Isaiah: Mini-Bible (song)

 As the first line in this song says, one book undertakes a gargantuan task in The Bible. Likewise, I undertook a gargantuan task in trying to sort of summarize this book in a short song. Hopefully, this at least gets across some of the highlights. Scholars have called this book a "mini Bible" because it holds a lot of parallels to The Bible, having 66 chapters, just like The Bible has 66 books. Isaiah is by far the most quoted Old Testament book in the New Testament, having been quoted 55 times! (You can read about numerous connections here- http://isaiahminibible.com/) Of course, if I was to try to give you a miniature version of The Bible, it would be the Gospel- The Bible is all about the Good News of Jesus. Our sins are like scarlet but He can make them white as snow when we put faith in the One who had all our iniquities laid on Him. It's no wonder Philip used Isaiah 53 to witness to the eunuch as he was already reading it. Even if he hadn't been, Philip probably would have pointed him there as it's one of the clearest pictures in the Old Testament of the sacrifice Christ made to save us- a prophecy made 700 years in advance! Read all about this and so much more in Isaiah- mini-Bible. 

"Isaiah: Mini-Bible"

(Parody of "I Can't Drive 55" by Sammy Hagar; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 6/12/2020)

(Book of Isaiah; particularly 1:17-18, 2:4, chapter 6, 7:14, 9:1-7, 40:1-9, chapter 53, 55:8-11; also Luke 3:1-6 and Luke 4:16-21)

One book undertakes a gargantuan task- hey!

Well, the news is tragic- judgment's passed, yo!

Eyes are blind- won't just perceive the truth

Isaiah prophesied coming judgment of Judah's sin!

Gonna write it up- 1 through 39

OT's same judgment- similar vibe

Grace next 27- NT's vibe

Isaiah- mini-Bible! Oh yeah!

Uh!

So Isaiah is made up of chapters- 66, hey!

Yeah, it's just like books in God's Word

It's gonna blow your mind- all the book's retweets

Look- chapter 40 lines up with Baptist (in) Luke 3

He said good- Good News!

Evangelize- Is. 40:9

Scroll to place Jesus read Isaiah's lines

Luke 4 writes this- there're more times

Isaiah's in The Bible!

Quoted

How many times? 55!

How many times? 55!

How many times with this guy-

Isaiah? 55!

Uh!

Well- some lines to know- you know each part's revered

In Isaiah first part- 18- sin's washed here

Swords beat to make plowshares- verse 2:4 says. Huh!

In chapter 6, read how prophet saw The Lord- hey!

God sends sign (of) Messiah- 7:14 line

Show's Christ's traits- promised Son born in 9

Pay for all sins- 53 find

Isaiah- mini Bible

Oh! Oh! Oh!

God's mind's higher

(Isaiah 55!)

Point will drive

(Isaiah 55!)

(Isaiah 55!)

(Isaiah- mini Bible)

The Simple Gospel

 Every human being has this fact in common- we will all die one day. And when that happens, we will all stand before God and be judged by Him. And we will then spend eternity either in Heaven or Hell. God has a standard for entry into Heaven- absolute perfection. (Leviticus 11:45, Matthew 5:48) None of us meet that standard. We have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. (Romans 3:23, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3)

    That's why God met the standard for us by sending His Son Jesus to live the perfect life we could never live and die the death we should have died for our sins. And then He rose again to prove He's God and give us a living Hope. We can all avoid the Hell we are bound to by default because of our sins against God and instead be welcomed into Heaven through putting our faith in Jesus to forgive us of our sins and following Him. He offers that for free to whosoever will call upon His Name! (Romans 10:9-13)

    With the eternal weight of the choice given to all humans about what to do with the salvation Christ offers, it is imperative that the Good News of Jesus is shared with everyone! I mean- if you had the cure for Covid-19 or AIDS or cancer, would you keep it to yourself? Those diseases can only kill the body, but the soul lives on for eternity. Jesus is the cure for the disease of sin and He saves our souls for eternity- if we'll let Him.

    And that's what it comes down to- if we're willing to listen to The Father drawing and The Spirit convicting and trust Him. 

   Sadly, too many will let pride and a love for self and evil keep them from coming to God. And God won't force anyone to come to Him. In the end, we either say "Thy will be done" to God and choose to follow Him or He says "thy will be done" to us and lets us choose to reject Him and go our own way instead. There is indeed a way that seems right to a man, but its end is destruction. 

   Logically, we can either be with God or away from God in eternity. To be with Him is Heaven and to be away from Him is Hell. 

    It's appointed unto man once to die- and then comes the judgment.

    We will all die one day. And it won't really matter then what objections people make now or what ridicule is raised in regards to God and The Bible. None of it changes God or the facts about eternity.

    Of course, people will scoff and laugh regardless and raise any number of objections but even so- the facts remain. And the eternal state of every human soul is worth telling everyone about Jesus. Everyone is free to do what they want with this and with Him. That is the choice given to everyone. But everyone will die one day and everyone needs to consider what will happen then and decide what they will do with Jesus and His free offer of grace and love. Jesus loves you- no matter what you've done and no matter what you do in reaction to this information- He loves you more than anything. And I love you through Him because He loved me first. 

  Everyone has to make their own choice on eternity and I respect their right to do so but everyone needs to remember that every choice has consequences. This one has eternal consequences. May God bless and guide you as you make your decision.

Nahum's Woe (song)

      Thirty-three years ago, on May 2, 1987, Larry Bird made one of the greatest, if not the greatest, plays of his basketball career. In game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics were down by one point to the Detroit Pistons. With five seconds to go, the Pistons had the ball at their end of the court and it looked like things were all over for the Celtics. Yet if Pistons fans had started cheering then, they would have been extremely premature, as Larry Bird then made an outstanding play by stealing the inbounding pass from Isiah Thomas and got the ball to Dennis Johnson, who made the game-winning layup!
        Just as it is dangerous to be full of yourself and be calling the game too early in sports, it is infinitely more dangerous to do so in the spiritual realm. Nineveh is a city that had been very wicked, but God had pity on them and sent Jonah to warn them. Half-hearted though it was, Jonah's message of warning got through (eventually- after a stay in an underwater motel inside a big fish) and the people repented and God stayed His hand. Unfortunately, the people of Nineveh in later years reverted to their former wicked ways and then God sent Nahum to let them know that His judgment was coming- and it wasn't going to be stopped this time. God always carries out justice. He is certainly long-suffering and wanting to extend grace, but when people reject His kind offer, there is no recourse left. Only those who take refuge in Him are safe. Learn from Nineveh's example and repent now while there is time. (2 Corinthians 6:2)


"Nahum's Woe"
(parody of "Sussudio" by Phil Collins; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/7/2019)
(book of Nahum [particularly Nahum 1:7], also see book of Jonah, 2 Corinthians 6:2)

There's this book that's been on my mind
Read its lines- Na- Na- Nahum, oh! oh! oh!
Now you know me from Jonah's fame
(It's) No Disney sequel- read just the same
Na- Na- Nahum, yo! oh! oh!
Well, God- He called me to go share
Destruction's coming- Nineveh, beware!
Last century- all was right
Appealed to God- now Nineveh reverts!
Na- Na- Nahum's woes! Just read The Word!
They're do- do- doomed, you know!
God knows those (who) take refuge in Him
With (a) flood brings foes to an end
Na- Na- Nahum 1:7
God's given command- 'cause you are vile
No more will Nineveh
Pass through Judah though- oh! oh!
Ah, get dressed- battle's here from scatterer
The chariots close in as they go through town
And race Ben-Hur rush style- faces grow pale
And they'll feel who don't listen- just take The word-
2:2 Nahum- Yo! Thus saith The Lord
No game like on Yu-Gi-Oh! Whoa!
Woe (to) city bloody- all full of lies
The wheels roll on of God's justice (in) The Word!
Read 3 in Nahum- Go!
The just prey unfurls
Oh - 3:1 Nahum - Woe!
They'll just say the words, "Oh, who- who- who will grieve for her?"
All stay away
3:7 Nahum- Woe! Oh, oh, oh!
Nineveh's burned!
God's justice undeterred- uh!
Just what's deserved
For Nin- Nin- Nineveh (oh, oh, oh)
So Na- Na- Nahum- go! (Go, go, go!)
Review with Nineveh (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
Your sins have doomed you all! (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
No soothing woes! (Oh, oh, oh)
All who hear news- woe! (Woe! Woe! Woe!)
Can't ease your hurt
Wish you had boohooed and turned! (Oh, oh, oh)
Prayed to The Lord, oh
"Please save us, Lord"
But must just say the word!

Judgment Day and Justified by Faith

    It's said that when people are in a near death situation, they see their lives flash before their eyes. I don't know if that's true but I do think such situations make us consider the brevity of our lives in the light of eternity. I have seen similar scenarios depicted in some Gospel tracts though I am not sure how accurate they are in depiction of the final judgment. Will we really have a screening of our entire lives before us? Some Scriptures might suggest that. In Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 (which some scholars think may be an account of real people in Hell and Heaven, respectively), we do see Abraham reminding the rich man of the good things he had in life and the suffering Lazarus went through. There are a number of Bible verses that inform us that people will be repaid according to their deeds. (Romans 2:6, 10, 11 and Revelation 2:23)
We have a very clear picture in Jesus' parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25. The King reviews the deeds of both the sheep and the goats and rewards or punishes each accordingly.
    It is important to note that judgment is not a matter of God sizing up our good and bad deeds to see if we make the nice or naughty list. Jesus says in John 6:28-29 that the work of God is to believe in Him whom He has sent. Salvation from sin and judgment is through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection alone. It is through God's grace that any of us are saved. (Titus 3:5, Ephesians 2:8-10)
   Yet we often get that image of works being weighed on a scale for judgment, which is totally false. Movies and TV shows help enforce that mistaken idea. (See "Heaven Can Wait", "The Good Place", etc.) If it were up to our good works to save us, we'd all be in Hell because there is no one righteous- no, not one! (Psalms 14:1-3, Psalms 53:1-3, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23)  We all need the righteousness of Jesus- the only One who is perfect and met God's standard of perfection- because He is God. And our faith in Him imputed His righteousness to us! (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)
  I actually had a dream last night that was much like the judgment scene I was describing at the start, except for some random things, as dreams tend to go. (For instance, I don't think the judgment takes place backstage of a late night talk show with Jimmy Kimmel hosting, but I'm fairly sure that's what I saw.) And I was apparently there for emotional support because in the dream I was with a woman in a screening room watching key events in her life like a movie, which ended with a review of the pros and cons in her life. And evidently she didn't make the grade. I was able to leave at that point as it wasn't my time or judgment.
As a disclaimer, let me say that dreams are often hazy images culled together from different things in our lives and I don't generally put much stock in them for meaning, etc. And maybe I had such a dream because I was recently reading through "Erasing Hell" by Francis Chan & Preston Sprinkle.
   Of course, there were grave theological issues with that presentation, which is all the more reason not to try to make too much of dreams. (Which is not to say God can't use them, as He obviously has throughout The Bible. Just be cautious and ask The Holy Spirit to show you anything you need to see.) To quickly summarize, I believe we will stand alone before God, for one thing. And we will be judged based on what we did with Jesus. For a Biblical picture of Judgment Day, check Revelation 20:11-15 for the Great White Throne Judgment unbelievers will face and 1 Corinthians 3 for the Bema Seat judgment that believers will face. (Note: Believers in Christ's deeds while in Christ are judged in order to determine spiritual rewards from The Lord- NOT to judge about salvation. That is already secure with Christ.)
    Again- it cannot be emphasized enough that good works DO NOT save us! In fact, as Jesus makes clear in Matthew 7, good works can damn us instead! He says many will come to Him on the last day calling Him, "Lord, Lord" and present their resumes of good works that they were pridefully relying on and He will tell them- "Depart! I never knew you." That's a scary and sobering scene! Yet in Matthew 7:21, Jesus tells us who WILL enter the kingdom of Heaven- only those who do the will of His Father in Heaven. Okay- so what's the will of The Father? Jesus tells us in John 6:40. "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." Jesus further clarifies in John 6:63 that the flesh is NO help at all; it is The Spirit who gives life.
        All that said, as James 2 reminds us, faith without works is dead. The good works DO NOT save- only faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection that pays for one time for ALL our sins (Hebrews 10:12) does that- BUT good works naturally follow salvation as an outpouring of God's work in our lives to be more like Him and as a natural response of gratitude to Christ for His saving work. (Ephesians 2:8-10, Philippians 2:12-13) As 2 Corinthians 13:5-8 says though, it's good to do a pulse check every so often and make sure we are in the faith.
      As one who often identifies with Mr. Fearing (John Bunyan's timid pilgrim who struggles with doubts and fears but does make it to the Celestial City in the end because of his faith in Christ), I find myself often going back to John 6:68-69 to say with Peter- "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God." This is one of my favourite expressions of faith in The Bible because it echoes my heart's cry.
       "Lord Jesus- I believe You are real and You are God just as The Bible says and You are the only Way, Truth and Life. I know I've done plenty of wrong in my life and I still fall into sin that I don't want to keep doing but You know sometimes I revel in the illicit pleasure some sins elicit.  Help me in that struggle to hold to You because I know You're infinitely better than sin. Forgive me for my many failings. Thank You for Your death and Resurrection that pays for all sins for all time. Even the good I think I've done is not really good if it's not from You and with Godly motives. I don't have any good deeds to rely on; I simply and wholly trust Your righteousness. Help me to remember that my salvation is based on Your grace in which I put all my faith. Cleanse me with the hyssop branch and I shall be clean. Use Me for Your glory as You see fit. Help me to not be scared or worried but rather to trust You with all my heart and feel assured in Your love and salvation. Thank You for always loving this knucklehead through all my goofiness and open defiance and sinfulness. You are Lord and You are my Saviour and Lord; I love you for loving me first- and for all the Awesome Goodness You embody that our world so desperately needs. I need You and trust You no matter what. Use Me to tell folks about You all the more. Thank You. In Your Holy Name, Amen."
      As one of my favourite quotes from C.S. Lewis' "The Chronicles of Narnia" says, “I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia." Puddleglum has this bold statement of faith in "The Silver Chair". Likewise, I'm on Jesus' side no matter what and I'm going to seek to live for Him as His Spirit enables me no matter what. No matter what my fickle fink-le funky feelings tell me, my faith is firm in Father God and I'll trust the facts of His Word.
     "My faith has found a resting place not in device nor creed. I need no other argument; I need no other plea.  It is enough that Jesus died and that He died for me." (Shout out to Lidie H. Edmunds, a pilgrim who went before me in that great cloud of witnesses. :-)) Or as Edward Mote said, "On Christ the Solid Rock I stand- all other ground is sinking sand." Where do you stand? There is a Judgment Day coming we will all face one day. There are two dates that we have no idea when they will come but we know one or the other will happen in our lifetime. Either we will see The Lord Jesus return in our lifetime or we will die one day. Why do we work so hard to avoid our funeral instead of prepare for it? It's easier to forget these truths and the eternity of both Hell and Heaven but it doesn't change anything when we do. As Flannery O'Connor observed, "A Good Man is Hard to Find". That's quite true- only God is good. And sometimes we need a guy with a gun at our heads to keep us honest. What do we say when we really think about these realities if we're honest? Those who worship God must do so in spirit and truth. So be truthful and pray and consider what you need to do as the Holy Spirit leads. "Now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:2) While you're gathering ye rosebuds while ye may, grab onto the Rose of Sharon while ye may. Today is the day of The Lord's favour- but the Door will not be open forever.
 

It's The End of the World As We Know It (Do You Know Christ?) (song)

We all wish for world peace and hope that we might really see the world come together, especially at times like Christmas. Then we turn on the news and that quickly dashes those hopes as we see the cruelty and wickedness of man's heart on full display. Jesus said that we would hear of wars and rumours of wars but the end is not yet. He said to not be alarmed because these things must come before the time of the end. We shouldn't lose REM sleep over it because the God who never sleeps is always watching over all of us. And no matter what happens in world events, He still holds the world in His hands and everything is still running according to His timetable alone. As Ecclesiastes 3 says, there is a time and season for everything under the sun, certainly including the return of the Son. For those of us in Christ, we look forward to that day when He will put a final end to evil and make everything sad come untrue. Until that day, we look to Him in faith and seek to fulfill the Great Commission He gave us, making the salvation from sin and Hell only available through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection known to all who will hear. It's good to know that God is in control through it all and because of this, we can endure it all, as the book of Revelation commands us so many times. As I've said before when people ask, yes- we are in the end times. We've been in the end times since Jesus ascended to Heaven. With that in mind, we should continue to be about our Father's business and rest easy in Him no matter what happens- and then we can truthfully say, "It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine."

"It's The End of the World As We Know It (Do You Know Christ?)"
(parody of "It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" by REM; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/18/2019)
(the book of Revelation, Romans 10:9-13, 2 Corinthians 6:2, 2 Peter 3:8-9)

Revelation starts when God dictates
Words to say to houses of faith
And Johnny dude is much afraid
"I have the keys of Hades, seven stars and lampstands"
Lord Jesus (is) on scene
"Don't desert first love, please
Fear thou not of what you'll suffer- strength!
Balaam's yeast in batter
Nicolaitians strike down- Hike!
Wire Thyatira - and present to all 7 churches
That The Saviour searches all hearts and minds- pays back deeds
Jezebel woman- sins in adultery
Whip up your few believing and repent
Team Philly- keep enduring- fast hold faith- got your crown
Lukewarm that Laodicea
Uh, oh- hot or cold- those I love them I reprove
Let Me just save yourselves- turn yourselves
Rev. verse 3:20- listen to Christ's knock please"
Johnny is enraptured there in Heaven and he writes sights
Four living creatures prostrate falling glorify all time
Him seated enthroned on high

It's written in The Word- they cry "Holy"
Ever is, was, will be- they cry "Holy"
We exist for The Lord- they cry "Holy"- all glory's Thine!

Scroll is locked- Weeping louder- No distraught- The Lion's power
Has opened seals 'cause God's Son is Worthy Lamb
Conquering white horse comes- bright red bloodletting
Black horse holding some scales and pale horse- a fourth exterminate
Five- an altar, cry of martyrs- Sixth- stuff thrown down
All tribes are sealed- 144,000 (one four four oh, oh, oh)
Crowd seen- some here from all spheres- Jesus saves! Here's seventh seal
Opens trumpets of judgments- in turn seven let fly
All these bring destruction- angel, scroll and two witnesses- a mighty sign

A dragon chases this girl's Babe to kill Him [Background vocal: Dragon wanted Christ to be gone]
The dragon's tail did hurl third of angels [Background vocal: They chose their side- demons]
There's a ten horned beast from the ocean- the antiChrist [Background vocal: Time for endurance- be bold!]
Blasphemes Christ! [Background vocal: Gives healing sign]
A dragon-tongued beast rises from earth [Background vocal: Signs done- antiChrist enthrones]
666 (six sixty six)- all the world must take his number [Background vocal: Christ's own will resist it though]
God judges sin of the world- angels tell it- with harps praise God [Background vocal: Time for seven wrath-filled bowls]

Another sign- God's wrath-filled bowls- all torrential plagues inside
Woman sits on a beast- Babylon burns- feast!
Lamb's own marriage dinner- guests are blessed- Thanks!
Riding party- Lord of Lords, King of Kings rules!
He beats beast, et. al. - Takes devil- locks him- 1000 years reign with Christ

The dragon leads the world against Jesus [BGV: Time that ancient snake was gone!]
Armageddon- the war's won by Jesus [BGV: Devil's beat- to fire he goes]
It's the end in sulfur always ongoing in lake of fire [BGV: Line Rev. 20:10 shows]
At the end of the world there is judgment
How we lived in this world is exposed there
And if anyone's name's not in Life book- (they) go to lake of fire [BGV: How'll you stand at great white throne?]
Then beginning new world and new Heaven [BGV: Time to abscond things of old]
It's the end of death, pain and all tears flowing [BGV: Christ makes all things new- Behold!]
Hell burning for the world and they chose it- they denied Christ [BGV: Time we have will soon be gone]
It's Heaven through The Lord for those who know Him [BGV: Christ be praised for all time alone!]
The Spirit and the Bride still are calling [BGV: Sins paid- have faith- Christ died and rose]
At the end of the world, Jesus is coming- please come soon, Christ! [BGV: Christ be praised for all time alone!]
..................................................

Season for the Reason: Transpirings and True Transforming

Note: This was written in response to a claim sometimes made in regards to choices about sexuality. If people see orthodontists to straighten crooked teeth and eye doctors to correct impaired vision, why should someone not also seek to have surgery to alter one's sexual identity on a physical level to match one's internal sense of sexual identity for those struggling with gender dysphoria?
      To be clear, as 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 says, "what have I to do with judging outsiders?" Everyone is free to do as they wish. Those outside of Christ will not consider themselves bound to The Bible and thus wouldn't be following it anyway. While of course I think they should, first I think they should get saved by Jesus as they won't be able to fully understand or adhere to His Word otherwise anyway. There is of course much more that could be said on this but this is my concise summary of some of what The Bible says on this. This is an attempt at a Biblical view of the subject and why I believe it's best to accept the sexual identity God has given us rather than fight it.
..............................................................................

    A trans person 18 and over is free to do as he or she wishes with his or her body, in regards to body modification via reassignment surgery.
   I don't think a child should be allowed to make such a life-altering decision as a child is still mentally developing and may have a change of feelings down the road.
   In regards to the common rejoinder mentioned earlier here, I would say this. God did not make anyone with bad vision or crooked teeth. When God saw His creation on the 6th. day, He said it was very good. (Genesis 1:26-31)
Ecclesiastes 7:29 says that God made man to be perfect but man has gone off in search of many schemes.
   When man sinned and rebelled against God, the whole was cursed with sin and subjected to futility, as Romans 8 explains. (See also Genesis 3.) This is when bad vision and crooked teeth and other ailments started cropping up. I believe this is also where proclivities toward forbidden sexual relations came up as well. (It's important to note here that being born with a particularity proclivity for a particular sin is of course beyond any person's control. Temptation itself is not sin; acting upon it is though.)
   For the other example, if God made someone a brunette, then that person is a brunette. Dying hair to make it blonde does not make that person a blonde. Eventually the dye wears off and the natural roots will grow back out.
   The same is true with transgenderism. A person can change outer and inner genitalia and hormone levels but this doesn't change who that person is ultimately. The chromosomes are still the same. Their identity doesn't change in God's eyes.
   That said, I don't think it's wrong to dye hair (though I have no desire to do so, particularly because I believe I should be happy with what God has given me in hair color. That is something God gives me. The moral weight of changing sex is quite different from changing hair color, as I don't think there is any for that.) Fixing bad vision and bad teeth is an attempt to temporarily address products of the fall that will one day permanently be fixed with a new body in Heaven for all those in Christ.
   The distinction with transgenderism is that God has forbidden sexual relations with the same sex. (Romans 1 is a particularly good passage for this but note also Jesus' words in Matthew 19.) A transgender person engaging in sexual relations with his or her birth sex after transition would thus be violating the command against homosexual relations.
   And in Deuteronomy 22:5, The Bible also forbids cross-dressing. Thus, it would follow that a transgender person wearing clothing of the opposite sex, even after having had transitional surgery, would still be violating this command.
   This is simply not God's design and trying to rebel against it simply continues to subject transgender people to futility. Note what God says in Romans 9:20-24. Does He not have the right as Creator to make His creation as He sees fit? The clay can't tell the potter that it doesn't like the design- the clay has no say in the matter.
   2 Corinthians 4:7 says we have this treasure- that each person made in God's image is- in jars of clay. The surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Jesus says we can find rest for our souls in Him. (Matthew 11:28) Ultimately, He is the One we can and should take our dsyphorias in life to so we can have that rest in trusting our lives to the hands of our loving Creator.
     In the end, when we are saved through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection, we'll find the restoration and satisfaction we desire through Him in Heaven. Until we get to Heaven, He helps us along the way here in the far country in dealing with these groanings. There is a day coming when all shall be well eternally and that's what I look forward to in the midst of this present suffering, knowing that the weight of glory coming far outweighs anything I go through here.

(For further reading, I found this article from "Christianity Today" extremely helpful and gracious in talking about and understanding a Christian response to this topic.

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/july-august/understanding-transgender-gender-dysphoria.html )

Stuff Christian Culture Likes- and Stuff Christian Culture Needs to Repent From

I find it so sad to read through posts on the "Stuff Christian Culture Likes" Facebook page and see how so many people have been hurt by the Christian church and the Christianese culture that some people fall into that often does not really reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I can't say I always agree with all the criticism leveled, but I can certainly admit there is validity to many of the points made and it's something all Christians and churches should consider. Whether you agree with everything or not, if you're a follower of Jesus, you should listen to what people have to say and take it to heart because there are many places the church so often fails and needs to address.
     It is some of these things that make the world see Christians as hypocrites and the church as an abusive manipulator rather than the loving solace it is supposed to be- a safe harbour for all people. It is a place where sinful people who have been transformed by the amazing grace of Jesus- demonstrated through His death and Resurrection to pay for all sins and save all who put faith in Him and follow Him- can congregate and help each other and not tear each other down. (see Ephesians 4:29 and 1 Corinthians 14:26. Use your spiritual gifts to build each other up and help them pursue holiness. Yes, there is a place to lovingly and humbly confront Christian brothers and sisters about sin in their lives- Jesus spoke about that in Matthew 18:17. But He also said that we better get the plank out of our eye before we try to help get the speck out of our brother's eye. [see Matthew 7:1-6])
      And above all- while speaking The Truth in Love (Ephesians 4:15), we must Love undergird all we do. "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil, hold fast to what is good." (Romans 12:9) (Genuine love is reiterated in 2 Corinthians 6:6 and 8:8 too) "Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor." (Romans 12:10) 1 Corinthians 8:1 says that love builds up. As 1 Corinthians 16:14 says, "Let all that you do be done in love." Galatians 5:13 says that through love we should serve one another. And as 1 Peter 4:8 says, "Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins." I'm glad that God has covered me with His love and removed and forgiven my multitude of sins. As Jesus said- Freely you have received; freely give.
      When people don't see this, they can quickly become calloused with hardened hearts due to their hurts. It's easier to protect your heart than let it get broken again. I don't know the spiritual background of everyone on this site, so I'm not saying this about anyone in particular.
But I have found it to be an interesting linguistic observation that it's only one space away between an atheist and a theist. And the only way to make that space in their heart so it can be open to trusting God is through the Holy Spirit working- and He works through His children who seek to live out His love. So it's like Pete Townshend said, with a slight modification- Let Christ's Love open the door to your heart!
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxryzVVxFHI

New Heaven and Remade Earth (song)

As a Halloween and Reformation Day treat, I thought these next two songs would be appropriate. This is sort of my Hell and Heaven suite. The first one has the devil in the details, detailing his origins, his workings now and his assured eternal destruction. This second one is about the happiest place not on Earth- and that's Heaven! The world also paints a lot of images and ideas about this that place that do not be lending any light on on the subject. Heaven's only entered One Way- through faith in Jesus' death and Resurrection to pay for our sins. This world is in a horrible mess because of sin- it's like a broken car pile in a junkyard. We will never fix it in human strength and make a Heaven on Earth. However, Jesus promises to take us to Heaven if we trust Him to fix us and everything else- and He will one day make a new Heaven and new Earth. And He uses us now to point people to the rebirth that only comes from Him who makes all things new! That's the day we long for! Behold, the One who promises this says He is coming soon. Even so, come Lord Jesus!


"New Heaven and Remade Earth"
(Parody of "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" by Belinda Carlisle; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/30/2018)
(Genesis 1-3, Philippians 1:21-27, Genesis 11, John 6:44, Romans 5, Ephesians 2:8-10, Philippians 2:1-18, Psalms 2, Psalms 16, Psalms 137, Isaiah 66, John 14, Matthew 5:16, Revelation 19:16, Revelation 20-22)

Ooh, hating seems to only get worse
Ooh, Heaven- come invade the Earth
The day when Heaven's Son returns
He'll remake Heaven (and) remake the Earth
New Heaven and a remade Earth

When The Christ calls now
The wait is through and He's come back down
All the world lays eyes on Him now
Babylon finally dies!
And our talk to self-improve
It's all a joke- falls apart- Psalms 2
Adam's sinning cursed the world and us
And You lifted it off by way of the cross

You saved me and each soul- what's our worth?
Ooh, Heaven is a grace undeserved
The Way to Heaven- God draws first
We make Heaven by faith not works
2 Ephesians- we're saved for good works

This world's not my home- I'm just passing through
Psalms 16:11- Home!
Then in John 14- our hearts rejoice
You prepare for me!
In His world, we get new beginning
And now with man again our Lord is living
66 Isaiah- saith The Lord
All flesh come to praise- praise The Lord!

Ooh, praise Him! Make Him Lord while on Earth
2 Philippians says all praise- 10th. verse
Don't waste a second- Love or Curse?
Get saved while living- too late in hearse
Choose Heaven! Put your faith in Christ's work

In His world we'll have no sinning
No hunger and thirst- we're all filled by King of Kings
Babel tower's our way and Hell's door
But Lord God's The Way and only Door

Ooh, Satan- do your gloats for now, jerk
Revelation says your doom's assured
You see 'cause Heaven's Love beat curse!
No wrongs Heaven's embrace can't cure
Ooh! Heaven cures all plagues of earth
Ooh! Heaven leaves no trace of curse
Ooh! Heaven's agents of change on earth
Winds of Heaven and stuff of Earth
Like (in) Heaven, do God's will on earth

Killer (song)

As a Halloween and Reformation Day treat, I thought these next two songs would be appropriate. This is sort of my Hell and Heaven suite. The first one is about one of the scariest figures in The Bible- the devil himself! The world paints a lot of false images and ideas about him, but the world doesn't know jack, son. The Bible gives us information about that old serpent throughout its pages and sometimes thinking about his and his demons' evil workings in the world can be more frightening than reading the latest Stephen King thriller. But even though he is a thief, destroyer and killer, we don't need to fear Him when we're in Christ because we know the One who has defeated sin, death, Hell, the demons and the devil. And in the end, his doom is sure- one little word shall fell him.

"Killer"
(parody of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 7/31/2018)
(Genesis 3, Revelation 12, Ephesians 6, Zechariah 3, Matthew 4, Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, John 8:32-36, Job 1-2, James 4:7, 2 Corinthians 11:3 and 13-15, 1 John 4:4, 2 Corinthians 4:4, John 8:39-47, Luke 10:17-20, John 10:10, Genesis 4:1-7, 1 Peter 5:8-9, 2 Corinthians 6:2, Matthew 16:21-23, Romans 8:11, Romans 10:9-13, Revelation 20, Romans 16:20, Revelation 20:10)

He's closed in his sights and something evil's lurking in the garden
Pumping half-truth/lies, Lucifer's trying to just sow doubts in hearts
Adam and Eve- what terrors will resound after you taste it!
Now Earth's diseased- with horror, look how you bought all the lies
You're penalized!

'Cause he's a killer, thief and liar!
And God's Son's gonna save you from the beast though His heel he'll strike
You know it's written- Genesis line
3:15 prophesies that Christ will crush the snake's head- that's right!

You read some more- bam! Ezekiel shares from where he did come
"You were in Eden- anointed as a guardian cherub"
You chose thug life- you know that this is just in 28, son
You were exiled when there was evil creeping up inside
You're out on your behind

'Cause you were filled with killer pride
O Day Star, son of Dawn- Isaiah chapter 14 writes
You said, "I will be like Most High"
Your flight has been denied because Jehovah's always Most High

The devil's fall-
12 Revelation gives a pass backstage
Third go with Satan in star wars of Heaven- 4th. line
(The demons' side)
Since the dragon's tail swung wide

They're out to get you- those demons and dragon- 17 line
They will possess you unless you take The Saviour's offer now
Now is the time- go 2nd. Corinthians 6:2- it's there
All through The Christ- He'll save you from the terrors of your sin
He'll make you clean

'Cause He was killed for sinners' plight
And Christ's life was restored by Holy Ghost
Romans 8:11- right!
World, there's a killer, thief and liar!
Won't quit 'til out of time- serpent's a-accuser, tempter, imitator angel of light!

Read in 1st. Peter 5:8- right!
The lion roars at your door- 4 Genesis
The 7th. verse mind
World-roaming killer still at large
So let's read Romans line 16 verse 20- God wins!

(Background vocals: He's gonna school him- that's right!)

(Spoken:)
Dark forces trawl across the land
The midnight hour draws closer at hand
(Since) devil's fall, he's out for blood
To tempt mankind- call evil good
And whosoever shall be found
Without their soul's name written down
In Lamb's Book of Life- they're bound for hell
Those bought by Christ- to joy eternal

(Background vocals: I'm in The Lamb's Book of Life! Will ya be?)

(Spoken:)
Look out! Resist temptings- (and) beware!
He'll run as 4:7 James shares
1 Peter too- Read 5:9- boom!
The God within you's greater too!
And though snake fights to sway your mind
Adversary's marked for Gehenna
For more, read John's Apocalypse
'Cause He will burn forever!

(Ah ha ha ha!)
(Laughter and fade)
...........................................

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.

A Prayer for the National Day of Prayer

      We have undertaken this voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia (and westward, ho!) for the honour of our King and Country- (and ultimately) for the Advancement of the Christian Faith and for the Glory of God. In the Presence of God and one another, we solemnly and mutually convenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick- for our better Ordering and Preservation and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid: And by Virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions, and Officers, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general Good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due Submission and Obedience. (In other words, we pledge to do unto others as we would have others do unto us, as Jesus told us in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 6:31. And since He is The One we look to order and preserve us and further those ends we mentioned earlier, we look to obey Him and love Him with all we've got and love our neighbors as ourselves, like He said in Matthew 22:34-40). Signed November 11, 1620 Anno Domini (in The Year of our Lord). IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN.
(Adapted from The Mayflower Compact; agreement between the settlers at New Plymouth)
      Even our earliest historical documents from the founding of America have been, essentially, prayers to God and a resolution to, by His Grace and Strength (Philippians 4:13, Ephesians 2:8-10) follow and obey Him in the establishment of our country and government. William Bradford recorded this for us; I think he would join in that same prayer today.

        Most Gracious and Just Lord Jesus, we beseech You today on this National Day of Prayer to forgive us of our sins, cleanse us anew, restore the joy of Thy salvation and renew a right spirit within us. May Your Love and Truth be evident to all by the presence of Thy Holy Spirit in our lives and thus, may we see You bring many sons to glory through Your working in and through us as You choose. Thank You that You still hold the whole world in Thy hands today and the leaders of the world will ultimately bow to Your will. Even as they plot and scheme, You The Lord Who sits in Heaven laugh- You alone know what is to come. Even as Nebuchadnezzar came to learn, may all our leaders know that You alone are God- no plan of Yours can be thwarted. I give You honor and praise, The Most High God who is glorified forever- Your dominion is eternal and Your Kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. You do as You please with the powers of Heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back Your hand or say to You, 'What have You done?' Everything You do is right- all Your ways are just.
        I put my hand over my mouth for the times when I have spoken of things too great for me to understand- You are God in Heaven and I am just man on earth, whom You made a little lower than the angels- what am I that You think of me? Yet even when we despised and rejected Thy Son, You loved us anyway with an amazing ferocity that leaves us astounded and astonished. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us and rose again. You have proven Your love for us so wonderfully in the salvation You have provided. Thank You for Your justice that punishes evil and Your Love and Grace that forgives us of all our sins when we come in repentance. Sanctify us and set us apart, Lord- may Your Holy Consuming Fire be rekindled within us. Move in us and let us know Your love and presence. 
       I praise You for Your goodness and all Your promises that You surely keep. I believe; help Thou my unbelief. Help me to walk confidently in faith knowing that You never leave me or forsake me. Thank You for always being faithful even when I'm faithless. I know that there is no good in me on my own; my only Good is You. May I continue to become less as You become greater. Shape me to look more like You each day. I trust You. Lord Jesus, I know You will keep me from stumbling and present me perfect in Your glorious presence by Your virtue on that day. Even when I feel distraught and down on myself and worries and fears of past sins and my own foibles and failings come to haunt me, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me- Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. You are always with me. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of The Lord forever. I would rather be a doorkeeper in Your House, Lord, than to dwell in the tents of the wicked. 
      With the faith of a child, I believe You and Your Word and thank You for Your blood shed for me and Your broken body that took my punishment. By Thine stripes I am healed. I praise You that You are no longer dead but You are alive forevermore- and because You live, I will live also. Hallowed be Thy Name, Our Father in Heaven. Thy Kingdom come- Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.Give me this day my daily bread and forgive me of my trespasses as I forgive those who trespass against me.And lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from evil. For Thine is The Kingdom and The Power and The Glory, forever and ever-In the precious Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

(Read The Mayflower Compact here- http://avalon.law.yale.edu/17th_century/mayflower.asp
And read The Bible here- http://www.Biblegateway.com )

:-))

Mr. Joel (song)

           The Hebrew name Joel means "Yahweh is God" and the son of Pethuel sure lived up to proclaiming the meaning of his name through the Bible book named after him. A recurring phrase in the book of Joel is "The LORD your God", which does literally translate to "Yahweh is God", as "The LORD" is the Name rendered as Yahweh or Jehovah in Hebrew. And Joel was calling Israel to return to The Lord our God and repent of sin because the day of The Lord was coming to punish Israel as well as all nations that sinned against Him. And in Joel 2, we are given prophecy about the coming of The Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which we see fulfilled in Acts 2. God filled His people with His Spirit to empower them to go out and preach the Gospel. The day of The Lord is coming for us as it did in Joel's time and ravaged the land. While Mr. Jones might be busy counting crows, Joel could have been busy counting locusts as they wreaked destruction on Israel. But God promised that He would restore what the locusts destroyed. Of course, if we don't want to be eating crows, we need to repent of our pride and unfaithfulness as well and return to God Who sent the abundant latter rain to heal Israel just as He does for us through Christ's completed work on the cross and in the empty tomb. So read Ephesians 1-2 for more on the work Jesus did for us, read Acts 2 to see how God's Spirit works through us to share the Good News with others and then turn to Mr. Joel and read!


 Mr. Joel
(parody of "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/20/2017)
(The book of Joel, Acts 2)

Sha, la, la, la, la, la, la
Mmm
Uh huh

It is found in the New Testament
There- 2 Acts, this fellow shared Joel
Peter zones in on their declarations
In 2 Acts- there fulfilled Joel chapter 2
Holy Ghost landing- sons and daughters prophesiers
They're suddenly multilingual
"They're all on something-alcohol"
It's 9 AM- not drunk on alcohol

He's enhanced us- The Spirit- down through God's pouring

Shalom, Hola, Bonjour, Hi ya!
Yeah
Uh huh
Yeah

Come on now, Peter
Show us some of that Arabic and Egyptian
Turn in your Bible to (the) book of Joel
(And) get reading
Can you believe this locust scene?
Call a fast and weep- Joel 1- it just pleads
Yeah

Mr. Joel- read
Tell sons and daughters grisly tale
As you stare and view destruction
The locusts have chewed
Now no food! The locusts did eat
Crying 'cause the crops died
Coming through in sackcloth
Lamenting priests of God- dude!
Look, man, it's near- The Lord's Day

Joel is gonna paint a picture
Look yourself in 2- moon's red, sun's black- Great Day!
All of the dutiful dreamers know it's very, very meaningful
Yeah, well The Lord's Day comes with signs and wonders
Literal or symbolic- it'll be plain
Go review Revelation
You would find 6:12 just says much of the same

Mr. Joel- read!
Look into the future
Don't despair at the total destruction
Verse 2:32
Romans 10 quotes
Go look in 13
Acts 2:21 writes
And God Himself will save us all
For all who on His Name call
Call a solemn assembly
Let's all return to The Lord please
Rend our hearts and not our garments- see

Blow the trumpet in Zion
Ah, everybody declare a holy fast
Oh, return to Me with all your heart
Says The Lord God- what locusts've eaten- I'll pay back
Rejoice in Me- 'cause you can believe I'll send the rain
And I- I want all peeps to come to Me and believe
So believe and receive- yeah

Mr. Joel- read! Judging's due- 3rd. chapter- yo!
So prepare for the Doomsday, all nations
Hey Egypt- you're through
Man, you've got to read in Joel 3:19
You're a goner, Edom- called it
In there Joel chapter 3, there's comeuppance all given out swiftly
For every violence you do
Sidon, Tyre- turnabout is fair play- as you will see
Mr. Joel- read! Pay Me back? Thus says The Lord
What are you to Me, Philistia?
If you're paying Me, it's coming right back to thee
Beat your pruning hooks into spears
'Cause we both know why that you folks're going down
And there is nobody like Me
You're gonna see just that now when My people are redeemed
Pictured in Joel- end scenes- (well) God and His peeps are victorious!

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

House Cleaning

         A thought came to mind one day when I was cleaning my new-ish apartment. I was thinking about how we clean our apartments and houses so well when we know company is coming because we want everything to be neat and nice for them. It's interesting to consider how social media becomes that way as well- it's like our house that we want to keep clean for others in some regard. (Thus, the sometimes felt obligation to respond to comments with likes and more comments, etc.) Now we should feel free to be ourselves on our own social media account and be our honest selves- and everyone should be able to listen to each other and experience that honesty and either agree or disagree with it, but still respect and love each other. 
          Of course, just as we take care of our physical houses in anticipation of company and our virtual houses as well, we should take care of our physical bodies, which is our spiritual house, if you will. "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) [This is assuming you have given your heart and life to Jesus and made Him Lord of your life personally.] 
           Jesus uses a house as a spiritual picture in at least two places that came to mind for me. In Matthew 7:24-27, He compares those who hear His words and put them into practice to a wise man who builds his house upon the rock and it stands firm against the floods and rains. (Likewise, He compares those who hear His words and don't put them into practice like a foolish man who builds his house upon the sand and the winds and rain beat it down flat.)
          In Matthew 12:43-45 and Luke 11:24-26, Jesus uses another picture of a house. In this case, He talks about what it's like when an unclean spirit leaves a person and passes through water-less places in search of rest but finding none. Eventually the evil spirit says that it'll return to the house from which it came. When this happens, it finds the house empty, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and finds 7 spirits more evil than itself and they enter and dwell there- and the last state of that person is worse than the first. Jesus says so also it will be with this evil generation. Again, we have the same message here. It's one thing to claim faith in Christ and seemingly try to sweep the house clean and get things in order. But if we don't truly put faith in Him and prove it by putting His words into action, then we're actually worse off (particularly when those eight demons come looking for room and board.)
As Jesus asks in Luke 6:46, "Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord' and not do what I tell you?" (If you go on to read Luke 6:47-49, you will see that the parable of the wise and foolish man is repeated here too.) Also check Luke 6:43-45 - Good trees produce good fruit and bad trees produce bad fruit. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! Of course, none of us are truly good. No one is good but God Himself.
            And that's the whole point of Jesus coming in the first place. None of us are good and none of us can be good. We need the only good One to come and be good for us- which Jesus did by fulfilling all of The Law (Matthew 5:17) and bringing an end to The Law's hold on us (as Romans 10:4 declares) through His sacrificial death on the cross. He paid for all our sins through that. And then He rose again to prove He's God. We can avoid the punishment of sin (which is Hell) when we put our faith in Jesus and follow Him- obey His commands. (I say this to emphasize that salvation entails more than just mental assent to Christ's claims. It involves the surrendering of the heart and life to Christ and putting all faith in His grace given us through the cross of Calvary. Then, we should obey Christ out of gratefulness to Him for the saving work He has already done. But note that the salvation comes through faith alone in His grace alone- it's not by works. However, if we truly have real faith in Christ, the good works should come as a natural outflow of response to Christ- not as a misguided attempt to earn God's forgiveness or pay Him back. We can't and we never have to do so- God loves us all like crazy and He gives us His grace freely! (But to be clear, it cost God plenty- but it is free to us. Therefore, freely you have received, so freely give.)
          Thus, as Jesus told us in John 14:15, if you love Me, you will obey Me. "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)
Praise God for His love! :-) Keep loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and loving your neighbor as yourself. And speak the Truth in Love. God bless. 
            To carry the picture even further, 1 Peter 4:17-19 says, "For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the Gospel of God? And 'If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?' Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good."
            Again, the commandment is there to be doing good, but this is not a prerequisite for salvation. We entrust our souls to a faithful Creator who saves us by grace- then empowers us to do the good works He wanted us to do all along. But if He brings judgment first to the house of God, what will happen for the ungodly and the sinner? We must seek to keep the house of God in order and be holy unto The Lord through His power- and lovingly seek to rescue the perishing, so that they may come to know Jesus' love and grace too.            
               In Luke 12:35-48 (and other places), Jesus gives us the picture of servants called to be faithful to their master while he's gone. They know he will return one day and he will come on a day unexpected- and the servant that is not taking care of the house will be cut in piece and put with the unfaithful. Jesus uses this picture a number of times in warning us to stay awake and be ready for the Son of Man's return, for He is coming at an hour we do not expect.           
               "Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and Godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." (2 Peter 3:11-18)(Love how Peter gives a shout out to his brother Paul here. :-))              
               And I love how The Holy Spirit inspired him to write all this down for us and remind us to make every effort to be found without spot or blemish, but at the same time we know that we are growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He's the One who really helps make us with spot or blemish more so every day! (Philippians 1:6) And while we are waiting and watching for Jesus' return, we must continue to be working as well. We seek to keep our houses clean for His glory and out of gratitude to Him, and also so that Christ may be exalted and lifted up in our lives- and Jesus said when that happens, He will draw all men to Himself. It's He who draws us all to Himself to begin with in any case. But He can definitely use us to help draw others to Him. So every day, from here forward to the day of His glorious appearing, we seek to live each day for His glory, loving Him with all we've got and loving our neighbors as ourselves and sharing His love with others, with gentleness and respect. And we trust in His grace always- knowing that His grace saved us, is still saving us and will save us in the end. Praise The Lord!              
               I also wanted to note that a lot of this is inspired at least some by "My Heart- Christ's Home" by Robert Boyd Munger, the basics of which I remember my youth pastor explaining to me in youth group a few scant years ago. That picture still works so well in explaining how Jesus cleans out every single part of us and gives us an extreme makeover because He traded spaces with us on the cross and rose again.  :-)
                I'm so thankful for my youth pastor for the time he took to invest in me and help disciple me in following Christ more. And I'm thankful for all the others God has sent me at times to help expand me in my understanding of what it means to love and follow Jesus and open my eyes to places where perhaps I had turned a blind eye to before. God is really good at making you see all kinds of stuff that you hadn't considered before- probably on account of His thoughts and ways being so much higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8-9)- there is always so much more to learn. That's what the sanctification process takes from here to eternity to complete- but God is faithful and He will do it! He will present us before Himself pure and blameless in Christ one day. He's gonna get us there in His time! (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)
           "By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches." (Proverbs 24:3)"Unless The Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." (Psalms 127:1) It's all through The Lord!

:-)
:-)

God is Good All the Time (And All The Time God is Good)! (Bless The Lord at ALL Times) :-)

We're not quite to the end of the year, but I've seen a lot of people write 2016 off as a loss. (I know it may be in jest at times or it may be a statement of true frustration and exasperation with the outcome of events.) And it's okay to express honest feelings at times, in polite terms.

And we should be honest with the course of events- a lot of bad things have happened in the world- natural disasters, refugee crises, warring conflicts, the sad loss of life for so many- and many other things. (Of course, on a side note with that- I notice that a lot of people mourn for celebrities they've never met and don't really know- which is by no means wrong; it's very sad to hear of their deaths. However, it's weird that we don't mourn for the deaths in every single one of the obituaries in all the newspapers of the world that are published every day as well. Everyone's equally important and it's sad when anyone dies.)

It's really sad to me to see the hopelessness in so many people- especially after the 2016 US election. (And as a qualifier here, let me reiterate again that I did vote, but not for either of the major candidates- and I'm not particularly happy or upset with the outcome. I just have faith that God is in control as always and He will take care of me as always. He allows people to be in power and He also takes them down. His will will be done. "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?.... The Lord in Heaven laughs at their plans. Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve The Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, for His wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him." (see Psalms 2))

I was rather surprised at the election results and as I said- wasn't particularly happy with them or particularly sad- but I was hopeful and trusting that God knows what He's doing. And since I've been in a mood to listen to a lot of Rich Mullins lately (okay- that's pretty much all the time :-))- I had a time of worship playing some of his classics- "Sing Your Praise To The Lord", "Awesome God" and "Sometimes by Step". It wasn't because I was particularly happy with the results- it was because praising The Lord is always the appropriate response. It's because He is God and He reigns forever and He has done good things and my soul will bless the Lord and forget not all His benefits. He loves me enough to send Jesus to die and pay for all my sins and rise again! He has forgiven me through my faith in Him and He continues to make me more like Him as I seek to follow Him. He has promised me eternity in Heaven with Him! I have every reason to always be optimistic- yes, even in times when I may feel anything but.

"Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in The Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, The Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer's; He makes me tread on my high places. (To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments.)" (Habakkuk 3:17-19) (i.e. Yo! Strike up the music, bro! Let's get some praise on for The Lord Almighty! :-))

Note the verses don't say, "Because all these bad things are happening." They say, "In spite of these bad things, I'm still going to praise God." Just like Job's response- hey, Job- you've just lost all your cattle (i.e. food and wealth), and all your kids- what are you going to do now? "Naked I came from the womb and naked I will depart- may the Name of The Lord be praised!" Do what? You mean you don't want to go with the flow like your wife said and just curse God and die? "Nah, bro- shall we receive good from God and not receive evil?" Even after you just got these awful sores all over you? Yep- even so, it is well with my soul. (Now, to be fair- Job did get pretty bummed (to say the least- he was near suicidal at some points, arguably)- but at the end of the book, God restores all of Job had lost- he has more kids and he gets his cattle and wealth back. In fact, he gets twice as much as he had before. And God points out that Job spoke rightly of Him (versus his three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar).

Especially with the time of Thanksgiving coming up in the USA- it seems really appropriate to take time to thank Jesus for all He's done and praise Him! :-) 2016 has been a hard year in some ways for my family personally- but that could be true every year. God has also done some awesome things this year for my family- He provided my dad with a new job! He provided my brother and his wife with a new house they recently bought! He provided my other brother a new job! My sister's daughter got baptized this year and my dad was able to perform the baptism! :-) He provided my grandmother with better health. He provided one of my aunts a new job! He provided a new house for my other aunt and uncle! He provided me with a chance to visit some of my dearest friends in the world this summer! And He's provided me opportunities to have medical work done in the last few years and that's been a blessing. He provides for me financially all the time and just in general in life all the time. (As my mom says, He must have like a multitude of guardian angels working overtime with me. ;-))

So yeah- no matter what the situation is- my response is this: "Give thanks to The Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for His steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for His steadfast love endures forever." (Psalms 136:1-3- by the way, that refrain is stated 26 times in that chapter- and usually that happens in The Bible because God really wants us to remember it! :-))

To the One Who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love- the One who doesn't deal with us as our sins deserve and repay us according to our iniquities- the One Whose love is as great for us as the heavens are high above the earth- the One who removes our transgressions from us as far as the east is from the west- the One who shows compassion to those who fear Him- Whose steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him- all praise, honor, glory and power be given! "The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all." (Psalms 103:19- just read the whole thing.)

I will bless The Lord at ALL times- His praise shall CONTINUALLY be in my mouth! (Psalms 34:1)

So yes- 2016 has had its sad moments- but it's also had its awesome moments! Praise The Lord for 2016 and all other moments of life He allows me to have! I call this to mind and therefore I have hope always:

"The steadfast love of The Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of The Lord. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust- there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For The Lord will not cast off forever, but, though He cause grief, He will have compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love; for He does not afflict from His heart or grieve the children of men. To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the earth, to deny a man justice in the presence of the Most High, to subvert a man in his lawsuit, The Lord does not approve. Who has spoken and it came to pass, unless The Lord has commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? Let us test and examine our ways, and return to The Lord! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in Heaven..." (see Lamentations 3:21-41- better yet, just read the whole chapter and the whole book.)

(Keep in mind that the context of this chapter is of Jeremiah lamenting over the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened as punishment for the people's sins. And there is a time when we need to test and examine ourselves and let God examine us- see if there be any wicked way in us- and repent and let God cleanse us! [see Psalms 139] But there are also times that calamity comes because we live in a fallen world- but even when God might cause grief, He doesn't do it from His heart! He doesn't do it to grieve people! He isn't a sadist! In the midst of it, He has compassion according to the abundance of His steadfast love! As Jesus said in John 9, sometimes bad things happen so that the glory of God can be seen in our lives- just like what happened with the blind dude in that chapter that Jesus made see again!)

So yeah- even when things feel like a nightmare and it's like I'm locked in prison- I'll make like Paul and Silas did while in jail in Acts 16:25 and be praying and singing hymns to God! I'll make like Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane and say, "Lord, not my will, but Thine be done." And The Lord's will might be that I need to go through some suffering. Even so- I'll count it all joy because I know the testing of my faith is going to produce steadfastness! And boy- do I need steadfastness to be full in effect in my life. And what great joy it is to know that I've got steadfast Love that never ceases that keeps following me everywhere I go! :-) (Seriously- you just can't shake it. Surely goodness and mercy- (or as other translations render it)- steadfast love- shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of The Lord forever. (see Psalms 23:6)

So wait- what was I complaining about again? "The joy of The Lord is my strength." (according to Nehemiah 8:10) It's God's will in Christ Jesus for me to be rejoicing always and praying without ceasing and giving thanks in ALL circumstances. (Word up! 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) (Again- not necessarily for them, but definitely in them- and in the long run, I may even wind up being glad for them because they helped me get somewhere that I needed to be that I wouldn't have been otherwise. It's like the "DuckTales" theme song- "The worst of messes become successes. DuckTales- Woohoo!") And like Romans 8:28 says, "We know that all things work together for good, to the good of those who love God and who are called according to His purpose." So I best be busting out those spiritual songs and psalms and hymns and sing and make some melody to The Lord with my heart- and give Him thanks for everything- just like The Holy Spirit led my man Paul to say over in Ephesians 5:19-20. (Dude man reiterated this whole attitude of being joyful and the command to rejoice in The Lord always- and again I say, rejoice- over in Philippians 4:4. And don't forget that he was doing the jailhouse rock while writing those lines down.)

Check out how back in the day the walls of Jericho came down- when Joshua and his Israelite peeps obeyed The Lord and marched around the town for 7 days (7 times on the last day- and ended things with a shout to The Lord! :-) I daresay they were getting some praise chants on there.)

Jumping Jehoshaphat! He was probably doing some of that and getting down in 2 Chronicles 20, when Jahaziel laid out the game plan for battle and let him know that the battle wasn't his, but rather God's. And so Jehoshaphat put the singers first before the army- and they went out singing and praising The Lord and The Lord brought victory!

What more can I say? If God is for us, who can be against us? (It's a rhetorical question, but the answer is, "No one!") (see Romans 8:31- and read the whole chapter while you're at it and read about the amazing grace and love of God for us that nothing can ever separate us from!)

As Psalms 137 talks about, how can we sing God's praise in a foreign land? ('Cause we are foreigners in this land, but nonetheless- as Rich Mullins called it- it's the land of my sojourn and I will sing His song in the land of my sojourn!) So may my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter if I forget New Jerusalem- if I forget The Lord- and don't make Him my highest joy and praise! How can I keep from singing? Praise God for all His many blessings- the Giver of all good things! (James 1:17) Praise The Lord with singing and dancing! (see Psalms 149)
Let everything that hath breath praise The Lord! (Psalms 150) Our God is an awesome God! :-) (see Deuteronomy 7:21)

"Whom have I in Heaven but You? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." (Psalms 73:25-26) "Make a joyful noise to The Lord, all the earth! Serve The Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that The Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For The Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations." (Psalms 100) "Praise The Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise The Lord! Praise The Lord!" (Psalms 150) (Sounds like a heavy metal concert going on there! :-) Or any style music- it doesn't really matter. Just praise The Lord! :-) Praise Him with singing and dancing and with how you live. :-))

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." (Jude 1:24-25)

The little heading in my ESV Bible calls these verses the "Doxology" section of Jude. So, to reference one of my favorite singers ever again once more, as Rich Mullins was fond of doing at the end of his concerts, let's end this off with the Doxology song-

"Praise God from Whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye Heavenly host. Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen." :-)

In That Day (story)

[Note: This is a story I wrote a few years back as a sort of writing experiment, trying to do a progressive story with different time periods represented and certain comparisons made. I could summarize some of the main point with a classic Larry Norman song- "Nothing Really Changes". Ever since Genesis 3, we as humanity have been in the same spot- we are diseased with sin and the only cure is the salvation Jesus offers through faith in His death and Resurrection. One day, in Revelation 21-22, Jesus will bring all things to newness and full restoration. However, Ephesians 2:10 makes it clear that the process starts in us now. This story is an attempt to illustrate a lot of these points. In order to do that, there are a number of caricatures in the story. For the purposes of conservation, there are some characters that embody multiple vices. This is not meant in any way to imply that this is true of all such individuals in similar situations, of course, but it also doesn't preclude that it couldn't be true of any one individual. When it comes down to it, we are all sinners with none righteous (Romans 3:23) and breaking The Law at one point leaves us guilty of breaking all of it. (James 2:10) Thus, no sin is any worse than any other. And one day, God will judge all of us. And The Bible clearly warns that eternal torment in Hell awaits all those who reject God's offer of forgiveness and salvation through Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus' amazing grace paid for all of our sins and is greater than them all. Praise God for His love! Heaven awaits all who will put their faith in Him and follow Him.]

 

In That Day

[Copyright Nathan Ludwick 4/21/2015; originally written circa 2002-2003]


Part One: Twenty Minutes Into the Future

 “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshipped and served created things rather than the Creator- who is forever praised. Amen.” (Romans 1:25)

                The boy awakens to the insistent ringing of a telephone. Catching the call on the fourth ring, the boy rubs his eyes with one hand in an attempt to make himself fully alert. He listens intently as a cavalcade of emotions are poured out on the other end. As the caller breaks into cries of sorrow, the boy assures the caller that everything will work out somehow. Amid constant tears, the caller finally hangs up after promises from the boy to meet her later, after work. The boy hurriedly prepares himself for his job and rushes off to his business place, ready to work eight hours that evening for minimum wage. As the boy speeds his car down the road, the words of his telephone call resound in his head. He wonders what exactly will be done for the future and how he can prepare himself for it. As he pulls into a parking space at work, he wonders how he will tell his parents the news that his girlfriend will soon end the life of his unborn child.
                In another part of the city, an elderly man prepares himself for bed. He sees about attending to dental hygiene and then goes from room to room, turning out all the lights in the house. He eases himself into a comfortable bed at an hour fairly early in the evening, as he has grown accustomed to doing over the passing years. He holds a pillow, emblazoned with a picture, close to him and thinks about what will happen to her in the future. He speaks not a word, as he gets lost in his own thoughts. He gives a little start at a sudden noise, and relaxes again when it turns out to be only the dog and cat settling down for the night. He lapses back into his train of thinking, and grieves because there is no hope left for his wife and soon she will be taken off of life support at the hospital.
                The college student hastily changes his clothing as he prepares himself for his night out on the town. The weekend has finally come and the student is ready to throw off the scholastic pressures of yesterday and step forward into the carefree future. As he leaves his apartment, he thinks about where he wants to go first. He goes to the nearest singles bar and heads out to the dance floor. After finding a companion for the night, they both order drinks from the bartender. After regaling each other with numerous stories, each story is followed up by a round of drinks. After a while, the two leave the bar and slip into a dark alley to light up a few joints. Finally, after a few hours, the two go off to enjoy the rest of the evening together, after picking up some cigarettes and cigars at a local gas station. At a house far away in another state, the student’s parents hold each other close as they sit on the couch and wonder how their son could abandon his longtime girlfriend because of his desire for an alternate lifestyle.
                A proud father and his expectant wife leave the doctor’s office and discuss their options for their child. Both wonder at the marvel of modern medicine and technology that moves along ever so quickly. They think about all the packages the doctor presented to them and the offers that were made. They consider all the possibilities for their child and dream of how wonderful it will all be in the future. They think of all the chances and opportunities their child will have that many others would not have. The parents look forward to giving their child the very best that their sizable income can buy. They imagine about what it will be like for their child to grow up with absolutely no diseases and blond hair and blue eyes, just like his dad, all thanks to the wonder of biological engineering. They ponder with wonder what it will be like living in this brave new world of advancements.

Part Two: Back to the Beginning

“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit.” (Judges 21:25)

 
                A man called Ammon makes a terrible wrong choice that he has to accept the consequences for. In order to “extend his borders” he “rips open the pregnant women of Gilead.” The wrath of God is not held back from him. (Amos 1:13)
                A king named Saul runs in the midst of a losing battle. He gets wounded by the arrows of the opponent and may not survive. He does not want to be captured by the enemy’s hand and so he asks his armor bearer to end his life for him. The armor bearer refuses and so the king takes his own life. A man retells this story to the new king and claims to be the one who killed Saul when asked by him to do so. The new king has him executed for “destroying The Lord’s anointed.” (1 Samuel 31:4, 2 Samuel 1)
                All the men of a city come out to greet three visitors. The three men who come to visit stay with a man by the name of Lot. The men desire to have sexual relations with the visitors. Lot refuses and the visitors blind the eyes of the men outside. The visitors reveal themselves to be angels who have come to get Lot and his family out of the city because God has determined to destroy it. Lot’s sons-in-law don’t believe and don’t come and Lot’s wife disobeys the angels and looks back at the city. Lot and his two daughters escape and then “The Lord rains down burning sulfur” on the city and its neighbor. (Genesis 19)
                A man and a woman walk through a peaceful garden and enjoy the beauty of creation around them. Birds and butterflies fly high in the sky, singing their pretty songs. Fish swim along in the river and deer run through the woods. A serpent entices the woman with forbidden fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. The serpent promises the woman the chance to be like God, knowing good and evil. The woman eats of the fruit and gives some to her husband, who eats of it as well. “God banishes both of them from the Garden of Eden.” (Genesis 1-3)

Part Three: Back to the Future

“As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37)
“…Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)

                The boy, the girl, the grandchildren, the college student and his friend, and the expectant parents all continue in their lives. Their choices are made. Time marches on and moves forward. They eat, drink, and are merry. They have fun now and do not worry about the consequences of their actions. An appointment looms over them all and on one day, they will all have to keep it. The appointment with death is one that cannot be avoided. And “in that day” (Obadiah 1:8), God will surely judge everyone for all the sins they’ve done. However, there is still time to change things before that day comes. God offers salvation for the asking through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus. “Anyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved.” (Joel 2:32) The people make their choices and live their lives. They don’t listen to the Word of God and ignore the “knocking at the door of their hearts.” (Revelation 3:20) And “how shall they escape if they ignore such a great salvation?” (Hebrews 2:3) God is both righteous and fair. He does deal out judgment and He loves everyone. He still offers salvation to those who will listen and turn to Him.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says…” (Revelation 2:29)