The Wrath of God

 "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness." Romans 1:18

    I hate conflict. When someone's mad at me, a boulder sits on my chest, sapping my strength. I cannot rest until I make things right (if I can) with that person.

    Imagine God being mad at me? I remember seeing a billboard years ago on which was written in stark, white lettering: "Don't make me come down there! - God" 

    Now, I'd much rather dwell on the love of God, how Jesus held the little children on His lap or the tenderness with which He sweeps the lost sheep from the cliff and carries him on His shoulders. But, in all fear and reverence for the Almighty, I must never forget the wrath of God.

    What incurs the divine indignation of this loving God? "But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." (Romans 2:8) "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." (John 3:36)

    The point is this: Sin is a big deal. If it wasn't then why did Jesus come down here? What do hardened hearts do? Just this week, I have heard these stories:

•  kids poured buckets of water on police officers as they hurled epithets at them 
• a man sued his own parents because they threw out his collection of pornography and won
• a billionaire experiments with dimming the sun, affecting the entire planet; no one stands up to him because he is rich and powerful 

    What do supple hearts do? They encourage one another, not repaying evil with evil, but leaving room for God to deal with that. As far as it is up to us, we are to live at peace with all people. "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12:21) We are not saved by our good works. Rather, we are saved for good works. Remember the scourging Christ endured silently to pay for our sins, then let us repent with sincere hearts.

"Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for His wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 2:12
    

This is My Father's World

 "By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth... Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm." Psalm 33:6-9

    With the window slightly ajar, I perform my morning toilette to the solo of the resident robin. The drive in to work is often done in silence, save for the conversation between my Savior and me. Soon, the wonderments around me bring the praise to my lips and, like a child in awe, I tell Jesus what a wonderful world He has made.

    If the nodding daffodils bloomed year round, would I find them as beautiful? I smile at the thought of my majestic God creating such dainty pink blossoms, but then, His ways are not my ways. I can't put Him in a box. What pleasure it must give Him to paint the purply azaleas on the north side of the street, complimented by the sunny forsythias. Then, He laughs to see my head spin to the south side where the brooding sky showcases the frilly pink dress of the crabapple. The rising sun lends its Eastery hues to this Eden moment between God and me. My world, at that time, is perfect: "And God saw that it was good."

    The spirited sparrows occupy the pines by the door I enter for work. Their happy chatter reminds me that I am worth more than many sparrows in God's opinion. They do not sow or reap or store away into barns; their heavenly Father lovingly cares for them, just as He does for me. This exclamation mark ends our morning conversation as I climb the steps to greet my coworkers with a smile. 

    "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31

Heaven's Campfire

 "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." John 21:25

    Every year, when I was a kid, my family went on a camping trip. A pop-up camper followed us everywhere we went, dutifully toting a Coleman stove, a cooler of waxed-paper-wrapped sandwiches and a homemade wooden box full of kitchenware. After exploring the mammoth caves of Kentucky or the purple mountain majesties of the Rockies, we'd set up camp, meet the neighbors and settle 'round a campfire. There's something relaxing and mesmerizing about a fire that soon brings out the storytelling. My dad's spooky tale of the man with the golden arm sent shivers down my spine, making sleep elusive. Mom always ate the burnt marshmallows and, one year, my sister Jan's shoes caught on fire (thankfully, she was not wearing them at the time.) Ah, the memories!

    God is the ultimate storyteller, as anyone would know by reading the Bible. Here's just a sampling: A worldwide deluge, a parted Red Sea, amazing angels and vivid dreams, angry giants and hungry lions, evil queens and godly ones, flaming chariots, a floating ax head and even a talking donkey. Plots thicken around richly ornamented characters, who are shown with their warts and all, until the stage is set for a Babe to be born in Bethlehem. God's Son stood His ground against all evil - healing, loving, challenging, questioning, forgiving and dying, hailing victory over death as He strode from an empty tomb! 

    Now imagine sitting close to Jesus around a campfire in heaven, listening attentively to all the stories that were not in the Bible, watching his nail-scarred hands emphasizing his robust words. Awe and laughter will erupt from a rapt audience as we cheer for our heroes of the faith! We'll applaud as the subject of each story humbly stands to be acknowledged and, like happy children, we will beg our Father to hear them over and over again, all of them true!

    Whoever thinks heaven is going to be boring is not engaging their imagination!

"But as for me, it is good to be near God." Psalm 73:28

Be a Berean

 "Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Acts 17:11

    "How did you hear of us?" That question is sometimes found when filling out new patient registration. Was it by word of mouth, referral from a friend, via advertisement or did you just wander in?

    The same may be asked of your relationship with God. How did you come to Him? Perhaps a friend invited you to church or you happened upon a sermon on the radio. Maybe you liked the way a church appeared on the exterior. However you were introduced to God, how did you become better acquainted?

    That's when the Bible becomes your greatest treasure. The other day, when reading mine, I was so thankful to have it in my language, at my disposal and at liberty to read it in my own home (not everyone has these luxuries).Have you ever thought of those saints who risked all to bring the Word to you? Both John Wycliffe and William Tyndale had a hand in bringing the Bible to me in English, and I am so grateful.

    Wycliffe (1328-1384) was an Englishman who courageously questioned the way things were done in the Catholic Church of his day. He worked tirelessly to translate the Scriptures from Latin to Middle English, against much adversity. Following his death by stroke, he was posthumously declared a heretic, his remains exhumed and burned and his ashes cast into a river. Tyndale (1494-1536), an English scholar, translated the Bible into English, drawing from the Hebrew and Greek texts, also challenging the Catholic Church. For his trouble, he was executed by strangulation and burned at the stake, branded a heretic as well. With zeal, he is quoted as saying: "I defy the Pope, and all his laws; and if God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more about the Scriptures than thou dost!"

    My desire is to be like the eager Berean in the above passage, daily pouring over passages searching for truth. How else will I know when I am being hornswoggled? If you hear a teaching, test it! Look it up for yourself; don't take someone at their word. Only God qualifies for that. These are days of deception and apostasy. If we are not well-armed with the Word of God, we may fall prey to Satan.

    Join me and the Bereans. 

"Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes." Psalm 119: 97-99

It's All About Him

 "Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."  1John 5:5

    On February 27, 2012, Sadie was taking cover amid the gunfire resounding in Chardon High School. The perpetrator was her brother, T. J. Lane.

    Before this tragedy unfolded, little Sadie was already a victim of the enemy's lies, believing she was fat and ugly and that no one wished to befriend her. This negative self-image, coupled with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the shooting, sent Sadie spiraling into eating disorders and depression. If all this weren't enough, a year after TJ's incarceration, her older brother succumbed to a heroin overdose. "I thought the purpose of my life," she lamented, "was to lose people and be in pain." She was mad at God and questioned Him.

    What Sadie saw as her last hope came in the form of an opportunity to participate in a two-month mission trip to Zimbabwe. By this time in her life, Sadie knew she needed help: "I thought, 'If Jesus isn't who He says He is, I have no reason to live.'" The trip transformed her life. "I met the real Jesus there," she said. "I came back changed, I came back free. I didn't care about food...It's all about Him; it's not about me."

    This brought to my mind the words of an Alan Jackson song, "It's All About Him":

"It's all about Him and the love that He gives,

Redemption and hope for all who have sinned.

You can walk all alone, never find your way home,

Till you see deep within - It's all about Him."

    If you find yourself in a dark place, your Savior is Jesus Christ alone. Only He has the power to break the chains that bind us. I beg of you: Cry out to Him!

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

"He has sent (Jesus) to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners...to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair." Isaiah 61: 1-3

Which Thief Would You Be?

 "But with loud shouts, they insistently demanded that He be crucified, and their shouts prevailed." Luke 23:23

    Mobs are a pretty sight, aren't they, where common sense and decency join hands in flight? Wearily, we saw our fill of that in 2020 during the "peaceful protests." I sometimes ruefully think the world would be a brighter place if it weren't for people. 

    However, God so loved this world that He gave His only Son, Jesus, not to condemn it, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3: 16, 17). Let's examine the responses to this in Luke's account of the last days in the earthly life of Jesus.

    Judas betrayed Him with a kiss. Peter denied Him three times. The guards mocked and beat Him. The priests and elders vehemently, wrongly accused Him. Three times, Pilate tried to talk sense into the inane crowd saying, "I have found in Him no grounds for the death penalty" (23:22), but they shouted all the more, choosing the release of a murderer instead. Rulers sneered at Him. Women mourned and wailed. Even one of the criminals crucified beside Him hurled insults at Him.

    Fast forward to the end times, as told to us via the Revelation (chapters 16, 17). Does human nature improve with age? Here we read how God's wrath is poured out in the form of festering sores, waterways turned to blood, the sun scorches everyone before they are plunged into utter darkness followed by a tremendous earthquake and one hundred pound hailstones. Not only do the obstinate people refuse to repent, they wage war against the Lamb! Incredible, but read this:

"They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because He is the Lord of lords and King of kings - and with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers." Revelation 17:14

    At the cross, the repentant thief said to the one who insulted Jesus: "Don't you fear God since you are under the same sentence?" Turning to Jesus, he said with great effort, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom (Luke 23: 40, 42)." 

     Peer past all the pastel and saccharine-syrupy sweetness of Easter and allow the Truth to wash over you beneath the bloodied cross of Calvary. Repent of your sins and join the Roman centurion in declaring, "Surely this was the Son of God!" Not until you realize your deep need of saving grace can you kick up your heels at the empty tomb and shout: 

"Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!" Luke 24: 5, 6

The Squeaky Cat

 "Then Jesus said to them, 'Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, "Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. A friend of mine on a journey has come to me and I have nothing to set before him." And he will answer from within, "Do not trouble me. The door is now shut and my children are with me in bed. I cannot rise and give to you." I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as much as he needs.'" Luke 11: 5-8

    Cats have the corner market in persistent behavior; sometimes, it's downright annoying. Take our Kiwi (please!). He's a stray we took under our wing and, though we love him, he makes the biggest pest of himself in the middle of the night. Our well-deserved sleep is interrupted by a soft chirrup which graduates to a more verbose meow accompanied by some clawing activity. Though we have tried to ignore him or reason with him, guess what? His desires are fulfilled. We are annoyed yet we still love him.

    If Kiwi had stopped after one or two requests, he'd be sitting in the house with his legs crossed while we blissfully slept. It's his tenacity that brought the answer he sought.

    In the parable above, the man sought his friend's help in fulfilling his need. He had a confidence in his relationship with the friend that overrode the inconvenience of the hour. He could not afford to be passive and his persistence paid off, even though Sleepyhead didn't want to rouse.

    Prayer is hard work. I don't refer to mealtime grace or a few tired lines uttered before bed. Tenacious prayer wears out the knees of your jeans. I have found that I give up too soon. It's not easy to talk to Someone you can't see or hear, but, as with anything in which you want results, you must practice, practice, practice! If I draw near to God, He draws up a chair and listens. 

    As you read the closing verses, be cognizant of the action verbs and remember: The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be opened unto you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." Luke 11: 9, 10