Tag Archives: eternal life

Too Harsh?

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Deuteronomy 34

Have you ever thought God was a bit too harsh when he prevented Moses from entering the Promised Land? Moses had tapped a rock like he’d done before to get water. Sure, he was frustrated and angry at the time, and expressed an “I’ll show you,” attitude toward the people. Sure, God had told him to speak to the rock this time, and said nothing about tapping it, so there was that. But Moses had worked hard most of his adult life, trying to get a thousand Jews into the Promised Land. One goal. One focus. Every waking minute was spent toward that end. Plus, he was a good man!

But when Moses stood right there in front of the Promised Land, steps away from realizing his goal, God slammed the door in his face.

Harsh.

Where is patience, slow to anger, abounding in love? Where is forgiveness?

Angie Smith, in her book “Seamless” published by Lifeway, said something I hadn’t considered before. It’s found on page 79:

“Moments after Moses was blocked from the promised land, God brought him into an eternal life with the Father. The loss was momentary. Temporary. It paled in comparison to what was next.”

I love that.

The consequence for his disobedience was an important lesson for the Jews, and us. It doesn’t matter who you are, disobedience of any kind is rightly punished by God. All of us are to obey God or face the consequences.

For Moses, however, his momentary disappointment was replaced by the most amazing experience of his life – entering into the arms of God in a place too wonderful for words; a place that made Moses forget the so called Promised Land without regret.

This life is full of disappointment, often caused by disobedience. There are also times of blessings as we enjoy an imperfect relationship with God. But take heart.

We believers will one day be ushered into the Presence of God where all of it – good and bad – will pale in comparison to looking into the eyes of our Savior and getting lost in His embrace.

Was God’s punishment for Moses’ sin too harsh? Believe me, Moses hasn’t given a thought to what we see as loss. Not one thought.

The Parable of the Vineyard Workers

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Matthew 20:1-16

I was sitting here this morning thinking about this parable, and how it speaks to death-bed-confessions like the thief on the cross. What is their reward? According to Jesus, the generosity of God rewards them the same as He does a Billy Graham. The newly saved person meets the Savior in the same way we who are seasoned Christians meet Him, as sinners saved by grace. The Kingdom of God is like that.

Oh we, like the early workers in the parable, think the longer we serve God, the greater our reward ought to be. We’ll certainly have more stars in our crowns and live in mansions next to their bungalows. Right? I mean, we’ve put in the time. That ought to count for something.

But this parable tells us our rewards will be exactly the same. So if that’s the case, what good is it to live a lifetime of faith in Jesus? What good is it to be separate from a world that offers so much, if in the end I’ll receive exactly what a last minute confessor gets?

I can’t begrudge a last minute convert’s eternal reward. In fact, I kind of feel bad for him. A person saved on his death-bed doesn’t know what he’s missed. He doesn’t know the joy of fellowship with the Creator in this lifetime. He doesn’t know the wonder of answered prayer, or the privilege of introducing a lost soul to his Savior. He never experiences the hand of God to guide, protect, comfort, and hold. The death-bed confessor doesn’t know what that’s like. But I do.

And I wouldn’t trade one minute of this walk with Jesus for anything. This precious time He has given me to experience Him, to serve Him, to get to know Him and love Him is a gift I cherish. May I be a willing and joyful worker in His vineyard no matter how long I have to serve Him in this lifetime.

The Good Samaritan

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Luke 10:1-37

Sometimes when people ask a question about our faith it is meant to show us up. The intention is to get into a war of words they’ve prepared to fight, and catch us unprepared to equal their “intellect.” Jesus, of course, was prepared for this man whose question was asked to test Jesus. But Jesus wasn’t about to prove His superior knowledge. This wasn’t about who had the best argument. Jesus was first and foremost concerned about the man’s eternal soul.

So Jesus answered the question with a question: “What do YOU know the answer to be?” Brilliant! Let’s start with where you are in the matter. Jesus knew the man would have to admit he hadn’t lived up to what his own answer demanded. So if he wanted to go to heaven, he would need someone to fix that.

After telling the parable, Jesus asked which character obeyed the Law. It must have been really uncomfortable for the man to have to admit that a Samaritan had it over the Jewish religious elite.

The study guide I’m using to look at these parables, (The Parables of Jesus, D. S. O’Donnell, editor; Crossway Pub, 2023), says this parable demonstrates our need for the gift of salvation. I think that’s accurate. It’s more than just a story about doing nice things for people, or handing money to a beggar. Jesus’ first and only priority was and is the salvation of the world. He wants our priority to be the same.

The injured man would likely have died if he was forced to lie there. He could not save himself. He needed a Savior.

The study guide goes on to say, in the case of the priest and Levite, merely being religious is not an indication of a “deep heart change.” A real and necessary change of heart will result in active compassion for any individual dying in their sin.

Remember, Jesus tells us to love our enemies, do good to them, pray for them to accept the grace of God. Jesus’ own earthly brother said that Jesus is compassionate AND merciful (James 5:11). Jesus doesn’t just have empathy or sympathy for a lost soul. He offers mercy from the cross for all who believe.

We all are or were that dying man by the side of the road. We all have sinned and fall short of God’s requirement of perfection, and the price to be paid for our sin is eternal death. It’s hard to believe that there are people who are refusing the compassionate and merciful hand of the Savior. They would rather die there by the road.

So our challenge is to BE that Samaritan. I recently finished a study on the Fruit of the Spirit, and in this parable, the love of God, His kindness, and goodness are clearly seen in and through the Samaritan. Let the same be true of me and you as we allow God to fill us with His Sprit, then let it flow as we stop and minister to a person dying in their sin.

Wonder No More

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Gal 2:11-21

To anyone who wonders if, or hopes they’ve done enough good to go to heaven – READ THESE VERSES! Paul answers your questions clearly:

You are not good enough!

No amount of law-abiding behavior, no matter how loving or compassionate you are, no matter how many times you go to church, or how well you are thought of at work – you aren’t good enough to earn your way to heaven. Good people go to hell the same as bad people.

The fact is, Jesus died on the cross to pay the death penalty for sinners. We all have sinned. Even you. What Jesus did there on the cross is the difference between heaven and hell. You can’t come close to equalling that.

If we could somehow pay the death penalty for our sin then live again, or if we could do enough good to erase the sins we’ve committed, Jesus should have just stayed in heaven. His painful death would be worthless.

Paul tells us he was crucified with Christ. We know he wasn’t put on that cross with Jesus. But Paul often talks about the surrender he made to Jesus that changed his life. He calls it dying to self. Paul doesn’t live on his own anymore. It’s Jesus living in him! I hope you can say the same.

Do you wonder if you’re going to heaven? Answer this: have you repented of your sin and accepted the work of Christ on the cross as the payment for your sin? Have you surrendered to God and is Christ living in you in the person of the Holy Spirit? Are you, like Paul, allowing God to live through you?

If you can’t say yes to those questions then Scripture tells us you aren’t going to heaven. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one goes to the Father except through Jesus. There is no room for, “well he’s such a good person. Certainly God will accept him.”

My prayer is that you can honestly say yes to those questions. I pray that Jesus is your Savior, that you have surrendered to Him and accepted His grace, the forgiveness of your sins. Heaven awaits you.

If you wonder if you are going to heaven, wonder no more. The answer is as plain as day.

The Hope Of Steadfast Love

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Jonah, Isaiah 1

Jonah 2:8 breaks my heart.

Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love.

What does that verse say to you in light of our present society? What – or who- are the vain idols being regarded by many today? I sit here thinking about that, and my list is long; from the blatant sexual depravity being celebrated to the subtle idols of “progressive” Christianity.

We have exchanged the Truth for lies, and many are worshiping gods of their own choosing. Vain. Idols. In doing so, according to God’s Word, they have given up any hope for the steadfast love of God. (so no, God doesn’t “love” everybody the same).

God, however, has not left us without hope. You and I as believers, are the hope.

If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. (Isaiah 1:9)

You might say that we can’t possibly be less guilty of sin than the people in those two evil cities. You would be right.

But I think Isaiah is talking about what happened to those cities because of their sin. You know the story. God rained fire down to destroyed both cities and everyone in them. Wiped them out from the face of the earth. Gone. Finished.

The only reason the Earth is still spinning is because God has left you and I, Christians, His Church, still alive and well. The reason we are still here is to proclaim His message, the same message He gave Jonah to proclaim:

“Repent. Or die. There is no third option.”

God, through the prophet Isaiah tells us:

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 1:18-20)

That is the message we are responsible to tell. We should be shouting it from rooftops, and sharing it around our dinner tables. It’s a message of hope, of God’s steadfast love, of salvation and eternal life. In fact, it is the only hope:

“Be obedient and enjoy God’s blessings, His steadfast love for you. Rebel, and you will die without hope.”

The Lord has spoken.

True Justice

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Leviticus 2-5

A couple of things stood out to me today as I read these chapters in Leviticus. One is that no one was exempt from offering a sacrifice for sin. Offering a sacrifice was the ONLY way a person could be forgiven by God. No exceptions.

If a person was too poor to offer a lamb, or even a couple of birds, he could offer a handful of grain. Being poor did not give a person a free pass. And the poor person didn’t expect someone else to bring a sacrifice for him. A person’s offering had to cost that person something.

The truth we see here is that each of us has to bring our own sins to the foot of the cross. We are responsible for our own repentance, our own acknowledgment of sin, and our own offering of ourselves to God in order to be forgiven. No one can do that for us. Dealing with our sin is something between ourselves and God in a personal, intimate encounter. It’s the same for every human being.

The other thing that stood out is actually related to the first. It’s the fact that ignorance is not bliss. Someone who sinned without realizing that what he’d done was considered a sin, was still guilty of sin. There was no such thing as, “My bad!” to get off the hook.

Once an action was revealed as sin, the guilty party had to offer a sacrifice in order to be forgiven of that sinful action. That’s why I think we who know the Truth need to be calling sin sin, not choice, not a character flaw, not a mistake or shortcoming.

Sin is serious. The wages of sin is death. And the only way to escape that eternal separation from God is to humble ourselves at the foot of the cross, to accept His gift of grace; the forgiveness of our sin.

The requirements are the same if you sin knowingly or unknowingly, if you are wealthy or poor, Jewish or Protestant, American or Iraqi. That’s what makes God’s conditions fair for all of us.

There is perfect justice because God is perfectly just. There is one requirement all humans must meet in order to receive eternal life. Jesus met that requirement when he died on the cross, then came back to life three days later. He is the perfect sacrifice for my sin and yours.

And you and I are required by God’s Law to “believe in the Lord Jesus.” Jesus, the Messiah, eternal God in the flesh, the fulfillment of the Law, the only way, truth, and life, the perfect Lamb of God.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

That’s true for every single person without exception. That’s true justice.

Heaven

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John’s Revelation

Think about it: God will wipe away our tears. No more night. No more heartache and sin. No more cares and worries, sickness or death. And we we look upon the One who loves us with a love we cannot fathom right now.

I don’t know if there will be a thousand calendar years before we enjoy our eternal home. It doesn’t really matter if John’s revelation has a material interpretation or whether it is meant to be interpreted spiritually. This book, to me, is about hope.

It’s about redemption. It’s about Jesus and the fact that one day I will be in His Presence! I’ll look into those eyes, study that face, see those nail prints in His hands and know at last I am home.

I have no doubt about that. I know it is a fact because I have died, and God raised me to new life in Him. How? I admitted my sins and repented of them from a humble heart in need of a Savior. I’ve accepted the redeeming work of Jesus, His death and resurrection, and I know I can stand before the Holy God without fear because Jesus paid my death penalty and placed His holiness on me. It wasn’t my doing. It’s all Jesus.

Tomorrow marks a New Year, a new beginning for many. I pray that you will welcome in 2023 with Jesus, your Savior, at your side and in your heart. I pray that you will grow a relationship with Him by reading His Word every day, praying every day, resisting Satan every day.

Who knows if the ball will drop on 2024? It may, or may not. Reading God’s Word reminds me when Jesus returns (and He will) it will be too late to change your mind, too late to repent of sin and accept the Savior. Too late.

There is a heaven for God’s followers. And there is a hell for anyone who hasn’t accepted God’s saving grace.

Choose Jesus. And have a blessed 2023 as His precious child.

For Love

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1 John 4:9-10

God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life though him. This is real love – not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

I think these are some of the most beautiful verses about Christmas in the Bible. Would you do something? Re-read these verses and insert your name in place of the “us,” and “we,” and “our.” Hear God speak these words to YOU this Christmas day.

The baby whose birth we celebrate today was born for love of you. Yes, YOU!

Merry Christmas!

That Same Jesus

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The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

The touch of His hand healed everyone. (Luke 4:40b)

Jesus offered Living Water to the woman at the well, and told her if she drank it she would never thirst again. (John 4:14) In fact, He told her, it would bubble up inside her like a spring bringing eternal life.

The demons knew who He was, but they had no power to resist His demands.

He called ordinary men to follow Him, and turned them into extra-ordinary forces for the Gospel, the good news that Jesus is God, the Savior of the world.

That same Jesus is alive today, continuing to touch diseased souls, giving eternal life, and calling His followers to be extra-ordinary forces to share the Good News.

That same Jesus.

Living As I Should

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Psalm 119

May this psalm be my prayer. And may these verses describe my life:

Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths.

You have charged us to keep your commandments faithfully. Oh that my actions would consistently reflect your decree! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands.

As I learn your righteous regulations, I will thank you by living as I should! I will obey your decrees. Please don’t give up on me. (Verses 1-8, emphasis mine)