A Dread Filled Phrase

     Here in Florida, during the summer months, we grow accustomed to our daily thunderstorms.  It seems most storms come in the afternoon, and the sound of distant thunder soon becomes louder as it approaches.  This is when a smart Floridian leaves the pool, gets off the golf course or out of their boat and goes inside to be safe.  Florida is known as the lightning capitol of the United States with more than 1.4 million strikes per year according to the Orlando Sentinel.  For those of us who live on the central ridge of the state with a slightly elevated terrain, it is very scary to be outside when a storm suddenly comes up.  Every year, there are a number of fatalities that occur which could be avoided by seeking shelter.  While lightning is a fearful force of nature, there is something even more terrifying that none of us would wish to hear.
     In the Gospel according to John, Jesus had an encounter (one of many) with the Pharisees in the

Temple treasury.  Of course, the Pharisees were always testing Him and could not see past their blinded eyes that He was the Messiah.  Instead, they jealousy challenged Him at every turn.  Jesus, in John 8:12, calls Himself the light of the world and promises that whoever follows Him will not walk in darkness but in the "light of life."  Over and over, He makes known that He comes from the Father.  However, the Pharisees miss this completely.  The Lord makes it clear that their judgment is clouded in verses 15-16:  "You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one.  Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me."  The Pharisees looked through the eyes of flesh that could not see the truth.  Then, Jesus pronounced the words that no one would want to hear in the next few verses.  "He said to them, 'You are from below, I am from above.  You are of this world; I am not of this world.  I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am He you will die in your sins" (verses 24-25).  Chilling words for their ears or anyone's ears to hear, yet they still did not understand for their reply is:  "Who are you?" (vs. 25b) and His reply is:  "Just what I have been telling you from the beginning" (vs.25c).  Amazing isn't it?
     Throughout this passage as in many others, the Pharisees did not see or understand who Jesus was claiming to be.  Their refusal kept them from coming into the light and led to the pronouncement that they would die in their sins.  That was very much like a lightning bolt.  What a fearful thing to hear from the Lord of all creation.  Dying in our sins is an eternal death sentence which leads to separation from God not just for a short time but forever.  However, the Good News is that we do not have to hear these words if we have accepted God's offer of salvation and believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is, indeed, the light of this world who drives out the darkness and brings life.
     Our Savior carried our sins and took our punishment on the cross for us.  He died in our place, but He rose from the grave conquering death.  Not only this, He ascended to the Father in heaven where he makes intercession for us who believe in Him.  Why would anyone not want to walk in that light.  Sadly, though, there are those who do turn away when presented with the truth of the Gospel.  We have all met them.  They are lost in their sins and judge according to the flesh (our current culture) rather than by God's Word which is reality and truth.
     Beloved, we should rejoice in what God has done for us.  At the same time, we need to pray for those outside the faith that God by His Holy Spirit would open their eyes.  God's almighty judgment is real, final and to be dreaded.  Our sins, if we do not repent of them, will condemn us for works do not bring salvation in God's economy.
     If we are a believer, we will not hear the pronouncement of the sentence, "you will die in your sins" because we have already passed from death into life through Christ (John 5:24).  However, if we are reading this and like the Pharisees refuse to recognize Jesus Christ as God's only Son who came into this world to die for our sins, those dreaded words like a lightning bolt will strike us one day.  Instead of gambling on the storm, let us run into the shelter of His everlasting arms.  He is our lightning rod who has overcome this world.  Be encouraged in this and believe in Him.  Selah!

The Value of The "Good Book"

     I love to read books.  It is something I have enjoyed since childhood.  Whenever our library had a reading contest, I signed up.  They always had a special edition of a book to give as the first place prize.  One year I won a beautiful copy of Louisa Mae Alcott's "Little Women".  What a treasure!  I felt so happy, and it made me want to read even more.
     Of all the books which I have read over the years, though, none comes close to God's Word.  The Bible has been a best seller year after year.  Now that is saying something!  So why should we read it?  King David gives us some good reasons in Psalm 19:7-11:  "The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple;  the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward."
   

     Where do we find wisdom to meet the demands of our life day by day?  According to Psalm 19, we find that the testimony of the Lord which is written in the Bible makes the simple wise.  We aren't just speaking of knowledge here, but the application of common sense which the Lord freely gives to those who ask.  He is the source of all wisdom since He created the world and each one of us.  Therefore, He is the One to whom we should turn.  The beauty of the Bible is that God reveals Himself to us through the pages we read.
       As we read the Bible, we come to know God's perfect Law and His precepts for living.  When we have a solid foundation on which to build our lives, our hearts rejoice.  God's established Law (the Ten Commandments) teach us how to relate both to a holy God and to our fellow man.  If we walk in the light of His Word, we find a full satisfaction and joy.  Even more, though, the Law also shows us our sinfulness and our need to turn to God in sincere repentance.  We need reminders, daily, of how to live and walk.
      Perhaps the greatest blessing of reading the Bible comes from realizing that it is the history of man and his relationship to God.  It tells us how mankind fell in sin and became alienated from the Lord.  Even more, it tells us how we can once again come into relationship with God through the sacrifice of His only Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  David said, clearly, in Psalm 19 that God's Laws, rules, precepts and His Word  are "pure, enlightening the eyes, are to be desired more than gold and sweeter than honey."  Why would we want to miss this kind of joy?
     Each time I sit down to read His Word, I find peace in times of trouble and encouragement in times of sorrow.  There is no other book I can pick up that can instruct like the Bible.  Sadly, however, our current culture is woefully ignorant of God's Word.  Most homes contain at least one Bible and often several, but many are left on the shelf.  If we want to know the mind and heart of God, we have only to pick up the Bible and read it each day, praying over the passages we read and thinking about it throughout the day.  Our minds and hearts become conformed to that which we spend the most time with....whether it is T.V., social media or our culture.  If we spend time in the Bible, we will start to think God's thoughts after Him, and we will begin to change.  I encourage you to take the time to sit and read the Bible each day.  It is the best way to start each morning and it pays dividends as we invest ourselves to love the Lord with our heart, mind and soul.  Selah!

Who Am I?

     An early song written and sung by Casting Crowns is entitled "Who Am I?"  The words are reminiscent of the sentiment written in Psalm 8 by David:  "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?  Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.  You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.  O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth" (vs. 3-9).  Indeed, with both King David and Mark Hall the songwriter, we wonder "who am I Lord" that You the great Creator of all the universe would want to have a relationship with me?  It is a deep question, and one that man has sought to find an answer for in many different ways.
     Sadly, men have sought to find their identity in ways that often lead to despair:  alcohol, drugs,

sex, and their work among other ways.  However, none of these avenues really define who we are because they all lead to dead ends.  In order to really know who we are, we have to know for whom we were created.  According to Genesis 1:1, we learn:  "God created the heavens and the earth."  He was the source of all life, and His crowning creation was man.  Why did He make us?  He made us to bear His image in this world and according to the Westminster Confession of Faith, "man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  Unfortunately, the Bible also describes how man rebelled against the One who made him (Genesis 3) leading to a broken relationship and a fallen nature.  We have all inherited that sinful nature and none of us seek after God (Romans 3:10).  At this point, we might wonder what difference it makes?  The answer is simple.
     If we live in such a way that is contrary to what we were made for, we will never find the true fulfillment and happiness of heart that we long for in life.  Let me illustrate.  A chain saw is used to cut down tree limbs and trees.  When it is used for the purpose for which it was created, it works well and accomplishes what the creator desired when he made it.  On the other hand, if we use a chain saw  to cut a cake or food item, we may well destroy the entire thing.  It wasn't meant for that.  In looking at our lives, we can see that if we were created for God by God we will only find the greatest purpose and satisfaction in our lives when we live for Him rather than for ourselves.  The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ came to die in our place and take our punishment for our rebellion.  When we confess our sins and accept Jesus Christ as both our Savior and Lord, we once again are in right relationship with God.  It is at this point that we really begin to live our lives with purpose.  There is a joy that this world cannot know or touch.
     I have written all this to say that our identity is not found in the baubles and trinkets of this world system which is passing away.  Our real identity is found in Christ, and through the pages of the Bible, we see the description of what it means to live for Him.  He is our peace, our salvation, our Good Shepherd, our Comforter and the healer of our hearts.  We will not find the answers in "People Magazine", Hollywood or in the pages of "Vogue Magazine".  Everything else in this world will disappoint and let us down, but Jesus promised that He would never leave nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6; 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5).  Answering the question "Who am I?" is not difficult when we know for whom we were created.  Begin afresh today to recommit your life to Christ if you have bought into what the world is selling.  Or if you have never made that commitment to Christ, I challenge you to give your life to Him.  He will provide the fulfillment that you seek far beyond what this world has to offer.  Selah!