• 

The book of James talks about the wisdom from above, and the wisdom that is from the devil. Meekness and good conversation are from above, along with peace, gentleness, love, easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without hypocrisy. This describes a person who is not a snob, , not thinking he is better than others, not proud or conceited, or exclusive, not harsh or judgmental, or condemning. Meekness speaks of humility, thankfulness for one’s salvation, and awareness of God’s grace towards oneself and others. Wisdom from above is about not seeking one’s own glory, content to be in the background, letting God have all the glory.

Wisdom from the devil, by contrast, is sensual, (controlled by our senses), earthly and of this world, ruled by the pursuit of self, and driven by a meritorious system of the world, politics, and popularity, leading to the envy of others, competition with others, as well as strife, bickering, jealousy and bitterness. Glory not! James warns, and lie not against the truth!

What is the truth? The truth is we are all sinners, wretched sinners saved by faith alone! We have nothing to glory in but the cross! All was done for us with regards to salvation. Who are we to take credit for anything? Yet there are some in Christian circles who believe they are better, and are attached to a religious spirit of hypocrisy resulting in pride. Sadly, what stated out as zeal soon gave way to self glorification, conceit, and self righteousness. It can be seen in many churches, this spirit being handed down, by the older to the younger, however it is a snare, a most insidious trap.

With this type of worldly wisdom, confusion quickly sets in. The confusion is costly. It is a confusion about our own sinfulness and a false belief that we are somehow saved by our works and not grace alone. Those who fall into this snare are vulnerable to the deadfall traps of Lordship salvation and Calvinism which are rampant in the church today. The idea is that we must earn our salvation and our pride. The proponents of such teachings become fruit inspectors of their own works and the works of others, often setting a standard that is not Biblical rather than seed sowers sharing the gospel of hope with others. The false belief that we are better than others seeps in. We become envious of others and enter a class or caste system of merit in our little exclusive group. This type of wisdom the Bible calls “sinful, carnal, demonic. God has to bring us low when this happens, if we are His. There are also many tares among the wheat spreading this poison who never come out of it, because they do not belong to the Shepherd and cannot hear his voice. But then, there are those lambs of His, who start out well meaning but get lost in it all. They become deceived by a wolf and fall backslidden from God’s grace, as we see in the book of Galations. God is faithful and does go to fetch them from the wolf but oftentimes it is not without heartache, losses, and casualties.

To the one who has fallen into this snare, I would say, Go back to the Lord. See the meekness of our God. He is gentle and lowly in heart and you shall find rest for your soul. God bless you.

“O the depth and the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him and through him and to him are all things: to whom be glory forever. A-men’.” Roman’s 11:33-36

The love of God is the most powerful force in the universe. It is a force so powerful that it is able to save the human soul of a lost man or woman from the penalty of sin which a Holy God requires. We marvel at creation, at the stars and infinite galaxies that appear to exist beyond what human instruments can measure, but the most astonishing and miraculous truth man can ever discover is the love his creator has for him and the lengths to which He went to save his soul.

We are the apple of His eye, the crowning achievement of His creative work, and He loves us so much. He gave us life and placed man in a beautiful garden to care for the creation, the animals and the plants. But man rebelled against his creator, and went his own way. A Holy God’s loving heart was put to the ultimate test. Would He pay the incredible price his own holiness demanded. For His law decreed, ” the soul that sinneth shall surely die”. Man sinned against a Holy and infinite God and the payment for this act is eternal death. We have all inherited this sinful nature from the first man to ever live, Adam, and thus we have also inherited the judgement. God knew that He could save us, and only He. For He is the only one worthy to atone for the sin of the world. The spotless lamb of God must be sinless and without blemish. But why should a Holy God die for so wretched a people? His love, that is the only reason, his grest love for us. God loved us so much that He came to earth, in the person of Jesus Christ, and took upon himself the sin of the entire world, and chose to die on a Roman cross to atone for that sin. In so doing, He paid our sin debt, he took our punishment on the cross that we might be set free from the demands of His law. The gates of heaven are now open wide to all who believe on His Son, Jesus Christ, for forgiveness. It is the shed blood of the Son of God that makes this possible.

God is love. Never was this love so demonstrated than on the cross of calvary. What must you do to be saved? Saved from hell and the punishment of your sin? Believe on the name of the Son of God, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to save you. It’s simple, God made it so. Believe on Him. Trust in His mercy and His provision for you at the cross. You may have made many mistakes in life, we all have. For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But God in His great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. ” Ephesians 2: 4-9. The love of God did that!

“The rich man shall lie down, but he shall not be gathered: he openeth his eyes and he is not. Terrors take hold on him as waters, a tempest stealeth him away in the night. The east wind carrieth him away,  and he departeth: and as a storm hurleth him out of his place. For God shall cast upon him and not spare: he would fain flee out of his hand.” Job 27:19-23 ” Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest,  and the flame of devouring fire.” Isaiah 29:6

Job describes the fate of those who depart who know not God while he in later verses remembers better days in his own life. These are the days of a younger Job, when God led him through darkness and the secret of God was upon his tabernacle. When the Almighty was yet with him, and his children were about him, and the rock poured out rivers of oil. These were the days when he went out to the gate through the city,  and when he prepared his seat in the street. The young men saw him and hid themselves and the aged rose and stood up. Job recalls his good works and the respect and reverence he enjoyed. Now he is judged by his friends and accused. He learns the painful lesson that we cannot put our trust in ourselves,  our reputations, or our works. Everything can be taken away, as it was given. Nothing in this life is exempt. Only in God can we put our trust. Only God is immutable and everlasting.  His righteousness endures forever. His justice is perfect.   Job however is discovering that public opinion changes and reputations are fleeting. This world is fickle and people turn on a dime. It’s all vanity, Solomon said. It’s all chasing after wind. In the end, only Jesus Christ matters and whether or not we believed on Him. Did we receive Him? This life is a vapor, we don’t have forever. One thing is for certain, we don’t fear God as we ought to. The lost soul, once dead realizes there is a God, and they must now give an account for their life. We are not in control of our own destiny in this life, as Job found out, or in the next one. God gives us a choice. We are given the power to choose in this life. What we are not given is the power to choose the consequences of our choice. For some, this awareness comes too late. For many, the first fear of God they ever experience is at the moment of death, and after death, when they have no power to choose anymore, nor free will and their lives are lost. They are taken, and they realize that their lives are subject  to God Almighty.  The God of creation to whom they never gave a second thought and never expected to meet is suddenly in control of their destiny. There is no escape when this day comes. The Bible uses vivid imagery, thunder, wind, an earthquake, a stormy tempest, and finally,  a devouring fire. The mystery about this life that many fail to consider is that we have freedom for a while to do as we please, or so we think. Yet God is watching, God is seemingly silent.  Or is He? He calls to us, woos us in this life. He teaches us through circumstance. He draws all men. Yet many ignore the lessons, and are deaf to the still small voice, the call. They are blind and won’t see. They stay blind until one day it is too late. They don’t know God, but they will meet Him soon.

Few people fear God in this life. When it’s too late, then they will fear Him but He can’t and won’t help them then. Job knows God, Job fears God. We would be wise to consider Job.

The plan of salvation is simple, recognize that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself. Romans 3:23 states” for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. As a result of our sinfulness and the holiness of God, sin must be punished. Roman’s 6:23 says ” for the wages of sin is death. Revelation 20: 14-15 declares “And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.  ” But God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us ” Roman’s 5:8. Call on the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved. ” For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” Romans 10:13. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.” Today is the day of salvation. We won’t ever know if we have tomorrow.

Here we are approaching mid October. 2020 has been a year swiftly moving but full of lessons for us all. As the leaves turn from the lush green of summer to the golden hues of Autumn it is time to think, and reflect. In full array of peak color, the foliage falls to the ground, and a new season unfolds as we are reminded that time is passing and life is very brief.

What are the lessons such drastic change have brought to our minds and souls in this time of uncertainty and upheaval? Im sure we would all have a different story to tell. For myself, I am learning that I need to trust God more, a lot more. For He giveth beauty for ashes. Though these lessons of life are not easily grasped, they are faithfully taught by one whose way is best and has taken upon Himself the charge of keeper of my soul. There are times when His way is clouded, dim, and the path unclear. He is no less in charge of my destiny and my well being. His way is best. Tragedy strikes, losses mount, and there are those moments when we wonder, is life over for me? If you still have a beating heart, life is not over for you, and the shepherd of your soul has work for you to do, and blessings to be enjoyed. This is the GOD of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The God who can take your life, if he wants to, and allow it to be shattered, all your dreams wiped away, only to your utter amazement, to recreate, in His time, something more beautiful, precious and awe inspiring than what had been before. He is the creator, the great shepherd of our souls, and sometimes I wonder if we truly know Him very well after all. Or are we like David, and would have to confess, Lord I am a stranger with thee, a sojourner in this life ,as were my fathers who have gone before me.

Life is a gift given by God. Life passes, and one day it ends. For all of us, this is true, each one of us, no exceptions. We shall all give an account to our most high God one day. The greatest task in life is to receive Jesus Christ, to welcome Him, and trust on Him for eternal life. We may sin, be trapped in some kind of sin, falter repeatedly, yet He offers eternal everlasting forgiveness. But if we fail of faith on Him, we have no hope. The stark reality is that we don’t have forever to get it right. The Bible says our lives are but a vapor. Here for a little while and then gone away. Its so true! As I walk in the woods, listen to the birds, hear the wind blow the crisp dry leaves across the ground, and look at all that God has made, I realize how transient I am. I cannot possess what is before me, or anything that I see with my human eye. But Christ, He offers Himself to me! I may posses Him. He that hath the Son, hath life, He that hath not the Son hath not life. John 5:13. I can have Jesus Christ. There is little time to waste indulging the flesh, though it constantly beckons us to do so. It is our loss if we give in.

One day soon we will be in eternity, either at the throne of God worshipping Him, or in the abyss of hell cursing Him in torment. All of us will consciously experience one of these two realities. What determines our fate? Good works verses evil? A morally upstanding life? Surrender to a sacrificial life of service? The truth is that the grace of God cannot be earned. Salvation is of the Lord! I cannot earn God’s grace, or His favor or eternal life. I must receive it. I cannot offer anything to Him, I must take from Him. It shouldn’t be hard. Most people easily accept a free gift, but this is hard. Surprisingly hard. As I take communion I must take eternal life from Him in faith, for that is the only way to get it. To take it from Him, as He offers it. But oh to ignore Him, to refuse Him, is certain death.

Sadly, the big lie that trips us up, is the belief that we must somehow make ourselves worthy to God….an impossible task. The lie goes, we must love him first, repent of who we are, and forsake the very essence of our being and become an offering to Him! This is a false hope, for He knows all about who we are. He came to seek and save that which was lost. He did not come to save the righteous, but rather the sick, poor, naked, blind, and ungodly. He offers us who He is! He does not ask us to transform who we are to be saved. That is His work, and His alone. He died to save us from that person, that wretched old man of sin. That is why He came, to be our Saviour and offer up His life a ransom for many!

Jesus came to save the lost. He came to save the sick, the wounded, the broken and the sinners who knew they could not save themselves, but needed a Saviour. There are plenty of folks like this all around us. In truth, we are all like this the Bible says. For there is none righteous, no not one. In spite of this glaring truth, there are some amongst us who would have us believe otherwise. They were around in Jesus’ day, and they are alive and well today. These are the law keepers, the pharisees, the ones who would “sell heaven” for a price. A price that they believe in their deceived hearts that they have paid, to their own great self glorification. The Bible calls them “blind guides” and warns us to see the error of their ways.

In the book of John a very intriguing conversation takes place. Jesus is talking to these very people and He calls them out for their false way. He states in verse 37 ” And the Father Himself which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye hath never heard his voice at any time nor seen his shape. And ye hath not his word abiding in you for whom he sent ye believe not. Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me that ye might have life, I receive not honor from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye shall receive. How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that comes from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings how will ye believe my words?” How will they escape who honor one another but fail to honor God?

People such as these fill churches today. One does not have to look far, to see the misguided hope that drives these lost souls. Somehow they have believed the lie that eternal life and salvation are something you earn, something you live out, something you achieve by your own wit, strength, talent, and good works. They love Jesus, these people do, They love Him so much they want to be just like Him. They love His law, His commandments are the scriptures by which they have ordered their lives. They are striving to enter into heaven, striving valiantly. Yet they fail to enter, they never meet the Saviour in this life. They don’t know God, and He does not know them. Why? These would be saints are some of the finest moral upright people to be found. The “do gooders” in churches, neighborhoods, and society, they receive honor of men and most all would agree that surely if anyone deserves eternal life, they do. Look at their works! Yet they do not enter, and miss the straight gate. The reason is given by Jesus and it is one of the saddest truths the Bible ever reveals to us. They didn’t want Jesus. It’s that simple. They did not and would not come to Him for eternal life because they did not want to be saved by His precious blood sacrifice on the cross. They wanted to be their own saviour. They loved His laws, but they reject the law giver. They do not honor Him by accepting His free gift of salvation. No! They utterly disdain the concept that such an extravagant gift is freely bestowed and proceed to put themselves, and anyone else who will listen to them under the yolk of bondage of earning this gift. Why did they want to take on the impossible task of earning their own salvation? Why not rather receive it freely? The answer is plain as Jesus tells us in the above passage, they wanted the honor for themselves, rather than to give honor to God in receiving His awesome love gift to us. Thus the truth is revealed that they do not know God. For they never understood His heart, and they never believed His words. They miss the straight gate, in their pursuit of their own honor and the honor of others of whom they approve, and in so doing they miss heaven.

The love of God has gone out into the whole world. Everyone is invited, everyone is welcome to come to the living water of life and drink freely the gift of life. It is FREE! That is the God of the Bible! He alone is worthy of praise, adoration and ALL HONOR. Every knee shall bow someday when the only one worthy of honor reveals Himself to us all.

” Verily verily I say unto you, he that believeth on Me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life.” John 6: 47-48

God is real. His words are true. Oftentimes in this life the truth is obscured however and can not easily be discerned. Life isn’t fair. This is a profound reality. Many times life does not make sense. Why is there so much evil in the world? Why do innocent people suffer? Why is there so much injustice in the world? So much inequity? So much oppression from people who have power over others and use it wrongfully? Solomon , the Patriarch of wisdom , as described in the Bible, tells us a story in the book of Ecclesiastes of an event which greatly impressed him. For Solomon to share with us, something which greatly moved him, a man of profound insight and understanding as given to him by God, should cause us to sit up and listen carefully. In Ecclesiastes chapter 9: 13 the Bible reads, ” This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great to me: There was a little city and a few men in it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.” Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.” What do we make of Solomon’s words here? He tells us of injustice, oppression, and the seeming reward of fools in this life. He even goes so far as to say that despite the poor man’s wisdom, the deliverance of a city besieged, and the rebuke of a wicked king, the reward and acknowledgement of such wisdom is dismissed. How often do we not see this in action in real life? The words of wise men go unheeded. Fools are girded up by the cries of oppressors of greater foolishness. It seems so unfair and unjust. Where is the justice of God? When will it all make sense, and the wickedness and the uprightness of men just rewarded. That day is coming, though at times it seems afar off. But we must remember, it is not this world’s approval, or success or transient power that will have lasting impact on the souls of men, or on how each one of us experiences eternity. Undoubtedly there is a lot of gray , mixed in with dark shades and brilliant whites, so closely mixed together at times or shadowed by one another that it is difficult to discern what is and what isn’t of truth in this world. Life goes on, at times in a course leaving no trace of a greater power, or purpose to the existence we experience, and we can cave in to despair if we fail to see life from God’s perspective. God promises that HE is a rewarder of the evil and the just. He declares in His word that His eyes look out throughout the whole earth, beholding the evil and the good. He is all seeing, all powerful and He is sovereign, writing history (His-story) according to His will and His good pleasure. One day, in God’s eternal economy both the poor wise man, and the fool will be rewarded perfectly. The reality of God is no less potent, though He remains unseen by the human eye, than it will be in that day when, every eye shall see HIM. He will judge this world in truth and in righteousness. The gray, the inconsistent hues of our fickle whims will be examined under the light of His truth. When He reigns there will be no “interpretation” of the matter by those who exercise such power to filter truth to their advantage in this life. It will be handed down perfectly and exquisitely by the God whose very name is truth, and we will accept it because it will be made plain to us. There will be no argument, because the lights will be turned on and we will all then see what God sees. What matters now is do we trust Him? Those of us called by His name, do we trust in Him? I’ll admit it is hard sometimes, we don’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, and cannot see the big picture. In response to this He has given us a lamp unto our feet and a light to be our guide. It is to be found in His word. But He requires something more of both the poor man described by Solomon in Ecclesiastes and by us. He wants us to trust Him in the dark, without getting bitter, cynical, and faithless. This is hard. He knows its hard. It’s hard to see a beautiful picture when all you can see are shades of gray and black, and the devil seems to be winning. Why does He take us to these desolate places of seeming hopelessness? Could it be that because it is here, that true faith is born? For faith is the evidence of things, “not seen”. That is true faith. Why do we expect to embrace true faith on a clear blue day upon a mountaintop with a 40 mile view into the horizon? That wouldn’t be faith, that would be sight, and sight is not worthy of the reward that faith is worthy of. What does it mean to God when we exercise faith in the dark? We can only guess, but I wonder if He doesn’t consider it one of the most pure forms of worship and love for Him that we are capable of. The choice to continue to do right amidst great suffering and persecution, or to hold true to His calling on your life at the expense of great personal cost, when the excitement and enthusiasm of fulfilling that calling have long since departed. This is when our faith, perhaps, in God’s eyes becomes “real”. When we can say with a full heart” this isn’t fun anymore God” but I am going to follow you anyway. When no one else cares or even acknowledges your efforts. God will and He does. Not quitting is amazing. Even if little seems accomplished and the purpose to which you’ve been called, shallow and hopeless, to not quit, to keep the faith, finish the course, is to overcome and is worthy of a reward, and a wonderful testimony to the reality of God.

• 

The Proverbs wisely teach us that the plans of a man’s heart are many but the Lord directs his steps. There are many proverbs that teach this wisdom. We are also warned in this same book that there is a way that seems right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death. Another profound question of the same book ponders this truth, “a man’s goings are of the Lord, how then can a man understand his way?” God has lessons to teach us and often they come into our lives disguised as troubles, sorrows and loss. Some we endure, inflicted upon us without warning. Those little troubles that, as the spark flies upward, Job spoke of, inherently bestowed upon every man. Then there are those trials, those lessons in life that the Lord teaches us that are designed to bring us to a place that we would not dare to tread were it not for His sovereign plan leading us, pointing us to truths in life that we would rather not learn. We would not learn these truths any other way, and they must be taught through the teacher of tears and pain. God is often not in a hurry to teach these lessons. He is not given over to the instant gratification our society dictates. He rather takes His time, slowly and patiently showing us truth, if we will have the appetite to receive it. Great loss is often one of His choice methods in bringing to light the beautiful fruit He so desires to produce in our lives. One of the most precious and exquisite flowers which blooms from the trauma of acute loss is the spirit of strength we did not know we could experience, the dignity amidst great insult or injury, and the gratefulness that is cultivated in the barren soil of pain. Have you ever known someone who lost their most precious loved one, a husband, or a parent, perhaps a child? When such a tragedy occurs in the life of someone we know, we respond often times in shock and tremendous compassion, wondering how the bereft loved one will carry on, their very lives having been shaken to the core by such devastation. Yet the most beautiful picture emerges in time in the lives of those whose faith has not been shattered by such calamity and whose captain is the Lord. You one day see in their lives, the smile, the softness, the reality of having weathered the fiercest storm in the mind’s imagination and coming out of it on the other side, better? Yes, better! Better than they were. Not only are they better for having been through such a difficult loss or trial in life but they are real in a way that they never could be before. Real in a way that catches our attention and makes us think. Wow. We really think when we behold these shining stars of truth. They make us think about what really matters in this life. Love. Love really matters. Loving each other. Being grateful. Not being perfect or having it all together and yet being okay. Their message is, “look at me, I’ve been through the fire and I am still here, and God is taking care of me and He loves me. Especially when such trophies of His grace are marked by a lack of bitterness, their testimonies become powerful, beautiful and life changing. Poignant and profound is their life message and they exude a certain glory of God, if they respond in the way He desires. They become some of His most effective tools in conveying who He is, His power, His sovereignty, His mercy, His grace. The very pain and loss they experienced testifies of the reality of God for He is no stranger to pain and sorrow. “For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake ” Phillipians 1:29.

Are you suffering today? Has the Lord led you to a place of loss or sorrow? Could it be that He desires to create in your life the beautiful fruit of His grace, to communicate to others the hope He has for all of us?

The Velveteen Rabbit, one of my favorite childhood books is about a stuffed bunny who is so loved by a child that one day he takes on life itself and becomes real. What a wonderful thing to happen to this little fellow. After all, he was only ever to be a stuffed toy, destined to be a play thing to this little boy, surrounded by numerous other like such amusements, his life was to be spent in the boys little nursery and at his beckon call. If he should be very fortunate, said his friend the Skin Horse, he would be noticed by the boy, taken into his little world and eventually in time, if truly blessed, exceedingly loved above all else. Such a process would be described by the Skin Horse as becoming real, at least to the little boy. Could something so wonderful happen to this stuffed, though darling little bundle? Time would tell, though the little rabbit wondered at the prospect of becoming real. It sounded rather daunting as described by the Skin Horse. For when you become real you are loved with such an intensity that all your fur rubs off, your sparkling shiny eyes grow dull and the very stuffing which composes your furry little body all begins to fall out. In fact, this experience sounded rather painful, thought the Velveteen Bunny to himself. He wasn’t at all sure he wanted to undergo such a transformation. But alas, the Skin Horse reassured him, becoming real is the very best thing that can happen to you and it is preferable to any other experience any toy could hope for. For to be real, was to be loved by the boy and this was the most wonderful thing that could ever happen to him, the highest achievement in all of the world to a little stuffed creature such as himself. The Velveteen Bunny remained somewhat skeptical for the process would leave him looking rather shabby he feared, and not nearly as beautiful or desirable as his stuffed like friends looking so clean and perfect as they sat high upon the shelf in the nursery. But the Skin Horse reflected on that thought for a moment and answered the Bunny with all the wisdom and discernment he had acquired in his tenure as a nursery resident. He assured him that in fact becoming real was the very best experience ever, and doesn’t happen very often to those who would break easily, or have to be clean and well kept, they would decline so great an honor. For they could not appreciate such wonders. He went on to explain to the bunny the truth, that yes, he would in fact get tattered and frayed, run down and well used, but that he would never be ugly, for when you are real, you can never be ugly again, except to those who don’t understand.The rabbit stirred at the marvel of becoming real and secretly hoped it would happen to him. In fact, it does happen to this little friend. He becomes the boy’s treasure, snuggled and cuddled in his bed every night, lovingly played with all the day long, until one sad day the boy develops scarlet fever and all the playthings must be thrown out. So the bunny is left in the trash out back, to be hauled off and buried in some far away dump, that is until the nursery fairy comes and rescues him and brings him home to the wild where all real bunnies wish to live. It is here that he first experiences all that God intended for him to be.

As I pondered this story I contemplate the invitation the Lord gives to each one of us. He knows who we are, for He is the great shepherd who made each one of us. He knows what we are on the inside, and He knows what we are on the outside. Yet his desire for each one of us is to become. But this is no ordinary becoming. This is the path to becoming real. What is real, you ask. Real is just like the Skin Horse said, it happens to you. It takes time. Slowly through many experiences and workings of the Lord in your heart, a light begins to shine, if you will listen to His words. You come to believe in Him, and believe on Him. You begin to see the truth, for His very name is truth, and in so knowing Him, you can’t help but learn the truth. The truth about who we really are, and who God really is. He is good. He is gracious. He came to set us free. In John 8 He says, If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. What kind of freedom? The freedom to be loved just as you are, to be forgiven of all your sin, to receive the gift of eternal life simply by faith alone in His magnificent and precious promises. You see, the truth is, that we are all sinners, we have broken every one of Gods laws. The Bible says there is none righteous, no not one. We need to be forgiven of our sin. We need a Saviour. Jesus Christ came to earth to take away the sin of the whole world. He bore it in His body on the cross. The good news is that God loves you, and He has paid our sin debt on the cross. Now we can live forever with Him, for His justice has been satisfied if we will receive Him, His forgiveness and trust in Him alone for salvation, and not our good works as the pharisees of His day had. When we receive Jesus as Saviour, we are free from all the expectations and condemnations of a lost and dying world that could never set us free, see us made whole, and can’t help us, because there is no love on this earth like the love of God. Only God can make us real. Only God can make us His. Only the Son can set us free, Then we will be free indeed.

There are many pharisees in this life, many religions and religious people that would seek to keep this freedom, this treasure, buried in a field as it were, hid and hid well. They take the gospel of Jesus Christ, meant to be freely given, and freely proclaimed, and contort it for their own gain, or twist it to lay the foundation of dead works and the burden of earning one’s salvation in order to reach God. These false teachers do not seek to be real, but rather seek after the law, to bar the door of heaven with merit as well as proclaim their own goodness while putting others under a tremendous load. There is no interest in being real to these white washed sepulchers, for they are the chief of all liars. In fact, the more real you are , the more they will hate you, for they hated Him first, and they hate the truth. In the book of John Jesus says, He that believeth on Him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. To come to the light which is Jesus Christ is to become real and to walk in truth, and in truth it is the very best thing that can ever happen to you.

• 

In the book of 1st Thessalonians 5:3 a time in history is described by the apostle Paul as a period where people will be saying, ‘there is peace and security’ then sudden destruction shall come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. The Bible describes a time of great distress such as the world has never known that will come suddenly when many will not be ready for it. The Bible also warns of five foolish virgins who are found waiting for the bridegroom along with five wise virgins. The foolish virgins have no oil in their lamps and cannot see truth as it unfolds before them, the wise virgins understand what is happening around them, for they have oil in their lamps and can discern the times in which they live. Jesus Himself warns us in Matthew 24:36 ‘But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. And in verse 44 He states, ‘Therefore be ye ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

As we returned to church this week a poignant sermon was preached on the concept of time. How time is finite, limited and winding down. As the civil unrest in our country escalates the time to take action is now. What kind of action, riots, protests, activism? NO. I am talking about something far more lasting, the condition of the human soul. Where are we going when we die? Do we know? Are we right with God? There is a limited amount of time, a measured out span of days allotted to answer these questions, to decide who and what we will place our trust in. Did you know that you have a soul that will live forever in one of two places? Did you know that you have a Saviour who loves you? His name is Jesus Christ and He is God. He is the one who made you, loves you and wants to forgive all of your sin and mine. He desires this so much that He bled on a Roman cross to pay the sin debt of the whole world! He atoned for our sins in full. Yes we have all made mistakes, every single member of the human race. He died for ALL of them and He loves ALL of us. There is no greater hope than to be found in the book of John where Jesus invites us to believe on HIM and receive eternal life. In John 6:47 He says ‘ Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. In verse 35 of the same chapter He says, ‘I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; HE THAT COMETH TO ME SHALL NEVER HUNGER; AND HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME SHALL NEVER THIRST.’

We are living in dangerous times, but today is the day of salvation. God has made a way for us to spend eternity with Him. We are all sinners, the Bible states this fact in Romans 3:23, ‘For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God’. There is a punishment for sin before a Holy God, and this is an eternity separated form Him in a place called the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:11 states ‘And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great stand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it: and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.’ ‘But God , WHO IS RICH IN MERCY, BECAUSE OF HIS GREAT LOVE WHEREWITH HE LOVED US, even when we were dead in our sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, by grace ye are saved; And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. That in the ages to come He might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God: Not of works , lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:4-9. This gift is available to all, but we must do one thing, Believe on His name. In other words, trust Him, put your faith in Him alone to save you.

No matter what happens in this world, Jesus gives us this hope. It is a hope for all and will unify all who come and take of the water freely that Jesus Christ has offered. Will ‘Jacob’s Trouble’ come, yes. But we have a way of escape and a tremendous blessing, even eternal life with our Saviour if we will take Him at His word.