DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- EQUIPPED

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – EQUIPPED

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." (II Timothy 3:16-17)

Do you want to be a confident Christian, thoroughly equipped to live the Christian life? There is no other way than to know God's Word.

So many Christians muddle along in their faith, not sure what they truly believe or why they believe it. They are informed by what culture says a Christian is, or by a television preacher, or by the way they were raised. But they have not taken the pains to know what God says about Christian living.

God has given us everything we need to have sound doctrine, and His Word reproves us when we are wrong, corrects us when we get off-course, and instructs us in righteous living. These are given for one purpose – they make us complete and equipped for doing His work.

Nothing can take the place of studying and knowing what God says. What comes from the mouth of God surpasses all other sources. That is why it is so important to spend time studying to know God's Word.

Jesus said that whoever hears and does what He said will have a solid faith that will withstand the storms that will inevitably come (Matthew 7:24-27). That is a person who plants his feet firmly on God's Word.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- CLEARLY EVIDENT

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – CLEARLY EVIDENT

"Some men's sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden." (I Timothy 5:24-25)

The fact is that we do not see everything as it really is. Some sins are so blatant that they are readily seen, and we bring these people to judgment so that they are accountable for their evil actions. But some people seem to get by with a lot of bad things because they are good at hiding them from view. Many evil deeds which are done in secret will never come to light in this world.

Likewise, some good things are readily acknowledged because they can be clearly seen. We honor those who have done good things. But there are many good deeds that are done in secret and no one knows about them. They are done anonymously with no fanfare.

It doesn't seem fair that those who do evil often get by with murder, so to speak, and go unpunished, while those who do good never receive any recognition.

We can be sure that God sees and knows – both the hidden evil and the hidden good. In fact, the Lord Jesus taught that we should do good things in secret, because "your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly" (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18).

There will be a final day of reckoning. It is called the Great White Throne Judgment when the books will be opened, and the dead will be judged by the things which were written in the books according to their works (Revelation 20:12). In that day, sin will be clearly evident, and so will good deeds.

If we think that there is no equity in this world, we must remember that the final chapter has not yet been written. When my good deed go unrewarded while the people who do bad deeds seem to prosper, I need to trust that God is just and will reward according to what we do in this life – whether good or bad.

It is comforting to know that all my bad deeds are covered by the blood of Jesus and I do not fear judgment. Praise God for His cleansing and forgiveness.

Love, Dad

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DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- DEATH ROW

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – DEATH ROW

"For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time..." (I Timothy 2:5-6)

The murderer stands before the judge as he pronounces sentence on the guilty man: Death. It is demanded that he pay the price for his immoral behavior. We call it Capital Punishment as a way to soften the idea. The real word is Execution. What a horrible word. It sounds so harsh – so final. The fact is that no one else can sufficiently pay for his felony. He alone must pay the price.  He will sit on Death Row until that price has been paid.

There is a price to be paid for man's sin. The penalty for sin is death. No amount of money or human effort – even as an indentured servant – could pay for man's redemption. Only God could pay that debt. Jesus Himself paid the ransom when He took our place and died. He became the Mediator between the supremely pure, righteous, and holy God and us, as sinful, dirty, unrighteous as we were.

There is a great chasm that separates a holy God from unholy men. It is so great that there is no possibility of humans to bridge that gap. Only God Himself could span that gulf. And He did in the person of the Lord Jesus. There is only one Mediator. That is the man Christ Jesus. He was executed as a criminal for my sins, even though He was blameless – without sin. The Apostle Peter wrote this concerning Jesus, "who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth...Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree...." (I Peter 2:22, 24)

I was on Death Row. I was guilty of sin against a holy God and deserved eternal death. Then came Jesus. "He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay, I needed someone to wash my sins away. And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace. Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay." Oh, what a wonderful Savior!

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A GREAT SAVIOR!

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A GREAT SAVIOR!

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief." (I Timothy 1:15)

This saying was apparently a common part of the liturgy of the early church. It was the confession of the Christian community – that the Messiah, the Christ – came into this world and His name was Jesus.

Jesus! What a beautiful name. It is derived from the Old Testament name, Joshua, and takes other forms such as Hosea, Jeshua, and Jehoshua. In the Hebrew, it means "Jehovah is Salvation." That was the message of the angel to Joseph, the espoused fiance of the virgin Mary as recorded in the Gospel of Matthew: "You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:22). This is the Gospel in a nutshell: Jesus saves.

The Apostle Paul's view of himself was that he was the greatest sinner that ever lived. And no doubt he was a great sinner. He murdered Christians and did everything he could to stop the cause of Christ. But he was no worse sinner than I am. Any violation of God's law is a great sin, and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. When we compare ourselves to God's holiness, we are all great sinners.

But Jesus came and died for people just like Paul, and just like you and I. It is only when a person comes to the understanding that he is a great sinner, that he can receive the forgiveness and salvation that God offers to all who believe.

John Newton, the composer of the hymn Amazing Grace, wrote, "Although my memory is failing, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior." May this be our song of praise to the Lord Jesus – Jesus Saves.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- BUSY-BODIES

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – BUSY BODIES

"For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies." (II Thessalonians 3:11)

There were, apparently, people in the church at Thessalonica who were loafers, who did not want to work to provide for their own needs, so they had lots of extra time on their hands. Instead of using their time to do God's work and bless other people, they occupied their time with frivolous junk.

According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word "busybody" means literally, "to be working round about, instead of at one's own business." They are busy - bodies, engaged in useless, trivial pursuits. They keep their bodies busy with things that are none of their business. They don't have time to do productive work, but have plenty of time and energy to meddle in affairs that are not their concern and are of no value.

Paul's advice, was, "Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread" (vs 12). In other words, quit meddling in other peoples' affairs, and quite sponging off of others to feed your stomach, and instead work quietly at your own affairs. Take care of your own problems instead of trying to solve everyone else's.

The old saying is, "An idle mind is the devil's playground." The antidote is to keep our minds and our lives occupied with godly things, so that we have no time to be employed in useless things.

In our age, we have more leisure time than many cultures have had. May we use that time to do things that have eternal value and advance the Kingdom of God, and not waste it on trivial things. There is much work to be done for Jesus. If we are involved in God's work, we are less apt to spend our time being busybodies, and more apt to be busy bodies for Jesus.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- JESUS IS COMING!

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – JESUS IS COMING!

"Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him..." (II Thessalonians 2:1)

There was confusion in the church at Thessalonica regarding the return of the Lord Jesus to this earth. There was the promise that Jesus would return. Remember that when Jesus ascended into heaven, His followers watched as He rose into the sky. Then there appeared two angels who proclaimed that "this same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

The early church lived in anticipation that Jesus would soon return. Apparently there were those who taught that Jesus had returned and there were some who had missed it. The Apostle Paul comforts and encourages the believers at Thessalonica by giving a time-line by which they could judge the coming of the Lord.

First he said that there would be a great falling away, before the man of sin, the antichrist, would be revealed. The Greek word translated "falling away" is the word "apostasia" from which we get the word "apostasy." In another place, Paul wrote that in the last days, there will be a great falling away from the faith (I Timothy 4:1).

Then, Paul said that the antichrist was being restrained, but when that restraint was removed, there will be nothing to keep him from doing his work – of setting himself up in the temple of God and declaring that he himself is God and doing signs and wonders, deceiving many people. But in the end, the Lord will return and consume him with the fire of His mouth and destroy him with the brightness of his coming (vss. 6-9).

Whatever happens, we know that Jesus is coming, and He has told us to be ready and look for His return. It has been 2,000 years and He has not returned yet, but 2,000 years is a blink of an eye in God's timetable. We can be sure that Jesus will return in the fullness of God's time. In the meantime, let us be faithful as we look for His return. As the Apostle Peter wrote, "Therefore, since all things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God" (II Peter 3:11-12a). Jesus is coming again. The day is closer now than when the promise was first made. Let us be ready.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE BEAUTY OF JESUS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE BEAUTY OF JESUS

"Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." (II Thessalonians 1:11-12)

The Apostle Paul prayed for the believers at Thessalonica that the name of Jesus Christ – that is, His reputation – would be glorified, or made glorious through them and that they would be glorified in Jesus.

The word for glorify means to make splendid, to adorn, to make beautiful. The beauty of Jesus is adorned through us and our lives are made beautiful in Him. As we fulfill the good pleasure of His goodness, His glory is shown to the world.

In his letter to Titus, the Apostle Paul wrote that we adorn the doctrine of God our Savior by our fidelity (Titus 2:10). The Greek word for adorn here is kosmeo, from which we get the word "cosmetic." This not to imply that we put on a show by our outward appearance, but that we make the doctrine of Christ beautiful by our lives. A natural result of glorifying Jesus is that we are made beautiful.

John wrote, "We beheld His glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). In the same way that Jesus showed the glory of God the Father, we also can show the glory of Christ, and we are beautified by His indwelling presence.

It is His grace that works in us His good pleasure so that we bring glory to Him. So we sing, "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. All His wonderful passion and purity. O, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, til the beauty of Jesus be seen in me."

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE HEART OF THE SHEPHERD

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE HEART OF THE SHEPHERD

Therefore, brethren, in all our affliction and distress we were comforted concerning you by your faith. For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord." (I Thessalonians 3:7-8)

The Apostle Paul was comforted to know that the Thessalonians remained strong in their faith and commitment to Jesus. The concern of a true shepherd is for the health of the flock under his care. There is always the possibility that the sheep will wander, not just away from the local body of believers, but from the Great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus, and away from the true faith.

This weighed heavily on the Apostle. That is why he wrote so many epistles to the various churches, encouraging them to stand fast in the Lord. He was concerned that they would drift from the truth. This is reflected in the closing words of this chapter. He prayed that their hearts would be established (vs. 13).

Even though he was not physically present with them, he still carried a burden for their welfare. In one place, after listing all the thing he had been through as a minister of the Gospel – labors, strips and beatings, being shipwrecked, facing robbers, and living in great peril, he said, "besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches" (II Corinthians 11:28). That burden just did not go away just because he was absent from the flock.

Jesus said this about a shepherd who does not care about the flock. He calls him a hireling because he is not dedicated enough to lay down his life for the flock. "The hireling flees because he is a hireling, and does not care about the sheep" (John 10: 13). It takes a deep dedication of the shepherd to devote his life to the welfare of the flock, even in light of the personal expense.

As a former pastor, I know the stress a shepherd endures. There is great joy in seeing a healthy flock, but there is also great sorrow when a sheep strays. It is so intense, that the Apostle wrote in verse 8, "For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord."

Rejoice that you have a shepherd who cares about you – your spiritual health and growth. He is reflecting the love of the Great Shepherd, Jesus.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- JUST DO IT

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – JUST DO IT

"For you yourselves know, brethren, that our coming to you was not in vain. But even after we had suffered before and were spitefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we were bold in our God to speak to you the gospel of God in much conflict." (I Thessalonians 2:1-2)

The Paul was not easily deterred from sharing the Gospel. He remembered how it was when he came to Thessalonica. On this missionary journey to Macedonia, he first came to the city of Philippi (Acts 16:12). There, he and others were beaten with many stripes with rods and thrown into prison. Then they came to Thessalonica (Acts 17:1), and he preached with boldness.

While he was at Thessalonica, the Jews were not persuaded. They incited the populace of the city to riot against them. It go so intense that Paul and Silas had to slip out of the city by night. That is why he preached the Gospel with much conflict. His message was not well received by the general population.

Even after he left Thessalonia and came to Berea, there was a contingent of Jews who came from Thessalonica and stirred up the crowds against him and he had to flee again for his life.

It would be so easy to call it quits after being rejected so much. He could have asked, "Is this worth the cost?" But he kept on preaching and there were those who received the Gospel and turned to Jesus.

In our sharing of the Gospel of Jesus, we get a lot of rejection and push-back, and even some verbal abuse. We are tempted to quit and say, "It's not worth it." Paul's commitment to God's commission to preach the Gospel was so strong, that nothing deterred him. He just kept on going, like the energizer bunny.

God has given us a commission to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. There may be rejection, but God did not give us a reason to quit. Like the Nike ad, He said, "Just Do it."

When people spurn our sharing of the Gospel, we also know that there will be people who receive it, as they did at Thessalonica. So, don't be discouraged when it seems there is no fruit. God keeps the records.

Love, Dad

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DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SERVING THE LIVING GOD

DAD'S RAMBLINGS --SERVING THE LIVING GOD

"And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." (I Thessalonians 1:6-9)

Thessalonica was a city in Macedonia which Paul had preached in after receiving a vision to preach the gospel in Macedonia (Acts 16:10). In Acts 17, we find the record of his ministry there. There were some Jews who were persuaded to turn to Christ, but there was a great multitude of devout Greeks who followed Paul.

It was to this body of believers that the Apostle wrote, saying that they were examples of turning to God from idols to serve the living God.

Every person who believes the Gospel of Jesus has turned from idol worship. You say, "I didn't worship idols before I became a Christian." To that I would say that worshiping anything but the living God is idol-worship. It could be myself that I worship, or money, or status, or even family. But everyone worships something or someone. Whatever the primary focus of life is, is an idol. Ezekiel spoke of those who set up idols in their hearts (Ezekiel 14:7).

But these are all dead things. They do not have the life and breath of God. They may be a god to the person who worships them, but they do not bring life. Psalm 135 speaks of these kinds of idols. They have mouths that don't speak; they have eyes that do not see. They have ears that do not hear. There is no breath in their mouths. And those who make them are like them (Psalm 135:15-18). By contrast, the true and living God speaks, see, hears and breathes His breath into our lives.

We, as believers, worship the true and living God. He is worthy of our service.

Love, Dad

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DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- SALTY CHRISTIANS

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – SALTY CHRISTIANS

"Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." (Colossians 4:5-6)

Interacting with the unbelieving world around us – those who are "outside" – is always a challenge for the Believer. People who live by the world's customs have a different world view which often conflicts with the Christian world view. So how do we handle this difference? We do it with wisdom.

We have to understand where unbelievers are coming from if we are to effectively communicate the Gospel. For beginners, they do not have God as their guiding principle in life. They approach life from only a human perspective. For the Christian, we have God and His revelation, the Bible, to help us understand what life is really about.

It is not always easy to interact with grace when we know that their interpretation of life and the things that go on in this world is so skewed. Paul said that our conversation should be gracious, but seasoned with salt. This brings to mind what Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth." Jesus went on to say that if salt loses its flavor, it is good for nothing and is thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Matthew 15:13).

If we lose our Christian distinctive that makes us different than the world system, then we are good for nothing and are ignored and trampled underfoot. Perhaps this is why Christianity in America has lost its influence. We have become so much like the world that we have lost our flavor.

So let us redeem the time. Perhaps I have not been the best witness in the world, but it is not too late to make a difference by the way I walk and the way I talk. I want to be wise, salty, and gracious in the way I deal with those outside the faith.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- HEAVENLY MINDED

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – HEAVENLY MINDED

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on thing on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God .... And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 2:1-3, 17)

Have you ever heard the saying, "He is so heavenly minded that he is of no earthly good"? I do not think it is possible, because the more we are attuned to heavenly things, the more we will impact this world with godliness.

Seeking heavenly things is a conscious, intentional act of desiring and reaching for those things which are above. They are far above the things of this world. They are eternal.

We get so absorbed in the things of this world – just living life with all of its challenges, with its joys and its sorrows – that that becomes our focus, rather than heaven. Keeping our eyes on Jesus and heavenly things will make a difference in the way that we approach this life.

In this chapter, the Apostle Paul gives some practical instruction on how to keep our minds on heavenly things. Keeping a clear view of heavenly things will help us keep a clear view of earthly things.

Here is the conclusion of the matter – "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Living for Jesus will help us keep us focused on what is really important. " Turn your eyes upon Jesus.....and the things of this world will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- A FIRM FAITH

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – A FIRM FAITH

"Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved." (Philippians 4:1)

It is interesting that the Apostle referred two times to the Believer's at Philippi as His "beloved." It shows the kind of connection and love-bond that he had with these believers.

You can understand why, when you read the account of the beginnings of this church in Acts 16. The church was started with a lady named Lydia who was attending a prayer meeting down by the riverside (vs. 12). Paul attended her prayer meeting and shared the Gospel. She and her household were baptized, and Paul and his group stayed in her home. In an interesting development, Paul and Silas were thrown into prison because they were preaching the Gospel. After a great earthquake, the keeper of the jail was converted and he and his house were baptized. So Paul had special feelings for these saints at Philippi. They were his joy and his crown.

But now, he encourages them to stand fast in the Lord – secure in their faith and in their Christian walk. He urged them to have unity of mind in the Lord, to rejoice in the Lord, to be gentle or gracious, not only in the church but with all people. He wanted them to have a consistent prayer life, and counseled them to keep their minds focused on things that were just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy. Finally, he told them to observe the things that he had he instructed them to do.

These things lead to a firm faith. Some enemies of the Gospel wanted to detour them from these things, but Paul knew that these things would keep them on the right path.

So it is with us. Having accepted Christ as our Savior, there are voices that would lure us down a different path. But a firm faith comes from staying true to God's word and living God's way.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- RUBBISH

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – RUBBISH

"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all thing loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ...That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death." (Philippians 3: 7-11).

If you had to choose what is the most important thing in your life, what would it be? Would it be good health? Would it be financial security? Would it be the love of family? Would it be peace and freedom from turmoil? Would it be status in the community? Would it be happiness?

The Apostle Paul listed some things in the first part of this chapter which would be important to many people. He wrote about his position in the Jewish religion – circumcised according to Jewish law and having good family stock as a Hebrew of the tribe of Benjamin; a good religious background, and his morality. Along with these things came an elevated status in the social structure and financial security. Yet he says that all of these things which were gain to him were worth nothing compared to knowing Jesus. Everything else was rubbish.

What would be most important to me?

It would be to know Christ. The word, "know," is the Greek word that carries the weight of intimate, personal relationship. It is more than just knowing about Christ. Knowing about Jesus intellectually is important, but the knowledge Paul wrote about is heart relationship with Christ..

Knowing Christ is the most important thing in our lives because it has eternal value. Everything else pales in comparison. O, that I may know Christ.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE MIND OF CHRIST

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE MIND OF CHRIST

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8)

We as humans are very concerned about our reputations. We want to look nice and we care what other people think about our looks. We don't want to look like we just came in from the barn, so we comb our hair, wash our faces, and wear clothes that are clean and pressed. We want to make a good impression on other people. But Jesus was born in a barn.

Jesus was not concerned what people thought about how he looked. I'm sure that he looked presentable, not like John the Baptist who looked like he had just come in from the wilderness, wearing clothes made of camel's hair. I imagine that John's feet were dirty from the dust of the wilderness, and he probably did not part his hair just right, nor keep his beard perfectly trimmed.

These are all outward appearances. We know that people look on the outward appearances and makes judgments by looks, but God looks on the heart. So when Paul wrote about having the mind of Christ, he was not talking about the externals, but matters of the inward man – the mind and the heart. What set Jesus apart was not designer clothes, but the attitudes of the spirit. Even though he had every right to be top dog as God incarnate, He chose rather to humble Himself, becoming a servant.

God calls us to have the mind of Christ – to think like Jesus, to have His attitudes and priorities. This means humbling ourselves. Other people may think humility is a sign of weakness and lack of a good self-image. But I suggest that the only way we can be a servant is to have a good enough concept of our personhood that we do not have to prove ourselves by being bossy and domineering and putting down other people. The person who knows who he is can have the mind of Christ, Who set aside his own rights in order to serve others. This is the mind of Christ. May it be true that we have the mind of Christ, not being so concerned with what other people think about us but what God thinks.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF LIFE

DAD'S RAMBLINGS –

THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF LIFE

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21)

There are three great questions of life which every thinking person asks. They are: "Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going?"

The natural man who rejects the Creator God answers the first question with all kinds of nonsense. He posits that we came from a mudhole of primordial slime which eventually evolved into animals which then evolved into apes and into humans. It takes a lot of faith to believe this in light of the complexity of the human body, the intricacy of the human mind that reasons to such a high degree, and the soulish aspects of man that values love and beauty, and the spiritual part of man that desires to live a moral, good, wholesome, and pure life.

For the Believer, the answer to the first question is a no-brainer. For me, it is much easier to believe that there is a Creator God. We were created by a loving God in His likeness, so that the bodies that He formed were very complex and integrated in such a wonderful fashion. And He also created us to love, to enjoy the beauty of His creation, and instilled in us the knowledge of what is good and pure and righteous. He is the source of moral knowledge.

The Second question is more difficult. For the unbeliever, there is no purpose in life apart from how it affects the person. All of the reasons that the natural man has for being revolve around ourselves. The Believer's reason for being is centered on God's purposes, and ministry to others – To love God and to love others.

The Third question – Where am I going? – has no answer apart from God. For the non-believer, there is nothing after death but nothingness. When I die, I am just dust that returns to dust. That's the end. The Believer has the assurance that he will live forever in heaven for eternity.

Paul gives answers to these questions – especially to the last two. He was caught in the conflict of living here or going to heaven. He felt that his ministry to the Philippians was very important. He considered that it was needful to remain on this earth for the progress and joy of their faith (vs. 24-25). But He also wanted to go to heaven because he knew he would be with Jesus (vs. 23). But his ultimate desire was that "Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death" (vs. 10).

We have a reason we are here on this earth. It is not just to enjoy the "good life" here, but to help other people grow in their faith and love for Jesus, and to bring glory to God. There are no other reasons for me to be here. That is the purpose of my life.

Because of my faith in the Lord Jesus, I know where I am going when I die. I will be with Him. So when God says my time here on earth is finished, I will rejoice because I will enjoy the glories of eternal life in Heaven with Christ. O, I want to see Him, look upon His face. What a day that will be when my Jesus I shall see. When I look upon His face, the One who saved me by His grace. In the meantime, I will continue to love and serve the One who died for me.

Love, Dad

DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- OUR BATTLE GEAR

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – OUR BATTLE GEAR

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." (Ephesians 6:10-11)

It is human nature to think that we don't need any help. It's like the child who tells his father who has offered to help with a project that is way beyond the ability of the child to handle, "I can do it, Daddy. I can do it!"

I am particularly guilty of this. Just ask Mildred. I don't like to ask for help, whether asking for directions, or lifting something heavy, or solving a problem. I think I can do it even when it is far beyond my ability. I could save myself a lot of grief if I would only take advantage of the offer for help.

Often we are like that with God. He offers to help us in our problems, and we don't like to admit that it is beyond our ability. So we say, in effect, "I can do it. I can do it!" But in dealing with the devil, I'll admit that I am no match.

The Devil has been at this a lot longer than I have, and he knows the best way to attack. But God has been in the battle much longer than I have, and He offers us help in the battle. The wise person asks God for help in this warfare. To admit that I cannot win the battles on my own is not a sign of weakness but of wisdom.

God has provided us protective clothing and battle gear to help us in our battles. We have the belt of truth that guards our private areas; we have the vest of righteousness which guards our hearts; we have shoes of peace which guard our feet; we have the shield of faith which guards against the frontal attacks of Satan's lies; we have the helmet of salvation which guards against the inner battles of our minds; and we have the sword of the Spirit – the word of God – to defend against the close-in attacks. And of course we have prayer, which calls in the heavy artillery and the air attacks of missiles and B-29 Bombers to destroy the works of the enemy (Ephesians 6:14-18).

He has given us all that we need for victory if we will only stand our ground in His strength. We need not lose the battle because we have heaven's resources. And when it seems the enemy is winning, and we have done all we can in our own power, we stand in the power of God. As vs. 13 says, "And having done all, to stand."

Love, Dad

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DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE CHRISTIAN WALK

DAD'S RAMBLINGS – THE CHRISTIAN WALK

"I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called..." (Ephesians 4:1).

Watchman Nee, the Chinese pastor and theologian of the last century, summarized the book of Ephesians with these three words, "Sit, Walk, Stand." In Chapter 1, we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places (Ephesians 1:3). In chapter 6, we stand against the wiles of the devil, dressed with the spiritual armor of God (Ephesians 6:12, 14). Here in chapters 4 and 5, we are admonished to walk godly.

You can tell a person by their walk even before you see their face. Some people walk with a limp. Some with a slouch and some with their head erect; Some fast and some slow; some with the look of intention and authority like they have a destination, and some looking like they don't know where they are going.

So what does the walk of the Christian look like? Paul gives some identifying indicators.

The Christian walk is one of humility – "lowliness and gentleness." It is marked by gentleness and patience, and concern for others (vs. 2). It is characterized by love (Ephesians 5:2).

Paul contrasted the Christian walk with the walk of the pagans, who walk in lewdness, uncleanness, and greediness (vs. 19). In Chapter 5, Paul expands on the walk of the non-Christian as being filled with sexual impurity, filthiness, course jesting such as off-colored jokes or foul language. These are not fitting for the walk of the saints (Ephesians 5:3-5).

As unbelievers, before we were born of the Spirit, we once walked in darkness. But now we are in the light, and we should walk as children of the light (5:8).

The question is, can people tell I am a Christian by the way I walk and talk? We are all on our journey to heaven. I hope that people can see that I walk differently than those who walk according to the manners of this world.

Love, Dad