Making friends is on many minds, especially for people moving to new places, or going to a new school or college, as many will soon. How does one do it? And, how does one go from mere acquaintance to “best friend forever“?

I remember, years back, a story of a child who came home from Kindergarten, and announced they’d made a really nice friend, and played with them for a few straight days. When asked their name, the child replied, “I don’t know, we haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Sometimes the easiest things in the world are the things we make look the hardest. Sometimes, we get so bogged down by rules, such as finding out everything about someone, and calculating – usually subconsciously – if we want to spend time with them, we forget to actually try to make a friend.

On the other hand, the opposite can also be true. We decide we’re going to just “hang out” with someone, and they end up leading us down the wrong path because we know nothing about them, and they are actually living a life that’s a bad influence on us, when we should be the leader in a situation.

So, how do we strike a balance?

It’s not like Kindergarten, where you just start playing together, or middle or high school, where you can join a club or watch sports – even if you and your new friends can only commiserate on how bad the team is. It’s not like college, either, where your dorm leader has fun activities and you can sit around and laugh about answers to questions like, “If you were a tree, what kind would you be?”

Or, is it? As noted, we often make things too hard. Yes, some cities have more hurried people who appear less friendly, but there are ways to do it without being led astray by the wrong kinds of friends.

First, Decide Who You Are

It would be easy for me to write, “You have to be a leader.” It’s harder for some people, though. Some are naturally shy and need to really work at it. Some suffer from heartbreak that causes them to be in a shell. Some have difficulty even knowing how to begin a conversation, because their brains are wired differently; I have a very good online friend with Asperger’s Syndrome, for instance. One great uncle, as well, has always had trouble meeting new people.

Still, while everyone’s friend making style is a little different, the Bible says, “A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.” (Prov. 18:24) We can turn to the examples above, from school, to consider not only how to go about finding friends, but also, how to cultivate that friendship with the One who will always be faithful, Jesus Christ.

The Kindergarten Connection

It’s easy to walk up to someone and say, “Do you want to play?” Or, just start playing ball or something with them as they are playing. Kids are often much more open to this than adults. Most kids don’t go through hundreds of scenarios and try to pick up dozens of cues. Sometimes, of course, they might wonder how – or if – some other kid will play with them. But, this is where it’s important, as adults, to encourage children to talk to kids who are shier, who are challenged in some way, or something else.

Adults don’t have playgrounds, or play kickball or hopscotch; about the closest is when great joy causes one to start skipping, which can be good exercise. Even if we did, kids don’t develop into BFF just by playing together, though it can start like that.

Children go from playing together to sharing things about each other. They realize they have common interests. They show compassion when each other is hurting. Even if that is just a shoulder to cry on, sometimes that is the best thing there can be. And, that’s the important thing to take from the “Kindergarten Connection.” Like my initial story, don’t worry about walking up to someone and learning everything before you make a decision. Get involved at a church, volunteer, do something that interests you. Go to a neighborhood meeting – or, if there’s no association, form one. If you’ve moved into an area, have a “Good Neighbor” cookout and invite those on your block. (It’s not hard – just go around with invitations telling them you will have, for instance, burgers and chips, they can bring their own food, and you’re doing it to meet your new neighbors. In an apartment, you can still hang out in the lobby a little and greet people. You don’t have to have a one-hour conversation at first – this is that first recess where you play together.) One interesting idea: Iintroduce yourself at the end – so people recall your name.

Even if you’re not as outgoing as some of these, this site for shy kids and this one on socializing provide other good, encouraging ideas, which can be analogized to adult life, if you’re an adult.

That’s the way it happens in higher levels of school, too – clubs, sports, and other interest groups are formed, because older kids and young adults can handle more structure than little kids, who need time to be kids, too. We think it’s harder because we had good friends where we lived before – and we go from having one or more to having none. Whereas, kids realize they’re starting from scratch, and just figure someone will come along. Or, we’re like the one who takes the lead, and starts doing something, and we join in with them.

Think of it as constant networking and building relationships. You won’t build one with everyone, just like you didn’t become best friends with all 20 Kindergarten classmates; you may have had too different of a personality than a few, you never connected with a few, and one or two might have scared you. You might not have found that BFF till classmate number 2 or 8 or 19 – or maybe it was even someone in a different class! The point is, keep trying those interest groups. Will you find people who aren’t interested? Sure. But, when you start jumping rope on the playground, you don’t have hundreds of kids flocking to you, either. It’s usually just a few at most. However, one or two winds up being one you play with more often. There’s a lot of trial and error. Maybe one group won’t provide a BFF, but it will lead to one, or some other activity will.

Of course, it will then take a while till your new friends learn about you – and maybe even longer till you find someone you can confide in. The wonderful thing is, though, that Jesus knows all about you, and is ready to be the best possible friend right away.

What a Friend We Have In Jesus

The fact He calls His disciples friends shows that He is ready to be the best possible friend right away; but it’s not the only reason. He is God in flesh (John 10:30, etc.), and he created the world; by Him all things continue to exist. (John 1:1-3, Col. 1:16-17, etc.) he created the entire world; each of us, in fact. And yet, He wants to be friends with us.

At first, you might wonder, “What can I have in common with Him?” It’s easy to do, and it’s one very big reason why we don’t pray like we should. But, God says in His Word that He understands our problems, and – while we pretend we can handle them all ourselves – He calls us to go boldly before the throne of grace for help with things (Heb. 4:15-16). He will give us wisdom whenever we ask for it (James 1:5), peace that passeth understanding (Phil. 4:7), and so many other wonderful things.

It’s easy to see, then, how Jesus is such a wonderful friend. He sticks closer than a brother – and a loving sibling is born to help in times of trouble. But, Jesus sticks closer, He will help us through anything. And, the wonderful thing is, He loves at all times.

That kind of love – unconditional love – is hard to find in this world. It’s the kind we want in a best friend forever. Best friends, after all, don’t just let us walk all over them or let us mess up our lives. BFFs are willing to come up beside us and lovingly say, for instance, “That’s not going to be very good for you.” They know us so well, and despite our faults, they love us – but they also love us enough not to let those faults drag us down. And, if someone snaps and says, “Who cares? I’m going to do what I want, and you’re not my friend if you try to stop me,” that BFF is there to support them if that bad choice (getting drunk, going out with a certain person, or whatever else that BFF knows is bad news) leads to horrible consequences.

See, we don’t always do what’s right. In fact, that was the whole purpose of Jesus’ coming to this world in the first place. God made this world perfect. There was no sin in it – no bad stuff. But, people chose to start sinning, and that sin had bad consequences. The worst was, it separated us from God.

God made a way for us to become His friends, though. He reconciled us to Himself, by taking the punishment for our sin. Each person has to pay a price for their sin – unless they let God Himself pay that price for them. What an awesome friend, who would take the punishment for our sins!

That price that was paid was the only price big enough – Jesus came to this world and died on the cross willingly, shedding His blood as he died. Then, on the third day, He rose from the dead. He was able to do this because he was God. And, he is just waiting for each of us to call on Him – each person just needs to repent and receive Him as Saviour. That means to choose not to be a sinner anymore, but to let Jesus change you on the inside. Because, as a true Friend, that’s His job.

In fact, once you have Him living inside you through the Holy Spirit, He will always be an ever present help in time of need. He will always guide you in the right direction, and away from thigns that might cause you pain – He’ll always provide a way to escape problems. And yet, if you rebel against Him, once He has sealed you with the Holy Spirit, he will always be there to lovingly welcome you back. Just like that best friend who, even if you refuse their advice with disastrous consequences – will still love you.

And, you can have such fun with Him, too. He’ll open your eyes to so many good things, and so much joy – why, the Apostle Paul mentions joy dozens of times in an epistle he wrote in prison, the Book of Philippians! Jesus came so we might have life, and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

So, how do you get that friend, you ask? Remember that example, where the child just started playing with someone? It’s that easy. Just go to Him by faith. It’s as easy as ABC:

Admit you’re a sinner, that your sin – things you say, think, and do that displease God – keeps you from God’s perfect Heaven.

Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, lived a perfect life, then died on the cross, taking the punishment for your sins, and rising from the dead the third day. And, that this did all that was necessary to reconcile you with Him, and get you to Heaven.

Choose to receive Jesus Christ’s forgiveness on the cross for your sin, and allow Him to enter your heart and make you new on the inside, and to come live in you; let Him give you a heart that wants to follow Him, and not sin. You won’t stop sinning right away, but just like that friend who will always guide and help you, He will begin a work to help you grow closer to Him, and He will complete it, even unto the day of the Lord. (Phil. 1:6)

That’s all there is to it. You can call on Him right now, in fact; whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Rom. 10:13) Just call on Him to forgive you of your sins and save you from that horrible punishment, separation from God forever in a place call Hell; a place only meant for the devil and his angels, but where people go who reject His love and offer of friendship.

He is a faithful friend, though, who will never leve you nor forsake you. And, He wants you to keep drawing close to Him. Not only that, but He wrote His Word, the Bible, to tell you of His grace and mercy, and also of how badly He wants you to avoid His judgment. He also wants us to go out and tell others about His awesome friendship.

Remember, though, that it’s all by His grace and mercy. He is the Creator of the universe. He didn’t have to choose to make us friends. He did, though, because of His great love for each of us – for you, for me, for everyone.

And, He’ll be that shoulder to cry on, that one to confide in, that One who can help you through anything. He loves you more than you can imagine.

It’s official. LeBron James has announced on ESPN he will sign with the Miami Heat. A story with a lot of speculation has finally ended. Now, one of the best NBA players today has his next few years set.

This is important, because in all this talk about his loyalty, when “King James” might win an NBA title, or whether Chris Bosh might have refused to join him in Cleveland or not, there are other things to look at in this story: things such as talent, money, loyalty, and the manning of life.

Really. Because, no matter what happened with him, there is a faithful friend to save you from the evils of this world, help you build Heavenly treasures that last forever, and, help you make the right decisions, no matter what.

1. Obviously, it means he’s got a lot of basketball talent. Top actors get millions of dollars for acting talent. Top athletes get the same for athletic talent. Their jobs, as entertainers, aren’t as crucial as many others, but they share one thing: In this society, they can earn tons of money based on the fact they’ve used their God-given talent to the best of their ability.

We don’t often think about actors and actresses making millions per role, because we only see them in movies or on TV. They’ve gotten their millions long before the movie or show we see. If it bombs, they can hide behind the character, or the script gets blamed. Athletes, on the other hand, do what they do thousands of times a season – shoot a ball, throw, putt, what have you. Their misses pile up more than that performer’s one big miss on the big screen or TV, which is surrounded by so much else.

Both, however, use abilities that aren’t their own. Sure, hours of practice a day pays off, and some have to work harder. But, most people couldn’t shoot a basketball while being guarded like even the worst NBA player, even practicing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most people couldn’t memorize every line flawlessly, doing all the proper inflections and really bringing a character to life, for months at a time. Yes, there are club pros in golf and local radio station voice actors who pitch great local businesses. But, these are far cries from Tiger Woods or Tom Hanks – or even the Maytag Repairman.

Jesus tells us to consider the gifts God gave us, and thank Him for them. None of us can add an inch to our stature by mere thought.(Mat. 6:27) We can’t just think and suddenly become talented. God gives some people those talents, just as He gives some people other gifts, such as teaching, or the ability to learn manual skills like plumbing, or complex math.

Every one of us has different skills. You have a special skill, even if you don’t quite know what it is yet. If you put energy into it, you can accomplish great things with God’s help. However, remember that this skill is something you were born with, something given by God. We need to be thankful for our skills.

2. LeBron will also get a lot of money. No, some people don’t get as much money as others for their skills. And, some are certainly more important than acting or athletic ones. However, the important thing is, God sees and understands what you are given. And, He will reward you in the end, if you use it for Him and build treasure in Heaven.

The old maxim is true that money doesn’t buy happiness. It can buy things that make us happy for a time. Still, in the end, those things will grow old, wear out, lose value, or even, possibly, be taken from us. However, Heavenly treasure will be forever new, and can never be taken away. This means that LeBron will get a lot of something that will one day have no value. But, he can use it to build rewards in Heaven by helping others.

However, God doesn’t care about how much money we have here on earth. He cares about our heart. He knows our hearts, and just wants us to give what we have for Him. He doesn’t care that we don’t have a lot – Jeuss said that s widow who gave a few little coins as an offering had given more than a rich person who gave millions.

Even when we mess up and go after our own desires, though, God will lovingly call us back to Himself, so we can choose to do that which is right. Because, He is always loyal to us, alwys faithful even when we’re not.

3. Loyalty was discussed during the debate over where LeBron would go.

We need to keep focused on the one who is always loyal and faithful, though. It’s easy to put our trust in people. However, God has given us His Word, that He had something special for us. He has a plan for each person’s life that is better than we could ever plan for ourselves. He has a plan for LeBron’s life. Whether LeBron followed God’s plan, I’m not sure; nobody can know his heart for certain but God Himself.

We know one thing, though. Since different people wanted different things, God’s plan went against some peoples’ idea of what he should do. That’s normal, and it shows that our ways aren’t always best. If LeBron doesn’t know God personally, God can use this to lovingly draw LeBron to Him.

When we don’t like what goes on in our lives, all we have to do is trust in God. He will always do what’s best for us. Each of us is where we are in life today, because God has put us there, or God – in His love giving us free will to choose – allowed us to get there so God could help us to learn more about His great love for us. That is the loyalty God has for us, always working to make things better in our lives, though we sometimes flat refuse and turn away from Him.

The awesome thing is, He can be loyal to all who have received Him at once, as He lovingly calls those who haven’t. Because, He has ways to work things for the best for each of us in the end. Romans 8:28 promises that “All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose.”

So, no matter what, God can work it for good, along with all the other things in life. Because, God is always trying to work things together for good, to those who love Him; even if our choices get in the way. The story of LeBron James is one of a person who has made a lot out of his God-given talent, using it to play a game. I don’t know if he’s doing anything for the Lord to earn eternal treasures in Heaven, or if so, what it is. Only God knows his heart, and whether His perfect will played any role in LeBraon’s decision.

Life, though, is all about putting others first, and using those talent to bring glory and honor to God by drawing others to His great love. Because, He is willing that none perish, but that all come to repentance. He will be loyal to all who come to Him by faith.

It won’t always be just what we want, but for those who receive Him, they will have a faithful Friend who will live in them and always work things together for good.

How do I have that in my life?

It’s as easy as ABC – Admit, Believe, Choose.

A. Admit you need Him in your heart and life to save you. See, all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned each one to his own way. And, the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Is. 53:6) This means all of us have turned away from Him. Oh, we might not have meant to, but we do, because we choose our own way.

LeBron is just like you and I and everyone else in one important way. All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) That means we’ve all fallen short of His mark, which is perfection. Whether he chose what God wanted, I don’t know, but each of us has sinned – that means we’ve fallen short of God’s standard of perfection.

We need saved from that sin, because only then can we have that relationship with God here, and be in His perfect Heaven someday; a place where there is no pain, no suffering, no tears. Nobody can do mean stuff there. No one can imagine the wonderful things that will be there. There won’t be any sin, though, so we must accept we need God to take the punishment for our sins, and change us on the inside. The wages – what we earn – of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal lie through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23)

Next is:
B Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. (Acts 16:31) That means to believe that Jesus Christ is God in flesh (John 1:1, 14; 10:30; etc.), and that He took your punishment for your sin when he died on the cross for you and rose from the dead. He shed His blood for you; because that was the only price high enough to cleanse this whole world from sin. He died for you, but then, He rose from the dead, just as He will raise us one day, some to eternal life, some to everlasting destruction.

You must believe that He took the whole punishment for your sins when He did that. There is nothing you could do, because none of us can achieve perfection. And, He has to make it perfect, or it wouldn’t be Heaven. If He let even one drop of sin into Heaven, there would be suffering somewhere, or pain, or something else bad. Then, it wouldn’t be Heaven. So, He has to keep all sin out.

Finally,
C. Choose to repent and receive Him as your personal Savior. That means that you need to choose to let Him make you new on the inside. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, all things are become new. (2 Cor. 5:17)

Once you have done that, you can know for sure you in his family (1 John 5:13), if you have received Him by simple faith. (John 1:12)

That’s how Jesus makes you fit for Heaven. He first changes you when you trust Him to save you by simple faith. You receive Him into your heart by calling on Him to save you and repenting – turning from your sin. Once you invite Him into your heart, Jesus lives in you through God the Holy Spirit. Then, He will help you grow to be more like Him; more loving, compassionate, and so on.

You can receive that now – while the prayer itself doesn’t save you, you can pray something like this, in your own words, and receive Him into your heart and life: “Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. I know I haven’t always done what’s right. I’ve tried my way, Lord, and I realize I need to trust You completely instead. I believe You died on the cross for my sins, and rose from the dead; You took my punishment for my sins, because I couldn’t get to Your perfect heaven myself. Lord Jesus, I invite You into my heart to live in me and change me on the inside, so I can follow Your perfect ways, and have a Friend to help me if I mess up. Thank you Lord Jesus, for hearing my prayer, saving my soul, and coming to live in my heart, In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

It’s not the prayer that saves. But, it’s your faith, which you can remember putting in Jesus easier when you have a time you know you prayed to receive Him.

And when you receive Him, He will never leave you, nor forsake you. (Heb. 13:5) He will help you to make all the right decisions, if you just trust Him, because He will always give wisdom to those who ask. (James 1:5)

The Gulf Oil Spill, which may become the largest man-made disaster in human history, is getting worse, as the news shows it’s now full of methane.

Pictures show things which appear to be out of the Book of Revelation, as the oily mess appears blood-like in color and texture. (It looks close enough to blood, the squeamish should be ready.) With devastation of almost Biblical proportions possible, including worst case scenarios involving billions of barrels , it makes one wonder if this is some kind of judgment.

God is a God of grace and mercy. He loves to pardon sinners who come to Him by faith and repent; He came to this world to seek and save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10) He is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any perish, but that all come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) Mercy is not getting what we deserve – grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Because of His love, God loves to shower those good things on us.

But, God also is a God of justice. We like it when other people get what they deserve, especially if they wronged us. Well, this latest Gulf Oil Spill is so bad, it’s almost certain to be a disaster of Biblical proportions by the end. This leads some to ask, is America being judged?

Let’s look at that dichotomy for a moment, the love of God as shows in His mercy, and in His divine judgment.

Not a Contradiction

It is certainly not a contradiction – a police officer or judge, for instance, can be very wise and fair, and good at tracking down and punishing criminals to the “full extent of the law,” he or she may “always get the bad guy,” but yet that same officer or judge can be a warm, loving family man who is lenient and merciful with his or her children.

The difference, of course, is the relationship. Oh, that person will provide discipline and correction when needed, but in a merciful, more gentle way because they are his or her children. That person lovingly nurtures them, as the Bible instructs fathers, and will not provoke them to wrath, as fathers are warned not to do. (Eph. 6:4)

God is just like that. He hates sin, and must punish sin, because He can’t allow it into His perfect Heaven. This is how much he loves us, and how His love includes punishing sin. Because, just as a loving judge punishes criminals partly with innocent family members in mind, so, too, does God punish sin so we won’t have to deal with it in Heaven. He keeps sin completely out of it.

There’s another reason Heaven will be so wonderful. It’s because God will wipe away all tears, there will be no suffering, no pain, no sorrow or death. (Rev. 21) Nobody can imagine the wonders that await us, because we are finite humans. Who knows, we might have senses we never felt before, just as the blind will see for the first time.

See, this world was made perfect – there was no decay, no death, no sin. However, when people sinned, they brought that into the world, and it spread like crazy. It was a catastrophe that touched the whole world. God had to judge that sin, but He consistently gives us a chance to repent. Indeed, He will put it off if enough call on Him with repentant hearts. He was willing to spare Sodom from judgment if there were only 10 righteous people in the city. (Gen. 18) And, wicked Nineveh was spared from destruction for 70 years, because they repented. (Jon. 3)

However, even before He judges something or somebody, He lets them realize the natural consequences of that sin, which can be enormous. Indeed, even secular researchers have shown that humans naturally repeat mistakes & don’t learn from disasters.

They don’t always understand that it’s our fallen nature, but it is – we are not perfect because of sin. Sin separates us from God, and it’s only by His grace that He loves us. He never stops loving us, even when we turn away from Him. In fact, as he suffered on the cross, being punished in our place, Jesus – God Himself ion flesh – called out for them to be forgiven. (Luke 23:34)

That part – allowing people to experience the consequences of sin – isn’t always God directly allowing disasters; it’s often just His removing His hand of protection. Because, this entire world is filled with awful things that could happen, but don’t

Divine Judgment or not?

So, did God allow this to happen as a consequence for sin? Is He judging America? Has He removed His hand of protection?

Nobody can claim to know God’s heart for sure, except by what it says in the Bible. It can’t be certain that God has removed His hand of protection from anything. However, we don’t have guidelines that tell us it is possible, and that tell us what to do.

God condemns those which call good evil, and evil good. This has happened quite often in our society, as our culture has so much hatred, greed, corruption, and so on in it. The Bible tells us that in the end times, “the love of many shall wax cold” (Mat. 24:12) It’s true – that deep, unconditional love that we should have for others has been replaced by a shallowness in many cases. We’re so busy with our lives, few people care about others anymore. However, others are supposed to be put ahead of ourselves and our feelings. That means we shouldn’t be offended at every little thing, nor should we be selfishly trying to get everything for ourselves. The “great love chapter” of the Bible, after all, tells us what love really is; among other things, it isn’t hurtful or selfish. It “seeks not its own,’ meaning it doesn’t keep trying to get; it’s all about giving. And, so on. (1 Cor. 13) We have refused to condemn sin.

We need to love all sinners, but sin separates us from God’s perfect love, and needs to be confessed and forsaken. At the same time, we need to love the sinner, and show them compassion and understanding. We need to help them do as Jesus said to the woman caught in adultery when he forgave her – “Go, and sin no more.” (John 8:10) And, if we sin, we need to confess and forsake it, because “We have an advocate with God the Father – Jesus Christ the righteous,” (1 John 2:1), who took the punishment for our sins.

Of course, we’ve had problems for centuries, in how we treated other human beings. We refused to show natives, Africans-American/blacks, and other minorities love and compassion. We were, at times, filled with hypocrisy, as individuals, state governments, and as a national government.

Yes, we built a great nation, but we confess that we are not a perfect one. We were still blessed richly, though, despite all of our problems, because we had enough people who insisted on following the Golden Rule with everyone, regardless of who they were – such people were just drowned out by the wicked. Just like today, those who insist on moral decency and common sense are drowned out at times.

The Conclusion:

It’s hard to say if God has removed His hand of protection on us or not. But, we know 2 things for sure about this situation.

1. The Gulf Oil Spill could be a foreshadowing of the prophecy of a third of the seas of the world turning to blood, and a third of the sea life dying (Rev. 8:7-9, which also mentions hail – which the evaporation could cause to look like bits of blood), and then everything in the sea dying (Rev. 16:3-4). Revelation tells us it will partly happen because of a comet or meteor, but the tidal wave caused by a meteor crashing into the sea would definitely cause this to spread a lot more than it is even now. In other words, we could be close to the end times, just based ont his alone.

2. Just as we, and other nations, have in the past called on God in repentance and prayer to forgive and save us, we can do it, too. Second Chronicles 7:14 is a great model for this type of national prayer of repentance, calling on God to forgive us.

Whether or not this is God lifting His hand of protection, we are getting closer and closer to the days prophesied many years ago in the Bible. Life won’t be the same. However, each person alive today has a future.

That future is with Jesus. Jesus is God in flesh – He and His father are one. (John 10;30, etc.) He came to this world because, while He is a God of justice, He is also a God of mercy. That same Jesus who cried out, while being crucified, “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they d,” died for you, and rose from the dead the third day. He took the punishment for each of our sins – mine, yours, everyone’s – because HE DOES NOT WANT YOU TO FACE JUDGMENT. (I normally wouldn’t type in caps like that, but something in my Spirit, which is how God indwells believers, is just thinking about how bad this *could* get, and crying out for people to come to Jesus, so He can lead them through this with the peace that passes understanding!)

He is a God of everlasting mercy, who doesn’t want to see people suffer. Like that policeman or judge in the first example, who doesn’t want his or her children to grow up to become hardened criminals, God knows what awaits those who reject his perfect love and goodness. It’s everlasting destruction from the presence of God. (2 Thess. 1:9)

I don’t know how bad the oil spill will get, but even if it’s not near the end, this is the time to make peace with God, because none of us knows what tomorrow will bring. You don’t have to do anything to make peace with Him, though. You don’t’ have to clean up your act and then come to Jesus – you can’t. It was “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) He gave us a free gift – the gift of life forever with Him. (Rom. 6:23) All we have to do is “call upon the name of the Lord,” and we’ll be saved.(Rom. 10:13) Salvation is “by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9)

All you need to do to receive Him, and have Him in your heart to give you peace and to guide you through things and get you to Heaven someday, is to: A. Admit you’re a sinner, just like me, just like everyone, and that this sin keeps you from heaven; B. Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for your sins, took your punishment on the cross,and rose from the dead; and, C. Choose to turn from your sins (repent) and receive Him as your Lord and Savior; invite Him into your heart and life, making you new on the inside.

It’s not about specific words, but you can pray something like this right now to receive Him:

“Dear Lord Jesus, I know I’m a sinner. I can’t reach Your perfect Heaven on my own, because my sin separates me from you. I know You died for my sins, though, and rose from the dead. You took my place, You suffered my punishment on the cross. Lord Jesus, I turn from my sin, and I trust You to forgive me. I choose today to become a follower of You, and I invite You into my heart to make me new on the inside, so I can have a relationship with You. I accept You have done all that is needed to get me to Heaven, and I trust You as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

That’s all there is to it. If you prayed that and meant it, you are a child of His now, and nothing can take you away from Him. (Rom. 8:38-9, Eph. 4:30) Tell others all about His wonderful love and grace, in how He has forgiven them, too, and all they must do it turn to Him by faith for forgiveness. He never tells us in His Word to do anything but call on Him.

Find a good Gospel preaching church where the love of God is also shown, as well as the truth of God’s Word being preached. I recommend the “rapture ready” bulletin boards, too, as a good place to fellowship and learn about all the apostasy (false religion) that is out there.

Our nation has lots of problems. It may or may not be under God’s judgment; but soon, the whole world will be. It might still be quite a while from now. But, His return for us has always been imminent; even in the first century, people awaited that blessed hope of His Glorious Appearing.

We can look forward to that, too. The Gulf of Mexico, and life in that area, may be greatly harmed, but Jesus promises that “In this world, you will have tribulation; but, be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) And, He can help you to overcome, too.

Ever since the crisis over the flotilla trying to get through Israel’s blockade, tensions have been very high.  It appeared at times recently that there could be peace in the Middle East. However, real peace seems very far away at times, too.

Why is there such violence?

Four thousand years ago, the Bible says God told Abraham he would make him a great nation. (Gen. 12:1-3, Gen. 15, and others) Abraham “ran ahead” of God’s plan, you might say. God planned to bless his son through his wife, Sarah.  Abraham got impatient though, and he and Sarah’s servant, Hagar, produced a son, named Ishmael. (Gen. 16-17) Abraham later had a son through Sarah, though, named Isaac. (Gen. 21-22) When God blessed Abraham’s son, Isaac – the one he had with Sarah – it started 4,000 years of violence in the Middle East.

God said that Ishmael, too, would be a great nation, though, and live in the presence of his brethren. (Gen. 16:10-12) Obviously, as with Abraham, this means founder of a great people. God still blessed Ishmael’s descendants – but He prophesied correctly that they would not accept living in the presence of Isaac’s seed. “His hand wil be against every man, and every man’s hand against him.” (Gen. 16:12) God is saying here that He knows there will be violence in that region – and there has been for thousands of years.

The Bible predicts correctly things will get more intense

That long ago writing predicting continued violence is helpful in understanding it, you say. But, it seems like things are getting more and more out of control

Yes, they are. I wrote in this blog about a lot of different prophesies dealing with the end times. But, here are just a few things which show how close we are to something major. Look at the following, which was only a few years ago, and compare it with prophecy:

Here are just a few signs – think about the world a couple years ago versus today

* Turkey was still alligned with the Western Nations, and was friendly to Israel
* Iran and Russia weren’t alligned as allies

Today: Turkey ajnd Israel are very hostile. The Bible predicts various nations which occupy modern Turkey (among others) will war against Irsrael. (Ezek. 38-39) Iran and likely Russia are also among those who attack Israel in this war.

* The U.S. was supporting Israel, selling them arms, standing up to Israel’s enemies, etc.

Today, there is great tension between the two. The Bible predicts in varous places that all nations would turn against Israel in the end times. And, that Jerusalem would be a “cup of trembling” which would crush all who tried to deal with the problem. (Zech. 12:2-3)

* Little to none of the One World Government stuff was being discussed in the open

The Bible tells of one final world empire with a world leader at the head (Daniel 7-11, Rev. 13, 17-18, etc.)

* There was no talk of a One-World Currency – now a lot of the world is calling for it
The Bible predicts a world economy will exist. (Rev. 13, 18)

* The RFID chip was in it’s infancy as far as usage in humans – now there are video ads promoting it

The Bible predicted 2000 years ago that technology would exist to put a mark in everyone’s hand or forehand, and nobody could buy or sell without it. (Reve. 13, etc.) While the RFID chip itself may not be the mark, it could still contain the mark later.

* Most countries in the world were financially sound

This isn’t just about a world government. The Bible clearly states (Rev. 6) that there would be great famine, disease, and other things that kill well over a billion people.

All this is not to mention all the earthquakes, volcanoes, and now the oil spill this year. Yes, there have always been natural disasters, but they are increasing in itnensity.

This is not to set a date or anyting. It is, however, stating that things are getting pretty bad. Bad enough that, even if this current crisis dies down, what Jesus terms birth pangs are increasing, and will continue to intensify. The economies of the world will one day get so bad that a one-world government is formed, and a world ruler will take over that will sign a peace treaty with Israel – a new one or strengthening a current one – for 7 years. Then, in the middle of that 7-year stretch, he will break the covenant, and go to war against Israel. (Daniel 9:26-27)

God warns us so we can escape

You know how you watch an action or horror movie, and if you know what’s going to happen, you want to yell “Get out of there!”? You think it at first, then the action gets a little tenser, you get more scared, and finally, if you’re in the theater, someone might actually blurt it out! Well, God knows how this will all end, too. And, He’s warning us the same way. “Get out of there!”

Only, He will be the one to get those out who have called on Him.

See, He gives people free choice, so we’re not mindless robots. He also knows people, because of their sinfulness, will lead this world to destruction, though. He made people perfect, but mankind chose to bring sin into the world, and it’s been getting worse and worse. That sin was like an infection that brought on all kids of natural disasters. And, it’s what causes all the man-made disasters, wars, and so on. Just like the tensions in the Middle east.

But, sin is a problem we all have. We don’t all go out and war against others, or steal, or really bad sins. However, we all sin, and come short of the glory of God.

Think of how awful that sin is. It’s what causes all the greed, corruption, war, hatred, and such in the world today. It will all, one day, be destroyed. Along with all those who practice it. Including us, unless we heed God’s waring to “Get out of there!”

We have to make a choice. A choice to let God cleanse us from our sin.

See, God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son – Jesus Christ. Anyone who believes on Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life. (John 3:16) that means they can be sure of it. They won’t perish – they won’t suffer for their sins, because Jesus has already done so. He went to the cross willingly, died for our sins, then rose from the dead, so we could be free from sin.

All anyone has to do is receive His free gift of eternal life. (Rom. 10:13, Eph. 2:8-9, etc.) That is done by simple faith, trusting Jesus to change you on the inside, making you a new creature. (2 Cor. 5:17) We are saved so we can do good works here on Earth, but remember, the only thing we’ll take with us to Heaven are the souls of others. God will make this world new, after the horrible wars and destruction that will be brought about in that final seven-year period.

But before that destructiveness gets too severe, God will not just cry “Get out of there!” (that’s what He calls us to do now, warn others) God will rescue us, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye,” (1 Cor. 15:51-52, 1 Thess. 4:13-18) as he will come down for us, to rescue us from this world, before His final wrath is poured out on the horrors of sin.

To escape that, you just need to call out to Him to forgive you and save you from your sins, trusting that He bled and died ont he cross for you, then rose from the dead, so you could get to heaven someday.

A Middle East war will come sooner, rather than later. Every prophecy of the Bible has come true, and we can see the signs now. That doesn’t mean it’ll be tomorrow for sure. But, it will come.

Will we be here for it? The Bible doesn’t say for sure.. But, we must be ready, because the Lord will come in an instant. In the meantime, we must bring others to Christ, warning them, in essence, to “Get out of there!” Because true peace in the Middle East won’t come till Jesus reigns over the world. (Rev. 20)

The incredible oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico continues to draw attention, as people struggle to find fixes . Warnings of a massive hurricane season, even if they prove to be wrong, make it seem even worse. Pollution now is bad enough that some fear that the whole planet – the oceans, air, land, and everything – is in dire trouble.

There is incredible anger over what this is doing to the environment. While the Earth has the capacity to bounce back in time – sometimes faster than we realize – things may well get worse; and one day will get much worse before they get better.

Thankfully, there is hope. Everyone can rest assured that one day, the world will be new. Here’s why.

The world was once perfect

Yes, this terrible world of man-made and natural disasters once was Paradise. Though mankind has done many horrible things, we see in places like Chernobyl that things are slowly rebounding – even if the rosiest outlooks are untrue.

The world, then, has the ability to recover – but short term results are catastrophic. This is analogous to the problem that changed this world from its perfect paradise into the sin-laden world we have today. As the beautiful Gulf of Mexico is, in many parts, a toxic mess exists – though for now, the Tampa/St. Pete area and some other parts of Florida are still unaffected and can hopefully help take some sting out of the economic calamity), In the same way, mankind’s sin brought all sorts of problems to the world – and brought with it consequences that went far beyond spiritual and eventual physical death that God warned about. All Creation groans because of sin.

Things will get worse before they get better

Sadly, not only the Gulf, but the whole world, will get worse before it gets better. The Bible warns us of that, and promises a way to escape.

That way is by putting your faith in the One who wrote it.

We all live by faith, every day. You live by faith sitting in a chair. You don’t hold tight to the arms, preparing to leap up quickly because you fear that chair will collapse. You rest in it, put your whole weight in it. Fiath is the same, whether we’re talking about chairs or God. And, we have a very sure word of faith – his Bible.

The Bible has over 2500 prophecies in it. All have either come true or will come true – 2000 have already come true. I’ve mentioned a few in other blogs – television and webcams (the world looking on something in Revelation), for instance, or the nations lining up now in the Middle East (Ez. 38), or how Jerusalem shall be a cup of trembling, and a burdensome stone, to all who touch it. (Zech. 12:2-3)

There’s a big one about the oceans, too – a full third of them will become as blood, totally unlivable, toxic, etc.. A third of all marine life will die.

Think what that will do to the rest of the environment. Think of the horrible stench. Think of the damage of a huge sheet of oil is underwater, and a hurricane comes, or…a “star” (meteor) comes crashing into it, a ball of fire. God says such an event will happen in Revelation 8:8-11. With all that oil, it’s eventually possible. Or, it could be something supernatural, too.

The horrible end this present world will come to is spoken of in toher places, too. Isaiah 24 gives a number of illustrations, such as the earth going “to and fro as a drunkard” – much like the many recent big earthquakes.

Thankfully, the worst of the calamity will come after an event known as the Rapture. The Church is never shown on Earth in Revelation 4-18, when all the destructiveness happens, and the world criesout so that a world ruler known as AntiChrist comes on the scene. Instead, the Church is in Heaven, protected, celebrating its redemption. Faith in Israel are brought through the judgments as God’s chosen people, despite the war the AntiChrist tries to wage against them.

You can be one of those who escapes the worst of the problems, by simply accepting that Jesus Christ – God in flesh – died for your sins and rose from the dead, and receiving Him into your hart and life as Savior, turning from your sin and letting Him make you new on the inside. It’s not about what you do for Him. It’s all by simple faith.

Thankfully, one day, all that will be over, and a new Heaven and Earth will appear.

Eventually, God will remake the world

An earthquake of about 11 on the Richter scale willl come at the end of what’s known as the Great Tribulation, and the whole world will miraculously be made new. The lion will lay down with the lamb, and all God’s creatures – including people who receive Christ during the Tribulation – will live together in peace. There will still be sin, because of people’s choices, but the devil and his demonds will not be allowed to tempt people for a thousand years. That Millennium is mentioned numerous times in Revelation 20; it’s a literal thousand years. And, Christ will rule and reign over the whole world.

Then, the devil will be let out a “little season,” and the final battle will end. After that, the whole Heavens will be made new again. (Revelation 21) Everything will be perfect once more.

The first world was destroyed by flood, and next time – the one we are on, that is – it will be by fire. (2 Peter 3:7) But, thankfully, you don’t’ have to be part of that destruction. Things are bad now, but you can be redeemed from that.

Two verses later is one of the many verses that show God’s love toward us – He is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) See, it’s never God’s will that people spend eternity separated from him. He is constantly calling on people to trust in Him. It is they who choose not to, when they reject His free gift.

That free gift is eternal life forever, in God’s perfect heaven, where nobody can imagine the awesome wonders that await us. If you’ve never received it, you can do so right now, just as I said above. If you have, tell everyone, through your words and actions, about Him. Because, He gave us the duty to tell others, as part of His longsuffering ways, about His great love and grace and mercy toward sinners such as ourselves. We’re not perfect – we can’t be, because of that human nature that started when man brought sin into the world. But, we can be forgiven, and made new creatures, with Christ living inside us, working in us till the day when we join Him.

Is Allah the God of the Bible? Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God?

Islam has become a major force in the world today. Because they believe in a few of the things Christians and Jews do, especially monotheism (one God), there is question as to whether Allah and the Judeo-Christian God are the same.

Son of God? Who is God?

Let’s start by looking at the God of the Bible. He is called Elohim when the Godhead is emphasized, and Yahweh when referring to His nature as one god.

This means that God shows Himself in three distinct ways, yet He is one God. If a man is married with children, and his father is living, he behaves (or, should behave) in a different manner toward his father than he does toward his wife, and in yet another way toward small children. He is still the same man. Another example is an egg – the yolk, the egg white, and the shell are all part of the egg. And yet, they are distinct. Finally, there is water. The chemical formula for it is H2O. H2O exists as a solid, liquid and gas all at the same time, in different part of the world.

So, we see the Godhead – what some call the Trinity – is very clear. God manifests Himself as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. God is eternally pre-existent in the spirit (non-physical) realm, in all three persons. In other words, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit were all part of Creation. (Ge. 1:1-2, John 1:1-3, Col. Col. 1:16-17) God the Son appears in the Old Testament – before His miraculous birth via the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary – a number of times as the Angel of the Lord. This is how He wrestled with Jacob, how He likely made the animal skins for Adam and Eve, and so on.

The Koran/Qur‘an, on the other hand, makes it very clear that Muslims believe Allah has no son. The idea of Allah having a son is “blasphemous” and a “monstrous falsehood” (18:46, 9:30-31) to them. Muslims are told, “[F]ight everyone who rejects Islam, even Christians and Jews, until they pay regular financial tribute with willing submission and feel themselves completely subjected to their Islamic conquerors.” (9:29) While the Koran/Qur’an says to say that they are the same (29:46), elsewhere it considers this a lie, and in fact states that Christians and Jews are the “worst creatures on earth.” (98:6) It says that Allah is “too majestic” to have a son. (4:171-172)

This goes opposite the Bible in a few ways.

First, Jesus commands us to love our enemies, and bless them that despitefully use us. (Mat. 5:44, etc.) We are to be known by our love, and not fight each other. Many places, that great unconditional love is proclaimed. Yes, evil people who refused to follow Jesus have tried to conquer claiming to be doing it for God, any a close reading of the Bible tells us that Jesus Christ commanded His followers to show Godly compassion to others. God is longsuffering toward us; while he is holy and must punish sin, He is also faithful to save the souls of any who call upon Him, and take them to His perfect heaven, even if – like the thief on the cross – they have forfeited their chances in this world. Sin has consequences, but God is love.

Second, it goes against the Bible’s insistence that Jesus is totally equal with God. He and the Father are one. (John 10:30) he is God’s only begotten Son (John 3:16, etc.), which means that He is of the same substance – that’s what Son of God means. Yes, there is the relational aspect as humans understand it – but Jesus is never seen, in the Bible, as being inferior. Everywhere, He is shown to be the one and only God. He simply chose to step down from His Heavenly throne to this world, in order to die for our sins, and rose from the death, defeating the devil once and for all.

A few other aspects:

The one above is crucial. There are too many differences to cover here, but a topical study of the Koran/Qur’an would be quite rewarding. For now, let‘s look at just a few short ones, which you may view more yourself:

Personal God of love:

That part about being too majestic comes from their concept that God can‘t be approached. However, the Bible says otherwise. God is very personal, and in fact, wants a personal relationship with each of us. He wants us to take all our cares and worries and burdens to Him. (Mat. 11:28-30, 1 Peter 5:7, etc.). He understands all of what we go through (Heb. 4:15-16), because He lived a sinless life, bearing our sins (1 Peter 2:24) – so He lived, but never sinned, thus He can help us through whatever we’re tempted by.

He is a personal God of love, too – this means He is always moved with compassion and will not only never tempt us beyond what we are able, he will provide a way out for us. He will lovingly guide us according to what is best for each of us.

Sacrifice for our sins:

A great archaeologist named William Ramsey set out to prove the Bible wrong, and wound up finding Luke to be an incredible historian who got all his facts right. One of those facts that Luke and the other Bible writers note is that Jesus willing gave himself for us. Because he was God, He could have come down from the cross – He could have called 10,000 angels. Yes, another man had to carry the cross part of the way, but this was very common – quite a few people never survived the scourging before they were crucified, and Jesus didn’t have the strong, broad shoulders that the thieves who were crucified often had. Jesus clearly died on that cross, then rose from the dead. Indeed, among early believers were likely his two sons – otherwise, it’s not likely they would have been mentioned.

Compassion, not honor:

Among some Muslims, there is a form of law called sharia,. This law boasts no compassion when it comes to the treatment of women. It is all about honor. On the other hand, jesus and His followers insisted that women be honored, and when he came across an adulteress, He pardoned her. Jesus constantly forgave sins.

It can be argued, of course, that this law – like some unorthodox Christian teachings – isn’t in the Koran/Qur’an. What’s important, though, is that believers in Christianity are admonished to loves their wives as Christ loved the church. And, if someone sins against another, the only one at fault is the one who sinned, not the victim. God consistently has compassion on those who suffer. The Bible also clearly says that men should love their wives as Christ loved the church (Eph. 5:25); and He was constantly giving Himself for it.

Indeed, elsewhere, we read that God is no respecter of persons, and that all are equal in Christ Jesus (Gal. 3:28) – there is no disparity between man and woman, except in how men are called to be the spiritual leaders. But, this doesn’t give man the right to walk all over a woman, and when the man won’t or can’t lead a family spiritually, a woman can still become great for doing so. (2 Kings 4:8 onward)

Another excellent article, which contains facts from The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Edition 15, Volumes 22 & 25, discussing how the ecumenical movement has discusses things such as the origin of Islam. There is also much evidence for the truths of the Old Testament, and the people mentioned therein – evidence which is being destroyed.

However, the important thing to remember is this:

The God of the Bible, the Creator and sustainer, loves you. He is not the same as that of Islam. Instead, He is a personal, loving, and caring God, who deliberately came to this world and died on the cross, rising from the dead so we could go to Heaven.

He doesn’t require anything of us but our faith. To get to Heaven, one must: A. Admit your status as a sinner, that you fall short of God’s perfect glory, and that this means you can’t get into His perfect heaven on your own; B. Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, was born of a virgin, took the punishment for your sins when He died on the cross, and then rose victoriously from the dead; and, C. Choose to repent of your sins – that is, agree with god about your sin – and receive him as your Savior by simple faith. For by grace are ye saved by faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)

God will never just weigh things in a balance the way other religions claim. No sin at all can get into heaven. The Bible is true when it says, “Ye must be born again.” (John 3:3) This concept is not present is Islam. It is the truth that God, in His perfect love, only wants us to come to Him and accept that we need Him to forgive us and save us, and to then receive that forgiveness by faith, letting Him make us new on the inside. Then, we will no longer be slaves to self, but we will be free. And, we can be certain – because, He wants us to be sure, and to know that just by believing – receiving Him by faith (John 20:31, 1 John 5:13) – we can have life forever with Him, now and in Heaven, where nobody suffers, nobody feels pain, nobody dies, and where nobody can imagine the wonders that await us.

As Mother’s Day approaches, it’s also time to honor not only biological mothers, but everyone who performs the duties of a mother – grandmothers, aunts, older sisters, and others. It’s also a good time to consider a very important woman in the Bible – Mary.

Mary is shown to be a woman of great faith – one might say she had faith beyond her years, as she was likely engaged as a young teen. But, who was she?

The Bible – the Inspired Word of God

To start, it’s important to establish that the Bible is the Word of God. The writers didn’t follow man’s wisdom – they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), which is one way God manifests Himself. It’s like saying water vapor is one way H2O shows itself. Water, ice, and vapor are all H2O. The Father, Son, and Spirit are all God. God is three in one, and one in three. That is the Trinity, or as the Bible calls it, the Godhead. (Col. 2:9 and others). Jesus promised to send the Comforter – the Holy Spirit/Ghost – to the disciples (John 14:26, etc.), and also to all believers. (Eph. 1:13-14, etc.)

So, God Himself instructed the writers to write the Bible, while allowing the writers to keep their own individual traits and styles. God’s Word is truth. (John 17:17)

Mary’s Attitude & Christ’s Virgin Birth

One thing we notice quickly is Mary’s attitude. Numerous times, as things happen, she “ponders them in her heart.” This shows that she was wise enough to know she must be humble. She didn’t have all the answers, and she knew it. That’s an important trait. Some mothers are faced with children of widely varying personalities. They must know how to treat each in a loving manner which befits that child. She comes right out and asks the angel how she was going to conceive, if she had never been with a man. The angel saw her heart and answered graciously. Jesus would be born miraculously, because the Holy Spirit would “come upon her,” (Luke 1:35, Mat. 1:20) and “overshadow” her, like a cloud. (Luke 1:35) Once she is informed of this, she has the faith to understand that this would be a miraculous work, performed by God. It would be very different from normal, because God had to provide a way to bypass the seed of man, because through man – Adam – all are dead. Through Jesus Christ, God in flesh, however, all are made alive again. (Rom. 5:12-21) Mary accepts this willingly.

Mary’s Rejoicing at her Salvation and God’s Promise

The Bible gives us Mary’s song of praise to God. (Luke 1:46-55) She especially praises God as her Saviour. (Luke 1:47) This is important. It shows that she knew she wasn’t perfect. She was in need of the Saviour, just as everyone is.

But, wait, some may say. In Luke 1:43, Elizabeth – Mary’s cousin and mother to John the Baptist – refers to her as the mother of the Lord? Even if Mary was in need of the Saviour, does this show she has a special place of honor? Let’s look at what the Bible says elsewhere. We’ll see the answer is apparent.

Why does the Holy Spirit lead Elizabeth to call Mary this?

There are two good reasons why Elizabeth calls Mary this.

First, it shows that blessed fact that Jesus Christ was God in flesh. He is the Lord – He is not just a God, He is, was, and always shall be God. In many other places, we see He is one with God. (John 10:30, etc.) Yes, at times God has a reason for distinguishing between God the Father and God the Son, often to remind readers of His sacrifice. However, this is one more place where we see Jesus is God.

Second, she is humbly accepting that it was a great honor that Mary would come to her. Mary is a great mother. Think about it. God knew that when He came in flesh, to Earth, He would have it rough. He’d be hated, mocked, ridiculed, probably called every name in the book – and not just as an adult. The old devil, full of tricks, would likely rile up those in his neighborhood to no end, just as Herod was fueled by jealousy and rage to kill every little boy in Bethlehem, in hopes of killing Jesus. Bullies may have taunted him mercilessly, and others cheated may have him consistently. Why? Because if He had been made to sin even once, He would not have been able to be the sinless sacrifice for our sins when He died on the cross, and rose from the grave.

We know Jesus was sinless, though. His perfect blood provided our redemption. Could He have come out of a dysfunctional home? Sure, He was God. However, God knew that the burden of growing up as He did would be lessened considerably by providing Him with a loving, caring family to grow up in, so He wouldn’t have to face any more than He had to. Mary and Joseph recognized that God needed to be at the head of their household.

So, Mary had been given a great honor. However, she was only given this honor because she was totally ready to make God number one in her life.

We can see this in the only command she gives in the Bible. That command was given to workers at a marriage feast in Cana.

Mary’s command – “Whatever Jesus Says, Do It”

The command Mary gives comes after servants at a feast run out of wine. She goes to Jesus and informs Him of this. However, Jesus doesn’t perform a miracle just because she asks Him to; His statement to her is a mild reminder that He is God, and is not bound by what she requests Indeed, He’s not bound by any of us; His plans and ways are perfect. He knows what is best in each of our lives, better than we do.

Some have wondered about His calling her “Woman.” This was the customary Jewish term when speaking respectfully to a woman, as seen in other verses. It can be done very tenderly, and was, by Jesus. Indeed, He uses this same term on the cross, to fulfill an obligation. He told John, His closest disciple, to take care of her, as she was almost certainly a widow at this point – hence He says “Woman, behold thy son.” (John 19:26) yes, she had other children the natural way, as noted in several verses. However, as the oldest, Jesus had the duty to provide for her.

There is another reason Jesus doesn’t call her by the term “Mother” in this verse, though. It relates to the first point – He was not bound to obey just because she had given birth to Him. This is not only because He is God, but because he knew there could be confusion if she was seen to influence Him at any point.

She shows that she understands that in the next verse. She tells the servants “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” (John 2:5)

With that command, she humbly backs away, realizing that Jesus, and He alone, is God, and only He should be obeyed. Jesus was right, that people might get confused otherwise, as a woman approaches Him at another point during His Earthly ministry, and praises Mary, calling her blessed. Jesus corrects this woman, too, saying, “rather, blessed are they that hear the Word of God, and keep it.” (Luke 11:27-28) In other words, the one who is blessed is the person who keeps – that is, obeys – the Word of God.

Mary does say, in the Magnificat, that the world would call her blessed. Mary was a wonderful, humble woman who kept God close in her heart. She willingly backed away, as she realized that Jesus is God in flesh, and that He alone should be approached for things. She is saying she’ll be called blessed in the same way all those who received Jesus by faith were blessed with that great privilege, to see our Lord Himself in the flesh.

We can be joyful, too, because, “To as many as received Him, gave He power to become the Sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12) That verse is special, because it is one of many verses where God, in His Word, tells us what to do in order to receive His free gift of salvation. It is not just for those who receive Him – it is for those who believe on His name.

What Jesus Tells Us To Do:

How do we do that? He wants us all to com to Him by prayer. He calls on all, “Come unto Me, al lye who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of Me, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mat. 11:28-30) We do that through prayer, letting Him work in us through God the Holy Spirit. We can go boldly before the throne of grace. (Hab. 4:16)

It is not by vain repetitions (Mat. 6:7) – Jesus gave us a model prayer, but it is clearly a model, as He just gets done saying to just say the same thing over and over. It shows that we pray to God the Father, in Jesus’ name. Yes, when we do that, we’re really praying to God the Son, too, but that that means is, we’re praying because we are in Jesus – we have His Spirit living inside us. That’s the only way we can pray to God.

This is why the first prayer God will hear, and answer “yes” to, is the “sinner’s prayer.” You may ask, is that in the Bible? A type is – it’s what prayed by the thief on the cross in Luke 23. More generally, when someone refers to it, they’re referring to the act of trusting in Jesus as we are commanded in Eph. 2:8-9, Rom. 10:9-10, Rom. 10:13, John 1:12, John 3:16, and so on. All these verses in God’s Word – His commands for us – tell each of us we must: 1. Admit we’re sinners, that we fall short of God’s perfect Heaven, and can’t save ourselves; 2. Believe that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died for our sins taking our punishment, and rose from the dead; and, 3. Choose to repent – turn away from our sins – and receive Him into our hearts as Saviour, letting Him make us new inside.

God gave us His Word because he wants us to know Him personally, to know for sure we are going to Heaven. (1 John 5:13, Rom. 8:38-39, etc.) Churches have set up traditions, but Jesus warns us against following traditions that go against His Word, just as He does against vain repetitions. He wants us to follow His Word, and that alone.

When we trust in Him, He promises to guide us through anything, give us peace that passes understanding, wisdom whenever we seek Him, and many other great things on Earth, in addition to salvation from our sins. Indeed, when the servants went to Jesus at that marriage feast, Jesus gave them what they needed. Not because they went through Mary – Jesus said they couldn’t go through Mary, and Mary specifically told them not to go through her, but to go through Jesus and do whatever He said. Turning water into wine was a little request compared to the big miracles Jesus did – it wasn’t healing or raising from the dead. But, this just shows that Jesus will hear any request, from the smallest to the greatest. And, He will give us what is best for us when we ask in His will.

That’s because Jesus – God Himself – comes to live inside us, through his Holy Spirit, when we receive Him by simple faith. And, if we stray, He lovingly guides us back – sometimes He has to nudge harder, if we struggle too hard, but He will always lovingly work in us to make us more like Him, because that is what’s best for us.

Mary did a great job. She is the ideal mother; the kind women can look up to, just as they can look up to Ruth, Esther, or any Godly person. However, she is not the one any of us should ultimately pattern ourselves after.

God’s Word – which not only Mary, but more importantly God Himself, says to follow – says we should be like Christ. It is hard, because even after we receive Him, we have that fleshly nature. However, we have His promise, that once He begins a good work in us, He will complete it. (Philippians 1:6) So, we can do like Mary did, and greatly rejoice in God our Saviour. Because, just Mary recognized her need of salvation for her sins, and learned to do whatever it was Jesus said, so, too, can we all receive Him as our Saviour, and learn to follow Him – not because we have to, but because we want to.

A year ago, the only things people knew about Ben Roethlisberger were that he’d won 2 Super Bowls, and that his name was hard to spell; “Ben Rothlisberger” is one of many possible spellings people have made. Today, it’s much different. It’s a story that shows just why people need to think about their actions before they take them.

For those who don’t know, Roethlisberger has been involved in two situations involving women; one resulting in a civil suit, and the more result assault allegation. No criminal charges were filed in either. However, they show the importance of making wise choices when out in public, and even hint at why courtship is recommended by many, even for older people.

The latest one is the only one in which a District Attorney looked at evidence. The D.A.’s statement showed that something happened, but it’s too difficult to tell what it was. Even without criminal charges, though, evidence is so strong that something happened that there was talk that Commissioner Roger Goodell would suspend him.

Some have decried the fact he was at the place in question, but with a number of friends around him, that shouldn’t have been a huge problem. Why?

Obviously, people must act responsibly. But, we’re all human. We should have codes that tell us to be responsible for ourselves, but when we fail, we need friends there for us.

True friends – the kind that look out for you and don’t pressure you into things – provide accountability. That means, if the star QB wanted to drink more, at least one should have been responsible and made sure that, first, all the drinkers got rides, and second, that nobody did anything which might look bad in the morning. In other words, there should always be at least one who can have fun without losing control. One can have a lot of fun and even act silly quite well on one’s own, without causing trouble.

True friends help you because they love you – Proverbs 17:17 says that, “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” This means a true friend shows true concern for their friend’s welfare – that includes looking ahead – and won’t try to hurt his or her friend. A brother – one who is closer than a friend, even – is the kind who will always be there when rough times hit. However, there is a friend who will stick closer to you than a brother. (Prov. 18:24) A friend will tell the truth, even when it hurts (Prov. 27:6: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend”), because he or she knows that sometimes, that person will turn the wrong way, and need help finding their way back. That proverb goes on to state that the “kisses” of an enemy will be destructive.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that Roethlisberger’s friends aren’t true friends. For all we know, one may have stayed sober, and Roethlisberger refused to listen. But, if all of the had, they could have prevented him – physically, if need be – from going into a restroom and causing whatever to happen. So, at least some didn’t do their duty in helping him that night. But, they might be great guys normally. It does, however, show something important that we’ll get to in a minute.

First, however, the D.A. said drinking was involved. Statements say it led to something happening in a restroom. The young lady also needed friends helping her. Proverbs 27:17 says, “Iron sharpeneth iron, so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” What that means is that a man or a woman who is a true friend will sharpen – that is, make better and help with things, such as one’s perspective on a situation – their friend just as iron sharpens iron; and, iron does the best job of sharpening another piece of iron. Too many people drink because they fall for the lies of our culture. It’s a lie that make them think they’re missing something, when they’re not. It’s much better to be able to remember what you did for one thing.

These people should not have had to rely on friends to begin with, of course. Roethlisberger was older, and should have known better. However, when temptation came, they should have been able to rely on friends who were with them. (Edit: It appears that the young lady did have a couple friends who tried to intervene, but becasue they waited, they couldn’t.)

Human friends aren’t the best to rely on. Human friends let us down at times. However, there is – as noted above – a friend that sticks closer than a brother at all times. That friend that always sticks closer than a brother is Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is God in flesh – He was God and man. (John 1:1, 14; John 10:30, etc.) He knows everything we’ve been through, because He has been through it Himself. Yet, He never sinned. He lived a perfect life. He died on the cross to take the punishment for each of our sins, and then rose victoriously from the dead.

He can live inside anyone if they just trust Him by simple faith to forgive them of their sins and come into their heart to change them, believing He took the punishment for them, personally. He lives in each believer through the Holy Spirit. When the veil in the Temple was torn from top to bottom, the Glory of God was free to move about the earth, because the curse of sin had been lifted. God is free to indwell every believer now.

First Corinthians 10:13 promises that no matter what we are tempted with, God will provide a means of escape that is how we rely on that friend – Jesus Christ – that sticks closer than a brother. We listen to Him in our hearts, through that still small voice, through Scripture that we’ve read, and so on.

Roethlisberger and/or that young woman might have Christ in them, of course. I’m not saying they don’t. If they do, however, they didn’t listen to Him. There is no temptation that any of us will face that many others haven’t faced before. However, God is faithful, and will always provide a means of escape.

He won’t be like a fireman pulling a person from a burning home, though. He gives us free will. He doesn’t want us to be mindless robots. And, sometimes, the only way we’ll listen, is if we’ve learned a painful lesson beforehand. Other people will listen without having to learn the hard way. Every person is different, and the Lord knows each one of us, and how to reach us.

What really happened in the Ben Roethlisberger case? We don’t know all the facts, and might never know. But, we know these general things:

1. There was a breakdown in behavior, either because Roethlisberger didn’t listen to that part of him saying not to do certain things, or he never learned that lesson. Whichever it is, that was sin; not just because he hurt someone, but because he turned away from doing what was right.

2. That act of turning away from what was right was made worse because human friends let him down. Isaiah 53:6 is among many verses that note that this happens, because we’re human. “All we like sheep have gone astray, we have turned each one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

3. Because human friends fail us, we need to rely on the one True Friend, the one who called His disciples friends.

4. Jesus loveth at all times, but whereas human friends can’t love with an agape love, He can. That means unconditional love – He will never leave you, nor forsake you. So, if you mess up, he won’t leave you stranded. He’ll always be there, waiting with open arms for you to turn back to Him. When one receives Him, that person is sealed with the Holy Spirit, which is the earnest of our redemption – it’s the down payment which says that we’ll have eternal life with Him someday. Because, we don’t just get eternal life someday with Him, He gives eternal life with Him right here on Earth.

For you to do that, though, you need to have Him in your heart to begin with. God restored the fellowship that was broken when sin entered the world, by reconciling us to Him. He wants to be your friend. And, each of us is only a single, sincere prayer of repentance away from having Him as a friend inside you, guiding and helping through everything in life.

To non-Christians, it may seem odd to worship a man on a cross.  That’s because they only look at the outside.  Following the lies of the world, they don’t realize the incredible price that had to be paid for sin.  And, they don’t realize there are many confessions that Jesus is the Christ – the Son of the living God.

Does the cross seem gross?  If you saw “The Passion of the Christ,” you’d know. Indeed, to paraphrase part of Isaiah 53, He was without any real beauty that we should treasure Him when we saw Him.  He is a man of sorrows, well-acquainted with grief.  He was despised and rejected while here on Earth, and just as then, even now, people turn their faces at Him. (Isaiah 52:2-3)  God understands that to look just at the outside, it seems very bloody.  But, just as much in life, the outside is not the whole story.

See, it’s not just about a man on a cross.  There were other men hung on crosses; that was the traditional Roman form of execution.  Jesus Christ was crucified with 2 of them, in fact.  One on the left cursed and reviled Him.  However, the one on the right realized the truth.

The penalty for sin

The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom. 6:23)  What that means is that we earn death for our sin.  It’s not just physical death, it’s spiritual death.

Think of how horrible spiritual death is.  It’s torment forever in a place call hell. God never wants anyone to go there.  But, that spiritual death is what we earn because of sin.

You may ask, “What is sin?”  Sin falling short of the mark of perfection.  It’s anything we say, think or do that displeases God.

That may sound harsh, until you realize that God, in His perfect love, has a place for all those who choose to receive Him, called heaven.  It’s a place of perfect goodness and love.  There can be no suffering there, no tears, no pain, no heartache, no death.  Nobody can imagine the wonders that await us there.  It’s so much better than this wicked world.  Heaven is where God wants you to be.

But, because he wants us to be there, he had to do something to take away our sin.  That’s because there can be no sin in that perfect Heaven.

If we have all earned that spiritual death, though, God had to do something so we didn’t have to suffer spiritual death.  So, why the cross?  That brings us back to that thief on the right, the one who realized the truth, and asked Jesus to remember him when he came into His kingdom.

The gift of God

The thief on the cross told his fellow criminal that they were there because they deserved to be punished for their wrongdoing.  Then, he said that Jesus was there and had done nothing wrong.  He realized the truth.

Jesus wasn’t just a man.  If He had been only a man, he would have had to pay for His own sin, because all people are sinners.  He wasn’t just a man, though.

Jesus Christ was God in flesh.  He never did anything wrong.  This thief realized that.  He realized that Jesus Christ was God in flesh.  He didn’t have to suffer for His own sin, because he was without sin. Yet, He became sin, for us.  He was suffering for that thief’s sin, for the crowd’s sin, for my sin, your sin, everyone’s sin who ever lived.

Think about that.  All the people who have ever said something mean, hurt others, lied, cheated, stolen, been cruel and thoughtless, and many other things.  He was suffering for every single sin that was ever committed.

That’s a lot of sin.  That’s why He suffered so much.  He was god in flesh.  By Him were all things created, and without Him was not anything made that was made. (John 1:3)  God made this world perfect, but people brought sin into it, because God gave them free choice, whether to follow Him or not.  He knew everything, and He had every person ever – yes, you – on His mind on that cross.

The world tries to deny it, but Jesus was God.  This is shown throughout Scripture.

1. He Himself proclaimed He was God. When the Pharisees would ask, He’d always respond with something like our phrase, “You said it!’ or “You’ve got that right!”  Or, He’d give an I AM statement, using the same term God used in the Old Testament, a word so holy, they would never use it themselves, because only God could.  He said He was the Messiah to the woman at the well, also.

2. His miracles proved it.  He did things only God could do.

3. The Old Testament proclaimed it.  All the law and the prophets pointed to the many things He would do in His worldly ministry, that it would be God Himself.

4. God the Father proclaimed it, after Jesus’ baptism, and again on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus is the Son of God – the way that phrase was used, it means of the same substance.  He was, is, and always will be God.  Think of how H2O is the same, whether it’s water, ice, or water vapor.

5. His followers proclaimed it, over and over in the New Testament and afterward.

Think about it.  All any one of His disciples had to do to escape punishment was deny His resurrection.  They kept proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, that he rose from the dead, because they saw it with their own eyes.  For nearly 2,000 years, believers have been willing to suffer horribly because they know in their hearts the same things the apostles saw with their own eyes.  They knew that Jesus Christ had suffered horribly for the sins of mankind, died on that cross, and risen from the dead.

That’s what it’s all about. He took the penalty for your sins, and for mine. And, there is nothing we have to do – nothing we could do – to save ourselves.  It must be completely by faith that we are saved.  Faith that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and then rose victoriously the third day.

Jesus was 100% man.  He had to be, to die on the cross.  However, Jesus was also 100% God.  He had to be, to rise from the dead.  He did.  And because of that, we can celebrate.

Yes, it looks like a bloody mess when we consider how Jesus suffered.  But, we must never forget that sin is so awful, and must be kept out of His perfect heaven.  And, that because of that, Jesus had to suffer, and die, for the sins of the world.

Because when He hung there on that cross, suspended between Earth and Heaven, He had the sins of all the world on His shoulders.  He literally bridged the gap between man and God; he reconciled man to Himself through His death.  Then, He rose victoriously back to life!  Hence the words of that great hymn – “My sin, not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more.  Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, oh my soul!”

I pray you have received Him as your personal Savior, by simple faith that He did that for you; so you don’t have to bear your sin anymore.

Aliens, SETI, and search for extraterrestrial life: Is there life on other planets, and what should we say to them?

Lots of people talk about aliens from other planets. Popular movies from E.T. down to Avatar, numerous TV shows, and of course, the major program called SETI - where there is an active search for extra-terrestrial life – make life on other planets seem normal.

But, there is one question few people ask. That’s a surprise, because if there was life on other planets, it’s an important one.

That question is, “If they exist, how do we greet them, so we’re sure they’re friendly?”

Think about it. “War of the Worlds” was just the beginning of a slew of scary stories that made us think they’d vaporize us. Then, “Star Trek” and others came along. Suddenly, aliens were generally friendly, or really wacky, like Robin Williams’ Mork. They were all so similar to humans that you could barely tell the difference.

There is no guarantee that intelligent life exists on other planets. The Bible says creation began here, and strongly indicates that Earth is the only place with intelligent life, as we’ll see later. However, if someone sees things which seem to be otherworldly beings, the Bible tells us exactly how to greet any, so we know if they are friend or foe.

In First John 4:1-3 – along with 2 John 7 – we see why a certain question from the Bible is important. 1 John 4:1 instructs us to test every spirit.

Yes, there is a spiritual realm. The physical realm is not all there is. There are at least four dimensions – the fourth is time – not three, as we all think about. There are possibly others, according to string theory.

So, there is a lot more out there than we know, including spirits. Those who experience strange, supernatural things generally view them as scary, and have dabbled in occultic stuff beforehand. These are not aliens from other worlds. They are demons. These people did not test things to see if they were of God. They got caught up in evil instead.

We wouldn’t know if any “aliens” were friend or foe. So, we still must test them. That includes spirits that look nice outside, but inside they want to trick us into following them into something horrible. Remember ABC’s recent remake of “V”? We should never assume any creature will want to help us, or even just hang out and act crazy like Mork.

This question that one can ask will allow us to know for sure if they can be trusted. It must be answered “yes.” Such a question is important, because there are evil forces.

The Bible warns that God has an enemy, the devil. The devil can masquerade as an angel of light. He hates humans. Why? We are God’s creation, formed in God’s image.

God created everything in the beginning, and gave angels freedom. However, in his pride, the devil – an angel named Lucifer – tried to overthrow God, and become like the Most High. Instead, the devil was defeated by God’s perfect love, goodness, etc.. Now, the devil works with fallen angels which followed him to deceive God’s creatures. That deception is what led to the fall of Adam and Eve, which is when sin came into our formerly perfect world. It’s also what leads to those spooky sightings, if those sightings are of evil spirits and not some experiment.

God is a God of love, though, as well as one of justice. He wants us to believe and follow Him willingly. He gives us free choice. He doesn’t want us to be mindless robots. Still, He wants us to be in His perfect Heaven someday. We can’t get there ourselves, because we are imperfect. We say, think, and do things that displease God; that’s what sin is. We can’t earn our way there, because we can never be perfect. Only perfection can be in Heaven, because it is a place with no pain, no suffering, no tears, no decay, no death. We, as imperfect people, can’t see, hear, or even imagine the wonders that await us. But, we will always have that sin on us unless something is done for us.

God not only made the way, he gave Himself for us. See, God couldn’t just say “Sin is forgiven” from up in Heaven. He had to come to this world, be born as a baby, and live a perfect life, before He died on the cross as the perfect, sinless substitute for our sins. He took the punishment for each of us, the punishment we deserved. He had to be human in order to die for us humans, to take human punishment. And yet, He was also God the Son, so after he died, He then rose from the dead.

Jesus Christ is the second person of the Godhead. Just as H2O – water – comes in three forms, solid, liquid, and gas, so, too, does God shows Himself in three ways. It’s all God, just as water, ice, and water vapor is all H2O – 2 parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. God the Father sent God the Son to die for us, but at the same time, God the Son came willingly. He lives in every believer through God the Holy Spirit, and intercedes on our behalf before God the Father in Heaven.

Even the devils – the fallen angels – understand this, though. That’s why in Matthew 8:29, and elsewhere, they cry out that Jesus is the Son of God. This means that he is God. It’s just like James and John were nicknamed the “sons of thunder” because of the way they acted, or Barnabas, the “son of consolation.” The devils feared God, and trembled. However, there is one important difference between those evil spirits and good spirits.

Evil spirits deny that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has come in the flesh. That is the spirit of antichrist, as the Bible says. It poses great danger.

See, they deny that Christ’s salvation cleanses from sin. They try to lead people down another path, a path that seems good to people. But, it’s a path that ends in destruction.

That’s why we must test the spirits, to see if they are of God. And, why we are warned so emphatically about the spirits that deny that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. They must *never* be followed, because they lead man away from our perfect, loving, yet holy and just God. Just like those aliens in “V” looked good, yet were evil inside.

So, what is the question which must be asked?

It is this: “Is Jesus Christ God in the flesh?”

What does this have to do with aliens? See, claims of life on other planets would change all of society. However, we’d have to be sure the “aliens” were not lying spirits instead, since we wouldn’t know what their inside was. But, there’s another reason.

God forewarned that “strong delusion” would come on those who refused to receive His free gift of salvation. (2 Thess. 2:8-12) That strong delusion could, possibly, be devils disguised as aliens. They could also be the Nephilim of Geneses 6:1-4, about which there is much debate, but which some believe to be part demon, and part human.

We don’t know what that delusion will be. However, we know two things for certain:

1. Every spirit must be tested, to see whether it is of God. There are evil spirits out there, just as the aliens in “V” appeared good, but were in fact evil.

2. Today is the day of salvation. Whether or not that delusion involves aliens, there is already evil in the world. However, the greatest evil is being restrained. That delusion will come full force on those who remain after the restrainer (the Holy Spirit) is taken out of the way (2 Thessalonians 2:7) as believers are caught up in the Rapture. In other words, Jesus’ return is imminent. He could come at any time.

If you’ve never received Him as your personal Savior, you must before the delusion.

Is there intelligent life on other planets?

Almost certainly not. Here’s why: 1. Creation began on Earth, no other planets are mentioned; 2. Jesus died once for all. He didn’t die on Earth, and other places; 3. God never changes, he is always faithful and true; he wouldn’t have one plan of salvation for one planet, another for another – even in the Old Testament, salvation was always by faith; 3. Jesus’ talk of others “not of this flock” refers to Gentiles, as His followers then were all Jews; 4. God wiped all flesh from the Earth during the Flood, save for those in the Ark, because of the gross evil – in His mercy, He gave them one last time to repent as the waters rose. There is no sign people built spaceships before then.

Even if there were, though, that brings us back to the question that must be asked, to see if they’re friend or foe. Here’s why they would have to say “yes”:
1. God had a perfect relationship with Adam and Eve until the Fall of Man. If creatures never fell from grace, they’d have a relationship like angels who remained loyal to God. He’d tell what He had done for humankind. Since Jesus died once for all, and Jesus is God, they would know. They would clearly say “Yes, Jesus Christ is God, and He came in flesh as mankind’s Savior, for all who receive Him.” They’d testify that the Bible was true. We’d know they were friendly. And, they’d never claim to be “aliens,” just “God’s messengers,” just as His angels do;
2. If people built ships to travel the stars before the Flood, and God didn’t destroy them, they wouldn’t be aliens. They’d be people. They’d see common history from the start of Genesis. Some would put faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, that He was God in flesh. The Word of God is swift, and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, and can easily pierce the hearts of His creation – us. (Hebrews 4:12)
There is another problem with the second: Out Of Place Artifacts (OOPARTS) show pre-Flood and early post-Flood people were advanced. But, even 10 Edisons and Einsteins living centuries likely couldn’t create all that would be needed for interplanetary travel. So, that pretty much eliminates the second option.

God can’t lie. It’s impossible. When He says something exists, there it is. He tells the story of Creation, the Fall, Redemption and through it all, His great love for His creation.

He loves every creature that He created. He hates sin, and destroyed all flesh on the Earth because sin so grossly infected all but Noah and 7 others; giving one last chance to repent. Then, when the fullness of time was come, He came into this world to die once for all of His fallen creatures. He would not leave His fallen creatures without salvation.

The Bible is our authority for everything. Any supposed alien not matching it is a fallen spirit disguised as aliens; and, others wouldn’t really be aliens, but like angels or human.

In all cases, there is a very clear test, to see if they are friend or foe. They must be asked if Jesus Christ has come in the flesh, and able to say “yes.”

Jesus Christ alone should be followed, as He alone is perfect love and goodness. Only He provides salvation, as He is God in flesh; only He was the perfect, sinless sacrifice for our sin. The Bible has an answer for everything. One key passage is James 1:5, the promise that God will give wisdom to anyone who asks; He will give cheerfully, and never complain about it. Go to Him with all your questions, and all your problems, because He can help you like noone else.

Jesus is, after all, God, Who came in the flesh; He is well acquainted with our infirmities, yet was without sin, so He could take our punishment when He died on the cross, and then rose triumphantly from the dead. The Bible clearly shows (in Revelation 19) how He’ll come after the Battle of Armageddon, and rule and reign on this Earth.

When discussing the health care debate, and the legislation that recently passed, my great uncle wondered what the perfect plan looked like. I noted, and he agreed after some thought, that the perfect plan can never be created by imperfect man.

Think about it. We may create things that are perfect for certain situations. A working refrigerator is the perfect thing to store foods you will consume within a short period of time, for instance – milk, juice, meat, and so on. It has many flaws outside its function, though – it can’t keep ice cream, it can’t hold foods for years on end, it has limited space, and it certainly can’t cook! In fact, it does the opposite, cooling instead of warming. The refrigerator, then, is a device made for a certain purpose. It works very well for that purpose, but imperfect man couldn’t create something that worked for everything – keeping refrigerated and frozen foods at the same temperature, for years on end, and cooking them when required.

Other things are the same way. Let’s say that a plan involves someone seeing something. Obviously, a blind person needs some special way to do it. And, there is understanding, too; not everyone will be able to comprehend whatever it is.

Why can’t people create the perfect plan? For one, people are not all-knowing, so they can’t plan for every situation. Even when they do know all the possible situations (like the refrigerator), they can’t create one thing that will do everything. However, there is another, more fundamental problem. People are imperfect.

Think about climbing a mountain. You are trying to help someone else climb. If they are behind you, you can pull them up to your ledge. But, you can’t pull them to a ledge higher than you. Even if you push, you can only push them so far.

In the same way, perfection is a loftier goal than imperfection. If one is perfect, one makes no mistakes. However, someone who always makes mistakes can’t show someone how to make no mistakes. Think about the refrigerator example. Someone might try to make a refrigerator, and they can never figure out how to get the cooling system to work. It’s always causing food to spoil. Until that person is able to figure out how to make the cooling system work, they’ll never be able to teach someone else how to make it work. (Yes, they could give clues that show the second person how, much as a batting coach who was a poor major league hitter can still be a good coach. However, that is relying on the skills of the second person. Charlie Lau could help mold George Brett into a Hall of Fame hitter. But, he couldn’t have turned Buddy Biancalana into one. Brett had the skill, Lau could only help him hone it.)

It’s impossible, then, for mankind to create the perfect health care plan. It is impossible for people to create the perfect anything. Nor can people become perfect – there will always be mistakes. However, thankfully, we don’t need to wallow around in imperfect. There is something perfect in which we can trust.

Jesus is called The Great Physician for a reason. He is the God of all comfort, and he can heal anytime. He allowed us to go through difficult things at times, because that is part of ife, and it helps us to be able to comfort others. As well as helping us to draw closer to Him. (There are also times when it can save a life. My grandfather would have died in a World War Two training flight if he hadn’t caught pleurisy two weeks earlier. Instead he lived almost 55 more years.) He’ll help us through anything, if we only trust Him. He just gives us freedome to choose Him or not

Ultimately, He holds us all in His hands. Every hair on our head is numbered. Just as He sees each sparrow that falls to the earth, He sees each person who is sick, each cough, each sniffle. He cares about everyone, and what they are going through.

He has given us modern medicine to allow us to live wonderful lives, lives which, Lord willing, can be filled with good health into our 80s and 90s. But, the body eventually breaks down. That’s part of living in this world that has had every nook and cranny infected by the sin that man chose to bring into the world. And, some bodies break down much faster than others. Some people develop, or are even born with, things that challenge them every day of their lives. Ultimately, it’s God who knows what is best for us, and what our medical future will be.

That being said, since God has allowed us to create modern medicine, we should use this gift to benefit others. We can’t use it to create the perfect health care solution. Only God could crete something that was infinite, unending. His would be a system of knowing the past, present, and future for everyone, down to the finest detail. It would involve knowing what worked best for each person, as an individual, rather than a community as a whole. It would involve providing everyone with the access to life, because God is a lover, giver, and sustainer of life.

We can’t do that, because we have a finite (limited) system, which will always be run by imperfect humans. These people don’t know the future with 100% certainty, they don’t know the first time what is wrong (if anything) with each person, and they can’t predict who will get sick and who won’t, or why they will be sick. It can’t cure everyone.

We can’t create a perfect plan. However, we can be part of a perfect plan by doing the following:

1. Have a relationship with Him. It’s impossible to be part of His plan if you are not on it. The way to be on it is to simply receive His forgiveness for your sins, believing that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, died on the cross, taking your punishment for your sins, and rose from the dead.

2. Fully rely on God. He inhabits the prayers of His people. That means praying for good health, or for recovery, can help. Studies have shown prayer does give positive benefits. But, even if He doesn’t mean for you to have that, trust Him completely, knowing that He has your best interest at heart – even if it doesn’t seem like it all the time. (Like the example above of the illness that saved a life.)

3. Trust the Lord to guide us to the right place in secular matters. He allows freedom of choice so we won’t be mindless robots, but He also places secular authority over us to allow for organization. He then lets us choose within the rules. However, as noted above, different people have different needs. He lets us decide what is best for us – that’s what freedom is all about. And, when a country’s people have that right, He lets them make changes when things go wrong, in an orderly manner – such as elections, for isntance. However, He lovingly shows us that He has the best plans for our lives. And, He will open doors and point us in the right direction, if we just ask.

4. Use the voice God has allowed us to benefit others. Some are able to do a lot. Others are handicapped by finances, health, or something else, and only able to do a little. If all you are able to do is pray, write, or something else, God will still honor that you gave of yourself, your time, and your energy. Some of the most powerful people in history have been unknown prayer warriors.

5. Make use of the resources God gives. Modern medicine is just one of the things God has given us. Yes, there are rare times when He will heal someone miraculously. Most times, however, He wants us to praise Him for the medical advances we have. At the same time, we shouldn’t waste the things we have. So many people waste their health by smoking, drinking heavily, and other things. God will still forgive, of course, but you won’t be able to do what you could have if you waste it. With money, too, instead of spending on luxuries, give to missions and support a good, Bible-believing church.

6. At the same time, we must follow the advice of Hebrews 13:5: “Be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’” Don’t complain about what you don’t have, just focus on the fact that God, who sees every single cell, who has control over every atom and molecule, has promised that He will always be there for you, no matter what.

Whether you are upset about the outcome of this health care debate, remember that God is waiting for His people to call on Him for help, and to be used by Him to do whatever is needed. Remember that He will never give advice that goes against His Word. So, when on His plan, remember to follow His instruction booklet, the Bible. But, also know that once you are part of His family, He’ll never kick you out. He will always accept wayward people who return to Him, and those who remain wayward, He’ll still call home to Him when it’s time. Because, He is a perfectly loving, caring God who loves to show mercy and compassion on everyone. People just need to turn to Him for freedom from sin.

How to Have Your Debt Paid in Full

The current national debt of the Untied States is an amount so staggering, few can grasp it. It’s one of the big reasons why national help with health care is so hotly debated, and people worry so much about Social Security.

There is an even bigger debt, though, than the tens of thousands of dollars owed by each man, woman, and child in the United States. And, it, too, is a debt each person owes.

What is that debt? When we see someone do something wrong, we all like to think “They’ll get what’s coming to them.” That faith helps us overcome the incredible evil that is all around us. It is a debt that wrongdoers owe. In fact, people released from prison are sometimes said to have “paid their debt to society.”

The problem is, we all commit wrongs, called sins. We all have a debt – and the combined total of that debt is great far greater than the U.S. National Debt. Think about all the lies that have been told. With so many people in the world, there are far more lies per second than the amount the National Debt increases per second. That’s not even counting the number of times people steal, hurt others, act mean, and so on. This sin debt grows higher and higher every day.

We can pay off credit cards bit by bit. Sometimes, we can agree to pay a certain amount, and a case will be closed. But, in order to do this, you have to not charge any more, right? You can’t pay a minimum balance of $100 on a credit card and then spent $150 per month on that card. It wouldn’t make sense. The debt would never be paid. And, this doesn’t even take into account the interest on that debt. More must be going to pay the debt than the amount added to the debt, in order to spend it down.

In order to get out of debt, we have to work to manage things so we are spending less than we take in. that includes interest. And, we need to manage thigns so we aren’t racking up so much interest we can’t repay.

Think about that debt that we owe because of our human nature, then. Each of us owes a debt because of those things we say, think, or do that are wrong. They’re usually not like the “debt to society” that is paid for with prison. Most of them are things that need a simple apology, or something else. But, even that is not enough to pay off the debt of sin.

It’s important to apologize sincerely, of course. It helps a lot when we do. But, the problem is, by the time we apologize for a particular sin, things have been added to that sin, like interest. For instance, let’s say we have told a lie, and later apologize and change our heart attitude, so we don’t tell that same lie anymore. In the meantime, someone found out that we lied. An amount of trust will have vanished, that had been there before. It will take more effort to build that trust back up. That trust is like an interest payment for the debt that we took on when we sinned. In a way, then, that lie indirectly causes something to be stolen, as well. And, it isn’t even the only thing that can be lost. Someone may act on that lie, and wind up losing money, losing a relationship, or something else based on it, when that thing should never have been lost.

As much as we try, we can’t be perfect. Even if a person sins 3 times a day – and even if you believe you’re a “good person,” I’m sure you’ll accept that there are 3 times a day – that’s over 1,000 sins a year.

Think about it. We get cut off in traffic, and we curse the person even though they could have a sick relative they’re rushing to visit in the hospital. We say something to hurt or tear others down instead of building them up. We rush to selfishly do something instead of thinking of others first. We commit adultery in our heart through how we look at another. As we can see, then, the debt of sin is huge.

It’s one we can’t repay. We can’t even repay the sin debt on each individual sin. But, to make matters worse, we add to that debt every day. We add to it through mean-spirited things, gossip, selfish thinking, and many other things that not only hurt people, they hurt God. What an enormous debt we owe!

Our debt to society isn’t paid with prison, though. The wages of sin is death. It’s separation from God’s perfect love and goodness forever., in a horrible place filled with sin. God, in His justice, must keep sin from His perfect Heaven, because in His love, He provides a perfect place once this life is over. It’s a place filled with goodness, where there’s no pain, no suffering, and no tears.

But wait, you ask: If the wages of sin is death, if we have all this sin, how can we reach that place? How can that debt be paid?

Thankfully, the story doesn’t stop there. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. It’s a free gift.

See, that debt was so huge, that no person could pay it. No person could pay it, because each person would have to pay his or her own sin debt. So, god came to this world, in form of a man. Jesus Christ was 100% man and 100% God while here on Earth. He paid all your sin debt when He died on the cross for you, and rose from the dead.

Think about it. It wouldn’t do to be 51% good and 49% bad, because that sin debt would still be there. Yes, we should try to be good. But, you can’t repay a debt just by promising to not go any further into debt. The debt will still be there. But, that’s what people do when they trust in being good. They try to ignore those little debts and just focus on not having any more debt. But, that debt still has to be paid. No amount of good work can cause that debt to be paid. Thankfully, the sin debt has been paid in full. Jesus Christ is God in flesh. He, God the Father, the Holy Spirit, all His disciples (though they were tortured and killed for it), Jesus’ miracles, and the Old Testament all testify that He is the sinless one, who became sin for us.

That’s how he took on our debt. He marked it “Paid in full” when He shed His perfect blood, as the sacrifice for our sin. All the lambs that were sacrificed from the very beginning were a sign of what Jesus Christ would do someday. He was the sinless Lamb of God. He laid down His life so we could be saved from our sin debt. And then, He rose from the dead the third day.

Archaeology confirms so much of the Bible. The testimony of people like John Newton, author of “Amazing Grace,” who have been radically changed, proves that it’s possible, and it happens. Most importantly, His Holy Spirit moves in peoples’ hearts to tell them how much God loves them.

See, God is just, but He is also a God of mercy and forgiveness. God wants to forgive your sin debt. He hung on that cross, suffering agony for hours as He endured the wrath of God the Father, as the sinless substitute for each of us. Then, as He died, He cried out, “tetelestai,” which means “It is finished!” The entire debt had been paid!And, he rose again the third day; He had defeated death, so all who believe can rise with Him.

That repayment must be accepted, though. If you knew it was free, you wouldn’t refuse a person’s offer to pay off all your credit cards and other debts, right? And yet, until that person paid them off, you would still have debt, because you wouldn’t have accepted it.

In the same way, Jesus paid all your sin debt for you. And, He just needs you to accept that He did, and receive it by simple faith. God is love. He wants to pay your sin debt. You just need to:

Accept you’re a sinner, that your sin debt keeps you from His perfect Heaven, that no amount of good work can get you there;

Believe that He is God in flesh, that He died on the cross and rose from the dead for you, personally, to take all your sin debt away;

Choose to turn away from your sins, and trust Him to save you from your sin and forgive you, and to come live in you through His Holy Spirit.

That’s all it takes. It’s a free gift. I know it can be hard for some, but that’s okay; He understands. He knows You, and loves You. He’ll help you have faith if you just trust Him to; before trusting Him to forgive your sin debt, just call in your heart, “ Lord, I’m not sure if you’re out there, but I’m giving this a try, and I trust that if You are real, You will hear and answer.”

Of course, once we receive Him as our Savior, and He comes to live in us, we still sin. We have a human nature that causes us to sin. But, we have Jesus Christ living in us so we can turn to Him and get help, so we don’t sin. And, whatever happens, He will forgive and cleanse us, if we just confess our sin to Him.

The Holy Spirit living is us is His guarantee that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. He will keep working in us to get us to be good. He might have to work pretty hard to get some peoples’ attention if they wander far away in sin. But, He will always lovingly guide us back, and watch over us, and help us. Because, God is love. And, He loves you. He wants you to be totally free from the burden of sin.

First Haiti has a devastating earthquake. Then, a large quake hits near Japan. Now, Chile has one of the largest in recorded history, at 8.8! The number of major quakes in recent years seems to be increasing. These three came in just 2 months. An enormous 2004 quake not only caused the Asian tsunami, it sped the earth’s rotation momentarily. It’s enough to make people wonder if the end of the world is near.

Earthquakes are scary, as unlike bad weather, they come without warning. Aftershocks can occur for days, weeks, sometimes months. They cause terrible destruction. The increase in intensity in recent years is much like that of birth pangs that a woman feels before giving birth. Interestingly, Jesus uses the same analogy when he speaks of the end. And, “earthquakes in diverse places” – very different places, some of which don’t normally have them, thouhg some will – are one of the signs.

In Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. They ask Him several questions. First, they ask when that destruction would happen, and then they ask about the signs of the end of the world. Jesus takes much more time on the second question than the first. He knew He would inspire His Word to be written, and that it was much more important to answer the second. Matthew 24-25 and Luke 21 each cover different aspects of what Jesus said.

Notice, first, that He answers the part about the destruction of Jerusalem in Luke 21:9. This is important because it gives us context to assure us that Matthew 24-25 is about the future, His coming and the end of the world. There are false Christs now, but there were also false Christs back then. There was lots of commotion, but the end – that is, the end of the world – did not come in 70 AD. Luke 21 talks more about the end, but also says that “before these things” – before the great earthquakes, famine, etc. – the disciples would be persecuted, and there would be a time of great trouble in Jerusalem.

However, the destruction of Jerusalem was horrible, but it was not the worst ever in history, as Mat. 24:21 says the end will be. That event in 70 AD was a picture of something that would happen in the future. We know because Matthew 24:15 says that before the end – during the Tribulation – there will be another temple. An abomination – a horrible, blasphemous thing – will be set up in the temple. That didn’t happen in 70 AD. Quite the opposite, in fact; no stone was left upon another. (The “Western Wall,” or “Wailing Wall,” now in Jerusalem is from an old Roman fort built after that.)

There’s another reason we know Jesus is speaking of the end of the world in Matthew 24. the first word of Mat. 25 – “Then” – shows Jesus is talking about the same subject. He’s drawing an analogy to situations in the end times. Yes, the parable of the talents later in that chapter has numerous spiritual applications for the Church, but there is a plain, literal meaning to Scripture, too.

“So, wait,” you ask, “you mean these earthquakes in diverse places are a sign we’re definitely near the end of the world?” Not quite. We are close – I don’t know how close. It is not given to us to know the day or the hour.

But, other signs also point to us being near, if not in, the end times: Famines, pestilence (major diseases), iniquity (lawlessness) running rampant, the love of many becoming cold (we talk about love, but that true, unconditional love isn’t there), and so on. These things are increasing more and more, just like birth pangs. There is, in fact, a site called “Rapture Ready” with a “Rapture index” that measures all of these. (The entire site is filled with good material, and forums, for those who wish to know more.)

“So, wait,” you ask, “are we really that close to the end? How do I prepare?” Like Jesus with His disciples’ questions, I will only gloss over the first, because the second is most crucial. Yes, we are getting close, but unlike a sonogram, these “birth pangs” can only be estimated. We just know they keep growing.

As for how to prepare, be confident that the Church has not replaced Israel. There will be another temple – in fact, Israelis have been preparing for it for years. God will once again deal with his chosen people as a nation, not just as individuals. Before He does this, though, something will happen which you can prepare for: The Rapture. “For the Lord Himself will descend with a shout, and the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then, we which are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds, to be meet the Lord in the air. And so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1 Thess. 4:16-17)

To know you’ll be caught up with Him, it’s as easy as ABC.

Admit you’re a sinner, that you fall short of God’s perfect glory. When sin was brought into the world through man’s disobedience, it spread everywhere, and caused all things to start decaying. We all fall short of His perfection through our sin. We don’t’ always mean to sin, and some people try really hard to be nice al the time. But, we can’t; we’re not perfect. That sin keeps us out of Heaven, except a price was paid to get us in.

Beleve that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose from the dead. He is God in flesh, and he paid that price to get you into Heaven. It was the perfect sacrifice, the just for the unjust. He took the punishment you and I and everyone else deserves for our sin – for the fact we fall short of God’s perfection.

Choose to receive Him as your Savior by simple faith. That means heart knowledge, not just head knowledge. Call on Him to save you from your sins, receiving what He did by simple faith, as being for you personally. Because, He died for each of us personally. He had each person on mind who ever lived when he died on that cross, and frose again. All you have to do is receive Him.

If you do, He will come into your heart and change you on the inside, helping you be more like Him in His love, compassion, goodness, peace, and so many other wonderful things. He’ll give you peace so you wojn’t have to worry about all the problems of this world, and so you can get through them with His help. Because, we don’t know how long it will be before He comes for us. But, whether we rise first, or meet Him in the air, we have His promise that He will come for us before things get as horrible as it will in the Tribulation.

These things we see here, these massive earthquakes and such, are only the beginning of sorrows. But, Jesus has promised to help us through, if we just trust Him – with our souls, and then with our lives. And, if He says it’s our time to leave this world, by knowing Him as Savior, we can be certain that we will be forever with Him, in that awesome place where there is no pain, no suffering, and no tears.

The recent apology from Tiger Woods had been debated by many. While he has convessed what he has done, he still has quite a few sponsors who are leery at best and ignoring him at worst.

Can he recover his legacy? And, will (or can) he be forgiven?

the answer to both lies in the public. Forgiveness is something people seem rather willing to give if it is sincere. One thing that is important to remember is this: Forgiveness doesn’t mean saying something was right. In fact, in saying it needs forgiven, it’s flat out saying it was wrong.

There are, of course, different levels of wrongdoing. What Tiger Woods did was to sin – committing adultery – on a mass scale. There were no crimes involved. However, it was still an incredible breech of trust. While very few have committed crimes, a much larger percentage of people have at least looked on other adults with lust in their hearts, committing adultery in their hearts, as our Lord Jesus Christ says. Indeed, all of us need forgiven – if not for that, for some other sin.

We can do nothing to earn that forgiveness ourselves, just as Tiger Woods can do nothing to earn our forgiveness. Forgiveness is something that must be given freely. It is not earned or deserved. It is always a free gift. For by grace ar eye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast. One must receive what Christ did for them by simple faith – trust that Jesus Christ, God in flesh, lived a perfect life and died on the cross to take the punishment for your sins, as your substitute, and that He rose from the dead the third day. He did all that was needed to get you to Heaven.

A person can work to regain trust, of course, and that will be important. it’s a hard thing to do – which is why the Apostle Paul warns of the need to finish well in the Christian life. It looks as though Tiger Woods wants to do that. But, the Bible doesn’t tell us to trust others. It says to forgive one another, as God for Christ sake hath forgiven us.

Trust must be earned by showing oneself trustworthy in small things first, so they can be trusted in larger things. A young teen I know is mature enough to watch her siblings. She would like to babysit outside the family, for anyone. But, she is just now working to earn her parents’ trust with those younger siblings. Once she does that, she will have the privilege of watching other peoples’ children. As she gets a larger resume and more references, more people will trust her, if she does a good job.

But, if she were to mess up – let’s say she takes her eye off a younger child and he gets hurt – she will be forgiven right away. that is, her parents will still love her. They might decide she’s not ready yet to be trusted with certain responsibilities, but that doesn’t mean they will love her any less.

This is an important concept when it comes to rebuilding his legacy, and Tiger being forgiven. Whenever he plays again, he is going to have to earn that trust. It’s up to the public to decide to put their trust in him again. In the cynical world we live in, it’s easy to wonder what people we can trust, but we can’t just refuse to trust anyone. it will take time for Tiger Woods to rebuild his legacy, but it seems quite possible for him to do so. The public, though cynical at times, does seem ready to let him build that trust up with them again. It’s just like in the Bible, when the Apostle Paul started out, just after his conversion. It took him a while to be trusted by those in Jerusalem, till Barnabas was willing to take a chance. However, that doesn’t mean the early apostles didn’t forgive the former Saul of Tarsus. It just means that they understood only God could be trusted completely.

However, forgiveness – which is also up to the public – is something that isn’t earned or deserved. In fact, true forgiveness means forgiving Tiger Woods before he ever made his apology; just as Jesus called out ont he cross, “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they do.” He certainly can be forgiven; because all of us have sinned and need forgivness, which was given to us through the wonderful cross, and the shed blood of Jesus, as the remission for our sins.

The Apostle Paul seems to have been a sports fan. He likely followed the ancient Olympics, just as we follow the modern Games. In several places, he compares the Christian life to sports. He speaks of people who strive for mastery of various things, as one would strive to excel at Olympic events. He speaks of not wanting to become disqualified. And, writes of how all run, that one may attain the prize, and tells us to run that way, though we shall all obtain that prize.

How should we do that? Obviously, life is not totally about athletics. In fact, Jesus Christ cared deeply about the handicapped of his day, those who couldn’t do much physically. It is, however, a valid comparison, as we consider the things anyone can do, and the things to avoid, as well as the ultimate goal of life.

First, we see that people strive for mastery. The Bible is telling us to work at obtaining the qualities of a strong Christian, as though we were trying to make it into the Olympics. This is vital, because we have a great adversary, the devil, who is constantly going around seeking to devour people. We must put on the “whole armor of God” each day, and practice doing that constantly. Ephesians 6:11-18 tells us about that – the faith, righteousness (not our own, but Christ’s), and so on which allow us to stand. It’s just like one stands at the podium to earn that medal.

Not everyone can do everything. But, everyone can work on the fruits of the Spirit, for instance, in Galatians 5:22-23. By cultivating those, one can grow to be more and more like Jesus, which will allow others to see His goodness in us. And, we can do those things, to the best of our abilities, that mark a good Christian – reading the Bible, praying, giving (time and talent, as well as money), fellowshipping with other believers, witnessing of what Christ as done for us, and so on. Not everyone will be great at first. But, everyone can work on those things some, to the point where they get better each day.

We must, however, not cut corners, Paul warns of not wanting to be disqualified. This can happen in two ways. First, a person could be disqualified by cheating. Think of a runner in the marathon skipping a few miles of the course. They never really finish, and if they train that way, that shortcut means they won’t be as effective. They can also simply fail to meet the necessary requirements. This means they wouldn’t even be able to enter the competition. It would be like an ice skater who never practiced with the music he or she wanted to use. When they try to qualify, they would be so out of sync they wouldn’t get anywhere close to Olympic entry.

Both are seen in the problem of Christians who won’t grow spiritually. They trust Jesus to save them, but ignore the Holy Spirit calling them to improve. They have no limitation that keeps them from giving, or prayinbg, or reading the Bible, or anything like that. They just pay too much attention to the world. Some even fall into sin that harms their own team, like a hockey player who just goes around picking fights with teammates instead of just sitting back and letting them play and try to win.

Finally, Paul advises that – though we shall all obtain the prize – we should focus as it we wanted to finish first.

This verse is not saying to be prideful. It’s merely saying that one must put one’s whole focus on himself or herself, and not pay attention to how others are doing. It doesn’t matter if someone else is pursuing their calling in a different way, or how well they are doing at it. Yes, we must stand fast against sin. However, we should not put such emphasis on others that we ignore our own walk with Christ.

So, how does one become an Olympic-style Christian, and get the most out of life. First, one must commit to those things that draw us near to God. Yes, the Bible says that He who hath begun a good work in you will complete it. It’s His job to guide and direct you. However, let’s say you’re walking a dog. What’s easier? When that dog is well heeled and walks right with you? Or, trying to walk when your dog is pulling after a squirrel or something in the totally opposite direction? Of course, it’s the first one. We need to stay close to God, so it’s easier on us and on Him. This is why Paul warns us not to quench the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is how He guides us toward a Godly path.

We must not let our path become one of self-righteousness, nor let it become a path of sin. Either one can cause us to become disqualified for that race. It might mean a lost chance at some blessing or reward, or it might mean that God will nto hear our prayer because we regard sin in our hearts. It will never mean we lose our salvation, but imagine the shame just as getting to Heaven, and learning you could have done so much more with what you had. That you wasted your life on things that never mattered. That, in itself, would be horrible, and is the reason Paul was so concerned.

Because, you see, while we must keep an eye on our own running, we have the duty to be an example of Christ for others. In that way, our eyes should be all around us, even though we run the race as if we wanted to finish first.

In another respect, of course, we can’t totally run it to finish first. It’s not just because we must be humble, and give God the glory, rather than credit our own accomplishments. It’s because all receive the same crown who have trusted Christ as Savior. That crowning achievement is the eternal life which was purchased for us through the shed blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is a pice which can be received by anyone by simple faith. For we are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.

See, so much in life is going to disappear at the end. The only thin we take with us are souls; Jesus is preparing a place for as many as will receive Him. Everything will be taken care of up there. He just wants as many as possible to receive Him.

So, run the race, keeping your mind on the fact that to get the most out of life, you need to first of all know that you have eternal life. That’s done by simply putting your whole faith in Jesus Christ, receiving what He did on the cross as having taken the punishment for your sins. Then, trusting that He rose from the dead for you, too.

Next, your focus needs to be on things above. And, you need to cultivate those fruits of the Spirit, remain close to God through faith, prayer, and so on, and work toward telling others about Jesus so that as many as possible can join you in heaven someday. Not to get any credit for it yourself, but so that God may be glorified.

Then, if you have trusted him as Savior and faithfully served Him, He can say those words that will mean so much more than any gold medal, so much more than any anthem at a podium. He, the Creator of the Universe, the one by whom all things consist, can say to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.” That is better than any medal – hearing Him tell you that you did a good job.

That’s the way to get the most out of life. It’s by making sure you have received Jesus Christ as your personal savior. Then, having plenty of others that you have won to Christ by planting seeds – through kindness, love, witnessing, and son on – that lead to them getting saved and/or growing closer to Christ themselves. That is how to be an Olympic-level Christian.