Buddy’s the sweetest little guy. Even though injured recently through negligence at a grooming shop, he still trusts in my protection and willingness to bless him.
I think there’s a lot of confusion in the Church about Christians who sin.
There’s some who seem to believe it’s a sign that a person is not really saved if they struggle with sin.
But the difference between a Christian and non-Christian is that a believer is “a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).”
A person who is not born again does not have the Spirit of God convicting them when they willfully disobey God. This is why we’re baffled when someone engages in what seems blatantly wicked behavior without any remorse.
A Christian will be tormented and convicted by the Holy Spirit until he or she repents. God hates sin and our Great Shepherd is going to chase down a wandering sheep and return His child back to the sheepfold.
It’s why the Apostle John can confidently state in 1 John 5:18:
“We know that everyone who is born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who is born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” (BSB)
Please note: The Apostle John recognizes that we’re human and sin, but will notcontinue to sin.
A friend’s daughter was living with a man. I asked my friend if the daughter was born again. Since she confirmed that the daughter was indwelt by the Spirit, we prayed the Holy Spirit would make her miserable till she repented.
She did repent within a few months and soon after met and eventually married a godly Christian man who was a better role model for her children.
But God couldn’t bring the right man into her life till she was willing to repent of her disobedience.
So please don’t assume that someone sinning isn’t a believer. Everyone is at a different stage in their Christian walk. Even the Apostle James stated that “We all stumble in different ways (James 3:2).” Every believer has wrong thinking that needs changing and it’s usually a lifetime process.
And not all sin is obvious. We all have sins of attitudes and thinking that aren’t loving.
Pray for the repentance of a believer with confidence. The Holy Spirit will answer that prayer and work within them.
Ah, Christmastime. The time, once again, to torment our furpals with costumes as part of the holiday season traditions.
Just as Buddy isn’t too keen to put on his Christmas outfit, there is a group of Christians who seemingly refuse to enter into the joy of the season and put on their happy faces.
They self-righteously proclaim several reasons for not participating in the Christmas spirit:
Jesus wasn’t born on Christmas Day. He was likely born in Springtime as the shepherds were sleeping outside in the field.
Christmas is a pagan holiday, since it takes place on, and replaces, the pagan holiday of Saturnalia, traditionally celebrated around December 25th.
They claim that the Christmas tree is a pagan symbol, so we shouldn’t put up a tree in our homes.
And a couple other highlights worthy of Dickens’ Scrooge:
You shouldn’t be celebrating with your family on Christmas Day. You should be out serving and helping the poor.
You shouldn’t waste your money buying gifts for family and friends who already have too much. Give your money to charity, instead.
I remember something a Counseling Pastor’s wife once said: “Christians need to stop shoulding on other people.”
About a week ago I attended a Christmas Party with fellow authors. One dour-faced woman announced that she’d just received her license as a pastor (the denomination surprised me).
She scowled through the entire party, her small, bear-like eyes never sparkling with joy or gratitude. Not even a forklift could lift up the corners of her mouth to resemble anything like a smile.
I would never want to be her friend, let alone listen to her preach. As an unbeliever, I’d probably run the other direction if I saw her heading my way.
I remember walking to a church service one night with a group of students from the dormitory when attending college. I wasn’t a Christian then and appreciated that they wanted me to accompany them.
But, the pastor preached that you should never joke or be jovial, but always “sober-minded (1Peter 4:7, 5:8).” As an aspiring comic strip cartoonist, this lecture was a big turnoff to ever joining that denomination. After all, isn’t it the Scriptures that advise: “A joyful heart is good medicine. But a broken spirit dries up the bones (Proverbs 17:22).”
The Christian spoilsports always seem to rear up their legalistic heads during any holiday.
The Christmas tree actually has its origins during the Protestant Reformation. Supposedly Martin Luther began the tradition in Wittenberg, Germany, while walking beneath an awe inspiring, starry sky: “This wondrous sight inspired him to set up a candle-lit fir tree in his house that Christmas to remind his children of the starry heavens from whence their Saviour came.” The tradition supposedly was imported into Great Britain by Queen Charlotte, December 1800. (See article by Alison Barnes, 2006: https://www.historytoday.com/archive/history-matters/first-christmas-tree). Some scholars say that the traditional star atop the Christmas tree represents the Star of Bethlehem.
OK. Jesus likely wasn’t born on December 25th. But the early church planted the holiday tradition on this date to turn people’s attention away from worshipping a false god to worshipping the true God, Jesus Christ. Just as they built many churches upon the ruins of pagan temples.
Isn’t it wonderful to have festive Christmas lights and beautiful carols and family celebrations during the darkest time of the year?
Instead of being focused on the Winter Solstice, a traditional tine for pagan celebrations during the shortest day of the year, people are instead preoccupied with parties, gift giving, remembering the poor, baking delicious goodies, decorating their homes, and celebrating loving relationships.
If someone wants to be a Christmas Scrooge and scowl their way through the “happiest time of the year (see below video)” that’s OK. God’s unconditional love shines also upon his cranky children; they’re recipients of God’s grace too and deserve our love and compassion.
But don’t feel obligated, please, to heed their joy-killing admonitions.
Even the angels took a break to joyfully announce the birth of the Savior to lowly shepherds one dark night:
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
“And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
“‘For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.
“‘And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’”—Luke 2
Enjoy the holiday season.
Merry Christmas from Dawn and Buddy
Don’t worry; be happy!
***
Knowing Jesus Christ is good news. It’s wonderful to discover that God is real and loves you immensely.
But too many Christians only preach half the gospel, so it sounds like bad news, instead of the Great Good News that it really is.
Through Moses, God brought the Law, His rules of right and wrong, to show us how sinful we are and in need of abandoning our right to rule our lives and submit to His rule and authority.
But too many legalists stop there.
God makes you feel bad to announce the way to eternal happiness.
Jesus died for our sins on the Cross so that we don’t have to suffer the punishment for rebelling against a holy God (Colossians 2:13-14).
But followers of Jesus are saved, given eternal life, through His resurrection (1 Peter 1:3).
Too many focus on the Cross and forget why He was resurrected. He rose bodily, not spiritually, and walked amongst His followers for 40 days till he rose heavenward with his apostles looking on.
We are all born spiritually dead. No one is holy enough to deserve to be saved, to become born again. Everyone must repent.
But we must repent so that we can be given spiritual life by the Holy Spirit.
Other religions or leaders can tell you how to be good. But only Jesus can give you spiritual life. That’s why He claimed to be:
“The way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”—John 14:6
EVERYONE needs to repent to receive eternal life with God in Heaven. There’s no sliding scale where someone does enough good deeds to get in.
Jesus said that the standard to enter heaven through good works is “perfection (Matthew 5:8).”
No one is perfect, even if they think they are.
EVERYONE is on the same level, and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). It’s the most fair religion there is.
NO ONE can earn their way into bliss. EVERYONE must humble themselves before the Almighty Lord.
Are you ready to become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) in Christ Jesus? If so, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask for Your forgiveness. I realize that I can never be good enough or do enough good deeds to earn your love and forgiveness. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. And teach me how much You love me. Thank You for hearing my prayers. In the mighty name of Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke this Christmas Season as it tells the most complete story of the first Christmas. The Bible is your soul food. Just as you need to eat daily for your body to be properly nourished, so does your soul.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message) and http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by false teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you as you celebrate your first Christmas, united with God through Christ Jesus.
When Buddy and I visit my parents, they have to hide the bag of paper slices produced by their paper shredder. When Buddy got upset, he’d head into their den and tear open the bag of shredding, then spread it all over the room. It was cute, watching him “go to town” in the pile of shredded paper—yet quite inconvenient to clean up. Fortunately, there was no permanent damage to anything but the black garbage bags.
We are living in scary times. I’m often realizing that I’m thinking SPOOKY thoughts; I’m imagining conversations that are not real, like transparent ghosts, because I’m fretting over foolish, ungodly, or ignorant attitudes of people I know.
And I imagine discussing with them why these attitudes are wrong.
But what does the Bible say?
“Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.”—King David, Psalm 37:8
What I’m engaging in are imaginary thoughts with imaginary people. Just like Buddy playing in the pile of shredded paper, I’m prancing around in shredded thinking. My imaginings are NOT changing anybody’s minds or attitudes, because my conversations are not real. I’m engaged in wishful thinking of what I might have the courage to say and speculating about what the other person might say.
I’m fretting.
And the Bible proclaims that it “only leads to evildoing.”
Firstly, I’m disrupting my thinking which could be focused, instead, on praying or whatever task is at hand. I’m wasting valuable mental energy that could be better engaged elsewhere.
I’m also damaging my body, causing stress reactions in my brain and, particularly, my shoulders and back which begin to clench up, creating soreness.
Secondly, I’m not only sinning against myself, but others.
I’m unintentionally thinking haughtily toward others. I know they’re deceived by the media and our culture. They’re not bad people. But I can treat them arrogantly if I don’t guard my attitudes.
Also, the wrong thinking can create the “simmering teapot” effect, where I can become impatient with others, and perhaps even explode in anger, because my internal pressure is already near the boiling point. Just one or two more degrees of aggravation and off blows the whistle.
So, if you’re struggling like me with spooky thinking, please read Psalm 37. Because David reassures us that evil does not last forever, nor evildoers. At least, not in their earthly existence.
I have to remind myself about Palm 37:8 and that, no matter what happens in this world, God’s got this. Nothing that’s occurring has caught Him by surprise.
“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”—King David, Psalm 103:19
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Do you want to have confidence that God is with you?
Yes, we cannot see God. The Father is spirit and His Son Jesus, Who came in the flesh (Matthew 1:23) over 2,000 years ago is at the Father’s right hand (Mark 16:19) till it’s time for His return.
But we can see the effect of His presence. Like the wind, we cannot see the Holy Spirit of God Himself, but we witness His impact on our lives and this world.
Jesus changed my life for the better, and I want that same blessing for you.
If you’ve read this far, I believe that the Lord is calling to you. Please accept His invitation to enter His kingdom and into a relationship with Him through His Son Jesus Christ.
You don’t have to “clean up your act” firstly. God knows you cannot meet His perfect standards. Jesus came to earth to take the punishment all our sins deserve. As the only perfect God in human form (John 10:30), He didn’t have to be punished for sin as He had known. So He was qualified to take it for us.
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 8:1
Are you ready to accept Jesus as Lord, Who has the authority to define right and wrong, and as your savior from punishment for your sin?
If so, please pray the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sin. Jesus died for me so that I can be forgiven forever and have eternal life. I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. And fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Because Jesus was resurrected bodily from the dead, I am able to receive Your resurrection life. I give my life to You. Please help me understand how much You love me. In the marvelous name of Jesus, Your Son, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul; the Bible is your soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew, as it’s easy to understand, and reading forward.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by bad teaching or legalism till you know the Bible fairly well. Sadly, I’m speaking from experience.
God bless you as you begin your journey in life with Jesus as your companion.
Recently Buddy has begged to go outside, but doesn’t want me to put on his harness firstly. He wants to run free and not be leashed up.
Many people believe they are free to make their own choices—but they’re not. It’s a lie of the devil that there’s neutral moral ground—there isn’t. Every human being is under the authority and influence of Jesus Christ—or the god of this world*.
Adam and Eve were born triune beings made in God’s image. But they were given a choice whether to obey God or not, and they chose poorly. God warned that:
“The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.’”—Genesis 2:16-17
The ancestors of the human race didn’t die physically, but they died spiritually. The Holy Spirit, His authority in their lives rejected, fled the human race.
What occurred is that Adam and Eve chose Satan to be the spiritual and moral authority of the human race.
It’s important to remember this so that we have mercy on unbelievers. Every person is born in bondage to Satan.
“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”—2 Timothy 2:24-26
Nonbelievers are not only spiritually dead and influenced by Satan, but the Apostle Paul also reminded the Corinthian Church in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4:
“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world* has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God.”
I can verify the Apostle Paul’s comments about being spiritually blind. I had read the Bible many times but somehow was not convinced that Jesus was God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23). It was if there was a fuzzy mental block keeping me from understanding who Christ was. But once I became born again, I see Christ’s and His apostles’ claims that He is God all over the New Testament. Yet, somehow, I couldn’t “see” it before.
Jesus declared that He came to “release the captives, (give) recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed,”—Luke 4:18
When we become Holy Spirit indwelt Christians, we become bond slaves of God. In other words, we still have the capability of sinning, but it’s no longer fun. It feels like we’re wearing a ragged, itchy and dirty garment that no longer fits us anymore. Sin stinks and we feel badly afterwards. At some point we finally give in to the Holy Spirit’s conviction and repent.
“But thanks be to God that though you WERE slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart…and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness…now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God…”—Romans 6:17-18, 22
To summarize: Before people give their lives to Christ, they are spiritually dead, captives to sin and the devil’s influence. Even as we shake our heads in sadness at their self destructive behavior, we need to remember that we are all born dead till given new life through the mercy of God. It’s a gift no one has earned or deserves.
As I too, sometimes need to remind myself how I was once captive till Christ gave me new life. And to try my best not to react with anger at their foolishness and wickedness and, instead, offer to help lead them into the light of God’s love through Christ Jesus.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Many people think they’ve sinned too much to ever earn God’s mercy. Well, here’s why the Gospel is called good news:
“There is no one righteous, not even one…For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”—Apostle Paul, Romans 3:10,23
No one is good enough in God’s eyes to earn or deserve His mercy. He doesn’t grade on a sliding scale. In fact, would that be fair? Where would the cut-off point be? Someone who told one more lie than somebody else goes into hellfire but the person who told one less lie goes into eternal bliss?
So God makes the entrance to Heaven a free gift of love, bought with the blood of Christ. Jesus died on the Cross “once for all (Hebrews 10:10)” people for all their sins committed and then rose from the grave on the third day to prove He is God and gives resurrected life.
It’s a gift that cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:5). Every single person needs to accept that gift, however.
When you ask Jesus to be your Lord, you’re doing the opposite of what Adam and Eve did: You’re rejecting the authority of Satan over your life and accepting the moral authority of God in your life. It’s up to you to decide which Spirit you want to follow in your life—and spend eternity with.
“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;”—Romans 10:9
If you’re ready to enter God’s kingdom of truth and love, please repeat the following prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin and ask Your forgiveness. I invite Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe He is God Who loves me so much that He died to take the punishment for my sin so that I don’t have to. I believe that He rose bodily from the dead. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me. In the name of Your Son Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.
And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. It’s difficult to stand alone in an ungodly culture. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I recommend these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by false or legalistic teaching till you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
I took this photo this afternoon. While I was doing my back exercises, Buddy lay in his bed while keeping a watchful eye on me. When I had to leave the room to make lunch for my mother recovering from surgery, he got up to investigate where I’d gone. He likes to keep a watchful eye on me.
When I adopted Buddy, he became my furever friend. I’d never abandon my pal—willingly. If death suddenly claims me would be the only cause.
Which is why his prior owner placed Buddy for adoption: She was dying of cancer and was unable to prevent her husband from mistreating Buddy.
Can you imagine a man so callous?
I cannot imagine mistreating my pal, although I’ll admit to rate moments of not speaking nice when I’m frustrated, for which my pal always forgives me. (I’ve had a few things to forgive Buddy for, also. After all, he is a terrier.)
I guess there’s an advantage to not being raised Christian, as I haven’t been exposed to Christian memes my entire life. (I was saved from Satan’s kingdom at age 28, for which I’ll always be thankful.) One widely repeated phrase is that if you’re nice, you can get a person’s attention so that you eventually win the right to preach the gospel to them.
“Preach the Gospel at all times, and, if necessary, use words.”—St Francis of Assisi
Which is sort of a work’s righteousness attitude, that one’s good works can win someone to Christ, rather than the Gospel. Or, as Apostle Paul said,
“How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him Whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”—Romans 10:14-15
Okay, please follow me here. You can note above a Christian meme repeated often, yet is not true.
It’s the Gospel that shatters the stubborn, flinty heart of pride (Jeremiah 23:29).
So back to being nice—or not.
Jesus called the religious, legal and political rulers of the Jewish people: “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?”—Matthew 23:33
Jesus wasn’t exactly being “nice,” was He?
In fact, in the section of Scripture described as the “Eight Woes” in the NASB translation, Jesus calls them (Matthew 23:13-36):
“Hypocrites”—verses 13, 14, 15, 23, 25, 27, and 29. (Seems like Jesus is trying to make a point here.)
Are hell bound—verse 13, sons of hell—verse 15.
Blind guides, fools—verses 16 and 17.
Prevent others from entering heaven—verse 13.
Take advantage of widows, pray long prayers for show, and are condemned—verse 14.
Reject justice, mercy and faithfulness—verse 23.
Full of robbery and self-indulgence—verse 25.
Murderers—verses 34-35
But, the gentle Jesus spoke kindly to the common person: tax collectors, prostitutes, fishermen, adulterers, the sick and lepers, children, etc. He seemed to have enormous patience, also, with his disciples.
Jesus spoke harshly to those who were misleading the children of Israel and hindering the saving work of God’s kingdom, denying that Jesus was their awaited Messiah, the Christ.
In fact, the only time it’s recorded that Jesus spoke harshly to the disciples is when Peter tried to convince Jesus not to give His life as a sin sacrifice on the Cross, temping Jesus not to fulfill His mission:
“Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You!’ But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me;’”—Matthew 16:22-23 (Interesting that Peter still acknowledged Jesus was the Lord, yet was telling Him what to do. Don’t all of us Christians do the same at times? I do.)
So, my point is: There are times when it’s appropriate to rebuke people, yet do so without hypocrisy (2 Timothy 4:2). When someone is in a leadership position, they can influence many ordinary, or powerless, people in the wrong way. They may be misguided (Nicodemus repented) or wickedly misleading people into ungodly behaviors.
Evil sometimes needs to be called out for the benefit of others.
It takes courage to “speak truth to power.”
If you lack courage, wisdom or opportunity to do so, then please pray that the Lord guide you how to respond properly toward evil leaders.
Or support those willing to do so, just as the army of Israel initially was afraid but followed David into battle after David killed Goliath (1 Samuel 17).
Please remember: Evil persists till it’s challenged.
Even God challenges evil: It’s called “consequences”. So that people repent.
Hope this prompts some contemplation.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
PS. Jesus did pay a consequence for challenging the Jewish leaders. They convinced the Romans to crucify Jesus, a man Pontius Pilate knew was innocent (Luke 23:4). Be certain that you’re prepared to suffer the consequences of standing against evil leadership.
***
Yes, it’s scary to stand up against people who have power over you. But there is a Creator Who loves you Who has already defeated evil in this world by dying on the Cross for your sins and then was resurrected from the dead on the third day to give you His resurrection life (Romans 5:8, 6:4).
It doesn’t matter what sins you’re guilty of. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).” Every person is born spiritually dead in their sins and needs God to forgive them. Not one single person is good enough to earn their way into heaven by their good deeds (Matthew 5:48).
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13).”
Are you willing to accept God as Your Lord, your moral authority? To recognize that He sent His Son Jesus, “God in the flesh (Matthew 1:23),” to die for your sins so that you don’t have to?
If so, please say the following prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, I’m sorry for my sin. I ask You to please forgive my sin and I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me and seal me for eternity as Your child. I give my life to You. Please teach me how much You love me, so that I can love others like You do. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible daily, as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to read.
And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study group. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest the following two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to get misled by false or legalistic teaching until you know the Bible fairly well. Pastors Max Lucado, Chuck Smith and Chuck Swindoll also wrote excellent books.
After living together for nearly thirteen years, I can usually interpret Buddy’s looks. This one says, “Where are you going? Aren’t you taking me along?”
There are times, however, when Buddy is staring at me or one of my parents and we are just clueless why.
Sometimes it seems like Christian pastors start communicating a similar message at the same time.
On YouTube it seemed that the most popular preachers were all talking about idols. Then more recently it was, “You need to say certain exact words to be saved.” (Franklin Graham’s testimony easily refutes this argument.) Now it appears to be, “God doesn’t love the sinners He sends to Hell. He loathes them because they’re evil.”
But what does the Lord say in His word?
Ezekiel 18:23 says, “‘Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?’ declares the sovereign Lord. ‘Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?’ (NIV)”
After being whipped to the point of having His flesh torn off his back, spit upon, mocked, beaten and then crucified, Jesus asked, on behalf of His wicked persecutors, while hanging in agony on the Cross:
“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they’re doing.”—Luke 23:34
And, Jesus lamented the refusal of many of the Jewish people to recognize Him as their Messiah. He did not wish them harm, but, rather, was sorrowful about the consequences of not recognizing that their Lord had dwelt among them:
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling.”—Matthew 23:37
Certainly, there’s no doubt that God hates sin and cannot tolerate it in His holy presence. But He sent Jesus to die an agonizing death to save sinners (1 Timothy 1:15). He could’ve abandoned the human race and let us destroy ourselves, or allow genetic entropy to to take its course. But He chose, out of His love for us, to find a way to reconcile sinful humanity back into fellowship with the Godhead.
The Old Testament is filled with examples of God’s unwillingness to punish the Jewish people, despite repeated rebellion. He patiently asks them to repent multiple times before His hand is forced to discipline them to force a repentant spirit.
God doesn’t hate his creation, made in His own image (Genesis 1:27). I believe it grieves him every time a person dies without accepting Jesus as the sin sacrifice for their sins, refusing to repent and acknowledge God is the Lord through His Son Jesus Christ (Romans 5:10).
Some differ from my opinion.
But I think the Apostle Peter summarizes it nicely:
“The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”—2 Peter 3:9
Oh, sometimes why can’t the church stick to talking about the basics, as so many Christians nowadays don’t understand what salvation is.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
The Lord loves you. I had a family friend once tell me that, “The church ceiling would collapse if I walked into the building.” No! God will be excited if someone realizes they were a sinner, needing Jesus, and walked into one of His church buildings to hear about Jesus and God’s love for us all.
Jesus was killed because the self-righteous religious leaders refused to acknowledge their sin and need for a savior. Jesus rebuked them saying that sinners would enter the gates of heaven before the self-righteous: “‘Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will get into the kingdom of heaven before you.’”—Matthew 21:31
God is looking for people who admit they aren’t good people and need His forgiveness. Hell will be full of “good” people who think they’re perfect enough to earn their way to heaven. But nobody can be perfect enough to meet God’s standard of entry: perfection (Matthew 5:48).
So, if you think you’re a bad person, congratulations. God is waiting for you to ask Him into your life and start walking a new and better path with Jesus!
I did so and have never regretted it.
So, if you’re willing, please pray the below prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive my sin. I want a new future with You. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with the Holy Spirit. I give my life to You and ask that You teach me how much You love me and about Jesus, Your Son, Who died for my sins to set me free. Thank You for answering my prayer. In the name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible. It’s your soul food. Just like your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so does your soul.
And please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled by legalism or false teaching until you know the Bible better. (I do enjoy Allen Parr on YouTube and books by Max Lucado, Chuck Swindoll and Chuck Smith.)
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
Buddy reluctantly walked into our shower stall to take his weekly “bath”. He thought it’s punishment, but it isn’t. It’s for his benefit to be clean.
This topic tonight wasn’t my original intention, but some recent nasty social media posts prompted me to respond.
Luke 13:1-5 tells of a conversation Jesus had:
“There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
“And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things?
‘I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.
‘Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?
‘I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.’”
Lately, people have been declaring that the Christians murdered at the church in Nashville probably weren’t praying enough (said sarcastically by nonbelievers), or that people killed by the recent tornadoes in Alabama and Arkansas were being punished for their political beliefs. These comments are not only abhorrent and cold-hearted, but also dead wrong.
What does the passage in Luke instruct us?
1. Bad things happen to people, whether they are good or bad.
Since the Fall, when Adam and Eve rejected God as their Lord and authority, all of creation has been in a corrupted condition. Bad things happen because the world is imperfect: earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricane, tsunamis, building collapses, airplane crashes, etc are the result of living in a world of sin. Sin causes deterioration, and every living thing is a victim of this sinful world. No one is exempt.
2. People do evil things to both good and evil people.
Pilate was a prefect of Rome who acted under the dictator Tiberius’ authority. The people he murdered weren’t necessarily good or bad, deserving punishment. Pilate was a wicked man (hopefully repented), who actually became friends with King Herod after sending Jesus to Herod for judgment. (For a long time Herod had wanted to meet Jesus.) Herod was notoriously evil, not someone a good guy would want to fellowship with.
3. Because we live in a deteriorating world filled with wicked people, every day is full of potential danger. Every day could be our last. So repent and accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior to inherit eternal life after death.
“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life.”—John 6:47
But, lastly, in the first chapter of the book of Job, (which many consider the oldest book of the Bible), God describes Job as “there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” in verse 8.
Yet, although Job is an exceptionally godly man, God permits Satan to destroy his livelihood, kill his children and servants, and strike him with such painful boils that Job wishes he’d never been born.
So how does Satan torment Job?
Sends fire from heaven and a hurricane, and attacks Job’s herds and servants by stirring up wicked men to steal and kill.
The first chapter of Job demonstrates that Satan has the power over earthly forces, over wicked people and over disease. And the people of earth live in the devil’s realm.
But, lastly, Jesus warned that disease, famine, earthquakes, wars, wicked behavior, lawlessness and hatred against godly people will increase dramatically before His return (Mathew 24:4-12) We should expect, but don’t have to like, such events to occur.
Jesus took the punishment for our sins that we deserve. He isn’t trying to punish us, but to draw people into His Kingdom. It’s Satan who wants to “steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10)”.
So, in summary, don’t say God is punishing people when bad things happen. You have zero proof that’s correct. And please admonish others who make that claim.
And repent, if you aren’t a believer in Christ, because you don’t know how much time you have left on this earth—or when Jesus will return.
Once either event occurs, it’s too late to change your mind.
God bless.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
Jesus came that “He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8)”. When someone gives their life to Christ Jesus, he delivers a person from the powers of darkness and transfers them into God’s kingdom of light (Colossians 1:13, 15) through the forgiveness of their sins.
God wants every person to escape the bondage of sin and enslavement to the devil and give them eternal life with Him through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. That doesn’t mean a person immediately becomes perfect in their behavior, but that the process of becoming a better person starts as the Holy Spirit works in their life. When a person gives their life to God, accepting Him as their Lord and moral authority, they receive a new spiritual heart, becoming born again (John 3:1-8, John 17).
Please don’t be one of those people who wants to wait, sow more wild oats, before coming to the Lord. First, the consequences of bad behavior are usually more severe than you think they’ll be; secondly, Jesus warns that life and death are unpredictable.
Eternal life is a gift from God. You can never be perfect enough to earn entrance into heaven, so Jesus, living a perfect life, paid the price for you. You just need to humble yourself, acknowledge you need His help to live your life properly and ask for forgiveness.
If you’re ready, please repeat the below prayer, out loud if possible:
Dear Holy Father, please forgive my sin. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and teach me how much You love me. I believe Jesus died on the Cross for my sins and was raised from the dead on the third day to give me eternal life. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your spiritual food; just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled or trapped into legalism until you know the Bible fairly well.
God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.
When Buddy ran off one Fourth of July holiday, there was no way that I would give up looking for him till he was found. I knew that he was car stupid and might get injured by a motorized vehicle or killed by a coyote. Like all little terriers, he thinks he can protect himself, but actually depends upon his master to keep him safe from harm.
Because I was not raised in the Christian faith, I have not been subjected to Christian memes my whole life. I approach some issues with fresh eyes, rather than automatically believing something the Christian community repeats endlessly.
Now, before you get angry with me, it’s always an advantage to be raised Christian so that the Holy Spirit is influencing a life positively from childhood; that person has less chances to screw up their life with bad behavior and has less obstacles to overcome as a result of bad decisions.
However, once again, I was recently told by a lifelong Christian that God is going to punish the United States, just as He did ancient Israel.
My response: Firstly, is the United States more wicked than other nations? We have tens of millions of born again believers in our country. Should we just give up? Where is our faith?
And we punish ourselves as a nation by disobeying God and not following His instructions for life and godly living in the Bible.
But, most importantly, we are NOT living in the Old Testament times under the Old Covenant. Jesus was born and died to usher in a New Covenant of Grace.
“Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem.
And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’
But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.
For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.’”—Jesus, Luke 9:51-56
It’s so easy to get frustrated when we see Christ excluded from Christmas in so many family celebrations. And to witness so many in power, whether political or corporate, acting in ways that are selfish, ungodly and destructive to our nation and culture.
But Jesus reminds both myself—and you—that He came to save lives, not destroy them.
“‘For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which is lost.’”—Jesus, Luke 19:10
Yes, Wise men and women still seek Jesus.
And Judgment is coming—one day. Jesus will declare, “I never knew you; depart from Me who practice lawlessness! (Matthew 5:23).”
But until His Second Coming, He is still seeking and saving His lost sheep.
It’s difficult, I know. I wish Jesus would return and wipe out evil.
But then I remember I was one of those lost sheep that Jesus chose to save, instead of punishing.
So, please, focus on God’s mercy. He’s still saving.
He’s not eager to rain down judgment.
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”—Apostle Peter, 2 Peter 3:8-9
God bless you.
Merry Christmas from Dawn and Buddy
***
Yes, God is not eager to punish. He wants everyone to leave the “kingdom of darkness and translat(e) us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Apostle Paul, Colossians 1:13-14).”
But the Apostle Peter did warn that judgment, though delayed, would one day come: “They will give an account to Him Who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”—1 Peter 4:5
He warned that the Lord’s Return would occur like “a thief in the night (2 Peter 3:10)”—He will return unexpectedly and suddenly; there will no longer be time to repent and accept Jesus as Lord.
Every day you have a choice: Do you want to remain under the authority of Satan as your god, or accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Remain under the authority of a defeated being of hatred—or accept the authority of a God Who loves you and created you?
What do you really have to lose if your life is currently miserable, anyway?
If you want new spiritual life, please repeat the following, out loud if possible:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you that Jesus came to save me and not condemn me. Thank you for loving me and wanting to guide my life along a better path. Please forgive my sins and fill me with the Holy Spirit. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I want You in my life. I give my life to You. Lead me into everlasting life and freedom from bondage to sin. In the merciful name of Jesus, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you are born again. Please start reading the Bible as your soul needs daily nourishment, just as your body needs daily food. The Word of God is your soul food. I suggest starting with the Book of Luke as it details the Christmas story.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, then I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) or http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).
God bless you as you celebrate your new life in Jesus.
Buddy and I love you and hope to meet you in heaven one day.
When Buddy wants attention, he’ll sometimes head for the bag of paper shredding in my parents’ den and live it up by kicking shredded paper everywhere. I don’t want him to inhale any paper shavings, so I’ll interrupt his fun. But no matter how he misbehaves, he’s still the perfect dog for me. We have a great partnership.
I had planned a different topic tonight but felt the need to write something encouraging again. Yes, I’m going to squeeze more “juice” out of the Adam and Eve story. (Some claim it’s apple juice, but that claim cannot be confirmed.)
Adam and Eve were declared “very good (vs 1:31),” not only because humans were designed in “God’s image (vs 1:27),” but because they were perfect. Flawless. The very best of God’s creation. They were complete.
And God had created a beautiful world for them to live in, full of delicious foods and animal companions that they could speak to.
But they bought the devil’s lie that they were incomplete, that they didn’t measure up. That they could be more.
“For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”—Genesis 3:5
Adam and Eve didn’t accept themselves as created. There was something more and better that they could be, Satan said. They were inadequate as they were. They didn’t measure up. They needed to be wiser and more knowledgeable like God. They were blind to their true potential.
As you know, they disobeyed God by eating fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and fell from their glorious perfection. They became dead spiritually, when they were once alive and in perfect union with God in their spirits. They also began to age, when their bodies were created beautiful and magnificent.
By buying Satan’s lie, they became seriously flawed.
Modern Western culture, and sadly the church, is swallowing the bitter apple Satan offers: That they are not good enough.
Christians are declared, once accepting the blood sacrifice of Jesus to atone for their sins, “holy and blameless and beyond reproach (Colossians 1:22), and can “stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 1:24).”
Even the Old Testament prophet, Isaiah, described our future cleansing from our sins by the one time sacrifice of Jesus in Isaiah 1:18: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.”
And King David of ancient Israel, who also prophesied about the coming Messiah, said in Psalm 103:12: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgression from us.”
Yet many Christians confuse their spiritual condition (blameless and forgiven) with their lifelong process of sanctification. They feel dirty and undeserving before a holy God, rather than rejoicing they are a beloved child. They believe they need to earn the Father’s love by trying to be as perfect as possible, rather than resting in the finished work of Christ—Who already fulfilled the Law—that God already loves them perfectly, that His love doesn’t need to be earned by being “good enough.”
God knows we’re flawed beings, which is why Jesus had to come to save us from our own self destructive behavior.
And unbelievers cannot accept themselves either, as they were created. They wish they were another sex, another race, had a different metabolism or body shape, were smarter or had different skills or talents, etc.
They often accept the devil’s lies through another person or our culture that they are not lovable or acceptable unless they look a certain way, achieve certain goals or status, or health, or have certain talents and interests.
Instead of viewing their current sex, or race, or body type or intelligence or talent or physical appearance as a gift from a loving God who designed them to follow a particular path in life, they reject themselves for who they are.
If you discover as a child that you have one amazing skill—can play football, build things or dance—it’s pretty easy to find your life path.
But if you’re multi-talented, it can be a bit more difficult to figure out which path is the best one, or how to fit all the different pieces together.
Or it’s not so obvious, and a person needs to work a little harder to discover what they’re naturally gifted at.
Most often, I believe, it’s not that the person doesn’t know what they’re good at or naturally interested in, but they don’t believe that talent or skill is important or special enough.
I also believe that some of our interests are God-given. And Science is proving that we’re born introverts or extroverts, that our basic personality can only be modified so much (note the book, “Quiet, by Susan Cain). As David declares in Psalm 139:13-16, He lovingly creates us, even forming “our inward parts,” ie. our personality.
God made you in His image.
You are NOT an accident of the universe.
You were deliberately designed to be loved…
By an amazingly patient and loving God.
God bless you.
Much love from Dawn and Buddy
***
I viewed a short clip online by a young woman, tricked out in piercings and tattoos and risqué clothing, who commented that God wasn’t real because He wasn’t zapping her for being blasphemous.
I responded, “He isn’t punishing you because He loves you and wants you to repent and come into relationship with Him. He doesn’t want you to go to Hell.”
Jesus said in John 3:17:
“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
We’re made in God’s image, but fall short of His glory spiritually because we’re born dead in our sins (Romans 3:23, Ephesians 2:1). He wants to give everyone the spiritual life we were designed to have, but don’t, because Adam and Eve decided to believe Satan’s words rather than His word.
If you realize you feel incomplete and acknowledge only Jesus can give new birth to your spirit, please pray the following:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for loving me so much that You want to be in relationship with me. I realize that I need You in my life. I’m tired of feeling inadequate and not enough, because of other people’s criticism or my own self condemnation. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please forgive my sins and wash me white as snow. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Help me to stop believing the lies of my culture and other people by revealing to me how much You love me. May the Holy Spirit guide me into all truth. In the name of Your Son Jesus Christ, amen.
If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, so your soul needs God’s holy word to be healthy. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read.
Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study. And get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these godly ministries, in order of my personal preference: http://www.AndrewFarley.org and http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way). They also have apps, if that’s your preference. There are other godly ministries, but they can sometimes be legalistic and you need a firm foundation in the truth to recognize when law and grace are being mixed together.
Meditations About God and Buddy 