Hebrews, are referring to those who were given an incredible opportunity to enter into the rest that God wanted to provide them but could not because of disobedience.

In what was a continual theme of Israel’s history, one opportunity after another to receive God’s blessing was squandered because of the condition of their hearts. Disobedience to God’s word set a pattern of destruction that would ultimately lead to Israel and Judah being carried away into foreign lands, forfeiting their land and heritage.

”Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7

Today, surrounded by every evil imaginable, it can be hard to ward off the hardening of the heart. Consider just for a moment that what used to shock us now barely garners our attention. Between social media and the evening news we are under a deluge of filth, violence, corruption, and greed the likes of which the world has never known.

Yes indeed, guarding the heart is no easy task these days. Still, the Lord makes it possible to do so as He covers us with His unending grace and encourages us by His word to remain diligent so that we may enter into the promised rest from God. (Hebrews 4:11)

The word of God contains practical instruction on living in this world while not being of this world, and we would be wise to read it as often as we can. One of the things I love most about God’s word is that it searches our hearts and reveals our spiritual condition.

Think about how easy it was to convince someone that “oh yes, everything is fine with me” after they enquired of your walk with the Lord. Funny, isn’t it, how easily we can put on the mask and hide behind our own wall of deception.

God’s word, however, allows no such deception. In fact, the Word will rip off the mask and reveal exactly what is in our hearts. No wonder then, that the author of Hebrews stated this powerful truth about the power of God’s word:

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

God’s Word diagnoses the condition of man with the precision of a skilled surgeon. It lays open the heart and with one hundred percent accuracy reveals its spiritual condition. It never makes a mistake because it is an inspired word. Exposing our weakness, unbelief, and hard-heartedness in such a manner, God’s word demonstrates its power and accuracy that no mask can deceive.

”Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7

My prayer for us all is that we will allow God’s inspired, powerful word to root out all bitterness and seed of disobedience. Time is getting short, the hours spoken of by the Prophets are upon us, and Satan is doing all he can to deceive our hearts.

Comfort one another with the same words that Paul used to bring hope and comfort to the Corinthian believers:

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ”. (1st Corinthians 15:57)

Have a blessed Wednesday,

Ron

The More Things Change…

In 1849, French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr wrote, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” or “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” According to Wiktionary, this proverb makes the observation that “even the most turbulent of changes do not affect reality on a deeper level other than to cement the status quo.”

What prompted me to think about this idea that “the more things change, the more they stay the same” is a passage from the book of Judges which reads as follows: “In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes”.  Judges 21:25

At that time in their history, Israel had been without a leader for over 300 years. A lot of things can happen in the span of over 300 years, and in the case of Israel, a lot of bad things happened. Such is the case when there is a leadership void. With no one to point the way, people tend to revert to doing what they think is best.

Not surprisingly however, if history has taught us anything, it is that when we’re left to figure it out on our own, we don’t do well. Truth is, we generally make a real mess of things when we leave God and His word out of the equation.

Using Israel as an example of this, for over 300 years the people were no longer united for the common good of all because individualism was the order of the day. In essence, Israel had rejected the standard of living as taught by God’s word and instead accepted the individual standard of what was right in their own eyes.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

We in America are following the same slippery slope that Israel did in rejecting the authority of God’s Word in exchange for individualism, or in following our own ideas of right and wrong. I suppose it would be easy enough to point fingers and assign blame for how this has happened, but that is not my purpose in writing this.

I am not interested in assigning blame. I am interested in the why that we have chosen the path we are on. It’s no secret that Christianity in America has been in decline for some time, a fact presented so well in an article from Pew Research. The article goes on to say that “religiously unaffiliated Americans are projected to approach or exceed Christians in number by 2070”.

This does not bode well for our nation. Again, using Israel as an example, when a people reject God’s leadership there can be just one outcome: the Lord will give us over to our own vain thoughts and imaginations. The apostle Paul referred to those who reject God as “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,” [1]

Unfortunately, it only gets worse from there.

Paul goes on to speak of those who refuse to retain God in their knowledge as being given over to a reprobate mind, so hard of heart as to be incapable of feeling remorse for their sinful lifestyle. He said they were without understanding and without natural affection. Full of envy, murder, debate, fornication, and wickedness, they are deemed worthy of death. What an indictment! [2]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

The good news in all of this is that it doesn’t have to be this way! Yes, maybe we cannot change the course of this nation, for it is evident that America has now been placed under God’s righteous judgment. That said, we can change the destiny of ourselves and our families by becoming obedient to God’s Word. We do not have to live a life of “the more things change, the more they stay the same.” With God’s help, we can break the cycle!

My hope and sincere prayer is that all will come to understand that our Father wants what is best for us. He takes no pleasure in our wandering from Him, but desires to bring comfort, hope, peace, and fulfillment to each of us.

Have a blessed Sunday,

Ron

[1] Romans 1:22

[2] Romans 1:28-31

Death Has Been Defeated!

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. [1]

Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead, never to die again! He did what no one else ever did or ever could do. Death could not hold Him. Death could not restrain Him. Death could not claim Him as its own. Death could not prevent Him from taking its keys. The Resurrection has once and for all defeated death!

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. [2]

Jesus Christ. Exalted by God and given a name far above every other name. Jesus. There is only one Jesus, Son of the Most High God. So great is the risen Christ that at the mention of His holy name, every knee will bow in submission to Him. Things in Heaven, things in the earth, and things under the earth will all acknowledge Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God will be glorified as every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord!

The proud. The defiant. The haughty. The evil. The backslider. Every saint. Every angel. Every created being. All will bow down and acknowledge Him for who He is, for He is the death-destroyer that man has been waiting for since the fall in the garden. Through His death He has destroyed him who had the power over death, the devil!

This Easter I hope you will rejoice with me in that because He lives, we too are alive in Him! No longer held captive by the chains of sin, we have been set free, no longer in bondage to the fear of death! Liberty, freedom, salvation are yours because death could not hold Him in the tomb!

Have a blessed Easter,

Ron

[1] Romans 6:8-10

[2] Philippians 2:8-11

Was There No Other Way?

26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified. [1]

They had a choice. The could have asked Pilate to release Jesus, but instead they demanded the release of a notorious murderer named Barabbas. The criminal goes free while He who came to set men free is led away to be tortured and killed.

Scourged. The very thought of it send chills down the spine. This was no ordinary beating, or whipping. The Romans had perfected scourging to where they could flog a man to as close to death as possible before then crucifying him. Something lost on today’s understanding of this tortuous event was that while the Jews only permitted 39 lashes per their Law, the Romans were not constrained by such limitations.

Thus, we don’t know how many lashes He received. It could have been 50 or 60. Or, due to His already weakened stated, it could have been 20 or 25 before the Romans determined His death was imminent. We don’t know. What we are certain of is that it was not the High priest that administered the scourging, it was Rome, and Rome was infamous for brutality.

Was There No Other Way?

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” [2]

Already beaten to near death, having lost a tremendous amount of blood, Jesus endures the mockery of His captors. Still more physical torment is inflicted upon Him as the thorns are driven into his skull, and area known for easy bleeding. These Roman torturers were masters of their craft, and the Son of God was made to endure every brutality in their arsenal.

Was There No Other Way?

30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. [3]

After everything He has endured, the Romans weren’t finished yet. To be spit upon was and act of humiliation reserved for the lowest dregs of society. In their hands, Jesus was nothing but the lowest of the low, deserving of every contemptable punishment they could muster. After this cruel mockery, they ripped the robe off of Him.

I cannot find the words to describe the intense pain this caused Jesus. After scourging and putting the robe on Him, His wounds had no doubt began to dry against the fabric, only to have them ripped open again. Such unimaginable cruelty can only come from the author of evil.

While not mentioned by Matthew, some 750 years prior the prophet Isaiah saw into the future and had this to say of the suffering Savior: “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting“. [4]

Was There No Other Way?

The answer to the question “Was There No Other Way” is best given by Jesus Himself. After the Passover meal and prior to His arrest and torture, Jesus has gone to the Mount of Olives to pray. Burdened by what is to come, He is in extreme agony and distress. So much so, that His sweat becomes as drops of blood. It is here that He gives us the answer:

“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” [5]

“O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.” [6]

There was no other way. God’s only Son was destined to become the Lamb that was slain for the redemption of man. No other sacrifice qualified as the spotless, blameless, perfect sacrifice that God demanded.

On this Good Friday, I am more humbled now than I believe I ever have been that One would love me enough to endure what I have attempted to describe to you. He is worthy to be praised for what He has done. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly, of whom I was numbered with the worst.

Thinking on all He has done for me,

Ron

[1] Matthew 27:26

[2] Matthew 27-29

[3] Matthew 27:30-31

[4] Isaiah 50:6

[5] Matthew 26:39

[6] Matthew 26:42

When Life Gets Overwhelming

In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. [1]

This verse, taken from Psalm 67, reminds me in so many ways that I don’t have to do it all. I don’t have to be the fixer or the strongest man in the room. I don’t have to have all the answers, though I am often guilty of trying. It reminds me that if there is any good in me, it is because of Him.

When life gets overwhelming, and we all feel at times that it does, we often find ourselves in a whirlwind of emotions that tempt us to try and go it alone, to try and figure it out by ourselves, leaving us in a vulnerable position in this relentless battle we are waging against the forces of darkness.

For some, this might drive us to seclusion and withdraw, two things the enemy desires that we do. Experience has taught us however that on our own we are no match for the wiles of the enemy, especially when we are overwhelmed with the cares of this life.

It is during these times that we must cling to God. He alone offers hope of a better day. Only God can make a way where there seems to be no way. In every situation, He is our way maker. No situation is too hard for Him! [2]

I recently came across this little nugget that says it much better than I ever could, and I trust it will bless someone:

“The deepest level of worship is praising God despite the pain, thanking God during the trials, trusting Him when we’re tempted to lose hope, and loving Him when He seems so distant and far away. At my lowest, God is my hope, At my darkest, God is my light. At my weakest, God is my strength. At my saddest, God is my comforter”. [3]

Truth is, we need a Savior to help us, to walk beside us, and to strengthen us. When I’m feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, I remember these precious words from the Lord: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing“. [4]

Take heart! Sunday’s coming!

Ron

[1] Psalm 62:7

[2] Jeremiah 32:27

[3] Author unknown

[4] John 15:5

Unthankful?

A few days ago my Princess and I were talking about how it seems as though so many are unthankful today. It feels as though entitlement has trumped thankfulness and gratefulness, and all that’s left is me, myself, and I.

What prompted this discussion was the recent tornado that struck the Indian Lake (Ohio) area. Having lived most of my life less than an hour from there it came as a shock to see the pictures of the devastation. With several lives lost and untold millions of dollars in property damage, this area has been struck a major blow and it will be a long time before any sense of normalcy returns. Having lived through hurricane IAN, we know this situation all too well.

If there is any good to come out of this tragedy it is the gratification of seeing so many individuals and organizations step up to assist with the clean up and to offer help in other ways.

Of course, there are always two sides of any story, and there are (unfortunately) many unhappy voices venting their anger towards the largest employer in the area who has kept their factories running around the clock. This, despite many of it’s workers losing everything they owned. Many see this as it’s business as usual, and people are having a hard time with thinking their employer doesn’t care, or is being insensitive to what the people are dealing with.

I get it. Emotions are raw right now as families bury their dead and scramble to find shelter, all while trying to figure out how to move forward. When emotions are running high and every bit of stability in your life has been taken from you, it can be hard to find a silver lining. We can also forget to be thankful that things weren’t even worse.

The company that the people are upset with is the same company that I spent 27 years working for. During that span of time I witnessed first hand numerous events that severely affected the company’s bottom line. Everything from fires, earthquakes, tsunami’s, recessions, and many other near catastrophic events occurred that resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses. At one point, things were so bad that I actually had to ask someone to get a battery for my laser pointer and lead for my mechanical pencil from a locked storage area!

Yet despite all of that, not one employee missed a paycheck. Not one bonus sharing check went unpaid. The fantastic benefits continued as though nothing we going on, right down to the free work uniforms and free laundry service. I share this because in times of personal tragedy, we can easily forget all of the blessings we have enjoyed while our employer was suffering tremendous financial loss. And by the way, this company has just donated $350,000 to the community’s relief efforts. That is just the publicized amount.

As my Princess and I continued to talk about these things, I mentioned to her that Paul said that one of the signs of the last days was that men would be unthankful. “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,” 2nd Timothy 3:2

She then reminded me that “thankful” has, to a great extent, been relegated to one day a year in November. Sadly, she is spot on in her assessment of how people today are ungrateful and unthankful for what they have. This is especially telling here in America, where prosperity and abundance abound.

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools“, Romans 1:20-22

We live in a world that can be cruel, unforgiving, and unthankful. The reality is, however, that as Christians we have everything to be thankful for. Despite the fears and struggles that all of us endure from time to time, there is hope in the risen Christ. Circumstances are often less than desirable, of that there can be no doubt, yet still we have hope in a future where thankfulness will be erased from our memories.

God sent His son, they called Him, Jesus;
He came to love, heal and forgive;
He lived and died to buy my pardon,
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living,
Just because He lives! Bill & Gloria Gaither

With all this in mind, today is Palm Sunday, a day that most assuredly calls for us to be thankful. This day was marked by the triumphant entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where the people placed palm branches and their own clothes on the ground out of reverence to Him. Shouts of “Hosanna to the King” rang out as the people, for a few moments anyhow, worshiped Jesus as their King.

Unthankful? Not here. Not in our house. I hope you too will take a few moments today and give the Lord thanks for the blessings you have. Because He lives we can face every tomorrow with a grateful and thankful heart!

Have a blessed Palm Sunday,

Ron

41 is coming

Full disclaimer: what you are about to read is not my work, though I have taken the liberty of embellishing it somewhat. It is something I came across on the web and was not able to find the author, but I wanted to share this with you because I believe it speaks of hope, and hope is something we can all use a little more of.

In Noah’s day, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. Day 41 came, and the rain stopped. [1]

Moses committed murder & hid in the desert for 40 years. Year 41 came, and God called him to lead Israel out of slavery in Egypt. [2]

Moses went up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. On day 41, he received the Ten Commandments. [3]

The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. In year 41, they walked into the Promised Land. [4]

Goliath taunted Israel for 40 days. When day 41 came, David slew him with a sling and a stone. [5]

Jonah preached a message of repentance to Nineveh for 40 days. On day 41, God stopped His plan to destroy them. [6]

Jesus fasted and was tempted in the wilderness for 40 days. On day 41, Satan departed from Him. [7]

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples for 40 days. On day 41, He ascended into Heaven. [8]

All of this to say…don’t quit! The rain will stop. Your giants will fall. You will enter your “promised land.”

Don’t give up at 40, because your 41 is coming!

Have a blessed Wednesday,

Ron

[1] Genesis 7:12

[2] Exodus 2:12, Exodus 3:10

[3] Exodus 34:28

[4] Exodus 16:35

[5] 1st Samuel 17:16-51

[6] Jonah 3:4-10

[7] Matthew 4:1-11

[8] Acts 1:3, Acts 1:9-11

The curse of “I Can’t”

Over the past several days I’ve been working on a message that deals with the issue of Doubt. I can’t speak for anyone else, but doubt happens to be one of those areas of the flesh that I have yet to fully conquer. To be sure, I’m much better at not allowing doubt to pitch a tent and settle in, but it still makes the occasional appearance.

I don’t get too concerned about it however because it is definitely a human condition, so I’m in good company. Not only that, but the Bible records many of the men and women who did great things for God as having an issue with doubt. Take Gideon, for example. His story, found in chapters 6-8 of the book of Judges, is a powerful story of a seemingly insignificant man from an even more insignificant family, who ultimately moved beyond doubt and defeated one of Israel’s fiercest enemy’s.

Gideon was a man who struggled with doubt. When approached by an angel of the Lord and told that he would save Israel from their enemy, he responded by saying that his family was the weakest family in the tribe of Manasseh, and that he was the weakest member of his family.

If we were to interpret his excuses another way, what he was essentially saying to the angel was “I’m not sure I’m the right man for this job”. Break it down even further and he is saying “I Can’t”. That is what happens when doubt creeps in. We lose confidence in ourselves and God, and more often than not we’re left at the starting gate, having convinced ourselves that the task is too great for us.

Gideon, of course, goes on to win a tremendous victory with the 300 men God has armed him with. Still, it wasn’t an overnight victory over doubt. You see, Gideon asked the Lord for a sign that what the angel said was true. A little later on he asked for two more signs to confirm the Lord’s calling on his life. Eventually he came to the understanding that God was indeed with him.

Many times when the Lord assigns us a specific task to accomplish for Him, we are reluctant to jump into unfamiliar waters and go for it. That’s understandable, after all many heroes of the faith hesitated at first before doubt was laid to rest and faith in God took over. We try to size up the mission and most of us quickly come to the conclusion that it looks like the task is too big for us.

Here’s where we need to come to an understanding: the task is too big for us! It was too big for Gideon. It was too big for Moses. It was too big for Paul. It was too big then (and now) for everyone who thought they could go in their own strength! God never asks us to go in our own strength, but in His! That is why He told Moses to say to Pharaoh “I am that I am has sent me”. [1]

Gideon may have been living with the idea that God had forsaken Israel, just as some of us feel at times, but God knows how to make rivers run through the driest wilderness, daily refreshing our driest hopes.

Take heart fellow travelers. If God calls, He equips and qualifies you for the task at hand, and no amount of Doubt can change that.

Have a blessed day,

Ron

[1] Exodus 3:13-15

God is enough

Sometimes life is hard. Very hard. In those times we often second guess ourselves as we try to figure out why things have become so hard. Did we sin, thus driving a wedge between us and the Lord? Is there something we’ve overlooked that is hindering our prayers from being answered?

As I’m sure many can attest, we can drive ourselves nearly crazy trying to understand that which there is no explanation for. Sometimes things just happen and we will never understand the why this side of Heaven. So, if we examine ourselves and find no reason for what has happened, how do we rationalize it?

Maybe we need to step back and look at things from a different perspective. Instead of wearing ourselves out wondering who, what, and how, what if we simply said “I’m tired of the battle” and took the approach that God is enough even if nothing makes sense? What if we said what Asaph said when he was about to lose his trust in God?

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart fail;
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73:25-26

If this speaks to you, take heart. It won’t always be this way because the Lord will never forsake His own.

Ron