Powerless or Empowered?

“And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, ‘receive ye the Holy Ghost…’” (John 20:22)

Jesus had told them that it was expedient for them that He go away: for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you…” (John 16:7) Jesus had been glorified. (John 7:39) And now, He breathed on them and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”

The “breathing” on them reminds us of Genesis 2:7 which says, “The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Or Ezekiel 37:9-10 when the prophet was in the Valley of Dry Bones and the bones came together and skin came upon them and breath came into them and they lived.

Jesus had just commissioned these ten to go into the world. He gave them Holy Spirit power to do the work. In just a few days our Savior would commission the 120 and they would be empowered on the Day of Pentecost.

Beloved, you and I are powerless to do the work of God in our own strength. We need the indwelling Holy Spirit to do the work of God.

So Send I You

“Then said Jesus to them again, ‘Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.’” (John 20:21)

Fear, anxiety and worry are just some of the antonyms of peace. The disciples had expressed these emotions during the last three days. Jesus now speaks peace to His disciples. Having seen Him, the nail prints and the spear print, they no longer were fearful, anxious and worried. They now had faith. Jesus had spoken peace to them.

With new faith and hope they were now ready to be commissioned to go into the world and tell the good news. Jesus said to them, “As the Father has sent me, so send I you.”

In many churches at the end of the worship service there is an opportunity to respond. Worship is not complete until we make a positive response to what we have seen, heard and experienced. How did you respond Sunday to the message of Christ’s death and resurrection?

Proof of God’s Love

“And when He had so said, He showed unto them His hands and His side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:20)

Someone was asked, “When we get to heaven will there be anything there that was made by the hands of men?” The answer was, “Yes. There will be the nail scars in the hands and feet of Jesus and the spear print in His side.”

These scars will be eternal proof of His great love for us and the price He was willing to pay to purchase our redemption.

The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord on that Sunday evening. There is no question that those to whom He has given eternal life will be glad when we see the Lord. It is not necessary to wait until we get to heaven to be glad and to rejoice in the Lord. Are you glad you know Him today?

The Same Day

“Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them ‘Peace be unto you.’ (John 20:19)

Many things can happen in a day’s time. Start a day on a good note only to have it end on a sour note. Sometimes it’s just the opposite. The day starts badly and ends wonderfully well.

This was such a day. It had begun with news that someone had stolen the body of their Master from the tomb where Joseph and Nicodemus and placed it three days earlier. Now the day is coming to an end with the disciples cowering behind closed doors for fear of the Jewish authorities. The Jews had put Jesus to death. Who knew what terrible accusations they might trump up bringing about the death of His followers?

Miraculously, Jesus appeared in the midst of these fearful men. Sadness turned to gladness by the presence of the Living Christ among them. What joy it must have been. Their day was completely changed. On your bad days allow Jesus to bring His peace to your troubled heart.  

He is Risen

“And the angel answered and said unto the women, ‘Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead…’” (Matthew 28:5-7a)

He is not in the tomb. Go to the graves and tombs of the founders of the world’s great religions and be assured that their bodies are there. Go to the tomb where Jesus was placed and forever hear it repeated: “He is not here: for He is risen.”

Look at the verbs in our text: COME, SEE, GO, TELL. That’s it in a nut shell. There is so much to tell. Luke tells us in the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus showed Himself to be alive by many infallible proofs being seen of the apostles forty days following His resurrection. Paul tells us in I Corinthians 15 who some of the eyewitnesses were: Peter, then the twelve, then more than five-hundred brethren (Christians), James, the apostles and then Paul himself. The Gospel writers are careful to include the women as eyewitnesses.

There is one established fact that cannot be denied and that is, Jesus is alive!!

The Tragedy of a Dead Bible

“Pilate said unto them, ‘ye have a watch: go yout way, make it as sure as you can.’ So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.” (Matthew 27:65-66)

In what is known as Thomas Jefferson’s “dead bible” all the miracles and things supernatural have been removed. The final words in his bible are, “and rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed.”

What a disappointment. Aren’t you glad your Bible doesn’t end there? The Gospel story is not complete without the story of the resurrection. It was Jesus who said, “Because I live, ye shall live also.” (John 14:19) Our text for today in Matthew’s Gospel is not the end of the story.

Many false religions are like Jefferson’s dead bible; they are true as far as they go but they do not include all the truth. A poor lost soul would remain lost if his only hope was the crucifixion and death of Jesus without His resurrection. 

It is Finished

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, ‘It is finished:’ and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30)

Today is Friday, known as Good Friday of Holy Week. It is the day observed by many Christians worldwide as the day of Christ’s crucifixion, death and burial. Many of us believe Wednesday is the day of His crucifixion. There is not space here to explain why we believe that. Whatever the day, Jesus died a horrible death on a Roman cross just outside the city of Jerusalem.

On each side of our Savior on similar crosses there was a thief being crucified. The Bible says that Jesus was numbered with the transgressors. One of the thieves asked Jesus to remember him. The Lord said, “Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The other thief scornfully rejected the Only Savior.

The Bible points out that Jesus took the place of a man named Barabbas, who was a robber and murderer, whom the officials let go free. You probably have not committed murder, but you and I are sinners. Just as Christ took the place of Barabbas so also He took my place and yours to pay for sins He did not commit. He is worthy of your acceptance, trust and worship.

The Two Greatest Commandments

“On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:40)

A young lawyer, attempting to entrap Jesus, asked Him, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5, “Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul and with all thy might” Then Christ quoted from Leviticus 19:18, which says, “…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself…”

When we look at the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1-17, we can see that the first four commandments have to do with loving God, and the last six refer to loving others.

Jesus Christ is the only one who has ever kept the Ten Commandments. All of us have, “sinned and come short of the glory of God.”(Romans 3:23)  The law shows us how dreadfully sinful we are and how desperately we need the Savior. That is why we must receive by faith God’s Son and what He did for us at Calvary.

This would be a good day to receive Christ if you have not done so.

Pray Believing

“And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22

Jesus had come into Jerusalem in what has come to be known as His “Triumphal Entry.” Before going to the cross, and during His last few days known as Holy Week, He called attention to prayer and the importance of having faith when we pray.

When we pray we must do so in the will of God.  “…if we ask any thing according to His will He hears us…” (I John 5:14) It is impossible to pray in faith for anything which God condemns in His Word. God’s will never contradicts His Word.

We must have faith when we pray. An old quartet song says, “Prayer is the key to heaven, but faith unlocks the door; words are so easily spoken, but prayer without faith is like a boat without and oar.”

The Barren Fig Tree

“And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.” Matthew 21:19

Jesus, as God in the flesh, had the same physical appetites and senses that you and I have.  Verse 18 says that He was hungry.  As God, He had created all vegetation including all fruit trees (Genesis 1:11), as well as this fig tree.

Just as He was disappointed with the fruitless fig tree which bore leaves only, so also He was disappointed with Israel, represented by the barren fig tree.  The fig tree was His to do with as He chose and Israel also was His to bless or to judge.

A little later He would weep over Jerusalem and announce that they would be desolate, forever barren as that fig tree.

Beloved, our Lord is in control of all things.  The whole world is His by virtue of creation. He allows us to strut around, bear foliage, remain fruitless and reject Him.  One day He is coming back in power and glory.  Are you ready for His return? 

The House of Prayer

“And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, and said unto them, ‘it is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer;’ but ye have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21: 12-13)

Jesus twice cleansing the temple in Jerusalem should be adequate proof that He is not pleased when His house becomes a place of merchandise instead of a house of prayer. The first cleansing is recorded in John 2:13-17.

The building where your church gathers for worship is not the church. However, it has been dedicated to God as a place where God’s word is preached and taught. It is a place of prayer, confession and fellowship with God and fellow believers. It has been paid for with the tithes and sacrificial offerings of God’s people. The place should be honored for what it is and for what its purpose is.

Let us not make God’s house a place for circuses, side shows and entertainment. We can meet God anywhere. People should especially expect to meet Him in the house of God.

Our Lord’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem

“And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto Him, ‘Master, rebuke thy disciples.’ And He answered and said unto them, ‘I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.’” (Luke 19:39-40)

Today many Christians around the world are observing “Palm Sunday.” All four of the Gospels record the events of that day as Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey colt. Matthew, Mark and John do not mention the stones rejoicing and Luke never mentions the palm branches.

The multitude of disciples is crying out, saying, “Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.” The Pharisees think the disciples’ praises are too much and they want Jesus to rebuke them. It is here that Jesus said, “If they should hold their peace, the stones would cry out.”

There will always be those that do not like for you to praise the Lord Jesus Christ. We should have genuine praise toward our Lord regardless of what others do, say or think about it.

Who Will Go?

“Also I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?’ Then said I, ‘Here am I; send me.’” (Isaiah 6:8)

In the year that good king Uzziah of Judah died Isaiah had a vision of God and all His glory and majesty. In that vision Isaiah came to recognize his own sinfulness and the sinfulness of his fellow Jews. A seraphim came to Isaiah with a coal from off the altar and laid it on Isaiah’s mouth, announcing that his sins were taken away.

It was following his vision of God, the recognition of his sinfulness and the purging of his sins that Isaiah heard the voice of the LORD asking the question in our text. It was then that Isaiah responded with, “Here am I; send me.”

Genuine worship calls for a response. When we have been in God’s presence, have had our sins dealt with and have heard God’s call to do His bidding there must be a response from us. Otherwise, worship is empty and void of meaning.

A Serious Charge to Preachers and Other Messengers

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word…”

(II Timothy 4:1-2a)

The word, “therefore” ties all of what Paul taught Timothy in chapters 1, 2 and 3 to what he is being admonished to do in chapter 4.

Timothy and all preachers from that day to this are charged to preach the word. We are reminded that there will be a judgment for the “quick,” that is, the Christians, folks who have been quickened, made alive or saved. This is called the “Judgment Seat of Christ.” It is found in II Corinthians 5:10, I Corinthians 3:11-15. Its purpose is to judge for worthiness of rewards for the Christian’s stewardship of the Gospel.

He further says there will be a judgment for the dead, those who were never saved, never received Christ as Savior, never quickened or made alive. This judgment is known as the “Great White Throne Judgment.” It is described in Revelation 20:11-15. Their names are not in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

This is why Paul is exhorting Timothy and all preachers to preach the word. We are to warn the lost and point them to Christ the Savior. We are to encourage the saved to stay true to the Lord.

Fools for Christ

“We are fools for Christ’s sake…” (I Corinthians 4:10)

A man gives up a lucrative career to spend all his life doing mission work for Christ in a distant land and the world says the man is a fool. Someone has money to go to college and instead of going to college, he gives it all to feed the hungry and to support evangelism in an area where there are no churches. That’s foolish in the eyes of the world.

It is better to be a fool for Christ than to be the fool who says in his heart, “There is no God.” It is better to be a fool for Christ and let the people of the world call you a fool than to be the man in Luke 12:16-21 whose crops did well and he hoarded it all for himself only to have God say, “Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee…” He is known as the, “Rich Fool.”

If you are committed to Christ, worshipping Him, serving Him, obeying Him, and trusting Him, the world will consider you a fool.  In reality you are a very wise person in God’s eyes.

We Can Only Imagine

“But as it is written, ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.’”

(I Corinthians 2:9)

An elderly lady on her death-bed said to me, “I wonder what heaven will be like.” Sometimes she would say, “I wonder what Jesus looks like.” And then she would say, “I’ll know pretty soon.”

Paul is quoting from Isaiah 64:4 as he speaks of things yet unseen by human eyes, unheard by human ears and not yet thought of by human comprehension. We can only imagine the things God has prepared for those who love Him.  Think of the beauty of heaven as we see for the first time the home He has prepared for us. How wonderful the music will be when we hear the choirs singing and perhaps David playing his harp. Think of hearing Jesus, the Master of all preachers, delivering the Word like we have never heard before. There is a song that exclaims, “How beautiful heaven must be.”

Do you love Him? The text says that all this is for those who love Him.

Demas Loved this Present World

“…Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…” (II Timothy 4:10)

It was perhaps Paul’s greatest time of need for friends, encouragement, and prayers from fellow believers as he awaited the executioner. He told Timothy in previous verses that the time of his departure was at hand.

Two other times in his epistles Paul had listed Demas as a fellow servant of the Lord. In Paul’s darkest hour, however, Demas forsook him. Demas is the epitome of shallow Christian commitment seen too often today. He loved this present world. He was interested in the here and now but not the hereafter. Maybe earlier he had exemplified great potential and ability. However, God is looking for availability, not ability.

Paul stood with the Lord. More importantly, the Lord stood with him and strengthened him (II Timothy 4:19). The Lord will stand with you also as you make your stand with Him.

The Victory Side

“… I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

The word, “reckon,” as we use it today, is not the way it is used in our text. We use the word to mean, “I guess so,” “I hope so,” “perhaps so,” or, “I think so.”

But the word is a bookkeeping term meaning a reckoning has been made by calculation, looking at both the debit and credit sides of the ledger. Paul concludes in his reckoning of the facts of mankind’s suffering in this life and the glory for the Christian in future days that they are of no comparison.

Do you have ailments, sickness, body aches and other physical ailments? Good news! The total on both sides of the ledger has been calculated and the reckoning shows that the child of God is on the victory side.

Love One Another

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” (John 13:35)

There are numerous evidences one might give to support his claim that he is a Christian, a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ. One might say that he gives sacrificially to his church. Another might claim that he is a devoted student of the Bible. Perhaps some would say they have not missed a worship service in twenty years.

The Bible states in First Corinthians thirteen that, “Now abideth faith, hope and love but the greatest of these is love.” Sacrificial activity and a host of other things mentioned in that chapter are worthless without love.

It was the Jewish historian Josephus that commented about the first century Christians exclaiming, “How they loved one another.” Do you love fellow believers?

The Cross of Christ

“For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” (I Corinthians 1:18)

As we approach the Easter season and the observance and celebration of the resurrection of Christ it is necessary to remember that had Christ not died there would have been no resurrection. As we look at His death, burial and resurrection we must look at the cross, the instrument chosen by the Romans for execution.

If each letter in the word “CROSS” can represent a word or phrase it may help someone understand better the cross of Christ.

Central theme of Biblical truth. (I Corinthians 2:1-2)

Resisted by the world who sees it as foolishness (I Corinthians 1:18)

Only the cross can explain both God’s wrath toward sin and His love for sinners.

Stumbling block for those seeking to earn salvation by good deeds. (I Cor. 1:22-23)

Sinner’s salvation.  (I Corinthians 1:18, 21)

The Mean Little Kid Syndrome

“Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins?” (Lamentations 3:30)

Red Skeleton, the comedian, came into our homes by radio many years ago, prior to television. He did a number of characters including “The Mean Little Kid.” He would say, “If me do this I gonna get a spankin. Me do it anyway.” The radio audience used their imaginations to see The Mean Little Kid disobey, get caught and then scream and cry begging his mother not to punish him, knowing he deserved it.

That skit was funny and it made us laugh. On a much more serious note, people disobey God, knowing we are disobeying Him, knowing we are deserving of His chastening rod and complain because of the chastisement. Jeremiah asked, “Why do living men complain for their punishment for their sins?” 

If you are a Christian, a child of God, He loves you too much to allow you to stay on a wayward path. We should thank Him for His corrections and chastisements. Otherwise we might have reason to question whether or not we are really His. One more thing: “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9)

A Call to Spiritual Renewal

“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the LORD.” (Lamentations 3:40)

To turn again to the Lord, says that the people to whom these words were addressed were God’s people, Jews who had walked with God but had drifted away from Him.

The addressees could be Jews from Jerusalem, Israelites or Samaritans from Samaria. They could even be present day Christian people from thousands of churches around the world.

Billy Sunday said, “The way to have revival is for each person to draw a three foot circle around himself and pray until every person in the circle is revived.” Revival is for the saved, not the lost. D.M. Patton described revival as, “the inrush of the Spirit into a body that threatens to become a corpse.”

Revival is a spiritual renewal. That is what Jeremiah is calling for in our text. Before that can happen, each individual must search his ways, and finding his ways spiritually deficient, repent and turn back to the Lord. Revival must start at the church house. It will never start at the White House.

Take God at His Word

"And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the Lord saying, Take thee a roll of a book, and write therin all the words that I have spoken unto thee…” (Jeremiah 36:1-2)

You can take God at His word. As a young teen-ager, my older brother was struggling with how to be saved. Our pastor asked him, “Do you want to be saved?” My brother said, “yes.” Our pastor, who had read many Bible verses to him over a period of several months said, “Just take God at His Word.” He did just that and was gloriously saved.

Jeremiah, the prophet of God declared he was hearing, writing and preaching the word of God. In chapter 36 of his prophecy he declares nine such phrases as “this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord” and “write all the words that I have spoken unto you.” Jeremiah was either (1) a demented fool who thought he heard and thought he was writing the word of God or (2) He was a liar and knew he was not hearing, writing and speaking the word of the Lord, or (3) He was a prophet of God and knew he was hearing God speak and knew he was writing, “thus saith the Lord.”

What is said of Jeremiah is true of all the Biblical writers. Billy Graham, in his early years, said he prayed and said, “God, I don’t understand all of the Bible, but I know it is all true. I will accept all of it by faith, even the parts I do not yet understand.” Take God at His word.

Looking for a Prayer List?

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.” (I Timothy 2:1-2)

If you are looking for a list of people for whom to pray, use this list which Paul suggested to Timothy. “All men,” would include common, ordinary people such as farmers, factory workers, truck drivers, janitors, college professors, high school teachers, military personnel, doctors, nurses and many, many more.

When did you last pray for your president? We are not told to criticize our president nor to agree with him, but to pray for him, plus others in authority, including members of congress, supreme court justices, mayors, governors and policemen. God’s Word does not excuse us from praying for them just because we do not agree with them.

I will add one other as Paul did in some places. “And pray for me.”

A Deadly Sin

“The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.” (Psalm 10:4)

Pride has been listed as one of the seven deadly sins. The Bible says that pride goes before destruction. The prideful, wicked man says in his heart that he does not need God and therefore will not seek God or the ways of God.

God is not in all this man’s thoughts. He never thinks about God. The New American Standard Bible says, “All his thoughts are, there is no God.” In either translation pride keeps this wicked man from turning his life over to God.

What about you? Have you surrendered your life to God, admitting that you are a sinner in need of a Savior? Every person of Adam’s race is a sinner by nature and a sinner by choice. Christ Jesus, the Son of God died on Calvary’s cross to pay our sin debt and arose from the dead to give us life. I encourage you to receive Him by faith. You will never be sorry you did.

What or Who are You Trusting?

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7)

We are reminded of Israel at the Red Sea being hotly pursued by Pharaoh and the Egyptian army. Pharaoh had “six hundred chosen chariots and all the chariots of Egypt and captains over every one of them.” (Exodus 14:7) Plus he had many men on horse-back. Israel had nothing with which to fight and had no training in warfare.

When the people of Israel were frightened by the approaching army, Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more for ever." (Exodus 14:13) And you know the rest of the story.

We have our armaments, our rockets, planes, bombs, war machinery, our peace conferences and all the rest. If we fail to trust in the Lord all of that is as children’s fire-crackers before the devil and his forces.

The Lord’s Last Word to the Church

“Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first words; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:5)

In his book, “Repent or Else,” the late Vance Havner said, “The Lord’s last word to the churches was not, ‘Go ye.’ It was, ‘Repent ye.’ And that’s the last thing most churches think they need to do or are willing to do.”

In chapters two and three of the Revelation the Lord speaks to the seven churches of Asia. Five of the seven He called to repent for various things: love grown cold, false doctrine, licentiousness, deadness while pretending to be alive, and luke-warmness. These things are prevalent in many of today’s churches. Two of the seven had no recorded blemishes.

It is likely that my readers attend a church that has some or all of these maladies, plus perhaps some additional ones. Don’t quit and go to another church. Stay and help your church get back on the right path. If personal repentance is needed, do it now. Read your Bible. Pray for your pastor and people. Walk with the Lord yourself, setting a good example. Talk to your pastor about the problem and let him know you are praying for him. Give it time. If there is no addressing of the issues and no repentance then pray about choosing another church where the Bible is taught, preached, believed and practiced.

No More Proof is Needed

“And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of  God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.”

(John 20:30-31)

How much evidence does it take to convince someone that Jesus is the all sufficient Savior?

Jesus did thirty-nine miracles. John recorded eight of them. John said that he recorded these eight in his gospel that people would believe. These eight are enough to authenticate our Lord’s deity. There is no need of further proof as to the person of Christ. All we need to know of Jesus is in the Bible.

Do you want your sins forgiven and to have eternal life? Believe on Jesus, the Son of God with all your heart. In Him and Him alone is eternal life. An old song says, “Only trust Him, only trust Him, only trust Him now. He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now.”

Absent from the Body, Present with the Lord

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” (II Corinthians 5:8)

Following a series of strokes and several stays in the hospital, my father became a prisoner in his house of clay. He had been a very strong man, farming for a living until age thirty-six when he answered God’s call to preach the Gospel and pastor churches.

He loved to sing bass in quartets and in the congregation. When that first stroke came, his preaching and singing ended. His body also was failing and he was not physically able to work. He was a prisoner in his house of clay. On that Sunday evening when he passed away he was released from his prison and ushered into the presence of the Lord.

Every time I conduct a funeral for a Christian, a child of God, I am reminded one more time of the joy that will be mine when the prison doors of this old house swing open and I step into the presence of my Lord.

Trust the Lord and Rejoice in Him

“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.” (Psalm 5:11)

Someone said, “Satan has no happy old people.” The reason for the truth of that statement is that they have lived a life of not trusting the Lord. There has been no time that they trusted Him for salvation. They have trusted their own reasoning, their own ingenuity, their own wisdom, their own counsel, their own feelings and the world system.

On the other hand, Gods people rejoice because they trust the Lord for eternal life and for daily sustenance. They trust Him in life and they trust Him in death. They trust God’s holy Word.

Trust the Lord. Trust what He says. Trust His promises. Love and trust the Lord and rejoice in Him.

A Good Day to Remember God

“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’”

(Ecclesiastes 12:1)

It can be correctly said, “Everyone, regardless of his/her age, is a day younger than he/she will be tomorrow.” For that reason our text is appropriate for everyone, not just the teenagers and twenty year olds.

Before our eyesight worsens, before our teeth are all gone, while we still have some muscle-tone, before our ears cannot hear, before our fear of heights worsens and before the mourners slowly walk the streets and lanes on our behalf, (vs. 2-5), yes before all that is a good time to remember God. While we still have a little something left let us remember Him with what we have. While we are younger than we will be tomorrow, let us remember our Creator, our God.

Let us remember Him with faith in Him to save, remember Him with our goods, our time, our church attendance and our testimonies about Him.