Have you noticed how much we hear about our hearts these days?  We’re frequently reminded we should reduce the stress in our lives, eat properly, exercise regularly and have yearly check ups.  Doctors believe if we do these things we will keep healthy.

Of course, if problems arise, we can choose to ignore their advice and risk the consequences, or we can make whatever changes are necessary for a healthy heart. It is really up to us to decide.

Our “spiritual hearts”—our relationship with God, need to be taken care of as well.  Some people have very healthy spiritual hearts, but for others, there is bad news.  Their “spiritual EKG” shows severe sin problems in desperate need of forgiveness.  There are only two options available to them:  They can ignore their condition, in which case they will “die in their sin,” or they can take the healing advice of “God, the Great Physician,” and get well.  It seems like an easy decision to make, but it’s amazing how many people make the wrong one.

The Physician has a “file” about all people with unhealthy hearts.  It is entitled, The Book of Romans. It’s a book in the Bible.  Contained within its pages is complete information about the patient, along with a diagnosis and recommended treatment.  It’s a very important file.  This is some of the information contained within it:

The Physician’s Diagnosis:

There is a condition known as sin.  It is defined as not measuring up to God’s standard of perfection in our thoughts, words, or deeds.  Sin entered the world because of one person’s behavior (Rom.5:12 NIV).  That was Adam.  Since then, all people have sinned (Rom.3:23 NIV).  Sin separates each person from a relationship with God, results in physical and spiritual death, and condemns each one to a place of eternal torment called Hell (Rom.6:23 NIV).  This is a world-wide epidemic, and is the most serious and deadly problem known to humankind today.

Treatment and Cure:

The treatment and cure for this problem is available from only one source—Jesus Christ, the Great Physician.  Although Jesus never sinned, He showed His great love for us by taking the punishment for our sins—a cruel and painful death.  It is the punishment we deserve (Rom.5:8, 17-18 NIV).  After three days, God raised Jesus from the dead. Verbally confessing Jesus is Lord, and believing in ones heart that God raised Jesus from the dead is the treatment for a sinful heart condition (Rom.10:9-10 NIV). Anyone who asks for the treatment will receive it (Rom.10:13 NIV). Then, no longer sick in your sins, you will be able to give yourself “whole heartedly” to God (Rom.6:16-18 NIV).  Nothing will ever be able to separate you from God’s love for you (Rom. 8:35-39 NIV).  This is truly good news!

With this treatment the patient will soon realize his heart has been cured.  By daily “feeding” on God’s Word, the Bible, and “exercising” one’s prayer life, a good check up with the Physician is guaranteed.  This treatment will also result in a less stressful life because cares can be given to God, and it will cause one’s heart to beat in time with His.

A bright future is promised the patient who makes these changes.  When that person dies, a home in Heaven, with God forever, is guaranteed (Rom.3:23 NIV).  After Jesus arose from the dead, He went to heaven to prepare that home.  In fact He’s working on it right now.

Imagine being able to live with the Physician forever in a place prepared especially for you.  With Him, there will be no more tears, no more aches and pains, no more sin-sick hearts.

The Physician has never had a malpractice suit filed against Him, nor even a complaint from any of His patients.  He has a great bedside manor, and even makes house calls. With His “health plan,” there’s no waiting to see the Physician, no paper work to fill out, and no co-payments.  Best of all, anyone can afford it—because it’s free for the asking.

MY NAME IS MARIE: I’M A RECOVERING ALCOHOLIC

It would be easy to blame a lack of Christian upbringing for my behavior. I could even point to an absentee father and a dysfunctional family and say they caused it.  In reality, it was the love of alcohol and my immoral behavior during my teen years that quickly propelled my life into a hopeless abyss from which I thought I would never recover.

When I was eight years old, my playmate told me about the fun things she did at church.  Since there was no fun in my life, I invited myself to attend church with her.  This was the first time I ever heard about God.  Also at eight years old, I became curious about the wine my mother was drinking.  I reasoned it must taste pretty good since she drank it so often.  So I began taking sips of it when she wasn’t looking.  I loved it immediately!

By fifteen, my girlfriend and I were routinely leaving our homes on Saturday nights crossing the nearby border into Mexico.  There, feeling very mature in our mini skirts and black, net stockings, we drank until we were drunk. I loved everything about alcohol – the way it tasted, the way it made me feel, and the power I thought it gave me.

Returning to her house to sleep, we found the nights too short.  For bright and early each Sunday morning, her father would wake us up, insisting since we had been drinking, we now needed to go to church.  Although aware of our drinking, members of the little church turned a blind eye to our appearance and the alcohol on our breath.  Instead they chose to love us anyway and encouraged us to continue coming.

The pastor would often say, “Marie, do you want to talk? How can we help you?  Are you ready to stop drinking?”  I wasn’t ready to stop, but I felt guilty because of how kind he was to me in spite of my condition.  Even reeling from a hangover, God spoke to me through his sermons.  No matter where I was, no matter my condition, He continued knocking on the door of my heart – wanting me to come to Him.

A tubal pregnancy at fifteen ended with the loss of my preborn child and nearly took my life as well.  In the years to come, this pregnancy would affect all efforts to become pregnant.

In my sober moments I would take a good look at my miserable existence.  “God, my life isn’t supposed to look like this.  Why is this happening?  What do you want from me?”  I wondered if I would ever be free from the powerful, dark forces controlling my life – this addiction to alcohol and the drugs I was also taking.

In 1992, at the age of twenty-four, I hit bottom.  In addition to everything else, I was now homeless.  Although embarrassed and ashamed of my condition, with no place else to go, I moved in with my father.  I somehow managed to stop drinking for one year, but with a poor choice of friends, sobriety did not last long.

Jim, a frequent customer where I worked, recognized my condition and spoke encouraging words to me each time he saw me.  “Take it one day at a time.  Look to God for your strength.  You can do it.  God can help you.”  I didn’t realize the words he spoke were those he heard at his Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.  One day he said, “Marie, you look horrible.  You just can’t go on like this.  Let me pick you up this evening after work and take you some place where you can get help.”  With no idea what he meant or where we would go, I agreed.  He took me to a meeting place for recovering alcoholics.  That night, I determined to get sober and stay sober.  Step one was to attend those meetings on a regular basis.

Shortly thereafter I was transferred to the late night shift at work.  That meant I was at work while the bars were open.  I truly believe it was God Who rearranged my schedule to put the temptation of alcohol even farther from me.

After a year of encouragement from the meetings, I finally began seeking God with all my heart.  From my first introduction to God, I never doubted His existence and never stopped talking to Him.  I had asked Him to be my Savior in the past.  Now I was asking from my heart.  I had no idea what the future would hold, but was certain He was real and that His hand was on my life.

From all I’ve experienced, I should be dead by now, but instead I’ve been given life – a life of sobriety these past fifteen years.  During this time, I have seen God do a tremendous work in my life.  Now I know what the Bible means when it says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” (2 Cor. 5:17 NIV).

I praise God for doing that for me.

Also see Alcohol Abuse, Temptation on www.SuccessAndFailure.net

WHAT’S YOUR ANSWER TO THE CHRISTMAS EVE QUESTION?

How quickly Christmas has come and gone.  Decorations are once again hibernating on their shelf in the garage.  Two potted poinsettias, like silent sentinels, still “stand guard” by the front door, the only visible reminder Christmas has ever been here.

Swirling in my head is one last reminder of Christmas and I cannot put it away just yet. It is the question the pastor asked at the church service on Christmas Eve.  Whatever else he said that evening is now forgotten, but the question lingers.  It is not for me alone.  Humankind has always wrestled with it and now I ask it of you even as I ask it of myself.

“How close do you want to come to the manger?”

Look past the shepherds and the sheep, past the wood and the straw.  Do you really see the baby in the manger?  He is no ordinary child. He is God, deliberately inhabiting a human body.  He will live about thirty-three years, and will face temptation, rejection, persecution, and death.  Because He is God in heaven before coming to earth, He knows how difficult His life on earth will be.  He also knows the sinless life He will live makes Him the only One qualified to pay the penalty for the sins of all people.  To do that, He will have to die an agonizing death on a cross, but because He loves us so much, He will do so – willingly.  He did not come into the world to condemn it, but to give us an opportunity for a relationship with Him. And so I ask.

“How close do you want to come to the manger?”

Do you want to come close enough for a quick glimpse of the baby and acknowledge He was really born?

Do you want to come close enough to see the baby and believe He is God, but continue to ignore Him and any influence He might have on your life?

Or do you want to come so close you can embrace Him, ask Him to forgive your sins and take Him into your heart?  This is what He would like you to do!  This is why He came to earth, for a relationship with you.

Right now He lovingly whispers in your ear, “What is your answer to the Christmas Eve question?  How close do you want to come to the manger?”

Reprint: This article has appeared in the Church of God Evangel Magazine, December 2005 and in Purpose Magazine (date in the future)

Comfort Foods – What’s Your Comfort Food?

At a recent pot-luck, my friend looked at the rice pudding I had brought and exclaimed, “O boy, comfort food.”  For her, rice pudding was more than something pleasing to her tongue.  It seemed to stir up all sorts of wonderful and delicious memories. Perhaps it even touched a very special spot in her heart.

Comfort food is different for each individual.  For many it is chocolate that brings comfort – chocolate in just about any form. Some people even think of mashed potatoes and gravy as comfort food.  For my husband, comfort food is apple pie, especially apple pie a la mode.

Think for a moment about your comfort food.  What was happening in your life when that particular food brought comfort to you?  Were things going well or not so well for you?  Can you relate it to a particular person or event?

No matter what our comfort food may be, eating it always seems to make us feel a bit better and gives us a little brighter outlook on whatever situation we may be facing.  Although it is probably high in carbohydrates, it somehow touches whatever that spot is that needs to be touched at the moment.

Thinking about my friend’s response to rice pudding reminded me of my favorite comfort food.  Perhaps it’s your favorite too.  It’s my “spiritual comfort food,” and it’s found in the Bible.  It is the “go to” comfort food I rely upon.  I can eat all I want and never gain a pound, never get a cavity, and never feel guilty if I over eat.  It is delicious to my soul and readily available day or night.  No matter what I’m experiencing it is always there to bring just the exact comfort I need at that particular moment – and I don’t even have to go to the kitchen and prepare it.

For example, when I was a single mom raising three young children on my own, my comfort food was found in Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV): “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  And when I was having trouble collecting all my credits from various college locations to apply toward a degree, my comfort was Isaiah 45:2 (NIV).  “I will go before you and will level the mountains.  I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” And many times I have found comfort in these verses: Jeremiah 29:11(NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Proverbs 15: 29 (NIV) says, “The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous.”  And Psalm139 comforts me continually for it says God knew me before I was born and he will never forsake me no matter where I go.  How comforting those verses have been in my life.

Let’s face it. Chocolate may be comfort food for the body, but for the soul, you can’t beat The Bible.  It is delicious to your heart and satisfies your soul.  For as it says, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” (Psalm 119:103 NIV)  So go ahead.  Indulge – in God’s comfort food.

It seems to me the hardest test questions are always those that ask me to fill in the blank.  With a true or false question I can guess at the answer and perhaps get it correct, but if filling in the blank is required, there’s no guessing. Either I know the correct answer or I don’t.

Life is like that too. From the date of our birth until the date of our death, we’re allowed to live our life—“fill in the blank,” however we wish.  What we put in the blank is very important and it’s not wise to guess at the answer.  The wrong answer has serious consequences.

With the appearing of that second date on our tombstone—the day of our death, there will be no time left to “cram for finals.”  However, we need not worry if we fill in our blank with the correct answer as found in the Bible.

In Romans 3:23 it says “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” To sin means to say, think or do something contrary to God’s will— to fall short of God’s glory.  We have all done it. This makes us sinners who deserve punishment for our sin—living forever in hell and completely separated from God. This is not pleasant to think about, but don’t stop reading, for there is good news.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only unique Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son, Jesus, into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:16-17 NIV).  The punishment for sin is spiritual death—separation from God forever.  God’s Son, the only non-sinner ever to live, willingly died on a cross to take the punishment we deserve.  He arose from the dead three days later, making Him the Conqueror over death and hell.

We must make a decision about what He did for us.  We can reject it, and die both physically and spiritually, and go to hell.  But if we ask Him to forgive our sins, we become a Christian.  Then, although physical death will eventually occur, spiritually we will be alive and go to live with Him in heaven.

The Bible says, “That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10 NIV).  Filling in the blank correctly isn’t difficult to do, but it’s a life-changing experience.  For when we believe Jesus did what He said He did, and confess we are a sinner needing forgiveness, we will receive the Holy Spirit into our heart. He will guide us each day, showing us how to live a life pleasing to God (John 14:26 NIV).

After Jesus arose from the dead, He promised to go to heaven to prepare a home for those who have accepted Him.  He said He’d return to take them to heaven to live with Him (John 14:2-3 NIV).

Many people have chosen to believe and obey these Scriptures.  They’ve invited Him into their hearts, and asked how He wants them to fill in the blanks.  He has shown them how to do it with love, obedience and service to Him, their Lord and Savior.  They don’t need to guess at the answer.  They have filled in their blank correctly.

Have you?

Reprint ** Church of God Evangel, January 2009

“My dad is not expected to live,” Bill told his pastor. “I’ve shared with him many times how he can simply ask Jesus to forgive his sins and then he’ll know he’s going to heaven when he dies, but he hasn’t ever asked. I’m so anxious for him to do this. Please, Pastor Johnson, would you do me a big favor and go talk to him?”

The pastor went to Hank immediately, but his eyes were closed and he seemed very weak. Silently he prayed this dying man would still be able to hear and communicate with him. Leaning closely, Pastor Johnson took his feeble hand and explained who he was and why he had come.

Having received no acknowledgment of his presence, the pastor wondered what he could do. Finally he said, “If you can hear me, just squeeze my hand.” Time seemed to stand still as he waited for a response. Finally he felt it— gentle though it was. Ever so thankful for a response, the pastor proceeded with what he wanted to say.

He shared several verses from the Bible that tell about Jesus who willingly died on a cross for the forgiveness of everyone’s sins and three days later rose from the dead. He said all one had to do was sincerely believe this and ask Him to forgive your sins. Then a home in heaven would be yours when you died. Once again Pastor Johnson said, “If you understand, just squeeze my hand.” As before, the pastor waited for a response. It did not come right away, but once again he felt it.

The pastor went on to say, “Hank, Jesus wants everyone to go to heaven to live with Him. Right now He is in heaven preparing a home for those who have asked for forgiveness.” For a third time he said, “If you understand, just squeeze my hand.” Patiently he waited and then he felt it. This time it was not as strong as before.

Sensing he must leave because Hank was very tired, Pastor Johnson asked one more question, the question he had come to ask. “Would you like Jesus to forgive your sins and take you to heaven? If so, just squeeze my hand.” Now the minutes seemed like hours as he waited for the squeeze of his hand. Would it come? Had Hank really heard and understood? There was no response. He repeated his question. “Would you like Jesus to forgive your sins and take you to heaven? If so, just squeeze my hand.”

And then he felt it.

Three days later Jesus welcomed Hank to his new home in heaven.

With His nail-pierced hands open wide, Jesus comes to each one of us asking those same three questions. “Do you hear me talking to you? Do you understand what you’ve heard? Would you like me to forgive your sins and take you to heaven when you die? If so, just squeeze my hand.”

The sun was starting to rise over my shoulder as I walked the Oregon shoreline that soon led me to Haystack Rock.  Something about this rock at the ocean’s edge compelled me to it like iron to a magnet.  I’d heard it was huge, yet from my starting point a mile away, the rock seemed small and far from me.  I could not determine its characteristics—size, weight and color.  I had yet to experience it “up close and personal.”

As I continued walking, the rays of the sun moved to various parts of the rock, revealing more of it.  I began noticing new things about it, and so with each step my eagerness to get closer began to grow.  My pace increased.

Now at low tide, I stood as close as possible to the rock beholding its true size, beauty and magnificence.  Haystack Rock appeared huge beyond my imagination, and it looked so firmly planted that it surely would never move.  As I gazed at this rock, new sights caught my attention: the swirling water and tide pools at its base, and the many birds coming and going from their nests upon it.  I would have never noticed these had I not come close.  I wanted to stay there all day enjoying the breath-taking sight before me.

But in the long run it was not what I saw that impressed me most, but rather what I felt. In the presence of the rock I was suddenly aware of how massive and heavy it was, and what great strength and power I attributed to it.  By comparison I felt small, frail and helpless.  Yet it was not the rock that told me I was that way.  It was only when I drew near that I could make my own comparison.

Sometime later my thoughts returned to that walk on the beach and the feelings I had seeing the rock.  The experience somehow paralleled the spiritual walk I have taken over the years, drawing closer to my Savior, the Rock of my salvation.  I was drawn to Him, but at first He seemed small and far away.  I didn’t have any idea what a mighty God He is, but as I drew closer to Him, I began to see Him more clearly.  And the more I saw of Him, the more eager I became to stay close beside Him.

Time I spend in His presence is so pleasurable, so rewarding, that getting to know Him better has become my desire. In His presence, I realize my small size and weakness, but I also see what a big God He is.  Strong, unmovable, powerful, are just a few of His attributes, yet He loves me so much He died for the forgiveness of my sins. He bids me come, to know Him better and to allow His strength to flow through me.  With nail-pierced hands open wide to receive me, He simply says, “Come unto me.”

I gladly accept His invitation.

“For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?  It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. (Psalm 18: 31-32 NIV)