RSVP

 "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let the one who hears say, 'Come!' Let the one who is thirsty come; and take the free gift of the water of life." Revelation 22:17

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me." Revelation 3:20

    When I was a kid, my family would pack up the pop-up and spend a week at a Bible camp in Burton. Thankfully, I remember more than just the swimming pool. There were powerful sermons by Pastor Franz, warm fellowship with a diverse people, but I especially loved the toe-tapping music. One song in particular was taught in the children's class. Here's the chorus:

"I cannot come to the banquet, don't trouble me now.

I have married a wife; I have bought me a cow;

I have fields and commitments that cost a pretty sum -

Pray, hold me excused, I cannot come."

    We used to goof around and change the one line to, "I have married a cow; I have bought me a wife." All kidding aside, the message sunk in: "Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near." (Isaiah 55:6)

    The thing about free will is that God graciously invites us into a relationship with Him which includes eternal life and an invitation to the marriage supper of the Lamb. The recipient does not have to attend, but there's an RSVP at the bottom; He is awaiting your reply. 

    The years between your birth and your death are a grace period. During this time, Jesus knocks at the door of your heart. He has free gifts for the hostess who will invite Him to dinner. Those who are too busy or disinterested to answer will one day find themselves knocking on heaven's door, only to find it closed to them because it's everlastingly too late.

    In the parable of the wise and the foolish virgins, I can imagine Jesus speaking these words in a voice hoarse with emotion and tears in His eyes: "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the Bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with Him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later, the others also came. 'Lord, Lord,' they said, 'open the door for us!' But he replied, 'Truly I tell you, I don't know you.'" (Matthew 25: 10-12)

    There cannot be an obligation worth throwing away eternal life. Won't you please reply "yes" to God's invitation? He's saving a place for you at the table. 

"I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."2 Corinthians 6:2

The Presence

 "For God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of God's glory displayed in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:6

    We've a clock on the nightstand that projects the time onto the ceiling. I've come to rely on this, in the course of night, as it lets me know how much serenity I have remaining before the alarm sounds. When daylight fills the room, though I cannot see the projection, I know it's still there, doing its job. 

    Similarly, this is how it is with the Presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within me. Throughout the minutiae of the day, I may not "see" Him, yet He's still there, guiding me, even in my sub conscience. When darkness comes in the form of grief, tragedy or trials of any kind, He shines that much brighter. I have but to cry the name of Jesus and light floods my soul, like a dusk-to-dawn in the back yard.

"Abide with me, fast falls the eventide;

The darkness deepens, Lord, with me abide!

When other helpers fail, and comforts flee;

Help of the helpless, O abide with me!" 

Earnestness of Soul

 "And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" Luke 18: 7, 8

    A young married couple fell in love with a house in which to settle and raise their little one. They made an offer to purchase it from the seller but, talk is cheap, so their words needed to be accompanied by action. A deposit of "earnest money" needed to be given. The definition of this is: "a financial pledge from the buyer that he/she will make a diligent effort to fulfill the terms of the purchase contract entered into with the seller."

    Is it enough to say, "I believe in God" if there is no earnestness of soul behind the words? Often, we want God to fight for us, to love us unconditionally, to raise His right hand against our adversary and pull us back from the pit of destruction. We crave forgiveness.

    God is faithful; He will certainly keep His end of the bargain and has given us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee. "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30) The King of Kings has pressed His signet ring into the wax of our hearts saying, "I have called you by name; you are mine" (Isaiah 43:1)

    Jesus posed a question to us in the above verse: When He comes, will He find faith on earth? Before we respond, let us recall the definition of faith, as found in Hebrews 11:1: "Now, faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance of what we do not see." 

    Do I have an earnestness of soul? Am I making a diligent effort to follow Christ wholeheartedly, with confidence and assurance? Am I loving Him at every turn, praying without ceasing, filling myself with His word? When I took the pledge of betrothal, I promised to die to self, take up my cross daily and follow Him - no matter what. Have I kept my word?

    When the apostle Peter's declaration of earnestness was broken by his thrice denial, Jesus forgave him, reinstated him and renewed His contract to "feed my sheep." When we fail, God will forgive us, cleanse us from all unrighteousness and allow us to try again if we repent of our sin. He looks upon the heart, thankfully! 

"For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." James 2:26

What's in a Name?

 "You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses His name." Exodus 20:7

    Do you like your name? When I was a kid, there were no other Rachels around so I pined to be called "Jacqueline." I have since grown into my name and quite happy to have a Biblical moniker. 

    Parents-to-be pour over books of names, paying close attention to the flow, the spelling, the initials. I heard a story once about parents who were careful to select a name for their daughter which other children would not be able to mock, settling on "Danae." Imagine their dismay when the child came home from school in tears because the playground bullies called her "Decay."

    The late musician, Prince, at one point changed his name to a symbol. From what I gather, he reverted back to the original because everyone was calling him, "The artist formerly known as Prince." 

    My mother would feign weariness from her daughters constantly calling "Mom," so she'd proclaim, "I'm going to change my name to 'Gloria!'"

    How does God feel about His name? Very strongly, as seen in the commandment above. His name is hallowed, to be exalted, to be called upon when in need and to be praised for ever and ever! I cringe when I hear His name being abused and so trivialized. 

    In 1959, Audrey Mieir wrote the words to this song on Christmas morning, having been inspired as the pastor read this passage from Isaiah: "His name shall be called Wonderful..."

"His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful, His name is Wonderful,

Jesus my Lord.

He is the mighty King, Master of everything,

His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord.

He's the great Shepherd, the Rock of all ages. Almighty God is He.

Bow down before Him; love and adore Him,

His name is Wonderful, Jesus my Lord."

"They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people' and they will say, 'The Lord is our God.'" Zechariah 13:9

    

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