Hell's Inmates

They will thirst but have no water.
They will hunger without relief.
They will have eternity to wonder
What hindered their belief.

They'll cry until they have no tears.
They'll scream until their voice is gone.
They'll moan alone in darkness,
Knowing no comforter will come.

They'll long for friends and family.
They'll yearn for love but experience hate.
They'll strain to find some kind of light
Against the weight of endless night.

Weary they'll be but find no rest.
Their searing pain will not abate.
Their minds though ever racked with pain
Cannot forget that it's too late.

The many chances (memories now)
Remain to plague and aggravate:
"What was I thinking? Why so stubborn?
No help, no hope, no way of escape!"

Always aware that no one cares,
A lost soul is forever doomed.
It knows no life, yet cannot die,
But dwells in everlasting gloom.

No form of light, nothing in sight.
No kind of relief, pure arrant belief.
No more chance, nothing to enhance
Hell's perpetual grievous plight.

No help, No hope, No God.
No life, No love, No good.
No name, No fame, No claims.

Just fear, just shame, just pain.
Just lonely, just needy, just gloomed.
Just lost, just damned, just doomed.

Hungry, thirsty, lonely, fearful,
Hopeless, regretful, weary, tearful
Hurting, yearning, longing, plagued,
Fully aware, alive but dead.

Everlasting punishment! Unending shame!
Infinite guilt! Eternal blame!
Forever tormented! Endlessly mistaken!
Receiving justice! Of mercy forsaken!

When will it end? Never, not ever!
How long must one endure! Forever and ever!

Only doom and gloom!

Seeking relief but finding it not.
The temperature never changes:
It's excruciatingly hot!

Cherel Justice

Copyright © 2009

The Mothers of All Living

I realize the title of this blog may sound a little strange because most of us, especially biblical creationists, would normally speak of the singular mother of all living, known in western culture as Eve. Don't let the title throw you off. I do believe in the biblical Eve, but the book I'll be quoting claims to have genetically proven that everyone living on planet earth today has descended from one mother through three maternal lines; thus, the title, Mothers of All Living.

The book I'm referring to is The Search for Eve by Michael H. Brown. This is not a Christian book. It is not based on the Bible in any way. The author merely uses the name, Eve, to draw attention to his book because he knows most people are aware of the biblical passage, Genesis 3:20, that says, "...Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living." That's clever advertising. It certainly got my attention.

One Mother of All Living
According to 3 geneticists (Rebecca Cann, Michael Stoneking and Allan C. Wallace), who completed this study,"Mitochondrial DNAs from 147 people, drawn from five geographic populations (Asian, European, African, Australian and New Guinean), have been analyzed by restriction mapping. All these mitochondrial DNAs stem from one woman." (pg 23) Thus, "the geneticists had pinpointed a female who appeared to be the sole common link in our species...a nameless, faceless, great-grandmother..." to us all. (pg 204)

Biblical creationists want to rejoice at these words. Not because they need proof of God's Word, but in hope that the scientific affirmation of God's Word might have an affect on unbelievers. However, evolutionary scientists do not intend to confirm God's Word even when the evidence does. No, the author simply explains that they believe there were many other mothers besides "Eve" but "Eve's" children are the only ones that survived. When the proof is lacking, you can always make up another story-- or should I say theory?

One Race Filled the World
One of my pet peeves is the use of the word races. When asked about my race on a form I write "Human." My skin color may be light because its melanin challenged but I'm definitely human. And so is every single God created human from Adam and Eve's day to ours-- no matter their level of melanin. We are all descended from the same parents and are members of only one race.

From their research, "the geneticists were also saying that there had been no distinct races until after much of the world was settled." (pg. 36) Yes, the world was settled by the descendants of one couple so there were no distinct races in the world. And, still, there are no distinct races. Races are just man made groupings of people based on skull shapes, color and ethnocentric beauty standards. And, because those groupings are used to express superiority and inferiority, such divisions are immoral.

The actual people groups of the world are based on language more than anything else. God separated people by language groups at the tower of Babel and the separation limited the gene pools and led to distinctive ethnic characteristics in skin tones, skull shapes, height, body type, hair textures and colors, etc. No group is innately or inherently superior to the others. We are one species. We all share the same blood and we can mate. Enough said.

All Living People Come from Three Maternal Lineages
Now we finally to get to the reason for my blog title. Another geneticist, Douglas Wallace, said, "What we’re basically finding is that there appear to be three maternal lineages that are giving rise to all the different tribes we’ve looked at so far." (pg 314)
For biblical creationists this confirms another biblical truth. According to Genesis 9:19, "These three (Shem, Ham and Japheth) were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated." We know these three men had three wives who would be the three maternal lines descended from Eve and mothering all future inhabitants of the world.

I hope, if you were not aware of this research, you have found this enlightening. It should encourage believers and hopefully give open minded searchers a reason to look further for the truth about our origins and our destiny. For, if you recognize who your earthly mother is, you may then want to acknowledge your Heavenly Father and find eternal life with Him. That's my prayer for you!

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..." Acts 16:31

Redemption From The Fall

Though serpent deceived, yet Eve believed

and crunched that fateful bite.

Then Adam partook and good forsook

when he sinned against the light.

Well, Eden was lost--a frightful cost

for knowledge of corruption.

And clothes of skin could not begin

to cover sin's eruptions.

The flesh of all men was enslaved by sin,

though choice was made by one.

Through father's fall sin came to all,

so none was good, not one.

But, God's not one to be outdone.

For this He was prepared.

He had a great plan to rescue man

from sin and Satan's snare.

To mend the rift He gave a free gift

to Adam's children--all!

So, just Believe and You'll Receive

Redemption from the Fall!

But God demonstrates His own love toward us,
in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us...
when we were enemies we were reconciled to God
through the death of His Son... Therefore, just as

through one man sin entered the world,
and death through sin, and thus

death spread to all men, because all sinned...
even so through one Man's righteous act
the free gift came to all men, resulting in
 justification of life

For as by one man's disobedience
many were made sinners,
so also by one Man's obedience
many will be made righteous...
where sin abounded, grace abounded much more...
to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

-- Portions of Rom 5:8-21 NKJV

Bright Eyes For God

The light (brightness) of the eyes rejoices the heart . . . Proverbs 15:30
You know how it is, when you’re in love or you have a close friend that you love, your eyes light up because of the joy in your heart when you see them and when they see the light in your eyes it brings joy to their heart as well. I know it does to mine. And God is like that too. He created us with the same desires He has. He wants our hearts to rejoice in His presence. And He wants us to have such an eager longing to be with Him that it shines in our eyes.

Because of this desire, "Jesus said . . . You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." (Matt 22:37)

This, according to Jesus, is the greatest commandment ever given. That means it must be very important to God and to us if we want to please Him. So, let's talk about it.

Have you ever wondered how God could command us to love Him?
Isn't love an emotional response we have only limited control over?
Aren’t we simply attracted by looks, intelligence, sense of humor or pheromones? Isn't love perhaps serendipitous, just a happy accident?
Doesn’t love just sort of happen naturally?
Think about it. Would God command us to do something we aren’t able to do?
Doesn’t God know how we are– after all He made us?
Yes, He did make us! And, why did He do that? He made us because He loved us. It should; therefore, be a natural response for us to love Him because He first loved us!

Not only did He create us out of His love but He designed us with the ability to return that love ‘if we choose to’. Yes, love is a choice.

The three persons of the Godhead existed from eternity in a loving relationship. Can you even imagine what it was like before God created the universe? It’s hard for us to conceive of a time before we were around, isn’t it? What did God do before we came along? I can tell you one thing, He had a lot fewer headaches and heartaches!

God was complete in Himself. He had no needs but He was so full of love He chose to share it. And, because of this choice, He spoke the universe into existence. Everything that’s out there is out there for us. He made it seemingly endless so we wouldn’t feel like we were in a box and be claustrophobic. He made the earth large enough to provide lots of opportunity for adventure. And, when He had everything prepared that would be necessary to provide for the subjects of His love, He created Adam and Eve. And then to accommodate our esthetic needs, He planted a beautiful garden to be our home.

Adam was handmade by Jesus. He appeared in a pre-incarnate physical body, got down on His hands and knees, scooped up some clay, and with much greater skill than the greatest master sculptor who would ever live, He formed the man. Then when the time was right, He took flesh and bone material from Adam’s side and He built the woman. I’m not sure what built means here but I think it must mean that women are the best of His creation!
 
I want to emphasize that this was not an impersonal process like when He spoke the angels into existence. No, Jesus got totally involved. In fact, when He breathed life into Adam and he became conscious, Jesus was right there face to face with him. Adam came into being in perfect relationship with his Creator. (Maybe they even had a birthday party!) He immediately started getting to know God and God knew him.

The same thing was true for Eve. Jesus was in her line of sight when she opened her eyes for the very first time. She never had a moment of loneliness or confusion about who she was or where she was. Jesus was with her and He took her to Adam and blessed their union. They were both brought into existence by God because He wanted them to be with Him. And thus, mankind was ‘Creator designed’ for a loving relationship with his God.

We all know the story of what happened in that beautiful garden called Eden. We know that Satan deceived Eve and we know that Adam willfully chose to disobey the direct command of God. We know they both ate of the forbidden fruit, thus breaking the perfect fellowship they had with Jesus. But, do we understand the impact their choices had on the heart of God? I’m not at all sure we’ve given that enough thought.

The scriptures tell us that, following their disobedience, Jesus came walking through the garden looking for them just as He had every day. Don’t you think He knew they had sinned? Of course, He did. But this shows us that God remains faithful even when we are faithless. Even though He knew what they had done He still came. He loved them and wanted to be with them but they were hiding.
 
When Jesus reached their usual meeting place and found Himself alone, He called out to Adam and said, "Where are you?" Those words may have flowed from His lips, but I believe there was a much deeper question burning in His heart at that moment. Most of us are reluctant to openly acknowledge feelings of rejection. I believe in His faithful heart of hearts He was thinking, "Why have you forsaken Me?"
 
It was a question He knew He would be forced to ask of His Father someday from an old rugged cross because of their transgression. Nevertheless, out of His great love and faithfulness, He had come to be with them, but they turned away in fear and had closed their hearts to Him.

Closed hearts have been the problem ever since.  God has done everything possible to reach us. He has tugged at our hearts through the beauty of nature. He has whispered our names through the voices of loving friends. He has written us love letters through His prophets. He has demonstrated His love by sending His Son to die for us. He has spoken to us and comforted us by His Holy Spirit. He has been merciful and kind and gracious to us all the days of our lives, drawing us to Himself with cords of everlasting love. But, we have a free will and He will never force us to engage in an intimate, loving, heart to heart, relationship with Him. Still, that is what He truly wants, so He has given us His greatest commandment to continually remind us.

Jesus was very aware of the difficulty people have in obeying this commandment. Not because it’s too difficult, but because of closed hearts. In fact, He quoted Isaiah and said, 'These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.' " Matt 15:8-9

Draw near could have been translated approach. It’s the word often used to express a desire for intimate (sexual) relations. Jesus is saying these people try to lead me to believe that they want to be truly intimate with me, but it’s just talk. They have closed their hearts to Me. They always keep Me at a distance because they prefer to live by their manmade rules. What a heartbreaking situation this is for God. It’s inexpressibly painful to care deeply for someone, and to desire a heart to heart relationship with them, knowing they don’t feel the same way about you. Especially when you’ve done everything you can to show them your love. I’m sure many of us can relate to this because we have experienced that kind of rejection and pain.

Well, we’re not alone. That’s where God often finds Himself. He’s a Person with an infinite heart. He loves us and cares for us; therefore, He suffers from feelings of rejection when our hearts are far from Him. Why does He suffer? Because He knows that rules will never lead to intimacy. Intimacy means, ‘In to me you see’. That doesn’t happen by accident or overnight. It takes commitment and time. Both parties have to want it and trust each other enough to build toward it. God has been doing His part because He wants intimacy with you. Do you want intimacy with Him?

Jesus wants you, like Moses, to know His ways, His very nature, not just what He does. The problem is, most people live from their brains instead of their hearts. They  aren’t really interested in intimacy. The brain is very territorial. Its main concern is self-protection. It wants to be on guard against anything or anyone who at some point in time might be a threat; a source of problems or pain. So, people who live from their brains keep others at a safe distance. They don’t even want to be intimate with their  loved ones, much less with God. So, they stay behind their self-made protective walls trying to avoid pain, and hoping to make it through another day unscathed. If they think of God at all, they see Him as impersonal. They don’t understand His loving nature or even consider His heart of hearts.

So, Jesus reveals God’s heart. He shows us that it grieves God when we talk like we have or want to have a personal relationship with Him, but it’s just talk. He feels rejected when we perform our religious duties, but withhold our affections from Him. Our affection is what He really wants. But, when religious people don’t know God and don’t really want to, they always turn to rules. Following rules is a sure sign of a lack of intimacy with God.

We have a perfect example of this in scripture. There was a rich young ruler who came to Jesus and asked, "What must I ‘do’ to gain eternal life?" He didn’t ask how to get closer to God. He just wanted something he could ‘do’ part-time to insure that his eternal destiny would be in heaven. Under questioning by Jesus, he professed to have followed all the most important rules since childhood. So, as always, Jesus went straight to the heart of the matter.
 
Jesus challenged the young man with his ultimate ‘do’! He told him, "Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor and come and follow Me. That’s what you can ‘do’ to gain eternal life." 

It wouldn’t have purchased eternal life for him, nothing but the blood of Jesus can do that, but it would have shown that he really loved God. Money was his true love so he wouldn’t ‘do’ it. Instead, he went away sorrowful and left Jesus sorrowful too because He really loved him.

Let’s look at the heart of the matter. Why is God so concerned about an intimate relationship with us? I think the book called The Five Love Languages will help us understand. It says people receive love in at least 5 different ways. It might be through gifts, acts of service, quality time, words of affirmation or physical touch. For example, if a loved one needs physical touch but you give gifts, it won’t make him feel loved. And acts of service just won’t touch someone who needs quality time. So, if someone doesn’t know specifically what makes you feel loved, whatever they are doing for you probably won’t be an effective way to show you they love you. Well, God’s like that too. He has certain things that make Him feel loved. He wants us to spend time getting to know Him in His Word and through His Spirit so that we know how to show Him we love Him. And, once we know how, He wants us to do it, out of love.

Speaking of love, to the church of Ephesus in Revelations, Jesus said: "I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place – unless you repent." Rev 2:2-6

When you first look at this passage you may wonder what the real problem was. I mean, these people were doing a lot of things right! So, why does He tell them to change their ways? What could have been so different about those first works that made God demand that they return to them? Take another look at the passage and notice how God described what they were doing. He said, "I know ‘your works, your labor, your patience.’ I see what ‘you’ have done." It was as if they were doing all they were doing on their own. The obvious difference between their first works and their current works is that the first works were done out of a heart of love for God. They were performed with Him; not just for Him. They were done with a desire to please Him. They were done with a joy that flowed from an intimate love relationship with God. He’s not satisfied with anything less. And we shouldn’t be either. Works righteousness is never effective, satisfying or sustainable!

So, what kind of relationship is God looking for?  Let’s look at David. God called him "a man after My own heart, who will do all My will." (Acts 13:22 from 1 Sam 13:14) He wanted an intimacy with God that few people ever seek after and He was willing to obey God’s commandments to achieve it. Listen to his intimate conversation with God.

"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, (Don’t you love it when someone’s looking for you in the sanctuary? God does too!) to see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. My soul shall be satisfied . . . and my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me . . . " (Excerpts Psalm 63: 1-8)

Can you feel David’s passion for God? Can you sense his devotion? Can you see why God said David was a man ‘after My own heart’? It was because he pursued God! I want to quote a couple of passages from The Sacred Romance by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge to clarify the wonder of this relationship God longs for with us.  "We come into the world wanting to be special to someone and from the start we are disappointed . . . Can you recall a time when a significant someone in your life sat you down with the sole purpose of wanting to know your heart more deeply, fully expecting to enjoy what he found there? More people have climbed Mt. Everest than have experienced real pursuit . . . "

That last statement amazed me. I’m sure you know not many people have climbed Mt. Everest! I don’t know how that strikes you on a personal level, but I can relate to it very deeply. I want to be pursued and I pursue others. I want to get to know my friends at an intimate level and I want them to know me. I’m not satisfied with surface relationships. I realize my needs in this area and I know I’m not alone. I take after my Father in heaven. That’s exactly what He wants too. He wants us to pursue Him! He wants us to spend time with Him; just because we want to get to know Him better. This is what David did and God loved it.

God loved David's passion; and He loved David with a passion! And, God knew David intimately. Because of this, He understood and continued to love David even through his failures. God knew that because David lived from his heart he was in danger if he ever let his godly passion grow cold. So, when David got lax in his relationship with God, it was no surprise to God that he fell into the trap of looking for a new lover to satisfy his heart’s needs. Everyone turns to something to meet the needs of their heart. Not everyone will turn to human lovers, but they will turn to something to meet their heart’s needs, if they don’t stay close to God. It may be sports, romance novels, soap operas, hobbies, or even other lovers.

According to G. K. Chesterton, "Every man who goes to a brothel is looking for God!"

That’s a shocking statement, and I’m not sure that’s true of every man, but I do believe David’s affair with Bathsheba was an attempt to replace the love life He had lost with God. It doesn’t excuse his behavior and he had to repent to get back into a right relationship with God but; by God’s grace, he did, and God restored him. He returned to being a man after God’s own heart.

 In conclusion, God is a God of heart relationships and if we want to be in a satisfying relationship with Him, He demands that we love Him with our whole heart. We sing about and long for "More love . . . more power . . . more of you in my life". . . but the only way we’ll get more love and more power is to love God more. He wants us to be so enthralled with Him that our eyes are bright when we think of Him, talk about Him, and worship Him. He wants our whole heart. It’s the only thing He really wants from us. All of the busyness, the works, and the use of our spiritual gifts and natural abilities mean nothing to God apart from an intimate relationship with Him.

But, this is not a one step process. If you want to please God, you must pursue Him for a lifetime. And it’s your choice.

Bright Eyes

My Lord, My God, teach me please,

To live my life attached only to thee.

By this, I ask not You remove lesser loves,

But rather, enthrall my heart from above.

Be my Father, my Friend and my Lover,

So the wounds in my heart may fully recover.

Meet my soul’s most passionate needs

For companionship and true intimacy.

O, Holy God, my deepest heart's desire,

Fill me with love's all consuming fire.

Know me as I’ve never yet been known.

So I’ll have bright eyes for You alone.

Everything Is Being Shaken

In light of the financial meltdown at home and abroad, and in light of the current chaos in the Middle East, I find the following Words from God most timely. The message given in 2008 was followed by the financial collapse around the world. And the message given 2 weeks ago has been followed by the collapsing of Middle Eastern dictatorships which is currently in progress. Yes, indeed, things are being shaken and those that cannot stand the pressure are being destroyed. It's a scary world at present, but the good news is, Our God Is In Control. I wanted to share these encouraging words with you so you also can find hope and peace in them.    

"Thus says the LORD, as I told you before, everything is being shaken that can be shaken. I have been shaking this world. Passions are high. Tempers are high. Anger is high. Suffering is high. Pain is high.
I am in charge! I am bringing to pass what must come to pass. I have everything in control. I will protect My children. I will keep My own. Put your trust in Me. Put your confidence in Me. Let your peace be in Me. No flame will kindle upon you. The waves will not overflow you. I will guard you. I will protect you. Look not to the right or to the left. Let not your heart be troubled. There is nothing that can overcome you. Look to me and see if I will not order your steps."

The LORD gave us this word at The Family Church on February 6, 2011. It was a follow up to the word given on March 30, 2008 shown below.

"I AM speaking today, says the LORD. Those with humble and contrite hearts are hearing My Voice. Those who have shaken off the concerns of this life and the cares of this life are hearing My Voice. Those who are not weighted down and encumbered with the things of this life are hearing My Voice. I Am shaking things around you. I am shaking securities that are based in world systems. I am shaking the U.S. securities that are based in world systems. I want you to hear Me today. I want to draw those who are hungry and thirsty. Listen with a shaking off of the cares of this world. You can trust Me and know I will not make you ashamed."

We know the LORD says He will do nothing without revealing His doings to His people. These messages from God are very revealing. He is giving us a heads up warning. He is doing the shaking. We can trust Him. He will care for us as we lean on Him. We must humble ourselves before Him. We must purify our hearts and let go of the materialistic desires that weight us down and tie us to this world system. Now is the time to listen to God and let Him order our steps. He is our hope and our only security.

May you respond to His word and be blessed!

For The Love of Words

After spending hours working on a Bible lesson to share with my web friends, my work was lost. It was gone because the HTML editing language can get messed up during the editing process and then it refuses to save a corrupted document and I don't know how to fix HTML problems. Anyway, I was disappointed about the lost post. However, all my time was not wasted because I am left with some of my notes in another file and the impact the study and preparation time had on me personally. And that's good. I'm always challenged and encouraged by spending time in God's Word, as I trust you are.

And, my refusal to quit writing because of such disappointments got me to thinking about how much I love words. I love to read words and I love to write words. I love to speak words and I love to hear words. And, it occurred to me that behind all of this love of words is The Word, Himself, Jesus Christ, The God Man who 'spoke' everything into existence. All of creation manifested as a result of spoken words! Pause and think about that. (As I've read elsewhere, "I'll wait."  :-) They were words spoken by The Most High, of course, but they were words. So, words are indeed foundational to our existence. And, I would add, to our present survival, as well as, to our future state of happiness.

And yet, as important as they are, we don't always recognize their value or their power. In fact, we often treat words with contempt. We avoid words, abuse words, corrupt words, parry words, parse words, twist words, sling words, waste words, etcetera. We may speak when silence would be more effective and we may remain silent when only appropriate words could bring resolve. We may use words to conceal our true selves and our actions rather than to reveal what ought to be shared. We may use words to dominate rather than to uplift, to slander rather than to defend, to hurt rather than to heal. And, if we do misuse words, as it says in Proverbs, it will be to our loss.

Just think about the Tower of Babel for a minute. They misused words! They called good, evil, and called evil, good. They thought preserving their unity as one people was more important than obedience to God's command. Everyone spoke the same language. They even shared the same dialect, used the same phrases and told the same stories. They were one people and had never been separated by any barrier that would cause them to differentiate by culture, class or color. And so, they understood each other and worked well together. And, that seemed good to them and sounds good to many today who favor a New World Order. However, their connections and similarities made them easily dominated by an ungodly leader and their great cooperation operated in opposition to God.

He had told them to separate into groups and fill the earth for their own good. God knows localised government is better in a sinful world, and He wanted to protect the common people from totalitarianism. So, when He came down to check out their defiant project and looked ahead in time to the results that would follow, out of mercy and grace, He chose to intervene on their behalf. And  God's solution was to change their languages so they could no longer understand one another. The confusion forced them to separate and fill the earth as previously commanded. And that separation has slowed totalitarianism's progress and preserved the world for thousands of years now saving many lives. (See how God's commandments are good and promote life. Don't you just love God's Word?) Yes, separation and lack of understanding sometimes saves life. If words will be misused, it's better not to use them at all. Go figure! Or Selah, if you like! 

Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. Proverbs 18:21 KJV  

This proverb is to be taken literally now and in the hereafter. For example, a false witness may lead a judge or a jury to condemn an innocent person to death. Or a liar may stir up a mob to take justice into their own hands. It could be you in the jury box or among the mob or in the dock. If not in this life, you will certainly be in the dock later, as will we all, according to our next scripture. 

"But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matt 12:36-37

This may not be the cheeriest subject, but it's timely. We live, as Isaiah did, "among a people of unclean lips." If he did, you know we do today. Besides personal interactions we can't control, the electronic media fills the airwaves with the product of unclean lips, making profanity and all other forms of ungodly speech very difficult to avoid. I am particularly distressed by the disrespectful use of references to God in our world today-- especially among Christians. The prophet, himself, admitted that he was "a man of unclean lips" before the angel cleansed his lips with a burning coal from the altar. So, it's obvious that the sin nature and society both play a role in polluting our hearts. However, we have a precious promise to cling to in faith and obedience that will preserve us even in the midst of a perverse generation. It says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 KJV) Notice the solution involves words. We must confess our sins to be cleansed. And then, God promises to purify us from everything that's not right about us. Praise God!

We can't live without words-- especially The Word! And, as I said before, I love words! So, it's simply imperative that we use words righteously as Paul says in Ephesians. Don't use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them. (4:29)

I hope this word has and will encourage you to become more consciously aware of the quality of thoughts allowed in your mind and the impact of the words allowed to flow from your lips, or even from your pen. May all your words minister life to you and to those who receive them!

Wisdom: Living the Christ-Life

...living means living for Christ...  Phil 1:21 

 If you aren’t living for Christ, you aren’t living. 

 

Getting wisdom (Christlikeness) is the most important thing you can do! Pro 4:7a* 
 

 In him (Christ) lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Col 2:3

Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.

Use his words to teach and counsel each other... Col 3:16a 

Teach the wise (Christlike), and they will be wiser (more Christlike)...

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Christlikeness).

Knowledge of the Holy One (Christ) results in understanding. 

Wisdom (Christ) will multiply your days and add years to your life. 

If you become wise (Christlike), you will be the one to benefit.

If you scorn wisdom (Christlikeness), you will be the one to suffer.  Pro 9:9-12

To acquire wisdom (Christlikeness) is to love oneself ... Prov. 19:8a 
 

Loving your neighbor means you want him/her to acquire Christlikeness also. 

Wise (Christlike) people treasure knowledge... Pro 10:14a

A wise (Christlike) person is hungry for truth, while the fool feeds on trash. Pro 15:33

Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom (Christlikeness),

but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth. Pro 17:24

...the wise (Christlike) listen to others.  Pro 12:15b 
 

“Wisdom is the reward for a lifetime of listening ...
when you'd have preferred to talk”. 
 D.J. Kaufman
 

"Listening is an attitude of the heart, a genuine desire to be with another
that both attracts and heals." J. Isham 

...a wise (Christlike) person learns from instruction. Pro 21:11 

 The Christlike person loves, listens to others, and learns.  
 

A wise (Christlike) teacher’s words spur students to action and emphasize important truths.

The collected sayings of the wise (Christlike) are like guidance from a shepherd.  Eccl. 12:11 
 

 The Christlike teacher shares important truths and encourages students to live by them– to put them into action. Knowledge is foundational to wisdom, but Christlikeness is doing something with what you know.
 

Christ came. He did many things but I want to emphasize three:  

He loved, He listened, He learned.  Are we like Him?

Spiritual growth can only occur in the open minded. We need to be sensitive to the Spirit of God if we would discover deeper truths. He will lead us into all truth as we follow like a loving young child who is willing to listen and learn. Nothing we have ‘learned’ from other sources in the past is as important to us as what the Spirit of God reveals to us through the Word of God now. We must be open minded to receive the Word of God if we would continue to grow spiritually.  

Intelligent(Christlike) people are always open to new ideas.

 In fact, they look for them. Prov. 18:15     

"If we watch ourselves honestly we shall often find that we have begun to argue

against a new idea even before it has been completely stated." - Wilfred Trotter  

 

Jesus Christ was an ‘out of the box’ thinker.
He was open to new ideas.

In fact, sharing His ‘new ideas’ is what made
the religious people mad at him.

*Religious people are not open to new ideas.

*Extremely scrupulous or conscientious about ritualistic customs and traditions.  

Jesus said, “You have heard it said, but I say”...  
And that’s when they got mad. 

Let’s look at the Wisdom of Jesus in Matthew.

You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You shall not murder…’

but I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgement!

If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court.

And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. 5:22

You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’

But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed

adultery with her in his heart. 5:27-28

You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows...’

but I say, do not make any vows! 5:34 

You have heard that the law says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy

but I say love your enemies! 5:44 

Do not judge others and you will not be judged.

For you will be treated as you treat others.  7:1-2

First get rid of the log in your own eye;

then ... deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. 7:5

Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you.   7:12

I want you to show mercy...  I have come to call... those who know they are sinners.   9:13

Fear only God...  10:28

...you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross and follow me. 16:24

Only those who do the will of my Father in heaven will enter (heaven). 7:21

When you pray, don’t babble on and on...  6:7

Don’t store up treasures here on earth... 6:19a

It’s not what goes into your mouth…

you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth. 15:11

Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant...  20:26 

Wisdom (Christ) lights up a person’s face, softening its hardness. Ecclesiastes 8:1b

Water is fluid, soft, and yielding.

But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield.

As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard.

This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.   Lao-Tzu (600 B.C.) 

 

  True Life is the Christ Life! It’s a good life filled with wisdom and knowledge and spiritual growth.  It’s a life of good deeds that glorify God.  It’s a life of servanthood.  It’s a winsome life that draws others in mercy toward the truth.  It’s a life of loving, listening and learning. 

 Getting wisdom (Christlikeness) is the most important thing you can do! Pro 4:7a 


 

Happy Valentine's Day to Mike Justice

Happy Valentine’s Day

A day for lovers, a day for friends.

A day when cards are used to send

Special messages, warm feelings,

To the ones we'll love from now till then.

A holiday, one day a year,

To express my thanks for you being here.

With hopes that you will understand

That you are grand! No one's so dear!

A day, it is not just a day,

But time and place and little ways

To share, to care, to give, to show,

You mean more to me than words can say!

A small tribute to an intimate friend and faithful husband for 38 years.  

Thank you for loving me as Christ loves the church. You lay down your life for me daily.

I'm forever grateful for a life of loving companionship and support.

I love you. Happy Valentine's Day!

Grace And Truth Came Through Jesus Christ

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' " And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John 1:14-18

1. THE WORD BECAME FLESH:  Jesus Became Like Us to Live Among Us. What Grace!

Jesus ate with sinners. He spent time with the lowly, the hurting, the diseased, the demon possessed and the homeless. And, in response to His grace, we should be willing to live among our own kind, no matter where they fit on the social scale.

2.  WE BEHELD HIS GLORY: We Saw the Glory (magnificence, excellence, majesty) of Jesus and His Father as it Was Revealed Through Grace and Truth.

He cared about needy people whenever and wherever he found them and never left them unchanged. Are you revealing God’s excellence by allowing God’s grace (good will, loving-kindness, favor, merciful-kindness) and truth to flow through you to those around you?

A. Are You a Grace-Giver? Do you love, accept, encourage, uplift, edify and bless others?

"Grace-providers simply never cease to love you. They see beneath the surface; they see the darkness as well as the goodness in your heart. But when they see the darkness they do not pull away. They are not repulsed. They move toward you." John Ortlund, Love Beyond Reason

B. Or Are You Grace-challenged? Do you judge, criticize, condemn and tear down others?

"Spirituality wrongly understood is death: ... it produces people who mistake their lack of love for righteous superiority... It produces people who are smug, self-righteous, unable to love, unable to feel. It produces cold hearts, plastic masks, sad faces, inauthentic lives, and shriveled souls... The world is tired of Christians who proclaim that they know the right beliefs and are committed to the right values but in whom there is no grace. Without grace, life is a clumsy, awkward business. Without grace, people get hurt." John Ortlund, Love Beyond Reason

3. FULL OF GRACE AND TRUTH: Which comes first, grace or truth?

Let’s see what Romans 2:1-4 says: Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

Why Does Grace Come First?  Because grace, if anything will, leads to repentance! Since it’s God’s heart to draw men to Him, not to drive them away, He expects us to extend grace to others, not judgement. When we judge others, we feel justified in withholding goodness from them. However, when we extend grace to others, we act like our heavenly Father. We offer others what we have freely received. In grace, we mourn with those who mourn and we identify with them in our common human frailties. This identification or empathy opens the door for sharing the truth in love.

Note: Truth can only bring freedom when she’s embraced. For Truth to be received, Grace must precede her, and Love must go with her. Only Grace and Love can make Truth acceptable.
A demand for righteousness without grace KILLS! That’s why Jesus told the Pharisees who criticized Him for eating with tax collectors and sinners: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance." Matt 9:12-13

4.  OF HIS FULLNESS WE HAVE ALL RECEIVED: Jesus Came to Share His Fullness (Abundance, Completeness) with Us. He Gives Us Grace for Grace!

He was full of grace! We have received of that fullness. He wants us to share the grace we have received with others so we can receive more to share more. That’s grace for grace.

5. GRACE AND TRUTH CAME THROUGH JESUS CHRIST: The Law Was Given Through The Man, Moses, but Grace and Truth Were Given Through the God-Man, Jesus.

Why? Because a man may understand something of the duties required to serve a holy God and be able to tell you about them, but only Jesus as God Himself could live them out for you. Only Jesus could reveal God’s nature to us through His actions, as well as, His teachings.

6. NO ONE HAS SEEN GOD AT ANY TIME. THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON... HAS DECLARED HIM.

Jesus, through His gracious actions and true teachings, declared God’s Wondrous Being by rehearsing for us the glories of His kindness, by recounting for us the stories of His love, by unfolding for us the mysteries of His relationship with us, and by teaching us the goodness of His never changing ways. Only Jesus, the God-man, could reveal the ultimate truth about God's love and grace by dying for us. His death was God’s ultimate gift.

 . 　
　                        Grace And Truth Came Through Jesus Christ.

                          'Twas grace that brought me safe thus far,
                            and grace shall lead me home. John Newton