All Right or All Wrong

Hebrews 9:22

"And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission."

D.L. Moody tells the story of a conversation he had with a minster about the topic of ---preaching. Here's how Preacher Moody tells it:

I remember when in the old country a young man came to me—a minister—and said he wanted to talk with me.

He said to me: "Mr. Moody, you are either all right and I am all wrong, or else I am right, and you are all wrong."

"Well, sir," said I, "You have the advantage of me. You have heard me preach, and know what doctrines I hold, whereas I have not heard you, and don't know what you preach."

"Well," said he, "the difference between your preaching and mine is that you make out that salvation is got by Christ's death, and I make out that it is attained by His life."

"Now, what do you do with the passages bearing upon the death?" and I quoted the passages, "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission," and "He Himself bore our own sins by His own body on the tree," and asked him what he did with them, for instance.

"Never preach them at all."

I quoted a number of passages more, and he gave me the same answer. "Well, what do you preach?" I finally asked.

"Moral essays," he replied.

Said I, "Did you ever know anybody to be saved by that kind of thing, did you ever convert anybody by them?"

"I never aimed at that kind of conversion; I meant to get men to heaven by culture—by refinement."

"Well," said I, "if I didn't preach those texts, and only preached culture, the whole thing would be a sham."

"And it is a sham to me," was his reply.

I tell you the moment a man breaks away from this doctrine of blood, religion becomes a sham, because the whole teaching of this book is of one story, and this is, that Christ came into the world and died for our sins.

*

And that, my dear Reader, in a nutshell, is all you need to know. Christ prophesied (Old Testament), Christ crucified & risen (New Testament) and Christ glorified (Revelation). Read the entire Bible and you too will understand that it speaks of Jesus. Indeed, Christ Himself said as much in John 5:39, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."

On what do you stand today, your own works or the redemptive act at Calvary? If you stand on your own works, be mindful that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23) and you are hellbound.  I Choose Calvary!

The Barber

Isaiah 55:6
"Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:"


A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed.

As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists."

"Why do you say that?" asked the customer.

"Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things."

The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument.

The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and unkempt.

The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."

"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!"

"No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."

"Ah, but barbers DO exist!", answered the barber. "What happens, is, people do not come to me."

"Exactly!" - affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world."



If you're waiting for God to hit you over the head with a thunderbolt, it's not going to happen. If you're waiting for a "special revelation" intended just for you, don't hold your breath. If you're seeking the revelation of God, all you have to do is read the Holy Bible.

Don't go through life missing out on the knowledge of God when it is right before you: God's Holy Word.

The mockers and unbelievers ask for a sign that proves God's existence. To these kind of people, Jesus has the answer:

"Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."      Matt. 12:38-40

Thus, the proof is that Christ is risen. If that isn't enough friend, then truly you are lost and blinded by the world (II Corinthians 4:3-4).

Turn now and repent before it's too late! Open My Eyes and Turn Me From Darkness to Light.

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There's light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.


Story courtesy Marlen Hardy

For Whom Do You Grieve?

Proverbs 24:11-12
"If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according to his works?"


I encountered an interesting article on grief and loss on the internet the other day. The discussion centered around the source of people's grief. And the question came up: For Whom Do You Grieve? There were poignant and touching comments made. I'm including some of them here, hoping that it will cause you to ask yourself that very question.

Rebecca J.
He lays in Plot 190 A-1 in the Garden of Eternal Life Cemetary, the man in prearrangements explained and provided me with a map. His headstone is black granite with the words, “Beloved Husband and Father” etched into it in all caps and in a classic font. A life summed up in only four words. It is a single headstone, not the double kind with the wife’s name engraved on the right side, just waiting for her to die. I was glad I didn’t also have to see my mother’s name, the reminder that one day she too would die. After sixteen years, soft grass had grown over his plot, but today, was hidden by snow. My tears made it difficult for me to read, but there I stood. Plot 190 A-1. It had been sixteen years since I stood in that spot, in my only dress, staring at the audience of my father’s friends and business acquaintances. Short of breath, I dropped to my knees and let the snow seep through my jeans. I laid down on the wet earth, resting my cheek on top of the snow, imagining my father’s rotting bones six feet below. He was in a maple casket, his bones decaying inside his best suit. I wondered what his body looked like, if the skin on his face had turned to leather, or if his bones protruded from his rotten flesh. I wondered what stench filled the casket. The smell of death, I imagined, the formal-dehyde slowing fading away. His body has been locked inside that casket for sixteen years. Sixteen long years of being fatherless. Sixteen years, six feet below the soft grass and cold snow. I sat up and punched the hard, winter ground. He was supposed to teach me how to make asparagus soup the morning he died.

Reader, even in the everyday-ness of life, death visits a loved one. Can you imagine that your one last conversation with the one you love could be about the minutae and routineness of life? If you knew that it would be the last time both of you would speak to one another, how would your conversation change? The Bible says, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Heb. 9:27). But, there is One who is risen. There is only One who can save. Christ alone is the Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27).

Grady Mc.

The father no one even told me about until I was 40 years old which was several years after he died. Although I always ‘knew’ something wasn’t right because I didn’t look at all like my brother, sister or the man who was supposed to be my father, they held onto their well rehearsed stories until it was too late for me to look a the person whom I probably most resemble in the world. So I grieve the man I never knew and the loss of the family who kept the secret for all those years. I imagine how different our relationships would have been & how different I might be if I would have been let in on my own life.

Relationships are the most valuable possession people have. Your very first relationship with your family will impact you - positively & negatively - in your future interactions with others, from friends, spouses, co-workers and the world at large. If you look at how Isaac and Rebekah raised their twin boys, Jacob and Esau, it was unhealthy because each parent had their favorite (Gen. 25:20-34). Probably Grady's parents meant well, but now he is left with more questions than answers. I won't even pretend to know what it's like to have unresolved grief like Grady's. But, this I do know: Christ is our Comforter and peace (John 14:26-27) and will never forsake us or abandon us (Heb. 13:5).

Jen S.

I grieve for children who have been abused, ignored, unloved. I grieve for those who are waiting for a family to call their own, to love them like no one has. A family to make them feel safe, and allow them to smile and have dreams. They are waiting, waiting for someone to say “You are good enough for me to invest in. You are good enough for me to love. You are not broken, you are not unlovable.”
I also grieve for those who are stuck where they are. They have no voices loud enough to get help. They might not know that they need help, because this is reality, this is what happens in families. I grieve for those who are waiting to be rescued. And I’ve learned that it is not enough to grieve. My silent grief, inside my comfortable house will not do the rescuing. I must move, I must act, I must be a part of the rescuing.

Our true Rescuer is Jesus Christ because what profits a man if he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul (Mark 8:36)? There's a hymn that entitled, "Rescue the Perishing". Consider these lines -

Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o'er the erring one,
Lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying;
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save.

Dear Reader, are you rescuing the persishing with the Gospel of peace? If not, why not? I pray that you will be moved by the entries to reach out to a lost and dying world. People are hurting. They need to know that Jesus Christ cares for each soul out there. Jesus died on the Cross and is the embodiment of John 3:16.

If you aren't saved then, Friend, I need you to make a decision right now that you can't overlook or postpone. Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for your sins. Without Him, you are condemned to go to hell. Please consider the weighty matter before you. Choose wisely, choose Christ.

Click here: Jesus, Rescue Me Now!

The Most Important & Influential Book of All Time

Isaiah 40:8

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."

The Holy Bible has been banned, burned, loved and hated. It’s been outlawed & outcast. It's been smuggled in countries in whole or page by page. It's been denounced, doubted, denied and destroyed. In spite of all of these things, the Holy Bible hasn't been silenced. It continues today to be read by more people today than any other book. The Holy Bible is the most important book of all time.

I Peter 1:24-25 declares, "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you."

Did you all out there get that? The word of God endures forever. Forever. All eternity. Without end.

In other words, even though:

A car's engine will burn out and lock up, God's word endures forever.

A computer's hard drive crashes and all data is lost, God's word endures forever.

A legal contract may be breached, but God's word endures forever.

International treaties are broken, but God's word endures forever.

The U.S. Constitution may be attacked and altered beyond recognition, but God's word endures forever.

Man's philosophies and self-help aphorisms may come and go, but God's word endures forever.

Your father's and mother's words fail you, but God's word endures forever.

The President's lofty words may fall under the weight of hyprocrisy and demagoguery,  but God's word endures forever.

The leaders of religion misinterpret, misquote, misunderstand or malign God's word, God's word endures forever.

When all else fails (and sooner or later, they all will), God's word endures forever.

God's word endures forever because God, the Eternal One, spoke it. His Truth, you see, can't help but be true. God's word doesn't come true. It's already true. What was true yesterday, was true also at the beginning of time and is true today and is true forever.

Because Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life..." (John 14:6a) and because He is risen (Matt. 28:6) then Jesus Christ is the only Son of God and the words that He spoke are true. Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8).

Here's a truth I want you to remember for the rest of your life: God loves you so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that if you believe in Christ, you will not perish and go to hell, but have everlasting life (John 3:16). God is waiting for you to make that decision to trust in His Son Jesus Christ.

Reader, what are you waiting for? Aren't you tired of men's empty philosophies and promises? Aren't you exhausted of looking for the next great idea only to be disappointed and disillusioned? Aren't you weary of religion & rituals that are devoid of meaning?

The only way to know God and have a meaningful and true relationship with Him is through His Son Jesus Christ. The Lord said in John 14:6b, ",,. [N]o man cometh unto the Father but by Me."

If you're ready to know the embodiment of truth, Jesus Christ, click here and see for yourself what peace, love and truth really is: I Want to Know Real Peace, Love and Truth Today!

 

In the Beginning, Anew

Matthew 28:6

"He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

I have a friend I haven't seen anymore. Her home is in Los Angeles, but she lives in her head inside a dream. Other friends tried calling her to see if she can come out. And, help her lose the down that she's found. Unfortunately, she cannot be reached. Friend, what if your world should fall apart? Will you implode, too?

Think about a time when your heart was broken because your expectations were dashed and your world fell apart. That is exactly what happened to the women who came to Jesus' tomb. They had put all their hopes in Him as Israel's promised Messiah and had given Him their love and devotion.

Now He was dead.

Can you imagine the sudden change in their emotions and outlook when an angel told them He had risen? Hope sprang to life again. Even though this event happened 2,000 years ago, the empty tomb still holds a message for us. Like these women, we can be dramatically changed when we consider the ramifications of Christ's resurrection. It should affect how we live from this day forward.

Jesus' resurrection proves that there is life after death. So many people today think that earthly existence is all there is. But this belief robs life of purpose and meaning. God created us as eternal souls, and Jesus demonstrated that death is not the end - much more awaits us.

The empty tomb also gives us hope and dispels our fears about death. We have One who has gone before us and shown us what's ahead. Those who trust Him as their Savior (Rom. 10:9-10) will be resurrected to new life just as He was.

By accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, you begin your life anew that very moment. In a way, it's your own Genesis 1:1; that is, God creates you through the blood of Jesus to be a new creature. Consider II Corinthians 5:17-18,

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;"

And, Romans 6:4 goes even further: "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Thus, walking - not sitting, resting or convaslescing on a mountain top - but walking in the newness of life is what we're called by Christ to do. To be sure, we are to walk all the days of our life in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16) and redeem the evil days (Eph. 5:16) with the Gospel of peace (Rom. 10:15).

None of us know what day the Lord will call our name, signaling the end of our earthly life. Yet we do know that He has promised to prepare a place in heaven for us (John 14:1-3). Death is not the end, but simply the stepping into eternity and beginning the greatest adventure of our lives: Coming home to Christ.

Dear Reader, one day you will die (Heb. 9:27). When that day comes, where will you be spending eternity? Are you going home to Christ?

Settle it now! I Want To Spend Eternity With Christ!

Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

(portion of this posting is courtesy of Dr. Charles Stanley)