The Lottery

 

I read a great story the other day about a grandma who was having difficulty paying her electric, cable, and phone bill. I would have to imagine that her financial situation was in complete disarray with no hope of tomorrow making it better. Several months earlier, she’d purchased a lottery ticket and put it in her glove box. As you may know, winners only have so long to claim their prize. As time neared the end, grandma cleaned out her glove box and found her ticket; it was worth $28 million.

Stories like this are heartwarming and a little enticing to go buy a lottery ticket. The fact is grandma’s destructive financial problems need not have been. Her answer rested beside her day after day, for months. Her reprieve from agony as she went to sleep in fear of what tomorrow would bring was only a memory away. Her rescue from financial ruin was often inches from her grasp; all she had to do was recognize its existence, take ahold of it, and accept the gift that awaited her.

While I could expound on the futility of wealth and how this does not solve her eternal issues, that is not the point. Christ has given us a gift. We didn’t even have to spend a dollar; it’s free because He has accomplished the task. Many live their entire life a breath, a thought, or a doubt away from receiving the greatest gift humankind has ever received. They slip in to the other side never opening their proverbial glove box and miss out on what could have been.

When I hear the incredible voice of Adele sing, “We Could Have Had It All”, I can’t help but imagine Jesus saying the chorus of that song to those who never accepted their gift of eternal life. We could have had it all, running in the deep, you had My heart inside your hand and you played it to the beat. Throw your soul through every open door. Count your blessings to find what you look for. Turn My sorrow into treasured gold. You pay Me back in kind and reap just what you sow.

The gift of grace, mercy, and salvation are waiting for you to open your heart, see Jesus for what and Who He is, and accept His completed work. He did it for you. He did it for me. Sadly, many will never cash in their untold wealth; instead, they settle for the dirt we stand on, the dust we breathe in, and the mud from which He made us. You could have it all.

 

Connecting the Dots



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Salvador Dali was a surrealist painter in the twentieth century. I observed his works firsthand at the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. As I gazed at one of his paintings, The Hallucinogenic Toreador (can't show due to copyright laws, 13'X9' Full Pic. Dalmation), an artist friend of mine began to point out and explain various stories hidden within the large 13’X9’ painting. Dali purposely placed within his paintings components that only the curious observer would find, stories within a story.

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Near the bottom of The Hallucinogenic Toreador is an area that, at first glance, looks like nothing more than black and white dots. In time, and with the assistance of my friend, I began to see there was much more than what first greets the eye. The white and black dots are actually a Dalmatian dog with its nose to the ground, tail in the air, walking towards a large maple tree during autumn. Once my mind connected the dots, I realized there was a story inside of what originally appeared to be nothing more than dots. Now that I have seen the dots for what they are, I will always vividly see a dog, leaves, and a tree.

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The dog, leaves, and tree were always there; it just took effort and some help to see the truth that already was. Noticing the design created by the designer did not make me smarter or a better person and I certainly cannot brag just because I recognized truth. I did not change the picture nor did I alter its design; I merely acknowledged its existence.

Life, in one sense, is a series of dots; some are dark and scary while others are light and inviting. For many years I only saw black and white dots. The more I study and know God, the more He connects the dots and a large picture is beginning to emerge. I am beginning to see the stories within His story, the story that is Christ’s love for an underserving soul that is me. I cannot see the whole picture yet. But because I have accepted the gift of salvation, I know the Father is creating a work admired for all eternity.

Photo by Robert Hruzek

 

Truth Whispers by the Stream

We cannot earn His love, affection, or salvation. His love does not increase, decrease, or falter. He wants to be with you today, tomorrow, and forever. His adoration for your quirks are hand made by Him for you to use for His purpose not yours. Your life may be filled with disasters, misery, and pain and he hurts with you, for you, and is holding you through it all.

He wants you to know Him so that you will willingly serve Him, glorify Him, and love Him. He gave and gives you everything…without forcing anything and simply asks for your attention when the Provider and Creator of all speaks to you in the noise and chaos of the moment.

He cannot stand for sin in your life to go unchecked, or uncorrected…it must be set straight because it moves you further from your ONLY source of peace you will ever know. He is waiting patiently for you to wake up, stand up, and look up to the One and Only Savior of this dead and dying world, Jesus Christ, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.

Now that is the truth and this world is doing everything in its measly power to cloud your mind, alter your focus, and direct your steps.

Wake up! He is risen. If you believe it, you are saved from His wrath and wrapped in the blood of the Lamb of God, if you do not, 'Why not?' 

Truth, you see, is the most powerful weapon of your God given intellect. Use it, and stand firm on His unchanging, unalterable, and unwavering Being.

God Doesn’t Make Straight Lines



A few years ago, I went over the handlebars of a bicycle and ripped open my right forearm. The gash was large and deep. Friends rushed me to the emergency room where the doctors stitched me up. Two days later, I had a fever of 103° and uncontrollable shakes. My doctor advised me to get to the ER as fast as possible. As soon as the check in nurse saw my arm, I was rushed ahead of the entire waiting room, and within minutes they had removed my sutures, allowing the poison in my arm to literally flow out, causing the nurse to step back and gasp.

They pushed an IV in my other arm and started me on antibiotics. The head nurse came in and said, “You will be here several days; this is not good.” Over the next three days, I watched the red infection consume my entire arm and progress to my shoulder. They were readying me for an amputation, as they had me on the strongest antibiotics we possess, and it did nothing. As a last resort, hospital staff wheeled me into a dark room where they called in an expert in sonogram reading. White-coated doctors and students filled the room as they used my body as a test case. Five minutes in, this specialist broke the eerie silence and said, “Nurse, take a picture of this. Does everyone see that? God does not make straight lines.” My head spun to catch the man’s eyes. I had never felt such relief. This doctor knew that I had something foreign in my body because God creates beautiful curves. The original doctor had left a one-inch sliver of wood in my arm, and it was killing me. The staff hurried me into surgery and removed this deadly straight line.

As I contemplate my life, I see curve after curve, bend after bend, and what appears to be, detour after detour. I have often considered these diversions as a nuisance keeping me from His purpose. The truth is God does not make straight lines. When one reviews the great men and women of the Bible, you will see that no one had a straight line. Instead, their life is marked with upsets, setbacks, and deviations. God then uses your personal experiences to propel His gospel in a way that no other man, woman, or child could possibly accomplish. You are unique, not so you can make money, become popular, or gain power. No, your life’s path contains curves and bends to spread the gospel to a dead world who desperately cries out for help. Embrace your apparent detour. Study it. Learn from it. And get ready, because God wants to use you, and you alone, to change eternity for a select few. God doesn’t make straight lines, so stop trying and simply rest in His leading, His wisdom, and His purpose. Life becomes more peaceful when we truly rest, knowing His love supersedes our own desires.

Nothing is FREE...Right?

FREE...the word itself conjures up several feelings. At first blush, it excites the mind and entices our eyes to look. After all, free is free. Walk through a grocery store on a Saturday and free food from various vendors greets our senses. We hastily grab the products from their tray and gobble them up, pretending that we may purchase their product so we don't feel bad as we walk away looking for the next nibble. Free is what we think of when we consider cheap, unwanted, and unnecessary items such as free tickets to a concert for a band no one has heard of or cares to know more about. Free is not American, it does not make one rich, and it certainly does not end with the free product, as the purpose is to get you to pay for a little more of the free stuff.

It appears to me that Jesus messed up (hold your gasp, Christian, and humor me for a second). That is, if He would have told us, "In order to be saved, you must cut off your right arm" or "God so loved the world that He needs your left foot to be placed on a fire built from gopher wood near the base of Mt. Everest on November 21st. If you do this, you shall be saved". Ah, our intellect and sense of fairness perks. Payment for something of value enters our mind, and we drive forward.

Now there is no question who is "saved"; just look for the missing left foot replaced with a prosthetic limb, brandishing a tattoo of John 3:16.

Man has always understood salvation comes with a price. Culture after culture has killed in the name of sacrifice to their god(s). Today, we sacrifice babies to the god of money and convenience and call it "choice". Oh, we humans get it; there must be a sacrifice for our individual god(s). We just don't get a God who says, "You can't do it, I had to, and it's free". Pardon this apparent contradiction, but while His gift is free, it will cost you, it will cost you giving up your personal pursuits to follow His instead (Lk. 9:24). But the gift is still free in the sense your “sin bill” is paid in full. This seems to rival our idea of fairness. "Let me walk on my knees for miles until I bleed and reach a statue of You" or "Make me count beads while I mumble a specific magical prayer" or "Tell me I must sell everything and live in abstract poverty or You will not love me"...then, and only then, will I believe You love me. "I have to earn everyone’s love, why should You be different?"

Dear friend, I get it. I am as human as you. Free just doesn't seem to work for us. But thanks be to God He offers salvation via the finished work of His Son Jesus Christ. Our salvation was not free; it cost Jesus His life. He paid the price in full, because we cannot afford it. Accept the unmerited favor of God and know peace, fulfillment, and glorify Him with whatever life you have remaining.

Theory of Relativity

A friend of my mine recently stated, “I’ve been married for twenty-five years, but it feels like twenty-five minutes—underwater.” Knowing my friend, I knew he was joking, and we had a good laugh. Point is, though, everything is relative. Twenty-five minutes is extremely fast when you sit down to eat lunch with a good friend, read a great book, or watch a football game. But if you are underwater for twenty-five minutes, well, we know the result.

Recently, I nearly drowned in a powerful rip current, as unceasing waves crushed and held me underwater for a few seconds. Every second away from life-sustaining oxygen, quickly reminds us of our oft forgotten need.

I believe there are those who convince themselves that time in hell is bearable. That is, life is hard and some have gone through hell on earth. Unfortunately, because of tough events on earth, we  think ourselves strong enough to withstand the horrors of hell. What we, as arrogant humans, tend to neglect is that everything is relative. Every second without God will be more torturous than anything a living human can grasp. At least when we are alive, we have the hope of the pain ending one day. As weird as this may sound, I believe it is true. If a shark attacked me, at least I would have the hope the pain would be over soon. In hell, there is no such possibility. Hope is gone; your choice not to accept Christ’s free gift of salvation is your choice made for eternity. God’s wrath will weigh on you with no way to escape (Rev. 1:18).

I write this not to the non-believer, because Christ’s sacrifice is foolishness to those who reject it and are dying (1 Cor. 1:23). I write this to remind fellow Christians their loved ones will spend eternity in anguish with no hope of death or salvation. The truth of a real hell should motivate the believer to action. The reality of separation from God in an actual location of agony must take us past our discomfort and fear of speaking truth, to a place of fearing God more than fearing man. Spread the gospel and take others with you as you enter eternal rest. 

Heaven's Secrets

A friend recently asked me what I thought Heaven was like. The Bible is scarce with revelation about the coming glory of God’s presence, but one thing is certain, it is beyond the greatest of all imaginations. Our human limitations brought on by sin, and the curse of God, do not allow our minds to fully wrap around the splendor to come.



I believe, however, God exposes variant aspects of Heaven to His children that captivate and entice them as it suits their personalities—the individual nuances He so adores. It is all we can corporately conjure and beyond. It surpasses all amazing thoughts, feelings, and dreams combined. The science fiction world stretches towards paradise, but remains desperately wanting. It is the very presence of the Almighty of Whom we only view in a mirror dimly.

Oh my, dream all you want, and it has not begun to scratch the proverbial surface of the majesty to come, and words cannot begin to enlighten our limited intellect.

While Heaven’s true shape is unknown, one thing is for certain, the clouds of the rapture are forming, the chess pieces are maneuvering for position, and the stage for the final battles are almost full. Israel has become the center of the universe as the Bible warned.  

We are near, and the time is at hand. But even if He delays 2,000 more years, our life is a flicker and eternity surrounds our mortal being. Does the blood of Christ protect you from His wrath? Don’t miss out on the party that ends all parties, when Christ enters the room and billions of voices rise in perfection to glorify the risen King who paid our admission. Your mind will be intact, your glorified body will be perfect, and eternal joy with our true family begins and never ends. “Encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25b

Dead People Stay Dead!!

Christians have become dangerously complacent with their knowledge of the truth. They have followed the pattern of the world and too often consider God common. They haphazardly toss out to an unbelieving world that a man named Jesus was brutally beaten, hung on a cross, stabbed through the chest, buried in an extraordinarily secure tomb, and somehow he walked out alive. Not only did he break every known physics, medical, historical, and logical law known to humankind, he also claimed to be God.

I hear some Christians make such irrational claims of truth with nothing more than the words, “And you should believe this to be saved.” When the person questions them, or does not believe, they are shocked, saddened, or shake their heads in disbelief.  

It is perfectly logical and sane for someone not to believe such radical and anti-intellectual claims.

Good news!

Christian faith is not blind faith. Christian faith is not a leap into the dark or falling blindly off a cliff.

 

Christian faith is the evidence of things hoped for, the assurance of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). Did you hear that? Our faith is not like that of the cults or other false religions that ask you to believe them simply because they say so. Or to follow them and after a while they will enlighten you with “new” knowledge no other human has known before now. No! Christian faith is logical, rational, and based upon solid historical data and medical evidence.

This is what we know and is uncontested by serious scholars:

1. Detractors of God have spent 2,000 years trying to tell the world where the body of Jesus went. Many of these mockers are brilliant scientists, anthropologists, historians, and various other experts, so this is not an ad hominem attack.
2. They have devised many theories, but only five make the history books, because they at least hold (held) some merit:
1. Swoon
2. Hallucination
3. Wrong Tomb
4. Theft
5. Passover Plot
3. From the incredible and respectable diligence of the skeptics of God alone (no Bible involved in this deduction), we can decisively and unequivocally know the following facts:
1. A man named Jesus lived in Jerusalem
2. A man named Jesus was beaten by Roman soldiers and crucified on a cross
3. A man named Jesus was buried
4. A man named Jesus body is no longer in the tomb in which he was buried
5. A man named Jesus led a life so profound that he altered the known world and haters have spent 2,000 years trying to disprove that which His followers wholeheartedly believed, many of whom died for this belief, and many more believe today. 

Each of the five theories—keep in mind this is the best-of-the-best over 2,000 years could come up with—have been thoroughly defeated.

1. I will ignore the previous fact and gladly acquiesce to the ardent scoffer’s demand that at least one of them has not been defeated.
2. I will follow the disdainer’s stipulation and submit that somehow he survived a beating that ripped flesh from all parts of his body causing hypovolemic shock. He was hung on a cross with three seven-inch nails by professional executioners. He was stabbed through the lung and heart. He was buried in a cold, damp, and likely mold infested tomb. He moved the 1,500-2,000 pound boulder uphill, breaking the Roman seal without a squadron of trained soldiers ever noticing what occurred, and he walked seven miles to the disciples’ house. Okay, given, somehow that happened.
3. Picture the scene as Jesus knocked on the door and said to his followers, “I am your Savior.” No one in their right mind would accept the claims of a man who looked in the shape Jesus would have looked, let alone hundreds and then thousands of believers. A friend—the disciples were the best of friends—would take such a man by the arm and get him both medical and psychological assistance.
4. We are forced—as many reluctant atheists have stated in the past after a strong review of the evidence—to admit that the preponderance of the evidence weighs heavily toward the events as recorded in and out of the Bible as more likely true than not.

Many atheists/agnostics claim Christians believe in Jesus because they want to. Let me assure you, I do not believe in Jesus because I want to. Think about that: who wants to believe that God will judge them for their thoughts and actions, their family will face a real hell, and that they need to turn from their human instinct ways? That is not something about which I dream. I believe in Jesus, because I can no more deny my very existence than deny the reality of the events as recorded in the Bible and at least twelve extra-biblical sources.

Jesus is real, His words are real, His judgment is real, His wrath is real, and He loves you so much He died for you so you can avoid a real Hell intended for the Devil and his cohorts. “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

Salvation is not a prayer nor is it simply words; it is action. Belief is a verb. Faith is something that inherently alters your actions or it is not faith at all (book of James).

I challenge you to disprove the resurrection as so many have tried to do in the past. Not just cursory searches as though you were looking for a recipe for cookies, but a true and diligent study of the known information. Take a few weeks to know for certain you are correct. What else are you doing? Many have set out to disprove His resurrection and have the intellectual integrity to admit their mistake. Sadly, many more have not.

Are You Sure?

Man's Best Friend

Eleven years ago my cousin carried a small, cute as a button, boxer into my aunt’s house. She asked if we wanted a puppy. I, assuming she was giving it away, reluctantly agreed. The next day she brought the dog for us to take home and asked for $200. Well it was too late; we had already fallen for this puppy and paid the fine of ignorance. The whole way home he sat on my sons’ laps as we tried to figure out a good name for him. As we pulled into the driveway many hours later, we settled on the name Dozier, as in Bulldozer because he liked to run people over as he ran and played.

Last Friday at 4:30pm, I pulled out his collar and leash for the last time. We loaded the family into the truck, and I picked Dozier up and lightly placed him in the backseat with my kids. Off we went to the veterinarian for the final call. As we pulled into the parking lot, I took a deep breath and pulled into a parking spot. I allowed Dozier to walk around and sniff the ground as long as he wanted before slowly walking towards the front door. A friendly technician quickly escorted us to a room, and the doctor entered. He looked the old boy over and agreed with our decision to end his life as he was in pain, and there was nothing left to do to ease his suffering.

I put him on the table and the doc stuck the needle in his front right leg until he found a vein. As he began to inject the final sleeping medicine, we all looked Dozier in the eyes and told him how much we loved him and rubbed his head. The process only takes a few seconds, and he was at rest with no more pain.

Difficult moments like this remind us all that there is an end no matter how cute, cuddly, rich, or poor we are, there is an end. In that final conclusion, we will all face the Maker of all; it is only a matter of when. While Dozier will not have to take responsibility for his thoughts and actions on this green planet, I will. Ultimately, I will have to answer the most critical question in history, “Did you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” Not, “Did you do good works?” but “Is Jesus Christ’s sacrifice covering your sin?” Anything short of a resounding “Yes”, no matter how much God loves me, He cannot accept my sin nature into Heaven. He is a perfect and righteous judge who can do nothing short of perfection including perfect love which mandates perfect discipline.

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

It is only Jesus Christ who freely gives rest to the weary. The world promises it, but you and I know it never satisfies.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

It is not morbid to speak of truth, uncomfortable, yes, but not inappropriate. "Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need" Matthew 6:33. 

“Never the same Time, Never the same Place, Never the same People”

A True Work of Art

I recently visited an incredibly beautiful city on the Gulf Coast of Florida. While waiting on others to go to dinner in an affluent part of town near the beach, two other pastors and I decided to venture outside our comfort zone and enter an art gallery. I knew I could not afford the luxuries in this establishment, but I appreciate the gifts of others to turn paint into something extraordinary.

Out of this large gallery there was one painting that caught our attention, and we could not take our eyes off of it. The artist is Walfrido Garcia and the title is “The Truth Shall Set You Free”. While standing there, a saleslady (I will call her June) approached us and asked the usual, “Is there anything I can help you gentlemen with today?” She was a charming young lady who was personable and funny. I am certain June could tell it was highly unlikely we had the wherewithal to purchase such incredible works of art, but she seemed to truly be interested in talking. 

June asked us if we would like to see a room designed to showcase the art with special lighting, we immediately agreed. It was a room in the back of the store where we could sit on a couch while she altered the light, making the painting appear to come alive. As the room got quiet, I asked June if she was aware of where the name of the painting originated, and she said no. I explained it is from the Bible, but it is missing a key part that is often misquoted. The verse actually states that it is the knowledge of the Truth that sets us free (John 8:32). This started a forty-five minute conversation with June about the creator God of all that loves her and is pursuing her attention. Her primary questions were scientific in nature as she used to work at a science lab out West. As I answered each of her questions, she was intrigued and appreciated what she heard.

Near the end of our time together, she made the comment, “I know God sent you here today, because I have been asking for Him to do that for the last couple of days”. We thought we were just out for dinner, but God sent us to breathe life into an eternal soul desperately seeking a point of true contact with Reality. 

A mystery beyond my grasp is that God uses sinful people like me to spread His incredible news of salvation. He is pursuing the world with passion. Are you helping His perfect and eternal cause, or are you so consumed with personal attainment you are allowing His loving words to go unheard?