Saturday, May 21, 2011

Only 20 Minutes Left

Six PM is almost here. I'm told by some that the end comes then. So I better type fast. My thought is, that if we could know the moment of the end, and I was not a believer in Jesus Christ for salvation from God's wrath, but I did believe in the wrath, I still would not be able to make myself believe in Jesus. Imagine it -- you are in the final minutes of your temporal existence and need saving from God's judgment in which you believe. Yet, you cannot believe in the Savior. This is because we believe according to evidence. We believe that which persuades us. And Scripture says without the persuading power of God the Holy Spirit, no one believes in Jesus, no matter the circumstances.

Jesus once said that even if our relatives, who had been in hell since their deaths, came back to tell us to believe in Him for salvation, we would not (Lk 16:31). Jesus says what we should listen to is "Moses and the Prophets". In other words, the Word of God recorded. For, "faith comes by hearing the Word of God" (Ro 10:17).

Now, I'm going out for a run. That's what I want to be doing when it all comes down.

"But concerning that day and hour no one knows. . ."  Jesus, Mt 24:36

Sunday, May 15, 2011

God is. . .

"The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him."  
The Prophet Nahum, 1:7

Monday, May 9, 2011

The Myth of Heaven and other Random Thoughts

It's been more than a month since I posted. My wife commented on this to me. I replied that I haven't had anything to say. That hasn't changed, nevertheless, I can't sleep tonight. As Keith Green once sang, "My mind is filled with many thoughts that trouble and confuse. . ." So I might as well put them in print.

Thought #1 - Since Rob Bell is becoming wealthy by selling a book in which he suggests that God's love is of a kind that reaches even into hell to redeem postmortem sinners, perhaps I could earn a few dollars by writing a book that pontificates on the myth of heaven -- on how the wrath of God is of a kind that reaches into paradise to undo its benefits to saints. That would make as much sense as Bell's premise, and might sell more books.

Thought #2 -- Usama bin Laden is dead, or so we're told. This occurrence reminds me that "Government is God's servant to you for good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God's servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong" (Ro 13:4). Sometimes the hand of God's justice moves slowly. But it always moves sure. This should serve as a warning to each of us, for we are all guilty sinners. And it occurs to me that perhaps those dancing in the streets over the death and eternal damnation of an enemy of America have failed to understand that while he was justly an enemy of this country, we are more justly the enemies of God; enemies who have earned an eternal destruction (Ro 1:18-32; Re 20:11-15; Mt 25:31-46).

Thought #3 -- I am a great sinner. The amount and kind of unjustified hostility, bitterness, and arrogance that occupy my heart bring me to the edge of a complete resignation concerning any effort at holiness. Sometimes the mountain simply appears much too steep to climb, even for a Christian fueled by faith and enabled by God Himself. I notice my sinfulness most often by what comes out of my mouth (Mt 12:33-37).