You know how you can hear a song 1,000 times and the 1,001st time you hear it, a line REALLY jumps out at you that hasn't before? That happened to me recently. I love to listen to Casting Crowns when I'm on the treadmill or walking in the Battlefield. (My playlist is called 'Jesus Running Music :) Anyway...some time ago, I was listening to Casting Crown's song "East to West". Of course I've heard the song many times, but this one particular time, a line just resonated in my head! Then today, it happened again. Same song. Same line.
I'm not holding on to You, but You're holding on to me
I started thinking about situations where we hold on to stuff. Since I was walking at the time, one of the first things that came to my mind was exercising. When was the last time you tried to do a pull up, or as we used to call them in the "old days", chin up? You remember those, right? Those horrible things where you hold on to a metal bar above your head and pull your ENTIRE body weight up to where your chin is over that stupid bar, then you drop back down and just hang there until you muster the strength to do it again. UGH!! Just the THOUGHT of those makes me hurt all over! Anyway...back to my illustration. The point is, you have to hold on to that bar. And it doesn't take long for it to really start hurting. Your hands start cramping up, or they start getting sweaty and then start slipping. It's really tough holding on for very long. You eventually have to drop to the ground because you can't keep your grasp any longer.
The other thing that popped into my mind when I was thinking about holding on to stuff, was my kids. You know how when your babies are little and you are out anywhere with them, you have a death grip on their little hands because you don't want them to run off from you and a bad person kidnap them...(surely I wasn't the ONLY one who told my kids that....) anyway. When you are a mom or dad and you have your little one out, say, crossing the street, you have their tiny little hand firmly in yours. No matter how much they wiggle and squirm, your hand is a vice around theirs. There is NO WAY you are going to let them go. You are holding on to them to protect them, and you will do that for as long as is necessary. But here's the thing. Eventually, your hand is going to get tired. You may hold on to that little one's hand for HOURS...but at some point, you are going to HAVE to loosen your grip.
I have several other illustrations running through my head, but you can probably think of some more on your own, so I'll move along to how this ties in to the song lyric.
As hard as we try, with all of our human strength to hold on to things, we just can't do it. That includes "holding on" to God. Friend, can I just tell ya...that is 100%, totally, completely impossible!! We can't do it. But here's the awesome thing... WE DON'T HAVE TO!! He (God) is holding on to us! Woo Hoo!! He's not going to run out of strength, get tired and sweaty, lose his grip. I mean, HELLO...He's GOD!!! We don't have to exhaust ourselves trying to do things that will make Him love us or keep us or help us or take care of us. He's got it.
Let me give you a few examples of how I've seen this in action.
There is a precious young couple at our church who have been in the process for a LONG time now, of adopting a little girl from Peru. This little girl is deaf and she has some other health issues. But God put her into this sweet family's heart as THEIR daughter. The process of adoption has been long and VERY expensive. There have been stumbling blocks, both major and minor thrown in the way. But this wonderful couple has said from the beginning "God's got this." They do not have to worry because they KNOW He's in control. He's holding on to them.
I have a co-worker who got married some time back, thinking the man she married was the will of God for her life. Unfortunately, the man was a liar. I do not know the whole story, but I do know he took advantage of her financially. When the truth about this joker finally came out, my friend was in pretty dire straits financially. She had to pick up a second job. But you know what? I never heard her complain. Sure. It was hard on her. But you know what I heard when I talked to her personally and read on her very public FB posts? I heard her praising God and giving thanks for His protection and provision. She knows God is holding on to her. When she is exhausted from having to work 70 hours a week, she doesn't have to worry about trying to hold on to her "religion". Oh no...Her God is holding on to her.
One of my dearest friends lives in Texas. I haven't seen her in over 7 years, but she was in my life during a time when I really needed her godly influence. We shared lots of laughs and lots of tears during the time she lived down the street from me. When I found out she was moving to Texas, I was devastated. Crushed. I cried for weeks! I could NOT figure out why God would take away the only real friend I had. She has three boys whom I loved like my own kids. The youngest was just a baby when they moved. She knew at the time he had some kind of health issue, but she was struggling to figure out what it was. Over time, she learned that her little boy was non-verbal, autistic. Again, through Facebook (what in the WORLD would we do without social media??) I keep up with her life and her struggles that she faces daily living with an autistic child. I can tell, even from 700 miles away, that she gets tired, emotionally and physically. My heart longs to be able to "give her a break" and take care of that sweet boy for the day. But I can't do that. As I continue to read her posts, I see that even when she is completely exhausted, she rests in the truth that she knows with all her heart. God's got this. He's holding on to her. She doesn't have to worry.
One last one... I have another co-worker. Super sweet, godly lady. I'm not sure of the timeline of the events, but her daughter-in-law was either pregnant and then found out she had cancer, or had cancer and then found out she was pregnant. Can't remember. Either way, it was NOT a good situation. She made it to 29 weeks, and they had to take the baby. NOW LISTEN TO ME HERE!! She did NOT abort the baby. OH NO!!! She gave birth to the baby!!! At 29 weeks!!!! This is the part that gives me chills about this story. They were thinking the baby would be a pound or so...but that precious little bundle of life was THREE POUNDS!!! And he was absolutely perfect!! I remember my friend telling me that story standing in the hall at school. I had chills all over and tears in my eyes! And our country says it's OK to kill babies at this stage of gestation...UGH! Sorry...I don't need to get on THAT soap box. That's for another blog I guess. Anyway...that precious baby boy had to stay in the hospital, obviously, for a LONG time. And while he was in the hospital, his sweet mama (whom I have never met) was being treated for cancer. I kept up with his progress through Facebook. He grew and grew and developed in every way he should. But you know the thing that those FB posts pointed out to me? They screamed "God's got this!" That sweet family never wavered from their faith that the God of the universe had that tiny little life square in the palm of His hand, and He was NOT letting him go! God was holding on to that teeny baby and his mama as she fought that cancer. They didn't have to worry about trying to find the energy or strength to hold on to Him!
I don't know about you, but that is just SO comforting to me!! I've had some JUNK go on in my life (as we all have had) and looking back on those times, it is plain as day that God was there, holding on to me. There is no way I would have made it through otherwise. You know the saying "If you aren't in the middle of a trial or storm, get ready because you're about to go through one." Take heart my friends. You don't have to worry about holding on to God...He's got this!!
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Do you believe the Word or don'tcha?
I have been thinking recently about all my really smart friends. More specifically, I have been thinking about where my really smart friends are going to be spending eternity. And it really scares me. Badly. I am going to have a LOT of friends in Hell.
If being smart gets one to Heaven, they would all be there for sure. If being a good person was the ticket, they would have no problem there either. But some of my really smart friends are going to be in Hell BECAUSE of their "smarts". They are too "smart" to have faith. They have too many questions for which they will not accept my or anyone else's (scriptural) answers. I have had conversations over the years with different people and the topics would turn to "religious" things. I would be promptly shut down because the person with whom I was conversing didn't want to hear what the Bible had to say about whatever the topic was. These same people would say things like, "Oh, I think there is a god." or "Jesus said we aren't supposed to pray in public" or "Why would a loving god let people go to Hell?" and the list goes on and on and on. Never was my response satisfactory.
While thinking about all this, I've decided it comes down to the answer to one little question. Do you believe the Bible or don'tcha? Yes or No? No no no no no...."I believe some of it." is NOT an option. "Yes...but" is NOT an option. "Well....." is NOT an option. Either you believe the Bible in it's divinely inspired entirety or you don't. The end.
Every answer to every question is in there. In Ephesians 6:17, the Word is referred to as the "sword of the Spirit". It's a defensive weapon. People in Bible times knew about swords. They didn't have AK-47's back then ya know....So they understood about what it meant to have a sword. If their sword had some kind of defect, it was pretty much useless to them in battle. Who would want to take a chance going into battle with a defective sword...even if it was a LITTLE defect? Would YOU want to take that chance? Well, if the Bible isn't what it says it is...even in ONE little part, how could anyone trust ANY of it? If that Noah and the Ark thing is just a story we learn as kids in Sunday School, how can we know that the rest of the book is not just a story?
I was thinking about some of the comments/questions I've heard from various people over the years. Lets look into a few of them, shall we?
1. "Scientists know that the Earth is blah-blah-blah billion years old...blah-blah-blah evolution....blah-blah-blah big bang...blah-blah-blah..." Ok... first off, I've never seen a billion year old scientist, so how do they KNOW anything about the Earth billions of years ago. "Well, they have studied fossil records and carbon dating and yada-yada-yada". So what you're telling me is that YOUR faith is in a finite man's understanding of what some other finite man has decided is true. Thanks, but no thanks. And YOU question ME and consider me "uninformed" because of MY "faith"?? Geez!!! It seems to me it takes a WHOLE lot more "faith" to believe that this amazing, vast, indescribable universe that we are just a miniscule part of came about because of some cosmic explosion than it does to believe what the Bible says in its very first verse... "In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth". See, the answer is right there. Do you believe the Bible or don'tcha? Now, don't get into the "Well, HOW did He create it?" or "Was it really seven days as we know seven days, or were there billions of years between each "day" of creation?" I mean, really? Who cares???? He's GOD for cryin' out loud!! He can do whatever He wants to do!! (BTW...I personally believe it was a literal seven days, but I don't want to go into all that here....just FYI)
2. "Jesus was a good man. A teacher. A prophet. But he was a JUST a man, NOT God." I have to chuckle at this one. Check out Matthew 3:17. "and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."" This was the occasion of Jesus' baptism by John. Ok...so who else would this "voice from Heaven" be if not God Himself? Need another one? What about Matthew 17:5? Totally different time, and different people around. "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" Again, who is this "voice from Heaven", if not God? Here's another...Look at John 10:30. That verse comes right out with it too. Jesus himself says "I and the Father are one." Really not sure how you can get any more plain than that. But the one that REALLY tells the tale is the one that people have heard all their lives, but still have a hard time grasping. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It's RIGHT THERE. It's in the book. Jesus is God's son. Are you going to believe it or not?
3. "Homosexuality is an 'alternative lifestyle'. I mean, love is love." Nope. Sorry. Not gonna buy into THAT lie!! Look up Leviticus 18: 22. Not really sure how it could be any more clear. It says " You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." Need something a little more clear? Read on over in Leviticus 20: 13. "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." I'm not sure how anybody can get "God made me this way" or "God is love so He doesn't care who I love" out of those verses. This one is the clincher for me. Rom 1:26-27 "For this reason God gave them over (emphasis added) to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." If God "gave them over" that means they weren't "born that way". They adopted that lifestyle because of the corruption of sin. Come on folks...it's RIGHT THERE. God does not create someone a homosexual. It is their OWN choice and sin being allowed to take root in their lives. Not my words. It's in the Book. Are you going to believe it or not?
4. "A loving God wouldn't doom a person to Hell." I totally agree with this one. It says so in
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." God DOESN'T want anyone to go to Hell. Hell is a place created for Satan and his demons. It is not a place meant for humans. HOWEVER, we humans are born sinners.
Anybody that knows me very well, knows that my first grandchild was born in June. I think my first words when I saw him were, "He's perfect." And he is. That little rascal is absolutely perfect in every way. Except one. He is human. He is a sinner. At some point, (and I'm praying it will be early in his life) Karson is going to have to admit that he is a sinner and ask Christ to save him from eternal death. God wants that for him. Look at Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He (God) doesn't want ANYBODY to go to Hell. God made a way for Karson and every other human being ever born to be able to get to Heaven. It is laid out very clearly in Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". I'm not sure how anybody can argue with that. It's pretty clear if you ask me.
5. "Well you know...I'm a good person. I've never killed anybody. I'm not worried about getting in to heaven." Do you realize that there are going to be LOTS of really good people in Hell? Check out the story in Luke 16:19-31. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ What Abraham says to this guy is really sad 25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony." The rich guy had "stuff" when he was alive. He was a good guy. But he ended up in Hell. His "goodness" didn't do him one bit of good.
And for those who like to tell me they can "work their way in"...talk to me about these verses
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The Bible says that the only way we can get to Heaven is by grace, through faith...that's it. Nothing more.
I'm sitting here thinking about all the other arguments I've heard that the Bible so clearly gives answers for. I could go on and on and on...But I won't. Because it all boils down to that one thing. You either believe the Bible or you don't. One last thing though...How do I know the Bible is what is says it is? Ummm well...it's right there. Read 2 Timothy 3:16 16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
And for my final note...I have to admit I am NOT a Bible scholar. But I know the Bible is the true, legitimate, inerrant Word of God. How do I know that you ask? Because it has proven itself to me time and time again in the 46 years of my life on this planet. Now, are YOU goin to believe it, or not?
PS- Do you have a question about something in the scripture? Ask me on Facebook. I may not know the answer, but if I don't, I'll find someone who does. Just remember. My answer will be from scripture, so are you going to believe it if I do give it to you?
If being smart gets one to Heaven, they would all be there for sure. If being a good person was the ticket, they would have no problem there either. But some of my really smart friends are going to be in Hell BECAUSE of their "smarts". They are too "smart" to have faith. They have too many questions for which they will not accept my or anyone else's (scriptural) answers. I have had conversations over the years with different people and the topics would turn to "religious" things. I would be promptly shut down because the person with whom I was conversing didn't want to hear what the Bible had to say about whatever the topic was. These same people would say things like, "Oh, I think there is a god." or "Jesus said we aren't supposed to pray in public" or "Why would a loving god let people go to Hell?" and the list goes on and on and on. Never was my response satisfactory.
While thinking about all this, I've decided it comes down to the answer to one little question. Do you believe the Bible or don'tcha? Yes or No? No no no no no...."I believe some of it." is NOT an option. "Yes...but" is NOT an option. "Well....." is NOT an option. Either you believe the Bible in it's divinely inspired entirety or you don't. The end.
Every answer to every question is in there. In Ephesians 6:17, the Word is referred to as the "sword of the Spirit". It's a defensive weapon. People in Bible times knew about swords. They didn't have AK-47's back then ya know....So they understood about what it meant to have a sword. If their sword had some kind of defect, it was pretty much useless to them in battle. Who would want to take a chance going into battle with a defective sword...even if it was a LITTLE defect? Would YOU want to take that chance? Well, if the Bible isn't what it says it is...even in ONE little part, how could anyone trust ANY of it? If that Noah and the Ark thing is just a story we learn as kids in Sunday School, how can we know that the rest of the book is not just a story?
I was thinking about some of the comments/questions I've heard from various people over the years. Lets look into a few of them, shall we?
1. "Scientists know that the Earth is blah-blah-blah billion years old...blah-blah-blah evolution....blah-blah-blah big bang...blah-blah-blah..." Ok... first off, I've never seen a billion year old scientist, so how do they KNOW anything about the Earth billions of years ago. "Well, they have studied fossil records and carbon dating and yada-yada-yada". So what you're telling me is that YOUR faith is in a finite man's understanding of what some other finite man has decided is true. Thanks, but no thanks. And YOU question ME and consider me "uninformed" because of MY "faith"?? Geez!!! It seems to me it takes a WHOLE lot more "faith" to believe that this amazing, vast, indescribable universe that we are just a miniscule part of came about because of some cosmic explosion than it does to believe what the Bible says in its very first verse... "In the beginning GOD created the heavens and the earth". See, the answer is right there. Do you believe the Bible or don'tcha? Now, don't get into the "Well, HOW did He create it?" or "Was it really seven days as we know seven days, or were there billions of years between each "day" of creation?" I mean, really? Who cares???? He's GOD for cryin' out loud!! He can do whatever He wants to do!! (BTW...I personally believe it was a literal seven days, but I don't want to go into all that here....just FYI)
2. "Jesus was a good man. A teacher. A prophet. But he was a JUST a man, NOT God." I have to chuckle at this one. Check out Matthew 3:17. "and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased."" This was the occasion of Jesus' baptism by John. Ok...so who else would this "voice from Heaven" be if not God Himself? Need another one? What about Matthew 17:5? Totally different time, and different people around. "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" Again, who is this "voice from Heaven", if not God? Here's another...Look at John 10:30. That verse comes right out with it too. Jesus himself says "I and the Father are one." Really not sure how you can get any more plain than that. But the one that REALLY tells the tale is the one that people have heard all their lives, but still have a hard time grasping. John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." It's RIGHT THERE. It's in the book. Jesus is God's son. Are you going to believe it or not?
3. "Homosexuality is an 'alternative lifestyle'. I mean, love is love." Nope. Sorry. Not gonna buy into THAT lie!! Look up Leviticus 18: 22. Not really sure how it could be any more clear. It says " You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." Need something a little more clear? Read on over in Leviticus 20: 13. "If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads." I'm not sure how anybody can get "God made me this way" or "God is love so He doesn't care who I love" out of those verses. This one is the clincher for me. Rom 1:26-27 "For this reason God gave them over (emphasis added) to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error." If God "gave them over" that means they weren't "born that way". They adopted that lifestyle because of the corruption of sin. Come on folks...it's RIGHT THERE. God does not create someone a homosexual. It is their OWN choice and sin being allowed to take root in their lives. Not my words. It's in the Book. Are you going to believe it or not?
4. "A loving God wouldn't doom a person to Hell." I totally agree with this one. It says so in
2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." God DOESN'T want anyone to go to Hell. Hell is a place created for Satan and his demons. It is not a place meant for humans. HOWEVER, we humans are born sinners.
Anybody that knows me very well, knows that my first grandchild was born in June. I think my first words when I saw him were, "He's perfect." And he is. That little rascal is absolutely perfect in every way. Except one. He is human. He is a sinner. At some point, (and I'm praying it will be early in his life) Karson is going to have to admit that he is a sinner and ask Christ to save him from eternal death. God wants that for him. Look at Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." He (God) doesn't want ANYBODY to go to Hell. God made a way for Karson and every other human being ever born to be able to get to Heaven. It is laid out very clearly in Romans 10:9 "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". I'm not sure how anybody can argue with that. It's pretty clear if you ask me.
5. "Well you know...I'm a good person. I've never killed anybody. I'm not worried about getting in to heaven." Do you realize that there are going to be LOTS of really good people in Hell? Check out the story in Luke 16:19-31. 22 “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. 24 So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ What Abraham says to this guy is really sad 25“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony." The rich guy had "stuff" when he was alive. He was a good guy. But he ended up in Hell. His "goodness" didn't do him one bit of good.
And for those who like to tell me they can "work their way in"...talk to me about these verses
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
The Bible says that the only way we can get to Heaven is by grace, through faith...that's it. Nothing more.
I'm sitting here thinking about all the other arguments I've heard that the Bible so clearly gives answers for. I could go on and on and on...But I won't. Because it all boils down to that one thing. You either believe the Bible or you don't. One last thing though...How do I know the Bible is what is says it is? Ummm well...it's right there. Read 2 Timothy 3:16 16All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.
And for my final note...I have to admit I am NOT a Bible scholar. But I know the Bible is the true, legitimate, inerrant Word of God. How do I know that you ask? Because it has proven itself to me time and time again in the 46 years of my life on this planet. Now, are YOU goin to believe it, or not?
PS- Do you have a question about something in the scripture? Ask me on Facebook. I may not know the answer, but if I don't, I'll find someone who does. Just remember. My answer will be from scripture, so are you going to believe it if I do give it to you?
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