"The Simple Answer"

"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest".  Matthew 11:28

When we are burdened down by the cares of this life, by problems or by unpleasant circumstances, we tend to run here, there and everywhere looking for answers.  We often miss our true source of help because the answer to the help we need is too "simple"-- "Come unto Me".

Is going to the Lord the first place you turn to for help or the last?  Do you go to Him after you have exhausted every other avenue of help?  Is He at the top of your list for help or the bottom?  Or is He somewhere in the middle? 

The Psalmist said, "I will look unto the hills from where my help comes.  My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth".  (Psalm 121:2) Hebrews tells us, "The Lord is my helper". (Hebrews 13:6)

The Lord is our helper, not only for the big problems or not only for the small problems.  He is our help for all problems.  Whether the problem is a spiritual one, a physical problem, a financial one or a problem with a relationship.  He is our help, our answer and our guide in every problem we face.   

Have a great day.  Got a problem?  There is an answer.  The answer is so simple we often miss it-- Come unto Me.  

"Don't Wait"

"(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"  2 Corinthians 6:2

There is one thing I have noticed about human nature-- we tend to put things off until the last minute.  I tend to do it myself.  

Many people treat their eternity the same way.  They are waiting until the "last minute" to get things right with God.  Many are waiting until after they have lived their lives and finished doing all the "fun things" they had planned to do before giving their lives to the Lord.  Some are waiting until their "death bed" to do it.  Some are just waiting with the idea that "one day" they will do it. These people are gambling with the state of their eternal souls. 

We can't think that we have plenty of time to get things right with God.  We are not promised tomorrow.  We are not promised the next breath.  We are not promised we will have a "death bed" opportunity.  We are not promised to live to a "ripe old age".  We only have now.  We only have this moment.  We only have this breath. 

Are you waiting?  Are you holding out until you have done all you want to do?  Are you putting God off until you are ready?  If so, you are taking a big chance.  If so, you are on dangerous ground.  If you are you may wind up falling short of eternity.

Have a great day.  Don't wait until the last minute to get right with God.  You aren't promised to have that last minute. 

"Fallen From Grace"

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace".  Galatians 5:4

"Fallen from grace".  Usually, we say that someone has fallen from grace when they turn from serving Jesus and go back into a lifestyle of sin.  I want us to look at another aspect of what it means to "fall from grace" that may be more accurate.

The Apostle warns the people that once they had accepted salvation by grace through faith, if they went back to working out their salvation according to the law they had "fallen from grace". 

We are saved by faith in what Jesus did at the cross.  Salvation is the gift of God.  We don't earn it.  We can't work hard enough to obtain it.  It is given by grace.  It is unmerited.  If it is received by grace, then it is also kept by grace.  If we try to keep it any other way, then we have "fallen from grace".  "Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?".  (Galatians 3:3)

Grace is not a license; it is a gift.  You can't do enough good works to stay saved-- although we should be doing works which cause our lights to shine and bring glory to our Father in heaven.

You can't be holy enough to stay saved-- although we are to live holy lives.

You can't be religious enough to stay saved-- although we should be tending to what we consider our religious duties:  church attendance, Bible reading, fasting and prayer. 

If you are trying to be saved through your own goodness and works, then you won't receive the gift of eternal life-- it is given by grace. If you are trying to stay saved by your own goodness and works, then you have fallen from grace. It ceases to be about what Jesus did and becomes about what you can do.

Have a great day.  If you are trying to stay saved through your works, you are "fallen from grace". 

"What Do You Know About The Lord?"

"And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?"  Psalm 73:11

When I read this verse, I got a chuckle out of it.  I wanted to say, "It's because He is God".  Of course God knows.  Of course He has knowledge.  He knows everything.  But when you read it in context you see that the ones who asked these questions are the wicked.  What other answer would you expect from them, seeing they don't know God nor have a relationship with Him.

What becomes sad, instead of funny, is when one of His own children doesn't even know Him.  It is sad when they profess to know Him but can't even answer basic questions about Him. 

Just how much do you know about the Lord?  I can say upfront that none of us will know everything there is to know about Him.  If we could, He wouldn't be God.  Although we can't, and won't ever, know all there is to know about Him, He desires that we have a relationship with Him and in that relationship He will show us great and mighty things about Himself that we don't know.  He will also take us into His confidence as He did Abraham.  He will make known His ways to us like He did to Moses.  He will reveal secrets to us the way He did to Daniel.  He will walk with us in such a close manner as He did with Enoch.  He will demonstrate His power through us like He did through Paul. 

So, how content are you in your knowledge of God?  Do you not know Him?  Do you have limited knowledge of Him?  Do you only know "facts and figures" about Him?  Or do you know Him in an intimate and personal way?  Do you have a relationship with Him where He communicates more and more about Himself to you? 

Have a great day.  Just how well do you know the Lord?  How well do you want to know Him?

"God's Power Or His Faithfulness"

"....  great is thy faithfulness".  Lamentations 3:23B

I woke up thinking about the faithfulness of God this morning.  That is my favorite attribute of His.  I have found Him faithful on every occasion, every situation, every day and in every way.  He has always been faithful to do and be all that He has said He would do and be.

Many accuse Him of not being faithful because He didn't do what they thought He was going to do for them.  Or because He didn't deliver them when they thought He would.  Or He "allowed" something bad to happen.  God's faithfulness is not based on His ability to deliver, remove, take care of, eradicate or defeat your circumstance.  That is His power.  His faithfulness is something else.

The Psalmist put it this way, " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me". (Ps. 23:4)  He doesn't always deliver us out of the valley, although He is powerful and can.  He walks with us through the valley-- that's where His faithfulness comes in.  He never leaves us in our time of need, trial or testing. 

Immediate deliverance doesn't prove His faithfulness, just ask Daniel or the three Hebrews.  He didn't deliver Daniel until after a night in the lion's den.  But He faithfully stood with Daniel in that dark hole.  He didn't deliver the Hebrews from the fiery furnace until after their bonds fell off.  But He was with them-- the wicked king even saw Him in the fire. 

God's power is able to deliver us from ever trial, every desert, every valley, every furnace, every situation we find ourselves in.  But if He doesn't deliver you before, if He doesn't deliver you immediately, if He chooses to wait a while, if He chooses that you walk through it, it doesn't mean that He isn't faithful.  You can trust that He is faithful and will faithfully be there with you at the beginning and all the way until the end. 

Have a great day.  Some believe God is only faithful if He delivers them out of their trail.  That isn't faithfulness that is His power on display.  His faithfulness is the fact that He walks with you through the trial, watching over you and never leaving you until the trial is over.