"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."

                            -I Corinthians 10:13

No doubt, this is a verse that has given comfort to millions upon millions of people since the day it was penned. I can't count the number of times that I have seen individuals going through difficult times that have drawn strength and encouragement from these words, knowing that the Lord won't bring them to it if He can't bring them through it.

The part of this verse that I really want to focus on, though, is the phrase "way of escape." In early Greek usage, this term had the sense of a landing place for a ship. In other words, Paul was not necessarily saying that God will "pull us out" of our trials when things get rough; rather, he was saying that He will allow us to land safely on the other side of them! Does not the Word of God say that, "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."? (Acts 14:22)


Though they are never fun, trials our a necessary thing if we are to grow in the Lord. Through them, our faith is strengthened, and we learn patience. We ought to learn to do as James exhorted us in James 1:2, and count it all joy when we fall into divers temptations, knowing that the darker the night, the brighter Jesus can shine!

"Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me."

                                -Acts 27:25

The Word of God is full of promises. Promises of comfort in difficult times (II Corinthians 1:4), peace in the valley (Philippians 4:7), and answers to our prayers (James 5:16). No matter the circumstance we may be facing, there is always a promise of God that we can stand on to draw encouragement in that situation. In this passage of Scripture, Paul told his fellow shipmates that in spite of the great storm raging around them, they would all survive because he believed the Lord was going keep His word. Likewise, when the clouds start rolling in, the wind begins to blow, and the rain is beating down upon us, we can still stand on the promises of God; " For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen..." (II Corinthians 1:20)

"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"

                               -Hebrews 6:18

We read in this verse that it is impossible for God to lie, for He is "...the way, the truth, and the life..." (John 14:6) In a world where you can't count on anybody or anything, we can always count on God to keep His promises. As the author of Hebrews says, what a strong consolation!

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail;
By the living Word of God I shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God


Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God, my Savior
Standing, standing, I'm standing on the promises of God. *

"Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you..."

                            -John 6:26, 27

According to Scripture, this life is but a vapor (James 4:14). We are here for only a short time, and then we are swept away into our eternal home. It makes sense, then, that if we are only here for such a brief period of time, that we should do as Jesus said in this passage of Scripture and seek, not after temporal things, but after eternal things.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"

                            -Matthew 6:19, 20

The amount of success we experience on this earth, or the level of accomplishment that we may attain to, will be of no value whatsoever when eternity calls our name. That is why we must strive with everything that's within us to make each and every day we are given count for eternity. A thousand years from now, the size of our bank account, or the number of friends that we have, will be nothing more than a faint memory. Thus, we are instructed not to waste time laying up a treasure that is of no lasting value, but instead to lay up our treasure in heaven, "...where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:"

Where is your treasure?

"For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses:
Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?"

                            -Hebrews 10:26, 28, 29

Many people tend to use Christ's sacrificial death on the cross as an excuse to continue living a sinful lifestyle. It's as if they think they can keep sinning, and God will keep forgiving - over and over again. But the Word of God puts an end to this idea when it says that if we sin willfully (i.e. on purpose), there is no more sacrifice for sins. That is, Jesus did not endure all the pain and agony of Calvary so that we could continue in sin; instead, He died that we might be free from sin!

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."

                            -Romans 6:22

The author of Hebrews puts it well in 10:28-29 when he says that by sinning willfully one is treading under foot the Son of God and treating the blood that He shed as an unholy thing. How could we claim to love God when we are yet holding on to the very sins that put His Son on the cross? The Lord will not allow His amazing grace to be abused!

"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself..."

                            -I John 5:18 

Let us be careful to remember the words of the apostle Paul: " Be not deceived; God is not mocked..." (Galatians 6:7)

"...for He [God] cometh to judge the earth: He shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth."

- Psalms 96:13

The Bible tells us that the day is coming when God will "judge the world with righteousness". The Bible also tells us "...There is none righteous, no, not one:" (Romans 3:10). After reading only two Scriptures, we can plainly see that things do not look very bright.

In the Old Testament, God lets us know what His standard of righteousness is. One of the primary ways He did this is by giving us the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17). Examples of these commandments include "Thou shalt not lie", "Thou shalt not steal", and "Thou shalt not covet." Who of us can deny being guilty of breaking at least one of these commandments at some point in our lifetime? Jesus even said that in God's sight lust is the same as adultery and hate is the same as murder. In other words, God's standard is very high.

By definition, sin is the transgression of God's law. If we are honest with ourselves, we will see that we are all guilty of breaking God's commandments. If we are guilty of sin, we are therefore a sinner, and God will not allow sinners into heaven (Isaiah 13:9).

You may well be asking yourself "Who then can be saved?" (Luke 18:26). If God will not allow sinners into heaven, and we have all sinned, who then can escape God's wrath? The answer to this question is found in I Timothy 1:15:

"...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..."

Jesus Christ came to earth as man and bore the punishment for our sin on a cross. While on the cross, Jesus was paying the price for our sin by experiencing all of the pain and suffering that we deserved. Just before He died, His last words were "It is finished" (John 19:30). Or in other words, "The debt has been paid". After three days in the grave Jesus rose again from the dead!

Through Christ's sacrificial death, God can look at our sins and say "The debt has been paid", and therefore we do not have to experience the terrible punishment of hell that Jesus said awaits sinners (Matthew 8:12). In order to partake of this forgiveness, all we must do is repent of our sins (i.e. confess and forsake), and ask God to forgive us (Luke 13:3). From then on, we are instructed to stay away from sin and live a life that is pleasing to God by allowing Christ to dwell within us and guide us as we live out the remainder of our life (Hebrews 12:14).

Sounds simple doesn't it? It is...

To me, the most difficult type of witnessing is coming up to a person that you have never spoken to before and telling them about Jesus. "What do I say?" and "How do I say it?" where questions that I asked God countless times. I mean how do you pack the entire message of salvation into a conversation that may not last more than a minute? I believe the answer to this problem is easy: give them the Gospel in its simplicity. We often make the Gospel sound much more complicated than it really is, which will turn a soul away from God much quicker than just about anything else. Tell them that salvation is God's free gift and all they have to do is repent of their sins and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That is something that even some Christians have a hard time accepting, but it is the simple truth of the Gospel. Paul said, "But I fear, lest by any means...your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." (11 Corinthians. 11:3)

I have also found that it is helpful to have some "ice-breakers" on hand. Think of a subject that many people will be able to relate to, and how you can turn a conversation on that subject into a conversation about God. One method that I have found to be very easy and successful is looking for somebody in the sporting goods section at Wal-Mart and strike up a conversation with somebody about hunting, fishing, or whatever they appear to be interested in. After the conversation gets going, hand them a gospel tract and say, "Hey, did you get one of these?" When they ask what it is, simply say, "It's a gospel tract." Sometimes just handing somebody a tract will give you an opportunity to verbally share your faith or even invite them to church. Of course, it doesn't necessarily have to be in the sporting goods section, just wherever you happen to be at the time.

We should also bear in mind that our personal testimony is one of our greatest weapons. Even the apostle Paul, who was arguably the greatest evangelist in history, used his personal testimony as a means of witnessing. Some people may complain that they have a "boring testimony", but I believe that those who make such statements are those who do not realize what God truly has done for them. It doesn't matter if you were saved when you were five years old, or if God delivered you from a life of drug abuse, God rescued you from an eternity without Him, and that is something worth talking about. People can argue with your convictions, your doctrines, and your Bible, but it's difficult to argue with a personal experience.

"When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul."

-Ezekiel 3:18, 19

In all of our Christian life, one of the most important things we can do is to share our faith with somebody. For many people, the thought of witnessing is a scary thing. We can think of a million and one "reasons" to escape witnessing, but when we look closely we will see that they are not really reasons at all; rather, they are excuses.

For a long time, witnessing was one of the hardest things I could ever imagine doing, but then I realized that I had no basis for that fear. What I mean is, I had never experienced anything that would cause me to be afraid of witnessing; I was just afraid of it because it was unknown to me. Similar to a child's first haircut, or your first time on a roller coaster, I was afraid because I didn't know what might happen if I finally mustered up the courage to tell someone about Jesus. Would they look at me like I was some kind of nut? What if they asked me a question that I didn't have the answer to? Or worse yet, what if I said the wrong thing and they were turned against God forever?

In order to overcome these questions, we must first identify their source: are we afraid of saying the wrong thing, or are we afraid of saying the right thing? Are we afraid of not having all the answers, or people thinking we don't? To me, the greatest obstacle was just saying, "I don't care what people think about me anymore." Coming to this place means going against every fiber of our human nature, but it is a necessary step if we want God to be able to use us.

In addition, I believe it is important that we remember that God has sent us on this mission. After all, did God leave Moses when he led the children of Israel in their exodus from Egypt? Did He leave David when he battled Goliath? Was Daniel alone in the Lion's Den? No, no, and no again. If we are walking the path that the Creator of the Universe has instructed us in, should we expect anything else but for Him to be with us on our journey? The same Lord that said "...preach the Gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15), also said "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5)

"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

-I Corinthians 3:11-15

Paul begins this passage of Scripture by reminding the Corinthians that no man can lay any other foundation than that which is already laid: Jesus Christ. Granted, there have been many attempts to lay another foundation (Buddha, Allah, etc.), but all of these foundations are unstable and will be unable to stand in the Day of Judgment.


He then warns us to be careful what we build on this foundation. Before I go any further, I should point out that unless we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ, any good works we might otherwise perform are worthless. That is why Paul says, "...if any man build upon this foundation..." Anyway, just like James said in James 2:17, "... faith, if it hath not works, is dead..." You have to have both! In the same way, a foundation with no building is useless, as is a building without a foundation!

Six building materials are listed here: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, and stubble. The first three, of course, are things that cannot be burned, but all the others are combustible. On Judgment Day, God will try our works by fire, and if they "abide" we will receive a reward (v. 14). But, if they do not, then we will suffer loss.


Let's stop for just a minute and ask ourselves this one simple question: "What have I been building with?" Have we been building with things that will withstand the fire of Judgment Day, or with things that will be consumed? Once that day comes we will have to live with the outcome for all eternity. That is why Paul admonished us, "...But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." (I Corinthians 3:10)

Backsliding is to turn away from following Christ. If we are not completely dedicated to Christ, sin, like a cancer, will take over our life and we will backslide:

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field"

- Matthew 13:44

(We must we willing to "sell all.")

"Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the whole heart."

-Psalm 119:2

Loving God, which is the key to living a successful Christian life (Mark 12:30), is much more than just an emotion that we feel, but it is a lifestyle that must be lived at all times.


Some people do not believe that once a person is saved they can backslide. However, the Scriptures clearly speak otherwise. Luke 9:62 says, "...No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Jesus clearly states that it is indeed possible to "look back", and that such a person is not fit for the kingdom of God. Proverbs 14:14 also refers to backsliding:

"The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own
ways..."

Such a person (one who is filled with his own ways) is most certainly an ungodly person, for one who is godly is filled with God's ways, not his own. David compares the ungodly to chaff in Psalms 1:4 when he says "The ungodly are not so: but are like chaff which the wind driveth away", and Matthew 3:12 tells us that the Lord will "...burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire..."


Those who have turned away from following Christ are not beyond the reach of God's grace (Jeremiah 3:22). They need only confess their sins to Christ and seek forgiveness until they feel the "...peace which passeth all understanding..." that Paul spoke of in Philippians 4:7.




See also:


Isaiah 59:2

I Corinthians 10:12

Hebrews 10:38

Revelation 2:4

Jeremiah 15:6

II Peter 2:21

"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"

                            -Ephesians 5:18

This verse is often wrongly understood to mean, "Be not drunk with wine excessively," or, "Do not drink excessively," therefore meaning that just a little, or only getting drunk now and then is okay. However, the true meaning of this Scripture is far from such.

When we are reading the Bible, we should bear in mind that it was not written in English, but translated to English. Thus, it is sometimes necessary to explore the Greek and Hebrew languages in order to better understand the Word of God itself. With that said, the word "excess" in this passage comes from the Greek word "asotia", which means "unsavedness and profligacy." (According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible)

This same Greek word was used twice elsewhere in the Bible; however, in these verses it was translated as "riot."

"If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly."

                            -Titus 1:6

"Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:"

                            -I Peter 4:4

After reading these two verses, it is clearly visible that Paul was not telling the Ephesians that it is okay to drink as long as they do not do so excessively. Rather, he is saying that wine/strong drink is filled with riot, unsavedness, and profligacy.

For years, sinners and Christians alike have been troubled by the question, "Why does God allow suffering?" Those who do not know the Lord often cannot understand how a loving God could allow such terrible things to happen in the world, and those who do know the Lord are sometimes perplexed as to why God would allow His children to suffer. However, the Lord knew that we would have such questions, and the Scriptures give us many explanations for why God allows these things.

In Genesis 3, we read the story of man as he fell into sin, and as we see in Romans 6:23, "...the wages of sin is death..." Therefore, we know that when sin entered the world, likewise did suffering.

The Bible also promises suffering to those who do not serve the Lord in Job 15:20 when it says, "The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days..." and also in Proverbs 13:15 when it says, "...the way of transgressors is hard." This is because they are seeking lasting pleasure in the things of this world, but the Word of God lets us know that the pleasures of sin are only for a season (Hebrews 11:25). The only lasting joy comes from serving the Lord: "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." (John 15:11)

However, we must remember that suffering comes even unto those who are godly. In II Timothy 3:12 Paul says, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." Other such verses such as James 5:10, I Peter 4:13, and II Thessalonians 1:6 also speak of the suffering that God's people must endure.

And while all of these verses help us to better understand the suffering of God's people, perhaps the greatest verse of all on the matter is II Corinthians 1:4 where Paul tells the Corinthians, "Who [God] comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God." In other words, if we are a child of God, we have the promise that the Lord will comfort us in our tribulations and sufferings, in order that we may be able to comfort others.

A few days ago, we received a Christmas card that had the words, "Jesus knows me, this I love..." written on the inside. At first we made light of it, thinking that the individual who sent it just didn't remember the words to the song, but then we realized that what she was saying made perfect sense. Not only does Jesus know me, but He knows me better than I know myself. After all, I haven't the slightest clue how many hairs are on my head, but according to the Bible God even knows that (Matthew 10:30).

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

                             -I Peter 5:7

This Christmas season, I challenge you to, for just one minute, forget about the Christmas shopping you've got to finish up; forget about the presents yet to wrap and the food left to buy, and reflect on the true meaning of the Holiday. Don't let the lights, the music, and the gifts steal all your attention as they have in years past, but instead give your attention to the One who gave the greatest Christmas gift of all: Himself.

About a month ago I came down with some kind of viral infection. For over a week I had what seemed like a bad cold, and then it started to turn into a sinus infection. It continued to get worse and worse until I had a severe sinus toothache and pain in my face from the pressure to the point that I could hardly stand it. It was so bad that for three days I could hardly even sleep, and instead of getting better it seemed like I was getting worse.

Anyway, last night at about 2:00 A.M. I woke up in pain and couldn't go back to sleep. I got up and boiled some water in hopes that breathing in some steam would help, but it didn't. I took some medicine to help ease the pain, but it didn't help either. After talking to my mom a little bit, we decided that my only hope was to just get a hold of God and get healed. We went to my room and prayed for a few minutes, but I still felt just as sick as ever so we had my grandma come and pray with us. As we were praying, I kept thinking of all the times in the Bible Jesus healed the sick and the promises He gave us that He will do the same for us. One verse that kept coming to my mind was Hebrews 6:18:


"That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:"


After praying for quite some time, the Spirit of God began to move strongly. As I knelt there with tears streaming down my face, God spoke to me and said, "I will not lie unto thee, for thou art My child and I have loved thee with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). I will not suffer thee to be afflicted; be healed!" At that moment I felt the the blockage in my sinuses begin to be broken up, and my toothache started to ease up as well. I went to bed, exhausted from lack of sleep, thanking God for my healing.

The next morning, though, I woke up sick again. I was very discouraged and I honestly wondered if I had ever been healed in the first place, but now I know that the Lord was just testing my faith because right now I feel better than I have in ages. The Holy Ghost brought this verse to my remembrance earlier today, and I think it illustrates well what God has done for me:

"And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel."

                            -I Kings 18:41-45

Elijah had prayed for rain, and in verse 41 he told Ahab that he heard "...a sound of abundance of rain." Verse 44 seems to indicate that there wasn't even a cloud in the sky at this time, because it wasn't until his servant's seventh trip to the seaside that he saw saw a cloud beginning to form. But still yet, Elijah knew the rain was on its way because he heard it coming. Likewise, last night I heard "a sound of abundance of rain", but it wasn't until later that I began to see and feel its effect.

"And were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak."

                            -Mark 7:37

God does still heal, and He does it well. Praise the Lord!

"Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss..."

                            -James 4:3

This evening I had my Bible open to the book of James - one of my favorite books in the New Testament - and I happened across this verse. James tells his readers here that the reason they had not received is because they had been asking amiss - or erroneously. In other words, just as searching for oranges on an apple tree would no doubt leave me with a lack of oranges, asking amiss will inevitably leave me with a lack of results. After reading this verse, I was reminded of another passage of Scripture in the book of II Chronicles:

"And Asa in the thirty and ninth year of his reign was diseased in his feet, until his disease was exceeding great: yet in his disease he sought not to the LORD, but to the physicians.
And Asa slept with his fathers, and died in the one and fortieth year of his reign."

                            -II Chronicles 16:12, 13

We see here that King Asa made the same mistake as the Israelites whom James was addressing in his epistle. When he became sick, just as James' readers in the New Testament, he received not because he asked amiss. Instead of going to God, he went to man and the consequences cost him his very life.

Let us be careful today that we don't make the same mistake. Instead of going to man, let's go to God. David tells us in Psalm 146:3 "Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help." If we go to the Lord, we are not asking amiss and we will receive.

"Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you."

                            -Jeremiah 5:25

The truth revealed to us in this verse is one that the world has yet to accept. Instead of realizing that sin does indeed withhold good things from us as the Scripture says, most people today have chosen to believe that righteousness, not sin, keeps good things from us. But according to the Bible this is not true. Solomon even tells us in Proverbs 28:10, "...the upright shall have good things in possession." We can clearly see from this verse that being upright does not keep us from good things.

"Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;"

                            -Hebrews 11:25 

The pleasures of sin, no matter how great they may be, are only for a season. They last only for a little while and then fade away, leaving nothing but sorrow and heartache in their place. On the other hand, however, fullness of joy is found in the presence of God (Psalm 16:11) - and only in the presence of God! The unspeakable joy (I Peter 1:8) that comes from knowing Christ doesn't ever have to fade! Even in the midst of trials and tribulations, we can still have the joy of the Lord in our hearts and minds.

"How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality."

                            -II Corinthians 8:2

We know that if something is mentioned in the Bible even once, then that means it's important. If the only time we were told not to kill was when God gave Moses the ten commandments, we would still be able to classify murder as a sin. But apparently there are certain things that the Lord wanted to make abundantly clear to us, and therefore reminded us of them over and over throughout His Word.

One day I decided to see how many verses I could find about watching what we say. Below is only some of the passages that I found.

"Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people... " -- Leviticus 19:16

"A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." -- Proverbs 11:13

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." -- Proverbs 18:8

"He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips." -- Proverbs 20:19

"Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth -- Proverbs 26:20

"The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." -- Proverbs 26:22

"My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit." -- Job 27:4

"Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile." -- Psalm 34:13

"I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue..." -- Psalm 39:1

"Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue." -- Psalm 52:4

"Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue." -- Psalm 120:2

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." -- Proverbs 18:21

"Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles." -- Proverbs 21:23

"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain."-- James 1:26

 "Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." -- James 2:5-6

"For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:" -- I Peter 3:10

"Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." -- James 3:9-10

I once heard a story about a family that seemed to have it all together. Every evening, the husband would come home to find his wife and children waiting for him in the front yard. The father had a very close bond with his children, and loved his wife from the bottom of his heart. Apparently though, somebody in the neighborhood became jealous and decided to start a rumor that this man was cheating on his wife. After the rumor circulated and made its way back to the wife, she was devastated. When her husband returned from work wondering why she was not waiting for him in the yard, he concluded that she must have just had a bad day. But the next evening when he came home he couldn't find her at all. He walked downstairs and gasped as he saw his wife and children dead! She had killed the children and then herself after leaving a note that said, "I couldn't stand the thought of living with a man who was cheating on me." Truly death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21).

Our tongue is a very powerful thing. With it, we can build up, or tear down; we can encourage, or we can discourage. The choice is ours.

"This day You've set life, You've set death right before us
This day every blessing and curse is a choice now
And we will chose to be a blessing for life."*

* The Blessing - John Waller

A few minutes ago I finished reading the story of the crucifixion in John chapter 19 while listening to Amazing Grace on the radio. I tried to imagine the pain that Jesus went through on the cross; the thorns gouging into His head, the nails piercing His wrists, the beatings ripping open His flesh, and the outright humiliation He went through paints an unmatched picture of grace. He shouldered the full weight our sin, bearing the punishment that me and you deserved.

"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,"

                            -Titus 2:11

Four or five months ago, if you would have asked me to tell you the difference between God's grace and His mercy, I probably would've been hard-pressed to give you an answer. But now I realize that, even though they are similar, there is a difference: God's mercy is when He saves us from what we do deserve, and grace is when He offers us what we don't deserve. For example, when God saved me, He delivered my soul from hell; that was mercy. But instead of stopping there, He took it a step further and offered me heaven instead; that is grace - amazing grace.

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows..." 

                            -Isaiah 53:4

We often say that our debt of sin was canceled, but that is simply not true; it was paid in full by the One to whom it was owed! What amazing grace!

"I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

                            -Isaiah 43:25 

When the Bible talks about God forgetting our sins, it doesn't mean that the Almighty suddenly came down with a holy case of amnesia and has no knowledge that those things ever happened; it means that He has simply chosen not to remember those sins against us any more. In other words, our iniquities have been cast into God's sea of forgetfulness and the Lord will treat us as if they were never there. For some reason though, many people who have tasted of God's forgiveness still struggle when it comes to forgiving others.

"And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors."

                            -Matthew 6:12

In order to be forgiven of our sins, we must forgive those who sin against us (Matthew 6:15). Jesus tells a story in Matthew 18 of a man who was forgiven of a debt equivalent to millions of dollars in today's currency, but yet this same man was unwilling to forgive a debt of 100 pence (about ten dollars). We, like the man in the story, have been forgiven of an enormous debt that we could not possibly pay. Why then is it so hard for us to forgive others?

"Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."

                            -Matthew 18:32-35

The Lord does not tolerate unforgiveness in the hearts of His people because it shows a lack of appreciation for the forgiveness that He has shown us.  And, as Jesus points out in Matthew 18:35, true forgiveness must come from the heart. Continuing to talk about someone for something that they did when you claim to have "forgiven" them for it is a sign that you haven't really forgiven them at all, for "...out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." (Matthew 12:34)

Let's put such things under the blood once and for all - you may be surprised how good it feels.

"(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"

                            -II Corinthians 5:7

Walking by faith is one of those things that is much easier said than done. To be able to look past what we can (or can't) see at the moment and just trust in God for our future can indeed be very difficult. But God knew that walking by faith would be tough sometimes, so that is why He gave us story after story in the Bible of people who walked by faith, not by sight.


I can't imagine the questions that must have been going through Noah's mind when God told him that rain was going to flood the entire earth with water, and that he needed to build an ark so he could be prepared. Never before had he so much as seen rain, and now he is being told that it's going to destroy all of humanity?  But instead of questioning God, he realized that the Lord knows best and walked by faith in Him. If he had done anything else it literally would have cost him his life.

"And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh."

                            -Luke 21:28

If you open your Bible and turn to Luke 21 or Matthew 24 and read the prophecies that Jesus gives us concerning the last days, you will no doubt find it difficult to find any that are yet to come to pass. We live in an age where we are constantly hearing of "wars and rumors of wars" (Matt. 24:6), to the extent that we see "men's hearts failing them for fear." (Luke 21:26) In countries such as China and India, God's people are being persecuted and killed for their faith every single day (Matt. 24:9), and countless false prophets have arose and deceived many (Matt. 24:11), causing the love of many to wax cold (Matt. 24:11). Jesus told us when these things begin to come to pass to know that our redemption is drawing nigh (Luke 21:28). How much more then should we be anticipating His return now, seeing as these things began a long time ago!

If you're like me, you've heard talk about the Rapture your entire life. You've been told that Jesus could come at any time, and that we are living in the last of the last days. And while this is all true, we must be careful not to lose sight of heaven's - and hell's - reality.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

                            -Matthew 25:13

One day we will look back at our days on this earth as nothing more than a vague memory, and as something of the distant past. Are you ready for such an eternity?

"...the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober."

                            -I Thessalonians 5:2,6

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

                            -Galatians 5:22, 23

Would you say that things such as goodness, temperance, and longsuffering are virtues that a Christian should exercise just part of the time? Should we only be loving every once in a while? Of course not. These things are to flood our entire being, characterizing our new identity in Christ Jesus.

There is a reason why Paul calls these attributes "the fruit of the Spirit." If I was told by somebody to distinguish between two trees which one was the apple tree and which one was the pear tree, I would immediately check each one for fruit. If I found apples on the left tree, it would naturally assume that it was the apple tree, and vice-versa. Likewise, if we possess the fruits of the Spirit, that is an indication that the Holy Ghost is at work in our lives.

It makes sense, though, that if love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance indicate the presence of God in our lives, that things such as hate, sorrow, fear, impatience, harshness, dishonesty, doubt, haughtiness, and lack of self control would indicate His absence.

The fruit of the Spirit is necessary in each of our lives. If we desire to be "neither...barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." (II Peter 1:8), then we ought to bear the fruit of the Spirit, not in moderation, but in abundance.

"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."

                            -John 15:8

"By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life."

"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

"But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD."

"Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts."

                            -Isaiah 6:5

Naturally, the thought of being humiliated does not appeal to us. I don't know about you, but when I think of being humiliated, I think of being severely embarrassed or degraded. But today I looked it up in the dictionary, and it simply means, "to lower the pride, dignity, or self-respect of." So, judging by this definition, we all ought to be humiliated. No, I'm not talking about being publicly disgraced; I'm talking about being made humble before God.

In Isaiah chapter 6, we read the story of Isaiah being "humiliated." No longer was he saying, "Woe is them!", but now his cry was, "Woe is me!" When he saw God in His holiness, he saw more clearly than ever before his own wickedness, and therefore his own unworthiness. When we see God as He really is, and then see ourselves as we really are, we will pour contempt and disgust on any pride our hearts may accommodate.

Even when Jesus Himself came to earth, instead of being prideful, He was meek and lowly (Matthew 11:29). The same Jesus that could walk on water, heal the sick, raise the dead, and give sight to the blind was humble instead of arrogant, and modest instead of conceited. How then could we possibly think that we have reason to boast in ourselves?

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"

"And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched."

A while back, I was watching a video on the internet of Oprah Winfrey interviewing a man about his religious beliefs. The question of what happens to us when we die was brought up, but the man simply replied, "I don't know. I've never really given it a second thought." Now let's stop and think for just a minute about the description of hell that Jesus gives us in Mark chapter 9. He says that it's a place "where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched." - A place of constant torment and suffering, where death is nonexistent. Given such a graphic illustration of hell, I simply don't understand how anybody could choose not to give the possibility of ending up in this terrible place a second thought. Unless this man has a life-changing experience with Jesus (thought I pray he does), one day he will wake up in hell wishing he had given his eternity a second thought while it was still in his power to change it.

Hell is more than just a curse word; it is a real place. It's as real as heaven. But even more than that, it has "enlarged herself, and opened her mouth without measure." (Isaiah 5:14) It's a place of "weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Luke 13:28) A place of eternal torment, misery, and sorrow that millions of people are being swept into every single day. In fact, by the time you finish reading this blog, nearly 300 people will have been cast into its depths. If this fact troubles you at all, then don't just sit there and do nothing about it! Take action today!

"There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented."

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him."

Last Friday ("Black Friday"), I saw first-hand what people will do to get something that they really want. All courtesy was forgotten as people pushed and shoved their way through the crowds, doing whatever it took to save some cash. Even though the sale didn't start until 5:00 A.M., people started lining up at 11:00 the night before for just one item! To them, no sacrifice was too great. They saw something they wanted, so they did whatever it took in order to obtain it. 

Seeing all this reminded me of the verse in Hebrews 12 thats says, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us," (V. 1) We are reminded here to do whatever it takes to make heaven our home; to lay aside every weight and hindrance so that we may run the race that is set before us with all our strength.

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

                            -I Corinthians 9:24

In order to win a race, you have to run.  You can't just saunter along or jog; you have to run!  In the same way, making it to heaven requires much more than just a half-hearted effort. We've got to lay aside anything and everything that could slow us down, and run will all of our might the race that is at hand. If we do this, then at the end of our journey we will be able to say with the apostle Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, The Righteous Judge, shall give me at that day..." (II Timothy 4:7,8)

"O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

We recently had to make the very difficult decision to put our dog Scooter, who had been a part of our lives for over 10 years, down. Now it's one thing when death comes uninvited into your life and takes someone, or something, that you love; but when you are in a position when you have to make that decision yourself, it can be much harder.

I was thinking about how difficult it has been for our family to come to the point of being able to let our dog go; but then it occurred to me how much harder it must have been for God to give up His only begotten Son for you and me. For all of eternity, God the Father and God the Son had experienced constant fellowship, never knowing any kind of separation. But that day on Calvary, that bond was broken. I cannot imagine the agony the Son of God was going through as He cried out, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Mark 15:34) For the first time ever, the Godhead was divided. The Trinity was severed.  All that you and me might be redeemed from the power of sin.



I heard a story a while back of a little boy that called a radio station.  He told the talk-show host that he had just gotten back from putting down one of their calves due to a broken back.  He said that as he stood there, he asked God, "Why did she have to die?  She was special!"  God replied and said, "You know, My Son was special.  But He died for a purpose."

When death takes someone or something that we love,  we can turn to God because He knows what the sting of death feels like, too.

"I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please.  Not enough to explode my soul or disturb my sleep, but just enough to equal a cup of warm milk or a snooze in the sunshine.  I don't want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant.  I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the Eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy $3 worth of God, please."

                                         -Wilbur Rees

How much of God do you want?  Just enough to make you feel comfortable, or just enough to make you happy inside?  Because if so, that's not enough.  The Scripture says, "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:19) We have to be filled with God! When this happens, we will be completely transformed, and the difference in our lives will be no less than the difference between darkness and light, or death and life (Acts 26:18, John 5:24).

In the poem by Wilbur Rees, he says, "I don't want enough of God to make me love a black man or pick beets with a migrant."  What's your limit?  Does your heart say, "I don't want enough of God to make me lose my best friend, or give up my favorite T.V. show."  If the answer is yes, remember that Jesus said in Luke 14:33, "...whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."  This means that when we come to Christ we have to give Him everything. We can't hold anything back.

"So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out my mouth."

                                -Revelation 3:16

It has been said that the most miserable person in the world today is not the sinner, nor is it the child of God.  It is the lukewarm Christian.  The sin in their life will keep them from God, and what little they have of God in their life will keep them from enjoying all the pleasures of sin. I like how J.C. Ryle puts it in his book, Holiness:

Are you lukewarm, and cold in your Christianity?  Alas, many are! They try to serve two masters: they labor to keep friends with both God and mammon...If you are such a one, I say to you this day, "Take care: remember Lot's wife."

"And in the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him.
Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream.
Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.
The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me.
But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.
 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh." 

At its definition, Emmanuel means "God with us." Throughout Scripture, we see time and time again that God is not satisfied to have a "long-distance relationship" with us.  He wants it to be personal.  In fact, I believe that is one of the reasons that Jesus came to die on the cross. The Bible says in Isaiah 59:2, "...your iniquities have separated between you and your God." God wanted us to be 100% free from sin so that there would be no separation between us and Him.

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."

             -II Corinthians 9:15

Today is Thanksgiving. A day when Americans stop and remind themselves of all they have to be thankful for.  And while the 4'th Thursday in November is customarily a day of thanksgiving, as Christians, everyday should be a day of thanksgiving.  Why?  Because, as Paul says, we have been given an "unspeakable gift":  salvation.

I often think of the story of the ten lepers in Luke 17.  They all asked for healing, but when they received it, only one returned to give thanks. I would say that all the lepers were probably thankful for being healed, but nine of them decided not to take the time to say so. Being thankful is not enough. We have to do something with that thankfulness: we have to turn it into something called "praise."

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

                            -Hebrews 13:15

 The keyword here is, "continually."  Not once a week; continually.  Not once a day; continually.  God has given us so much that we could never thank Him enough, but that doesn't give us an excuse not to try.

For a long time I was never really serious about serving the Lord.  I was saved at a young age, but then I began to get discouraged and I fell away from God.  Then, when I was a little bit older, I got saved again, and at age 11 I was filled with the Holy Ghost at a Church of God youth convention.  But, yet again, I was unable to hang on to what God had given me and I backslid. For years, this was my life. I would get saved, backslide, and then repeat the whole process.
   
When I was about 13 or 14 I remember getting saved and honestly believing with all my heart that it was my last chance.  I thought, "If I mess it up this time, that's it.  Game over; no more restarts." But praise the Lord that wasn't the case, because I did indeed backslide...again.
   
After that, conviction began to set in strong.  I was tired of going back and forth, and so one night I got my mom and my grandma to come and help me pray as I sought forgiveness.  After a pretty long season of prayer, God, for some reason, answered my prayer and saved me once again. 
   
A month or two passed, and then the devil started trying to tear me down.  I knew that if something didn't change I would backslide again.  Then one night at about 4:00 A.M. (yes, A.M.), I woke my mom up and asked her to help me pray for the Holy Ghost.  As we were praying, I told God that I didn't just want the Holy Ghost, but I wanted the commitment to be able to keep it. That night my life was forever changed.  I was sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, but I also received the commitment I had prayed for. 

That was almost 2 years ago and I am still going (or should I say, growing).  Over the past two years I have learned a lot.  I've learned that God doesn't always move mountains - but sometimes He does.  I've learned that commitment wasn't all that I lacked before; I lacked a true love for God.  Your feet take you where your heart leads, and that's why we have to put our heart in God's hands.  But, perhaps most importantly, I've learned that God is the only One you can count on in life. He's the only one that will never leave you or forsake you.  When all else fails, God won't.

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."

                    -Isaiah 12:2, 3

This morning I was flipping through my Bible and I stopped at this verse and, for some reason, it really jumped out at me.  I asked myself what it truly means to "draw water out of the wells of salvation." As I was meditating on this passage of Scripture, I thought about how water is absolutely necessary to our survival.  Without water, we die.  In the same way, if our souls do not receive the nourishment that they need, they too will die. But where does that nourishment come from?  "The wells of salvation." In other words, our souls must draw their sustenance from God's grace, mercy, and truth. 

The second thing that came to my mind was that, in Bible times, drawing water was a frequent task. It wasn't something that you could do once a month, or even once a week.  It was a daily task.   Similarly, we can't have a Sunday to Sunday relationship with God.  In fact, I would go as far as to say that we can't even have a day to day relationship with Him.  It has to be a minute by minute, walking around relationship with Jesus.     

I was also reminded of what Jesus said to the woman at the well:

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."

                  -John 4:14

The water that is drawn from the well of salvation is no ordinary water.  It is Living Water, and those who drink of it never thirst again.

"Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.
And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see."

I have to wonder if we would see more souls won to the Lord if we used the same approach as Philip and the woman at the well.  Instead of trying to twist somebody's arm into believing in Jesus, maybe we should let them know that they can "...taste and see that the LORD is good." (Psalm 34:8) 





We've all heard the saying, "I'll believe it when I see it." The truth is, we can't just expect people to take our word for it when it comes to Christ, and then base the most important decision of their life (i.e. whether or not to live their life for Him) on what we say.  We've got to let them know that they can "come and see..."

As I am typing this, I am wearing approximately 6 layers of clothes, a hunter-orange vest, and a neck warmer, with a buck grunt call hanging around my neck. And I am soaking wet.

This morning I, once again, packed up my stuff and headed for the deer woods, but after a while it started to rain. It was just a drizzle at first, but soon it turned into a real downpour. As I sat next to my tree, trying to decide if I wanted to wait it out or not, it occurred to me that nobody likes the rain. But the fact is, as much as we may dislike it, it is a necessary thing. If it never rained we wouldn't be able to survive.

Could it be that the same thing is true spiritually? Nobody likes it when storms roll in, but they are needed if we are to grow in the Lord.

   "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross;"

                                -Colossians 2:13, 14

   "And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

                                -Philippians 2:8

   "And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:"

                                -Ephesians 2:16

   "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

                                -I Corinthians 2:2

   "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me."

                                -Galatians 2:20

  
  
   These are only some of the verses in which Paul made reference to the cross. To him, the cross was everything. And rightfully so. If there was no cross, then there was no sacrifice for our sins, and therefore no forgiveness for them. Just as a house cannot stand without a foundation, Christianity is nothing without the cross.
  

   "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

  
   Isaiah says that the chastisement of our peace was upon him: the peace of God that you feel in your soul right now is a result of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. It says He was bruised for our iniquities: the reason you don't have to live with the guilt of all your past sins is a result of the cross. It also says by His stripes we are healed: the spiritual healing that has taken place in our lives would not be without the cross. The next verse says that we have all like sheep gone astray: our going astray was paid for on the cross. The Messiah (i.e. Savior) would not even be the Messiah without the cross. Without the cross we are nothing.

   Stop and think for a minute about all that was accomplished through the apostle Paul. We likely would not even be saved today if it was not for his ministry. He was taught the Gospel by Christ alone - no man instructed him in it. Jesus Himself spoke from heaven and called Him to be His light to the Gentiles. He established numerous churches. Why wasn't he full of pride and arrogance? All it takes is a quick look at Galatians 6:14.

   "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world."

   When you stay at the foot of the cross, pride is disgusting to you. Think about it: the King of Glory willingly left His Throne in heaven where He was worshiped by countless angels to come into a broken world filled with sinful people to die the most horrible death ever invented by man for sins that He never committed. And we think we're something special? I like how the old song puts it: