Our faith in Christ

Job 19:25 (NLT)

25 But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and he will stand upon the earth at last.

Matthew Henry wrote, “Our heavenly inheritance was mortgaged by sin; we are ourselves utterly unable to redeem it; Christ is near of kin to us, the next kinsman that is able to redeem; he has paid our debt, satisfied God's justice for sin, and so has taken off the mortgage and made a new settlement of the inheritance.” Job knew a savior would come to redeem the sinful debts of mankind.

[In January 2000, leaders of Charlotte, North Carolina, invited their favorite son, Billy Graham, to a luncheon. Billy initially hesitated to accept the invitation because he struggles with Parkinson's disease. But the Charlotte leaders said, "We don't expect a major address. Just come and let us honor you." So he agreed.

After wonderful things were said about him, Graham stepped to the rostrum, looked at the crowd, and said, "I'm reminded today of Albert Einstein, the great physicist who this month has been honored by Time magazine as the Man of the Century. Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of each passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn't find his ticket, so he reached in his other pocket. It wasn't there, so he looked in his briefcase but couldn't find it. Then he looked in the seat by him. He couldn't find it. The conductor said, 'Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I'm sure you bought a ticket. Don't worry about it.' Einstein nodded appreciatively.

"The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket. The conductor rushed back and said, 'Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don't worry. I know who you are. No problem. You don't need a ticket. I'm sure you bought one.' Einstein looked at him and said, 'Young man, I too know who I am. What I don't know is where I'm going.'"

Billy Graham continued, "See the suit I'm wearing? It's a brand new suit. My wife, my children, and my grandchildren are telling me I've gotten a little slovenly in my old age. I used to be a bit more fastidious. So I went out and bought a new suit for this luncheon and one more occasion. You know what that occasion is? This is the suit in which I'll be buried. But when you hear I'm dead, I don't want you to immediately remember the suit I'm wearing. I want you to remember this: I not only know who I am, I also know where I'm going." [John Huffman, "Who Are You, and Where Are You Going?" Preaching Conference 2002]]

My mother was dying from stage 4 gastrointestinal cancer. I lovingly asked her if she knew where she was going when she died and she said, “To be with Jesus and my family in heaven.”  My mother knew her destination for she had placed her faith in Christ, our savior and redeemer. It’s comforting to know that our faith in Christ gives us a ticket so we know not only who we are, but also where we are going.

A relationship with Jesus

Philippians 2:5-8 (NIV)

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!

The apostle describes that we should interact and build relationships with others just as Jesus Christ did. Although Christ was the very nature of God; Christ did not place himself above others as a king might, but instead was a servant to others. He humbles himself before others and even humbles himself to die for our sins.

The other day our doorbell rang and my wife answered the door. There were two young Mormon men wanting to inform her about their church. They were very nice young men and asked my wife if she knew she was going to heaven. My wife stated she was a Christian and believed in Jesus Christ, who even though he was God humbled himself to die on the cross for our sins. She said she had placed her trust, belief and faith in Christ and because of that she knew she would spend eternity in heaven with Him. My wife has a relationship with Christ and was able to verbalize it openly.

The two young men accepted what she said. Then one of them asked, “Don’t you think religion has made the world a better place?” This is where my wife corrected them by saying, “I believe a personal relationship with Jesus Christ makes the world a better place. There are many religions, many people who claim to be religious, but sometimes they hurt people more than they serve people.”

It’s so true there are people who claim to be religious, but they don’t understand the life of Jesus Christ because they have never developed a relationship with Him. The have missed the important points He made, such as loving one another and going out of the way to care for someone you don’t even know. When you build a relationship with Jesus you begin to understand the life that should be lived according to the way Jesus lived life.

Instead of trying to be religious follow the one who gave up His life to set you free from sin. Build a relationship with Jesus so that you may live as he did a humble person ready to help others. 

The great cost of Salvation

1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)

18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

In these verses the apostle reminds us that salvation cannot be bought. Instead salvation is a gift given to us and paid for by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. What we cannot do on our own, Jesus Christ did for us – He made us right with God.

In Decision, Karen R. Morerod writes:

I was in a store shopping for a sweater. The cost needed to be minimal, so I went to the clearance rack to start looking. As I flipped through the sweaters, one caught my eye. It was the right color and the right size, and best of all, the price tag was marked $8.00. Without much more thought, I made my purchase.

At home I slipped on the sweater. Its texture was like silk. I had made my purchase so quickly that I hadn't noticed how smooth and elegant the sweater was. Then I saw the original price tag: $124.00!

I gasped. I had never owned any clothing of that value. I had come home with what I thought was a "cheap buy," but the original price was quite high. I had been oblivious to its value.

Just as with my sweater, I have often treated the power of Jesus' blood like a "cheap purchase." His grace, though free to me, carried a high price tag—the life of his very own Son.

[Karen R. Morerod, writer, "Lesson Learned from a Sweater," Decision (November 1999), p. 39]

Revelation 21:5-7 says, “He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”

For no cost, eternal salvation is extended to all who place their faith in Jesus Christ. Just because there is no cost to us we should never treat eternal salvation as though it cost nothing – for Jesus paid a great price.

Considering others

Romans 14:10-12 (NIV)

10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,

‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” 12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.

The apostle is impressing on those in the church that they should not do or say things that create a hindrance in faith of God in others. For some are new Christians learning. Some are weak in their faith while others are strong. Each person is accountable to God and should make their selections in life with the desires of God in mind. For one day each person will stand before God’s judgment seat to give an accounting of the things done or not done.

[Lance Morrow, an award-winning journalist with Time magazine, once set out to write an article asking if there was one universal joke, told everywhere around the world. Here's what happened:

I sent out a query to all of Time's bureaus around the world—Moscow, Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, New Delhi, Jerusalem, Rome, Bonn, London, Paris, Rio, Buenos Aires, and so on. I asked the correspondents to tell me one or two jokes then current in their part of the world.

It turns out there is a universal joke. It was what Americans refer to as the "Polish joke." Except of course that everywhere, the role of [Polish people] in the "Polish joke" is enacted by some appropriate other group. The Flemings have Walloon jokes, for example. The English tell Irish jokes, and vice versa …. The people in Tokyo have jokes about the people in Osaka. I was once on the tiny island of Grenada (133 square miles) and was told that people on one side of the island had a large stock of vicious jokes about people on the other side of the island; and vice versa.

In the universal humor, as in universal evil, you need the Other. The Other is the butt of your joke, or the butt of your evil. [Lance Morrow, Evil: An Investigation (Basic Books, 2003), p. 25]

We all may think we have good intentions, but even our good intentions can be clouded by sin. Ensure your words and actions towards other take them into consider and think to yourself is this how The Lord would treat them.

Remember the words from Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The evidence of God

Romans 1:20 (NIV)

20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

The apostle explains that since the beginning of the world, God’s eternal power and divine nature are evident. For all around us is evidence of God’s existence and there is no excuse to deny God exists.

For a period of time there was a booming market for real estate development in Atlanta. Then economic changes took place that halted that development. Neighborhoods that had started develop stopped because the economy just could not support new homes. Left behind is what I have heard referred to as PVC neighborhoods. Roads were cut, utilities were being put in place, but homes never got built. All that remains is overgrown weeds and tall PVC pipes standing up from the ground where water connections would be placed.

It is very evident someone started work and just stopped.  In some cases there are bags of cement and piles of boards that have weathered and become ruined. You see without someone to start the building process those materials didn’t just get up and complete a home. They say and they are still there.

I’m sure you have heard debates over whether there was creationism or evolution that took place to make this world. I’m not going to debate those facts. I believe that whatever happened, God put everything in place. God was the architect, the engineer, and the builder of the world. God made known His presence through the beauty of things seen and how marvelous and magnificent we are made.

Man can explain some things, but there is a lot he cannot explain. I’m going to leave those points for God to explain to me one day when I am with Him. For I know the Lord Jesus Christ His Son is our savior, our redeemer and the one who gives us eternal life.

You see the one who planned the world also planned for our redemption. God had the perfect plan and He put that plan in place at the perfect time. Thank God for His creation and give Him praise for all He has done.

Lion of Judah

John 10:28-30 (NLT)

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, 29 for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 30 The Father and I are one.

Jesus gives this response as people ask Him if He is the Messiah.  Even though Jesus had made this face clear on several occasions then people did not believe Him. So he states that those who believe in Him, He gives eternal life. The Father has given them unto Him and no one can pull them back. Them He states that He and the Father are one to which the crowd responds by wanting to stone Him for claiming He and the Father are one.

[Only 12-years-old, and in a moment one Ethiopian girl's world turned into a nightmare. Seven violent men abducted the pre-teen, intending to force her into marriage. The men held the girl for seven days, beating her repeatedly.

Such incidents are common in Ethiopia, as several men band together to abduct young girls for the purpose of securing a bride. The girls are typically beaten into submission and raped. In this particular instance, there was not a human being within earshot to hear the cries of this girl. But her cries were heard.

The unlikely heroes were three majestic Ethiopian lions. Famous for their large black manes, these lions are the national symbol of the country. In response to the girl's cries for help, three large lions leapt from the brush and chased her captors away. Perhaps the child thought she had traded one danger for another, but remarkably, her heroes formed a protective perimeter around her. A half-day later, when the police arrived, the guardian lions simply stood up and walked away. Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo said, "They stood guard until we found her, and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest."

Among the explanations for the lions' unusual behavior, one wildlife expert suggested the girl's whimpering could have sounded like a lion cub. For whatever reason, the predator served as protector. The carnivore became a sentinel. "Everyone…thinks this is some kind of miracle," Wondimu commented.

This 12-year-old girl was helpless, powerless to change her horrific circumstances. Her deliverance had to come from a power greater than, and outside of, herself. In the same way, we are powerless to save ourselves from sin and death. Our only hope is in Christ, the Lion of Judah. [David Slagle, Decatur, Georgia; source: Anthony Mitchell, "Lions Rescue, Guard Beaten Ethiopian Girl," Yahoo News (6-21-05); "Lions Free Kidnapped Girl," CNN.com (6-21-05)]]

Jesus promises that no one will take us away from Him when we believe he is the Messiah. Place your hope and faith in Jesus and He will watch over you as the Lion of Judah.

God's power of saving grace

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV)

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

The principle duty Paul did among the people was to preach the message of the cross. It is the good news of the saving grace of God that came through Jesus Christ.

[Historian Garret Fagan summarizes how the Romans—the culture encountered by the early church—viewed the values of strength and weakness:

Ideas of universal human dignity were almost all but nonexistent and large swathes of the population were seen as … inherently worthless. Weak members of society were objects not of compassion but of derision. More than most, Romans lionized strength over weakness, victory over defeat, dominion over obedience. Losers paid a harsh price and got what they deserved, and [resisters] were to be ruthlessly handled … Roman politics became a ruthless game of total winners and abject losers … The drive to dominate and not be forced to bow before a rival was paramount. [Garrett G. Fagan, The Lure of the Arena (Cambridge University Press, 2011), pp. 33-34]]

The Romans were ruthlessly civilized. They dominated others to form a culture. One of their severest punishments was the cross where people died a merciless death. So to those of the time it would have seemed foolish that a person dying on a cross could be a savior to the world; for obviously that person was weak.

However, Jesus Christ was strong in His determination to die for us. He wrestled over the thought of death and bearing the sins of the world and yet He did. He died for us so that we could be free from sin. It may sound like foolishness to some, but for those who believe in Christ it is God’s power of saving grace.

A Debt to Love

Romans 13:8 (NKJV)

8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.

Here the apostle expresses that there is one debt we should keep and that is to love one another. All other debts should be paid even if it means sacrificing our desires for things to fulfill the debt that is owed. Ensuring our debts are paid is one way to express love and appreciation for those who have helped in a time of need.

Daniel Burke, CNN, writes in the story, The accused Kansas killer’s neo-pagan religion, about Frazier Glenn Cross. Frazier Glenn Cross is a white supremacist, an avowed anti-Semite and an accused killer. But he is not, as many think, a Christian.

Cross, who also goes by the name Glenn Miller, is accused of killing three people – all Christians - on Sunday at Jewish institutions in Overland Park, Kansas.

Authorities are weighing whether to file hate-crime charges against Cross, who is suspected of targeting Jews.

The 73-year-old has espoused anti-Semitism for decades. He also founded racist groups like a branch of the Ku Klux Klan and the White Patriot Party, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Both groups have deep ties to Christian white supremacists.

But according to Cross' 1999 biography, he is an adherent of Odinism, a neo-pagan religion that experts say has emerged as one the most vicious strains in the white supremacist movement.

Stories like this bother me. It is hard to understand the mind that wants to hate for no good reason other than just to hate. Then in the midst of the story you read these groups have deep ties to “Christian” white supremacists. I’m sorry but The Bible doesn’t tell Chistians to hate one another, instead it says we should love one another. Christ loved us enough to die for us. We should be willing to love others out of respect. Hate drives people to violence. Love drives people to compassion for others. Pray for those that hate that they may understand love and experience the true love of Christ.

The good in charity

Romans 13:6-7 (NLT)

6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do. 7 Give to everyone what you owe them: Pay your taxes and government fees to those who collect them, and give respect and honor to those who are in authority.

God has established the governments of the world for His purpose. Therefore when taxes are lawfully levied they should be paid by the taxpayer in accordance with the law. However as was pointed out in the New Testament there were corrupt tax collectors and these men were considered as bad as thieves. Therefore government in its attempt to extract taxes should always be within the law. When they act accordingly the taxpayer too should act accordingly by paying what they owe and respecting those who collect what is due.

[Many Christians, like most of the populace, believe the political structures can cure all our ills. The fact is, however, that government, by its very nature, is limited in what it can accomplish. What it does best is perpetuate its own power and bolster its own bureaucracies.

—Charles (Chuck) Colson, advisor to President Nixon, writer, and founder of Prison Fellowship]

This is why charitable organizations are so important. I recently had a friend in the hospital that did not have insurance. He said it was the charity organizations that helped him and not government funding. It is amazing how much charitable organizations do throughout the world. Instead of believing in a strong government that will help our people, we should believe in others who will come through in our time of need. I know my brother was sick once and it was the church that came with donations, gifts and support. Remember the church is a place where we can encourage one another and sometimes that is done from the charity that comes from our hearts.

Father restore out nation

1 Timothy 6:3-5

3 Some people may contradict our teaching, but these are the wholesome teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. These teachings promote a godly life. 4 Anyone who teaches something different is arrogant and lacks understanding. Such a person has an unhealthy desire to quibble over the meaning of words. This stirs up arguments ending in jealousy, division, slander, and evil suspicions. 5 These people always cause trouble. Their minds are corrupt, and they have turned their backs on the truth. To them, a show of godliness is just a way to become wealthy.

Here the apostle is writing to his beloved friend Timothy. He explains there are people who promote then own agendas against the godly teachings the believers in Christ have been promoting. These people tend to stir up arguments by different means and disregard what is true and right. To them their action is just a show.

Sadly the United States has become a place where people lack sensible understanding. One reason is the corruption and problems taking place in America. We watch daily on the news as people rob stores. Also in the news there are stories of those who go into schools and shot or stab or those. It doesn’t only happen in the schools, but on the streets during a marathon or inside a mall while people are calmly shopping.

America had the value of wholesome teachings that Christ himself promoted among the people. But now, even our laws reflect our feelings of being corrupt and out of control. There used to be a time when a teacher, or a police office could size up a problem and apply their own reasoning to what a correct response would be. But now there is so much corruption it seems one law fits everything.

For example a 4^th grader accidentally takes a knife from home to spread the jelly on their PB&J sandwich. The kid realizes their parent put the knife there and turns it in to the teacher. Instead of reasoning the problem out, a wide rule is applied; anyone with a knife is arrested and sent to jail. I know of a story like this. The child was innocent in their actions, but they were handcuffed, put in a sheriff’s car and driven to jail all because of a butter knife. The problem is minds have become corrupt and people can’t think for themselves. They apply a broad rule, just to be safe, just to be sure their own salaries are protected.

In a classroom a student claims another boy pointed his finger at him and made a motion as if he were firing a gun. There were no witnesses and the other boy insisted he had not made such a motion. The teacher sent the boy to the office for suspension; after all guns and threats are not allowed at school. The kid was suspended without real reason for something that wasn’t even a real threat.

Our nation has lost its way when it comes to reasoning. We need to find the good old days when people could think and apply reason and hand out proper justice. We need to return back to the principles of Christian values this country was founded upon.

Father, restore our nation. Help us to once again reason like sane people. Let us see the truth in actions by people and know what is right and wrote.  Let us promote godly living among the people instead of fearful lives.

Oh we of little faith

1 Peter 2:24 (NLT)

24 He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

Here the apostle refers to Jesus who innocently was put to death on a cross. Even Pontius Pilate, the leader who ordered the death of Jesus said of Jesus, “I find no fault in this Man.” Yet Jesus died as foretold by the prophets. Before his final breath the sins of the world were placed upon Him and The Father turned from Him because He could not bear to look at the sin His Son bore. With His last words Jesus said, “It is finished.” No longer was mankind held captive to sin, but instead was free to live in Jesus. By his wounds we were healed.

[Hawa Ahmed was a Muslim student in North Africa. One day, she read a Christian tract in her dormitory and decided to become a Christian. Her father was an Emir (Islamic ruler), so she expected to lose her inheritance because of her conversion. She was completely unprepared for what happened. When she told her family she had become a Christian and changed her name to Faith, her father exploded in rage. Her father and brothers stripped her naked and bound her to a chair fixed to a metal plate with which they wanted to electrocute her. Faith asked them to at least lay a Bible in her lap. Her father responded, "If you want to die together with your false religion, so be it." One of her brothers added, "That will show that your religion is powerless." Although they had bound her, she was able to touch a corner of the Bible. She felt a strange peace, as though someone were standing beside her. Her father and brothers pushed the plug into the socket—and nothing happened. They tried four times with various cables, but it was as though the electricity refused to flow. Finally her father, angry and frustrated, hit her and screamed, "You are no longer my daughter."

Then he threw her into the street, naked. She ran through the streets, humiliated and in pain. People looked at her, curious rather than shocked. Shaking and tearful, she ran to a friend. Her friend let her in, clothed her, and gave her shelter. The next day, her friend asked neighbors what they had thought when they had seen Faith running naked through the streets. "What are you talking about?" they asked. "The girl had a wonderful white dress on. We asked ourselves why someone so beautifully clothed had to run through the streets." God had hidden her nakedness from their eyes, clothing her in a beautiful white dress. Today, Faith is a full-time evangelist with Every Home for Christ. [Guido Kuwas , Global Revival News (12-17-01); submitted by Owen Bourgaize, Guernsey, United Kingdom]]

Oh we of little faith. God wants to work wonders in our life. Hawa Ahmed became Faith both in name and in her soul. It was by faith that God protected her. Let us have such a faith that God protects us in the same way.

The asterisk

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV)

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The world was in a sad condition, lost and in need of salvation. And while helpless to do anything, Christ died for us -- the lowly sinner. The apostle makes the point it is rare for a righteous person to die for a good, decent person and yet Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

[After a day of disparate explanations from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum and the man who owns Barry Bonds’s record-setting 756th home run ball, the controversial ball was driven to Cooperstown, N.Y., on Tuesday. It arrived around 7:45 p.m.

Baker said Ecko’s personal driver delivered the ball to Horn in Cooperstown. She said an asterisk was laser-cut into the ball above the Major League logo by a master engraver and that the ball was delivered in a specially designed glass case. The case includes the details of how Ecko decided to plant an asterisk on the ball.

After Ecko bought the ball, he held an online contest to determine its future. Voters had three choices: put an asterisk on the ball; leave it alone; or shoot it to the moon. The first two choices included the addendum that the ball would be donated to the Hall. Since Bonds has been suspected of using steroids to inflate his home run total, the notion of adding an asterisk was often mentioned. [Jack Curry, The New York Times, Deal Struck as Hall Receives Home Run Ball Hit by Bonds]

The story above was about a moment of fame and a moment of disgrace represented by the asterisk. Many of us have tried to live a good life, but we probably feel there is an asterisk beside our name indicating the sins we have committed. However Christ lived and died and rose again to eternal life that we can have the mark of sin removed from us. For those that believe, Christ has justified us so that we are perfect and pure in the sight of God. Let us always remember Christ for what He did for us.

The serpent's head

Psalm 110:1-3 (NKJV)

1 The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” 2 The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! 3 Your people shall be volunteers In the day of Your power; In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth.

This psalm proclaims the coming of The Messiah, and these verses assert His kingly office. Matthew Henry said of this psalm, “In singing this psalm we must act faith upon Christ, submit ourselves entirely to him, to his grace and government, and triumph in him as our prophet, priest, and king, by whom we hope to be ruled, and taught, and saved, forever, and as the prophet, priest, and king, of the whole church, who shall reign till he has put down all opposing rule, principality, and power, and delivered up the kingdom to God the Father.”

Carolyn Arends, wrote "Satan's a Goner: A lesson from a Headless Snake," in Christianity Today dated (February, 2011):  [As a kid, I loved Mission Sundays, when missionaries on furlough brought special reports in place of a sermon …. There is one visit I've never forgotten. The missionaries were a married couple stationed in what appeared to be a particularly steamy jungle. I'm sure they gave a full report on churches planted or commitments made or translations begun. I don't remember much of that. What has always stayed with me is the story they shared about a snake.

One day, they told us, an enormous snake—much longer than a man—slithered its way right through their front door and into the kitchen of their simple home. Terrified, they ran outside and searched frantically for a local who might know what to do. A machete-wielding neighbor came to the rescue, calmly marching into their house and decapitating the snake with one clean chop.

The neighbor reemerged triumphant and assured the missionaries that the reptile had been defeated. But there was a catch, he warned: It was going to take a while for the snake to realize it was dead.

A snake's neurology and blood flow are such that it can take considerable time for it to stop moving even after decapitation. For the next several hours, the missionaries were forced to wait outside while the snake thrashed about, smashing furniture and flailing against walls and windows, wreaking havoc until its body finally understood that it no longer had a head.

Sweating in the heat, they had felt frustrated and a little sickened but also grateful that the snake's rampage wouldn't last forever. And at some point in their waiting, they told us, they had a mutual epiphany.

I leaned in with the rest of the congregation, queasy and fascinated. "Do you see it?" asked the husband. "Satan is a lot like that big old snake. He's already been defeated. He just doesn't know it yet. In the meantime, he's going to do some damage. But never forget that he's a goner."

The story [still] haunts me because I have come to believe it is an accurate picture of the universe. We are in the thrashing time, a season characterized by our pervasive capacity to do violence to each other and ourselves. The temptation is to despair. We have to remember, though, that it won't last forever. Jesus has already crushed the serpent's head.]

Reconciled to God

Romans 5:10 (NKJV)

10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

The apostle points out that the sin within us has made us enemies of God. It seems a mystery that as we an enemy to God that God would allow His son to die on our behalf, but that is what God did. God offered His Son as a sacrifice for our sin to reconcile us to Him. Then Christ rose to eternal life, how much more so if we were reconciled by His death shall we be made to live through His life.

[Noble Doss dropped the ball. One ball. One pass. One mistake. In 1941, he let one fall. And it's haunted him ever since. "I cost us a national championship," he says.

The University of Texas football team was ranked number one in the nation. Hoping for an undefeated season and a berth in the Rose Bowl, they played conference rival Baylor University. With a 7-0 lead in the third quarter, the Longhorn quarterback launched a deep pass to a wide-open Doss.

"The only thing I had between me and the goal," he recalls, "was twenty yards of grass."

The throw was on target. Longhorn fans rose to their feet. The sure-handed Doss spotted the ball and reached out, but it slipped through.

Baylor rallied and tied the score with seconds to play. Texas lost their top ranking and, consequently, their chance at the Rose Bowl.

"I think about that play every day," Doss admits.

Not that he lacks other memories. Happily married for more than six decades. A father. Grandfather. He served in the navy during World War II. He appeared on the cover of Life magazine with his Texas teammates. He intercepted seventeen passes during his collegiate career, a university record. He won two NFL titles with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Texas High School Hall of Fame and the Longhorn Hall of Honor include his name.

Most fans remember the plays Doss made and the passes he caught. Doss remembers the one he missed. Once, upon meeting a new Longhorn head coach, Doss told him about the bobbled ball. It had been fifty years since the game, but he wept as he spoke. [Max Lucado, Fearless (Thomas Nelson, 2009), pp. 31-32]]

God gave us a way to reconcile our sin by believing in His Son Jesus Christ. For the person that turns down Christ it might be a the one mistake remembered for a long time.

Trusting in the Son of God

Galatians 2:20 (NLT)

20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Here the apostle describes his own mysterious life of being a believer in Christ. The old self of sin was crucified with Christ. But he lives and is comforted with the grace that came from Christ. While living in the earthly body still subject to sin he does so trusting Christ for guidance for he knows Christ loves him and gave His live for him. This is the Christian life we can all live.

[Theologian Alister McGrath outlines the following three stages of receiving what Christ did for us on the cross:

[First], I may believe that God is promising me forgiveness of sins; [second], I may trust that promise; but [third] unless I respond to that promise, I shall not obtain forgiveness. The first two stages of faith prepare the way for the third, without it they are incomplete.

Then he illustrates these three stages with the following true story:

Consider a bottle of penicillin, the famous antibiotic identified by Alexander Fleming, and first produced for clinical use in [Great Britain]. The drug was responsible for saving the lives of countless individuals who would otherwise have died from various forms of blood poisoning. Think of the three stages of faith like this. I may accept that the bottle exists. I may trust in its ability to cure blood poisoning. But nothing will change unless I receive the drug which it contains. I must allow it to destroy the bacteria which are slowly killing me. Otherwise, I have not benefited from my faith in it.

It is the third element of faith which is of vital importance in making sense of the cross. Just as faith links a bottle of penicillin to the cure of blood poisoning, so faith forges a link between the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ and ourselves. Faith unites us with the risen Christ, and makes available to us everything he gained through his obedience and resurrection. [Alister E. McGrath, What Was God Doing on the Cross (Zondervan, 1992), pp. 99-100]]

The story above tells us that we can believe, but until we surrender to our own beliefs we have not followed through in faith. It is one thing to know a plane flies, but it another thing to trust sitting on the plane and hand control over to someone else to fly you up into the sky.

Normal?

1 Kings 15:11-12 (NKJV)

11 Asa did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, as did his father David. 12 And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.

Asa’s father was Abijam and The Bible says of him, “And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him; his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.” Asa did not follow his father, but instead followed The Father and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord.

Normal is something that can be hard to define. Our view of normal is affected by what we see around us, what we know to be facts, and even the way we live.  In the United States it is normal to eat from a plate with forks, spoons and knives. However in some countries it is normal to eat with the hand and in other countries it is normal to eat with other utensils, such as chopsticks. So what is normal varies widely.

Some of those who lived under Abijam’s rule obviously found it normal to be perverted in their ways and to worship hand formed idols. They may have thought nothing about their actions, for it was the way they were raised and taught.

Yet we find Asa departed from his father’s ways to do what the Lord considered to be right. Asa had obviously studied the words of the Lord and learned what normal was according to the Lord. Asa made changes to agree with God’s ways and not those of his father. Asa developed a new view of normality and improved the lives of the people.

Just because something seems normal does not make it right. I remember hearing a psychologist talking once about a patient who had been abused. As this patient described things to the psychologist they would talk as if the abuse was something normal and expected. The question came for the patient, “Do you think this is normal in every household?” The patient responded, “I guess so, isn’t it?” You see the patient had a different view of normal because of their life experiences.

When you look at the things in the world, take time to ask God, “Is this normal?” Look for God’s response and choose those things that are right and are to the benefit of others. Seek God’s wisdom and learn what should be normal as opposed to what we think is normal.

Enduring the race

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NLT)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

The apostle tells us to prepare for a Christian life by stripping away the things that weight down, namely sin. Sin has consequences and out of those consequences burdens are formed.  We are to work on the perfection of our Christian life by learning to endure what we face in life. Our source of endurance is Jesus. It is Him we need to keep our eyes on for He is the champion of life and it is He who initiates and perfects our faith.

[Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin know endurance better than most. For 111 days, they ran the equivalent of two marathons a day in order to cross the entire Sahara Desert on foot. They touched the waters at Senegal and then made their way through Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt to touch the waters of the Red Sea. Along the way, the trio faced blazing afternoons of over 100 degrees, jarring, freezing nights, sandstorms, tendonitis, violent sickness, and the usual aches, pains, and blisters. But the biggest challenge they faced can be summed up in one word: water. Finding it in its purest, cleanest form gets to be a bit of a chore while in the middle of nowhere!

Crossing the Saharan Desert on foot is an amazing accomplishment. But just as commendable are these marathon finishers:

• Christians who finish their lives still growing, still serving.

 • Husbands and wives who stay faithful to each other "until death do us part."

 • Young people who preserve their virginity until marriage, in spite of crushing peer pressure.

 • Pastors who stay passionate about ministry until their last breath.

 • Church members who weather the rougher patches and remain joyful, loving, and faithful.

[Jon R. Mutchler, Ferndale, Washington; source: Anna Johnson, "3 ultra-athletes run across Sahara," USA Today (2-20-07)]]

Let us consider that life is an ultra-marathon that begins the day we are born and continues until the day we die. As we run the race there are many obstacles we face along the way, but we find it much easier to face those obstacles when we know The Lord is right there with us. Christ is the champion who lived and died and then rose back to life for all eternity. His death was a challenge He had to face, but He willingly gave His life though He had done nothing wrong so we too could receive a wonderful everlasting life with Him. Let us give praises to Christ for the salvation He has provided.

HWJL

Matthew 20:17-19 (NLT)

17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside privately and told them what was going to happen to him. 18 “Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. 19 Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.”

In these verses Jesus shares privately with His disciples what some would take as bad news, words of His impending death. Yet what sounds like bad news is repeated throughout the New Testament as the Good News of Jesus Christ, since God raised Him to life on the third day. Then God allowed Him to appear, not to the general public, but to those whom God had chosen in advance to be His witnesses. They were those who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.  And He ordered them to preach everywhere and to testify that Jesus is The One appointed by God to be the judge of all—the living and the dead. He is The One all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in Him will have their sins forgiven through His name.

Especially during the 90s there was a popular Christian youth bracelet that had the letters WWJD imprinted on them. The letters stood for “What would Jesus do?”  It was a reminder to the youth on how they should act – they should do as Jesus did.

Another important phrase for all of us to remember is “How would Jesus love?” or HWJL. Some men are quick to pick up on The Bible verse, “As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.” But Men often tend to miss the next verse in Ephesians 5:25, “For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her.”  Husbands, are you willing to give your life for your wife out of love? I think a woman who truly knew her husband loved her that much would be willing to listen to what her husband has to say and follow with him. For love does no wrong to others.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

This is how Jesus would love, how do you love?

Hope In God

Psalm 14:1 (NLT)

1 Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!

The contempt it puts upon the honour of God: for there is something of practical atheism at the bottom of all sin. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. We are sometimes tempted to think, "Surely there never was so much atheism and profaneness as there is in our days;' but we see the former days were no better; even in David's time there were those who had arrived at such a height of impiety as to deny the very being of a God and the first and self-evident principles of religion.  ---- Those are the words of Matthew Henry who died in 1714. We see from his words and the words of The Bible that the former days were no better.

[In the summer of 2010 the popular author and atheist Christopher Hitchens was diagnosed with cancer. With his usual candor and clarity, Hitchens movingly described his battle with the illness in an article he wrote for Vanity Fair.

I am badly oppressed by a gnawing sense of waste. I had real plans for my next decade and felt I'd worked hard enough to earn it. Will I really not live to see my children married? To watch the World Trade Center rise again?. … To the dumb question "Why me?" the cosmos barely bothers to return the reply: Why not?

I sometimes wish I were suffering in a good cause, or risking my life for the good of others, instead of just being a gravely endangered patient. Allow me to inform you, though, that when you sit in a room with a set of other finalists, and kindly people bring a huge transparent bag of poison to plant into your arm [his chemotherapy treatment] and you either read or don't read a book while the venom sack gradually empties into your system … . You feel swamped with passivity and impotence: dissolving in powerlessness like a sugar lump in water. [Christopher Hitchens, "Topic of Cancer," Vanity Fair (September 2010)]]

Without God there is a sense of hopelessness when faced with a grave situation. There is no one to turn to except self and self already knows what the inevitable truth is. At least they believe they know the truth; yet they have been fooled. They have been outwitted by Satan.

However there is hope in God and the salvation provided through Jesus Christ. When faced with death instead of seeing the end, we can see a new beginning. We have hope of eternal life that is pleasant and joyous. We know because of the hope of salvation in Jesus Christ that believers will one day be reunited with those we have loved. It is that hope in God that keeps us from foolish acts, because we know life continues even after death.

Pray for those who do not know God and Jesus Christ. Pray they will come to know their grace, mercy and love. Pray even for those who may offend you for they know not what they do. Let us love like Jesus to show others the hope in God.