The long awaited hope of spring. In the throes of February up in the north country this is a familiar theme. Snow flakes fall as a howling wind blows. The earth frozen from temperatures dipping into the single digits, the white barren landscape, and the stiff dark trees against a pastel sky echoe the bleak loneliness of this silent season of stillness. We wait.

Life is passing and with each morning and sunset a new day of hope is promised. We, with all creation wait. We haven’t lost hope because our Saviour has promised us, no matter what we face a brighter day is coming. This world with all its woes cannot define this dark hour, nor take away from us the blessed hope our Lord has left us.

He will never leave us, nor forsake us. We have his word on this. No one or no thing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Days grow dark, people fail of what we hoped of them, disappointed in maybe even ourselves, we struggle for meaning, for answers, for a light that would seem to be shrouded by the clouds of circumstance. Often times its shear faith that carries us, through the arms of our Saviour. Nothing makes sense, yet He knows this. He cares, and He holds our hand in the darkness and whispers, “trust me, I love you”.

This life is a journey. He, our conductor and the tunnels we must travel through are going somewhere. This moment, as all moments, is fleeting, it will yield its fruit. It’s not forever, these moments. Though they would seem to fence us in and pin us down, the Lord has given us wings, and the day will come when we fly again. A season of waiting will give way to a season of hope. With winter past, new buds emerge, new color, new joy, new life. For what is the purpose of the darkness if not to yield to the light. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy, real joy like never before, cometh in the morning.

There are many uncertainties in life. Few things if any are guaranteed. In fact the very nature of our lives reminds us of it’s unknowable character with each unfolding day. For we are warned not to boast of tomorrow, as we don’t know what a day may bring forth. Anything awaits us, as we are told in the book of Ecclesiastes, good or evil, time and chance overtake us all. We don’t know our time, and we can’t tell all that lies ahead. Yet, in all this unknowning, God in His great love for us tells us in 1 John 5:13 how that we may know that we have eternal life! Isn’t it wonderful that in this world of chaos, uncertainties and surprises, we can know the most important thing there is to know? Where we will spend eternity when we die can be known, guaranteed and completely assured of right now!

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son hath not life. 1 John 5:13

We can know from our own consciences that we do not keep the commands of God. We are all sinners. We’ve broken every one of His laws. “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” Roman’s 3:23. We have at one time lied, stolen, or coveted, just to name a few. We know that there is a judgement coming for the sinner, of whom we all, in truth must admit we are. “For the wages of sin is death” Roman’s 6:23. This includes eternal separation from God in hell. ” It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement ” Hebrews 9:27. We can know that God loves us. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him hath everlasting life.” John 3:16. We can know that Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross. ” He hath made Him to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21. We can know how to obtain eternal life and forgiveness of our sins, past, present and future, and stand before Him blameless children of God. “But as many as received Him, to them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” John 1:12. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Roman’s 10:13 Wosoever means you! You shall be saved! Not maybe, not I hope so, not well if I live a good life, go to church, get baptized, love my neighbor, and repent of all my sins….But shall be saved! You have God’s gurentee! If you receive Him, believe on His name you can know right now that you have the Son, you’ve received Him, and you have life, eternal life that can never be lost, revoked or canceled.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that in our uncertain world of cancel culture and changing chaotic fretful times that you can have the peace of knowing that God loves you and He through His Son Jesus Christ offers you eternal life and forgiveness of sins simply if you will believe on Him and receive Him?

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” 1 John 5:11

“These people draweth nigh unto me with their mouths, and honoureth me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Matthew 15:8

“More than words is all you’d have to do to make it real”

“Then you wouldn’t have to say I love you, because I’d already know”.

“What would you say if I took those words away,

Then you couldn’t make everything new, just by saying I love you.

More than words….

More than words says “I love you” in a way that mere speak never can. It’s our actions that say I love you. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments”. We can sing, we can praise, we can say I love you Jesus. But when we keep His commandments, we have shown our love in a way that nothing else will. When we yield to the Holy Spirit in obedience, and humility, we have loved God in truth. Our actions leave a footprint, where are words merely cast a shadow.

There is no replacement for an act of our will. Nothing speaks louder than our deeds.

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“Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say or what they affirm. But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully. Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that be of sound doctrine; according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came to save sinners; of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:5-17

Do you find yourself in the above list of law breakers? Ungodly, profane, disobedient, perhaps a liar or a thief? Maybe you identity with the manslayer, or the whoremonger, or even those who defile themselves with mankind. Can you see your name on this list of guilty persons before a Holy God? If you are honest you will admit that we are all in this list, somewhere. But what about the righteous man, the “teachers of the law” and keepers of the law, surely they are not included in this list. Or are they?

Those who teach lawkeeping, those who would go about to establish their own righteousness do not need the law, and it was not given for them. For they use it unlawfully, understanding neither what they say, or whereof they affirm. “But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully”.

How is this done. How is the law used lawfully? What was it’s intent in the first place? Was it so that we might all become pious religious pharisees like the rich young ruler, only to take pride and trust in our good deeds? No. This was not the purpose of the law and in truth, not a one of us can keep it. Of course the all wise God, eternal, immortal and invisible, already knew this to be true. He gave us the law to show us we cannot keep it, in our fallen sinful flesh, and to lead us in love to the only one who could, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Have you been trying to keep the law, practice religious duty, bear “fruit” in keeping with repentance and live the “good” life? Or maybe you are one who has never tried to “save yourself”through your good works but found that to be an impossible task, and have lived the sinful life that comes so naturally to all of us. Perhaps you never found religion of any interest at all and are living out your life according to your own mind and ideas of what is right or wrong, living by your own creed and hoping for the best. Wherever you find yourself today, there is hope of salvation and eternal life for all of us and it is not found in the striving after wind of keeping the law.

God desires to set you free. Free from what you ask? Free form the demands of the law, free from the penalty of sin. Free from your inevitable death and its eternal consequences, free from the wages of sin which each and every one of us have rightfully earned, hell. He didn’t give the law to take away your hope, He gave you the law to give you hope. This is the best bad news you have ever been told. No you cannot keep the law. Its impossible. That is why Jesus came from heaven and lived the perfect life for you. Never having sinned once, He kept the law for you. When you believe on Him, his perfect righteousness is credited to your personal account with God. He did it, and you get it…when you believe on Him. Its given free, through faith alone. For God knew ahead of time that if the smallest portion of our salvation were left up to us, we would be lost. He didn’t take that chance, He wanted to give you eternal security, so He did it all Himself. He died for every sin you and I ever have committed or ever will commit. It’s all paid for by His shed blood on the cross. He did not leave salvation in the precarious hands of sinful men. He is the Saviour, we were lost in a sea of sin, He takes us all the way to the shore, alone. The law is that lighthouse, that points the way to the Saviour. It illumines our need for Him! It enlightens our utter inability in ourselves.

If you find your self in the above list, take heart, you are in good company. For the apostle Paul recognized himself as the “chief of sinners”. There is great hope for you, and it’s not found in keeping the law, but in believing on the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. ” Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.”

“The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live forever. All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.” Psalm 22:27

God’s kingdom is coming. No one can stop it. His kingdom is forever. This world will pass away, and the wicked will be thrust out of their place. But God’s kingdom is forever. His very word will never pass away.

He is our anchor in these troubled times. Our anchor holds through this mighty gale, this stormy tempest . Our anchor is an eternal stronghold and it will prevail in the darkest storm. For those who have placed their faith and hope in Jesus Christ, for salvation and forgiveness of sin, He is our anchor and no one can take Him away from us. He is our righteousness, our light, and our salvation, He is our very life!

Many things are changing, people are changing this world, and the times are uncertain. People leave, move away, even die in this pandemic. Our loved ones are afar off or maybe gone altogether. The Lord Jesus Christ will never leave us. He will never go away if you have placed your hope in him. He will never leave you in the fiercest storm, He is always there. We, his children, are never alone. We will never face anything in this life alone, and without Him. Even in our very death will He carry us, by his wings of love. Death is not to be feared, but merely a door to everlasting life with our Saviour. We don’t need to be afraid, we don’t need to run away, or hide to be safe. We are safe in the everlasting arms of Almighty God. God himself is here with us.

We have a number of days to live out. One day, on our last day, we will depart into eternity into the arms of our loving Saviour, and go to live with him forever. What is our life but a vapor, the Bible says. It is a space of time He has given us to live here and serve Him. When our time has expired, He is coming for us. He will redeem the work of his hands. We are His workmanship, and He will come to claim us and take us home.

Though the night be long and the hour dark, take heart, He is coming for us. Our King is coming! We are safe in Jesus, we can rest and rejoice. We are safe in the Ark of Christ. Though the wild storms toss us about, and we cannot see where we are headed, our Ark is sound. Nothing can thwart its track or it’s purpose.

Only beware of the leven of the pharisees. Keep a pure conscience, an unfeigned faith, a passionate love for the brethren. Our redemption draweth nigh.

“Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pense and the money given to the poor? This he said not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag and bear what was put therein.”

Sometimes things are not as they appear, and sometimes people are not who we perceive them to be. Judas was the very last person the disciples suspected to betray Jesus. He was the treasurer, the faithful follower of Christ, the friend and kindred brother to the men who left all to follow the Messiah. They so trusted him that even when Jesus revealed his true identity as his betrayer at the Last Supper, the disciples didn’t believe it. It just never dawned on them that it could be Judas, for he was such a convincing showman, so cunning was his disguise. Surprisingly to the disciples, that is exactly who he was, and Jesus knew. When did this truth about Judas become clear? Perhaps it was in the moment when his true value of Jesus and who Jesus was, was made plain.

In the book of John chapter 12, the story is recounted of Mary and her extravagant gift to her Saviour. “Then Mary took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and annointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. It is then that Judas objects to this lavish demonstration of love and value that Mary had just shown her Saviour and Lord. To Judas, this was waste, this was money being thrown away, this was his money, and he had his eye on taking it’s possession. Mary had squandered what he had been coveting, and he was indignant. Of course he masked the true condition of his heart with religious piety. Pretending to care for the poor, he rebukes this act but at the same time he reveals to Jesus his true character. Judas didn’t value Jesus, he valued money, though he tried to appear benevolent, he actually was full of greed. He was a hypocrite. He had more concern for the outward appearance of doing good works, giving to the poor, while secretly planning to keep the money and satisfy his own lusts. So far was his heart in this moment from the worshipful and thankful heart of Mary, whose chief concern and desire was to honor her Saviour, to love Him in these final hours, to communicate to Him in the most powerful way she could how precious He was to her. But Judas didn’t value Jesus. He didn’t need Jesus, and he wasn’t trusting Jesus to be saved. Sadly, we learn later in the New Testament of his subsequent death by hanging, having returned the thirty pieces of silver he was paid by the Pharisees to betray Jesus. Judas’ faith, love, and devotion to Jesus was just an illusion, and a sham. His true heart would be revealed. But the Lord knew it all along.

Why would someone not value Jesus? There can be only one reason, they don’t know how precious Jesus is. Jesus is precious, and He is our only hope in this life. He is the Son of God, and He is the great “I Am”. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the Bright Morning Star. His blood and His choice to shed it on the cross of Calvary is the only provision offered for forgiveness of sin, and eternal life in heaven. He made the plan of salvation simple. He states in John 6:40 “verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me hath everlasting life” . He has already paid our sin debt. He has already endured the wrath of the Father on our behalf on the cross. He has completed the work of salvation. There is nothing left for us to do but to believe on Him, and receive Him, trust Him for forgiveness of sin, and the free gift of eternal life. Jesus is precious!

Many sit in church pews week after week in a spiritual illusion, just as Judas was. They believe they are beneficiaries of good works, their good works. They are trusting in their religion, their deeds, their “fruit” in keeping with repentance. But they are not trusting Christ! He is not precious to them. Their good works, lifestyles, track record, that is precious, that, they greatly value. Bypassing the straight gate, the narrow way unto eternal life, they chose another way, another hope altogether. But it will prove a false hope.

When we come to see our true condition before a Holy God, that we are sinners in need of a Saviour, and we come to the realization that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour, He becomes very precious indeed.

“If there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels of mercies, Fulfill my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” Philippians 2:1

The comfort of the love of God, reaches into the deepest darkest midnight hour. It is there in our lostness, our desperation, and our anguish that the love of God stretches forth and pulls us in. He brings the human soul to this desolate place where we need Him like never before. We strive in this life, we grope in darkness, we vainly attempt to make sense of our fallen condition. Oftentimes this quest is bitter, and painful, accumulating as it goes with more questions than it answers as we try to unravel this mystery we call life. “Why’s” abound and demand explanation, yet none satisfies our longing souls. Where are we going in this thing called life, what are we doing here and where, oh where can true joy, and peace be found. Oftentimes it is on this weary road of introspection that the Lord shows up, and calls our name.

You may not know it, but the Lord Jesus Christ loves your soul and every step you take, He is watching you. He is longing for you to come to Him. You never knew love like this, it’s a surprise. It’s real. It’s yours if you so chose to believe in the Son of God. He sees your sin, struggle, pain, heartache, and brokenness. He sees it all. He loves you anyway, and always.

The Lord, mighty in battle. The Lord, the great shepherd of our souls. The Lord, the lover of our inner being whose very name is Truth. He comes, oftentimes, by surprise. He shows up. He is not what we expected, and His visitations are when we least expect them. He has been tracking you, but you didn’t know that. He has been watching you, waiting to reveal his love for you. He has a surprise for you and it’s better than you think. He has a gift for you, Himself. He offers you peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27. He offers you joy, ” Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.” John 16:20. He offers you comfort “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” John 14:16. He offers you forgiveness of sins which only He can give. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but is passed from death unto life” John 5:24.

It’s truly a surprise in this life, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is so freely and sincerely offered by a loving Father who has literally done everything divinely possible to save us from His wrath to come on this sinful wicked world, and give us everlasting life. His amazing love is so shocking a surprise in this world full of sin, that sadly, so few come to believe it.

“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, Son go work today in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of the father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21: 28

Not many mighty, not many noble, but publicans and harlots yes, these will enter first into the kingdom of God. What kind of kingdom welcomes drunkards and harlots? Gluttons and sinners? The kingdom of God does. In fact Jesus tells us that He came not for the righteous but for the sick, not for the well, but for the one who needs a physician.

It’s interesting, everything in the kingdom of God appears to be opposite the kingdom of the world. For it is the wealthy, the intelligent, the talented, the extraordinary and the good who are first, who are praised, who are welcomed in this world. But as with everything on earth, heaven is the antithesis of this vile world. Jesus did not look for the mighty when he chose his disciples. He chose a bunch of red neck fishermen, uneducated and unrefined, especially in matters of ecclesiastical accomplishments. These men were honest, rough, “sons of thunder”, two of them, and certainly not the calibur of stock that would apply for such a position. In fact, if resumes were reviewed, their’s would be at the very bottom of the stack. Yet Jesus sought these very men out. They were just the ones he was looking for. Why?

In the kingdom of God it’s opposite world. Not many mighty need a Saviour. Not many “intelligent ” believe the gospel. What is it about a drunkard, a drug addict, a forgotten rejected broken person, a perhaps mentally ill person struggling with depression, or a homosexual warring against a flesh of confusion? Jesus tells us in the next verse. These people believed him, the pharisees did not. These people needed him. The pharisees did not. These people were wounded and needed a doctor, a comforter, a Saviour. But the mighty did not. The powerful, the rich, the capable don’t need Jesus and thus, don’t believe on Him. No, they believe on themselves. And why not? They are pretty good.

The apostle Paul said he glories in his weaknesses for when he is weak, then he is strong. Why would someone feel strong in weakness? Maybe it’s in weakness that we find the only path to Christ. Its opposite world. We don’t climb up to get Jesus, we get down to get Him. And there He meets us. There, on the floor. Here he takes us in his arms, loves us, forgives us, saves us, and makes us His own. Jesus loves the outcast, the broken hearted, the addict, the bound sinner. It is for these that He came. Ironically it is these who are closer to the kingdom door, because the only entrance to that door is by way of a little child. Little children know they need help, they know they can’t do it, all by themselves, and they reach up, and they receive from someone who “can”.

Its the only way to enter. There will be many sinners turned saints in heaven, saved by faith alone, and there will be many ” moralists” in hell who never needed a Saviour.

The way we chose is often as simple as “we let it happen”. This statement was made in a movie back in 1985, but I never forgot it as there is deep wisdom in these words. So often we want to imagine that life’s circumstances just happen to us. That it is not our fault, we were the victims of powers greater than ourselves and that our own choices have nothing to do with our present reality. This is a great deception we allow ourselves to indulge in. The truth often is, we don’t like to take responsibility for our choices, or the consequences they lead to. It is so much easier to blame others, or simply to believe that our own actions would make no difference in the outcomes in our lives. The truth is however, that we chose our fate. We chose the fruit that our lives bear. We chose joy or bitterness, love or hate, God or the devil. We ” let it happen”, what our fate will be, what the fruit of our lives will be, what our very souls will become. Someday God will reveal this truth in detail to each one of us, how we ” let it happen” in our lives; what we became, what we did with our time, opportunities, and the light that God gave us.

We aren’t victims or somehow uninvolved in the direction of our lives or the fruit we are bearing with our works. We, whether we realize it or not are choosing our direction and destiny every day.

Something is coming in our world. There is a sense even if you are not spiritually minded, of a drawing closer of a catastrophic event. Signs are everywhere that life as we know it is crossing a line, approaching a turning point and one day soon will climax to an epic finish. The forces of good and evil are being played out and the conflict is escalating day by day. Signs of the return of Christ are everywhere in our present day and only one question really matters. Are we ready for what is about to unfold?

We are living in perilous times. The Bible describes these last days in 2 Timothy chapter 3. Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good., traitors, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof. This describes people today, many people. We see it in our secular world and we see it in many churches. It’s displayed on social media, it’s in our politics. A darkness is coming and now is that dims more and more with every passing day. There is a callous indifference setting in to sin and its consequences. A compromising trend that dangerously veers toward what would seem the evil continuously present as in the days of Noah. What was shocking and unspeakable just twenty years ago is now celebrated or commonplace. The Bible says that as time winds down it will be like a women in the travails of childbirth. The frequency and intensity of spiritual death progresses with great strength moving toward a final conclusion. How close are we to the return of the Lord?

The signs are here yet for many they seem to go unnoticed, another evidence that the return of Christ is very close. For it is written in God’s word that in the last days mockers will come and scoff at His coming. People like this do not fear God or His judgement. Their conscience is seared and they are spiritually blind. The Bible describes the Lord’s return as one who will come like a thief in the night, unexpected with the element of surprise. This is why Jesus warns “Be ye ready, watch and pray, for the Son of Man is coming in an hour when ye think not.” That hour, for those who watch and pray, seems very close. But to those who are not watching, nor praying , his words are rather a joke. No one can tell the day or the hour of HIs return but one thing is certain, when He comes, it will seem that He came very quickly. Too quickly for many.

It is Christmas time, the days and weeks have grown darker as of late and the future of our great republic is uncertain as great change is sure to take place in the coming months. Yet God is on His throne and He is calling to all men everywhere to repent and be saved. Now is the time to do business with God. Simply believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and trust in Him in these last days. Watch and wait for Him, trust Him for the complete salvation of your soul and forgiveness of sins. His wrath is certain upon the wicked, as He promises judgement to a godless world but His offer of free grace, salvation and forgiveness is real and alive today for whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord. Today is the day. All those who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

We are not living in the same America we grew up in many years ago. Our country and our world are moving with great speed toward that final hour, that final judgement of God. We are living in the last of the last days. The call has gone out to all who will hear His voice. ” Look unto Me all ye to the ends of the earth for I am God and there is no other.