It’s Never Too Early, But It Might Be Too Late

I was downstairs watching TV when my watch started buzzing. I looked down and saw that I was getting a phone call. My phone was upstairs charging, so I rushed up the stairs just in time to answer the phone. It was my sister. She told me that my father was in the ER and was having a heart attack. I packed an overnight bag, kissed my babies and my wife, and headed to the hospital some 45 minutes away. As I entered the room, I saw my dad writhing in pain and struggling to breathe. My mom sat beside him, and my sister stepped back to let me in. For the next several minutes, I watched as my father struggled to talk, breathe, and keep focus on anything. I could only think, “I love you, Dad! I hope you know how much I love you!”

They emergency transported my father to another hospital with a cardiac center some 20 minutes away. I wrapped my arm around my mom, and we walked to my car to meet my father at the next hospital. I did my best to reassure her that everything would be okay. My focus was now on making sure my mom felt comforted and supported. As we entered the elevators to go up to the floor my father was on, a code blue was called over the speakers for a patient in the same location my father was in. Worry flooded our thoughts as we weren’t sure if my father was in trouble. 

Several minutes later, we were told that my father was in surgery getting a stent put in and should be out shortly. My mom, sister, brother-in-law, and I waited in the waiting room, hoping everything was okay. A few moments later, I saw my dad being wheeled around the corner. I got up and headed over to him. He looked like a brand-new man. He was smiling, alert, and talkative. My heart rejoiced, knowing that my father was going to be okay.

Even though this wasn’t the first time my father had been in the hospital, this was the first time it hit me as hard as it did. I started to think about my father, mother, and sister. Even though they live 45 minutes away, I don’t talk with them as often as I should. I don’t tell them I love them as often as I should. I don’t do a good job of letting them know that I love, care about, and cherish them. I consider myself lucky. I have been blessed to have another chance to fix my shortcomings and tell my family what I should have been telling them more consistently. 

We tend to take life for granted. We get caught up in the busyness of life and neglect to invest in what matters – relationships, especially the relationships with those closest to us. Family is not something that is encouraged in today’s society. After high school, we are pushed to become productive members of society. This isn’t a bad thing. However, in the push to make a place for ourselves in this world, we need to remember and invest in the relationships that helped us get to where we are today.

I want to challenge you to reconsider what it means to love. I am telling you to say “I love you” more often. Please understand me: love is not just words. It is action. There is a song by Cody Johnson called”‘ Til You Can’t.” In the chorus, he says:

If you got a chance, take it, take it while you got a chance.
If you got a dream, chase it, ’cause a dream won’t chase you back.
If you’re gonna love somebody,
Hold ’em as long and as strong and as close as you can
‘Til you can’t.

In the bridge, he says:

So take that phone call from your momma and just talk away
‘Cause you’ll never know how bad you wanna ’til you can’t someday
Don’t wait on tomorrow ’cause tomorrow may not show
Say your sorries, your I-love-yous, ’cause man you never know

Don’t put off what should be done today. When our loved ones are gone, there are no more chances. Take every chance you can to say, “I love you.” Take every opportunity to spend time with those closest to you. Because once they’re gone, you will wish you did more when they were here.

After the incident with my father, I decided to act on how I felt. I started a group message between my father, mother, and sister. Every morning, I text a simple message that says, “Good morning! I love you!.” I know it’s not a lot, but at least I know that when they read their notifications on their phone, they will see a message from me telling them that I love them. I don’t need to hear anything back because I’m not seeking approval. I want them to know that in the busyness of life, no matter what, I am thinking about them and love them.

Life is a blip. One day, we are here, and then the next, we are gone. We are defined by what we do with the time we have. If there is one thing I am learning, it is to stop taking life for granted and start prioritizing my life with things that matter – family and friends. I want my wife, children, mom and dad, sister, and friends to know that I love them and that they matter to me. I don’t want to get caught up chasing the dollar or the next best thing at the cost of my relationship with my family and friends. The people in my life are what matters most. So, to all my family and friends: 

I LOVE YOU! 

Please Read

Hello,

We don’t speak much, or perhaps never at all. Life takes us on different paths and journeys, but I want you to know that you are in my heart and mind. I have reached a point in my life of reflection and introspection. There is so much I want to share with you, but I don’t know how you will take what I have to say. Everything I have to say comes from a place of love, and all I ask is that you read everything with an open mind.

Let me start with an apology. I am sorry if anything I have done in my lifetime has created discord and division between you and me. I apologize for not showing you love in my words or actions. I am sorry for not investing in our relationship how I should have or if I allowed our differences to drive a wedge between us. I am sorry for not being a person of compassion and grace. I am sorry for speaking words of ignorance rather than words of edification. I am sorry for being a hypocrite and not living a righteous life. My heart aches, knowing that my actions and words have not aligned with who I claim to be. I have failed you by giving into worldly pressures and fear. 

For my entire life, I have claimed to be a Christian. I have claimed to believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I know I have not lived a life worthy of being called a Christ follower. I have chosen to be led by selfishness, pride, and arrogance many times throughout my life. I have allowed anger to be a staple in my life, possibly creating division between you and me. I have failed at being a good representative of Jesus Christ. If my actions or words have caused you to disbelieve or deny the existence of God and His Son, Jesus Christ, I ask that you see past my faults. I am a sinner, a broken man, and I know that I fail at being a good representative of Jesus Christ. I am a work in progress saved by grace.  

I am making you this promise from here on out: I will strive to be the man I am called to be – a man called to love and edify, to give grace, compassion, and forgiveness, and most importantly, a man called to serve. I am a work in progress, and I cannot guarantee perfection. However, I promise you that I will strive to do what is right, and when I fail, I will repent, seek forgiveness, and turn back to what is right. 

I am not a Christian as defined by today’s society. I am a sinner, saved by grace through faith by the ultimate sacrifice made by Jesus Christ when He was crucified on the cross. This does not make me better than you or anyone else. All this means is that I recognize that I am a sinner in need of saving. It means that I acknowledge that I am broken, messed up, and have failed to do what is right on many occasions. It means that I am saying that God’s way is better than mine and that I need saving from myself. 

As a new follower of Jesus Christ – I say “new” because I have not been living my life as a faithful follower of Christ – I do not want to force my beliefs on you. Your choice to believe in God and follow Jesus Christ is your own. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t share my heart with you.

I want you to know that I love you. I don’t care about your political affiliation, your history, or anything else of insignificance. I love you for you. You were created in God’s image, making you beautiful and significant in my eyes. You might say that you don’t believe in God. To which I say, He still believes in you. You were made for more than just making it through each day. You were made to experience God’s joy and love. 

This is where I share the hard truth. Life is but a breath. We are here one day and gone the next. Knowing what I know and believing what I believe, it would be selfish to keep it to myself. Life, as we know it, is a drop of water within the vast ocean of eternity. Death is only the death of our physical self. But you and I are more than just physical. You and I have a spirit and a soul. The choices we make here will determine the outcome of our spiritual self. 

We tend to think that everything happening around us is what matters – politics, religion, ideologies, agendas, etc. In all sincerity, those things matter very little. What truly matters is how you and I live our lives and whether we choose to accept Jesus Christ, make Him the Lord of our lives, and follow after him. You see, as someone who has lived their life as a said “Christian,” there is one thing that I never really did – make Jesus Christ the Lord of my life. It hasn’t been until recently that I have acknowledged the downfall of my choices and the consequences of choosing selfishness over God’s wisdom and Truth. 

For a long time, I thought being a Christian was me professing and believing in Jesus Christ. I have learned that this is a tiny part of the process. What matters most is repentance and a changed heart that follows the commands of Christ Jesus. I must warn you that your pride, selfishness, and self-deception, just like mine, will make you believe that you have nothing to repent of and that you are good just the way you are. This is the greatest lie we have been led to think about ourselves. The truth is, we are not good just the way we are. We are broken and messed up. What we do is not enough. It doesn’t matter how much we work, how much we give, or even how much we sacrifice. We must repent of our sin – our inability to choose God over self – and turn to Christ as our Savior and Lord. 

Jesus said, “I am the way, truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” He also said, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” Finally, Jesus says, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

It is only through Jesus that we can have life. Life is not what you and I think it to be. It’s more than getting up and going through the grind. It’s more than political and ideological constructs. Life is not about us. It was never meant to be about us. Life is about submitting all we have before Jesus Christ, taking up our cross, and following Him. At any point that we don’t do this, life becomes meaningless. 

Jesus told us that never everyone who calls on His name will be saved. It is only those who follow His commands that will be saved. This begs the question, what is the will of the Father? In short, “To Love the Lord God with all our heart, soul, and strength.” Love is an action. It is not just words. It’s giving up our wants and desires for His. It is living a life completely sold out to Him. This is why politics, religion, ideologies, and agendas mean very little. 

Why am I telling you all of this? Because you are important to me, and for far too long, I have neglected to invite you into a relationship with Jesus. I have failed you and failed to follow my Lord’s commands. I have been selfish in keeping my knowledge of Jesus Christ and what He has done for me to myself. I need to tell you that Jesus loves you. He wants to be in a deep, meaningful relationship with you. He wants to change your paradigm and help you see what truly matters. He wants to show you your value and worth and take you from where you are to someplace even greater. When we say goodbye to this world, I want you and I to live together in peace in the presence of God. Your soul matters to me, and I don’t want to see you choose to deny eternal joy and happiness due to pride, selfishness, and deception.

If you believe in Jesus Christ, I encourage you in your faith and your walk with Him. I encourage you to abstain from the world’s ways and hold fast to His commandments. Trust the Lord with all your heart, and don’t think you understand it all. If it has been a while, I encourage you to pick up the Bible and start reading. The truths that are found in its pages are guideposts and directional signs for life. Do not be deceived by the lies of the world, and do not conform to the ways of this world. Seek Jesus Christ and be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Take your wants and desires and place them in front of the throne of Christ. Be willing to give up what you think is right for the way of Jesus. Repent of the sin in your life, change your heart, seek God, and renew your relationship with Him. The Apostle James warns us, “Don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” 

We are called to be in the world but not of the world. We are also called to be the light in the world. Those who know Jesus know the light and have the light within them. This world has nothing to offer except total depravity and exile from God. The more we find ourselves drawn into the world’s darkness, the farther we get from the True light who gives life to all. If you find yourself in a dark place, stop and find out where you are compared to Jesus Christ and His commandments. 

Proverbs says, “Whoever keeps the commandments keeps their life, but whoever shows contempt for their ways will die.” Jesus also said, “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” If God the Father and His son, Jesus Christ, are not first in our lives, then we have already failed at keeping His commandments. We must repent of our selfishness, arrogance, and self-deception, return to God, and follow Him. 

I want nothing but the best for you, and I know that the world does not have your best interests at heart. There is only One who truly loves you and has your best interests at heart – Jesus Christ. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” It was God who gave us a way out. It was God who sacrificed His son to save us. If you do not know Christ, I am asking you, with all of my heart, to seek Him out and get to know Him. God said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jesus Christ will show up for those who genuinely want to know Him. 

If you know Christ but have strayed away from Him, much like I have, I encourage you to recenter yourself and seek Jesus. The scariest words ever spoken by Jesus were, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” Come back to Jesus Christ. Repent and make Him first in all you do. Follow His commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. This means that we must make Him first in all that we do.  

I love you, and I pray that you take what I have written with an open mind and truly reflect on what I have stated. You are precious and meant for so much more than what this world has to offer. If you ever want a deeper, more meaningful conversation, please do not hesitate to contact me. If we don’t see each other in this lifetime, I pray that we will see each other in the life to come. Never forget, just because you may not believe in God doesn’t mean He doesn’t believe in you and wants the best for you. He knows you, He sees you, and He loves you. He’ll never force His way into your life. He will always be one step behind, waiting for you to let Him. 

The Scariest Words

When I was seven, I “gave my life” to Jesus. Honestly, I never really understood what that meant. All I knew was I didn’t want to go to the place with fire and brimstone. I was told that if I said the sinner’s prayer and accepted Jesus in my heart, I would be saved. It sounded like a good deal, so I prayed in the back of the car in the parking lot of a grocery store and “accepted” Jesus as my savior. I was seven. Did I have any idea what any of that meant? No! I never really understood what it meant. I thought I was good to go because I prayed the prayer. Sadly, that is not what the Bible teaches. I have only recently discovered what it truly means to “accept” Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.

Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matthew 7:21-23). 

Have you ever considered these words from Jesus? His words are very disconcerting. Honestly, I find these words to be some of the scariest words Jesus ever spoke. Jesus is saying that people will go throughout their lives testifying and proclaiming the good news all in the name of Jesus, all the while never being known by Jesus Christ himself. I NEVER want to be this person. When I die and meet Jesus, I want Him to look at me and say, “Hello, son. I love you and am so proud of you.”

I grew up thinking, once saved, always saved. However, the older I get, the more I question this theology. I don’t see this theology taught by Christ, especially with the verse above. If all we have to do is pray the “sinner’s prayer” to be saved, then there is no genuine desire to obey Christ and His commands. I’m left questioning how I can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I am not like one of those in Christ’s scenario. How do I know that God knows me? 

Before Christ came, the prophets taught Israel they would be saved through righteousness. This was a way of living. This was following the commands of God with all their heart, soul, and strength. It wasn’t something they said but then went on living contrary to how God called them to live. When they chose to follow after idols and take on the religion of the surrounding nations, they were destroyed and taken into captivity. Only after they returned to God with a repentant heart was it counted to them as righteousness, and they were saved. Salvation is not only an acknowledgment of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. It is an act of obedience to live the life God has called us to.

The Apostle James speaks of this with faith and works:

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2:14-26)

How can we say that we are Christian but live contrary to the ways of God? The word “Christian” literally means Christ follower. To say we follow Christ means we do as He did and stand for what He does. If Christ said to follow His commandments, then we do that. If we are called to be in the world but not of the world, we should live contrary to how the world says to live. If we profess Christ as our Lord and Savior, then shouldn’t our action and life represent full and unwavering devotion and submission to Him? If we say that we are Christians, our actions should mimic God and His word.

To those who say that Jesus was all about love and acceptance, you are not seeing the whole picture. Christ was loving and accepting but did not accept people’s sins. This is why He repeatedly stated, “Go and sin no more.” To those who say that Christ was against the religious sect and was more gracious to those not in the religious sect, I bring to mind Nicodemus. He was a prominent individual in the religious sect. Christ spent time answering his questions and invited Nicodemus to follow Him. When the religious sect gathered common people to stone the woman caught in adultery, He called out everyone’s sin, not just the religious sect. Jesus called out the religious sect for not being true followers of God. He called out their hypocrisy as leaders. John the Baptist did the same thing toward Harrod because of his lifestyle. He and Jesus called all to repentance. Neither of them accepted sin.

To be a Christian is to leave the ways of the world behind us and live according to the ways of God. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). What are His commandments? The same ones that were given to the Israelites in the desert:

“You shall have no other gods before me. Do not have or make any graven images and worship them. Do not misuse the Lord’s name. Observe the sabbath (give honor and time to God and enter His rest). Honor your father and mother. Don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t commit adultery, and don’t covet” (Deuteronomy 5:7-21 paraphrased).
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5).
“Fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy. 10:12)
“Love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 11:13).

The Apostles call believers to live a “Holy” life. This means our life is set apart from the ways of the world. We cannot be friends with the world and also be called Christians. This is why Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Luke 16:13). Jesus also stated, “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:14). To call oneself a Christian and live a life contrary to the commands and words of God, is to be the one in which Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Hear, Listen, and Do

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way” (Isaiah 53:6a). “All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalms 14:3). The Bible doesn’t mince words. At the beginning of Israel’s establishment, God commanded them to love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. Within a few years, Israel had broken nearly every command given to them.

Not much has changed in today’s world. Our world and societies are corrupt, and our lives are corrupt. The only ones to blame are ourselves. Why? Because we have failed to follow the first and greatest commandment. “Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: ‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.” (Matthew 22:34-38).

Why is such a simple commandment so hard to follow? Since the dawn of time and the creation of humanity, we have wanted to live our way without being told what to do and how to do it. We were given the freedom to choose our path in life. However, we were told of the consequences of what would happen if we decided to live our lives for ourselves. First, Adam and Eve were told not to touch the tree in the middle of the garden, and if they did, they would surely die. Along comes the serpent, the scheming, lying devil, who takes God’s words and restates them in a way that makes Adam and Eve reconsider God’s commandment:

“He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

Do you see what the serpent did? He suggested that God was keeping something from Adam and Eve. He planted the idea in their head that God was not all good because He didn’t want them to know what He knew. He also told Adam and Eve that they would transcend who they were and become like God, knowing what He knew – good and evil. However, go back and read the commandments and consequences that they were told. “You can eat from any tree except the one in the middle. If you eat from the tree in the middle, you will surely die!”

As Adam and Eve ignored God’s commands and warnings and ate from the forbidden tree, they found themselves still very much alive. They didn’t keel over and die. God didn’t say they would physically die. He said they would surely die. What, then, did God mean? To answer this question, we need to go back to chapter 1:

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

Humanity was created in God’s image. God is a spiritual being. He was, and is, and forever will be. He is everything good. When He made man and woman, he made them in His good, spiritual image. He warned Adam and Eve that they would surely die if they disregarded his warning. What is the ultimate kind of death? Eternal separation from God. Adam and Eve chose to ignore God’s warning, and ultimately, they died – spiritually. There was no longer any good in them. They choose to love themselves over loving God. What was their consequence? To be removed from the presence of God:

“And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken” (Genesis 3:22-23).

This one act set in motion a love story unlike any other. More than anything, God wanted to renew the broken relationship between Himself and humanity. Even though God had nothing to do with the breakup in our relationship, He still wanted to have a close relationship with us. The story starts with a covenant made by God with the people of Israel. God chose Israel to be a nation that would stand out from all other nations. All they needed to do was follow God’s commandments, and all would go well. But as we saw in the Garden of Eden, humanity has this lousy way of ignoring the words of God, and the consequences that He warns will come if we choose to ignore Him. Even though the Old Testament in the Bible focuses on the history of Israel and their relationship with God, it doesn’t mean that God’s words don’t apply to us today.

Again, God gave us free will. He never wanted us to be forced into loving Him. This is why he offers commandments with warnings. He tells us what is good because He is good. The Ten Commandments are a list of what goodness looks like. First and foremost, Love God and keep Him first. Second, love others. This is why Moses proclaimed, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Sadly, we have gone away from this simple commandment yet again.

We are corrupt! There is nothing good within us. You might be thinking that you live a good life. You haven’t murdered anyone. You haven’t stolen anything. The last time you were in traffic and got cut off, you waved with all your fingers. Here’s the clincher: just because you have lived this way doesn’t make you good. Jesus stated, “Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17).

You know good AND evil. You are bent on doing evil. Perhaps you have lied or coveted something that someone else had. You don’t have to act on your feelings. You see, that’s the point. You KNOW good and evil. Before the first man and woman disregarded God’s command, they knew nothing but good. They didn’t know what it meant to lie. They didn’t know what it felt like to covet. They didn’t know what malice was. All they knew was good. This is why Jesus said:

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28)

Knowing evil is what causes spiritual death. Our thoughts alone make us guilty of sin. This is why the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is so necessary. It is only through Him that we can become spiritually alive. Even though we still know good and evil, the blood of Jesus covers a multitude of sins and brings us back into a relationship with God. However, the commandment still stands: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength.”

Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me” (John 14:23-24). This is how we become spiritually alive. We must submit to the authority of Jesus Christ and God the Father. We must stop thinking that we know what is best. We know nothing. This was made evident in the Garden of Eden. To love God is to obey Him.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:5). It is not enough to just read the words of God. We must put them in our hearts. We must memorize them. We must teach them. We must write them in our house so that we constantly see them. If we are not consistently in the Word of God, seeking to know Him and His commands to obey and follow them, then we don’t truly love Him.

James, the brother of Jesus, wrote this:

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1:22-25)

We must be doers of the Word. We must listen and obey. We must love the Lord our God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and with all of our strength. We must write the Word of God on our hearts. We must teach God’s commandments to our children. We must write God’s commands in our homes. We need to stop believing that we know what is best. We must stop listening to evil and do what is good. We must cling to the cross of Christ and strive to become spiritually alive. The more we keep ignoring God, the more corrupt we become.

“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:56-57).

God-Controlled

Lately, I have been pondering the idea of self-control. It is something we hear often. Growing up, our parents taught us to practice self-control. As we get older, we are told to focus on having self-control. The older I get, the more I have realized that self-control is easier said than done, and I have finally figured out why. 

What does it mean to have self-control? What comes to mind is the control of our actions, thoughts, and words. We do the right thing in our actions, like choosing to wave with all of our fingers as we are cut off in traffic. We think the right thoughts, like how the person who just cut us off is just as valuable as ourselves even though they do frustrating things. We speak only what is good, like saying words of love and encouragement as the person who cut us off waves with one finger. If you can do all of this without hesitation every time, you are a better person than I am. Of course, there are many examples I can use, but I’m sure you get the gist of what I am saying.

Self-control means that I must take control of self – myself. I can’t do that when the self in me is broken. Have you ever tried to focus on one image in a broken mirror? A broken mirror displays multiple images at one time. You can never get a clear picture or reflection in a broken mirror. It is only when you look at a clean, complete mirror that the reflection is whole and complete. We are broken mirrors, and to think that we can control ourselves is to say that we can make what is broken complete again. This is why self-control is impossible unless we look to the one who makes us whole.

Self is the enemy of righteousness. The more we focus on self, the farther from righteousness we get. Self is also the enemy of humility. Self and pride share the same address within our lives. Self tells us that we are owed something, which is a lie, as we are owed absolutely nothing. Self puts us on a pedestal, making us god and denying the One True God. Ultimately, the self is the enemy of God!

Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). What happens on a cross? Death! The cross was used as capital punishment to kill. Jesus told us to take up our cross. Why? What do we have that needs to be put to death? The answer: Self! This is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). 

There is only one way to win the war on self: to be completely and fully submitted to God! Only through the giving up of self can we truly win the war that self constantly wages. We are incapable of having complete control over self. John the Baptist said it best when he said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30). We must bow our heads before the Lord of all the Earth and fully submit to Him, contrary to what self teaches.

There is no such thing as self-control. There is such a thing as complete submission to God. We cannot control the self, but the self becomes less through total surrender to Jesus Christ. When we give God full control, we don’t need to worry about self. This doesn’t mean the self will never show up. On the contrary, the self will always want to rear its ugly head. However, the more we submit to Jesus Christ and humble ourselves before him, the self will never have an opportunity to win.

Nevertheless, be on alert. Self will want to regain control and convince you that you are in control. You lose total control when you give in to the lies of self. You may ask, “How do I keep the self from taking control?” First and foremost, get into the Word of God every day. As King Solomon wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7). In Psalms 119, the psalmist reminds us of what it takes, “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalms 119:11). These verses are excellent reminders of what it takes to submit to God and ignore the voice of self.

Second, pray. Jesus gives us the perfect example of what to do when the self starts to rear its ugly head. Jesus Christ was entirely God and fully man. This means he was still tempted, just like us, in every way. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). When the time of His death was approaching and He was overwhelmed with emotion, He went off by Himself and pleaded with God the Father:

“Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” (Luke 22:39-46)

Notice in Christ’s prayer that He shared His self’s desires but followed it up with, “Not my will but yours be done.” Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t want to endure what Christ knew He was about to endure. This is why He prayed to the Father that He might be spared from the pain and anguish about to befall Him. Jesus could have easily rebelled, gave into self, and walked away. There was nothing that was stopping Him from doing that. However, because of his unwavering submission and devotion to His Father, He was willing to endure whatever came His way. He said, “Your will is more important than self.”

Finally, when you find yourself starting to listen to the deceiving voice of self, acknowledge it, repent of it, and seek God. David is an excellent example of this. As the King of Israel, he had a lot of opportunities to listen to the self, and many times he followed after the the self. His sin with Bathsheba was the best example of this (2 Samuel 11). After David’s sin, the Lord sends Nathan, the prophet, to confront David. What’s fascinating is that Nathan uses a story to tell David that he was wrong and made poor choices:

“The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” (2 Samuel 12:1-7a, 13a)

David fell prey to the self and committed horrible acts. However, he acknowledged his sin and repented when confronted about his actions. We will all fall prey to self, but it doesn’t mean we need to allow self to control us. When we acknowledge our sin, repent, and resubmit under the authority of Jesus Christ, we defeat the power of self. 

When we submit to God, we aren’t controlling the self. We are allowing the ways of God to become more as the self becomes less. The ways of God bring peace to our lives. It is the self that brings chaos, pain, and frustration. The Apostle Paul says this in his letter to the Romans, “The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace” (Romans  8:6). To have a mind governed by the Spirit, we must die to self daily. Rather than trying to fight against self and have self-control, I encourage you to be God-controlled. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10).

The Hard Truth

C.S. Lewis gave us one of the best descriptions of God in his book, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. When the children enter the world of Narnia, they are told of the great Aslan. Upon his description, Susan states, “Well, he doesn’t sound very safe” (My paraphrase ). Mr. Beaver replies, “Safe? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good.” Today’s churches teach that God is “safe.” Not only is this false doctrine, it has created a false religion within Christianity. Nowhere in the Word of God does it say that God is safe. Instead, it says that we should fear God above all things. 

The Bible teaches that God is love. That doesn’t mean God stands with arms wide open, accepting everyone. On the contrary, He stands with arms wide open, ready to welcome those who accept Him. However, anyone who accepts Him must deny themselves and repent of their sins. God is love means that He will forgive us our sins even though we did nothing to deserve His forgiveness. It does not mean He will accept us while we continue in our sin. Unless there is repentance, there is no salvation. 

“Well, how then does this show that God is love?” Love works in many ways. God is love means He is willing to see past our sins when we acknowledge our sins and repent. God allows humanity to live freely. He does not control, manipulate, or expect our allegiance. He asks for it, but He allows us to choose to whom we assign our devotion. As the Apostle John wrote concerning Jesus, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” (Revelation 3:20). It is up to us to open the door. He will never force himself in.

Jesus stated this: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7:21‭-‬23‬). Why is this not taught in today’s churches? Because it doesn’t fit the narrative of an all-accepting God. Here’s the truth: unless we repent of our sins and have a heart of repentance, there is no room in the kingdom for us. 

New Age Christianity teaches that God is all loving and accepting. It teaches that it doesn’t matter who you are, how you identify, or what you do; God loves and accepts you. This is a heretical doctrine that is not supported by scripture. God does love you, but He does not and will not accept you while living in sin. God can have nothing to do with sin. “Isn’t that why Jesus died on the cross?” Yes, but the blood of Jesus does not give us a pass to continue to live in sin. The blood of Jesus covers a multitude of sins, but unless there is repentance of sin, there is no hope for the sinner.

As mentioned earlier, for salvation to be truly gained, one must repent of their sins. What does it mean to repent? In the New Testament, “repent” is translated from the word “metanoia,” which means “to have another mind.” In other words, one changes their opinion or purpose in regard to sin. What was once considered normality in a sinner’s life is now seen as disobedience and dishonoring to God. They then change their actions and behaviors to mimic this change of heart. 

Here is a simple example: Some may see lying as not a big deal, but to God, it is dishonest and unloving. When one repents of this sin, they are acknowledging that lying is not good and goes against God’s commands. They then turn from their ways and begin to tell the truth in love. This does not mean they will never lie again, for as Jesus Christ said, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). This is where the blood of Christ covers a multitude of sins. However, unless there is repentance of sin, there is no salvation. 

An excellent example of this is David. David was considered a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). However, throughout his life, David committed egregious sins against God. The most notable was his sin with Bathsheba. He was walking on top of the palace, looking out, and saw a beautiful young woman bathing. He asked his servants about the woman, and he was told that she was Uriah the Hittite’s wife, a soldier in the king’s army and was away at war. David sent his servants to bring her to his chamber so he might have his way with her. Later, Bathsheba sends a message to the king, claiming she was pregnant. Upon hearing the news, David sent word for Uriah to return home, hoping he might sleep with his wife. However, Uriah, being an honorable man, never left the king’s palace. He slept at the entrance to the palace and never went home. David then devised a new plan. He sent word to Joab, the commander of the king’s army. He told him to place Uriah at the front of the battle where the fighting was the worst, and when Uriah was surrounded in battle, to retreat and leave him there to die. Ultimately, what David did “displeased the Lord” (2 Samuel 11:1-27).

In one story, David, the man who was considered a man after God’s own heart, lusted, committed adultery, lied, and committed murder. Talk about a rap sheet. In the end, the Lord was greatly displeased with David. As with all sin, a great price had to be paid. Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord told David of all the egregious sins he had committed and the consequences of his choices. Once David heard all that Nathan had to say, David exclaimed, “I have sinned against the Lord” (2 Samuel 12:13). Nathan told David that his sins were forgiven. Still, the child that Bathsheba bore would surely die. David’s response to his sin and the prophecy of the death of the child:

“David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground. The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them. On the seventh day, the child died. David’s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “While the child was still living, he wouldn’t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.” David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. “Is the child dead?” he asked. “Yes,” they replied, “he is dead.” Then David got up from the ground. After washing, putting on lotions, and changing his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate” (2 Samuel 12:16-20). 

David pleaded to God for the child’s life. He lay on the ground for seven days, neither eating nor drinking. He stayed there until he got news that the child had died. After hearing the news, he got up, cleaned himself, and worshiped God at the temple. This is what repentance looks like. David didn’t blame God for the child’s death. He didn’t get angry that God did not hear his cries for mercy. Instead, he accepted the consequences and worshiped God. He chose to see the error of his ways, took responsibility, and changed his mind. 

This wasn’t the only time David committed sins against the Lord. Later in his life, David committed another sin against the Lord by taking a census of all the fighting men in Israel. This was a sin because God told the Israelites that a census should never be taken but that their trust should remain in YHWH and not in the numbers within the tribes. After committing this sin, scripture says, “David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing” (2 Samuel 24:10). Again, David repents by seeing the error of his ways. He changed his mind about what he had done. Before, he didn’t see anything wrong in what he had done. Later, however, his conscience got the better of him, and he saw that what he had done was a disgrace toward God. Again, David’s choices came with a price. Many died because of David’s choices. Why? Because sin always comes with a price – usually death.

Here’s the bottom line, God desires to have a relationship with all of us. He wants us to trust Him and live completely obedient to Him. He knows we are imperfect and are slaves to sin. This is why the life of Jesus Christ was so important. Through the blood of Jesus, we have freedom from our sins. However, unless we repent of our sins, there is no salvation from our slavery. The God of the universe does not accept sin. He accepts a heart of repentance. To say that God loves you and accepts you even though you choose to live a life completely void of God’s commands is a false doctrine and teaching. God loves the sinner but hates the sin. Unless the sinner acknowledges their sin and repents of their ways, there is no hope for them. This is the gospel Truth.

The Bride

I was driving up Highway 55 with my wife to McCall, Idaho. We were listening to a message by John Bevere titled “The Knock-off Jesus.” Even though his message focused on believing in the Jesus of the Bible and not the Jesus of society, he talked about the relationship between Christ and His followers. He spoke about how the Scripture calls those who believe in Jesus as His bride. Of course, this is metaphorical, but it holds so much meaning. We must truly grasp the significance of what it means to be called the bride of Christ.

Before her wedding day, the bride begins searching for the one she would be willing to dedicate the rest of her life to. She would date other men, figure out if they would work well together, and decide if she would be treated the way she deserved to be treated. The rollercoaster of choosing the best mate for her starts early. In school, she begins the process of “dating” boys to find that some treat her right and others don’t. She might “fall in love” with them, but she doesn’t love them. She builds relationships with these guys but doesn’t seem to find a guy she is willing to give herself to entirely. As she goes through college, she starts to find more meaningful relationships with guys that she chooses to date. However, she still feels like something is missing until that special guy enters her life.

She begins to date this one particular guy. She begins to find a connection unlike any other she had with previous guys. She begins to learn what real love is and finds that she wants to love this man forever. She pursues him as he pursues her. She is shown love in ways she had never seen before. She considers the sacrifices he will make for her and feels like a queen when she is with him. As they grow closer together, she chooses that this man is the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Eventually, she becomes engaged and begins to show that she is publicly willing to dedicate herself to him for the rest of her life.

On her wedding day, the bride dons a beautiful white dress. The white dress is meant to signify purity. She is saying that she has chosen to remain pure for her husband. Walking down the aisle, she makes a proud, public statement that she is giving up the 3.7 billion other men in the world to be joined and committed to only one man. She is choosing to leave every other option that is presented to her for the pursuit of a lifelong relationship with her husband. She says, “I do,” making a lifelong commitment to love, cherish, obey, sacrifice, and do everything in her power to help, support, encourage, and love her husband through sickness and health, forsaking all others till death.

This is the beautiful story of the bride. However, we don’t live like this in society. We don’t really believe in “till death do us part.” We don’t believe in respecting and honoring each other. What we do believe is that if it doesn’t work, we can always go our separate ways and negate our vows. Marriage doesn’t mean anything. We don’t believe in sacrifice or what real love is. We believe in self and eros, nothing more. However, the bride discussed in the Bible is not the bride of this world. It’s a bride who is 100% committed to her husband, genuinely forsaking all others!

Picture a married couple going out on a date. As they sit down at a nice restaurant, ready to spend a wonderful evening together, just the two of them, the wife gets a phone call. As she is on the phone, the waiter comes over and asks to take the order. The husband begins by ordering the seafood special. As he finishes his order, his wife gets off the phone and gets ready to give her order. The waiter turns to her and asks what she would like. To her husband’s surprise, she orders a New York Strip, Filet Mignon, and a Rib Eye. The waiter takes the menus and heads back to the kitchen.

The husband looks at his wife in awe and says, “Wow! You must be pretty hungry. That’s a lot of food for one person.” As he finishes his sentence, she stands to greet someone and offers them a seat at their table. Taken back, the husband looks at his wife, a bit confused. After all, he thought this night was supposed to be just the two of them. Before he can say anything, she stands and greets another person, this time with a passionate kiss. “What are you doing?!?” her husband says, quite upset.

His wife looks at him, a bit perplexed at his reaction, and says, “What? Oh sorry, Honey. I should introduce you. This is my boyfriend from high school, and this is my boyfriend from college. I thought it would be nice if they joined us tonight.”

As he sits there trying to figure out what’s going on. Another individual comes up to the table and passionately kisses his wife in front of him and the others at the table. “That’s it! What do you think you are doing? I am your husband! This is absolutely disrespectful. These guys shouldn’t have anything to do with you anymore. Are you still seeing these guys?”

“Honey, don’t you think you are overreacting?” she says. “I spend most of my time with you, but sometimes I spend time with these other guys too. They are still important to me. Don’t you think you are being a bit selfish telling me who I can and can’t be with?” At this point, his wife gets up from the table and storms off.

How would you feel if this was your significant other? What would you do if you were put in this situation? Would you feel disrespected, betrayed even? Would you feel like your world just flipped upside down? This scenario is an excellent depiction of our relationship with Jesus Christ. We say we are sold out to Him and that He is all we need, yet we quickly find ourselves spending time with things that have nothing to do with Him. We invite our old boyfriends to the table with Jesus and expect Him to accept that we spend time with them while claiming that we are sold out to Him.

There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matthew 7:22-23). Have you ever stopped and wondered what Jesus was saying with this passage? These people attend dinner with Jesus but invite all their old boyfriends to the table. They are not sold out to Christ. They have not forsaken all others and dedicated their life to Christ. These are the people that Paul warns us not to be, “Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming” (Ephesians 4:14).

We tend to have this ideology in Western Christianity that God is full of grace and that we are saved by grace. This is very biblical. However, we have taken this to an extreme that it was never meant to be. Grace works when we repent of our sins. If there is no repentance, there is no room for grace.

Consider this: Jesus doesn’t chase after people. Neither did Jesus share the benefits of following after Him. Jesus shared the facts and allowed each person to decide whether to follow after Him or not. The story of the rich young ruler is an excellent example of this:

“As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.'” “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.” Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:17-23)

Jesus told the rich young ruler precisely what to do. When the young ruler turned away, Jesus didn’t chase after him. He let him go. He wanted the rich young ruler to follow Him unhindered by the things of the world. Jesus wanted total and complete devotion to Him. This is why Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money” (Matthew 6:24).

Another example is that of Nicodemus. In the gospel of John, we are introduced to a Pharisee named Nicodemus who goes to Jesus by night so that others in the religious sect wouldn’t see him meeting with Jesus. He asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life. Jesus tells him, but due to Nicodemus’s position in the religious council, He chooses to save his position rather than boldly follow Jesus. Jesus doesn’t chase after him. Jesus doesn’t say, “Oh come on, Nicodemus. Just follow me. I’m right here. You can do it!” Jesus let Nicodemus choose whom he wanted to serve, and for Nicodemus, it was his position in the religious council.

Jesus will allow us to choose whom we serve. Joshua made the same statement to the Israelites when they left Egypt and were about to enter the Promised Land. “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:14-15). Those who chose to follow and serve YHWH were blessed. Those who chose to serve other gods were forsaken, destroyed, and abandoned until they repented and returned to the Lord.

What makes us think that Jesus is going to come back and accept an unfaithful, promiscuous bride? What makes us believe that Jesus will save us when we cling to our old ways? The Bible says that God is a jealous God. The first commandment states, “You shall have no other gods before me!” (Exodus 20:3). This should be a wake-up call to all Christians. To claim to be the follower of Jesus means to forsake everything else and follow Him. We deny anything and everything that is not God. We live fully submitted to Jesus Christ. We do not allow our old boyfriends at the table.

When we sin – miss the mark – and repent of our actions and choices, it is the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that saves us. If we allow sin to be a part of our relationship with Jesus, there is no saving us. Salvation comes through grace, and grace comes when we repent of our sins. There is no room at the dinner table for our old ways and Jesus. To think that we can live clinging to both Jesus Christ and our sin, is to invite eternal damnation. I never want to hear my Lord and Savior tell me, “Depart from me, for I never knew you.”

If we are the bride of Christ, let us live as such. Let us live holy, fully submitted to our Lord. Let us publicly stand, proclaiming our dedication and commitment to Jesus. Let us show that we have forsaken anything and anyone who is not Jesus Christ. Let us live committed to the husband of our souls till death brings us face-to-face with Him!

It Starts With Us!

You know what I miss? I miss kindness and respect. I miss people genuinely caring about each other. I miss solidarity and unity in our society. I miss when people could think and believe different things but still show love and compassion for each other. I miss a world where opinions didn’t determine how we treated others. I miss the days when people were held accountable for their actions and choices and took ownership of their lives. I miss the days when responsibility ruled in the hearts of humanity. I miss the days when love for one another was the foundation of society.

Writing this right now, I am having a hard time looking back and finding these qualities within the last 5 or 10 years in our society. Our world is so divided that goodness is hard to find. What was once good is now vilified, and that which was considered evil is now the norm. Humanity is breaking more and more each day. My heart breaks for this world. We have become so blind to our selfishness, narcissism, and conceit. We have allowed the darkness to overtake the light. 

I am reminded of the book A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L’Engle. In the book, there is a great disturbance within the universe. Beings from beyond our world take three children on a journey to show them the darkness overtaking planets and warn them of their impending doom if nothing changes on their planet. The children learn that this darkness is caused by something called the “It.” “It” controls the minds and hearts of others and doesn’t allow for individuality. “It” is absolute darkness and evil, and the only thing that can stop “It” is the one thing it cannot comprehend: Love. 

Our world has lost sight of what love is and what it means. Love is a four-letter word that is thrown around without thought or consideration. Society sees love as a feeling and emotion that comes and goes and means very little to the overall choices one makes. Our world does not know or understand the true meaning of love.

The Apostle Luke shares this story in his gospel: 

“On one occasion, an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this, and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” In reply, Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day, he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:25-37)

The story starts with a man asking how to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds with a question about the commandments. “What is written in the Law?” The answer – Love! Love God and love your neighbor. The man then asks, “Who is my neighbor?”. This is a fair question, but Jesus’ response speaks volumes to how we should think and respond. 

In Jesus’s days, Samaritans were despised by the Jews. They were considered half-breeds, part Jew, part Gentile. They were not looked on with respect or honor. They were outcasts and treated as such. When Jesus meets the woman at the well (John 4:1-26), the woman even states that Jews did not look favorably on Samaritans, “The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans)” (John 4:9). 

Houston, John Adam; The Good Samaritan; Royal Scottish Academy of Art & Architecture

In Jesus’ parable, we have a man who is beaten to the edge of his life, robbed, and left for dead on the road. A priest, or religious man, saw the dying man and walked around him. Then a Levite man, or a wealthy man, saw the dying man and also went around him. Finally, a Samaritan man, or a lowly commoner who is considered an outcast to many, saw the dying man, bandaged his wounds, put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn to get well. Not only did he do all of this, he paid for the man’s stay at the inn and even offered to repay the innkeeper any extra expense. In the end, Jesus asks the question, “Which of these was a neighbor to the dying man?” The answer – the one who showed mercy. “Go and do likewise!”

You see, Jesus answered the original question, “Who is my neighbor?”, with a call to action! He also called out the Jewish religious leaders for their hypocrisy. The answer is simple: everyone is our neighbor, and it is our job to treat others with mercy. It’s easy to point fingers, push blame, accuse others, and ignore others, but humanity was created to love through action. “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). We don’t do this!

It doesn’t matter if you are a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, or even an Atheist; the conduct of our lives should be the same – love others, be merciful, and do good to our fellow man. This should be the common ground all religions can agree upon! However, because of the broken state of humanity, the simple act of love has been blinded by pride, arrogance, selfishness, and hate! Oh, what wretched people we have become! We need to change. We need to stop, regroup, refocus, and strive to love our neighbors once again! 

This needs to start with each one of us. We must set an example for the next generation. Too many youth are dying, struggling, and hurting because we fail to teach and show love, mercy, and compassion. We must be the change we want to see in the world, and if you can sit back and honestly say that the world doesn’t need to change, I suggest coming out from under the rock you are currently living under. We must hold ourselves to higher expectations. We need to look at ourselves in the mirror and see the areas in our lives that are not showing love and mercy. We need to put away our pride, arrogance, and selfish greed and start taking care of each other. We need to learn how to love our neighbors and make this world a better place for our children and our children’s children. It starts with US!

If God Is Real, Then Why…?

I watched a video the other day where someone was arguing with an atheist. The atheist stated, “If God is all loving and good, then why is there so much suffering and evil in the world?”. This is an argument to prove that there is no God because of all the tragedy in the world. The individual arguing against this question did it by trying to prove God through reason. However, his argument never really answered the question. If God is all loving and good, why is there so much bad and evil in the world? It is a valid question that should be discussed because God is all-loving and good. However, there is so much bad and evil in this world that it is easy to conclude that there is no God.

As a believer in YHWH, I always had difficulty with this question because I never had a good answer. I could argue God’s existence through reason and logic. Still, I never had a good explanation for why God would allow so much hurt, suffering, pain, agony, and evil in the world. It wasn’t until I stopped and tried to see it through the eyes of God that I finally understood. I hope that what you read in this article sheds light on any questions you have, and if you ever want to have a deeper, more meaningful conversation, please feel free to contact me.

Let me start by quoting the Apostle Paul, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12). This one man that Paul speaks of was Adam, the first human ever created by God. “Sin” can be best translated as “to fail” or “to miss the mark.” At the creation or the world, God planted an amazing garden and filled it with all kinds of beautiful things – birds, animals, flowers, plants, trees, etc. God then made a man and woman and placed them in this garden to live. There was only one thing that God commanded of the man and woman – ” but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). Did you notice what would happen if they ate from that tree? They would KNOW good and evil and would certainly DIE.

You might think, “What a horrible God that he would plant a tree and then tell his creation not to eat of it.” Is it all that different from what we do? Don’t we do the same thing with the people we love? All God wanted was complete and utter devotion to Himself and no other. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship with someone they love has had these same desires. Out of all the men in the world, my wife chose me. All I ask is that she stays devoted to me as my wife and forsake all other men. She asks the same of me regarding all the women in the world: I would forsake all other women and be devoted to her as her husband. All God wanted was complete devotion to Him.

Here is where the answer to the original question begins to take shape. “If God is all loving and all good, then why does God allow so much hurt, suffering, pain, agony, and evil in the world?” The Apostle John said it well when he wrote, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1a). What marvelous love the Father has lavished on us! The God of the universe loves his creation. He loves each and every one of us. He loves the righteous and the unrighteous – so much so that He died on the cross for both of them! (Romans 5:6, 8). The greatest act of love is allowing someone to make their decisions in life without judging, interfering, or imposing yourself on them so that they would do your will, and then stand with them throughout their life in the hope that they would see the error of their ways and look for redemption. And when they begin to look for that redemption, they turn and see that you, who have never left or forsaken them, are standing there ready to embrace them, love them, and redeem them. This, my friends, is the greatest act of love any of us could receive, and this is the gospel’s message.

This world has pain, agony, suffering, and evil because WE chose it. We decided to be unfaithful to God and seek out our selfish desires. In other words, we choose to sin, fail, and miss the mark. We are free to make whatever choices we want in our lives, but we are not free of the consequences of those choices. Remember what God told the first man and woman? “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” YOU WILL CERTAINLY DIE! Death is a consequence of sin; the sin that WE choose to partake in. You see, God is all good and loving, which means he will never impose His will on his creation. He will allow His creation to make whatever choices they want and still choose to walk with them in their sin until they see the errors of their ways and turn to Him for redemption.

It is the same with any good parent. Parents warn their children of the consequences of what will happen if they make certain choices, but they will then allow their children to make whatever choice they want. We were warned what would happen if we didn’t listen to, trust in, and be devoted to YHWH. We would know good and evil, and we would most certainly die. We disregarded the warning and chose to do what we wanted through selfish ambition and desire. God allows us to make whatever decision we want in life. He will never impose His will on our lives. However, He does give us the consequences of what will happen if we choose not to listen to him.

To assume there is no God because of all the pain, agony, hurt, and evil in the world is to be ignorant to one’s own choices and decisions. Whether you like it or not, we are all connected, and your actions and decisions affect more than just you. “Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people because all sinned.” One man caused death for ALL humanity. But here is the beautiful part of this story – “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:18-19).

God is love, and love is the ability to watch someone you love so dearly destroy themselves without imposing your will or trying to control their actions, and then save them through the sacrifice of your own Son in hopes that they might find redemption in that selfless act. Let me now ask you a question – is controlling, manipulating, or influencing something an act of love? Is manipulation and controlling good? If you think it is, are you willing to be owned by someone else and act and do exactly what they say without question? Are you willing to be in a relationship where you must act and work exactly as your partner tells you to do? My guess is no. Then why should God interfere and manipulate the choices and decisions of his creation? That wouldn’t be very loving or good.

Bad and evil things happen because we live in a world whose occupants have chosen to disregard the warnings from the Creator. We have sinned. We have missed the mark. We have failed. It isn’t until we recognize this simple fact that we will always be in denial of the consequences of our choices. You might be thinking, “I haven’t done anything bad in my life. I haven’t murdered anyone. I haven’t physically or verbally abused anyone in my life. I volunteer tons of my time to help those less fortunate than me. How can my choices and actions negatively affect others’ lives?” So you want to argue that you live a good life and do everything right, except you still are choosing to ignore and disregard the commands and consequences of God. “Jesus answered, ”I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me'” (John 14:6). Without God, we are nothing.

We only have ourselves to blame for the pain, hurt, agony, and evil that runs rampant in this world. God shows His love by not controlling, manipulating, or interfering in our actions and choices. He goes even further in His love by sending His Son to pay the price for OUR dumb choices and actions. However, what once was asked of us by God at the beginning of creation is still asked of us now – complete and utter devotion to YHWH through the belief, trust, and obedience to His Son, Jesus Christ!

Shut Up and Listen

Being a husband is challenging. Living with another human who thinks, acts, and responds differently than you is difficult. Women are complicated creatures, and nearly every man would agree with that statement. However, no matter how complex they are, we must protect and cherish them at all costs. 

“‭‭Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” (Ephesians 5:25-33)

One of the hardest things for most men to do is shut up and listen. Most men are what I like to call “fixers.” We hear about a problem and want to fix the problem. We want to give solutions so the issue goes away. In my almost 15 years of marriage, I have never found that my wife wants me to fix her problems. She wants me to shut up and listen to her problems without giving suggestions or advice. In other words, she wants me to be the stuffed animal she used to curl up with as a little girl and share everything with. She needs me to listen and validate her and her feelings, whether I agree with them or not, because, let’s remember, I am a man, and how I think and feel is VERY different from how she thinks and feels.

Then there are the times when, as a man, I open my mouth and say something that doesn’t mean much to me, but to my wife may be hurtful or demeaning. This is where I get in trouble the most. I might say something that, to me, is nothing, but to my wife, it is hurtful and demeaning. Even though I didn’t mean for her to feel that way, she still does. It is at this point that I have a choice to make. I can puff out my chest, act like an arrogant fool, and tell her she’s wrong for taking what I said the way she did, or I can shut up and listen when she tries to tell me that what I said hurts her feelings. The latter is not a natural response.

Most men have a hard time listening. The skill of listening can either create a lasting relationship that can stand the test of time, or the lack of such skill can destroy the most beautiful of relationships. Here’s the bottom line, men: we need to learn to shut up and listen, and I’m not talking about listening by nodding your head while you think how ridiculous she’s being. I’m talking about selflessly engaging in what she is saying and seeking to understand and validate her. 

The key to all of this is humility and selflessness. We must remember that our wives do not think like us. They are sensitive and emotional creatures, which are both great things, as most men lack both, and it is our job to honor, cherish, and protect our wives in all things. That means that we need to protect our wives from ourselves as well.

Most real men are aggressive and headstrong. These are all good qualities, but we must learn to curb these natural tendencies in regards to our relationship with our wives. We must learn to be gentle and understanding. As the Apostle Peter wrote, “Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered” (1 Peter 3:7). We must live with our wives in an understanding way.  

To understand someone, we must first listen to them. This involves listening without preconceived ideas or intentions. It means we must remove our pride and arrogance and engage in the conversation with an open mind and heart. This is not natural for anyone. This takes a conscious effort when having a conversation. We are bent to try and justify our way of thinking or our opinion. In reality, our opinion doesn’t matter when our wife tells us how she feels or how what we say makes her feel a certain way. It is our job as men to understand our wives.

If you are like me, you know what you should do, but when it comes time to do it, you fail miserably. This is called being human. I believe this is why Paul writes, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but I do what I hate” (Romans 7:15). Paul goes on to say, “Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” (Romans 7:20). The beauty of being human is that we are given a choice. We can choose to allow sin to reign over us, or we can choose to stop giving sin a foothold in our lives. Many of us have allowed sin to infiltrate our heart and mind so profoundly that we justify our actions and words with, “This is just who I am.” In reality, we are better than what we claim to be. 

I say all of that to say this. When we fail at being a husband who should listen and seek to understand our wife, we must humble ourselves before our wife and take ownership of our faults and failures. We must mend the bridge we broke when we chose not to listen with humility and selflessness. We must go back to our wife and seek to rebuild the relationship we broke by not striving to understand her. We then learn from our faults and failures and try harder the next time we are put in a position where our wife needs us just to shut up and listen. 

Marriage is an establishment designed by God. God created male and female. He made them just the way they were meant to be. Men are naturally bent to be determined, aggressive, confrontational, and headstrong. These qualities were needed for survival at the beginning of time, and at times, these characteristics are still needed. However, they are not necessary in our relationship with our wife. Men, we can be these things in our careers, an emergency, or in a state of survival, but when it comes to the relationship with our wife, let’s take a step back, humble ourselves, learn to shut up, listen, and live with our wife in an understanding way.