Our youngest son continues to grow. It is hard to believe that he is over 2 months old already. The chubby round cheeks and bright eyes are a picture of health. That picture began to blur a bit the other night as he became fussy for no apparent reason, the bright cheeks flushed, and my wife informed me that he had a fever.
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Having a sick baby is one way to make a father feel helpless. The baby cannot talk and tell you what is wrong, and daddy doesn’t know what to do to make it all better. Because daddies like to fix things, I went online to try to find information about young babies and fevers. I quickly discovered that if the fever is over 100.4 and the baby is less than 3 months old, you should call the doctor immediately. Crystal retook his temp and found out is was at 100.9.
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We called the hospital and they suggested we bring him in. Now it was a Sunday, so the clinic was not open. That meant an emergency room visit, and I know that they are way more expensive than the clinic visits, but when it is your little baby, the cost doesn’t matter. We are under a medical plan, so the cost won’t be that high, but even if it were, a life is more important than money.
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Fortunately the doctor found nothing seriously wrong and now Heath seems to be doing well again. This small trial reminded me how insignificant possessions are compared to a human life. It saddens me how many lives have been stopped before they were even born just so that the parents would not have to give up possessions or time to raise them. Few would even imagine doing the same thing to a growing baby after it has been born.
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Perhaps that explains why once seeing an ultrasound, a mother is less likely to end a pregnancy. I recall how exciting it was to visit the doctor and get our first little black and white pictures of our babies showing their tiny heads, hands, and feet months before they were even born. No wonder Psalm 139:13-14 says, “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.”
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Even at 9 weeks, the head and feet can be distinguished as the little life is being molded and formed by God.
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So is that baby really a life, or a clump of tissue before he or she is born? Consider what God said about Jeremiah. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5) This shows us that God knew Jeremiah and set him apart before he was even born.
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Another baby, John the Baptist, is also spoken of before his birth. “For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” (Luke 1:44) Notice the scripture calls him a baby before he is even born.
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Yes babies are precious, and it is worth the cost to see them live.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
No Fear is Not Wise, Fear God
The teenage years are often characterized by risk taking. I remember a marketing campaign that began about the time of my high school graduation that tried to capitalize on that drive for risk. Soon “No Fear” T shirts were popping up all over the place and the same logos could be seen in the back windows of teenager’s cars. Interestingly, a near animosity developed between those who gave into this latest trend and those who rejected it. Soon there was the response slogan, “No Fear, No Brains.”
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Around that same period in my life, I also listened to advice promoting abstinence. Many of the arguments centered around fear. The warnings that I heard about included the dangers of STDs, unwanted pregnancy, emotional turmoil, violence, and a girl’s father with a gun.
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So how effective are such scare tactics at reducing teenage sexual activity? Statistics tell us that few people wait until marriage. Some argue that with abstinence education, we could increase that number. I would not argue against such an approach, but the problem is that too many of the programs simply use scare tactics alone. The real reason to avoid sex outside of marriage is because God said so.
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It seems that most people either do not know or care about God’s position on this issue. Many abstinence advocates actually tell teens to wait until they are ready instead of waiting until they are married. That is not what God says to do.
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1 Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” Hebrews 13:4 tells us, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
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Back to the fear issue. Teens love to take risks. Rock climbing, down hill skiing, and bike racing are all risky but not sinful. There is a difference between risk and sin. As a teenager I was willing to take risks. Given the opportunity, I would have ridden a bull or skydived. The reason I waited for intimacy until my wedding night was not because of my fear of all the dangers I had heard about, it was because of my fear of God. Further, sex outside of marriage is not just sinful for teens, it is sinful for all people.
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If the dangers and consequences of sin were a sufficient motivator, sins like drunkenness would not be a serious problem, for the consequences are deadly. Immediate danger is not a sufficient motivator for many men. Perhaps it is because they have not grasped the concept that they not only need to fear consequences, but they need to fear God Himself.
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The problem is that until you trust Christ, so many of the motivators to stop sin are quite ineffective. You see, Christ is the only answer to the sin problem. He is the answer both to having your sins forgiven and the answer to helping you to no longer be involved in them. Apart from Him, there is little motivation to even care about sin- let alone to get the victory over it. That is why you must come to the place where you admit you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive you as you agree with His standard of right and wrong.
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Around that same period in my life, I also listened to advice promoting abstinence. Many of the arguments centered around fear. The warnings that I heard about included the dangers of STDs, unwanted pregnancy, emotional turmoil, violence, and a girl’s father with a gun.
-
So how effective are such scare tactics at reducing teenage sexual activity? Statistics tell us that few people wait until marriage. Some argue that with abstinence education, we could increase that number. I would not argue against such an approach, but the problem is that too many of the programs simply use scare tactics alone. The real reason to avoid sex outside of marriage is because God said so.
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It seems that most people either do not know or care about God’s position on this issue. Many abstinence advocates actually tell teens to wait until they are ready instead of waiting until they are married. That is not what God says to do.
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1 Corinthians 6:18 says, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” Hebrews 13:4 tells us, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”
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Back to the fear issue. Teens love to take risks. Rock climbing, down hill skiing, and bike racing are all risky but not sinful. There is a difference between risk and sin. As a teenager I was willing to take risks. Given the opportunity, I would have ridden a bull or skydived. The reason I waited for intimacy until my wedding night was not because of my fear of all the dangers I had heard about, it was because of my fear of God. Further, sex outside of marriage is not just sinful for teens, it is sinful for all people.
-
If the dangers and consequences of sin were a sufficient motivator, sins like drunkenness would not be a serious problem, for the consequences are deadly. Immediate danger is not a sufficient motivator for many men. Perhaps it is because they have not grasped the concept that they not only need to fear consequences, but they need to fear God Himself.
-
The problem is that until you trust Christ, so many of the motivators to stop sin are quite ineffective. You see, Christ is the only answer to the sin problem. He is the answer both to having your sins forgiven and the answer to helping you to no longer be involved in them. Apart from Him, there is little motivation to even care about sin- let alone to get the victory over it. That is why you must come to the place where you admit you are a sinner and ask Him to forgive you as you agree with His standard of right and wrong.
Why Bother With Church
I love to spend time out in the garage. It can be both relaxing and fulfilling. No wonder my father-in-law calls his garage the men’s crisis center.
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I was recently able to get an old John Deere B to work on, and it is small enough to fit in the garage and still allow room to work on the lawn mower. It has given me further incentive to spend my evenings in the garage.
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This actually reminds me of a statement that I have heard quite a bit lately: “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.” I am obviously not a car, but I fear many church goers may not be real Christians either. God knows.
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So if going to church doesn’t make one a Christian, why bother going? Some may ask, “If I don’t get anything for myself from church, why bother?” Such attitudes have led to people staying home, and churches attempting to cater to man’s desires through entertainment.
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What man and churches are missing in all this is the glory of God. Is Christianity all about us, or is it about HIM? As I realize that God loved me so much that Christ died to pay for my sins, I want to honor Him. I want to know more about Him so that I can tell others about how wonderful my Lord and Savior is. I want to know what He expects of me. I want to be equipped for service to Him.
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We should desire to go to church so that we can learn from God’s Word and be equipped by it. That is what a pastor of a church is supposed to be doing for the saints as he teaches. Ephesians 4:11-16 says, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
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Notice that we are to be taught so that we are not sidetracked by every doctrine or teaching that comes along- so that we understand God’s teaching and are equipped by it. If you really are a Christian and are not in a church that is doing that, find one. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
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I was recently able to get an old John Deere B to work on, and it is small enough to fit in the garage and still allow room to work on the lawn mower. It has given me further incentive to spend my evenings in the garage.
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This actually reminds me of a statement that I have heard quite a bit lately: “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian anymore than standing in a garage makes you a car.” I am obviously not a car, but I fear many church goers may not be real Christians either. God knows.
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So if going to church doesn’t make one a Christian, why bother going? Some may ask, “If I don’t get anything for myself from church, why bother?” Such attitudes have led to people staying home, and churches attempting to cater to man’s desires through entertainment.
-
What man and churches are missing in all this is the glory of God. Is Christianity all about us, or is it about HIM? As I realize that God loved me so much that Christ died to pay for my sins, I want to honor Him. I want to know more about Him so that I can tell others about how wonderful my Lord and Savior is. I want to know what He expects of me. I want to be equipped for service to Him.
-
We should desire to go to church so that we can learn from God’s Word and be equipped by it. That is what a pastor of a church is supposed to be doing for the saints as he teaches. Ephesians 4:11-16 says, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.”
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Notice that we are to be taught so that we are not sidetracked by every doctrine or teaching that comes along- so that we understand God’s teaching and are equipped by it. If you really are a Christian and are not in a church that is doing that, find one. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Normal Use of Allegory
The Encarta World English Dictionary defines allegory as a symbolic work: a work in which the characters and events are to be understood as representing other things and symbolically expressing a deeper, often spiritual, moral, or political meaning. I am reminded of reading Animal Farm in high school where the pigs on the farm represented the communists. It was an interesting story that cleverly illustrated the deficiencies of a specific political movement.
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In a similar manner, Christ used parables- stories that were given to illustrate a spiritual truth. When Christ spoke in parables, it was clear that He was saying much more than just what was seen on the surface, for He often gave the interpretation right after He gave the parable. As we read the Gospel accounts, the normal use of language makes it very clear when a parable is being used and when simple history is being given. For example, Matthew 13:18 begins with the words, “Hear ye therefore the parable.” Matthew 13:33a: “Another parable spake he unto them.” Matthew 21:33a: “Hear another parable.”
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The point is that when the scripture uses allegory, there are clear indicators. The problem comes when men try to allegorize portions of scripture that have no indicators of specific symbolism. What ends up happening is that men make up their own allegorical interpretations to passages that should simply be read in their original normal meanings.
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It has often been asked why people cannot agree on the interpretation of the Bible. Part of the reason is that many do not even use normal use of language rules when looking at the scripture and instead try to allegorize almost any passage they come across. Understand that a conservative will usually come up with a conservative allegory, a liberal will likely come up with a liberal allegory and moderate- you get the picture. The Bible should shape our way of thinking, but this approach tries to twist the scripture into man’s way of thinking instead.
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It is an intellectually dishonest and potentially manipulative approach to interpreting what God has written. Some scholars actually try to make it look sophisticated by coming up with all kinds of intricate reasons for their interpretations, but let us remember 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
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Instead of allegorizing the passages we do not understand, we should study them in their context and compare them with other scriptures. We must examine the audience, culture, and history at the time of the writing to understand the meaning in the setting of normal use of language. Sure this takes some work, but it gives us the pure meaning rather than just coming up with some symbolic idea that cannot be proven.
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At First Baptist Church in Bancroft, you can expect to hear God’s Word preached and explained in its historical setting, as we use the normal use of language to interpret the Bible. We invite you to join us and see that the Bible really can be understood and that it is not just a bunch of broken up allegories. It is a book with continuity that shows the interactions between God and man and clearly gives us God’s expectations for man in a way that we can understand.
-
In a similar manner, Christ used parables- stories that were given to illustrate a spiritual truth. When Christ spoke in parables, it was clear that He was saying much more than just what was seen on the surface, for He often gave the interpretation right after He gave the parable. As we read the Gospel accounts, the normal use of language makes it very clear when a parable is being used and when simple history is being given. For example, Matthew 13:18 begins with the words, “Hear ye therefore the parable.” Matthew 13:33a: “Another parable spake he unto them.” Matthew 21:33a: “Hear another parable.”
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The point is that when the scripture uses allegory, there are clear indicators. The problem comes when men try to allegorize portions of scripture that have no indicators of specific symbolism. What ends up happening is that men make up their own allegorical interpretations to passages that should simply be read in their original normal meanings.
-
It has often been asked why people cannot agree on the interpretation of the Bible. Part of the reason is that many do not even use normal use of language rules when looking at the scripture and instead try to allegorize almost any passage they come across. Understand that a conservative will usually come up with a conservative allegory, a liberal will likely come up with a liberal allegory and moderate- you get the picture. The Bible should shape our way of thinking, but this approach tries to twist the scripture into man’s way of thinking instead.
-
It is an intellectually dishonest and potentially manipulative approach to interpreting what God has written. Some scholars actually try to make it look sophisticated by coming up with all kinds of intricate reasons for their interpretations, but let us remember 1 Corinthians 14:33, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.”
-
Instead of allegorizing the passages we do not understand, we should study them in their context and compare them with other scriptures. We must examine the audience, culture, and history at the time of the writing to understand the meaning in the setting of normal use of language. Sure this takes some work, but it gives us the pure meaning rather than just coming up with some symbolic idea that cannot be proven.
-
At First Baptist Church in Bancroft, you can expect to hear God’s Word preached and explained in its historical setting, as we use the normal use of language to interpret the Bible. We invite you to join us and see that the Bible really can be understood and that it is not just a bunch of broken up allegories. It is a book with continuity that shows the interactions between God and man and clearly gives us God’s expectations for man in a way that we can understand.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Not All Advice is Good Advice
When I was a kid, I remember reading “Dear Abby” in our local newspaper. Readers would write in with questions and she would give an answer. Sometimes I would agree with her answers, but often I would not. So who was right, Abby or me?
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No doubt Abby had many more years of experience than I did, but I consider my own mother who has lived in this world for more than 6 decades. She didn’t always agree with Abby either. So where should I get my advice- from a dear Abby or from dear Mom?
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We should seek advice from others. The problem we face is that human hearts and minds have been corrupted by sin and often the advice we get encourages sinfulness rather than godliness. Consider the advice that is often given when someone has done wrong to us. So much of the worldly advice we receive concerns how to get back at them or to show them how it feels to have been done wrong. Such advice encourages bitterness rather than meekness.
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Consider what James wrote in dealing with this very subject: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:13-18)
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Notice what the scripture says. The sort of wisdom that says you should have bitter envy and strife in your hearts doesn’t come from God; it comes from the earth, from our own passions, and from the devil. The wisdom that comes from God is not ready to pick a fight, but is rather ready to look for peace. This doesn’t mean we compromise truth, but it means that we submit to God’s wisdom rather than our own or the devils. It means setting aside our selfishness for God’s glory.
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It actually sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians 5: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 5:22-6:1)
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So who’s advice do I want- Mom’s or Abby’s? I want God’s advice and thankfully I have a mother who does as well. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
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No doubt Abby had many more years of experience than I did, but I consider my own mother who has lived in this world for more than 6 decades. She didn’t always agree with Abby either. So where should I get my advice- from a dear Abby or from dear Mom?
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We should seek advice from others. The problem we face is that human hearts and minds have been corrupted by sin and often the advice we get encourages sinfulness rather than godliness. Consider the advice that is often given when someone has done wrong to us. So much of the worldly advice we receive concerns how to get back at them or to show them how it feels to have been done wrong. Such advice encourages bitterness rather than meekness.
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Consider what James wrote in dealing with this very subject: “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:13-18)
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Notice what the scripture says. The sort of wisdom that says you should have bitter envy and strife in your hearts doesn’t come from God; it comes from the earth, from our own passions, and from the devil. The wisdom that comes from God is not ready to pick a fight, but is rather ready to look for peace. This doesn’t mean we compromise truth, but it means that we submit to God’s wisdom rather than our own or the devils. It means setting aside our selfishness for God’s glory.
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It actually sounds a lot like the fruit of the Spirit that we read about in Galatians 5: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 5:22-6:1)
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So who’s advice do I want- Mom’s or Abby’s? I want God’s advice and thankfully I have a mother who does as well. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (1 Corinthians 1:25)
Saturday, May 15, 2010
How Much Can I Get By With?
How much will God let us get by with? When I worked as a chaplain with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Department, I would regularly do ride alongs with the deputies while they were on patrol. When it came to enforcement of the law, they were concerned for the safety of the drivers as well as others on the roads, but they actually let people get away with a lot. They had a speed that was well above the posted limit that they would allow the drivers to drive at. Now I am not encouraging drivers to ignore the posted limits, but I do recognize that our human nature wants to push the limits as far as it can.
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Perhaps that was part of the motivation for a question that Christ was asked in Matthew 22:36, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Christ’s answer was quite simple: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
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So does that mean that as long as you are loving God with your all, and your neighbor as yourself, then you can get by doing whatever you want? Well, actually if you do really love God with your all, you will already be doing what He expects and will be treating your neighbor right as well. You see, if you love God that much, instead of seeing what you can get by with, you will be looking for ways to serve and honor Him.
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Notice how Christ said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. That means that all the commands God gives us are based on our love for Him and others. No doubt a society that follows the rules of God treats their fellow man much better.
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Instead of showing us what we can get by with, Christ’s response shows us the importance of all of God’s commands. Consider what James wrote, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) In other words, if you violate the least of the commands, you are guilty of violating the most important command of loving God completely. No wonder we are told that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
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There is good new though. Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins. By believing on Him, trusting Him for our salvation, realizing that He died and rose from the dead for our sins, we too can have eternal life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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Once we really believe in Him and trust Him, our love for Him motivates us to want to obey. It is no longer about what we can get by with, it is about believing that His way is best. You see, it isn’t about cleaning up your life so that you can trust Him. It is about trusting Him and letting Him clean up your life because you love Him.
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Perhaps that was part of the motivation for a question that Christ was asked in Matthew 22:36, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?” Christ’s answer was quite simple: “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40).
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So does that mean that as long as you are loving God with your all, and your neighbor as yourself, then you can get by doing whatever you want? Well, actually if you do really love God with your all, you will already be doing what He expects and will be treating your neighbor right as well. You see, if you love God that much, instead of seeing what you can get by with, you will be looking for ways to serve and honor Him.
-
Notice how Christ said that on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. That means that all the commands God gives us are based on our love for Him and others. No doubt a society that follows the rules of God treats their fellow man much better.
-
Instead of showing us what we can get by with, Christ’s response shows us the importance of all of God’s commands. Consider what James wrote, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10) In other words, if you violate the least of the commands, you are guilty of violating the most important command of loving God completely. No wonder we are told that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)
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There is good new though. Christ came to pay the penalty for our sins. By believing on Him, trusting Him for our salvation, realizing that He died and rose from the dead for our sins, we too can have eternal life. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
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Once we really believe in Him and trust Him, our love for Him motivates us to want to obey. It is no longer about what we can get by with, it is about believing that His way is best. You see, it isn’t about cleaning up your life so that you can trust Him. It is about trusting Him and letting Him clean up your life because you love Him.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Do You Have the Wrong Number?
You know you’re in a small town when someone dials a wrong number and you talk to them for five minutes. We actually get a lot of wrong number calls from people trying to reach Spa dee Dah. Now I do not know how to do makeup or to cut hair, so all I can do is tell them to call 2772 instead of 2702.
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Now getting a wrong number in a small town isn’t that big of a deal, but what if you got the wrong number when trying to reach God? I fear that is happening more often than we would like to admit. Too many people don’t know God’s “number,” so they end up trying whatever they think might work. Romans 10:3 says, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” The point is, when we try to do things by trial and error because we do not know what God expects, we cannot reach Him any more than we could reach an old high school friend just by dialing random numbers on the phone.
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Now if you dial 885-2702, you will reach the church, and you can talk to me, but you still will not be reaching God. You see, I cannot get you to God, all I can do is tell you how to reach Him, just like I can tell callers how to get ahold of the Spa. I am not the mediator, I am simply the messenger. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (I Timothy 2:5).
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You see, you do not get ahold of God, by reaching me or any other clergy for that matter. You have to get ahold of Christ Jesus. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). To reach God, you do not dial a number, you trust in a Savior. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
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If you want to call God, you don’t need to know His number, you need to know Him. God came to this earth in the person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ in order to die for your sins and to raise again victorious over sin and death. If He had the power to do that He has the power to save you and to hear your prayers when you call out to Him. You don’t have to worry about a bad connection if you will humbly submit to Him, turn from your sin, and trust Him as you call out to Him. He promises, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).
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Many have tried to reach God using the wrong number when His way is so straight forward. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) So if you have not yet gotten ahold of God and turned to Him, call Him now. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
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Now getting a wrong number in a small town isn’t that big of a deal, but what if you got the wrong number when trying to reach God? I fear that is happening more often than we would like to admit. Too many people don’t know God’s “number,” so they end up trying whatever they think might work. Romans 10:3 says, “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.” The point is, when we try to do things by trial and error because we do not know what God expects, we cannot reach Him any more than we could reach an old high school friend just by dialing random numbers on the phone.
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Now if you dial 885-2702, you will reach the church, and you can talk to me, but you still will not be reaching God. You see, I cannot get you to God, all I can do is tell you how to reach Him, just like I can tell callers how to get ahold of the Spa. I am not the mediator, I am simply the messenger. “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” (I Timothy 2:5).
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You see, you do not get ahold of God, by reaching me or any other clergy for that matter. You have to get ahold of Christ Jesus. “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). To reach God, you do not dial a number, you trust in a Savior. “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
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If you want to call God, you don’t need to know His number, you need to know Him. God came to this earth in the person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ in order to die for your sins and to raise again victorious over sin and death. If He had the power to do that He has the power to save you and to hear your prayers when you call out to Him. You don’t have to worry about a bad connection if you will humbly submit to Him, turn from your sin, and trust Him as you call out to Him. He promises, “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” (John 6:37).
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Many have tried to reach God using the wrong number when His way is so straight forward. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) So if you have not yet gotten ahold of God and turned to Him, call Him now. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
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