Wednesday Morning Devotional

Romans 12:1 
Genesis 8:21 

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy . . .”  Paul starts Romans 12 off by calling us to remember what He did for us. In view of His death on the cross. In view of the fact that you are saved only because He made a way.  In view of the fact that He came into your life simply because you asked. You know, in view of God’s mercy! In view of that, offer your bodies as living sacrifices . . . Whoa! Is He saying that we can sacrifice our bodies for Him? How do we do that? 

In the old testament they used to sacrifice animals. In order to be “clean”, one had to sacrifice a bull, lamb, dove . . . there were all sorts of different sacrifices they could make for all sorts of different reasons. The interesting thing to me was, it “smelled” good to God. It was an “aroma pleasing to Him” (Genesis 8:21) I guess it was like me going by someone’s house grilling hamburgers, it just makes me want one! The sacrifices they made created a specific smell that pleased the Lord. If that’s the case and now we are encouraged to be a living sacrifice, what does your life smell like? 

Right after I first got saved, for a while, many parts of my life stunk. I’m not saying I was miserable or anything. I just did pretty much anything and everything that I wanted to do with no real regard for what God wanted me to do. For example, when I was around a certain group of people, I would cuss. I didn’t cuss around my parents, I didn’t cuss around the people at my church, but when I got around these certain people, I cussed. I didn’t “sacrifice” my need to “fit in” with that crowd. In view of God’s mercy, I could have and should have. God would often poke my spirit and tell me to stop, but I just ignored Him and kept right on . . . I couldn’t have my “friends” thinking I was a wimp, could I? 

When I first got my job as a teacher, I stunk. I don’t think I was necessarily a lousy teacher:  I just kind of “showed up.” Meaning, I just kind of mimicked the way other teachers had taught me when I was in school and eagerly awaited that last bell to ring. I didn’t really have a purpose. I got to where I didn’t even like teaching and thought I had made a big mistake going into the profession. My attitude stunk . . . and I wondered why God seemed so far away. 

Today, I quickly recognize that I am a light in a very dark world. If you’ve been saved, you are too! I love to hang around a group of guys that are trash mouthing. I love to be in the car with the guys that ooooh and ahhhh over the college girls jogging around the college campus. You know, all I have to do is NOT join them. It usually isn’t long until they realize that there is something different about me. When the opportunity arises, I tell them about how the Lord has blessed me since I stopped talking like that. I tell them how He blessed me with a killer wife and I have no need to gawk at young ladies.  I tell them just how awesome God is! 

When I go to work, I don’t have any grand plans to “preach” to students in my class. I certainly don‘t do “altar calls“ and force Jesus on them. However, I make sure I put on an attitude of WORK! I prepare, then execute what I’ve prepared to the best of my ability. I never sit down, I never display a bad attitude (wellllllll, 19 out of 20 days :), I refuse to complain, and I always remind myself that I am God’s representative . . . I’m trying to point people towards Him. I sacrifice my want to play on the internet at work, my want to just sit around and kill time, my want to complain because it’s Monday, and my want to take out my frustrations on the students, basically I refuse to do these things even when I “feel” like doing them. It’s not long at all until kids quickly realize that I’m “different.” Somehow, it smells good to them, too! 

Think about ways YOU can be a living sacrifice to the Lord. What would you have to change? What would you have to start doing? What would you have to stop doing? God is watching. People that NEED Him are watching, too! What are you doing to make Him attractive? 

If I smell burgers on a grill, I’m going to travel in that direction and pray that it‘s someone I know, or at least someone open to getting to know me. If God smells you purposefully representing HIM well, purposefully being a “living sacrifice,” you’ll find that He’s NEVER far away!  In fact, He might just be heading in your direction.

Lord, I read this WMD that I wrote 11 years ago.  It had to be one of the first ones I’ve ever written.  I wonder how much of my zeal for You that I have lost.  I wonder how much I did for You back then that I don’t do now.  I wonder how many times since then that I have not been that living sacrifice.  Help me to realize just how short my time is here on this planet.  Help me to not waste any breaths.  I want with all my heart to point others toward You.  Thank You for the many opportunities that You have given me to pray with others to receive You into their lives.  What a difference You make!  Help me to honor the greatest commandment: to love You with all my heart, mind, and strength.  I can’t do it on my own.  But I can humble myself.  I can pray.  I can seek Your face and turn from my wicked ways.  Now, please hear from heaven.  Now please forgive my sin; and begin to heal this land.  I love You, Lord!  I give my life to You this day . . . a living sacrifice!  Amen

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. – Matthew 5:3

God has opened the door for me to have some of the best conversations lately.  I was talking to a guy that had been saved and baptized two years ago.  Since then, he has really struggled with his faith in God and struggled with sin.  He has straight up told me that sex and drugs are his biggest deterrents.  I asked him if he believed those things were wrong, he said, “no.”  I asked him if God would want him doing those things, he said, “no.”  Then, we talked about how if Jesus is Lord of our lives, then He calls the shots and they are wrong.

Our conversation shifted into how anybody actually changes.  He showed me a picture of some popular half clothed celebrity and asked me if I would cheat on my wife with this woman given the opportunity.  I told him, “no.”  He was incredulous.  “There is no way that you could resist.”  I said, “if I was all about myself, I couldn’t.  But I would have to hurt God, my wife, and my children to sin in this way.   I just couldn’t do it.”  He went on to say, “Nothing like that is going to happen anyway.”  I said, “It has happened before, and it is recorded in the Bible.”  “No way,” he said.  I went on to read for him Genesis 39:1-20.

It all came down to one simple truth.  He had his sins to deal with, and I certainly had mine.  I asked him, “Could you pray this prayer?”

Lord, I don’t even come close to living by Your standards.  The truth is, I want to sin.  I even like sin.  Would You change my heart over time so that I don’t even want to sin anymore?  Could You make it so that I change to look more and more like You as the years go by?  

He said, “I haven’t prayed in a long time . . . but I could pray that.”  

Then I showed him one last verse, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  We talked for just a little more about how God gives us access to His Kingdom simply by admitting that there is no way we could do it on our own.

Generally, I’m not in the business of airing conversations that are between me and someone else.  But I believe this is a real key to unlocking some real power.  This is a prayer that I wish I had been taught as a young Christian.  Instead of hiding from God all the time and thinking He was mad at me because I sinned, I might have run to Him and asked for help. 

Lord, let this little devotional be read by the right people.  I pray that anyone who reads this will bring their sin to You and not hide it from You.  Search our hearts, Lord and help us eliminate any wicked way.  Make us a pure and spotless bride.  Make us ready to meet You.  Amen

Among the Hidden

Yet I have reserved 7,000 in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.  – 1 Kings 19:18

Every time I watch a sporting event, I wonder if I’m truly watching the best in the world.  Even though our professional athletes are good, I always think there is someone out there who is twice as good, but for whatever reason, they just don’t want or need the spotlight.  Maybe they just didn’t have the opportunities that the ones we are watching had.  Even in music, there are YouTube videos of nobodies that are absolutely incredible.  Maybe they just don’t want to live their lives on the road.  I don’t know.  What I do know is that they are among the hidden.

I mention that stuff because in 1 Kings 19 Elijah is at stage center swearing that he is the only one even trying to get it done for God.  He actually verbalizes this to God in verse 10.  God quickly lets him know that He has others serving Him.  In fact, He has 7,000 among the hidden that He has simply reserved for Himself.  

I love to watch preachers and listen to sermons.  Some of the best sermons that I have stumbled across have the lowest number of views and the poorest video quality.  I have two shoe boxes of cassette tapes with sermons that will simply never be heard by anyone again.  To me, those sermons are the best sermons, yet they are among the hidden.  

I like to think that God has Christians that most will never know about because He has reserved them for Himself.  People who simply love Him and love being with Him.  I like to think of would be worship leaders who just play and sing for Him with absolutely no one else around . . . they don’t necessarily need or crave the spotlight of their church.  They just want to worship and love on God.  In 1 Kings 19, Elijah is the one we get to read about, but what were the lives of these other 7,000 like that we know nothing about?  I would imagine they have some pretty amazing stories as well.  I would imagine that God took such pleasure in reserving them for Himself.

Lord, with all my heart, I want to love You.  I confess that I don’t truly know how.  Sometimes I miss the spotlight of preaching.  But other times it is just You and me, and Your presence is like the warm sun shining on me when I am cold.  You tell me amazing things that I used to would have gone out and preached, but maybe You don’t want them preached.  Maybe You want those things to be private amongst just You and me.  Lord, bless those who are out front in ministries, help them to truly honor You and to truly help others come to really know You. Help them to live truly consecrated lives that are above reproach.  But Lord, also bless those among the hidden, reserve them for Yourself and give them great power and wisdom.  Give the Elisha’s who are not yet known a double portion of Your presence and the sharpest sensitivity to Your Holy Spirit.  Who is like You, Lord, in all the Earth?   Amen

Authentic

. . . and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. – Revelation 21:8

About 25 years ago, after reading this verse on a t-shirt and then looking it up in the Bible, God gave me my first command, “Tell the truth.”   Looking back, I had so many things wrong with my life that it is hard to imagine that this would be my first command.  Even now, there are still a lot of things wrong with my life, but God has brought me back to this verse this morning.

What is the real difference between an authentic Christian and one who simply professes with his or her own mouth?  What is the difference between Christians and non-believers?  Sometimes you can’t spot any differences in the lives of Christians and non-believers. 

I had someone ask me the other day, “I’m doing things that I shouldn’t be doing.  I’ve asked God to save me before.  Do you think God will still accept me into heaven?”  From my church experience, there are two answers: The Baptist answer, and the Pentecostal answer.  One says, “you can’t lose your salvation,” the other says, “you can be in a backslidden state separated from God; therefore, you better get right.”  That may be an oversimplification, but like I said, it is my experience.  

I think this is a wall that all Christians will run into.  There are two responses, “This Christian thing is too hard,” and “Lord, this is where I am . . . I need You!”  I guess there is a third response, and that is to ignore the matter altogether and go on like nothing is wrong.  

Here is my conclusion:  You are either holding onto Jesus Christ and trusting Him for your salvation, or you are not.  When it comes to sin, the authentic Christian will make an authentic assessment of himself or herself.  Right now, in my own life, I have hatred in my heart for certain people.  I go weeks and even months without thinking about them.  Then, all of a sudden, it is like my soul gets flooded with this darkness.  I look at a verse like 1 John 3:15, “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.”  Now, knowing this about me, what do I do?  I can’t just stop.  If I could, I would have a long time ago.  Also, knowing this about me, I have sin in my life.  In fact, I’m on equal footing with a murderer!  What in the world do I do?  What does the young kid do that asked me the question, “Will I still be accepted into heaven?”  No matter what his sin is, we are in the exact same boat!

Here is what I do as soon as I realize this about myself.  Here is what I told the young man to do.  Take it immediately to God.  The only reason he or I could ever stop any particular sin is because He changes our hearts and minds.  We are going to heaven because we are holding on to Him, not because our deeds justify our entrance.

Lord, it stinks sometimes to make an honest assessment.  It is hard.  Years ago, Your command to tell the truth seemed so simple, but now I see just how deep those three words, tell the truth, goes.  Not only does it mean to be truthful in my statements, but it means to tell You, Jesus.  You are the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father except through You.  When I am ever so aware of my sin, I can tell You, I can tell the Truth.  You are faithful and just to forgive me for my unrighteousness.  You hear from heaven and begin to heal my broken heart and mind.  There are so many things wrong with me.  I get so tired of trying to fix them.  This morning, I hand them over to You.  Make me righteous, Lord.  I open up my heart to You.  Help the kid who is honestly worried about his salvation.  Do a greater work in him than you’ve ever done in me.  Give him peace that passes all understanding.  Help him know that he can bring it all to You . . . His eternal Father in Heaven.  Amen

Then he will say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”  — Matthew 25:41

I was working out at Total Fitness one morning.  Lately, when I’ve been working out, I listen to the You Version Bible app, or I listen to a sermon that relates to what I’ve read in the Bible recently.  It is normally very easy for me to ignore what is around me, get lost in the reading, get in the groove of finishing all of my sets, and then get out of there. 

For whatever reason, on this morning I could just not concentrate.  I was starting chapters over and backing up to repeat things because I was distracted.  The music in Total Fitness was a little bit louder than usual.  In addition to not being able to drown it out with my ear buds, they were playing just about all of my favorite 80’s rock songs from back in the day.  It was like they were just calling out for me to just turn my stuff off and rock for a while. 

I said a prayer, “Lord, help me to concentrate on You and Your Word.”

It didn’t help.

What did happen was the very next song came on with this killer power chord and these high-pitched harmonizing guitars.  I thought, “Whoa! Where have I heard this before?”  I turned my stuff off and I listened.  

Speak of the devil

He’s no friend of mine

To turn from him is what we have in mind

Just a liar and a thief

The Word tells us so

We like to let him know where he can go

To Hell with the devil

Needless to say, I have been cranking some Stryper lately.  

God, you are absolutely amazing.  As many times as I’ve been in Total Fitness, I’ve never heard a Christian song.  You played that one right after I prayed.  There is no one like You.  Help me to live for You.  Help me to recognize when I’m being attacked by evil.  Then, help me tell those demons boldly and loudly where they can go.  I look so forward to the day when my faith becomes sight and I get to meet the One who has been with me all along.  Amen.

Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. – Galatians 6:2

Burden:  A load, particularly a heavy one

I have never really given this verse much thought.  However, I have seen two pictures of this verse this past week and I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.  One is from my own experience and is kind of weak.  The other is from my wife’s experience and is just awesome.

My friend and I both drive busses and pretty much leave at the same time every morning.  Lately, it has been pretty stinking cold in the mornings.  Our goal all year has been to simply pray together each morning before we officially start our day . . . you know, that “two or more” thing.  In the process, if he gets there first, he fires up both busses.  Likewise, if I get there, I fire them up.  We never actually said, “Whoever gets here first, crank both busses.”  It occurred to me yesterday as I stepped onto the warm bus and endured only about 30 steps of cold that we have (in a sense) carried one another’s burden.  We’ve only “suffered” (and I use that term very loosely) half as much as we would have had we just taken care of our own busses.  Semi-lame example . . . I know.

My wife on the other hand has shown me a perfect picture of it.  When someone I love gets sick, I offer up frequent prayers to God, but I don’t necessarily feel like I’m carrying part of the load.  When her friend and family member was sick and worried, I watched my wife become sick and worried while remaining in constant prayer.  I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen this before.  I also watched with my own eyes the worry of the sick person decrease as my wife picked up part of the load . . . a perfect fulfillment of Galatians 6:2.

Can you remember what it was like to be completely lost and on your way to hell?  The first time that I heard the gospel and knew that I was separated from God . . . man did I worry, and man was I scared.  As I was led in the prayer to receive Christ, I could just feel that worry melt away.  I no longer carried it all.  Jesus carried it for me.

I just read my Action Bible and saw Jesus carrying the cross.  I saw Him literally allow them to nail Him to it.  He put up no fight.  He could have, but He didn’t.  “He saved others; himself he cannot save” they shouted.

Turns out, He was still saving others.

He was saving me.

Lord, I will spend the rest of my life thanking You.  Help me to honor You for the rest of my days.  Thank You for showing me a picture of what it is like to bear one another’s burdens.  Help us Christians to get this right.  If the lost world could see the church really love one another . . . You would be irresistible.  Amen

Stages

Here are the stages in the journey of the Israelites when they came out of Egypt by divisions under the leadership of Moses and Aaron.  — Numbers 33:1

I was reading this chapter that I would normally just kind of skim over.  All it does is give all of the places that the Israelites camped as they were led out of Egypt and into the promised land.  As I read them, it occurred to me that each one of those places served a purpose.  There was no randomness to it.  God was leading them and taking them exactly where He wanted them to go.  

There were two places that kind of caught my mind.  Verse 5 says that they left Rameses and went to Sukkoth.  Some places we have to camp “Sukkoth.”  Sukkoth is actually now one of the Jewish festivals where they celebrate the temporary huts they stayed in while in the wilderness.  I would imagine that many at the time thought that it “sukkoth” to live in these little huts.  I would imagine that it “sukkoth” to not know where your consistent source of food would come from.  We get on to the Israelites so often for complaining.  I’m pretty sure we would be no different if we were in their position.  God has led me through some places that I wouldn’t necessarily desire to repeat the journey.

Verse 11 says they went into the Desert of Sin.  It was here that they consumed all their food they had brought with them from Egypt.  This was a true opportunity for them to rely on God’s provision.  As soon as they left, they began to complain.  Considering the fact that I complain when I have to wait for a table at Outback knowing that I will absolutely feast in the next hour or so . . . I’m pretty sure I would have joined them.  Nevertheless, they had the opportunity to fully rely on God’s provision, but they chose to whine and complain.  Lord, I’m so sorry that complaining is my default.

The heading of Numbers 33 reads “The Stages of Israel’s Journey.”  I started thinking of my own journey.  Many of these places I would not like to repeat my stay, but I can say they have all been necessary and have all been beneficial to my journey.  They didn’t Sukkoth too bad.

Adam’s journey out of Egypt began at Calvary Baptist church.

He went from Calvary Baptist to Stamp Creek Landing where he was saved.

From Stamp Creek Landing he went to Open Door Baptist.

He went from Baptist churches to several Pentecostal churches.

Because of Pentecostal churches, he met his wife.

While with his wife, they went through the land of Hurt and Loss.

Through Hurt and Loss, they landed at Golden Corner church.  

While at Golden Corner, they learned to truly trust in the Lord.

While trusting in the Lord, they became ministers at Lifeline.

They left Lifeline and it led back through the land of Hurt and Loss.

Hurt and Loss led them to wander in The Wilderness with their family and a couple of other families.

Who knows where we will land or what we will do next?  I sure don’t.  But I’m so glad I know the One who does.

Lord, every stage You have brought me to and through has been so necessary for my development.  Help me to stop complaining and learn to simply trust.  You’ve never let me down.  It may seem like you have in the short term, but in the long term You’ve always proven Yourself more than faithful.  I love You.  Not with the love You deserve, but with the love I have.  Help me to grow in my love and my trust for You.  Amen  

Wrong Thinking

Peter answered, “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!” – Acts 8:29

This verse is a rebuke to Simon the Sorcerer.  Apparently, he was a former affluent figure in the community who could consult spirits and amaze people with his sorcery.  When the apostles were scattered due to persecution, they landed in his territory and began preaching the gospel.  Simon ended up giving his life to Christ.  When he saw the Holy Spirit received by the laying on of hands, he wanted the gift.  He tried to buy it.  He got sharply rebuked.  

On the surface, it does not seem like such a bad request.  I mean, Simon wanted to be a vessel in which others could receive the Holy Spirit.  Unfortunately for him, he was ignorant of all that Peter and John had gone through with Jesus in order to receive such a gift.  He didn’t know that such a gift had a price that went much deeper than money. 

I’m just sitting here reading and thinking about this story and can’t help but apply it to my own life.  I’ve been so wrong on many things concerning God.  I remember for probably a decade that I thought God was after my good behavior.  I basically spent all those years trying to be good and “do better” only to fail miserably time and time again.  Thank God He made sure I failed, I can only imagine how awful life would be if I thought behaving well and following the rules made Him happy with me.  Eventually, I learned that He wanted my heart.  He wanted me to just learn how to spend time with Him.  Once this happened, I wanted to behave and no longer had to behave.  I could just imagine Peter saying to me, “May your good behavior perish with you because you thought you could be good enough to enter into His kingdom!”  

As a pastor, I would have sworn to you that if the Presence of God was facilitated, if His Holy Spirit absolutely filled the atmosphere Sunday after Sunday, that people would not be able to resist it and would come and be saved.  I got to be part of some crazy powerful services.  Some would come and be so excited about the Presence of God.  Others just didn’t connect with me, or what was going on.  I was devastated when I had to leave, but God has taught me so much.  Instead of trying to make sure that His Presence shows up on Sunday morning, it is now happening in front of my bus before I drive it.  It is happening at breweries when I sing songs of praise to Him.  It is happening when kids ask me to pray for them because they want to begin to grow in God.  I don’t think He minded if we had His presence in the building, but He so much more desires it to be in our homes, places of work, and anywhere else we may find ourselves.  

Lastly, I just finished a fast.  It was probably the wimpiest fast I’ve ever done.  I just cut out all sweets and junk food for 21 days.  I normally go pretty hardcore and make sure I suffer.  I thought the more I suffered, the more of Himself He would give me.  This time, it turns out that He just made me feel a whole lot better physically.  It turns out that He has allowed me to be so simple in just walking with Him daily.  I have pursued nobody as far as witnessing or anything like that, yet he has placed so many in my path along the way so far in 2021.  I think this is going to be a pretty amazing year.

Lord, there is no telling how many things in my heart, mind and life that I’ve just been wrong about.  I know there are ways of thinking that seem good on the surface, but are just wrong.  Will You help me to think rightly?  I just want You . . . and nothing else.  Help me to learn to truly walk with You.  Help me with my own kids as I teach them to truly follow You.  It is so tempting to just tell them all of the rules they need to follow and enforce them.  Unfortunately, that does not make them want to give You their heart.  Help me!  Help all of those who are reading today.  Use us to make a difference.  Use us to bring Your presence to a dying world who knows not just how awesome and mighty You are.  Amen

Truly, truly I say unto you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. – John 12:24

Lately I have taken a new approach to witnessing to others.  Instead of basically telling people they need to say the “sinner’s prayer,” I have likened it to a seed going into the ground.  I show them an acorn.  I let them know that they can keep the acorn of their life exactly like it is . . . nothing will ever change.  Or they can put it in the ground.  Over time, it will produce new life.   

I have a friend who found some acorns from a beautiful white oak tree.  He planted them in his greenhouse.  Around the exact same time, I was witnessing to someone frequently.  Several times I know I could have gotten him to say, “the prayer.”  I patiently waited and kept talking to him.  Weeks later, I got an email.  It simply said, “I’m ready to plant my seed.”  All the while, the acorns had produced nothing.  We began to wonder if they were going to produce at all.  This past Friday, my friend brought me one of the plants.  You could see only the most barely visible green leaf sticking up.  You literally had to be looking for it to find it.  A few people happened to see it and couldn’t help but laugh a bit.  Remember, this was Friday.  I’m going to upload a picture from where it was three days later.  New life!

The person I was witnessing to could not believe how it shot up.  We talked about how even though he was about to plant his seed, it may take a while for him to see new life in his own heart, mind, and life.  Just as we were beginning to wonder if it would ever produce life, it did . . . in its own time.  I simply told him to put his seed in the ground, cover it up, water it with the Word of God, and trust with all of his heart that new life would come out of it.  Over the years it would grow and grow until it was practically unmovable.  It would grow to produce even more trees.  Needless to say, I’ve never seen with my own eyes such a patient understanding of what it means to grow in the Lord.

Is the kid all fixed right now?  Does he have zero doubts?  Did every bad and sinful habit go immediately away?  Of course not!  Nor should we expect it to be this way.  What we can do is pray!  Pray that God finishes the work He has just begun.

It took Him just a week to make the moon and the stars

The sun and the Earth and Jupiter and Mars

How loving and patient He must be

He’s still working on me

Hold On

Then you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.  – John 8:32

I have heard quite a few sermons on this verse in my life.  I’m pretty sure when I was younger that I took this verse to simply to mean that the “truth” part was “accepting Christ,” and the “set free” part was “not going to hell.”  This morning, I’m taking a look at the context immediately surrounding the verse.  It reveals so much about this truth that sets us free.

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “if you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.” – John 8:31

There were many Jews that had just begun to believe in Jesus.  Maybe it was because of the miracles, and maybe it was simply for the way He spoke.  Nevertheless, Jesus tells them that to truly be His disciple, they must hold on to His words.  As I was witnessing to someone recently, he quickly let me know that he “did that”, meaning he asked Christ into his heart.  However, he told me that he doesn’t believe anymore because of so many questions and doubts in his mind.  I tried to sufficiently answer a few of his questions, but I told him to simply remain in the Lord.  I told him to never give up on God because He will absolutely never give up on him.  As our conversation went on and on, he said he could feel that God was not letting him go so easily.  I prayed for him.  I ask you guys to say a prayer for this young man as well before you read on.

They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone.  How can you say that we shall be set free?” – John 8:33

This one may be more difficult than John 8:31. When you are young, it is remaining in Jesus and holding on to His teaching that is tough.  Yet, when you become more mature, it becomes a little easier to rest on your laurels.  Many Jews thought they were good to go simply because they were Abraham’s descendants.  In addition, what a stupid thing to say about being slaves to no one . . . I’m pretty sure they knew the scroll of Exodus and that they had been slaves in Egypt.  Even as they said those words, they were under Roman oppression.  The point is, many people today believe they are saved because they “help people”, because they have “always been in church,” or because “my family raised me right.”  There are a lot of wrong answers to “How do you know you have been truly set free?”  

Then, how do you know? 

All I know is that the power and the love of Christ drew me in when I was sixteen.  I sinned more after I was saved than before I was saved.  I let the devil convince me so often that I wasn’t saved at all because of the way I behaved.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but there was so much power in simply “holding to His teaching” and never letting Him go.  I just kept bringing my sin to Him no matter what I did.  I never wanted to know life without Him again.  I still don’t.  Twenty-nine years later, I still know what a wretch I am.  I know how easily I can wander and get too far away from the shepherd.  Many times, God lets me feel far away from Him.  It is then that I want to “hold fast,” and run back towards Him.  He is absolutely irresistible.  

I write all of that to say that maybe the truth is revealed over time as you hold fast to Christ’s teachings.  As I’ve learned more and more truth over the years, I’ve learned that my heart is deceitfully wicked.  I’ve learned that without Him, I’d be so lost in this life right now.  Who knows what I’d believe or just how lost I would be?  What is the truth?  The truth is that I need Him more now than I did when I was sixteen.  Therefore, I fall at His feet and plead with Him to change me and make me more and more like Him.  Most of all, I plead with Him to never let me go and always draw me back to Himself when I become that little lost lamb wandering from the 99.

Father, there is and never will be anyone like you.  Who has even heard of a God like you?  You know all things.  You know my heart.  You know the heart of the young man I was speaking with recently.  Help us to hold fast to your word.    Continue to change us over time.  Continue to show us just how much we need you and help us never ever think we have obtained salvation because of something we have done in the past.  Hold fast is present tense.  Right now, I fall upon You Jesus, and Your Word.  Thy Word is truth.  May the truth set me free.  Amen