Christian Living

How to Respond When We are Hurt or Offended

Leave a Comment / March 19, 2024

As we walk in this world as a believer who is committed to Jesus Christ and desires to follow Him, no matter the cost, we will inevitably be persecuted at some level. Jesus Himself said that we will be hated because the world hates Him (John 15:18-19). John reminded us of this same truth in I John 3:13: Do not be surprised if the world hates you and I Peter 2 tells us to rejoice if we suffer unjustly.

But sometimes our suffering isn’t for any good reason. Instead, it is our pride that demands revenge or keeps our heart from forgiving another person. We cry out for revenge because our pride desires it in order to be satisfied. (That ugly pride gets us into so much trouble!!!)

A few years back a friend gifted me a book called “Keeping the Heart” by John Flavel. The book itself (which I highly recommend and can be found at this link) has been changed into English that is easier to understand. It is very profound and has caused me much deep reflection.

When I read the portion that I am sharing today, I had the thought that I have not written much about these topics of revenge, vengeance, and grudge-holding. And, yet, they affect the world we live in in a profound (and quite evil) way. Even in our churches. While those who profess Christ may not exert revenge, they may surely long for it. While they may pretend that all is well, inside so many are nursing a grudge or some offense towards a Christian sibling.

I have seen this over and over again and have also experienced it. For example, years ago, I thought all was well with a woman at church. Only to find out, through her off-handed comment to a family member, that she held a longtime grudge against me for a thoughtless remark I had made. I can still remember the helplessness I felt at that moment. I hadn’t even been aware she was upset with me and I certainly had never meant what she thought I meant. It taught me to be so much more careful with my words (still learning that lesson!) and it also reminded me of how unhealthy these grudges are that Christians so often hold on to! They truly destroy families and church families.

With that in mind, I’d like to share a long portion from this book, Keeping of the Heart. I found the original manuscript in pdf form so I did copy and paste. You can find that original manuscript here. (Although I do recommend the book as it is much easier to read.) I have taken the liberty to change a few words to make it more readable. You will find those changed words in italics. I have also removed a few extra paragraphs to also increase its readability and to decrease its length.

I hope this will be a reference for you when you feel the urge to nurse a grudge or something happens to you (whether deserved or undeserved) and you feel the desire for revenge rise inside you. Flavel’s words here are most compelling and helpful. At least they were for me. I hope they are for you, too. Here’s what Flavel writes–

The seventh season calling for more than common diligence to keep the heart, is, when we receive injuries and abuses from men. Such is the depravedness and corruption of man in his collapsed state, that one man is become as a wolf or a tiger, to another. As wicked men are cruel and oppressive one to another, so they conspire together to abuse and wrong the people of God, as the same prophet complains.. “The wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he.” Now when we are thus abused and wronged, it is hard to keep the heart from revengeful motions: to make it meekly and quietly to commit the cause to him that judgeth righteously; to exercise no other affection but pity towards them that abuse us. Surely the spirit that is in us lusteth to revenge, but it must not be so; you have choice helps in the gospel to keep down your hearts from such sinful motions against your enemies, and to sweeten your embittered spirits.’ The seventh case then shall be this–

How a Christian may keep his heart from revengeful motions, under the greatest injuries and abuses from men. The Gospel, indeed, allows a liberty to vindicate our innocency, and assert our rights, but not to vent our corruptions, and invade God’s right. When therefore thou findest thy heart begin to be inflamed by revengeful motions, presently apply the following remedies—

Remedy 1. Urge upon thy heart the severe prohibitions of revenge by the law of God. Remember that this is forbidden fruit, how pleasant and luscious soever it be to our defiled appetites. O, saith nature, revenge is sweet: O but, saith God, the effects thereof shall be bitter. How plainly hath God commanded against this flesh-pleasing sin, Prov. 20:22. “Say not I will recompense evil.” Prov. 24:29. “Say not I will do so to him as he hath done to me.” Rom. 12:17. “Recompence to no man evil for evil.” And ver. 19. “Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place to wrath.” Nay, that is not all; but Prov. 25:21. “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink.” The word feed him, as critics observe, signifies to feed cheerfully, and tenderly, as birds do their young ones: The scripture is a great friend to the peace and tranquillity of human society, which can never be preserved if revenge be not deposed. It was wont to be an argument urged by the Christians to prove their religion to be supernatural and pure that forbids revenge, which is so sweet to nature; and verily it is a thousand pities such an argument should be lost. Well, then, awe your hearts with the authority of God in these scriptures, and when carnal reason saith, mine enemy deserves to be hated, let conscience reply, but doth God deserve to be disobeyed? Thus and thus hath he done, and so he hath wronged me; but what hath God done that I should wrong Him? If he dare be so bold to break the peace, shall I be so wicked to break the precept? If he fears not to wrong me, shall not I fear to wrong God? O let the fear of God’s threatenings repress such sinful motions.

Remedy 2. Set before your eyes the most eminent patterns of meekness and forgiveness, that your souls may fall in love with them.
This is the way to cut off those common pleas of the flesh for revenge: As thus no man would bear such an affront: Yes, such and
such have borne as bad and worse. I shall be reckoned a coward, a fool, if I pass by this: No matter, as long as I follow the examples of the wisest and holiest of men; never did any suffer more and greater abuses from men than Christ did, and never did any carry it more peaceably and forgivingly, Isa. 53:7. “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter,” This pattern of our Lord the apostle sets before you for your imitation, 1 Pet. 2:21, 22, 23. “For even hereunto are you called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow His steps: Who when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not, but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” To be of a meek, forgiving spirit, is Christ-like, God-like; “then shall you be the children of your Father which is in heaven; for He maketh His sun to rise upon the evil and upon the good, and sendeth rain on the just and unjust,” Matt. 5:45. How eminently also did the Spirit of Christ rest upon His apostles? Never were there such men upon earth for true excellency of spirit. None were ever abused more, or suffered their abuses better. “Being reviled (say they) we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat,” 1 Cor. 4:12, 13. Strive then for this excellency of spirit, which is the proper excellency of Christians; do some singular thing that others cannot do, and then you will have a testimony in their consciences.


Remedy 3. Consider well the quality of the person that hath wronged thee: either he is a redeemed man, or a wicked man, that hath done thee the injury: If he be a redeemed man, there is light and tenderness in his conscience, and that will bring him at last to a sense of the evil he hath done; however, Christ hath forgiven him greater injuries than these, and why shouldst not thou? Will Christ not upbraid him with any of those wrongs done to him, but frankly forgive them all; and wilt thou take him by the throat for some petty abuse that he hath done to thee? Or is he a wicked man? If so, truly you have more need to exercise pity, than revenge towards him, and that upon a double account: For, (1.) He is beside himself, so indeed is every unconverted sinner, Luke 15:17. Should you go into Bedlam, and there hear one rail at you, another mock you, and a third threaten you; would you say I will be revenged upon them? No, you would rather go away pitying them! Alas, poor creatures! they are out of their wits, and know not what they do. Besides, (2.) There is a day coming, if they repent not, when they will have more misery than you can find in your hearts to wish them; you need not study to revenge, God’s vengeance sleepeth not, and will shortly take place upon them, and is not that enough? Have they not an eternity of misery coming? If they repent not, this must be the portion of their cup; and if ever they do repent, they will be ready to make you reparation.

Remedy 4. Keep down thy heart by this consideration, that by revenge thou canst but satisfy a lust, but by forgiveness thou shalt
conquer a lust. Suppose by revenge thou shouldst destroy one enemy, I will shew thee how, by forgiving, thou shalt conquer three, thine own lust, the devil’s temptation, and thine enemy’s heart; and is not this a more glorious conquest? If by revenge thou overcome thine enemy, yet unhappy victory, when, by overcoming another man, thou art overcome by thine own corruption. But this way you may obtain a glorious conquest indeed. It must be a very disingenuous nature indeed, upon which meekness and forgiveness will not work; a stony heart, which this fire will not melt. To this sense is that, Prov. 25:21. “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.” Some will have it a sin-punishing fire, but others a heart-melting fire. To be sure it will either melt his heart, or aggravate his misery.

Remedy 5. Seriously ask this question to thy heart: Have I got any good by the wrongs and injuries received, or have I not? If they have done you no good, turn the revenge upon yourselves: O that I should have such a bad heart, that can get no good out of such troubles! O that my spirit should be so unlike to Christ’s! The patience and meekness of other Christians, have turned all the injuries thrown at them into precious stones; the spirits of others have been raised in blessing God, when they have been loaded with reproaches from the world, they have bound them as an ornament to their necks. Luther has said: I could even be proud upon it, that I have a bad name among wicked men. To the same purpose Jerome said sweetly: I thank my God that I am worthy to be hated of the world. Thus their hearts were provoked by injuries to magnify God, and bless him for them; if it work contrary with me, I have cause enough to be filled with self-disgruntlement. If you have got any good by them; if the reproaches and wrongs you have received, have made you search your hearts the more, watch your ways the more narrowly; if their wronging you, has made you see how you have wronged God, then let me say for them, as Paul did himself, Pray forgive them this wrong. What! can you not find a heart to forgive one that hath been instrumental of so much good to you! That is strange! What though they meant it for evil? Yet, if God hath turned it to good, you have no more reason to rage against the instrument than he had who received a wound from his enemy which which healed the abscess which otherwise had been his death.

Remedy 6. It is of excellent use to keep the heart from revenge, to look up, and eye the first cause by which all our troubles are ordered. This will calm and meeken our spirits quickly. “The Lord hath taken away, blessed be his name,” Job 1:21.

Objection: But you will say, To turn aside the right of a man, to subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not, Lam. 3:36. Answer: True: but though it fall not under His approving, yet it doth under His permitting will, and there is a great argument for quiet
submission in that; nay, He hath not only the permitting, but the ordering of all those troubles. Did we see more of an holy God, we
should shew less of a corrupt nature in such trials.

Remedy 7. Consider how you daily wrong God, and you will not be so easily inflamed with revenge against others that have wronged you. You are daily grieving, and wronging God, and yet He bears, forgives, and will not take vengeance upon you; and will you be so quick in avenging yourselves upon others? O what a sharp and terrible rebuke is that! Mat. 18:32, 33. “O thou wicked and slothful servant! I forgave thee all that debt because thou desirest me, shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee?” None should be so filled with pity, forbearance, and mercy, to such as wrong them, as those should be that have experienced the riches of mercy themselves: The mercy of God to us should melt our very hearts into mercy over others; it is impossible we can be cruel to others, except we forget how kind Christ hath been to us. Those that have found mercy, should shew mercy. If kindness cannot work, fear should. “If you forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses,” Mat. 6:15.

Remedy 8. Lastly, Let the consideration of the day of the Lord, which draweth nigh, withhold your hands from anticipating it by acts of revenge. Why are you so quick? Is not the Lord at hand, to avenge all His abused servants? “Be patient therefore, my brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman waits. Be ye also patient, for the coming of the Lord draws nigh: Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned. Behold the Judge standeth at the door,” Jam. 5:7, 8, 9. This text affords three arguments against revenge: (1.) The Lord’s near approach. (2.) The example of the husbandman’s patience. (3.) The danger we draw upon ourselves by anticipating God’s judgment; Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord; he will distribute justice more equally, and
impartially, than you can. They who believe they have a God to right them, will not so much wrong themselves, as avenge their own
wrongs.

Objection 1: But flesh and blood are not able to bear such abuses.
Solution: If you resolve to consult flesh and blood in such cases, and do no more but what that will enable you to do; never pretend to even be saved. Christians must do singular and supernatural things.

Objection 2: But if I put up such abuses, I shall be reckoned a fool, and every one will trample upon me.
Solution: (1) You may be reckoned so among fools, but God and good men will account it your wisdom, and the excellency of your spirits. (2.) It must be a base spirit indeed that will trample upon a meek and forgiving Christian: and thus learn to keep your hearts from revenge under all provocations.

Evaluating Our Prayers

4 Comments / January 23, 2024

I always feel rather inadequate in writing here on the blog. I want to encourage you to stand on the Word alone and to live it out while knowing that, while I desire to live it out myself, there are so many times I just totally fail. There are few subjects I feel more inadequate in writing about than prayer. I wish I could tell you that I get up at 4am and pray for hours. Sometimes when I awake at 5:30, I think to myself “I should get up and pray,” but then I roll over and go back to sleep. Now, I don’t want you to think I never pray. For that wouldn’t be true, either. But I also know that my prayer life could be so much more powerful and it is an area I long to grow in.

I have been especially thinking about this over the past couple of weeks. Mostly because of our Sunday School teacher. I will be right up front and will begin by letting you know that much of what I am writing today comes from him. He has been focusing on prayer and some of the things he said and has had me thinking on have been so convicting. I wanted to share some of these things with you because I thought you, like me, might be convicted and encouraged.

Why don’t we pray like we should? Why don’t we make the time?

One of the things our teacher challenged us on was on how we spend our time. Was whatever we did (instead of praying) better than prayer? OUCH.

Bottom line: We all have time and we get to choose how we spend it. Oh, how often we get my priorities so mixed up or are just plain lazy. Or is that just me??!

Another thing that was really convicting were his questions regarding our actual prayers:

Is the aim of my prayers focused on pleasing God and submission to His will? Or do I focus most of my prayers on what will make me or someone else comfortable and happy in this world?

In other words, am I more concerned about the temporal things of this life or do I have an eternal perspective?

He took us to I John 3:22–

And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

Prayers are answered when we are living in right relationship with God. If we are living in right relationship with God– keeping His commandments and desiring to please Him then our prayers will be a reflection of these priorities.

Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong with praying for healing or help in a certain area. God wants us to come to Him with our broken hearts and our desperate needs. I don’t think He even minds hearing our wants.

But we really need to consider two questions, as we share our hearts with God.

Will I willingly and joyfully submit if He says no?

Our teacher said this: God’s will is oppressive if you are rejecting it. But when we realize it’s good it becomes a blessing.

Only through faith and by God’s strength can we understand that God’s will is perfect. It reminds me of Romans 12:1-2–

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Only through sacrifice of our wills and intentionally not conforming ourselves to this world, will we be transformed by the renewing of our mind. We can expect no peace or trust or faith without doing what Paul encourages us to do at the beginning of Romans 12. Our acceptance of God’s perfect will hinges on it.

And a second question: Do I pray for the spiritual fruit that could come from this trial?

For example, so often we pray for healing but it is in these deepest, darkest trials that so many find Christ. It is in these trials that exponential growth often takes place. If we are praying for a Christian friend who has health issues, do we pray for them to be given many opportunities to share the Gospel as they visit doctors and spend their time in the hospital? Or are our prayers focused solely on their health issues? Do we pray that they would grow stronger in faith through this trial?

I think it is just so easy for us to get caught up in focusing on simply the health issue or some other need and keep our prayers focused only on getting that need met. And yet, God is so often working and using these trials to spread the Gospel and to grow His people. Are we partnering with Him in this or are we only focused on the things of this world as we bring our requests before God?

Another thing he mentioned is how often we try to conquer sin on our own and how this is like putting the cart before the horse! I had never thought of it quite like that before. Only through Christ, can we truly conquer our sin and our love for the world. We can’t do it alone. Philippians 4:13, a favorite verse of so many, reminds us of this truth–

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We can have victory through Christ and His strength, but how often do we go this route of conquering sin or turning away from the world all on our own strength?!? How often do we pray diligently and fervently for help in eradicating a specific sin or our love for the world?

Do you see why I was so convicted? But, as I told my husband, sometimes God has you hear something that you feel was just for you. Such was the case with these lessons on prayer. I think God knew I needed to hear them. Maybe some of you don’t. I know some of you have vibrant and powerful prayer lives. But perhaps there are some of you that needed to hear these words as much as I did. And so it is to you who I write today. I hope this was an encouragement as we endeavor to renew our minds and grow in our faith.

In the Light of His Word

7 Comments / January 13, 2024

Last week I was reading a story that contained a father figure that used the Bible as a weapon. The husband/father would shout Bible verses as he beat his wife and children. A few days later I watched the movie, Jane Eyre, and her school master was the exact same way. I am also currently reading the biography of a woman who was one of Brigham Young’s wives (Mormon leader). He, too– a wicked, wicked man–used the Bible to his own advantage, leaving a path of destruction and violence behind him.

All of these men used select Bible verses without context to scar people forever. Never mentioned by any of these men was the Gospel or any of the verses that talk about the love and joy found in the scriptures. Many men (and women, too), found in positions of leadership, have used and abused scripture for their own intentions and purposes throughout history. They are still doing this today.

I’ve been reflecting on this for awhile now. No wonder there are so many people unenamored with and disinterested in the whole of scripture. The religion that went by the name of Christianity for so many precious children was a religion of rules and laws devoid of love.

This is probably why so many adults, growing up in this kind of church or home, are prone to follow the false religion that goes by the same name that only focuses on the love of God. It is a swing in the opposite direction to the extreme. Some of them leave Christianity altogether, searching for peace in a different religion or even in denying God’s existence.

All false teaching that claims to be a branch of Christianity (Mormonism, Roman Catholicism, etc.) always stems from this ripping of verses out of context. Legalism (must do certain things in order to be saved) is no different.

Legalism is an EVIL false doctrine and its victims are countless.

But let’s remember this important fact: True salvation and wanting to follow Christ because we love Him leads to a desire to turn from the world and remove sin. It just does. It is part of the wonderful transformation in our lives. This is not legalism. This is being saved and becoming a “new creature”, just as we are promised (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Someone who professes to be a Christian and yet loves their sin and the world will always cry “legalism” if a fellow believer even hints at their desire to live a more pure and holy life. Because of this dynamic, I rather doubt that most Christians even understand what legalism really is.

How important that we realize that true legalism is ugly and God hates it. It puts the burden of being saved and staying saved on us. And what a heavy burden that is! I am so thankful for Ephesians 2:8-9 (some of my favorite verses in the whole Bible)–

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.

Works will not save us and they will not keep us saved. In fact, there is not even one thing we can do to save ourselves. Thank God we are saved by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and kept by Him for all eternity. Oh, how I love these verses I came across as I studied Revelation 1 a few weeks ago. Just read these incredible verses–

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Revelation 1:5-6)

He loves us and He freed us from our sins by His blood. He has no intention of ever letting us go! (John 10:28-29)

I was talking with someone the other day about how the culture is so obsessed with the “new”. They always want something better and bigger and different. But the message of the Bible is timeless and never changes: We are dead in our sins BUT GOD (Ephesians 2:1-7), who sent His Son to die for our sins so that we can be reconciled to Him. Satan has been trying to distort and twist this message forever, leading people into false religions, including the false religion of legalism. He will continue to do this as long as he is given free reign by God to do so.

Many of you have been reading this blog for a long time now. You have heard me just keep going back to the same truths of scripture over and over and over again. I am never going to give you some new doctrine or some new idea that propels me into greatness in the eyes of the world. I simply want to be faithful to the scriptures. It seems mundane and many readers grow bored with this. I get it. There is nothing exciting or innovative here.

But I hope what you will find here is a continual pointing to Jesus Christ and His Word. I hope you are encouraged to consider the whole Bible rather than just favorite parts. I hope that you are encouraged to find that balance that we find in scripture between the wrath of God and the love of God. Extremes are spiritually deadly because they are false religions.

I have not met many of you but my love for you compels me to keep writing and to keep encouraging you in the faith. I don’t do this because I am some echelon of spirituality. Quite the contrary. Often when I write I am struggling with some sin or worldly desire. I may be in my own depth of despair or be in the midst of an especially tough battle with my selfish, self-centered heart. Like you (if you are a redeemed child of God), the more I grow in Christ, the more I realize how far I have to go.

And so we continue on this path together, appreciating the heights of joy and happiness when they are given, but recognizing that most of life is made of ordinary days, some easy and some hard, where we are given the opportunity to simply trust and obey the Lord who saved us. Walking in the light of His Word, we trust and we obey. It’s not exciting or different or new. But it is what we are called to do.

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Always More to Learn

3 Comments / December 12, 2023

This morning when I came downstairs, my dogs started barking as soon as they glanced out the side windows by our front door. I saw a township truck with a man setting out a flag that said “road closed”. I waited until he had gone and then left the dogs out.

Both started barking madly and rushing towards the sign which sat across the road. I shouted for them to stop and both did hold their ground (thankfully) but they kept barking at the big orange sign.

I told them just how silly they were. That it was just a sign. But the big dog just kept giving nervous glances and fierce single barks at the sign throughout her entire time outside. It was comical, really.

But it was such a great picture of what I’ve been thinking about over the past week or so.

Last week, I took my oldest grandson to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA for his “grandma day” (“grandma day” is my golden opportunity to spend one-on-one time with each grandchild who lives locally. So fun!) We wanted to do something Christmas-y but I was limited by a later appointment and I couldn’t find anything local enough that was open on a Wednesday.

While we were there, we decided to watch the new movie “experience” they have. While we stood waiting, Hershey facts flashed up on the screen:

Did you know 25 million Reese’s cups are made every single day?

Did you know 200 tons of Twizzlers are made every day?

As I pondered these unknown facts, I thought about how many things in this life I do not know.

This goes for me spiritually, as well. Through the years, I have had friends who have challenged me on different things and according to scripture. Things I didn’t realize were offensive to God. And, in this, I was not unlike my dogs. We both did not know an important piece of information. While, for my dogs it was the knowledge that the sign did not present any danger at all; for me, it was the knowledge that what I was doing (or reading or watching) did present a real spiritual danger.

Because there are just always things we don’t know.

I am so very, very grateful that God uses His Word and brings people and situations into my life that constantly challenge my status quo Christian life.

This happened to me again recently. Someone asked me a question and it has really gotten me thinking again about something I’ve always done. Forever. But… when I run it through the grid of scripture, I have to admit that it is not something that pleases God. I never thought for even a second of my entire life that there was anything wrong with this particular thing (and yes, I am purposefully being vague). But that question my friend asked just keeps coming back to my mind. And when I consider scripture and what it says, I know that I have been wrong in this area. Even though it was in ignorance, it was still sin.

Isn’t it so kind of our heavenly Father to conform us, bit by little bit, into Christ’s image? His lovingkindness is such a blessing. We could never handle it if it was done all at once. The realization of what it means to live a pure and holy life before God would be completely overwhelming and discouraging if we were to fully understand all at once.

I am so thankful that God so gently and so kindly transforms us, as we are willing to yield what we thought we loved and desired to Him. As I think about the things I have been convicted about over the years, I realize that I don’t even miss them. I’ve written about many of these here on the blog through the years. Giving up some of these things was excruciatingly hard. I didn’t want to do it. And, yet, as I look back, I realize that God changed my heart so completely after my obedience (sometimes obedience that was quite reluctant and took years!) that I don’t even miss these things I thought I couldn’t live without.

And, so, I am going to, in faith, step out in obedience once again and turn from something I have really enjoyed but that God has so kindly shown me does not please Him. Trusting that once I choose to obey, it won’t even matter to me anymore.

I am thankful that we can always be learning and growing. That we aren’t stuck in some stagnant place without hope. Of course, as we learn and grow, we also learn that we are further from God’s standard of perfection than we ever realized (and just how much we need Jesus as our Savior!!!) and we grow in our knowledge of the depth our own sinfulness and in our understanding of the awesome goodness and amazing grace of God.

I know one thing, I certainly look forward to the day when sin will no longer reign in this mortal body and that all I will do and want to do forever and ever will be to praise and please God without any flesh getting in the way. What a glorious day that will be!

Diagnosing and Curing Itchy Ear

4 Comments / November 1, 2023

2 Timothy is the final book that Paul wrote before being executed under the evil rule of Nero. It is full of practical wisdom and much exhortation for Timothy and for any believer who would read it throughout the ages. In chapter three Paul describes what the last days would look like. This description was not about what we would see in the world but about what would take place within the professing church.

As he moves to chapter four, he continues to let us know what would be the natural response of those he is describing in chapter three:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3)

When true believers come to this passage we often shake our heads in agreement and feel deep sadness at all of “those” people who are doing this very thing. We see them everywhere.

But today I’d like to take a bit of a different turn and think through this verse with a different lens.

Have you ever talked with someone about something and came away thinking, “they are so blind!” This might be a godly person who really wants to live for the Lord. But, for some reason, they can’t see their own sinfulness in a certain area or the truth about a false teacher or some other truth that is clear. Could this be because they have a slight case of itchy ear?

According to 2 Timothy 4, verse 3, there are a few ways we can diagnose itchy ear. Let’s look at them now–

1. We won’t endure sound doctrine. If we aren’t willing to endure sound doctrine in any particular area, then we probably have at least a slight case of itchy ear. What exactly is sound doctrine? In this context, it is the pure teaching of the Word. If we aren’t willing to submit and obey the Word in all areas, it will lead to a definite case of itchy ear.

But this is not always as cut and dried as we’d like to believe. Many of us will gladly obey most of the Bible. But when we get to a part that convicts us of entertainment, the lifestyle of anxiety or worry that has become our normal, or of giving up that long-held grudge and forgiving someone who deeply hurt us…well, that’s just too much to ask. And so we won’t endure that particular “sound doctrine”. This is a sure sign of itchy ear.

2. We only want to hear things that match our own desires. And so if someone brings something to our attention that we don’t care for–perhaps about a false teacher we love or a sin that is firmly entrenched in our lives– we will respond in one of two ways. We will get very defensive and maybe even a bit angry. Or we will just ignore it and go on with life. However we respond, we certainly won’t honestly examine our lives in regard to what is being said. Because we will choose not to hear what goes against our desires.

3. We will only like positive, uplifting teachers. If someone dares to call out sin, worldliness, or a false teacher (by name) we get all up in arms, declaring them to be negative, judgmental, and all sorts of other awful accusations. How dare they?!? And we conclude they must be the most unloving and unkind person we know.

4. We will turn away from truth and turn towards fables. The Shack is a rather old book by now but it is the perfect example of this very thing. This book (and its subsequent movie) presented a fable about God. It was not truth, according to scripture. And, yet, because so many loved the god that William Paul Young presented in his book, they turned away from the true God (as described in scripture) and embraced this false god. They turned away from truth and turned towards a fable. This is just one example. There are countless others and countless more to come. Satan loves to fool Christians. And he does it in such a way that it looks so good and so…right.

Do you have itchy ear? Even a slight case? Perhaps we all do to some extent. We don’t like to hear what is uncomfortable and demands change, do we? Change is hard and ingrained habits are hard to break. Teachers are much loved and the loyalty runs deep. Following hard after truth is not for the fainthearted and weak. And, yet, God can turn a fainthearted and weak person into someone willing to stand courageously in His strength, through the power of the Holy Spirit. But how?

How do we cure our case of itchy ear? How do we become someone who is willing to endure sound doctrine, willing to turn from our own desires in humble submission to God’s desires, willing to hear both the positive and the negative as we listen to teachers, and willing to turn toward truth and away from fables? How can we be sure to be the kind of listener that benefits our spiritual walk and blesses a biblical teacher?

There are a few things we can do. It’s rather simple really. But we can’t miss a step.

First, we must pray and read the Word. Let’s bring a humble spirit before the Lord, asking Him to show us the truth and to help us be willing to change. And then let’s read and study the Word with perseverance and diligence, so that we can know our God and what He desires.

Second, we must be willing to examine ourselves in light of the Word. Many of us live in a superficial way because we are unwilling to do this. And, I must admit, it is much easier to just live day to day as we endeavor to complete our to-do lists and take care of the many things calling our names. But, without taking the time to examine ourselves, we are opening ourselves up to a severe case of itchy ear, for it will sneak up on us when we least expect it.

Third, we must be willing to turn from our feelings. For many of us (myself included) the temptation is strong to let our feelings drive our lives. And so we don’t read our Bibles because we don’t feel like it. Or we turn on the TV and waste hours of time because we don’t feel like doing anything else. We don’t feel like reading hard books that help us grow but we feel like reading easy novels that fill our mind with fluff (at best) or trash (at worst). We make choices about going to church (oh, it was such a late night, let’s skip), we make choices about music (oh, this has such a catchy tune), we make choices about our children’s entertainment (but I don’t want to upset my child and take this way from her because then she might be mad at me) all based solely on how they make us feel. This will almost always lead to itchy ear.

With God’s help, we must move from making decisions based on feelings to making decisions based on what will please God. For a genuine believer that wants to live out their faith, no decision escapes this examination. Am I choosing this because of how it will make me feel or am I choosing it because I want to please the Lord? (I am convicting myself here!)

Fourth, we must be willing to listen to biblical teachers that will preach the whole word of God instead of those who just give us the positive, uplifting messages that make us feel good.

If we do these things, then we will cure our case of itchy ear, whether it be a severe case or just the slightest case. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be walking around with itchy ear, spiritually sick and weakened, when God has made a way for us to live out a radiant, vibrant faith as we journey through this darkened world!

It’s Simple Really

4 Comments / October 18, 2023

This morning as I studied my Bible, I got to thinking about something I heard yesterday in a sermon. Basically the thought was that false doctrines and teachings arise out of our lusts (for sin and for the world). This struck me profoundly.

The Bible’s message is actually pretty easy to understand. Sure, there are a few areas that are hard and we can’t really “get”. But, generally, it’s actually pretty understandable. The Bible clearly shows that we are lost sinners without hope and that salvation comes by faith in Christ alone through grace alone. There are NO works we can do to merit favor with God. It also clearly shows the terrible eternal destiny of those who reject Christ. Our call, as genuine believers, to please God, to turn from sin and worldly lusts and passions, to deny ourselves, to die to self, to call out false teachers, to expect persecution and antagonism for following the truth, and to turn from man’s vain philosophies (such as so-called “science”)… all these things are very plainly expressed.

So what is the problem?

The problem is that we want to “feed our flesh”. Oh, that awful flesh. It gets us into so much trouble. The old man wars with our new man and we can so easily lay our weapons down and stop fighting (i.e. rationalize and excuse our sin and worldliness away) if we but take a few verses out of context here or twist a verse or two there. And that’s how false doctrine is born.

As those who want to sincerely follow Christ, we must pray and ask God to open our eyes where we may be blind. We must ask Him to help us to follow the truth no matter the cost. This is a frightening prayer, isn’t it? And, yet, to be caught up in deception has far, far worse consequences than knowing the truth.

I was studying 2 Timothy 2 this morning and verses 3 and 4 of that chapter give us some guidance on how following the truth is even possible–

You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.

So, according to Paul, here in this chapter, we are to–

Endure hardship.

Remember that we are a soldier and God is our Captain (which means we are in a war!)

Do not entangle ourselves with the affairs of this life.

And there you have it: Three critical ways in which we must follow God’s Word, if we are to keep from being deceived and confused.

This is so much harder to live out than it is to write. The costs of following after God and His Word are very real and can be very painful. They can cost you relationships, material gain, jobs and careers, your beloved church home, and any other number of things.

But we must remember that it is worth it. Oh, so worth it. I am reminded of Paul’s words in another epistle–

But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:7-11)

Paul tells us all is rubbish when compared to the treasure of knowing Christ. May we remember this as we travel in the confusing landscape that makes up modern day Christianity.

Following God is simple really. But it isn’t easy.

A Choice Not to Be Made Lightly

1 Comment / October 3, 2023

Can you remember back to your dating years? Did you ever date someone who said with their mouth that they still loved you, but their actions showed something quite different? They said one thing, but their actions contradicted their words. In your heart, you knew this. Even though you’d try to talk yourself into not believing what you knew to be true.

We’ve all heard the saying that “actions speak louder than words”. And this is true. What we believe to be true will be shown by our choices and decisions. Anyone can say anything. Anyone can profess to believe anything. The truth of their words is evidenced by their actions.

If this is true in a human dating relationship, how much more true must this be when we are examining our relationship with God. There are quite a few things scripture says will evidence true faith. Such as loving God and obeying His commands; loving others; loving the Word of God; living in the Spirit and producing good spiritual fruit; and others. None of us will do these perfectly (of course!) but we will be seeking to live this life described in scripture if we have been saved from our sin and are God’s redeemed child.

I’ve been thinking a lot these past few weeks about one very specific evidence the Bible gives of a true believer–

Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

We do not get to be friends with God AND with the world. We have to choose. And, although we may not have made an intentional choice, our choice is made clear by our actions.

Do I choose God or do I choose the world?

The world, with its glittery temptations and its promise of acclaim and popularity, looks so appealing. Its entertainment; its trends and fads; its philosophies on life (marriage, parenting, careers, wealth, church, etc); its advice and counsel; its theories on the origin of the world or regarding the value of life–all of these things are generally in direct contradiction to God and His Word.

If we love God, we should at least be asking the question, right? Will this choice move me toward God or away from God? Will this prove my friendship with God or will it give evidence that I love the world more?

Because we are one or the other: A friend of God or a friend of the world. Because the Bible says we can’t be both.

The thing is this…

Our flesh loves the world. And so, while it seems cut and dried, it’s just not as cut and dried as we’d like, is it? We struggle with our desires and sometimes we give in to the temptation.

So how do we know that we have chosen God over the world?

I believe it is in the awareness that there is a battle raging to win our hearts to the world and away from God. A genuine believer is aware of this battle and is seeking to be God’s friend rather than the world’s. They want to avoid being God’s enemy at all costs.

It’s because we know that loving the world not only proves we aren’t really God’s but it also functions as poison, hardening our consciences and killing any holiness that is growing in us.

My brother, Pastor Dean Good, gives a helpful analogy (listen to him explain it here). He explains that holiness is like a banana plant. We can’t manufacture it by following instructions. It comes through a life that is being transformed by Jesus Christ. And as that plant grows, we have the opportunity to grow it or to crush it. Worldliness crushes that plant. It pours poison on that tender plant that is growing towards Christ.

So worldliness for the true believer stymies our growth and hinders our holiness. As believers, we really need to be aware of this and be evaluating our lives constantly for how our love for the world is seeping into our lives through all avenues.

But a love for the world can also function as a barometer that we can use to test if we are truly saved. If we say we love God but we are still filled with the love of the world and have no interest in giving up what we love in order to please God, we should rightly examine our hearts.

(Parenthetically…If you are worried about your salvation, I want to encourage you to study your Bible to understand what true Christianity is and to get to know the real Jesus. The fake version with its counterfeit Jesus has led to so many false conversions and given assurance of salvation where there should be none. Jesus will never leave or forsake His own, but it is critical we determine our eternal status based on God’s Word and not on what modern day Christianity is telling us.)

We cannot be friends with the world and with God. We will either love one or the other. It’s not a popular concept these days but the Bible could not possibly make it any clearer.

I am thankful for God’s grace in this area. And I offer much grace to you, my reader, as you seek the Lord in this area of your life. So often, we can see some spiritual truth, while completely missing another one. I know how blinded I was for so long in some areas of worldliness. I recognize that I am still so blind in other areas.

The key is not to be looking around at others but to be examining our own lives, praying that God will open our eyes to how we have succumbed to our desire to be friends with the world. And then being willing to surrender that which we know is pouring poison on our plant of holiness.

And so this choice to love God or to love the world should not be made lightly. We must consider the cost. For to love the world causes great damage to the believer, even when they are aware of the battle and fighting against it. But to love the world and not even be aware of the raging battle indicates a real problem in the life of someone who claims to be saved. Because the Bible says that being a friend of the world means that we are the enemy of God.

Words not to be taken lightly. And a choice not to be made lightly.

Do You Want to Feel Better or to See Better?

3 Comments / September 27, 2023

The other day I was listening to a Lamplighter Theatre story and the introduction had a young boy who was quite distraught over recent news. He had gone to visit an older gentleman to talk and expressed his hope that he would help him feel better. The man laughed and said this profound thing:

I won’t help you feel better but I do hope I can help you see better.

I have been thinking on this ever since. How many of us prefer to feel better than to see better? We’d rather be blind and feel good, than to have clear vision and experience some pain in the process.

The pastor’s job is to help his congregation to see better. He is to preach the word, in and out of season–

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2)

Many preachers (and authors and song-writers and popular social media personalities) refuse to do this because it is not what their listeners want. Their listeners want to feel good. Right now.

Paul tells us to expect that this time will come. Right after writing “Preach the Word!” in 2 Timothy 4, he writes this-

 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)

He knew that eventually the visible church (as opposed to the remnant genuine church) would eventually turn completely apostate in order to take part in bringing in the antichrist. Paul gave us warning signs of what that would look like throughout his epistles. One of these warning signs is that people who claim to be Christians would be obsessed with hearing things that they want to hear; things that would make them feel better temporarily but that would be based on fables.

Instead of hearing the things that they needed to hear–things that would make them see better but wouldn’t necessarily make them feel better–they’d choose to believe fables and lies.

As we watch this happening around us–perhaps even in the lives of those we care about– it is important that we examine our own lives. What is our goal when we read the Word or listen to a godly preacher? Is it to feel better or is it to see better?

I think something really important to remember as we consider this is that, while we may not feel better in the moment, the good feelings will come. God promises peace and joy and these are not empty promises. When we surrender our will to God’s and when we choose to obey His commands in scripture, feelings of peace and joy do come.

As a friend once told me: Our feelings should function as the caboose and not the engine as we decide what will drive our decisions and choices. Feelings generally follow after our right choices.

We can compare it to a doctor who must administer bad-tasting medicine or painfully dig out an infection that has set in in a wound. These things do not feel good when they are happening but, in the long run, they make us feel so much better. What would we think of a doctor that just bandaged an infected wound, rather than to deal with the real issue? And, yet, this is so often how spiritual infections are treated by preachers and teachers. They don’t want to hurt or offend anyone so they never get around to lovingly telling their hearers the plain truth of scripture.

We may not like what we are reading or hearing from the Word and it may not make us “feel better” in the moment, but if we choose to submit to and obey God’s Word, we will see better. We will not only be given correct perspective but we will begin to understand why it is so important. And…eventually…we will feel better as we honor the Lord with our lives.

So what are you looking for when you study scripture or listen to a preacher? To feel better or to see better?

What matters to you most? That you are happy? Or that you are holy?

I am afraid many of the lies will reap eternal ramifications. We must pray for protection from the abundant lies around us that sound so very appealing. May we not grab on to any of these simply to feel better temporarily. For in the long run, an infection that is not cut out will kill you.

It’s All True or None of It Is

Leave a Comment / September 5, 2023

I remember talking to someone once who spent quite a bit of time with rather liberal Christians. The one thing this person told me is how much these people hate Paul. It’s pretty easy to guess why this is. While Paul gives us such encouragement regarding the love of Christ and His personal care for us (Romans 8) and encourages us to love one another (I Corinthians 13, Philippians 2), he also wrote quite a bit of what would be considered controversial in this modern day church era. He wrote about the role of women (I Timothy 2); he wrote about false teachers (Romans 16); he wrote about modesty (I Timothy 2); he told us about how those who practice and live in sin won’t inherit the Kingdom of God (Galatians 5); he wrote about the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4); he wrote about having no fellowship with someone who claims Christ and yet lives in unrepentant sin (I Corinthians 5) and he set down very specific qualifications for church leaders (Titus 1). In fact, it is Paul who was charged by God to give much of the practical outworking of true faith to all believers throughout the ages.

But many of these truths are unwelcome to those who are looking to have their ears tickled. Rather than going to the Bible to find truth and words of life, they go to the Bible out of habit or duty…or perhaps they don’t study the Bible at all. And this lack of love for and trust in God’s inerrant, infallible Word leads to so many problems. One of them being the tendency to pick and choose what we like or don’t like.

As I have started studying I Timothy this week, I came across those unpopular verses about women and their role in the church. In the midst of a culture that has been feminized and crippled by the women’s liberation movement, there has been much effort to figure out a way to render these verses null and void.

Unfortunately, there is no possible way to do this unless we turn our backs on all that Paul has written, and therefore the entire Bible. Paul was either inspired or he wasn’t. We can’t say he was inspired to write the things we like but not inspired to write the things we don’t like. It just doesn’t work that way.

H.A. Ironside gave the account of a woman who was confused about this in his I Timothy commentary–

I remember years ago at a special series of meetings a servant of God was opening up many precious truths in connection with our calling in grace, our place in the body of Christ, our inheritance in Him, and other spiritual themes. One lady who attended the meetings was so stirred that she told how these truths had meant much to her and that she had received great blessing from them. Then in the course of the series of messages the preacher came to a certain passage in 1 Corinthians 14 that had to do with women’s behavior in the church of God. As he was reading—it was an open Bible class where people were free to ask questions—this same lady who had testified to having found such blessing through the precious Word spoke up and said, “I do not believe that. I think this is all nonsense. Paul was an old bachelor who hated women, and that is why he writes the way he does. We can’t depend upon what he says.”

The preacher said, “My dear sister, you have been rejoicing in the truth that nothing ‘shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom. 8:39), haven’t you?”

“Yes,” she said, “I do rejoice in that.”

“Well,” said the preacher, “I am pained to have to inform you that Paul said that, and Paul was an old bachelor, so you can’t depend upon what he says! I understand you have been rejoicing in the truth that there is ‘one body of which Christ is the head.’“

“Yes,” she said, “I rejoice in that too.” “Well, I am sorry to have to tell you that that is something made known to us by Paul, and Paul was an old bachelor, so you can’t depend upon what he says.” He went from one Scripture to another, pointing out the truths which were given to us by Paul, until that dear lady burst into tears and said, “May God forgive me. I see now that I have been trifling with the Word of God.”

One part of the Word is as truly inspired as another part. When you come across some things in God’s Word that you may think are perhaps questionable, remember that the Holy Spirit who presented Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit who showed how the way into the Holiest has been opened, is the same Holy Spirit of God who tells our sisters how they ought to behave, and how careful they ought to be to maintain feminine modesty.*

You see, we don’t get to choose. We don’t get to love and embrace what we like and toss away what we don’t. We must accept it all. But the beauty of it is that when we do…when we understand that all of God’s Word is the inspired, inerrant revelation of God to us and we accept it as the glorious gift it is, our hearts start to change. The rebellion in our hearts towards those things we hate starts to dissipate like the mist dissipates in the heat of the sun. When we ask God to change our hearts toward His Word, He does just that.

Does this mean we “like” every truth we read in the Word of God? I don’t think it does. This isn’t about liking or about feelings. But we accept them and we bow our knee to God, acknowledging that He knows best even if we don’t agree or understand.

If we don’t come to the Bible with this attitude then we may as well not come at all. It’s either all true or none of it is. We can’t have this middle ground that so many desire where we can embrace and apply all the comforting promises and words about loving others but then toss out God’s commands regarding women and false teachers and all of that other stuff that isn’t as palatable. We don’t have that right. If the Bible is God’s Word then it is all of His Word. We don’t get to pick and choose.

I am probably writing to the choir here as I know most of my readers would agree with me on this. But I do want to encourage you to be thinking about the conversations you have with others regarding this because much of the false teaching and wrong beliefs held by your family members, friends, and co-workers stem back to this one thing: They will not accept the Bible for what it is…the inspired, inerrant Word of God in its entirety given to us by our loving, holy God.

It’s either all true or none of it is. Oh, how important that we remember this as we read and study God’s Word and have conversations with others regarding what the Bible has to say about…well…everything.

*Ironside, Harry A.. Addresses on the First and Second epistles of Timothy (pp. 41-43). Unknown. Kindle Edition.

The World is Quickly Passing Away

3 Comments / September 1, 2023

Today’s air was crisp and fall-like. This kind of weather makes me anticipate autumn, which is just around the corner now. As I walk around my yard, I see that many of the flowers are done blooming. The ones that remain are starting to look straggly; some have mildew on their leaves. Their time to shine is almost gone. In a few short months, they have brightened our world and then passed out of existence. Like a shooting star that gives sparkling light for a moment and then disappears.

Last night I was scrolling through Instagram for a few minutes. A retro reel came up that was from 1980. It was a promotion video for ABC and across the stage pranced people I hadn’t seen on TV or anywhere else for twenty years or more. They were the beloved stars of the popular sitcoms from that day. As I watched the reel, I realized that those people are just like the flowers and the shooting stars. Here one year and gone the next. No one knows what happened to those TV stars and most people do not care what happened to them. They are on to the next big name. The next big series. The next. The next. The next.

The public’s affection and adoration is so short-lived. We see this across all spectrums. Popularity and adoration are here one day and gone the next.

I was reading an article by Horatius Bonar* today and it fits perfectly with all of this. I want to share a bit of it with you today (you can read it in its entirety here)–

The things that are seen are temporal. Ours is a dying world, and here we have no continuing city. But a few years — it may be less — and all things here are changed. But a few years — it may be less — and the Lord shall have come, and the last trumpet shall have sounded, and the great sentence shall have been pronounced upon each of the sons of men.

There is a world that which does not pass away. It is fair and glorious. It is called “the inheritance in light.” It is bright with the love of God, and with the joy of Heaven. “The Lamb is the light thereof.” Its gates are of pearl — they are always open. And as we tell men of this wondrous city, we invite them to enter in.

How often do you think about that undying world? Jesus warns us about storing up treasures on this earth where they can be destroyed and encourages us to, instead, lay up our treasures in heaven, where nothing can destroy them (Matthew 6:19-21). Paul encourages us to set our minds on things above rather than things of the earth (Colossians 3:1-4). Both Paul and John remind us that this world is passing away (I Corinthians 7:31; I John 2:17). Isaiah tells us that all men are like withering grass and fading flowers. Here for a short season and then gone on to eternity (Isaiah 40:6-7).

Bonar explains the quickly passing world like this–

The world is passing away — like a flower. Beautiful, very beautiful; fragrant, very fragrant, are the summer flowers. But they wither away. So fades the world from before our eyes. While we are looking at it, and admiring it — behold, it is gone! No trace is left of all its loveliness but a little dust! O man, can you feed on flowers? Can you dote on that which is but for an hour? You were made for eternity — and only that which is eternal can be your portion or your resting place. The things that perish with the using only mock your longings. They cannot fill you — and even if they filled, they cannot abide. Mortality is written on all things here — immortality belongs only to the world to come — to that new heavens and new earth wherein dwells righteousness.

Of course! As believers longing to follow hard after God, we know this is true. But, oh, am I the only one who gets so terribly distracted by the things here on this earth?? Why do I find myself still trying to be filled by the temporal things at times?

I guess that’s part of the battle of the flesh we all face. But it’s good every now and again to be reminded that there should be a battle regarding this. We should be intentionally trying to focus on the Lord and on things above, remembering that this life and all things with it are so quickly passing away.

Horatio Bonar reminds us that there is but one thing that should be settled for us all as we journey through this brief life: Where will we spend eternity?

I’d like to share what he wrote here because it’s so important. It’s rather long but I hope you will take the time to read it. And I hope that it is a blessed reminder to you as you consider your own eternal destiny and the eternal destinies of those you come in contact with everyday. Perhaps you will agree wit me that what is written here makes the things of this world pale in comparison. Here’s what he writes–

The world is passing away — what then? This is the question that so deeply concerns man. If the world is to vanish away, and man is to live forever — then of what importance is it to know where and what we are to be forever! A celebrated physician, trying to cheer a desponding patient, said to him, “Treat life as a plaything.” It was wretched counsel. For life is no plaything, and time is no child’s toy, to be flung away. Life here is the beginning of the life which has no end; and time is but the gateway of eternity.

What then? You must, O man, make sure of a home in that world into which you are so soon to pass. You must not pass out of this earthly tent without making sure of the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. When you have done this, you can lie down upon your deathbed in peace.

One who had lived a worldly life at last lay down to die; and when about to pass away he uttered these terrible words, “I am dying, and I don’t know where I am going!”

Another in similar circumstances cried out, “I am within an hour of eternity, and all is dark!”

O man of earth, it is time to awake!

“How can I make sure?” you ask. God has long since answered that question, and His answer is recorded for all ages: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved.” “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ! I have never done anything else,” you say. If that is really true, then, as the Lord lives, you are a saved man. But is it really so? Has your life been the life of a saved man? No, truly. It has been a life wholly given to vanity. Then as the Lord God of Israel lives, and as your soul lives — you have not truly believed, and you are not yet saved.

“Have I then no work to work in this great matter of my pardon?” None! What work can you work? What work of your can buy forgiveness, or make you fit for the Divine favor? What work has God bidden you work in order to obtain salvation? None! His Word is very plain, and easy to be understood: “To him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom 4:5) There is but one work by which a man can be saved. That work is not yours, but the work of the Son of God. That work is finished — neither to be taken from nor added to — perfect through all ages — and presented by Himself to you, that you may avail yourself of it and be saved.

“And is that work available for me just as I am?” It is! God has brought it to your door; and your only way of honoring it is by accepting it for yourself, and taking it as the one basis of your eternal hope. We honor the Father when we consent to be saved entirely by the finished work of His Son. We honor the Son when we consent to take His one finished work in the room of all our works. We honor the Holy Spirit, whose office is to glorify Christ, when we hear what He says to us concerning that work finished “once for all” upon the cross. Forgiveness is through Christ Jesus, who is Son of God as well as Son of man! This is our message.

Forgiveness through the one work of sin-bearing which He accomplished for sinners upon earth. Forgiveness to the worst and wickedest, to the farthest off from God whom this earth contains. Forgiveness of the largest, fullest, completest kind; without stint, or exception, or condition, or the possibility of revocation! Forgiveness free and undeserved — as free as the love of God, as free as the gift of His beloved Son. Forgiveness ungrudged and unrestrained — whole-hearted and joyful — as the forgiveness of the father falling on the neck of the prodigal! Forgiveness simply in believing; for, “by Him, all who believe are justified from all things.”

Could salvation be made more free? Could forgiveness be brought nearer? Could God in any way more fully show His earnest desire that you should not be lost, but saved — that you should not die, but live? In the cross there is salvation — nowhere else. No failure of this world’s hopes can quench the hope which it reveals. It shines brightest in the evil day. In the day of darkening prospects, of thickening sorrows, of heavy burdens, of pressing cares — when friends depart, when riches fly away, when disease oppresses us, when poverty knocks at our door — then the cross shines out, and tells us of a light beyond this world’s darkness, the Light of Him who is the light of the world.

*Horatius Bonar was a Scottish Presbyterian minister who lived during the 1800s. His poems, hymns, and religious tracts were loved by many during that time and since.

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