Standing on the Promises of God

In Matthew 13:24-43, Jesus tells the parable of the weeds, also known as the parable of the wheat and tares. Thankfully, The Lord also offers an explanation of the parable, explaining that the weeds sown among the wheat are sons of the evil one, whom the devil has planted in the church. So this parable indicates that there sadly will be those who may claim to be Christ followers in the church but are really not and who only bring strife and division instead. God's angels will winnow out the weeds into the eternal fires of hell in the end. In light of this passage, there is legitimate reason to be concerned about the possibility of false converts in the church. Of course, this parable also indicates that the church should minister to everyone, preaching the Gospel to all, and let God sort it out in the end. 

     In relation to this, I know there are a number of pastors and evangelists who claim that saying the "sinner's prayer" is unBiblical. Many seem to think that many who said this prayer declaring their faith in Jesus to save them from their sins were not really sincere and thus are merely false converts. They tend to have a strong emphasis on the need for repentance and sometimes makes it seem like they are really preaching a reliance on works along with God's grace. And I also at least sometimes get the feeling like they're speaking with assuredness that they can't possibly be one of those false converts.

      To be fair though, there are other times when these evangelists are speaking where they make it very clear they believe we are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. And I don't doubt the sincerity of their faith in Christ or their zeal to see others come to salvation. I praise God for that! I am just stating the impression I get at times.

 I think the point is to emphasize that we can't just flippantly say a prayer that we don't really mean, claim our fire insurance policy and just go on living life as we please.

Of course we have to be careful of that- Jesus warned us in Matthew 7 of the many who will call to Him "Lord, Lord" who never really knew Him.

   But if we confess with our mouths, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. (See Romans 10:9) That sounds a lot like the "sinner's prayer" to me.

   If we invite Jesus metaphorically into our hearts to be Lord and Saviour, then we invite Him to metaphorically and literally in some sense as well to rule our lives. We invite Him not only to forgive us of all our sins that left us dead in our trespasses but also to make us into the people He intended us to be all along and do the good He wants us to do. (Ephesians 2:8-10)

   We invite Him into our minds because He gives us the mind of Christ. We don't seem to often think of it in these terms but it's the antithesis of demon possession. Remember that even the demons acknowledge Jesus is Lord but clearly they aren't saved. They lead people to do evil things that hurt themselves and others. Jesus leads us to do good things that help others before ourselves. Ephesians 5:18 commands us not to be drunk with wine for this leads to dissipation but in contrast to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

   If the Holy Spirit is possessing and filling us, then we do as He leads. We become God's extensions on earth to do the righteous deeds He desires that bring Him glory. (To be clear, we don't become a god or God Himself, of course- but we do become His sons and daughters. And children imitate their mother and father, just as we imitate our Father. Thus, His children will look and act and talk more and more like Him every day.)

    Now kids are often given chores to do around the house and maybe they do them to earn an allowance. But they never to do them to earn the love of their parents (or shouldn't anyway) because their parents always love them and they are their children no matter what! Nothing they can do can ever change that! 

  Once God adopts us through our faith in Christ, we are no longer servants but sons! Anyone who sins is a slave to sin. The slave doesn't stay in the house forever but the son stays in the house forever! So if the Son sets us free, we are free indeed! (See John 8:32-36)

   We rest in the Son's completed work at Calvary and the empty tomb! The slaves in the Old Testament in Israel had the 7th. year as the Year of Jubilee when they were set free. Jesus is our Jubilee! (Thanks to Michael Card for that line. :-)) Jesus is our Sabbath rest! (See Hebrews 4)

    And out of gratitude to Him and love for Him, we obey His commands willingly. It makes such a world of difference when we are obeying because we want to out of love and not out of fear.

   As a librarian, I often describe my job as tricking kids into reading books. :-) (Really- I do every contest and promotion I can and so forth to make reading look like a fun game and pastime.) Now, I'm happy to some small degree for kids reading even begrudgingly because their teachers made them. What a HUGE joy it is instead though to see kids who genuinely want to read on their own amd who grow to love reading to the point that they are constantly hounding me about getting their book requests in so they can have more to read! :-)

    This is the same kind of response God wants to see in us with Jesus. We read The Bible because we want to hear from Him not because our pastor made us. We pray because we want to spend time with Him, not because it's like a courtesy call our parents made us make to our grandparents. 

   We go to church, tithe, love our neighbours as ourselves, sacrifice to help the least of these, speak the Truth in Love and share the Gospel with others- not because we have to do all these good deeds to earn our Cub Scout merit badges but because Akela has already made us one of the pack and the call of the Wild in our souls drives us to do these things to show we are His and to please Him. Ultimately, these actions and attitudes are all reflections of the fact that with our transformation by the renewing of our minds, we are conformed to Christ and our calling is confirmed in Christ by these good works, which are done to show that we love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

   The motivation is always key. We do it because He has saved us- NOT in order to get saved. The latter brings only exhaustion and frustration; the former brings rest, peace and trust.

    I say all this as things I have learned from God's Word and Spirit as one who has struggled numerous times throughout life wrestling back and forth, worrying if I have really been saved. I say it as one who said a sinner's prayer about the age of 5 or 7 and who has sought to follow Jesus ever since. I say it as one who has fended off attacks from the devil to make me doubt at times when I felt I was doing well- and as one who has been hit with accusations when I know I'm in sin. 

    Christians, sadly, often still choose to sin and thus continue to struggle with temptations through the sanctification process. This doesn't mean that we have lost our salvation when this happens. It means we've lost our fellowship with the Father temporarily, just like kids who know they've done wrong shrink in fear from their father who has the belt at the ready for discipline. We fear the rod of correction but we need not ever fear that we have made our Daddy too angry to love us anymore. The same is true with God. We don't need to ever fear that we have pushed His patience too far and that He's lost that loving feeling. We might lose that feeling of being loved but God never loses the feeling of giving love because He is love. It's more than a feeling, whether in Boston or anywhere else in the world. It's the Love of God that unconditionally reaches out to us and holds us forever! 

    This doesn't mean that we sin so grace may abound- by no means! Grace is not a license to sin, like it seems James Bond holds. But we trust that God's Word is His bond and He who does not lie keeps us stirred and not shaken. (Titus 1:2, Haggai 1:14, 2 Thessalonians 2:2, Hebrews 12:26-29) We got salvation for free from Yeshua with love! We can find way more than just a quantum leap of solace in knowing the Superman of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow never dies (again) and because He lives forever, we will live forever with Him! And we continue to use all the Spirit's gifts like Q's Inspector Gadget-gadgets on His Majesty's secret service!

Though of course, while we do keep acts of generosity secret and our Father who knows all secrets and sees what's done in secret rewards us, we should be in the open about letting people know that the reason for the Love, faith and hope they see in us is Jesus! 

    And we have this all because we are resting in His completed work and none of our own! (Matthew 5:17 and 11:25-30) And when Christ becomes our all consuming passion, His commands are not weary or burdensome. We delight in doing them because we want to please our loving, Saviour, Lord and Friend. 

    And that's where I rest. I trust that God is true and that He really does love me. He really loves everyone with an everlasting love! He longs for us all to be reconciled to Him if we'll let Him do it. He has forgiven all my sins because I have asked Him to do so by confessing my faith in Jesus and His death and Resurrection. I have repented of my sins and seek to follow Him but I often mess up and keep repenting of my sins and keep following Him. He picks me back up and keeps me going. As I said before, I have doubted a number of times but I've doubted myself more than I've ever doubted God. I think that was part of the point of praying the sinner's prayer 50 million times over to make sure I was really sincere like Linus' pumpkin patch that time. After spending times literally kneeling naked in the bathroom reading all of 1 John aloud and weeping and praying to God and claiming His promises yet again, I somewhere along the line realized that His promises are true and I really didn't have to try so hard. I believe He heard me the first time as a kid. Those many times of recommitment revealed and reconfirmed to me again how great my sin truly is and how infinitely greater His grace is as well. His grace is far greater than all my sin.

   I ran the 400m and 110m hurdles events on the Track and Field team in high school. Thankfully I didn't knock them down and subsequently fall down myself too often. If it does happen in a race though- it's okay. You can knock every single one down and as long as you get up and keep running and get to the finish line first, you can still win the race. It doesn't count against you in any way. You don't lose your place on the team. When we sin and fall down, Jesus picks up again when we come back to Him in Godly sorrow and repentance and He puts us back on track to run the race with perseverance. (1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12:1-2) We never lose our place on His team!

    When we are assured of our faith in Him, we can move forward in faith to be all He made us to be. He is still working out His plan for us. Keep trusting Him, keep fighting the good fight in the one day ending war on sin, and enduring and sharing His love with others! As the song says, 'til He returns or calls me Home, here in the power of Christ I'll stand. I love Him because He first loved me. May all I say, think or do bring Him glory. :-)

   

  

  

   

   

He Holds On (song)

As 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, it's worth doing a heart check every so often to make sure we're really in the faith. We certainly need to make our election sure. In that same vein, it seems we at times go through heartache to heartache, yearning for a reassurance from our General in the battlefield of love and life and levity and everything in between. (Sometimes those heartbreakers are preceded by the Holy Spirit's heart shakers that remind us we've fallen from the path and need to get back on.) Jesus is the stronger man who can not only bend a car, but plunder the strong man's house- and He sets the captive free. And sometimes He has to remind us when we come in repentance that we belong to Him. I'm SO glad to know that He is faithful even when I'm not and He holds on.

"He Holds On" (parody of "We Belong" by Pat Benatar; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 12/18/2018)
(Galatians 3, Romans 14:8, Romans 11:29, 2 Timothy 2:11-13, Jude 1:24-25, John 6 (particularly verses 35-40), 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, John 3:16-21, John 8:31-36, Mark 9:41, John 10 (particularly verses 27-30), John 1:12, John 6:44, John 15, 1 John 3 (particularly verses 16-24))

Many times The Bible tells you
Baby, Christ's called us His own
Already? I'm surprised how soon you cut out leaving Him to friend zone
Galatians- read in 3 please
You're perfected by flesh? Why'd you give up (The) Ghost so easy?
You may doubt but can't escape from Christ

We belong to The Light, we belong to The Father
We belong to The Son (and) Holy Ghost- we boast in no other
Whenever we deny, His embrace still works- so remember
We belong- no recalls- we belong to Heaven

Hey, we all have times of weakness
When we go so far astray
Baby, we just would all blow it if through our own strength anyway
Though we once were all wrath's kids- well, sin distorts the facts
Irrevocable calling
Now there's no turning back
When You say

We belong to The Christ, we belong to The Father
We belong to Spirit- we're The Lord's- read Romans 14:8
Whenever we deny, let's embrace the words of our Saviour-
All He's called- in faith respond- we belong to Saviour

Close your eyes- pray The Lord to keep now
Souls in Christ (are) held eternally!
Check the lines in John 6 and 10- Christ won't cast out called out sheep
We can't begin, uphold or lose what we didn't earn
I hear Your voice as I read- I see Your face wherever I turn
Still You say-

Read 8 John- 35th. line- The son stays forever!
We belonged to the serpent at first- we're born fallen sinners
Whomever The Son sets free from chains is free for forever!
Read along- seek The Son- come along to Heaven!
He, The Son, gave the right to become kids of The Father
Read in John 1:12- Son gave to those (who) believed (and) received Son there
Whenever (our) hearts decide we're not saved, The Lord's heart knows better
Read 1 John 3:20 on- believe The Son- love others
We're in palms of The Christ- He holds on for forever!

...........................

Blind

(Note: This was written in 2018 and my brother's album was released in 2008. I have just recently come across it again and thought it was worth publishing here. And I still LOVE this song and listen to it and others from the album regularly. These are some things I've drawn from books (Tim Keller's "The Prodigal God" for one- which is the book the Sunday School class happened to be reading at the time of this writing, by the way) and other stuff I'd been kicking around for a little while. The pastor preached from 2 Peter 2 last Sunday before I wrote this and in the course of looking in my Bible during the sermon, I noticed 2 Peter 1:9 and I thought it fit perfectly with Kevin's song "Blind". )

This year marks the 10 year anniversary of this release from my brother Kevin.

https://kevinludwick.bandcamp.com/album/come-home

      The song "Blind" is still one of my favourites on it (along with "Come Home", of course.)
I just recently listened to the CD again in my car. :-)
The topic raised is a super important one that I have wrestled with over the years. I have gotten to a place of being settled with it but it still crops up every so often. It seems lately I have been bombarded with the issue of grace/faith vs. works in regards to salvation.
     It came up in a discussion I was having with a friend recently and then showed up again in an article I happened upon and then yet again during Sunday School and church service yesterday and again today in a Bible verse post on Facebook.
      It is important to do as 2 Corinthians 13:5 says and examine ourselves to see that we are in the faith. It's also important to remember Jesus' words in Matthew 7 that not everyone who calls to Him, "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of Heaven- only he who does the will of The Father in Heaven.
     Motivation makes a huge difference. Am I trying to build a resume of "righteousness" so I can impress God with good works and manipulate Him to get what I want? Or have I truly recognized that I have no righteousness of my own and even my good works are as filthy rags before the holy God? (Isaiah 64:6)
     Thus, I repent of both my wickedness and my righteousness because I recognize that there is no good in me. "All we like sheep have gone astray, each of us have turned to our own way and The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:6) (That verse is one of the earliest I remember learning and it was a key one in bringing me to salvation as a young child.)
    Sometimes I used to think, growing up as a MK and PK and hearing the Gospel at an early age and getting saved when I was around 5 or 7, I didn't really have a dynamic testimony like Nicky Cruz or the Apostle Paul. I mean- I wasn't out robbing or killing people. But I knew that I wasn't always truthful or obedient or selfless. And all those sins are equally as bad and offensive before the holy Lord. Thus, every Christian has a dynamic testimony, whether coming to Christ like the prodigal in Luke 15 or (hopefully) like the elder brother. (The parable doesn't say if he repented but he's the image of the Pharisee we can so easily become who needs to repent of supposed righteousness.)
    And I sometimes feel like this is an easy trap to fall into for those raised going to church and knowing about Christ at an early age. (Not that it's bad to have either one of those things in place- it's a great thing!) I've sometimes wondered how I can even know if all the things I've done that I think are good are really a result of The Holy Spirit working in me because I've asked Jesus to save me and I rely on His completed work of death on the cross and Resurrection to pay for my sins- OR that I am really still relying on my good works.
     There's the conundrum right there. Yet I don't have any good works of my own. There are places I've seen growth in my life to be more like Christ, including areas I would not be comfortable or desiring to do on my own. Anything good in me is Jesus Christ, not me.
I believe He's God and He's true and He has done what He said He would and when I die or He returns, He'll take me to Heaven instead of banishing me to Hell (as I deserve)- just as He said He would. That's the beauty of grace believed by faith- which produces the good deeds in gratitude to the One who gave His life to save me because He loves me! I love Him because He first loved me! I thank Him for all He saved me from and even for the doubts and fears that He helps me overcome because they make my faith reaffirmed and stronger.
     I still struggle with these things at times because I know Satan likes to get Christians so messed up and freaked out about their own salvation that they can't very well be used by God to help bring anyone else to Christ. Thankfully, He that is in me is greater than he that is in the world! 1 John 5:13 says we can KNOW we have eternal life because of our faith in Jesus. Habakkuk 2:4 as well and 2 Corinthians 5:7. We walk by faith and not by sight.
     In grappling with this, I have found a number of things helpful- prayer, Bible reading and memorization (particularly of promises that speak directly to this- John 6:37-40, John 6:68, John 8:32-36, John 10:27-30, Galatians 3, the whole book of Romans, Philippians 2:12-13, Ephesians 2:8-10, Jeremiah 31:3 and lots of others), counsel from respected Christian leaders and friends, and writings from Christians and awesome songs.
Here are some articles I found helpful in this recent spate-

https://www.versebyverseministry.org/bible-answers/how_do_i_know_im_truly_saved/

And

https://capmin.org/is-salvation-by-faith-alone-in-christ-alone/

And books like "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning and "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan.

I also recommend awesome songs like this-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfGvXfe9LK8

And

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BY06uA9mUlw

And

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOftdxtQgmA

And

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1lfJdDqzbk

And

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axQWC4Y5jTI

And

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMGYk3SLArk

And

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXQJFQINq_U

And, of course- Kevin's song "Blind"- which leads me back to this Scripture to close on. (Particularly note 2 Peter 1:9)

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partners of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:3-11)

Yes, Jesus Loves Me

      I had a great time at Level Ground at Brushy Creek Baptist Church tonight. (The one in Taylors, not Easley. ;-) We had a bit of mix-up with that but it worked out. Lol) One line in one of the songs hit me- "O Lord, You know the hearts of men. And still You let them live.") (from "Psalm 46 (Lord of Hosts)" by Shane & Shane) 
      This brought to mind two Bible verses immediately- John 2:23-25 and Matthew 5:43-48. In the first one from John, it explains that Jesus knows what's in the hearts of men. And the heart is full of deceit and desperately wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9) Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow of The Almighty knows! And He knows it for everyone. And yet, knowing all of our thoughts and intentions of the heart and deeds- despite all our evil- Jesus loves us anyway. He proved it by dying for us while we were yet sinners- and He rose again. (See Romans 5:1-8 and 10:8-13)
       As the Matthew 5 passage notes, God makes His sun rise (I like how the verse reminds us that the sun belongs to God- that's His basketball to slam dunk through Saturn's hoops any time He wants to do so! :-))- and He makes it rise on the evil and the good. He sends His rain on the just and the unjust. He is incredibly unfair to all of humanity! I say this because if He were truly fair in one sense, we'd all be in Hell now. God had every legal right to do that at our first infraction. The problem is deeper than just our evil deeds though. We're born into it because of the curse of sin that Great Great Great Great (etc. etc. etc.) Grandpa and Grandma Adam and Eve unleashed on the world through their sin. 
       Thankfully, God so loved the world that He gave His only Son to take the punishment for sin for us so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God didn't His Son to condemn the world (as I said before- if He had we'd all be in Hell now) but rather to save the world! In that sense, God is totally unfair, but so incredibly good, loving and gracious because in the midst of His righteous justice and judgment, He remembers His mercy and knows that we are but dust. And His salvation is so undeserved but so wonderful and freeing because we find all our needs met in Him!
       That's the incredibly good news of The Gospel! By faith in Jesus, when we ask Him to save us and we follow Him, He does just that and cleanses us from sin and declares us righteous instead. This isn't because of anything we've done- it's all because of what He's done.
Even for those who don't believe Him, He still lets them keep breathing and enjoy some of His blessings in this life. The fact that unbelievers haven't dropped dead yet- the fact that God sends sun and rain on them too and even allows them to prosper for a time on earth- that is a grace in itself. (See Psalms 73 for a reminder of their final fate though.)
        Knowing the utter depravity I still struggle with in my own heart though- the filthy thoughts and images that I allow to run around at times, the mean words I say at times, the shirking of duty that comes at times, the jealousy, the unrighteous anger, the worries, fears and doubts that run counter to the Truth I know and believe that crop up at times, the selfishness that surfaces, the lies that come out at times, the idols that crowd God out at times and so many other things that displeased God- it's amazing to think that He still loves me with an eternal love! (Jeremiah 31:3)
I may be an abomination, but I'm still God's pride and joy. (Borrowed that line from Phillip Yancey's "What's So Amazing About Grace?")
      A dear friend recently reminded me of this truth, I heard it and sang it again at church on Sunday (along with a great reminder in the sermon!) and I heard it again tonight in song- and it's still sometimes one of the hardest and most profound truths to allow to seep in, even for Christians. Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me- for The Bible tells me so. :-)
       He doesn't love me because of what I have done or haven't done. He loves me for who I am- His creation. Even though I've been His aberrant creation, He still loves me. And He loves so much He died and rose to pay for my sins so that I would never have to be separated from Him in Hell. Instead, I have an eternal love relationship with my Father and I will one day join Him in Heaven forever! I've been sealed by the Holy Spirit and I know He has saved me, is saving me and will save me- no matter what my feelings say. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world and even when my heart condemns me, the One who is greater than my heart and knows everything tells me that there is NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (1 John 3:16-24 and Romans 8:1)
      Thank You for loving me, God. I love You because You first loved me. (1 John 4:7-21) Help me to love You with all I have and love my neighbours as myself.
I am drenched in Your love and I praise You for it. Help others to know Your love too.
Thank You also for those You have used and continue to use to help me be free from legalistic efforts and keep resting in Your arms through Your finished work. Help me to be more like You and less like myself.

Every Tribe, Nation, Language, Tongue, Race...Until All Hear

I've been in an international mood for the last little while... I watched "Mr. Baseball" on VHS a while back (great movie with a sweet story, but I don't care to see it again due to all the language and locker room scenes...)- and that got me enamored with all things Japan. (Since the movie mainly takes place there.) So, I naturally followed up with the excellent 1989 Sesame Street production, "Big Bird in Japan". :-) And then I watched one of my favorite Quantum Leap episodes- "The Americanization of Machiko" (which deals with the treatment of Japanese in America shortly after World War II).

       Then, I had more international celebrations when I went to the first annual international festival in Greer. It was so great speaking with so many people from so many lands, seeing pictures of their lands, hearing music from their countries, seeing a cricket demonstration :-) and just celebrating the wonderful world God has made. (Later that weekend, I followed up with watching Sesame Street's other travelogue- the 1983 "Big Bird in China". :-) Both of these Sesame Street videos really do a great job of showing some of the famous sights of both lands and teaching children some key words in each language and sharing part of their culture and showing the beauty of their people.) And on Sunday afternoon and evening, I visited the Arabic Baptist Church that meets at my church and enjoyed worshipping The Lord together with them. A sweet lady there translated the whole service into English for me. The pastor delivered a convicting message about the cross and the choice we all must make about who we say Jesus is- I agree with Peter; He is The Christ, The Son of the Living God.

      I listened to the English translation of the many songs they sang in Arabic and was encouraged and moved by the words, all of which were very Biblical and many times taken straight from Scripture- I always love hearing that. :-) And one song actually had "Hallelujah" in it, so I could definitely sing that. And I believe the very first song we sang was "How Great Thou Art". I LOVE that hymn- and its subject, of course. How great God is- truly! It was totally awesome praising The Lord Jesus Christ with my brothers and sisters in The Lord, hearing me singing the verses I could recall in English blended with their Arabic. :-) (I tried to sing some of the Arabic words here and there where I could make them out on some songs. They all had a neat beat- it was interesting hearing authentic Egyptian style worship music. Yeah- most all of the church members are from Egypt- so I got to not only walk like an Egyptian, but sing and do church like an Egyptian too. :-)

           And some Egyptian Christians have an incredible walk with The Lord too and that was very encouraging to me to see-and to talk with Mrs. Rola (hope I spelt that right) at length about our testimonies. It was interesting to hear the contrast, with her coming out of the Orthodox Church in Egypt- getting away from rituals and praying to the saints and Mary, but never really truly being directed to Jesus Himself, Who alone gives salvation. It was a vast difference when she came to put her faith in Jesus and follow Him.

           I have sort of the opposite experience, having grown up with parents who love Jesus and learning about Christ at an early age and following in my sister's and brother's footsteps and coming to first trust Jesus as Savior as a young boy, one night after devotions. I still remember being so excited very soon afterwards to tell my younger brother that I was a Christian now and to tell him how he could know Jesus as Savior too. :-) (He came to make that decision at an early age too. :-))

         I told her how it's funny how Christians with my testimony sometimes make this kinda silly talk about wishing we had a more dramatic testimony. Like, if I had been an alcoholic and abusive to my family and a convicted thief and then had gotten saved and seen Jesus deliver me from all those things- then I would really know in a clear-cut way that He had truly saved me. But then Mrs. Rola reminded me that I have a wonderful testimony because God has blessed me with a longer time to know Him and follow Him. And she even said she was jealous of me for that. It was kinda funny to think about some, but of course she's right. It's like sometimes I've wanted to see something dramatic and drastic to really know Christ truly lives in me and has saved me- and then I got reminded that Christ has indeed saved me from all these things- so that I haven't ever been an alcoholic or gotten drunk (I choose not to drink at all- I did have wine at communion at a church once though- didn't realize it was wine at the time though. ;-) And wow- it has a bit of a sting- I could tell that wasn't grape juice. lol) I haven't abused anyone physically or been a convicted thief.

[Though, to be clear, I must admit, I have been guilty of stealing time and other intangible things at times and of being verbally abusive, among so many other sins.] But Jesus loves me and has forgiven me of all of them because I asked Him to do so. I trust His cross has pardoned me from all of them. Jesus died and rose again to give me salvation and I have put my faith in Him and trust that He has done just what He said He would do and given me salvation.

             As this sweet Egyptian-American lady told me, both of us are like the vineyard workers Jesus told a parable about once. (Matthew 20:1-16) I came at the start of the day and she came at the end of the day- but both of us get paid the same thing. :-) Praise God!

             We both shared about how we try to be missionaries where God has put us and share any part of the Word of God that we can and tell people the Good News of Jesus wherever the Holy Spirit gives us opportunities. That was also encouraging to hear- it's good to know and hear of the many God has out in His fields working and sowing the seed. Sometimes we plant the seed, sometimes we water, and sometimes we even get to see the fruit come up- but it's God who gives the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:1-9) The important thing is to be faithful in sharing and let God's Spirit work as He will for the results. Rest assured that every bit of Scripture you can share goes out with a purpose- and God will fulfill that purpose with it. (Isaiah 55:11)

              At both the Arabic church and at the international festival, I thought of the same Bible verse- Revelation 7:9. This beautiful verse speaks of an awesome moment when those of us who know and follow Christ as Savior will stand with Him in a crowd of multitudes that no one can count, which is comprised of some from every tribe, nation, tongue, language and race. What an amazing and beautiful scene- this is a scene of the world as God meant it to be- one people united in Christ and singing His praises for all eternity! And the Paradise Lost in Eden will one day be Paradise Regained in the new Eden- Heaven.

             But even as I consider that scene, while it was a joyous thing to contemplate at the Arabic church with brothers and sisters I know that Jesus has redeemed and will be with me and Him there in Heaven, it was a very sad thing to think of all those peoples from all over the world at the international fair that Jesus also loves and has died and risen for- but who have not yet put their faith in Jesus- and some because they simply have not heard yet. There is still a mission field out there that God the Father has called us all to work. And there is a real Hell and Heaven and those two are the only options for people's eternal destinations. When we have a mission of eternal importance to every human being in the history of the universe, we have a major impetus to get out the Gospel. God is long-suffering and doesn't want to see anyone perish, but for all to come to repentance. (2 Peter 3:9) And He expects us to be faithful and share His message with others. Now, remember- we can't force their hand and make them choose anything. No one has ever been argued or convinced into Heaven by the clever oratory skills of man. (Of which, if he has any- they are all a gift from God to begin with.) It's only The Holy Spirit working in people Who brings them to salvation. But we must be faithful to do our part and leave the results to Him.

"Then He said to His disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask The Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.' " (Matthew 9:37-38)

(Note: Definitely pray this prayer- and remember that you're part of the answer to your own prayer. If you have put faith in Jesus for salvation, you are a field reaper- so get busy working in the fields.)

              Don't worry about what you will say- God the Holy Spirit will provide you with that. Just ask God for the boldness to speak when He gives you the chance and for the boldness to follow His lead and make the opportunity when the Spirit leads you to someone who may still need to trust Christ.

           And, of course- make sure to live out the talk too. Live the life. Walk as Jesus did. Love God with all you've got, love your neighbors and love your enemies. Pray for them. Do the right thing even when no one else is and no one else is looking- except God. Seek The Lord while He may be found- draw near to Him and He'll draw near to you. Trust Him and trust His promises. Seize the moment and rescue the perishing.

             And remember that your mission field does not have to be some other country you've never been to somewhere- though it certainly can be- but until God directs you to go there, your mission field is right where God has placed you now. Do good now- don't wait for anything; jump right in and share of Jesus right where you are. And pray for God to work and trust that He will do just that.

              Then one day we will see that scene in Heaven come true and all join in bowing down and praising The Lamb who was slain for all the sins of the world- The Lamb who is risen and stands victorious forevermore! Praise The Lord Jesus Christ forever! Lord, You are forever crowned with all crowns. You are Lord, God, Savior, Brother and Lover and Friend. Thank You for Your love that is SO much more than my paltry definition can ever possibly strain to contain. You are Love itself- and because You have first loved us, we love You. Help us to show Your love to everyone so that all peoples may know You too.