"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:

"I and My Father are one."

"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"

- John 14:9

"...he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me."

-John 12:45

"...he that despiseth Me despiseth Him that sent Me."

-Luke 10:16

"...he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me."

-Matthew 10:40

"...whosoever shall receive Me, receiveth not Me, but Him that sent Me."

-Mark 9:37

"For by Him [Jesus] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:"

-Colossians 1:16

"And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

                                                                          -II Corinthians 11:14

We often view Satan as a horrible looking creature with a pitchfork in his hand and a forked tail at the end of his body. But, if the devil appeared to us in that form we would immediately know to shut our ears to whatever he tells us, and say no to any temptation he may throw our way. But the fact is, the devil comes in disguise - or as the Scripture says, as "an angel of light."


Because the devil disguises himself as an angel of light, it makes sense that he would disguise the lies that he tells us as well. The devil's lies are often so subtle that even a born-again Christian has to pay close attention to be able to recognize them. For example, I once read a quote of a woman that said something along the lines of, "The church should base all of its doctrines on personal experience." Sounds harmless, right? That's how it sounded to me at first too, but then I read it again. Think about it. If this were true then somebody could choose to preach that homosexuality is acceptable because that has been their own "personal experience." Or they could say that it is okay to smoke, drink, and gamble, because of "personal experience." The Bible says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine..." (II Timothy 3:16, 17) The Bible should be the basis for church doctrine - not personal experience.

I have known people that were habitual liars. When you know somebody like that, you find it difficult to believe one word they say. In reference to Satan, the Scripture says, "...When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."(John 8:44) In other words, he is a bigger liar than the greatest liar you can think of. I have made it a habit to disregard anything that the devil says, because after all, if it comes out of his mouth it's probably a lie.

This past Saturday was the opening day of deer season. I set my alarm for 5:15 A.M., but I wasn't even able to wait that long. A little before 5:00, I got up, got my stuff together, and headed for the woods. For four hours strait I saw nothing more than a few squirrels, while only a few hundred yards away my cousin shot a 12 point buck - the biggest deer of his life. Countless people go hunting each year, but only a few leave with that trophy buck.

Think of it this way: approximately 6.5 billion people in this world are searching for the truth. They look to every possible source of happiness, yet are unable to find it. They seek, but in all the wrong places; they knock, but on the wrong door. All the while, there is a select few who have found the truth: Jesus Christ. I guess you could say that "...many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14).

If you know the Lord Jesus, just remember that there is a world full of people out there that are trying to find what you have. Don't try to hide the light that God has put in you. A city on a hill cannot be hid (Matthew 5:14).



As a side note, a while back I was doing a google search, and I typed in "What is the..." When I did this, a drop down list of popular searches appeared. Out of all the questions that begin with those words, the most commonly asked was "What is the meaning of life?" That story should motivate every Christian to get out there and share the Gospel before this open door that we have closes.

God's grace. For many people - including some Christians - God's grace remains somewhat of a mystery. Ephesians 2:8 says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" While many of us know this verse by memory, I wonder how many of us know it "by heart." We are aware that we have been saved by grace, not by works. But what we need to realize is that we are also sustained by God's grace.

"This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?"

-Galatians 3:2, 3

Simply put, if one's salvation cannot be earned by good works, then how could it possibly be sustained by good works?

Now please don't misunderstand me. Works are a necessary part of our faith in Christ. The Bible tells us in James 2:17, 20, & 26 that faith is dead without works, and Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we were "before ordained" to do good works. However, we must realize that it doesn't matter how much we accomplish in this life, we still don't deserve God's love and goodness. Thus, we are dependent on His grace.

I once read a story about a group of men who were seated at a table trying to see what made Christianity different from all the other religions in the world. One man mentioned Christ's death and resurrection, but other religions had also included stories of the dead being brought back to life. Several others made suggestions as well, but they were still unable to find a distinguishing factor that set Christianity apart from any other religion (although I don't personally classify Christianity as religion - but I'll save that for a different blog...).
Enter C.S. Lewis.
Mr. Lewis walks right in and asks, "What are you guys talking about." They told him, and without hesitation he responds, "Oh, that's easy! Grace." They thought it over, and everybody agreed that grace is indeed something that is unique to Christianity.

Grace is perhaps the most important element of our faith. Compromise the message of grace, and you compromise the Gospel in its entirety.

"But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die. Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal [fair]. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not My way equal [fair]? Are not your ways unequal [unfair]?"

-Ezekiel 18:24, 25

Picture this: A man is charged with murder, and there is do doubt in anybody's mind that he is guilty. When asked for his defense he admits to the crime, but then proceeds to give the judge a long list of all the good things he has done in his life. He tells of the time that he donated blood, the time he volunteered to help out at a nursing home, and the time he lent $5 to a friend - never to see it again. He recalls the time he helped an elderly woman that lived down the street, and the times he put money in the church offering plate. The list goes on and on, but he finally reaches the end and sits back down. After hearing all these things, the judge looks at him and says, "You know, I was going to lock you up. But, now I see that other than killing somebody you're a pretty good person, and I think I'll let you go this time." Would this man be a good judge? Of course not!

As crazy as this story may seem, many people today say that God is "unfair" for not being like this judge. The Bible says here, "All his [the sinner's] righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned" (verse 24). In other words, just as a judge looks at the crime that a criminal has committed - not all the good things - when a sinner stands before God on judgment day, their good deeds will not be able overshadow their sins.

There is only one person that has ever walked this earth Who never sinned, and His name is Jesus Christ. This same Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for our sin and rose again on the third day. All we have to do in order to partake of this forgiveness is to repent of our sins, and put our faith in Him (Acts 2:21).

Just like a skydiver doesn't just believe in a parachute, but puts it on; likewise we must "put on" Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:27).

"And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, What is the vine tree more than any tree, or than a branch which is among the trees of the forest? Shall wood be taken thereof to do any work? or will men take a pin of it to hang any vessel thereon? Behold, it is cast into the fire for fuel; the fire devoureth both the ends of it, and the midst of it is burned. Is it meet for any work? Behold, when it was whole, it was meet for no work: how much less shall it be meet yet for any work, when the fire hath devoured it, and it is burned?"

The other night I walked into my sister's room, and out of nowhere my mom looked at me and said "What's this?", holding up part of a song that I had started to write ages ago. I had completely forgotten about it. I grabbed it and stuck it in my desk, and then last night I decided that it was time I finished it. This is what I came up with, and I hope you like it.

"This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me."

-Matthew 15:8

These are the words that Jesus spoke to the Pharisees; but I am afraid that if Jesus was walking the earth today He would say the same words to some of us. Throughout Scripture, it is made clear time and time again that the Lord hates hypocrisy. It doesn't matter if we have everything right on the outside, if our heart isn't right it's all in vain. Notice what God says in Jeremiah 3:10,11:

"And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah."

In these verses, God said that Judah was even more wicked that Israel because they had forsaken God, but continued going through the motions pretending they were alright. Mere outward conformity has never, and will never, be enough.

"...for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."

-Deuteronomy 13:3

It doesn't say that God "proves" us to see if we go to church every Sunday, or to see if we are faithful in our tithes and offerings. It says that He looks to see whether or not we love Him with all of our heart and soul. I once heard a preacher say that just because the outward is right, that doesn't always mean the inward is right; but if the inward is right the outward will always be right.

If we intend on making it to heaven, hypocrisy has to go!

"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."

-James 3:17

"Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,"

-II Peter 2:1

"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple."

"Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.
Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.
Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,"

-Isaiah 6:1, 8-11

This is a story that I have read countless times; but, as He has done many times before, God took a verse that I have read over and over and shined a new light on it for me and let me see it in a different way:

God was looking for somebody that He could use, so Isaiah volunteered. The Lord told him what his mission was: he was to be His messenger, warning the Israelites of the judgment to come.

Jesus gave us a similar command in Mark 16:15 when He said,

"...Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."

Some, like Isaiah, may ask "How Long?" But the answer that God gave to Isaiah is the same answer that He gives to us: "...Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate," (Verse 11).

We've got to preach the gospel, not until people quit listening, but until there is nobody left to tell.

I recently finished reading the book of Jeremiah. Out of all the prophetic books of the Bible, I must say that Jeremiah is one of my favorites. One of the stories that really spoke to me is in chapters 42 and 43:

"Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even unto the greatest, came near,
And said unto Jeremiah the prophet, Let, we beseech thee, our supplication be accepted before thee, and pray for us unto the LORD thy God, even for all this remnant; (for we are left but a few of many, as thine eyes do behold us:)
That the LORD thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do."

"And it came to pass after ten days, that the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah.
Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
And said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, unto whom ye sent me to present your supplication before him;
If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you."

"But if ye say, We will not dwell in this land, neither obey the voice of the LORD your God,
Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:...Then it shall come to pass, that the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die."

-Jeremiah 42:1-3, 7-10, 13-14, 16

"And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, even all these words, Then spake Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the LORD our God hath not sent thee to say, Go not into Egypt to sojourn there:"

"So they came into the land of Egypt: for they obeyed not the voice of the LORD"

-Jeremiah 43:1-2, 7

So, as we have just read, these men came to Jeremiah and asked him to go before the Lord and seek instruction on their behalf. They said that it didn't matter if the answer was "good or evil", they would do it.

Ten days later, Jeremiah hears from God. He gathers everybody back up and gives them the Word: they had to stay in Israel. The Lord even gives them promises of prosperity if they are obedient to this command (42:10). But, despite the fact that these men had promised to do whatever God said (see 42:5-6), they called Jeremiah a liar and went to Egypt anyway.

You might ask, "Why did they even go to God in the first place if they were just going to do what they wanted anyway?" But the fact is, they had already made up their minds what God's answer was going to be. Far too often, professed Christians ask to hear only what pleases them (II Timothy 4:3-4), expecting God to simply validate their own desires, instead of giving them the truth.

If we are going to let the Lord be a "lamp unto our feet, and a light unto our path" (Psalm 119:105), we have to lay aside our preconceived ideas of how things should be and allow God to have His way.

If you have been serving the Lord very long, then you know what it's like to go through times when you simply don't feel Him. We all go through times when our prayers don't seem to get through, and God feels a million miles away. But I figured out a long time ago that going through times like that is a normal part of our spiritual growth. In fact, the Bible says of King Hezekiah in II Chronicles 32:31:

"God left him, to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart."

The Bible doesn't say here, "God left him, because Hezekiah had done something wrong." Rather, God "left" him in order to strengthen His faith, and "that He might know all that was in his heart." The other night I was feeling this way. I was just really down in the dumps, and not feeling the Lord at all. Every time I would try to pray, it felt like my words were just falling to the ground. I went upstairs and wrote this song a few minute later, and I hope you enjoy listening to it.

I'm sure we would all agree that the most important part of reaching your goals is taking that first step. In order to have a good day, you have to get out of bed. If you want to reach your destination, you've got to get in the car. It's just common sense. In Ezekiel's case, his ministry as a prophet began with being told by God what he was supposed to do. But when I was reading his story the other day, I noticed something that at other times I would have been tempted to simply overlook:

"As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake. And he said unto me, Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak unto thee. And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me."
-Ezekiel 1:28-2:2

As we've already seen, in order for Ezekiel to be used by God, he had to be told what it was he had to do. But what I want us to notice is that in order for God to speak to Ezekiel, he had to get up off the ground, dust himself off, and stand up. In other words, whether or not he would even be able to be used by God was dependent on Ezekiel standing up! Do you see where I am going with this? In order for us to be used by God, we have to get up off the ground and stand up! It's not a question of whether or not the Lord can use us; but it's a question of whether or not we are going to allow Him to!


And one more thing: the Scripture doesn't say, "And Ezekiel stood to his feet by his own strength." It says that the Spirit entered into him, and set him on his feet! We cannot do this by ourselves! We must allow God Himself to lift us up and set us on our feet!

"...for without me ye can do nothing."
-John 15:5