SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO JUMP

The best course of action is to flee, to vamoose, to shoot through.

I was out walking this morning in the sleep little hamlet of Bungendore, NSW. As I approached the crest of the local hill, I happened upon a few kangaroos. There was a mother, and her joey. The little fella wasn’t small. He measured about two thirds the size of the mother. When they saw me, they took off, frightened. (I do this to people.)

Mother bounded downhill and with the greatest of ease, leaped over a four feet high wire fence. Junior was right behind but baulked at the fence. He then proceeded to wriggle through the fence, getting stuck in the process. After great effort he finally made it to freedom, and shot off at breakneck speed to find his mummy.

I got to thinking. I’m sure that Joey could have jumped the fence just like his mother did. He was strong, fast and agile, but he baulked. His immaturity brought doubt, and he struggled. Sure, he came through at the end, but do this too many times with barbed-wire fences, and he will have some good scars to show his own children in years to come. I thought what a great illustration this was for the Christian life. The mature Christian knows when to jump. They have faith enough in God to know that when God says jump, it’s for their own good. Obstacles appear every day. The Apostle Paul wrote to his apprentice-in-the-faith, Timothy, and told him that sometimes you need to jump.

“Flee also youthful lusts.” (2 Timothy 2:22)

Temptation appears, and the best course of action is to flee, to vamoose, to shoot through. Get away from the source of temptation. Don’t try and struggle through it. So many times we struggle through temptation and come out a bit worse for wear. Experience says to get away, jump over the trial as high as you can and keep going. Whether it’s leaving a work function, turning off the TV or shutting down your computer, flee.

 

ON PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN

Addiction comes from trying to escape the pain of living.

So ends the human existence of another movie star. To be honest, I can’t ever remember having heard of Philip Seymour Hoffman. (I never go to the movies and have almost zero interest in Hollywood.) However, according to multiple sources, he was supremely talented. I imagine he was also fabulously rich, and immensely popular. His death, like the demise of any human being, is indeed tragic. I trust his family will find consolation during this difficult time.

What struck me yesterday was a tweet from actor Val Kilmer, about whom I also know almost nothing. Here is the tweet (which I have grammatically edited for the sake of readability).

“Blue day, Philip Seymour Hoffman overdosed. Addiction comes from trying to escape the pain of living. We all struggle with this but drugs never help.”

What I found astounding was his description of “the pain of living.” Actors and actresses, businessmen, entrepreneurs, personalities, sportsmen and women, and people famous for being famous. Money, friends, property, possessions, fame and yet for many, life is one long journey of pain. Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Judy Garland, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, to name a few, all killed themselves with drugs. Not even millions of adoring fans could dull the pain of life.

 The ancient prophet Isaiah penned it so appropriately, even for the new millennium:

“But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.“(Isaiah 57:20,21)

Without Jesus Christ, life is pain. Sure, many things may temporarily dull the pain of a life lived in rebellion to our Creator, but like any drug, those things eventually wear off. For so many, suicide is the only way out. Unfortunately, suicide is only the beginning of everlasting pain and sorrow. He who lives for Satan, will be paid by the same. The craziest thing in the world is to live your life for the one who hates your very existence, whose aim is to destroy.

 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:” (John 10:10a)

There is, however, astonishingly good news. Jesus Christ came to earth, died, was buried and rose again. He lives even today, and came for the express purpose of giving death-bound sinners life, and not just any life. Abundant life. Joy. Purpose.

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b)

Eternal life is yours, if you will come to Jesus Christ just as you are, a sinner.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I5X – AN ANGEL STORY

Many stories of God’s angelic protection have been told. Here’s one of my own.

May, 2006. I was driving from Lancaster, California, to Fresno. Travelling in a hired vehicle on CA-14, I turned west on CA-138, aiming to catch the huge I-5 freeway north, and thence on to Fresno. I had only travelled maybe half a mile down the 138 when I spotted a large white utility vehicle overtaking me on the left. (For us Aussies, I was driving on the right hand side of the road!) The large, plain white truck manoeuvred directly alongside me, and I noticed that the driver was holding up a piece of white paper. He obviously wanted me to see what was written on it. It was three letters, large enough that they covered the entire page.

“I5X”.

I am hopeless at crosswords. In fact, I have no time for puzzles of any kind. Sudoku and such like bore me to tears, but I had this cryptic puzzle solved in a flash.

“I5X – Interstate Five Closed”.

I mouthed the words to the driver of the utility and he nodded at me. At once, I knew I had to turn around and find another way to Fresno. I pulled over to the right shoulder, then performed a U-turn. As I accelerated eastwards, I looked in my rear vision mirror. The utility truck was gone! Vanished.

I truly believe that God sent an angel to warn me NOT to travel to interstate highway 5 on this particular morning. Why? I have no idea. Maybe Satan had a contract on me? Maybe there was a huge temptation somewhere on the freeway? Maybe God wanted me to drive via a different route to speak to someone He had prepared? Maybe sometime in Heaven God will fill me in on the whole story!

“Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14)

I always love reading the miraculous exploits of Elisha. 2 Kings 6 recounts the time that the prophet was surrounded by a large band of hostile Syrian warriors, intent on bringing him back to Syria, doubtless for execution. Elisha’s servant was scared.

“And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?” (v15) Notice Elisha’s response;  “Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.” (v16).

Angels are ministering spirits, sent to care for God’s own. What a faithful, loving, caring God we serve and love!

I HATE DENTISTS

I HATE DENTISTS

FRESH BREAD DAILY

The humanist says that the answers to the world’s problems lies in man alone. Ideas are king.

I have a pathological hatred of dentists. OK, maybe it’s not that bad, but the terms “dentist” and “money tree” can be used interchangeably. They are essentially the same thing. Seriously though, I am thankful for dentists. They poke around and find the cause for the misery that is toothache. The same can be said for doctors. I am blessed to have an excellent doctor. Do I like visiting him? No. Do I like his prognosis? No, but I am thankful for his truthfulness in investigating my elevated levels of bad cholesterol! Doctors aren’t in business to be liked!

As a sweeping but truthful generalization, the world hates Christians. Why? Because the world hates Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is truth personified. “I am the truth” are His words. Truth says that ALL…

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I HATE DENTISTS

The humanist says that the answers to the world’s problems lies in man alone. Ideas are king.

I have a pathological hatred of dentists. OK, maybe it’s not that bad, but the terms “dentist” and “money tree” can be used interchangeably. They are essentially the same thing. Seriously though, I am thankful for dentists. They poke around and find the cause for the misery that is toothache. The same can be said for doctors. I am blessed to have an excellent doctor. Do I like visiting him? No. Do I like his prognosis? No, but I am thankful for his truthfulness in investigating my elevated levels of bad cholesterol! Doctors aren’t in business to be liked!

As a sweeping but truthful generalization, the world hates Christians. Why? Because the world hates Jesus. Why? Because Jesus is truth personified. “I am the truth” are His words. Truth says that ALL are sinners. Dirty, evil, rotten, filthy, depraved sinners. This includes the pope, the president, the prince and the pauper. This includes me and you.

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)

In 1 Kings 22, Jehoshaphat told Ahab to get advice from one of Jehovah’s prophets, not his own hand picked charlatans. Micaiah was the suggested man. “I hate him”, was Ahab’s response, “for he doth not prophecy good concerning me, but evil.” (v8) Ahab did not want to hear the truth, and it ended up costing him his life.

It’s 2014. We live in the post-God age. Humanism is everything. The humanist says that the answers to the world’s problems lies in man alone. Ideas are king. As the world plummets ever closer to tribulational catastrophe, it is blindingly obvious that man cannot solve the problems of man. We don’t want to hear the Truth, because it exposes us for what we really are. Condemned sinners. Sinners by birth. Sinners by choice.

The first step to getting well is to admit sickness. Jeremiah the prophet nailed it:

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)

Friends, we aren’t just mistake ridden, ignorant and confused. We are desperately wicked. I am. You are. We were born that way. We are, spiritually speaking, terminally sick. We need Jesus, the Great Physician. Don’t hate the doctor when he diagnoses your condition. He’s just telling us what we need to know. Listen to the truth, take the medicine.

“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Mark 2:17)

It’s really pretty simple. We are sinners, Jesus is sinless. He was the only one qualified to be our substitute. He died so that we may live. Before anything else, we have to acknowledge our sin.

Dear reader, does Jesus Christ live in you?

THE BEST AND THE WORST

We live in a day when almost anything goes. My wife has often remarked to me that the average male in my home town dresses reasonably neatly. Long shorts and T-shirt seem to be the norm. Then there’s the women, young and old. Plunging necklines; see- through, skin tight dresses; micro shorts. More flesh is shown than covered. Sadly, so many girls in modern Australia are addicted to Hollywood’s fashion. Even the ungodly male sees these women as “cheap.” (I’m not saying that girls who dress this way are cheap, but that’s how the male mind works.) What is my point? Women influence men far more than they will ever realize.

There’s just something about women. Women in the Bible, that is. My guess is that Heaven’s greatest honours will be bestowed upon women such as Deborah the courageous judge; Ruth the noble wife of Boaz; Esther the brave deliverer; Mary the devoted; Mary and her wonderful band that followed Jesus to the cross, even after all the disciples had forsaken their Master. What blessed examples of faithfulness and fortitude are they!

The contrast with the evil female characters from the Bible cannot be more pronounced. Jezebel the idolater; Atholiah the murderer; Herodias and daughter; Delilah the tempter; Lot’s wife the worldly; Potiphar’s wife the seductress. For sure, they are no more evil than their male counterparts, but it just seems so out of character for a woman to follow wickedness as these villains did. The best and the worst indeed.

Ladies, you are no less important to God than any man. In fact, you will influence the males in your life. Your children spend more time with you than any other person. Your husband needs your example and influence. You will either inspire him to follow God with all his heart, or you will turn him away from God, towards idolatry. The Apostle Paul, under inspiration from God Himself, penned the following to Christian wives everywhere:

But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves… (1 Peter 3:4,5a)

Not yet married? Consider the huge influence you have on the male species. The Bible’s gold standard for women is meekness, service, submission, faith, modesty, purity, industry. You are not a doormat. You are not a slave to the fleshly desires of men. You are made by God and for God. Please Him and influence others for the Gospel. People will call you blessed!

 

A NOTE FROM GREAT GRANDMA

We recently came across a note from my great grandmother, handwritten eighty years ago. It was penned shortly before her untimely death in 1934. It is wonderful read.

“She hath done what she could.

After all these weary years of suffering and pain, I often sit and wonder why my dear loving Saviour has called on me to suffer so much when I loved His work and service more than I can tell. If my bodily strength would have lasted out, I would still love to be doing His glorious work and winning precious souls for His kingdom. If anyone should pick up this note of warning, lose no time in doing all that lays in your power for the extension of His kingdom.

I fully realise I have many opportunities of doing service for Him that has done so much for me. Just at this moment I plead with my loving Saviour to forgive my wrong doing, and help me to complete my life’s work by being patient in suffering, and may I prove to be a greater power for good than ever before.

Teach me dear Lord to say from my heart, “Thy will be done”, from this quiet Sunday evening. It is the time I get a clearer vision of my loving Saviour, when all is quiet and peaceful. I am just thinking of Thee who has gone to prepare that beautiful mansion for me. I must be prepared to enter when the call comes. It will come soon. I know not what awaits me. God kindly veils my eyes.

I do not want to leave anything undone for Thee. I may have quite enough with a suffering body. From this night I believe all the past sins of my life are to be remembered against me no more for ever. Praise His name for such a wonderful promise as this. I claim it for my real self. I trust in His redeeming love. I feel He is so precious to me.”

Ellen Ann Goy
Born 1870 England
Died 1934 Penshurst NSW

RUMPELSTILTSKIN. RAPUNZEL. EVOLUTION. THREE OF A KIND.

Evolution resides in the realm of fantasy.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that entropy (a measure of disorder) in our universe always increases eg energy goes downwards, not upwards. My Toyota vehicle runs OUT of petrol, not INTO petrol. After a bicycle ride, my energy levels are depleted, not renewed. The Second Law of Thermodynamics is true science. It has been empirically validated (eg it can be observed and repeated.)

The theory called evolution claims that order INCREASES, that species evolve upwards and that complexity will continue to develop. This is, of course, complete nonsense. Evolution resides in the realm of fantasy. It is as scientifically believable as a fable or a fairy tale. Even so-called simple life forms are impossibly complex in their genetic structure, and were created that way. We are not adding complexity to the species. The human gene pool is getting weaker, not stronger. The world’s energy resources, though still vast, are depleting. As a planet, in every way, we are going downhill, not uphill.

Here is an observation and an application. Israel’s monarchical system had a wobbly start, but under King David, strengthened. Israel’s zenith was the magnificent early reign of Solomon. His wisdom, understanding, influence, might and riches astounded the world. Surely it was all good for Israel from then on? Alas, things turned for the worse, and quickly.

There are some chapters in God’s Word that I dread reading each year. 1 Kings 11 is one of those, as is 2 Samuel 11, which deals with David’s adultery and murder. King Solomon was in a position few monarchs would ever experience, but his downfall was swift and complete. His kingdom deteriorated quickly. It was spiritual entropy. “How are the mighty fallen!”

Before we lambast Solomon and those that followed him into idolatry, we had better check our own selves. Maybe we could state that the Second Law of Thermodynamics, in some way, applies also to the heart of man. How easy it is for me to sin! How simple to go from a position of victory one day, to defeat the next!

It is only through the power of Jesus Christ, who lives within each born again Christian, that we can experience victory and growth. With Christ it is upwards, with self it is downwards. We must not look to man, but to Jesus.

“For to me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21)

WORM FOOD

One day we all will be worm food.

Death, like taxes, is inevitable, unavoidable and irreversible. Job the ancient faced death squarely. He noted the obvious, in his incredible poetic style:

“Drought and heat consume the snow waters: so doth the grave those which have sinned. The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.” (Job 24:19,20)

Job’s message might be distilled this way: “YOU SIN – YOU DIE.” The wicked of his and every other day will surely perish. The Hitlers and Stalins of this world all die, to await judgment for their horrific catalogue of sins. Abortion doctors who delight in making profit from killing innocent children in cold blood, will die. The drug dealers who deal in death every day will one day stand before the Just God and answer for their murderous ways. Terrorists who maim and destroy innocent citizens will shake in their own private terror as they are thrown into the Lake of Fire at the Great White Throne judgment.

But wait; is this all? Is it just the despots and tyrants and murderers who will die? In no way.

“The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)

This includes me, and you, and every other sinner on planet earth. For ALL have sinned. There is no excuse. There is no get out clause. There are no exceptions. Blame Adam and Eve ,if you please, but the wages of our sin is death. One day we all will be worm food.

Thanks be to God that death for His children is precious. Inevitable, but precious. Those who have received Jesus Christ by faith have God living within. Even when we pass through the shadow of death, God is with us.

Those who know not God have to face death alone. Scary stuff indeed. My friend, Jesus Christ came to give abundant life to those who will believe. I can face death with confidence, knowing my sins are forgiven and my Heavenly relationship assured. Why not you?

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

 

 

 

COMING, DEAD OR NOT

The spectre of death is devastating for everyone, but for the believer it is just a sin-induced blip in eternity.

Athiesm, along with other like religions, believe that when this body dies, it is the end. Kaput. Finito. Gone. Christianity, on the other hand, is based on the rock hard truth of the coming resurrection(s). Job, (whose book is generally accepted to be one of, if not the oldest in the entire Bible), writing whilst under incredible pressure, stated that he was looking forward to the resurrection, and seeing God for himself.

“And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another;” (Job 19:26,27)

The fact of the resurrection is undeniable. It is history. Find the body of Jesus and there is no Christianity today. No one was able to find His body because it wasn’t anywhere to be found. He was risen. Spurgeon wrote:

“REFLECTING the other day upon the sad state of the churches at the present moment, I was led to look back to apostolic times, and to consider wherein the preaching of the present day differed from the preaching of the apostles. I remarked the vast difference in their style from the set and formal oratory of the present age. I remarked that the apostles did not take a text when they preached, nor did they confine themselves to one subject, much less to any place of worship, but I find that they stood up in any place and declared from the fulness of their heart what they knew of Jesus Christ. But the main difference I observed was in the subjects of their preaching. Surprised I was when I discovered that the very staple of the preaching of the apostles was the resurrection of the dead.”

What does the truth of the coming resurrection mean for us today? For those who belong to God, it brings incredible hope. For those who reject Jesus Christ, it means sheer terror as it ushers in the Great White Throne judgment.

“And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” (Acts 24:15)

Friend, the spectre of death is devastating for everyone, but for the believer it is just a sin-induced blip in eternity. The best is yet to come. For the unbeliever, Hell awaits.