Why would you wait

        

    There was once a Doctor who started working at a new hospital in a new town. On his first day at work this doctor meet a nurse. The two doctors really hit it off and over time became close friends.

    These two guys had several things in common. When it came to football they both cheered on the Chicago bears football team. When it came to baseball however, they both refuse to support any team other than the St. Louis Cardinals. They enjoyed many of the same kind of foods and listened to many of the same bands. They both really enjoyed each others company. 

    There was just one thing that these two doctors did not quite see eye to eye on. That one thing was religion. The doctor was a devout believer in Christ and the nurse was a staunch atheist.

    Over time the two would talk about religious matters. The Doctor really wanted his friend to come to Christ. Yet time and time again his friend would not budge. 

    Well one day the atheist came into his friends office because he was feeling sick. The doctor looked at him and ran some test and found out that his friend had a bad infection. The doctor wrote a prescription for his friend and told him to start taking the medication as soon as he received it. 

    However there was a problem. The problem was that it was a holiday weekend and all the pharmacies in town were closed. It seemed like he not be able to get the medication until Monday. 

    However the problem was that it was a holiday weekend, and all the pharmacies in town were closed and it would look like that he would not get his medication until Monday. 

    So the nurse called his doctor friend and told him that he won't be able to get the medication until Monday and asked him if he needed to be concerned. The doctor told him he would more than likely be ok, but if he starts to feel worse to make sure to give him a ring. Feeling unsure and uneasy the nurse asked the doctor "Do you have something in your office, I don't feel like I need to put this off until Monday.

    The doctor tried to reassure his friend and told him he would be fine to wait till Monday. Then the Doctor said "I have to ask you a question?  The Nurse replied "ok shoot"  Then the doctor asked the nurse "Why is it that you can't seem to wait to get this medication to heal your infection, but your perfectly fine to wait to receive salvation from the Great Physician?"

    You know it is a sad but true fact that many people will spend their eternity in hell. They will go there not because they were not given a chance. They will go there not because God did not love them. No, many will spend there eternity in hell all because they refused to receive the gift of salvation. 

    There are many who live there lives worried about all sorts of things. We worry about everything from money, to our health, politics and the economy.   Yet, rarely do people think or worry about where they will spend eternity. 

    I have seen far to many times people putting off making a decision to be saved. I have seen people who were clearly worried about their own standing before God, yet refuse to take a step toward getting right with God. I have seen people get so close to finally accepting Jesus Christ as there Lord and Savior, only to say "Well let me sleep on it and we can talk about this tomorrow. People who think that they have all the time in the world, and not realizing that the life we live is fleeting. 

Listen to what God's word says about it. 

We then, working together with God, make our request to you not to take the grace of God to no purpose. For he says, I have given ear to you at a good time, and I have been your helper in a day of salvation: see, now is the good time; now is the day of salvation:

(2Co 6:1-2)

    We only have one life to live, and there are a lot of things we can be busy doing. However, in all the things you plan on doing this year. In all the different things you feel you need to do. Make sure if you have not already done so, come to Jesus Christ before it to late. 

    For those of us who are save. I want to encourage you to take the time you are given to share that good news. Spend your time sharing the gospel message with someone who needs to hear it. 

    I mean with something as important as eternity the question must be asked "Why would you wait?"

I TOO RECIEVED A PARDON

     It was Monday, Jan 20th at 7:30am. I woke up feeling glad that I did not have to get up at 5 o clock in the morning. It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so being a national holiday the schools were closed which meant that I got a day off. 

    There was a lot going on in the news. Tik Toc a social media platform was just recently banned. Even though this day was a national holiday (and an important one at that I may add) President Trump was being sworn in to become the 47th President of the United States. However That was not what people were talking about when I grabbed my phone and got on Facebook. 

    I was shocked to see that in the last moments of Joe Biden's Presidency, Joe Biden had issued some last minute  pardons. 

    Many presidents in times past have used there last remaining moments in the white house to deliver certain pardons. This has been going on since George Washington was in office all the way to today. In fact President Joe Biden has issued the more pardons than any other president in history. Not bad considering that President Joe Biden only served as President for one term. Interestingly enough, the president with the second highest pardons issued is President Andrew Johnson who issued many of his pardons after the civil war. Presidential pardons

     Now what made these presidential pardons so controversial was not the timing of them. It was not the amount of pardons that he gave. The issue that many people were talking about was that these pardons where for people who have yet to be charged of any criminal activity. The people that Joe Biden had pardoned had yet to be charged or even prosecuted for any crime to be pardoned of. Joe Biden's Presidential Pardons

    Now President Joe Biden stated that these pardons was not an admission of guilt, but was simply a form of protection for what he believes is an attack against his family and friends. 

    The problem is however that no matter what President Biden's intention might have been. Historically and legally speaking an acceptance of such pardons is an admission of guilt. 

    The Supreme Court had gave its opinion on this matter in the case of Burdick vs. United States. They stated that a pardon carries with it an "an imputation of guilt and acceptance of a confession of it". It was that quote that President Gerald Ford pulled out of his wallet to defend his decision to pardon the former President Richard Nixon. 

    In fact as President was leaving the White House just 4 years ago, he had thought about issuing a pardons for himself and his family along with mayor Giuliani before they were even charged. However President Trump refused to issue a preemptive pardon. Adam Schiff, California Representative, had several things to say about the possibility of Trump issuing pardons prior to a accusation or conviction.  You can hear what Adam Schiff said 4 years ago HERE

    All of this is interesting and there certainly have been many people talking about this online and will continue to talk about this for days and weeks later. I am sure that we will see about the legitimacy of these pardons issued by President Joe Biden. 

    As I thought about all of this, it dawned on me that I too have received a similar pardon. I have received a pardon before I entered the court and before I received my sentence. I received a pardon not from a president, but from God. I received a pardon for the sins I have committed and ever will committed, prior to being sentenced to an eternity in a place called hell. My pardon was not written on some paper, it was written on the cross of Calvary. My pardon was not written with some ink, but was written with the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

    President Biden's pardon was only for a select few, but God's pardon is offered for the entire world. President Biden's pardon cost him very little, yet God's pardon for our sins was purchased on the Cross of Calvary by Jesus Christ own blood. President Bidens pardon stated that it was not an admission of guilt, God's pardon demands that we are open and honest of our guilt of sin and repent of it. President Biden's pardon made the news, God's pardon for us made history. President Bidens pardon may or may not stand in the court of law, time will only tell, yet Gods pardon for our sins will last for all eternity. 

    “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.- (John 3:16-18)

    As I thought about all of this and the pardon that I had received so many years ago. I was reminded of another passage of scripture. 

Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.

(Matthew 5:25)

    This is a passage of scripture that talks about the importance of making things right between one another before we are taken into court. Yet I believe it also is applicable to getting things right between you and God as well. We need to accept God's gracious gift of salvation and be pardoned once and for all. We need to do this while we have the opportunity to do it. That opportunity is right now. 

Don't wait till the rope breaks

    A few American tourist were visiting Portugal and they went to a monastery that they were told they should check out. This monastery was unique in that it was on top of a 3,000 foot cliff and only accessible by a basket. 

    The basket was large enough for a few people get in it to ride to the top. The basket was pulled up with a single rope and with several strong men.

    So to say that this left these Americans with a few concerns would be an understatement. Though they had some concerns and a couple of questions. These brave tourists hopped in the basket. They had seen many others ascend and descend this cliff without incident. So this added to there confidence and courage.  

    Well about half way up the cliff the American noticed that the single rope that was raising the basket looked to him to be a little frayed. This mad the man a little nervous as anyone would be. 

    So looking to relieve his fears and concern he asked the monk that was in the basket "How often do you change this rope?"  The monks replied "Whenever the rope breaks"

      I am sure the Monk that it was a bit funny and as I read that story I must admit that it made me smile. However, I don't think that would have made this tourist or those in the basket very safe at all. In fact I am sure the tourists must have thought "the time to change the rope is not when it breaks." 

    The time to be worried about the safety of the rope is not when the rope breaks. They time to be concerned about the safety standards of a basket that is lifting you up 3,000 feet off the ground is not half way up the cliff. I would say the time to be worried is before the rope breaks, and before you get into the basket.

    Similarly, the time to worry about where you will spend eternity is not on your death bed. The time to worry about where your friend or family is going to spend their eternity is not at the funeral. 

    While that is true, there are many people today who live with that uncertainty. There are many people who live there lives hoping that everything will work out. There are many people who are not sure where there loved ones will spend eternity. This is one of the things that I often hear when someone has lost a loved one. 

    The bible tells us that we need to take advantage of the time we have been given. The bible tells us that we should not wait till we meet the Lord to see where we will spend eternity. The bible tells us that we don't have to wait till then, we can have an assurance. The bible warns us for a reason. The bible reminds us time and again that we need to get these things settled with before we meet the Lord. We need to take advantage of the time we have been given today. To take advantage of the opportunities God has given us to get things settled between ourselves and God. 

Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.- (2Co 6:1-2)

    The apostle Paul is writing here and telling us that you should not receive the grace of God in Vain. Another words, don't just hear the gospel message and do nothing about it. 

    I have seen many people who I have shared the gospel with. Some of them accept and receive the gift of salvation. However there are others who do not. Sometimes you could even tell they were convicted of there sins. Sometimes you knew they wanted to get saved.  Yet, sadly they refused to put there faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ to be saved. They fail to do anything with the gospel that they had heard. 

I have seen many people under the burden of conviction and leave church under that burden intent to wait for another day, another time, a more convenient opportunity to get things right with God. There have been times when another time did not come. There never seemed to be a more convenient moment and the person, as to my knowledge, never was saved. 

    This is why Paul tells us in that passage that " Now is the favorable time Now is the day of Salvation" Salvation is to important to wait on. Waiting till you meet the Lord to see where you will spend eternity is a little to late. The time to get things settled is Now. 

    The time to be worried about a persons salvation is not when the casket is lowered into the ground. The time to share the gospel or to have a gospel conversation with those around us is not when they are gone. The time to do that is Now! 

So if you are reading this and you want to get things settled between you and God. Please reach out to me and I would love to talk with you about Jesus. 

    For those of you that are saved. I hope this is a reminder to you that there are people we know that need to hear this message So take advantage of the opportunity God has given you my brothers and sisters and share the gospel with those around you while you have the chance. 

The need to Read

    

    Imagine if you will there is a married couple and they are madly in love. with one another. Things are going great in there marriage and it would appear that their relationship will last.

    However one day the husband gets news from his boss that he has to go for a year overseas to a job site and unfortunately he will have to go alone. He goes home and talks it over with his wife. While she is not particularly fond of the idea of her husband leaving she knows that he has to do it to keep his job. He packs his bags and kisses his wife good bye and boards the plane. Before he leaves he promises his wife that he will write her every day. 

    Sure enough the Husband is devoted to writing a letter to his wife every day. He spends time sharing in his letters all that he is doing, how much he misses her. He spends money every week getting stamps and rushes out send to the mail room. 

    There is just one problem, his letters never arrived at the house and to make matters worse. His work was in a remote location where he had little to no access to a telephone for several weeks. 

    So what might be the response you suppose that husband is going to get when he finally gets ahold of his wife? What do you think his wife is thinking not getting any of those promised letters from her husband? I don't know exactly but I am sure it would not be good. I think we could all agree that the couple would have a little bit of a difficult time on there hands. 

    It has been proven time and time again that the number one problem in most relationships is either a lack of communication or poor communication. Sometimes it is that the people are not talking to one another. Other times the problem comes from not understanding what the other one is saying. Sometimes the problem is that they misunderstand what had been said or written down. 

    When we talk about our relationship with God communication is key as well. So many Christians fail to take the time to actually listen to what God has said in His word. So many Christians have never read ALL of the bible for themselves. There are so many Christians today who don't even take there bible with them to church. That would be like never opening any letters from your husband and answering the phone when he calls. 

    It really is sad to say this but for the first time in church history. The church is filled with people who are educated enough to read the bible. They have access to read the bible for themselves. They have various options to read the bible in a variety of translations. Yet the church is filled with Christians who are biblically illiterate. They can read it, they could read it, they just refuse to read it. 

    But does it really matter? Well here are just a few quotes from America's historically prominent men:

"That Book, sir, (the bible) is the rock on which our republic rests"- President Andrew Jackson

"It is impossible to righteously govern the world without God and the Bible- President George Washington

"The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world" - Charles Dickens

"It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a bible reading people- Horace Greeley

"I ask every man and woman in this audience that from this day on we realize that part of the destiny of America lies in their daily pursual of this Book (the bible) - President Woodrow Wilson 

     Reading the Bible is not just a good thing. Reading the bible and following it's instructions will enable you to find Christ as your all sufficient Savior. It will minimize your anxieties, decrease your appetite for lying, cheating, stealing, immorality and all manner of vice and sin. It will realize what true peace, lasting joy and unconditional love really is. Through it you will draw closer to God, and begin to align your life to God's purpose. Reading the bible is not just a good thing, it is vital for every believer in Christ.

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God[a] may be complete, equipped for every good work.- 2 Tim 3:16

The blessing of Giving.

    William Allen White, a famous newspaper editor in Emporia, Kansas, once gave a 50 acre tract of land to the city for a park. 

    At the dedication of the park, Mr. White walked up to the poem and gave a small speech. In that speech Mr. White shared with the audience about the blessing of giving. Mr. White said this; 

    "There are three kicks in every dollar. One kick is when you make it, and boy how I love to make a dollar! One kick is when you save it and I have the Yankee's lust for saving a buck. The third kick is when you give it away, and that is the biggest kick of all" 

    Generosity is a virtue that we are grateful being the recipients of. Look back on your life and I am sure you will find a time in your life when someone was generous with you. When someone gave you some time to listen to you. Times when someone helped you with a problem you were having. Times when someone out of their own generosity gave you some money or some possession when you desperately needed it.

    The generosity of others has a way of bringing hope into a hopeless situation. It has a way of helping struggling individuals to get a little help that they need. It has a way of brightening someone's day. You and I have both felt those moments and we both know the blessings that they brought to our lives. 

    When I was 18 years old I had been going through one of the hardest experiences of my life. I remember how I had several people who came into my life at that time to help me out. I remember a man who helped me to get a checking account and walked me through it. I remember my Guidance Councilor who helped me get the help I needed and supported me though my last remaining months of Highschool. I remember a man who invited me to eat with him at a Fathers Day dinner. I remember how one of my best friends had helped me get my drivers license. All of these times and so much more blessed me in way's I am sure they never thought much about. All of these small acts of kindness and generosity gave me light in a very dark place. 

    However, I want you to know that generosity does not just bless those who are the recipients. I have found that generosity also blesses those who give as well. You see Generosity causes us to look beyond our own needs to meet the needs of others. It causes us to see the things that God has given us in our lives not to consume but to be generous with. It gives us a since of purpose and value as we meet the needs of others. It brings us joy seeing that our generosity has helped in some way to bring a little light in someone's life. 

    This is what Luke wanted his readers to remember about what Jesus said;

I have shown you all things, that working in this way we ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.-    (Act 20:35)

    What would the world look like if more and more of us would understand the blessings of being generous? Perhaps we would find that many of the troubles in this world could be resolved. We might find that the poor and needy among us would get the help they need. We might see the depressed and hurting people of the world would get the comfort they are looking for. We might see more and more people see the Light of Christ in us and be drawn from the darkness of this world. 

    And all of us would realize that it is truly more blessed to give than it is to receive.

A different perspective

     One question that I have heard many times before and you may have heard this question before. You may have even asked this question yourself. It's a question that many people ask after certain traumatic events. Events like the New Orleans attack this past week where 14 people were killed. 

    That question goes something like this "Why would God allow Good people to suffer?" or "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

    I remember a couple of years back I had a conversation with a man who was asking that very question. Which gave me an opportunity to share with him a few things that I have learned both from God's word and my own personal experiences with grief and hardships.

    The first thing I remember telling that man was that one of the major reasons why bad things happen is because we are filled with bad people. This man view point was that God was the source of all these troubles. In fact many times when this question is asked it is asked with the idea to put the blame on God. However, it's important to remember that this world is filled with sinful and depraved human beings in this world. 

    I continued telling this man that God's original design was created with perfection in mind. No disease, no sickness and no sin. All things that God had made was perfect and was in perfect order.

    So what happened? What went wrong? If God created the world in perfection where there is no diseases, sickness or sin, then why is there these things in the world today? Well the answer to that question is that we messed it all up. 

    God had given the two humans that He had created in his own image one simple rule to follow. We find in the book of  Genesis, that God told Adam not to eat of one tree. Simple right? Yet wouldn't you know it Adam and Eve failed to follow that one instruction. They turned from following God's design and went there own way (that is really what sin is; going our own way instead of following God's original design) 

    From that day on the mankind along with the entire world had been cursed and filled with all sorts of things that God has never designed or intended for us. 

    It's easy for us to try to point our finger at God and say it is all his fault. However, the truth of the matter it really is ours. All of us are sinful, and we live in a sinful world. All of us have been guilty of hurting other people to one degree or another. We have all said things that have caused pain and heartbreak to other people. All of us have acted selfishly. 

    So, Why do bad things happen to Good people...Well one reason is because we are all sinners who lived in a world of sin, that's why. 

    However I shared with that man something else that I think is important as we think about loss, and tragedy to keep in mind.  I told that man that we often look at situations in our lives from the wrong vantage point. As we look at situations in our lives we often look at it with a pessimistic point of view. We focus on a job that we lost, instead of focusing on the job God gave us for so many years. We focus on our declining health instead of focusing on the years we spent in good health. We will focus on losing someone we loved, instead of focusing on the years we were given with them as a blessing. 

    In fact we rarely thank God for the blessings in our lives, until those blessings in our lives are gone. That is when we tend to acknowledge God. When we feel the hurt and pain of losing a blessing God had given us, that we simply took for granted. Rarely do we look around us and look for the blessings that God has given us. Instead we look around us and look for the things that are missing, the things that are not right or as they should be.  

    Take tithing for instance. When we talk about tithing we often focus on the 10% we are called to give. There are many today who view tithing as an antiquated idea, one that we are no longer bound by. Really? You have a problem with giving 10% to God? You see the problem is that we have the wrong perspective. We look at the 10% we have to give, but not the 90% we get to keep. Does not 100% of what you have belong to God anyway? Without God you would not even have the tithe to give in the first place. 

    Here is the point that I want to make. Let's strive to focus on our blessings instead of our losses. When we are dealing with some tragic situation that we don't just focus on the negative. Instead, we look to God in it. That along with our grieving over our losses and pain, we don't fail to be reminded of the blessings we have been given to even experience our losses we have felt. That when tragedy strikes we don't jump to pointing our fingers at God, but instead we direct our prayers to Him. Lets try to remember that God is trying to fix the messes that we as mankind has made. 

As it is written, "He scattered; he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains forever." Now He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for eating, may He supply and multiply your seed, and increase the fruits of your righteousness you being enriched in everything to all generosity, which works out thanksgiving to God through us.  - (2Co 9:9-11)