Glory of God (song)

 ..

          As part of a leadership training program at work recently, I was asked to write my personal mission statement. In thinking upon this directive, I wrote down the main goals I have long held dear. These are still my guiding principles for all of life and I want to be doing them all the more each day. Ultimately, as Colossians 3:1-4 talks about, my life is hidden with Christ in God. I wanted to present my personal mission statement here because it is a good summary of what this song is about as well. Though I wrote the parody song a few years ago in 2021, it lines up nicely with the statement I wrote towards the end of July 2024. It's essentially my personal mission statement in song form. Here's the one I wrote recently in prose form first though.

"I want to live my life for the glory of God above all. In doing this, by faith in Jesus Christ's death and Resurrection for salvation from sins and Hell, and through the power of The Holy Spirit, I seek to obey Christ's commands summarizing The Law.
 Love The Lord thy God with all thy heart, mind, soul and strength. And love thy neighbour as thyself. I want to also always be speaking The Truth in Love. Thus, I am bold in being a witness for Christ in both how I speak and live and I share Truth with love and grace."
      
       Certainly, there are many other commands in The Bible that could be listed, along with warnings, admonitions, promises and so forth, et cetera. Yet Jesus summarized all The Law and Prophets with those two commands, so I just seek to hold to Him and ask His help in fulfilling His top two commands that govern our relationship with God and with man. Like Peter said in John 6:68, where else can we go? Jesus alone has the words of eternal life. And as I cling to Him for life in both this life and the next, I want to do it all for the glory of God.


"Glory of God"
(parody of "Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 9/28/2021)
(2 Peter 3:14-18, Jude 1:24-25, Philippians 1:21, 1 Peter 1:15-25, Colossians 3:1-4, Galatians 2:20, Romans 12:1-2, Hebrews 13:8-16, Philippians 4:4-13, Philippians 3:7-21, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Hebrews 13:5-6, Hebrews 11:1-3, Hebrews 11:6, Hebrews 11:13-16, Habakkuk 2:4, 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, 1 Corinthians 15:50-58, 1 Corinthians 9:19-27, 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:23-24, Psalms 19:14, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, 2 Timothy 4:1-8, 2 Corinthians 7:1, 1 John 2:1-6, 1 Corinthians 1:23-31, Hebrews 12:1-15)

In life it's very clear that we're all dying here
There's so many things I want post-haste
(A) wife to always love true
(And) have a family of my own

My life's not over yet- past things I might regret
That make it hard to see new growth then
I don't want to lose time
Can't recover- wasted time's gone

I'm just a man saved by Christ through His offer
He died and He rose for misdeeds I'd done
We'll live forever- (but) now until Heaven
Grant I'd give my all for the glory of God

Philippians 3 calls all else loss for Christ's call
I'm pressing on then toward Heavenlies
I have all I need in Christ
I'll forever praise Him alone

2 Galatians- crucified with Lord Christ there
Go read what He wrote- Colossians 3:3, bud
He lives instead there- old man's no longer
My life's hidden with for the glory of God

I live for Christ but sinning harbours
Cumbersome vines that hold
Run for prize- lay aside all weights
Looking to my Saviour all by faith

12 in Romans- sacrifice for God's honour 
Lord, keep me near You 'cause world leads me off
I wanna live for Jesus- only by His strength
19:14 Psalms- may I glorify God

I'll live for Christ- yeah- knowing that whether
Longings come or not- my life's work is for God

He gave His all for Love
I'm living all for God
City coming above
I'm living all for God

Slam Dunk Sin

"Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. 3 For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; 5 but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (1 Peter 4:1-11)

 I wanted to offer some commentary here but first I thought it better to let the Scripture speak for itself and I didn't want to distract from it, so that's up front and center.

    I read through both 1 Peter and 2 Peter recently and some convicting words hit me in 1 Peter 4. Christ has suffered for us to reconcile us to Him. Now that we have come to faith in Him through accepting His death and rise to pay for our sins, we must live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but instead for the will of God. The time that is past suffices for all the stuff the world wants us to do- we've already spent more than enough time in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. The world is surprised when we don't join them in debauchery and thus they malign us; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. 

   To be sure, we will all stand before Lord Christ's judgment seat, but those not in Christ will be judged on their deeds in the body and found guilty of sin that only Christ can forgive and erase- and thus rightly receive the punishment of the Hell they chose by rejecting God's offer of love. Those of us in Christ will be judged for the deeds in the body after receiving Christ, to determine what rewards we should receive, like the unfading crown of glory mentioned in 1 Peter 5:4.

     With the end of all things at hand, we suddenly seem to get a lot more serious about the way we live. Though none of us knows the day or hour of Christ's return, we know He will come and we will be in His presence that way or we will die one day and pass into eternity and in His presence that way. One of those two events will happen in our lifetime. Whichever comes first, we must be good stewards of God's varied grace. Be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of our prayers. Above all, keep loving each other earnestly! Love covers a multitude of sins! Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. Use the gifts God has given us to serve one another- so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ! To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen!

    In other words- we've spent enough time goofing off and making errors and turnovers. It may be fun to clown around like the Harlem Globetrotters for a while but the first half is over. The pep talk from Coach Jesus in the locker room is to let Him ice up your sores and wounds and then get your head in the game! We have to work and play as a team and keep our eyes on the prize for which we have been called Heavenward. We already know the Coach has won the game for us! He's got an unfading championship ring (for the purposes of this metaphor :-)) waiting for us! We need to play hard until the clock runs out though and be faithful to play the best game we can, not only looking to sink baskets for our stats, but to make assists to help the team's stats as a whole and ultimately give all the credit back to our Coach! And let the way we play the game be reflective of His coaching so that others want to join the team! :-)

    The best part about this team is that there are no try outs- it's entirely a team of walk-ons. And no one ever gets cut once they're called by the Coach to join the team. :-)

     So keep playing a good, steady D (1 Peter 3:15) and no trash talking (also 1 Peter 3:15 ;-)), and keep dribbling and making good passes and taking good shots as the Coach leads. And make like Jesus in Mark 8 when He healed the blind dude at Bethsaida- make sure to dribble but no double dribble! ;-) If that happens, call a time out and you may even have to sit out a bit as a reminder to play the game right but then get back in there when the Coach trades you and the sixth man back out.

   Like Hebrews 11, we've got a great crowd in the stands cheering us on. And like Pistol Pete, Larry Legend, Magic, Air Jordan, etc. (insert your favourite B-baller here ;-)) on a hot streak, we've got the Holy Spirit setting us on fire to make the plays that He has called for us to make, according to our Playbook, all along. Follow His lead and make good passes and take good shots, and we will see some baskets drop, knowing we win in the end! :-)

    Slam dunk! 

Sin Man (song)

 What do you get for the God who has everything? What can we ever give Him that didn't first come from His hand? Well, the one thing we can give Him that He won't force is our love and devotion. And all we have to bring Him, even the righteous things we think we've done on our own, are no more than filthy rags in His sight. (Isaiah 64:6) As Jonathan Edwards said, the only thing we bring to our salvation is the sin that made it necessary. And when we give those sins over to Him, His grace forgives us through faith in Christ's death and Resurrection and removes our sins as far as the east is from the west. We're saved by grace and not by works. (Our good works done after we're saved demonstrate our faith though.) God took care of all our sin, man! Praise The Lord for His gift!

"Sin Man"

(Parody of "Tin Man" by America; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 6/24/2020)

(James 1:17, 1 Chronicles 29:14, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:4-7)

(Verse 1)

One in James verse 17- all good things are the gift of God- read it yourself

Chronicles- first book- Dave prays to bless God- 29:14- comes from Himself!

(Chorus 1)

Oh, God never did get nothing but our sins, man

That He didn't, didn't already have

And 'cause Lord Jesus defeated all our evils

On the cross and returned from the dead

His peace believers receive

(Verse 2)

Then in 2 (Two) Corinthians 5 down- it's found

For our sake Christ bore our

Sin and so sinless becomes sin 

so we'd be Christ's righteousness

(Oooh! Oooh!)

(Chorus 2)

Oh, God never did get nothing but our sin, man

That He didn't, didn't already have

And John Edwards said the only thing we're bringing 

To salvation's the sin that we have

Which makes it necessary

(Repeat Verse 2)

(Repeat Chorus 1- with last line changed to:

So please believe in Jesus!)

(Oooh! Oooh!)

It's in Titus (song)

 Everyone needs someone to help them in this life. No man is an island, as John Donne said. (Though I do still like to think of myself as an island mon, who is dependent on God and others. :-)) Some of the great heroes had sidekicks to help them. The Lone Ranger and Tonto. Batman and Robin. Paul and Silas. Of course, Paul had chosen Titus to help establish the church in Crete. And through the Holy Spirit's inspiration, he wrote a letter to help him with choosing qualified elders to help in the church and to assure sound doctrine was being taught and to be wary of false teachers. He also reminded Cretan believers that some of the top picks on the list of the best ways to live for Christ include living Godly, upright self-controlled lives so that others can see the grace of God through us. If you want help in God's Word in these things, pray and ask Him for help and read this letter- it's in Titus. 

"It's in Titus" 

(Parody of "Kiss on my List" by Hall & Oates; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/11/2020)

(The book of Titus; especially Titus 1:2, 1:15, 2:5, 2:10-14 and 3:5-7)

My friend, son of mine I call you 

Paul's true child in common faith

Please don't be deceived; fakes lead some Cretans astray

Appoint elders- you need help; above reproach kinda guys of 1 wife

Bishops/overseers- not given to violence or pride

No greed to be rich, but holy, disciplined

Holds sound doctrine

So they can go show fakes Truth, rebuking them

Their minds' defiled- nothing's pure- to pure, all things pure

Read what Titus, Titus 1:15 prints

You must silence professing hypocrites

The false prophets teach Jewish myths but Jesus never lies!

Because Titus 1:2- it tells us this

From false prophets you keep social distance

Teach what keeps with all sound doctrine- then you'll turn down the lies 

Well, God's grace has come bringing salvation for all the peeps

Live upright and wait up for Christ- gave His all to redeem

Sober minds, steadfastness in older men; In older women, reverence is sought

Train up girls when young to be pure, kind women of God 

To husbands submit and love him and kids

2:5 Titus

If you want to know what the reason is

No one reviles word of Christ when our lives align 

Likewise, young men- goodness is on my list

Teach with soundness- no one can condemn this

Because witness adorns doctrine of Jesus- 2:10 line

So bondservants submit in all Boss says

Pleasing service, not given to arguments

Because goodness is our witness we're reborn now in Christ

Now read Titus 3, babe

Because us kids were just all once foolish

Slaves to passions, malice, disobedience

But when goodness, lovingkindness of Jesus came- verse 5

We're saved because Your gift paid sins- His mercy's rich

Because our righteousness- it can't do this

Washed by Spirit- Grace justifies- we've eternal life!

You can trust this, Titus, on this insist

Because goodness profits Christians- ya dig?

Because foolish rifts, arguments are worthless and divide

Ohh- please come! Nicopolis- my snowbird nest

Zenas- please come!

After the Sufferin' (song)

 No matter who you are or your position in life, you're going to face hard things in life. Life is hard. We all go through our own sets of suffering at times. Whether you're a cashier at Ingles trying to eke out a living to provide for your family and dealing with unruly customers at the outset of a pandemic or you're Bert being constantly frustrated and annoyed by Ernie- the suffering still comes. The Lord sends His rain on the righteous and the wicked. 

Even when it's hump day and you are trying to make it through a tough week at work at a dinky little job, you can take hope in knowing there's a point to the suffering- and an eventual end to it. And God uses it to draw us closer to Him and make us more righteous. And we know that the glory coming will make these sufferings seem light. And while we're in the midst of trying times, we look forward to Christ's coming- and trust Him to help us move forward in this life while we wait for redemption of our bodies and the freedom from corruption coming after the suffering is done.

"After the Sufferin' "

(parody of "After The Lovin' " by Engelbert Humperdinck; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/16/2020)

(Hebrews 12:1-17, Romans 8:18-30)

Though sin clings oh so deep- cast it off 'cause of

Witness throng that is close- cast off weights

Run with hope and endure- Eye Founder

And Perfecter of our faith

Endured cross, despised shame all for joy set before Him

My own faith- it just seems to go dry

Haven't struggled so much with sin now to the point my veins bleed- Why?

Spankings chasten me (echo: Spankings chasten me)

As a son disciplined by Love (echo: Son disciplined by Love)

And spanking's telling me (echo: telling me) I'm viewed as God's son (echo: God's son)

Though it stings now we'll reap after the suffering

Oh a bushel of fruit- righteous lives (echo: Oooohh!)

Strengthen up, make paths straight and be healed

With God's grace, no one pass by

Make it so that garden isn't springing a bitter root (echo: Ooohhh!)

Oh, and as for this summary, it's all in 12 Hebrews (echo: Ooohhh!)

So I bring you to read chapter 8 Romans 

Can't brush off like hair these hard times (echo: chapter 8 Romans)

But the glory coming when revealed that it makes suffering light (echo: when revealed, it seems light)

And I know creation is still waiting to be renewed (echo: Ahhh!)

Oh, set free from corruption (echo: free from corruption)

Spirit's adoption too

Yes, bodies' redemption (echo: bodies' redemption)

We're groaning, God, for You

Mmm- after the suffering

I'm waiting, God, for You 

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.

Don't Let The Sun Go Down Angry (Song)

Note: This is an entry from the archives that I started thinking on again recently after hearing the original song again. Since the singer, Sir Elton John, recently had a successful biographical movie ("Rocketman") come to theatres, it seemed like a good time to bring this one to the light of day again. Of course, it's all about dealing with things in the light of day- and not letting anger linger into the night but instead dealing with it while it's still called today. Don't let the sun go down angry- but let The Son shine on you and cleanse you of unrighteousness.
.....................................

Okay! And now for a serious one and one of my favourite ones! This one was actually largely inspired from a Sunday sermon that I heard when I wrote this. The title was just there and just perfect for one of the Bible verses I heard almost verbatim! And it’s from yet another favorite ‘70s song- though the pianist continues to make hits today of course.
But this song is all about ending each day on the right note and not letting the sun go down angry- but rather, making peace.
(Note: In an effort to be poetic and because it just seemed to fit the rhyme scheme of the song best, this song is actually sung from the point of view of anger personified.)


“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down Angry”
Copyright by Nathan Ludwick 8/4/2011
(parody of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John)
(Ephesians 4:26-32, Ephesians 5:8, Proverbs 19:11, Proverbs 29:11, Ecclesiastes 7:8-9, Romans 12:19, James 1:19-21, Colossians 3:7-9, 1 Corinthians 13, Hebrews 3:13)

I can’t light no more of your darkness
Read the Scriptures- Ephesians 5:8- stay in the light
You’re growing tired and time instills abhorring
Satan’s there on the ladder of your life

Your hate enslaves yourself to falling
You seek vengeance- it changed your peace to strife
If you’d just read Ephesians 26 verse (in)
Chapter 4 and left me binded by The Christ

Chorus:
Don’t let the sun go down angry (Don’t let the sun)
You only hurt yourself and all while someone else is free
Christ disallows a fragment of your life to writhe and seethe
But choosing your sulking is like the sun going down on me

Eleventh line- oh, it’s right- Proverbs 29 [two nine]
Fools seethe full brunt but see the wise conceal
Go on, discard me hon’ because it grieves Spirit of God
Now these cuts you have- they need God’s Love (to) help them heal

(Repeat Chorus twice)
……………………………………………………………………………..
  For now, keep redeeming the time for the days are evil- but don’t get angry and complain and don’t curse out your brothers while blessing Christ’s name. Rather, keep showing the love of Christ to everyone each day and make the most of every day that God has given us for His glory.
May His face shine upon you and give you peace. God bless. :-)

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

Unrighteous sinfulness and Sinful righteousness

An oft-repeated scene in the New Testament- Jesus is sitting down to dinner with an assorted group of people and He insists on hanging out with those tax collectors and sinners.... The Pharisees and scribes bust in with grumbling asking Jesus and His disciples why they keep doing this. In Luke 5:31-32, Jesus tells us His reasoning- "And Jesus answered them, 'Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." (See also what Jesus said in Matthew 21:31)
      This is precisely the point Jesus was trying to get across with His parables in Luke 15- The Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin and The Parable of the Lost Son. (Also known as The Parable of the Prodigal Son). That parable would be better called The Parable of the Lost Sons, for both the younger and elder brother were lost and needed Father's forgiveness.
      And the Good News is that God our Father offers us absolution absolutely free- before we do anything. He gives us amazing love and grace for free. It's there for the taking. To be sure, the repentance follows afterwards- but it never precedes the accepting of God's hand-out of amazing grace. But the two brothers had two different things to repent of in the parable.
The younger son needs to repent of his unrighteous sinfulness and the elder son needs to repent of his sinful righteousness. (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:10-11, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Romans 3:23, Romans 6:23, Romans 5:8, Romans 10:9-13)

(* I would be extremely remiss if I didn't acknowledge Rev. Tim Keller and his book "The Prodigal God" for informing and inspiring these observations. This post is largely the crux of his book. Do yourself a favour and go read it! :-))

Season for the Reason: Riches and Righteousness- Do They Add Up on Earth as it is in Heaven?

(Note: This entry is derived from conversations with a friend about what can seem to be a blind spot for Christianity at times. While the church is always concerned for the spiritual needs of people- and thus makes sharing the love of Jesus top priority- is it always as concerned about the physical needs of people in the here and now? Are we too full of ourselves and our earthly riches and not emptying ourselves enough to help others in the name of Jesus and through His power? We need to be concerned about both physical and spiritual needs because both are important. And people are not going to listen to you much when you're preaching The Gospel to them and they're starving to death. As James 2:14-17 gives us the example, what good does it do to tell someone poorly clothed and lacking food to go in peace and be warm and filled- but not do a thing to help them with those needs? That's why faith without works is dead. Show your faith by your works.)


James 5:1-6

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of The Lord of hosts. You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you."


         Amen! Important warning here. This passage in James echoes Jesus' warning to those who are rich in this life- don't lay up treasures for yourself on earth but lay up treasures in Heaven instead. (Matthew 6:19-24 talks about this.) In Matthew 16:24-28, Jesus says that to follow Him, we must deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it and whoever loses his life for Christ's sake will find it. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? You can't serve both God and money. The Bible talks numerous times about money and wealth and how they are a reflection of our hearts.In Matthew 19, Jesus encounters the rich young ruler who refused to give up all his riches and give to the poor and follow Jesus. Jesus then tells His disciples it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.
         The disciples then ask who can be saved and Jesus tells them that with man this is impossible but with God all things are possible.Of course, we have evidence of this in Luke 19 as a chief tax collector who was rich (as verse 2 plainly says) named Zacchaeus was saved by Jesus. (He is, of course, the short guy who climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Jesus over the crowds). Jesus broke all kinds of rules of the religious Pharisees when He went to stay at the house of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and sinner. (He took taxes from his own people for the Romans and he profited handsomely off his fellow Jews by cheating and charging them way more than they owed.) Zack proved he had truly repented though by pledging to The Lord to give half his goods to the poor and paying back anyone he cheated 4 times over!Then Jesus said salvation had come to his house that day.In Luke 12, Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool who stored up things for himself on earth but God crashed his party when He told him his soul was required that night- who gets all his stuff then? Jesus said that's how it is for the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.And all 4 Gospels record Jesus flipping over the tables of the moneylenders at the Temple and chasing them out with a whip He made because they were cheating people and making The Lord's House of prayer for all people into a den of thieves.I think one thing is key in all these verses- we must always be rich toward God. Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" but He didn't mean physically poor here. He meant spiritually poor- those who know they have fallen short of God's righteousness because of sin and know they need the Saviour.How we use money is a great indicator of where our heart is- that's for sure.
           1 Timothy 6:10 warns us that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils and some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs because of this craving.Verses 17-19 go on to command the rich in this present age as to what they should do with the wealth God blessed them with- first of all, don't be haughty. Second- don't set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God,who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.Third- The rich in this present age are to do good, be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, this storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life! Again- another reminder that lasting true treasure is in Heaven, not on earth. Jesus told a parablein Matthew 13 of a hidden treasure in a field. When a man finds it, he sells all he has in order to buy the field with the treasure. That's what the kingdom of Heaven is like. Jesus also used the picture of a merchant in search of fine pearls and when he finds the pearl of great price, he sells all he has and buys it. That's what the kingdom of Heaven is like.That is the call Jesus puts forth to those who would follow Him- forsake all you have in this life and focus on the treasure of Him instead. For those who follow Him, our passion should not be in heaping up stuff on earth that will all burn one day anyway but rather on storing up treasure in Heaven by living for Jesus each day and sharing His love and forgiveness with everyone.That's why I'm not real worried about making a ton of money or if others make lots more than I do. Where people are being cheated and defrauded, I certainly try to help stop that if I can and I definitely don't support corruption. But I can't control what others do- only what I do. So I try to use every good and perfect gift that my Father gives me to help others. And I try to stand up for the poor and those in need. God is the One who provides everything for me and it's all His to begin with and He loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 8 and 9 talk a lot about this.) I definitely need to remind myself of this often and verses like these are a big reason why I try to do a purge of my belongings every so often because I don't them to become an idol before God to me. I want God first and I want to want Him and want nothing else. (Psalms 23:1)
         I appreciate people sharing their views on these issues that can become blind spots for the church. I have said many times that the church sometimes needs to have a mirror held up to itself to really see ourselves and see places where we need to repent and be more Christlike. (Psalms 139:23-24) One place that is often mentioned is the disconnect in the pro-life position that Christians generally hold. I also disdain the hypocrisy of pro-life stances that are really just about unborn children and don't seem to care about others too. As the saying goes, I am concerned about life at all stages- from the womb to the tomb. I'm glad to live in a country that affords us the chance to vote our conscience and advocate for our views with free speech rights. I think it's important to clarify a few terms though on other matters. I get the argument about churches being only concerned with conversion and not with people's physical needs and this is not Biblical- and I'm concerned about that too. Both the spiritual and physical needs are important. And it should be noted that no Christian converts anyone. This is only the work of The Holy Spirit. This is important to note because it changes the approach to missions quite a bit. Yes, I want people to hear the Good News of The Gospel of Jesus Christ, how He paid for all sins by His death and Resurrection and how we can have forgiveness of our sins by faith in Him. But I just present information. Everyone must make their own choices about it.
        People are free to listen, receive, believe and act on it in faith or dismiss it in derision and disgust or maybe store it away to think about later. My job is to be faithful in telling people since Jesus commanded it (Matthew 28:18-20) and to love God with all I've got and to love my neighbour as myself. I have a number of friends of many religious backgrounds and some of none and some agnostic or atheistic- and they are all still friends regardless of their stance on Christ. My care and concern for them doesn't change. While of course there have been examples of the church using friendship evangelism as social control and manipulation, like the papacy did (which is one reason Martin Luther led the Reformation against it), there are lots of examples of Christians who are true friends and evangelists without seeking to manipulate.
         For example, consider Jim Elliott and his team, who gave gifts to the Waodoni of Ecuador to build a friendship. They were eventually killed for their efforts. The work continued though and the children of some of those killed went on to forgive and befriend the very people who had killed their parents when The Gospel changed these murderers into new people who were now friends. Consider also Mother Teresa and Lottie Moon, missionary ladies who lived lives of poverty, serving the poor in Asia, motivated by their faith in Christ. (Lottie Moon gave away her own food to the poor so much so that she starved to death herself as a result!)
       Many churches worldwide, if not all, have ministries to meet people's physical needs along with the spiritual needs. As it's been said, it's hard to tell someone God loves them when they're starving to death. Feed them something nourishing for the body before trying to feed them something nourishing for the soul.
Charities like The Salvation Army, Red Cross, YMCA and YWCA and World Vision were all started by Christians because of their faith in Christ and who seek to help all people. I love how World Vision responds to disasters the world over and helps everyone regardless of religious belief. They are very much concerned about aiding those in need and stopping human suffering because of their faith in Christ. Yes, The Gospel is preached too because sin is the root of the world's problems. Corruption, selfish practices, greed- it all is sin. That's one reason Jesus made clear we can't serve both God and money.
         It's worth noting that Jesus loved His enemies too and healed those who didn't believe in Him. He healed 10 lepers and only 1 foreigner returned to thank Him- the other 9 Jewish guys didn't. Judas Iscariot betrayed Him but he was still one of Jesus' disciples and Jesus still washed his feet. Jesus replaced the ear of Malchus (part of the arresting party) when one of Jesus' disciples cut it off. Luke 9:51-56 relates the account of a time when a Samaritan village did not accept Jesus and in retaliation, James and John asked Jesus if He wanted them to tell fire to come down from Heaven and consume them! I love Jesus' response here! "But He turned and rebuked them. 'You do not know what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of Man came not to destroy people's lives but to save them.' " (Luke 9:55- for translations newer than KJV, make sure to read the footnotes for that verse. Some manuscripts add it, so it's listed that way in many newer translations. And I'm SO glad it was included because I LOVE it!)
         And when the stakes are eternal, it's worth sharing the Gospel for that reason too. As I was saying earlier, I present this information to people about Heaven and Hell and what Jesus did to make sure we could be with Him in Heaven if we'll choose to go. Logically speaking, we can either be in God's presence in eternity or away from Him. As C.S. Lewis said in "The Great Divorce" (I'm paraphrasing here)- In the end, there are two kinds of people. Those who say to God, "Thou will be done" and those to whom God says, "Thy will be done".
Thus, God gives people their choice as to where they want to be. But God always loves them and wants them to be with Him- Jeremiah 31:3 says He loves us with an everlasting love. But Love doesn't insist on its own way- Love bears all things.
          Penn Jillette (of Penn & Teller fame- an excellent magician and noted atheist) said something interesting about proselytizing. He said he has a real beef with religious people who don't do this.

          “I’ve always said that I don’t respect people who don’t proselytize. I don’t respect that at all. If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that? I mean, if I believed, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that a truck was coming at you, and you didn’t believe that truck was bearing down on you, there is a certain point where I tackle you. And this is more important than that.”

           I believe Mr. Jillette is absolutely right. Thus, the eternal stakes motivate me to share my faith in Christ in love because Christ commanded me to do so. Jesus has saved me and changed my life infinitely for the better and I want others to experience that and know that joy for eternity. As Jesus said in John 10:10, the thief (i.e. devil) comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but He's come so that we might have life and life abundantly! I believe that starts now and goes through eternity. And thus, I believe it's important for Christians to be good stewards of the earth God has entrusted us with and to work to alleviate and end human suffering. Christians are the hands and feet of Jesus on earth and a suffering, dying world should see His love in us in practical ways.
C.S. Lewis said in "Mere Christianity"-

      "Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next. The Apostles themselves, who set on foot the conversion of the Roman Empire, the great men who built up the Middle Ages, the English Evangelicals who abolished the Slave Trade, all left their mark on Earth, precisely because their minds were occupied with Heaven. It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this. Aim at Heaven and you will get earth 'thrown in': aim at earth and you will get neither."
          The point of Heaven is union with God for eternity, as God intended all along. A belief in Heaven and concern for eternity and faith in Christ is actually what motivates me all the more to actively show Jesus' love to all in need here on earth right now. Heaven will bring the ultimate healing but it also reaches to the world today through Christians as a healing balm to the nations. In a sense, Heaven is only for a few people though, since Jesus said that the road to destruction is broad and many are on it. The road to Life is straight and narrow and hard and only a few ever find it. Yet Heaven is open to whosoever will put their faith in Christ. 
I do hope and pray everyone reading might decide to do so one day but I hope you know that you are eternally loved and infinitely valuable regardless. And I will be your friend and help you in any way I can no matter what you decide to believe about that. 
          I hope that helps some some in any case. I am certainly not the best example and I fully agree with those who point out that the church has often failed miserably at living out Christ's Gospel.  And it is important to keep charities and certainly Christian ones accountable. (https://religionnews.com/2016/11/23/ministries-and-money-christian-charities-that-use-your-money-wisely/) That is one reason I urge people to consider Jesus' perfection and the way that He does work in His followers to do a lot of good in this world when we are obedient to Him. To love one another is a mandate that is always in place regardless of the response. Christians are commanded to love and pray for enemies too, after all. That is always foremost among the commands- love God first with all we've got, love neighbours as ourselves- and speak The Truth in Love. May God's will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

No, Not One

      Jesus Christ did not come to die for perfect people. None exist- only Him. He didn't come to die for good people. No one is good but God. He didn't come to die for people who have their bad days and good days but try really hard to do all the right things in the hopes that will outweigh their bad deeds. Plenty of people exist in this state and it's a self-defeating effort. He didn't come to die for people who are no saints but still way better than mass murderers and thieves. Plenty of people exist that play comparison games but in the end we all fall so woefully short of God's standard of absolute holiness and perfection.
      Of course, in a sense, yes- Jesus came to die for all these people because He died to save all people. But the images we project of ourselves are illusions to make us feel better about ourselves. We all need to view ourselves through the mirror God provides for us in The Bible. And no matter who you are or what you look like or what you've done, we're all the same.
      Jesus Christ came to die for sinners. He came to die for all human beings who have existed or ever will exist. He came to die for zombies who wander around like shambling masses with still a bit of sentience like Ted Sallis (aka The Man-Thing) who are deluded enough to think themselves masters of their own fate and living life large. We're still trying to build a tower to a Heaven of our own making that can be achieved if we just learn how to love each other more.
     The devil comes only to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus has come that we might have life more abundant. (John 10:10) We all need to see ourselves as God sees us- utterly helpless, totally depraved sinners who are perfectly content in our worship of hedonism and narcissism most of the time- except for those rare moments of honesty when we realize that everything crossed off on our bucket list is just a drop in the bucket and it never really satisfies. And deep down we know that we don't do right and can't do enough to please God. (As Sufjan Stevens once said of John Wayne Gacy, Jr. - "In my best behaviour, I am really just like him. Look beneath the floorboards for the secrets I have hid.") From the worst of humanity to the supposed best- we're all in the same boat and it ain't Noah's- it's Charon's. (That's the dude who took lost souls to Hades in Greek mythology.) We all deserve Hell because of our sin. We could never be perfect as God is in our strength. (Matthew 5:48) That's why God met the standard of perfection for us with Christ.
      Jesus Christ came to die for sinners and rise again. When we put our faith in Him and follow Him, we get transformed into new creatures who are fully alive with a purpose of living for God's glory in this life and a future of singing God's praises forever in the next. "This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all considering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting." (1 Timothy 1:15-16)
That's the beauty of The Gospel. Amen.

The Standard

Note: This is actually something I wrote for a graduate class. The essay is addressing the question of why schools have standards for curriculum, but in doing so I addressed the idea of standards in the world at large- including the moral standard, which points out to us our need for God because we know there is a standard of right and wrong in the world- and we don't naturally do what's right. We are sinners who need a Saviour- and God has provided the world the only One Who can save us-The Lord Jesus Christ. For further reading, see also
Romans 7:7-25, Romans 1-3 (and particularly verse 2:4), Ecclesiastes 3:11 and Galatians 3 in The Holy Bible.
............................................................................................................................................     


          As human beings, we are born into a world of standards that govern our lives and that we must adhere to in order to succeed. We are created to recognize the natural order of laws as well as the moral order. Though people disagree on some moral imperatives there are basic ones that most everyone in the world ascribes to and aspires to achieving. Drawn from these, each country has its own sets of civil laws that govern the citizens. In a world that now tends to sway toward chaos, we as a people generally desire some sense of order in order to not only make sense of the world but also since it helps draw us back to restoration of injustices. As teachers and librarians, we also desire to add to this process through education and thus we develop standards that will help all students reach their highest potential and equip them to help bring the change we want to see in the world.
         To this end, appointed bodies like the AASL, ISTE and Common Core creators have worked to establish the bottom line of learning for all students. Through careful observation and study, these entities have determined skills and knowledge deemed necessary for survival in the world and for contributing to society in a positive manner. Through ages of collected knowledge and observation, we as human beings know that the world is ordered in a certain way to ensure survival. We know that careless acts of litter of waste materials will bring damage to the world and ultimately to ourselves. Thus, encouraged and sobered by such findings, we share with students the scientific findings that have been made and help them learn how to discover still more. This is but one example of skills that help human beings develop into meaningful contributers to improvements in society. There is also social studies and history to be considered so that we may learn from the past and improve the present and help secure a better future. Mathematics are necessary to understand how to measure and order things, which also helps with medicine, which helps preserve human life. And English language arts contribute to our moral and spiritual components as we seek to know the human condition and share with each other our enlightenment and understanding of life and even reach transcendence of the temporal as well.
           Standards themselves are still different from objectives. Whereas the standard for driving on the highway may be to maintain a speed of no less than 45 mph and no greater than 70, individual drivers set their own objectives. The objective might be to reach a certain destination in optimal time and thus this is carried out by driving the maximum speed limit. Other drivers may prefer a leisurely drive for pleasure as they cruise and listen to music. These drivers may hover closer to the minimum speed limit. In either case, the standard is still met. It is much the same for educators. Objectives are developed differently by individual teachers to communicate certain aspects of the standard for the day, but these are distinct from the overarching standard itself. "When those standards are written in terms that are too broad, teachers have to unpack those standards and dissect them until they reach specific statements of the knowledge and skills that should be taught. From those statements, teachers can then develop their lesson objectives." (Tate 44) In presenting these objectives, teachers who start with the end in mind can more easily decipher how best to assess the knowledge of the skills in question as informed by the standards. The standards inform teachers as to the overall general knowledge that must be known in the end and the teacher develops the objectives to get to the nitty-gritty details that teach measurable skills that demonstrate not only knowledge but understanding of it as well. Thus, a teacher tasked with a general standard to teach the nuances of figurative language might make a goal of having students learn a specific example in the form of metaphors and be able to formulate their own to demonstrate knowledge so that the school might spawn its own.
          In our search for meaning and structure in life, the standards of nature, morality and civility are what shape us. They speak to to all of us on every level even if we only may recognize some on particular levels. They drive us to establish mandates that will aid us in aspiring to those standards and thus drive our individual objectives for how best to do this. We utilize the standards to decide how best to determine if we are meeting them and we allow the results to drive us further in this search. And in all these pursuits, we are ever restless as we continuously and tirelessly stretch for the infinite, which may seem so very far away yet it is not far from any one of us.

Work Cited

Tate, Marcia L. Formative Assessment in a Brain-Compatible Classroom. West Palm Beach, FL, Learning Sciences, 2016.

White as Snow (song)

There is a funny contradiction in the world today. On the one hand, some people want to keep insisting that all human beings are essentially good, though some make mistakes at times. But in the end, it's all like a Disney movie with some villians, of course, but ultimately most people are good overall. Of course, it seems that some of the same people who make these claims also shake their fists at God in Heaven and blame Him whenever evil erupts its repulsive ooze over humanity once again- and people suffer and lives are lost. Then the question is raised for me- how could a good people allow evil in the world? And when we're standing there, frozen in shock, maybe that's when we can come to recognize the truth- there is evil in this pervasive world- and we're it. We were all made to be good- made in God's image, Who is perfection itself- but we made the fatal choice to rebel against The Lord through Adam and Eve's sin- and now the world is under the curse of sin. Thankfully, God Himself has provided the remedy for sin. Though it stains us scarlet red, God can forgive our sins and make them white as snow. They've all been paid for by Jesus' death and Resurrection. We must take all our sin and let it go- leaving it nailed to the cross and put our faith in Jesus and live for Him instead. Thank God for His love and forgiveness!

"White as Snow" (parody of "Let It Go" from Disney's "Frozen" by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez; copyright by Nathan Ludwick 5/29/2015)
(Isaiah 1:18, Isaiah 45:21-25, Isaiah 64:6, Psalms 14:3, Psalms 53:3, Romans 3:1-20, Romans 3:23-26, Romans 6:23, Proverbs 20:9, John 1:29, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 1:7, John 3:16-21, John 14:6, John 10:1-18, John 6:35-40, Hebrews 10:10-12, Colossians 1:15-20)

Verse 1
.............
The snow glows white in Wisconsin tonight
What a fitting Christmas scene
The winter brings transformation
The fall looks like it's washed clean
Our sin is howling like a swirling storm inside
Couldn't keep from sin; Heaven knows we tried
Won't let Him in
But think He's pleased
If you're good, girl; boy, always keeping clean
Conceal evil
Don't let it show
Well, on our own...

Chorus 1
...............
We're evil! We're evil!
(I) can't hope to match up to The Lord
Yes, we know we're evil
Turn away and seek The Lord!
Isaiah 64:6 says
All good deeds we've done-
The Lord says they're rotten filthy rags anyway

Verse 2
..............
It's funny how resistance
Makes everything His fault
And we feel He's hidden- if only
He'd let us see Him all
The Christ revealed that wish for you
Jesus- God's image- Way, Life and Truth
He died for wrongs
And rose so we'd
Be free!

Chorus 2
................
All evil
In one go-
Christ has won over sin for all time!
Let Him go
Save your soul
You need to receive Christ
Hear what God says in Isaiah
Let's read 1:18

Bridge
.............
Like how snow flurries through the air into the ground
Our souls can be washed clean though our sin's scarlet- hear God now
"Come use thought- realize this- I can wipe (out) all bad!"
Though all you've known is black, the cross has changed all that!

Chorus 3
................
White as snow!
White as snow!
(My) sins are white like wool thanks to God!
White as snow!
White as snow!
That perfect Lamb of God!
Here I stand- by The Christ I'm saved
Like it says in 1st. John
Behold how The Father's loved (in) 3:1- yay!

Physician, Heal Thyself (poem)

[Note: Here is a poem from the archives (March 20, 2008 to be exact) that felt appropriate, especially after an article I read today about the rich people who invest tons of money into scientific research for ways to defy death and live longer- all the while ignoring the eternal life that Jesus offers to us through faith in His death and Resurrection. Hallelujah- what a Savior!]

 I'd been reading through Jeremiah in my devotions at the time and this just kind of hit me one day- and I decided to go the poem route this time. So here you go. It kind of deals with the problem of evil in the world- and the claims of people who think that all people are basically good- but at the same time they also vilify God for not taking an active approach to evil in the world... One day God will eradicate all evil from the world- but on that day it’ll be too late for the skeptics- because that will be the day He comes back to set up His kingdom and eternally banish the devil and his followers to punishment in Hell. " Oh yes- He’s gonna stick an apple in the devil’s lying mouth and cook him in a sulfur stew- one that’ll never be through. Is it soup yet? NO!"( Not a direct quote- but it’s from "Dear John Letter (to the devil)" by Keith Green- I love his songs! ;-))
So anyway, here’s the poem I was talking about.  And that’s it for now.


"Physician, Heal Thyself"
................................
(by Nathan Ludwick; copyright 3/20/2008)
(see Jeremiah 17:9, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 6:23)

In this world that begins wth crying
(Assuming you make it that far without dying)
(Like a cancer that has to be killed-)
(Take a pill and drop the bomb- Nice choice, Mom!)
It seems too often we leave life the same way
Kicking, struggling and fighting to hold on to the pain
The pain that fills our in-betweens and lets us know we’re alive
With all the trials, sorrows and grief
We hardly have time for anything else in an existence all too brief
And whether yours are pink or white we all face the same strife
At least in this one commonality all humans can finally unite
But difference brings division as subtraction tempers suspicion
An addition of attrition makes for a multiplication of munitions
And all the arithmetics of politics still leave us base at the base
"Where is the love?" cries the woman of Ramah
Surely we can join together and rise above this
But once the gun is cocked, down comes the hammer
No, we didn’t start the fire but on this one Smokey’s a liar
We’ve been trying to fight it since the Garden
But the second degree burns only made our hearts harden
For a world where insolence begets violence in the extreme
And weak, tired and scared souls must protect their feelings at all costs
Because our egos won’t tolerate toleration for any cause
And we’ve taught ourselves how to gratify ourselves and make it all good
But when we can’t do that anymore we’re faced with a reality that shakes us to the core
Shakes us forward and shakes us free
Or shakes us to awake and fully engage our carnality entrenching mortality
And human life becomes nothing but prey when we’re nothing but hairless apes
When everyone does what’s right in his own eyes
It’s only a matter of time before someone loses a contact
And then concludes everyone’s impaired but her
And here is where we all live for now in the land of roaring lions
But only two because there is no non-secretarian of the jungle, only a King
Where one devours one while the other devours us that acquiese to coalesce
And he tells us we’re good of our own merit and lets us think we thought that ourselves
And those who know only the untame lion is truly good cling to the mane of salvation
It only begs the question for skeptics as each day’s paper brings evils unfurled
"How can a good people allow evil in the world?"
We keep telling ourselves we’re better than this and hope optimism will end the evils we’ve wrought,
There is a balm in Gilead but it flows only from Immanuel’s veins- the free gift of God.

Confessions

         They say confession is good for the soul. So why is it such a struggle to make confessions? Why is it so hard to just be honest and admit that we are all broken, sinful, totally messed-up human beings in such desperate need of The Savior? Why must we continue to try to pretend that we are better than anyone else? Why can't we just let our guard and pride down, along with all pretenses of being good?
          The fact of the matter is that no one is good- no, not one. All have sinned and fallen short of God's glory. All we like sheep have turned astray, each of us has turned to his own way- and The Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Psalms 14:3, Romans 3:23, Isaiah 53:6) And we all equally deserve the punishment of the eternal fires of Hell because of our constant rebellion against God and His standard.  We're all on equal footing since we've all equally stumbled and fallen so short of God's standard. And God's standard is absolute perfection. "Be holy as I am holy." (Leviticus 11:45) Or, as other translations of The Holy Scriptures put it, "Be perfect as I am perfect." (See also Matthew 5:48).
          But if this is the standard for entrance into Heaven, then like the disciples asked Jesus, "Who then can be saved?" (See Matthew 19:25-26.) As Jesus answered them, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Amen! Praise God! He has made the impossible possible because as the Only One capable of completing this impossible mission, He has intervened on our behalf to accomplish this for us. We could never be good enough to save ourselves. In our haughtiness, we offer our proud list of righteous accomplishments and good deeds to Christ only to discover that they are nothing more than filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6). We must repent of all our sins- and yes, even our supposed righteousness- for we have none. We are all morally and spiritually bankrupt. And knowing we could never repay a loan, the good King gave us the gift of eternal life through Jesus for free! (Romans 6:23) Jesus' death by crucifixion on the cross paid for all the wrongs ever committed in this world. And He rose again on the third day to prove He's God and so we know that we can rest assured that He will also resurrect those of us who have trusted in Him by faith through His grace. (Ephesians 2:8-9).
           The problem is that we all struggle with sin because we are born as sinners. We have been tainted by Adam and Eve's sin and we inherited the curse from them. This sin curse has infected the whole world and even from the first moment it happened (and before it even happened)- God had a plan in place and has been working out the details to redeem His creation. (see Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 13:8) And somehow, though we know deep down inside that we struggle and sin each day, we don't want to admit it to God or even ourselves at times- and much less, to others. Perhaps we might be foolish enough to think we can fool God- but be warned- God is not mocked. He knows what's up- He knows the thoughts and intentions of every person and judges the heart. (Galatians 6:7, Hebrews 4:12-13) We can sometimes even fool ourselves and maybe others, but never God. And maybe we might acknowledge that we can never fool God, but we still don't want to have to admit wrongdoings to others.  We want to somehow hold on to a veneer of false piety and so present ourselves in a better light than others. But whatever glimmer of light we may look to leaves us no better as long as we continue to stumble in the dark with everyone else. It's only when we step into the light that we can see clearly and we can walk right. And of course, this is just what Jesus tells us in John 3:16-21. The light exposes us for who we really are- and so we choose to hide in the darkness instead. But when we can come to that point of fully exposing ourselves in the light, that's when God can take our broken spirit and contrite heart and work to bathe us in light so that we shine like Him.

"But as Dietrich Bonhoeffer noted: 'He who is alone with his sins is utterly alone. It may be that Christians, notwithstanding corporate worship, common prayer, and all their fellowship in service, may still be left to their loneliness. The final breakthrough to fellowship does not occur because, though they have fellowship with one another as believers and as devout people, they do not have fellowship as the undevout, as sinners. The pious fellowship permits no one to be a sinner. So everyone must conceal his sin from himself and from their fellowship. We dare not be sinners. Many Christians are unthinkably horrified when a real sinner is suddenly discovered among the righteous. So we remain alone with our sin, living in lies and hypocrisy. The fact is that we are sinners.'
       At Sunday worship, as in every dimension of our existence, many of us pretend to believe we are sinners. Consequently, all we can do is pretend to believe we have been forgiven. As a result, our whole spiritual life is pseudo-repentance and pseudo-bliss." (Page 136, "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning)
            So what if we were just honest like Simon Peter, who was impressed by Jesus' mastery over the fish of the sea and recognized His Lordship- and his sinfulness? Falling at Jesus' feet, he cries, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (Luke 5:8) This of course, is just the point of confession that we must reach in order for Jesus to reach down and save us from the outset. As the Pharisees noted in Luke 15:2, this Man receives sinners and eats with them. Yes, praise God- Christ receiveth sinful men! He invites us to join Him in His banquet- an all-expenses paid meal to be served in Heaven at the Lamb's marriage supper- which we shall enjoy throughout eternity with Him. We get our first taste through partaking in the Blessed Sacraments of the bread and wine, broken and spilled for us. Indeed, taste and see that The Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him. (Psalms 34:8)
            What if we confessed our sins as freely on social media and with friends and family as we share so many other positive aspects of our lives? We are quick to share our preferences and complain of injustices and brag of our good accomplishments, but we are quite reluctant indeed to share of our fallings and failings. Yet James 5:16 commands us to confess our sins to one another and pray for one another so that we may be healed.  If we were to be honest- if I were to be honest and admit the ugliness of my own heart (Jeremiah 17:9), I would have to admit to the constant battle against pride and the desire to bask in my own accomplishments, selfishly and vainly claiming the gifts of God as my own talents. I would have to confess to being a liar, thief and murderer by my harsh words. I would have to admit to the foulest stream of sexual images parading through my mind, swaying me with the siren call of the harpies to indulge in the lust of sexual desire and fantasy. I would have to admit to being disobedient, to being lazy and gluttonous, to being a complaining arguer who is certainly not always putting others first. I would have to admit to being an idolatrous man who does not always love The Lord wholeheartedly as He calls for and does not love his neighbor nearly as much as I might like to think I do. I would have to admit to jealousy and unrighteous anger and not always treating others kindly as I would want to be treated. I would have to admit to struggles with fears, worries, anxieties, doubts- even so far as to doubt like Thomas, deny like Peter and betray like Judas.  In short, I would have to admit to being a horribly broken, sinful, mess of a man. And even after listing this hall of shame records, I shudder to think that I may not have even scratched the surface of just how deep the ugliness goes to and the layers of filth that are encased within.
            And though I often feel I have wrested the title of "chief of sinners" from Paul's grasp, I call to mind this one thing and so take hope. Though my sins are many, Christ's righteousness and grace is greater than all of them. As it has been said, I know this to be true- I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior. Jesus doesn't even need to be told what's in a man's heart- He's seen it all and knows it already. (John 2:25) And knowing all this, He still loves us all relentlessly with reckless abandon regardless. For some mystifying reason, though He abhors sinfulness and cannot have it in His holy presence, He still loves all humanity with an eternal love that went through a terribly high price to save us all. (Jeremiah 31:3, Isaiah 53).
            
      "The spiritual future of ragamuffins consists not in disavowing that we are sinners but in accepting that truth with growing clarity, rejoicing in God's incredible longing to rescue us in spite of everything. C.S. Lewis wrote:
'It may be that salvation consists not in the canceling of these eternal moments but in the perfected humility that bears the shame forever, rejoicing in the occasion which is furnished to God's compassion and glad that it should be common knowledge to the universe. Perhaps in that eternal moment St. Peter- he will forgive me if I am wrong- forever denies his Master. If so, it would indeed be true that the joys of Heaven are for most of us, in our present condition, an acquired taste- and certain ways of life may render the taste impossible of acquisition. Perhaps the lost are those who dare not go to such a public place.' " (Page 137, "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning)

       Repentance only comes when we are willing to agree with God that we are sinners and have sinned against Him. When we are willing to confess this to Him and acknowledge that Jesus' death and Resurrection is the only payment sufficient for us, then we can accept His finished work for us and rest secured in the salvation He alone offers us. (Colossians 2:6-15) And we walk in faith with Him, doing the good works He purposed for us to do all along, in gratitude to Him. (Ephesians 2:8-10) And in turning over all of myself to Christ- all the filth and dung, He washed me clean and made me white as snow, according to His promise in Isaiah 1:18. I know what I've been and I know what I am- and I know what Christ has made me into instead and is making me to be- a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17) and a sanctified trophy of His grace that delivered me from the judgment I so richly deserved. I am nothing but a ragamuffin desperately clinging in faith to His grace and trusting in His love and His Word no matter what. And though I still struggle with all the things I don't want to do (as Paul laments in Romans 7), I also know that Jesus is still working and His work will be complete at last! (Philippians 1:6, Jude 1:24-25). The One who promises is faithful and He will do this. He will carry me through my struggles and will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5) and He will get me safely Home. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) Hallelujah! Praise The Lord- Jesus saves!
       
    This much I know to be true- there's no other place to go than Christ- He has the words of eternal life. (John 6:68, Acts 4:12, John 14:6).
Christ loves (Romans 5:8), Christ judges (Hebrews 9:27-28), Christ forgives (1 Corinthians 6:9-11), Christ changes (2 Corinthians 5:17), Christ keeps (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) and Christ finishes. (Philippians 1:6, Jude 1:24-25).
      
         As I admitted earlier and I have said a number of times before, I struggle at times with knowing whether I've truly heard from God or not. I do believe The Holy Spirit impresses in me the Truth He wants me to know from His Word, as He guides me into all Truth. I do believe He reveals Himself and His will in that manner. And He can use anything He wishes to work in other ways if He so chooses. I don't know for sure if I've ever physically heard God's voice or that I ever will (at least in this life), but sometimes in meditating on Scriptures and God's truth, I'll imagine that I have heard a truth from God- though I'm never totally sure if it's just voices from my own head or elsewhere. And so I'm not one to hold up such experiences and highlight them as the litmus test for true faith- but I thought I might share this recent incident in closing. I had some great times of prayer and communion with God recently in my spiritual life, where I really felt I had grown closer to The Lord and come clean before Him once more so that He could again make me clean. And in confessing to Him and seeking to follow Him again as I did before yet another failure, I had this phrase come to mind that was encouraging to me- "I know the man you can be and that's who I'm making you to be."
        I don't know if I can say this was The Lord's voice or my imagining of what He might say to me and so I won't claim any supernatural experience in that sense- but I do think it's Biblical and it is exactly the point of all this process of life change that Jesus takes us through. He knows exactly who we are and He knows who we can be- who He wants us to be- and He's making us to be that person in His time. It's a process that takes a lifetime and we must continue to trust and endure and seek after Him all the more as He continues to shape us. Keep running the race of faith and keep your eyes fixed on the prize- Jesus Christ Himself. (Hebrews 12:1-5). And keep trusting and obeying.

     "Lord Jesus, we are silly sheep who have dared to stand before You and try to bribe You with our preposterous portfolios. Suddenly we have come to our senses. We are sorry and ask You to forgive us. Give us the grace to admit we are ragamuffins, to embrace our brokenness, to celebrate Your mercy when we are at our weakest, to rely on Your mercy no matter what we may do.
          Dear Jesus, gift us to stop grandstanding and trying to get attention, to do the truth quietly without display, to let the dishonesties in our lives fade away, to accept our limitations, to cling to the Gospel of Grace, and to delight in Your Love. Amen."

(Page 144, "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning)