Is Anything? Is It Over When You Say So?

Is Anything? Is It Over When You Say So?

by David Brenneman 

"While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” But Jesus, overhearing what was being spoken, said to the synagogue official, “Do not be afraid any longer, only believe.” And He allowed no one to accompany Him, except Peter and James and John the brother of James. They came to the house of the synagogue official; and He saw a commotion, and people loudly weeping and wailing. And entering in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is asleep.” They began laughing at Him. But putting them all out, He took along the child’s father and mother and His own companions, and entered the room where the child was. Taking the child by the hand, He said to her, “Talitha kum!” (which translated means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”). Immediately the girl got up and began to walk, for she was twelve years old. And immediately they were completely astounded. And He gave them strict orders that no one should know about this, and He said that something should be given her to eat." Mark 5:35-43.

"O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor chasten me in Your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am pining away; Heal me, O Lord, for my bones are dismayed. And my soul is greatly dismayed; But You, O Lord—how long? Return, O Lord, rescue my soul; Save me because of Your lovingkindness. For there is no mention of You in death; In Sheol who will give You thanks? I am weary with my sighing; Every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my tears. My eye has wasted away with grief; It has become old because of all my adversaries. Depart from me, all you who do iniquity, For the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication, The Lord receives my prayer. All my enemies will be ashamed and greatly dismayed; They shall turn back, they will suddenly be ashamed." Psalms 6:1-10.

"Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” John 11:40.

"but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33.

We easily run to our own understanding concerning life.

We decide if something is impossible before we consider bringing it to the Lord Jesus Christ first. 

We choose to accept defeat before the Spirit says His work in our situation is done.

We believe our physical eyes before we seek to believe our spiritual eyes. 

You can't learn what you are capable of in your walk with Jesus unless you study and train with the Spirit of God within you. 

You cannot know what is spiritually discerned unless you are in class to be taught first. 

You cannot understand that God doesn't have problems He has situations that more often than not are crafted with the end result being a new level of understanding in ways of the Lord and our growth in Christ.  

I have been reading this book by Dr. Charles Stanley about adversity. You think there was some adversity in the family of that little girl? In the story that preceded what you read was that of a woman's problem that went on for what felt like decades and her faith in Jesus caused her to be healed. She believed that if she could but just touch His clothes she would be made well. That His holiness extended to His very garments.  

Jesus's healings as well as His confrontations with the Pharisees and Sadducees was dealing with people in various forms of adversity. From the verbal to the physical.  

If you missed it, many of those we read about (and by the Apostle John's statement there was a whole lot more) were way older than Jesus when He healed them.  

Consider this: How many had Jesus met already when He was younger and His ministry had not yet started?  

Do you have this mistaken notion that God doesn't see your dilemma? That by some unexplained reason He isn't interested in what you are going through? Or maybe He does see and is choosing to ignore your situation? Have you already quit because you prayed and nothing immediately happened? You gave up because you thought the situation was hopeless and grim?

Guess what...read your Bible...you aren't alone in these thoughts.  

Someone once said that God is an on time God. Never late, never early. We read days ago of the statement that God does nothing but by the prayers of His people. 

So you prayed and prayed but nothing happened. Not in your timing it didn't. Keep praying. Don't believe your eyes. Believe your Lord instead. 

I was told by the Spirit not to forget 4 specific prayers that I prayed this last week and how Jesus had answered them.  

Write down your answers to your pleas and prayers to Jesus. You can look on these with hope when the next adversity begins. 

Why have these adversities? Why put you through them?

Jesus loved us enough to save us.

Jesus loves us enough not to leave us as He found us.

We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works that we might walk in them.  

We are a work in progress.   

Consider a woodworker. Aka a Carpenter. Jesus was a Carpenter. 

You may sit there by this Carpenter watching him take up and put down various tools to turn a log into a fine piece of furniture. You are amazed by his skill in wielding those tools.

Now consider the truth of what you are seeing. That log was going through what seemed like endless adversity until the Carpenter was finished. Under all the bark and decay this Carpenter discovered the true hidden beauty that would never have been found until the work was completed. 

We are never promised a life free from adversity. Each time we face something it will last only as long as is necessary for God to accomplish His purpose in our lives.  

If you watched the old show M*A*S*H...you probably missed it.  

Sometimes the couldn't operate on a soldiers problem all at once. They had to wait for parts of the body to heal before going further.  

Same goes with the removal of sins effects on us. The sins we haven't yet seen as sins that we just accepted as part of life. The crippling debilitating effects that we have never considered as something that God would need to do something about.

Nothing is over unless Jesus says it's over. Nothing is done until He says it's done. Nothing is impossible until He says no to it.

My Dear Reader we are His workmanship. We are the clay and not the Potter. We are complex human beings with a wide diverse range of spiritual maladies. To keep His promise to not leave you as He found you...the range of what must be done is vast.  

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:2-8.

Essentially...be glad that sometimes His answer is no. Be glad that He loves you enough not to leave you as He found you.  

I have many physical issues. Yet in Christ I have only my own doubts that get in the way of God's work in my life.  

Jesus isn't done with us yet.  

If you are alive and breathing He has work to accomplish in your life. 

In the parable of the Good Samaritan...the good Samaritan found that person and bandaged the wounds. Picked the guy up and took him to a place to rest and heal. Promised to return and settle things for whatever the cost. 

Jesus isn't done with you yet. 

He throws the towel back at you and tells you to wipe your face and keep going. The road ahead might look less than desirable but He's staying with you.  

Remember His answers to your pleas. He never takes a deaf ear to the prayers of His people. Daniel was told that there was a battle going on concerning him.  

"Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." 2 Timothy 3:10-12.

Persecuted...have tribulations...problems...all the same. 

Keep the faith. Jesus is the promise keeper. He is the Great Physician. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is our risen Lord and Savior. He said that we are in His hands. 

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” John 10:27-30.

Hang in there. Jesus is still working on making us more like Christ. 

Keep praying. Keep asking. 

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7.

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

The Percentages of Commitment

The Percentages of Commitment 

by David Brenneman 

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9.

How much of the lives of the Disciples did Jesus want of them?

75%? 80%? 99.9%? All of it?

Was there any recorded instances of acceptable bargaining with Jesus regarding following Him in any way that wasn't 100%?

"And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:59-62.

Was reading in one of my study Bibles last night. In the notes I read it said that after coming to Christ for salvation, the Spirit says that class is in session.  

None of the Disciples that remained with Jesus did anything but follow Jesus. They didn't ask for time off. Didn't need to go on a mini-vacation. Didn't do anything but keep at following Jesus. 

I was really thinking hard on this last night when I was noticing how much time I was taking to read a chapter in a book by Dr. Charles Stanley, and Mark chapter 3 in those 4 study Bibles plus all the notes on Chapter 3. 

Then this came to mind this morning: "But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:7-11.

Take that farther down the road in consideration of what Jesus said to His Disciples. 

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." Matthew 16:24-27.

What does it really gain anyone, in light of eternity, in light of the work of God in Christ Jesus in them...to waste it entertaining things that do not grow them in Christ?  

Studying the Bible is hardly boring. The books of the Bible were written for our instruction.  

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 15:4-6.

My Dear Reader...do you want to be living a life that's pleasing to Jesus or pleasing to yourself? The two can be one in the same or they will be polar opposites.  

The only aspects of the lives that we live that will survive the fires of the review of it by Jesus Christ are those we have where what was important to Jesus came first. 

When you read your Bible...in the most uniqest of ways the Author of all of it is present with you. You can ask the Teacher anything about it. You may get an answer right away or it may take time to be revealed. 

What the Disciples were taught for 3 and a half years was that a life in Christ Jesus meant a 24/7 365 commitment. Jesus, after His resurrection, commanded them to teach others this same thing. 

Name anyone's work that can claim this: "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

How much of your time is actually rooted in sheer selfishness? You've convinced yourself that something is more important in your non-demanding time to be engaged in that you deem as more important than growing in Christ.  

Many countless people will watch in utter shock and horror, myself included, at what will become of our lives before Jesus when what we've really done in our lives is tested by the fires if His truth.

You cannot change your past but you can, from this moment on, turn to Jesus with your whole heart. 

Think about all that you keep running after. Think about how little of your life Jesus is really truly getting of you. Jesus said to store up treasure in Heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, where thieves cannot break in or steal. The treasure of God are those who have come to Christ for salvation.

"These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full." John 15:11.

"Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.” For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ." 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.

Really look at your true commitment to Jesus whom you claim as Lord and Savior of your life. Spring is upon us. What needs to go from your life that should be replaced with a renewed commitment to the One who saved you from your sins and the penalty of death that was upon you?

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.  

What Seed Might You Be?

What Seed Might You Be?

by David Brenneman 

"And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them. In a similar way these are the ones on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy; and they have no firm root in themselves, but are only temporary; then, when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. And those are the ones on whom seed was sown on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” And He was saying to them, “A lamp is not brought to be put under a basket, is it, or under a bed? Is it not brought to be put on the lampstand? For nothing is hidden, except to be revealed; nor has anything been secret, but that it would come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides. For whoever has, to him more shall be given; and whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” And He was saying, “The kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed upon the soil; and he goes to bed at night and gets up by day, and the seed sprouts and grows—how, he himself does not know. The soil produces crops by itself; first the blade, then the head, then the mature grain in the head. But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.” 

On that day, when evening came, He said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Him along with them in the boat, just as He was; and other boats were with Him. And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm. And He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” Mark 4:13-29, 35-41.

The seeds of faith was the message of that day...as it is in our day.  

The seeds of faith are given to the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve. Which amounts to everyone on this Earth. It includes everyone right down to you my Dear Reader. 

What have you been doing to nurture what you have been given to understand?  

It begins with acceptance or denial of God in your life. Everything comes out of that.   

It didn't dawn on me until reading that part of Mark 4 that His asking about their faith was related to the parable of the seeds. Wasn't their faith growing? At least 1 certainly wasn't. That of Judas Iscariot. 

Noteworthy as well is Jesus's warning to be careful with what you listen to. Who you listen to.  

What are you watering that seed of faith with? What nutrients, if any, are you giving it to allow it to grow?

The things and people we listen to that don't grow us in Christ the way He intended for us to have are the reasons why growing in Christ isn't happening. 

We can make the most of every single opportunity or we don't. 

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17.

What do you take into your heart and mind? Music, video, other things...that do nothing to spur on your heart towards love and good deeds? It's fine to have a hobby or engage in recreational activities. However when those take over and choke out our own time with Jesus they then are a hindrance.  

A breaking point for me was my useless knowledge of fictional people and stories. I knew more of those things than my Bible. For others that I know and have known...they know to the minutiae of details the lives of sports people and yet are ignorant of the truth that their spirit is starving. 

Walking with Jesus is serious business. It's a lifetime of commitment.  

"So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’" Matthew 7:17-23.

It's been rather interesting over the many years since pruning out areas of my life that weren't conducive to growing in Christ. The sad part is my sin nature clings to those wasted years easily.  

Being diligent to present yourself approved by Jesus is not something to think is optional. 

Your seeds of faith grows with exposure to the Son...not in the absence thereof. 

Yes adversity comes to all of us but that's what makes the roots grow deeper.  

Are you engaging in futile things that have nothing to do with walking through life in Christ Jesus that are going to grow your faith?

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits." Matthew 7:13-20.

We have more at our fingertips than any generation since the days of Noah. We have exceedingly more distractions than at any point since those days. 

Maybe it's pruning time in your life to remove those things that aren't helping your growth in Christ Jesus.  

Being busy bodies concerning things to do that could be put off to spend time with Jesus cripples growing in Christ. 

Remember that true story of Mary and Martha.  

Remember to look for all the times mentioned where Jesus got alone to be with His Father. 

An arborist knows well how to remove certain obstacles from a plants environment to help it grow but also what to leave to cause it to grow. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6.

Ask, Seek, Knock.  

Pray without ceasing. 

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness. 

What state is your faith in?

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

Prayer in Motion

Prayer in Motion 

by David Brenneman 

"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there. Simon and his companions searched for Him; they found Him, and said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.” He said to them, “Let us go somewhere else to the towns nearby, so that I may preach there also; for that is what I came for.” Mark 1:35-38.

'Jesus was up at the sacred work of prayer. The more work we have to do with people for God, the longer we ought to be at work with God for them. If we plead with people, we cannot hope to prevail unless we first plead with God. And inasmuch as our Lord had great success the day before, it teaches us that greatest success does not release us from the necessity of still waiting on God in prayer.' - Alistair Begg.

"We thank Thee each morning for a new born day

Where we may work the fields of new mown hay

We thank Thee for the sunshine and the air that we breathe

Oh Lord, we thank Thee

Thank Thee for the rivers that run all day

Thank Thee for the little birds that sing along the way

Thank Thee for the trees and the deep blue sea

Oh Lord, we thank Thee

Oh yes, we thank Thee, Lord, for every flower that blooms

Birds that sing, fish that swim and the light of the moon

We thank Thee every day as we kneel and pray

That we were born with eyes to see these things

Thank Thee for the fields where the clover is grown

Thank Thee for the pastures where cattle may roam

Thank Thee for Thy love so pure and free

Oh Lord, we thank Thee

Oh yes, we thank Thee, Lord, for every flower that blooms

Birds that sing, fish that swim and the light of the moon

We thank Thee every day as we kneel and pray

That we were born with eyes to see these things" 

- Jim Reeves "We Thank Thee".

I've quoted this before and it bears repeating "God does nothing but by the prayers of His people". Probably attributed to John Wesley. 

"How long has it been since you talked with the Lord

And told him your heart's hidden secrets

How long since you prayed how long since you stayed

On your knees till the light shone through

How long has it been since your mind felt at ease

How long since your heart knew no burden

Can you call him your friend how long has it been since you knew that he cared for you

How long has it been since you knelt by your bed and prayed to the Lord up in heaven

How long since you knew that he'd answer you

And would keep you the long night through

How long has it been since you woke with the dawn and felt that the day's worth the living

Can you call him your friend how long has it been since you knew that he cared for you?"

-Jim Reeves "How Long Has it Been?"

It's not at all that I was grasping for material to write this morning. These songs and Jesus's example are why I get up so early in the mornings. To meet with Jesus and write what He would have me say. Persistence in my evenings in reading can oftentimes lead to less sleep from that end of my day as well. But it's worth it.  

If Jesus is really truly important to you then you really truly shouldn't have any problems with meeting with Him.  

Can be over coffee, tea, etc. Can be in a quiet place in your home or in a Cafe. The solitude of your car. Maybe your backyard. Pick any place and I guarantee Jesus will show up.

For many they waver between it being optional or not. Is breathing optional for you? Is feeding your body optional for your existence? These are probably pretty important in living life beyond at least 6 minutes for breathing. The human body can go farther without food.

But to grow in Christ requires the conversations that ought to be there between ourselves and our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.  

It is highly probable that as Jesus said many will barely have anything to offer back to Jesus when their lives are reviewed before Him concerning what they did for Him.  

Are you going to be one of those?

How thankful are you really for the roof over your head, the bed you get to sleep on, the food on your table?

How grateful are you for what He gives you to be doing each day?

Here's where the denial of guilt comes in...is He your friend or in truthful reality have you been considering Jesus more as an acquaintance instead? You've never truly invested in your relationship with Jesus. You came to Christ for salvation yet aren't lifting a finger at the transformation that He's wanting to do in your life. Those things that He has been prompting you to give up or leave behind you keep giving excuses to keep ahold of. 

King David was known as a man after God's own heart.

Abraham was known as a friend of God. 

Someone once said that if something is important enough you make the time for it. 

Are you good at managing your time? Are giving Jesus as much of your heart as you think you are? Reading Jesus's response to a few people...Are you loving the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit?  

This relationship you claim is real between you and Jesus...are you really investing in it?  

Are the excuses there as to why you maybe haven't been?

If your relationship is to go anywhere you have to invest in it.

Do you literally mindlessly repeat the same thing every time you pray? Is your heart involved in what you pray and why you pray? We looked the other day at praying expectantly. Is there any expectation in your heart that Jesus is literally giving you His undivided attention? He is the omnipotent Savior who can give everyone His undivided attention at all times.  

A very powerful reminder of the true depths we must consider is found in this song by Phillips, Craig and Dean "How Deep the Father’s Love"

How deep the Father's love for us

How vast beyond all measure

That He should give His only Son

And make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss

The Father turns His face away

As wounds which mar the Chosen One

Bring many sons to glory

Behold the man upon the cross

My sin upon His shoulders

Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice

Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that held Him there

Until it was accomplished

His dying breath has brought me life

I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything

No gifts, no power, no wisdom

But I will boast in Jesus Christ

His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

Why should I gain from His reward

I cannot give an answer

But this I know with all my heart

His wounds have paid my ransom

How much stock are you putting into your relationship with Jesus?

What you put into it is what becomes of it. 

Your prayers won't have much motion to them without applying your faith to your words and actions. 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6.

Do you? Do you really? Trust Him that is. 

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Are you really or has this been extremely optional for you?

You asked Jesus to be the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life...but are you really investing in that decision to follow Jesus? 

Are you really putting your wants before His wants for you?

Praying with the right heart attitude is a must as well. Some only think they tried but gave up because they didn't get what they wanted.  

We don't pray to get everything we want. We pray first to give back some of what He first gave us. We pray for to show our gratitude for all He's done for us.  

Truth is on the table.

My Dear Reader if Jesus really gave you everything you have ever asked of Him...you would be eventually upset that He did!  

It's to be His will to be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.  

ACTS

Adoration 

Confession

Thanksgiving

Supplication 

It's about our relationship with Jesus growing as we go through the day-to-day life. 

It's not to be treating prayer like calling Customer Service to rant over your problems then hanging up.

Take a good look at your prayer life and your attitude towards it. It's never going to be in motion if you aren't treating it with the respect the privilege of doing so is due to it.

Jesus's resurrection opened the door between God and man for this wonderful opportunity to be able to talk to our living Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

Anticipation

Anticipation 

by David Brenneman 

"Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my groaning. Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray. In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; No evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit. But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house, At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You. O Lord, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes; Make Your way straight before me. There is nothing reliable in what they say; Their inward part is destruction itself. Their throat is an open grave; They flatter with their tongue. Hold them guilty, O God; By their own devices let them fall! In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out, For they are rebellious against You. But let all who take refuge in You be glad, Let them ever sing for joy; And may You shelter them, That those who love Your name may exult in You. For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield." Psalms 5:1-12.

The definition of anticipate: to regard as probable; expect or predict. Also, to act as a forerunner or precursor of.

Do you pray with an expectation of God hearing you? Or do you pray to make yourself feel better for having done so? Is a half-hearted attempt whereas you hope He might have listened to your pleas?  

King David prayed the Psalm you just read. King David was a man like any other on the outside...he was different on the inside. We read that he was a man after God's own heart.  

Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.  

The plans for Abraham were beyond anything possibly conceived in his mind. The Lord Jesus had visited him and his wife a year before and told them that the promise of a son coming from him was coming. He was a hundred years old and his wife 99. To his human mind everything the Lord was saying seemed impossible. Yet the Lord replied "Is anything too difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Genesis 18:14.

Still others are listed in the book of Hebrews chapter 11.  

We can have that kind of faith if we but believe as well. Belief has to have more than a bit of anticipation...and aligned with the will of God. "Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:20-22.

We can be our own worst saboteurs. We harm ourselves the worst when we allow self abasements creep into our thinking that have no place in who we are in Christ Jesus. We can allow our own list of sins we know that we have done cause us to self-disqualify us from being "high enough" on God's radar to be granted an audience with Jesus.

We can allow what we hold most dear to us to be more important than God's will for us in Christ Jesus as well. These thoughts or feelings for what we think we can't live without become chains that bind our hearts rather than setting us free for whatever God wants for us. 

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21.

"Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”1 Corinthians 2:6-9.

Yesterday I had 2 very big examples of praying expectantly. Most might say that I was being petty or was praying for something stupid even. But remember, the guy working with the prophet Elisha, who lost something?

"So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water; and he cried out and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” And when he showed him the place, he cut off a stick and threw it in there, and made the iron float. He said, “Take it up for yourself.” So he put out his hand and took it." 2 Kings 6:4-7.

Jesus further says to all to come with a childlike faith. Children are the epitome of expressing anticipation and expectation. They know they have needs and know who to ask. 

Yesterday I was faced with 3 circuit boards that I spent much of last Thursday trying to figure out why they weren't working right. Being off Fridays and all I had it in the back of my mind that I still had to troubleshoot them yesterday. I prayed before each type of failure and in mere minutes saw the problem with the first. Fixed that and prayed again about the other 2. God told me to turn the boards sideways to look at them from a different perspective. Compare a good board with a bad that way. The problem stood out almost glaringly. He answered those two prayers.  

Praying must be accompanied by anticipation of a yes, a no, a not right now or a wait because something better is coming. Praying without anticipation is worse than worthless. Praying with big words thinking that by them you'll be heard better by Jesus doesn't work either. Jesus accused the Pharisees of having that problem. 

Then...anticipate...Jesus will respond. Listen in case He is speaking to you outright. 25 years ago I prayed concerning possibly meeting my Wife. Jesus said upon my first time seeing her in person from my car "There she is, take care of her and don't mess it up".

I pray with anticipation of Jesus returning. I know it's going to happen in His time. In the mean time I am to pray and live life with the anticipation and expectation that He's personally involved in my life for good. 

Same should be for you my Dear Reader. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

More than a Purpose

More than a Purpose 

by David Brenneman 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus spoke to them, but they did not understand what those things were which He had been saying to them. So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd." John 10:1-16.

“What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish." Matthew 18:12-14.

"I don't want to run from the will of God.

I don't want to hide or hoard what He's giving me to do with what He's given me." - Me.

Those thoughts came to me yesterday during the Church service that we attended.  

There's to life than the life we see with our own eyes when we come to Christ for salvation in Him. 

There's the true story of that 1 sheep that the Shepherd left the 99 to go find. Having found the sheep the Shepherd does something that the mainstream world would consider cruel and heartless. The Shepherd intentionally breaks the leg of the lost sheep then carries it back to the 99. During the sheep’s recovery it learns dependence upon the Shepherd. Learns in a deeper way the love and caring behind what the Shepherd did. The sheep never forgets the true love of the Shepherd. 

My Wife pointed me to a post on Facebook that is of the same mindset. 

Every once in a while, an ewe will give birth to a lamb and reject it. There are many reasons she may do this. If the lamb is returned to the ewe, the mother may even kick the poor animal away. Once a ewe rejects one of her lambs, she will never change her mind.

These little lambs will hang their heads so low that it looks like something is wrong with their necks. Their spirit is broken.

These lambs are called "bummer lambs." Unless the shepherd intervenes, that lamb will die, rejected and alone. So, do you know what the shepherd does?

He brings the rejected lamb into his dwelling, feeds it by hand, and ensures its warmth near the fireplace. Wrapping it in blankets, he cradles it against his chest, allowing the lamb to sense his heartbeat. When the lamb gains sufficient strength, he reintegrates it into the field alongside the rest of the flock.

But that sheep never forgets how the shepherd cared for him when his mother rejected him. When the shepherd calls for the flock, guess who runs to him first?

That is right, the bummer sheep. He knows his voice intimately.

It is not that the bummer lamb is loved more, it just knows intimately the one who loves it.

It's not that it is loved more, it just believes it because it has experienced that love one on one.

So many of us are bummer lambs, rejected and broken. But He is the good Shepherd. He cares for our every need and holds us close to His heart so we can hear His heartbeat.

We may be broken but we are deeply loved by the Shepherd.

~ Author Unknown / Dawnings

Yesterday the Pastor also spoke of the grand lie of Satan that he and his minions tell all who live and breathe.  

That lie is that there's no way the life Jesus promises is going to be anywhere near the life you can create yourself. That it's not worth pursuing. That all Jesus wants to do is be a buzz kill. To take away anything you are really going to enjoy. As the Pastor also said...if Satan gets someone to buy into that lie...there's nothing more he needs to do with such people. His work is done.  

I was that 1 sheep that went off and Jesus the Great Shepherd, the Good Shepherd, came and got me.  

I was given a glimpse of my future and ran after it without any regard or consideration of what the path to it was going to take.  

It lead to a spiral away from where He was leading me.  

It took a decade or so to come back around to where I should have been all along with Jesus. He never left me, but He had to wait on me.  

I certainly was a dumb sheep. Not seeing what was going on in my life and why. The lies of Satan compounding almost daily, weekly and yearly. My feelings concerning myself growing ever lower.  

Then as I can relate to King David...Jesus reached down into the waters that I was drowning in and He pulled me up and out. There was a couple of Sunday evening services where the sermon hit straight into my heart, breaking those chains holding me from moving.  

Jesus promised never to leave me or forsake me and He kept that promise.  

It indeed took years of healing to learn how to walk again WITH Jesus instead of running ahead of Him. As a good friend says in his new book...keeping pace with the Savior.  

The world right now is heavily under the influence of Satan. But, not absolute control of him.  

He cannot do anything outside the Sovereign will of God for people in Christ Jesus.  

Where the Spirit is working with people to come to Christ he tries to battle for those people. 

Satan cares not who stays with him and dies. There's more people to be had.  

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Those who have come to Christ hear His voice.  

Many many shepherds in Jesus's days as well as now...know that only their sheep will hear their voice and will only follow them. Shepherds used to, and in some countries still do, gather all their sheep into a larger area for protection. Yet when it's time to move on only the respective sheep will go with only their own Shepherd...because of their voice. 

Jesus does indeed speak with me daily. These blog posts are at His discretion and direction. I have always aspired to be a writer of a book but this is beyond my imagination in its scope and global coverage in its distribution. 

As I hear and am directed so I write. 

Decades ago that was the vision I saw but messed up in the timing thereof and Jesus had to rescue me and do what He needed in order that I would think twice about running off again. 

Even now there's a clarity forming of a next step for me beyond this global outreach with this blog. I had dreams for my life that honestly have all really happened and it's taken years if healing from my life near Columbus, Ohio to remove that veil. Jesus has more for me to do. 

But I never would know any of it if I didn't trust in His voice. If I didn't trust Him with my life, my heart. 

Indeed more is what I have in life that isn't seen in the scope of possessions or prestigious awards or the applause of people. 

Pointing people to Jesus is what the life of a Believer is to be doing. Showing the drowning of this world that Jesus is there to save. To give them life, but not just life, life more abundant. Beyond anything we could ask or think of. 

You can either live with, be content with, buy into, the lies of Satan or listen to the voice of Truth in Christ Jesus. 

You can believe that this life you have is all there is or you can come to Christ for salvation and find out what the real life is all about. 

I'm not a Bible thumper. I am not here to beat the message of the Gospel into anyone.  

Jesus wants to have a real relationship with you and all I want of you is to open the door of your heart to Him and believe. 

Believe that He really does love you and really does want what is best for you.  

We are approaching the Easter season. That time when the Believer's of this world in Christ remember what Jesus went through to save them.  

Jesus wants to be the forgiver of your sins and the leader of your life. To be your Good Shepherd. To lead you into a life you can't imagine until you take those steps with Jesus.  

There's a greater purpose for you than you can see right now. To look at life through Spiritual eyes requires a right relationship with Jesus. Those who haven't come to Christ for salvation are dead to those spiritual things. They can't see with eyes that don't work. A dead body can't do anything. A life in Christ is alive, can see, can hear, can do the life that they've been raised to life for in Christ. 

Think about it. If you're not hearing the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd then you're in trouble. It's time to first figure out if you're truly saved and if you are to ask Him to help you find your true life in Christ. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.

Get Away

Get Away 

by David Brenneman 

"In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there." Mark 1:35

When do you really pray?  

Is your heart in your prayers?

When you lie down, when you are going about your day, are you keeping up with Jesus or your own agenda?

How healthy is your spiritual life? What efforts do you intentionally make in seeking to make sure you're healthy?

Many people believe that the good they do helps take care of this. The reality goes much deeper. 

Psalm 23 goes much deeper.

Life has mountains and valleys to go through. Sometimes we have moments, days, weeks, seasons in any part of those ups and downs along the way. 

Jesus showed by example to get away to be with Him in prayer. He did it quite often with His Father. 

Was reading in Matthew 26 last night, when Jesus was praying 3 separate times to His Father. My personal view is that the 4 study Bibles I use were incorrect in their study notes concerning whether or not the Father responded.  

Jesus said on other occasions that He and the Father were One. That He was in the Father and the Father was in Him. He said that His Father was always pleased with Jesus because He obediently did all that His Father wanted of Him. At His baptism, at the transfiguration, the Father spoke for all there to hear. Jesus got alone and prayed to the Father...the Father always responded to Him. There's absolutely no reason to believe that in the mere hours before the only time in history that He and His Father would be separated by all the sins of mankind that His Father would have nothing to say to His only begotten Son. 

His countenance, His behavior, after being in prayer with His Father those three times changed significantly. This alone says that His Father had been an encouragement to Him. Depending on the Gospel you read, at least one Angel came to strengthen Him.  

John Wesley is attributed as saying "God does nothing but in answer to prayer".

It was a prayer of childlike faith that brings anyone to Jesus for salvation. 

It is prayer that brought demons out of some as Jesus said was a requirement in some cases. 

It is prayer that helps tune us into a different attitude and way of living life in Christ. 

Prayer is there to help cleanse us of all unrighteousness.  

Prayer is there to bring peace when we can't find it in the world we live in. 

Prayer is talking to God. 

Prayer is getting to know Jesus. 

Prayer is our getting to know our Father in Heaven. 

Prayer doesn't need words all the time.  

Prayer cannot be stopped by Satan from getting to our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. 

Prayer feeds the soul of man with the everlasting water and bread of life from our source in Jesus Christ. 

Does it mean a little bit more to you now than it did before you began reading this today?  

Prayer helps align what we want with what Jesus wants of us.

For me, I was on the right track with adding study Bibles to my reading plans for 2025. I have greatly struggled to understand how to learn by studying. So I came up with that. It takes me away to be with God for however long it takes to read. A month into that I was prompted by the Spirit to double that initiative. School was in session.  

I have struggled for years to understand what goals to set for myself. What dreams to dream to reach for. Prayer is where I began with this. In these first 3 months I'm hearing from God to let go of some things in my life as my desires and turn my attention towards these studies. Where your treasure is there your heart will be also.  

Many decades ago it used to be a saying to describe children as being a treasure. Meaning that there was a unique joy to be had with them. 

We are the treasure of God. We have the attention of the Almighty Creator of the Universe. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords is but a prayer away from our hearts and minds in Christ. 

The only treasure we can store up in Heaven are people. Jesus's praying before His betrayal was as much about Himself and His Father as it was about fulfilling the need for mankind in providing the only way to have eternal life.  

How much of your true heart is in your prayer life? Do you just repeat words or do you really mean what you pray? There's going to be times when you hear back from Jesus. There's going to be times when His response is in His actions rather than words. There's but only a few ways that He does answer.

Yes, no, not right now or wait...I have something better in mind. 

Jesus said that His sheep hear His voice. How can anyone honestly say they know His voice if they aren't actively intentionally praying with all seriousness?  

The notion that Jesus always speaks rather than in other ways is absurd. My Father on this Earth could give me a look and that look spoke volumes.  

With Mother's there is this phenomenon called "The Look". It usually involves a particular facial expression along with a raised eyebrow and particular position of the hands on the hips. 

Jesus searches the hearts. He knows full well if our hearts are set on Him or not. He knows if we're just not in it or if we mean it.  

Take time today to get real with yourself and your Savior and Lord.  

If you haven't come to Christ for salvation...you absolutely must start there. Otherwise your prayers go unanswered. Prayer is part of a person's relationship with Jesus. You have to have that relationship first.  

Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. Our highest priority isn't our jobs or even our family. It's the path of God for us to grow in Christ Jesus. We focus on that n whatever is really important is taken care of. 

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation. 

Are You Really Ready?

Are You Really Ready?

by David Brenneman 

"The parable of the 10 virgins is given to underscore the importance of being ready for Christ’s return in any event---even if he delays longer than expected. For when He does return, there will be no second chances for the unprepared." - Pastor John MacArthur on Matthew 25:1-13

An interesting caveat to writing these posts is that I know not what the topic will be. This excerpt from MacArthur is just a really good example of preparedness. Add to it that in that same evening I read that, on Facebook I saw a representation of Jesus in the clouds with His arms open wide and thousands of people in glorified bodies walking towards Him.  

Being a mediocre Christian does nothing to excuse our actions before Jesus when He returns.  

As someone once said if you only pray when you are in trouble then you are already in trouble. 

Jesus sends various people into the lives of people to be there to point them to Jesus. His heart is heavy with the burden of seeking to save the lost. He recommended to His Disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers into His harvest. 

Being a good person isn't fulfilling God's will for a person. If it was a real relationship with Jesus that's no different than breathing. More than that has to exist in a Believer's life. Trillions of people who were good people are in Hell. They wanted the pride of their idea of good to be enough to make it to Heaven. 

Believer's came to Christ for salvation by faith in the Son of God not in anything they did or their parents did or grandparents etc. Nobody is prayed out of Hell. Each person there knows without a shadow of a doubt why they are in Hell and not Heaven. Perpetual, endless, weeping and gnashing of teeth will go on forever in that place. Then comes the judgment where they receive a glorified body and then are cast into the lake of fire. 

Jesus brought choice to all of mankind when He arose from the grave. All mankind has a choice to receive the free gift of salvation or to spend eternity completely separated from God in Christ Jesus.  

There's no middle ground. 

There's no do-overs.

There's no second chances to be had.

It is the great lie of Satan to all when people doubt that God ever said what He did about the need to be saved.  

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour." Matthew 25:1-13.

People have been trying to tell the world when Jesus will return. This too is of Satan. 

This parable has to do with those who came to Christ and received salvation vs those who didn't because they thought they had time. Then the evidences were building up that Jesus was returning and those who didn't take the free gift of salvation had to scramble. They were locked out when Jesus came to receive those who had.  

My Dear Reader there's nothing new that was predicted in the Scriptures that we need to see before Jesus returns. Nothing.  

Right after this passage in Matthew Jesus explains it another way. The parable of the talents. The last man who went and buried what he was given wasn't saved at all. He wasted his life on himself until the day his master returned. Deep down he knew better. He knew what his master expected. Yet he wasted his life on fear of what might happen rather than do like the other 2 and go all in with obeying their master.  

Are you wasting your time that God has given you to find salvation in Christ because of your fears? Jesus said what will happen to people like this guy clearly enough. It's the fate of all who never came to Christ for salvation. Expulsion to that place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.  

What are you thinking?  

That lie where maybe your good will outweigh your bad?

My Dear Reader you can only have your name written in the Lamb's book of Life AFTER you choose to come to Christ for salvation. 

Everyone's lives will be reviewed by God and the final defining moment, final definitive question is asked by Jesus "Is their name written in my book?"

How can you know? How can you be sure?

"But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8-13.

Friend, Jesus isn't going to beat you over the head about this. He's in the lifeboat of Humanity, arms outstretched to bring about your safety but you have to need to want saving. 

He gently has been knocking at the door of your heart all your life. People lie to themselves when they say they've never heard from Jesus. Everyone has. We choose to open that door or to lock it. Eternal consequences result from that decision.

You might not get to finish reading this post and Jesus could return. You might get through some perceived wonderful day and in an instant your time on Earth is done. No time to choose anymore. 

No time.

When Jesus returns the world will probably figure it out but will be eventually lied to by Satan's Antichrist as to the truth. Bibles everywhere in digital form will be deleted. Physical copies banned. A sentence of death will be on any who have only then come to Christ. The grand threat of the World Court will be a reality in every single nation. If you thought a pandemic was bad its not even a walk in the park by comparison. 

Revelation records billions dying at the coming wrath of God upon this planet on several occasions. In all likelihood after the times mentioned in that book nearly 6 billion people will die.  

Nobody alive today HAS to see those horrors. Nobody alive today HAS to worship some world leader. 

Salvation in Christ Jesus is free to all who would welcome Him in to be the forgiver of their sins and the leader of their lives. 

"Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1.

Only those who are alive after the Rapture of the Church stand condemned. Salvation is still possible but at great cost. Later on in those judgments we see that those who have come to Christ for salvation finally are martyred. Beheaded.  

The Bible says that there is no fear in love, that perfect love casts out fear. That's what happens when you come to Christ. Fear is gone. 

Then you find that life is worth the living just because He lives as your personal Lord and Savior. You then can be like those virgins in the parable or the servant's who invested their master’s talents and will joyously look forward to hearing Jesus shout that its time to come home. 

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

calling for you and for me;

see, on the portals he's waiting and watching,

watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home;

you who are weary come home;

earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

calling, O sinner, come home!

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,

pleading for you and for me?

Why should we linger and heed not his mercies,

mercies for you and for me?

Come home, come home;

you who are weary come home;

earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

calling, O sinner, come home!

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,

passing from you and from me;

shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,

coming for you and for me.

Come home, come home;

you who are weary come home;

earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

calling, O sinner, come home!

O for the wonderful love he has promised,

promised for you and for me!

Though we have sinned, he has mercy and pardon,

pardon for you and for me.

Come home, come home;

you who are weary come home;

earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

calling, O sinner, come home!

- Softly and Tenderly 

Will L. Thompson 1880

All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.