God of hope

It's one of the most precious commodities that exists, and it's completely free. We can get it, and we can lose it. Having it can make us feel good. Not having it can make us feel lousy.

What is this valuable commodity? Hope.

There are many things and people desiring us to invest our stash of hope in them. Some will reward our hope, some won't.

Politicians want us to put our hope in them. They promise us the moon, and deliver us cheese. Classic bait 'n' switch. No, the moon isn't made of cheese, but politicians' promises are. Moldy cheese that they won't touch, but that they expect us to devour with a smile. When you put your hope in a politician that can't even get elected to office, your hope goes unrewarded, and usually dies. Or you reluctantly transfer your hope to the person who beat your guy out for the office of Chief Cheese Distributor.

All kinds of religious leaders want us to place our hope in them. Some of them are pretty good at taking your hope and buying a fifth home in the Caribbean with it.

There are countless "gods" that want us to hope in them. They offer all kinds of rewards for our hope. Can these gods deliver? Are they even there? Helloooo? god? You there? 

We place our hope in doctors to fix us when we're broke. Sometimes they can. Sometimes they can't.

We place our hope in the pills we take every day. We hope they make us feel better in the area we're suffering - like toe fungus - while simultaneously hoping that they don't cause nine other areas of ailment by harmful side-effects - like death.

Some people just try to put all their hope strictly in themselves because they don't trust anyone else to be worth giving their hope to. This can be done in a limited sense, but we're all dependent on others to some degree.

Where you put your hope is an important decision. Will your hope be rewarded by the one you invested in? Time will tell. 

We need hope for today and for the future that is sure and solid.

Can you get any more sure and solid than our Creator and God, the Father of Jesus? Your hope, and what you hope for, can only be as sure of being met as the object of your hope. The strength and solidness of the thing or person who says to you, "Put your hope here ... put your hope in me," will determine the end result of your hope. 

Hope past the grave

We all have hopes for short term things and long term things: "I hope the fries are fresh at McDonald's today." "I hope I find a hot girlfriend who can cook like my Mom." "I hope I find a high-paying job that's not too much work." "I hope I have lots of perfectly-behaved grandkids. "I hope my stocks quit losing money."

The things we have hopes for are innumerable and very personal. Some of the things I hope for may seem stupid to you, and vice versa. 
   
What are your hopes? What does your future look like? Do you have any hope at all? 

What or who is your hope based on? Is the source of your hope as solid as God?

Do your hopes and dreams go beyond this short vapor-like life? Or will all of your hopes and dreams die when you take your last breath?

God can give us hope for today and for the future - even beyond our grave and the grave of our loved ones.

Putting your hope in God doesn't mean you have to wait 'til the next life for all of His blessings, just some of them.

I want so much for you to experience hope in the God of hope.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. (Romans 15:13)

Are you full of "joy and peace"? Do you currently "abound in hope"? Are you believing in God?

The key to hope

⁹ But as it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him."
¹⁰ But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
¹¹ For what man knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God.
¹² Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
¹³ Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
¹⁴ But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2)

God has prepared some great things for them that love Him (v.9). Would you like to know "the things which God has prepared for them that love him?" You can - with the key.

A person apart from God isn't even aware of the things God has prepared (v.9). But God reveals these things to the person who has His Spirit dwelling in him (v.10, 12).

This is the key to hope - God's Spirit in you.

When you have God's Spirit in you, the things God has prepared for you enter your heart and give you hope. And this hope is backed by the power of the unchanging Almighty God. You can "abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost" as "the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing" (see Romans 15:13 above).

The Spirit is like your wi-fi connection to God. If you're connected to God through the Spirit, you can access God and the benefits of knowing Him*. If you're not connected, you're not even aware of God and all that comes with knowing Him (v.14).

Because the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to the natural man - the man without the Spirit (v.14) - he puts his hope elsewhere: in himself, his friends, his spouse, his children, his money, his job, his health, his political candidate, his legal (or illegal) drugs. But all of these things will perish in time. Why put your hope in things that can't last and are weak and frail while they do exist.

Make no mistake, God has prepared things - marvelous things - for them that love Him (v.9). And they are all FREE (v.12)! But even freebies need to be accessed. And the Spirit of God is the key to your accessing the hidden things of God.

How do you get the Spirit? I'm glad you asked. Jesus told us how in Luke 11:9-13,

⁹ “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹ If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”

All hope will eventually end

All your hopes will eventually die, or will eventually be satisfied.

24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man sees, why does he yet hope for?
25 But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8)

Hope is the invisible, encouraging link to the thing we desire. When we get what we desire, we no longer hope for it.

God is immortal, and you'll also eventually be immortal**. Thus the hope you put in Him will last until all that is hoped for is obtained. Because He is ever-living, if you know Him, you're born into "a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3). Your "living hope" in God will not die. And it's not dead hope like so much of the hope offered by the world today. Your living hope is fueled by God's accomplished work of the resurrection of Jesus. Our living hope is not based on the future, but on the past - the resurrection. It's as if God says to us through the resurrection, "Put your hope in Me. I don't expect you to do it blindly. See what I've already done by overcoming death. It's proof of what's coming."

What will be obtained for certain is God's will. Line your will up with His and all your hopes will eventually come to pass, because He'll accomplish all of His will.

⁹ Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure." (Isaiah 46)

Jump on God's bandwagon, adjust your will to match His, and you can be confident to get all you hope for.
 

¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us:
¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. (1 John 5)

What a great and encouraging promise from the Scriptures.

Examine your hopes. Do they line up with God's will? If not, change them. There are things I've hoped for in my life that are no longer desires of mine because I've changed. Some of our current hopes may be short-sighted, or just plain foolish. It's OK to adjust on the fly. It's wise to let go of hopes you have that contradict God's will.

If you don't yet know God, when you do come to know Him, some of your hopes will change. The things you once thought were foolish will become some of your heart's greatest desires. And some of your former hopes will fade away as you see the smallness of them compared to the greater things God has in store for you.

Are your hopes making you sick?

 

When we don't get what we hope for, it can make us sick.

Delayed hope makes one sick at heart, but a fulfilled longing is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

If we put our hope in things or people that can't deliver, our heart will remain sick. What a horrible feeling that is. I know, I've been there.

But I've also had my hope in the right place and it still took a long time - several years - for the hope to be met. We must have patience.

True hope comes from above.

If we have hopes beyond our grave, and we realize that all of our hopes won't be met in this life, it actually brings us peace. The sickness we feel in our hearts from unfulfilled dreams can lessen, knowing that we can put that particular hope on ice until the time of its fulfillment comes.

Even some famous faithful people from the Bible didn't receive in their short lifetimes all they had been promised by God. Did God fail to deliver? No.

Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Samson, David and even Jesus have unfulfilled promises and hopes. But their hope and faith in God and His plans will eventually be rewarded, along with us who have the same faith and hope in God.

³⁹ And these all [famous people listed above], having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
⁴⁰ God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11)

We who know God will get to see His promises fulfilled along with these people. That will be awesome.

God's timetable is bigger, and usually different, than ours. When we have His Spirit we can understand this, even though it may at times be frustrating. Chill, dude, chill.

The baby's a comin'!

Can you hear it? Can yo feel it? The entire creation is sighing together in unison. It's a song. A sad song of despair that won't make the top 40. But a song everybody knows.
  
Due to unmet hopes, and the frailty of this life, there is a silent, painful groan that echoes through all of creation. Some people sense it. Most probably aren't even aware of it because it's all they've ever known. The futility of life is normal to them, and they have no vision for something better. But the universal groan is there. The entire creation suffers from depression. Bones break, people get sick, relationships fall apart, plans don't work out ... oh, and there's also this annoying thing called death.

 ¹⁸ For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹ For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. ²⁰ For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; ²¹ because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. ²² For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. ²³ Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. (Romans 8 - New King James Version)

The Sad Sighing Song plays on today. But all the futility of life will someday come to an end when the hope of all creation is satisfied by God.

God subjected the entire creation to futility (v.20). That's why this world can't truly satisfy us. Everyone has problems - even Johnny Depp. Even those who now have God's Spirit groan with the rest of the world in anticipation of His work being completed (v.23).

Those who don't know God can't place their finger on the reason for their frustration and dissatisfaction with life. So they continue to chase after things that won't truly satisfy them.

We'll all groan and labor with birth pangs together until all creation is delivered from slavery to corruption when the children of God (those who know Him) are revealed (v.19, 21). We must wait for that day. Until then, put your hope in God. Only He is able to give you supernatural peace and joy in this life - and the next.

What will be end result of this hope we have for deliverance from futility and corruption? Look at verse 21. Glorious Liberty! This is the name of the bundle of joy Jesus will bring forth in all of creation when the birth pangs end and the Sad Sighing Song plays its last note. The baby's a comin'! When you hold baby Liberty in your arms, all the pains of the past will quickly melt away. And this will come about when the sons of God are revealed in the future at the return of Jesus to reign on the earth.

Whatever the world ails from, Jesus can fix that. Jesus will fix that.

²⁰ And He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
²¹ Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3)

I want you to have living hope today that this day (v.21) will come. It all depends on God, "the God who gives life to the dead and speaks of things that don’t yet exist as if they are real." (Romans 4:17 - Easy-to-Read Version - ERV)

Put your stash of hope in the God Who can and will make all of His plans reality.

If you don't yet know Jesus, call on Him right now. Ask Him to give you His Spirit. When His Spirit comes to dwell in you, you'll see marvelous things you never imagined before. Things that you can solidly hope for because they're backed by Almighty God Himself - the One who asked rhetorically, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?"


Sincerely,
Wes

P.S.

Psalm 146
 Praise you the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
² While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being.
³ Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help.
⁴ His breath goes forth, he returns to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
⁵ Happy is he that has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God:
⁶ Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keeps truth for ever:
⁷ Which executes judgment for the oppressed: which gives food to the hungry. The Lord looses the prisoners:
⁸ The Lord opens the eyes of the blind: the Lord raises them that are bowed down: the Lord loves the righteous:
⁹ The Lord preserves the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
¹⁰ The Lord shall reign for ever, even your God, O Zion, unto all generations. Praise you the Lord.



*  85 awesome benefits of knowing Jesus 

**You will be immortal! 

 

The ultimate purpose of the Bible

 

Some people beat the Bible. Some thump it. Some read it. Some ignore it. Some believe it. Some scoff at it. Some treat it like an idol. Some twist it. Some follow it. Some try to debunk it. Some use it as a good luck charm. Some misquote it. Some quote it correctly. Some use it to promote their ultimate purpose. Etc. ...

What is the Bible's ultimate purpose in our lives? Does it even have a purpose? 

What do you do with the Bible? What should you do with the Bible?

Jesus said to His future killers ...

Some Jewish leaders were giving Jesus a hard time, and wanted to kill Him, because He'd healed a man on the Sabbath and was calling God His Father, making Himself equal with God. Jesus said to them,

"You have never heard [God's] voice nor seen His form, ³⁸ nor does His word dwell in you, for you do not believe the One He sent. ³⁹ You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to Me to have life." (John 5)

In verses 39-40 Jesus reveals to them, and to us, the ultimate purpose of the Bible (Scriptures).

The Bible testifies about Jesus. But filling our head full of facts about Jesus isn't its ultimate purpose. The truth the Bible reveals to us about Jesus is given by God to help us come to Jesus so we can have life. Not just the physical life you are currently experiencing, but spiritual life from God - spiritual life you can only get from Jesus.

You can dissect the Bible your whole life. But if you refuse to come to Jesus to have life, you've missed out on the ultimate purpose of the Bible.

God's goal for us is to know the Bible and know Jesus. If we only know the Bible, like Jesus' future killers, we have this ...
 

Knowledge puffs you up with pride ... (1 Corinthians 8:1 - NCV/New Century Version)

And where does pride get you? The Bible says,

God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble. (James 4:6 - NIV)

Stuck in the womb ...

The spiritual life that Jesus gives us when we come to Him is like a brand new birth. It's a fresh start. It's a new beginning that transforms and transfers sinners, who are all former enemies of God, into His family as His adopted children.

Those puffed up with knowledge get stuck in the womb.

And this new birth is absolutely essential to experiencing the life Jesus gives.

Jesus said in John 3:3 to Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader,

“I tell you that unless a person is born again from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (CJB - Complete Jewish Bible)

Like a baby leaving the cramped darkness of the the womb and coming into the spacious freedom in the light outside, the sinner is transferred by Jesus from the kingdom of darkness (a "womb," if you will) - where they are encompassed and enslaved by sin -  into the freedom of the kingdom of light.

In the same way that a baby knows only the womb, those without Jesus aren't aware that they are living in a confined dark place. It's all they've ever known. Satan has blinded them so they think the life they are living is the only available option. They've never experienced life outside the restrictions of sin and darkness. They are, in a sense, dead to the reality of life in the light, and all that comes with it.

Like a baby eventually outgrowing the womb and having to exit, a sinner will outgrow darkness and sin. The dark womb of sin will no longer be satisfactory. Sin and all of its consequences wear out their welcome and are no longer attractive. The individual must have room to grow. Through the drawing of God, the sinner begins to seek new surroundings and a new life - the sinner begins to seek after God.

... but not stuck forever

Eventually - whether in this life or the next - the sinner is carried out of the dark and into the freedom of light by Jesus. Jesus said,

"And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all to Myself." This He said, signifying by what death He would die. (John 12:32-33)

Jesus was lifted up from the earth on the cross. The completion of the first part of His statement guarantees the completion of the second part - drawing all to Himself. The word draw in this passage literally means to drag. The same Greek word is used in reference to a fisherman dragging to land his net full of fish (see John 21:11).

God will use His spiritual forceps (and biceps) to drag you out of the spiritually dark womb and into His kingdom of light. God will use love, kindness, power, consequences, judgment and whatever else He needs to use to drag you into His family. And once you're there, you'll thank Him for it.

The way is too narrow for fat heads

Jesus said in Matthew 7:14, "the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life."

God, Who opposes of the proud, refuses to deliver big-headed people from the darkness of the spiritual womb. They must first be humbled, and their heads shrunk. And this will happen, one way or another.

"... whoever promotes himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be promoted." (Matthew 23:12)

Humble yourself, or be humbled by God. Then your head can fit through the narrow way that leads to life. 

Let's be honest - the dark side can be fun

I've lived in the darkness of the spiritual womb and in the light. 23 years on the dark side, 24 in the light.

I'd be lying if I said sin wasn't fun. Some of it is. But some sin being fun doesn't make any sin right.

The fun meter can't be our only measuring device in life. From my experience, and the experience of millions of others, sin eventually wears you down and loses its shine. But while the shine remains, even if it has dulled considerably, we don't want to leave the darkness.

This leads us to another reason Jesus gives as to why some stay in the womb of darkness.

"This is the judgment—that light has entered the world and men have preferred darkness to light because their deeds are evil. Anybody who does wrong hates the light and keeps away from it, for fear his deeds may be exposed. But anybody who is living by the truth will come to the light to make it plain that all he has done has been done through God." (John 3:19-21 - PHILLIPS)

Some refuse to come into the light because they prefer the darkness. Satan offers a lot of attention-getting stuff to keep us in his dark kingdom. He keeps us from the light until God breaks into our life and opens our eyes and mind to see the truth of the awesomeness of the light. Until then, some quite enjoy the dark.

Who has power over you?   

We humans tend to think we have unhindered free will, and that no one tells us what to do.

When Jesus humbled Saul, the fat-headed Pharisee, and brought him into the light, He gave him this mission,

"I send you to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God Himself, so that they may know forgiveness of their sins and take their place with all those who are made holy by their faith in Me." (Acts 26:18 - PHILLIPS)

Those in the darkness Saul was sent to probably didn't think they were under "the power of Satan," but they were.

As Chief Deceiver, Satan doesn't want you to think he's even real. If he can anonymously have power over you, and keep you believing you are the one calling the shots in your life, then he's got you right where he wants you - in the dark and under his control.

Do you want to be under Satan's power or God's? There is no third option.

Satan isn't your friend. He wants to keep you from God and all that God has for you. He does this through deception.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4 - NIV)

BUT, here is the remedy,

... the holy Scriptures, which can open the mind to the salvation which comes through believing in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:15 - PHILLIPS)

For we must never forget that He rescued us from the power of darkness, and re-established us in the kingdom of His beloved Son, that is, in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:13 - PHILLIPS)

God uses the Bible to open our minds to the truth of Jesus, Who can give us life and rescue us from the power of darkness.

More important purposes of the Bible for you

Once a person comes to Jesus and gets life, they should continue to read, study and interact with the Bible. Unless you're a perfect person, you'll need to be in the Bible your entire life to continue growing.

The Bible is used by God for our ongoing transformation into the likeness of Jesus. 

Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us. (2 Timothy 3:16-17, The Message)

My experience is that when God uses the Bible to expose my rebellion or correct my mistakes, He does it gently. Though the truth He sometimes reveals to me hits hard, I don't feel beat up. That's because His ultimate goal for me is good. And His motive for correcting me is His supernatural love for me.
 
The Bible goes where no blade has gone before - to the very depths of our soul. 

The word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword. It cuts all the way through, to where soul and spirit meet, to where joints and marrow come together. It judges the desires and thoughts of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

Do you realize that when you read the Bible you are reading the only living book on the planet? It's not just ink on paper in your hands. It's the living, supernatural words of Almighty God right in front of you.

Here's how God uses the Bible in my life. I'll read a passage in the Bible that I've read dozens of times before. But on this occasion something jumps out of the words that I've never seen before. The words on the page didn't magically change. God opens my mind to understand the Scriptures in a deeper way. He uses ancient words to reveal new things to me as He chooses - as He sees that I'm ready for deeper understanding as I grow. I also believe that these "growth spurts" wouldn't happen if I ignored God's words in the Bible.

We grow in our relationship with Jesus as we live day by day with Him. Talk with Him, study His words in the Bible, do what He says. As we do what He says He blesses us. And when He blesses us and we experience His work in our lives, our faith and knowledge grow.

... you should grow in grace and in your knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 3:18 - PHILLIPS)   

Never stop growing.

Sincerely,
Wes

P.S. If you don't already know Jesus, what are you waiting for? Call out to Him today - right now. You'll be amazed at life in the light of Jesus' kingdom.

Life lesson from a dog with 3 and 3/4 legs

I was recently doing electrical work at a new home in the country. There were several dogs roaming the property inside and out.

It was cold outside and I was in the house waiting for the power company to show up. As I stood there, a German Shepherd came up to me with a tennis ball in her mouth. She dropped the ball right in front of me, eager to play.

The ball was covered with dog slobber, so I kicked it across the large concrete floor. Every bounce of the ball left a gooey wet spot as the slobber spun out of the ball.  

As she took off running, I noticed she kept one of her back legs elevated. If it did touch down to the ground, I could see it was very painful for her.

But here she came again and again - ball, slobber and eagerness  - despite the pain she was in.

This little game made me think about life. How easy would it be for her to just lay around in less pain than when she ran?

It's as though the thought never crossed her mind.

God created her to be playful and to run and to enjoy life. And she knew she could still do this despite a bad wheel. Her circumstances may have slowed her down, but they weren't going to stop her. 

"I'll wait 'til I'm 100%"

Sometimes we two-legged creatures tend to avoid doing things that involve pain in our lives. The pain could be emotional or physical or both. The pain could be major or minor.

We lay around, choosing to live a life with the least amount of pain. But this isn't a very satisfying life. The laying around can actually bring its own kind of pain - depression, guilt, loneliness, etc.

You can't avoid pain in your life. If you're alive, life will deliver pain right to your front door - free of charge.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, "Each day has enough trouble of its own."

I think we'd all agree. Each day has some trouble. Again, some of it's minor, some major. But there it is - every single day.

Will it stop you?

♪♫ "Nobody knows the trouble I've seen ..." ♫♪

The dog wanted to chase the ball, which meant running, which meant being a little slower than she preferred, which meant putting up with pain from her damaged leg. To her, the positive outweighed all the negatives. So she played - and had joy.

She wasn't going to lay around 'til she was 100%.

 

Who's 100%? Nobody I know.

If you wait in life for the day that you're 100%, you'll eventually get there - when you're 100% dead. Not much joy in that.

Don't wait.

Jesus looked beyond the cross to the good stuff

Jesus knew severe pain was coming His way as His torture and crucifixion approached. But He also knew extreme joy was waiting for Him after the pain. 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before Him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12)

The hardest part of His mission was over. He had painfully paid for the sins of the entire world. He's now with His Father in heaven experiencing joy.

Instead of going to the excruciating cross, Jesus could've avoided all that pain, sat on the couch and watched the Jerry Springer marathon on Fox TV. Much less pain - absolutely no gain.

He endured extreme emotional and physical pain for all of us, for Himself, and for His Father. Thanks Jesus.

Pushing through the pain of life benefits not only you, but those who care about you. They want you to have joy in your life. 

What joy lies beyond the trials you're facing?

There's something good for us when we overcome the pain we face.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

What's the good waiting for you in your situation? Look at your life. Maybe try a new perspective.

"It's just too hard out there!"

If you can't see it yet, ask God to open your eyes. Ask Him to give you encouragement along the road. Ask Him for wisdom - we could all use more of that. Keep your eyes open.

Sometimes we can't see or experience the joy until we start moving through the pain. Get going.

Focusing on the negative and the current pain is too easy, but not profitable. There's good to be seen, but sometimes it's a little more work.

Talk with your closest non-negative friends. They may be able to give you a perspective that you're currently blind to - a perspective that may make a world of difference.

Moving at the speed of life

For those who may be on the opposite end of the activity spectrum, maybe God is using a trial or some pain in your life to get you to slow down long enough to think a little deeper about your life.

Too often as we move at the speed of life, constantly doing stuff, we don't take the time to just stop and think. Here's some questions to get you started.

• "Where am I heading?"
• "Am I even on the right road in my life?"
• "What can I do differently?"
• "What am I doing well?"
• "What can I do better?"
• "What should I stop doing?"
• "Have I forgotten God?"

Shut the TV off. Shut the radio off. Shut the cell phone off (yes, it actually has an "OFF" button). Get out of the house. Get away from all distractions ... and think.

The still, small voice of God can get drowned out by the constant noise we surround ourselves with.

God created you to enjoy life with Him regardless of your circumstances. He's near. He'll help. Let Him help you.

Will you overcome your pain, or will you be overcome by it?

I know you can be an overcomer and experience the joy set before you.


Sincerely,
Wes



P.S. - I encourage you to read in the Bible what Jesus went through for you (see Mark 14:32-16:8). 

  

You will be immortal!

Eat right. Exercise. Take your vitamins. Say your prayers. Die.

No matter how you live, you will die.*

We're surrounded by the enemy. The enemy is Death. Someday Death will barge through your front door. And you won't be able to resist when Death comes for you.

You are mortal.

Ethel taking reservations at Harrisburg Temporary Housing.

"Wow, Wes, this is kind of depressing."

"Yeah, I know. It sucks. But don't stop here. It's about to get good."

Wake up sleepy head

Don't get too comfortable when you're placed in your grave. It's only going to be a temporary dwelling.

Someday the alarm will go off on your dirt nap - no matter how long it lasts.

You'll be raised from the dead by Jesus. Then you'll be made immortal. You'll never experience physical death again.

Immortality is a gift from God and His Son to you. God is immortal in His nature. He is the source. 

 ¹⁵ ... God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ Who alone is immortal and Who lives in unapproachable light, Whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. (1 Timothy 6)

His plan for all of mankind is to make them immortal.

"You mean I'll have to look at this mug forever?"

I hope this gives you hope.

You're a seed that will become a ...

Many people have told me they don't want to live forever. But I think they're usually saying this with the mindset that they'd be old, saggy, wrinkly, crotchety and frail for eternity.

Yeah, nobody wants to wear adult diapers forever.

But that's not the picture of immortality in the Bible. Here's what it says,

²¹ For since by man came death, by Man came also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.... ³⁵ But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?” ³⁶ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. ³⁷ When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. ³⁸ But God gives it a body as He has determined, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.... ⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; ⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.... If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. ⁴⁵ So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. ⁴⁶ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. ⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second Man is of heaven. ⁴⁸ As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly Man, so also are those who are of heaven. ⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly Man.... ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(1 Corinthians 15)

Your resurrected body: imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual, immortal. Not bad if you ask me. 

Can you say "resurrection traffic jam?"

And along with this comes an incredible promise from God, "The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Corinthians 15:26)

With death destroyed, only life remains.

"OK, Wes. I'm not depressed any more."

"I told you it was going to be good."



Sincerely,
Wes


P.S. - The fact that God has immortality in store for all of us tells me that He has so much for us to do and enjoy in the future that we'll need eternity to take it all in. But you can begin to enjoy life with God right now. If you don't yet know Jesus, call on His name, turn from your sins, ask Him to forgive you, trust Him, ask Him to give you His Spirit, and He will give you new life - better life - starting today.  See 85 awesome benefits of knowing Jesus that you can begin to experience today.



* There's an exception to this rule. One group of Jesus freaks won't encounter physical death. I'll write about this in a future post. Here are two Bible passages you can examine to see this mystery: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:50-52 

"Only weak people follow Jesus." - Exactly!

"Look at my awesome power puny Jesus freaks!"

I'll freely admit I'm weak (my hand is raised).

And I'll freely say that I follow Jesus (hand still raised).

Who likes to admit they're weak? No one (unless you're a hypochondriac).

But millions who go to doctors and shrinks every day are basically admitting they are weak and need help.

Nearly 4 million viewers watch Dr. Phil every day - some seeking help. About 2 million watch Dr. Oz every day - some seeking help. And those who watch Jerry Springer? I have no idea what they're looking for.

But there's nothing wrong with admitting you're weak. This can actually be the first step toward gaining lasting strength.

The Surgeon of the Spirit

The world is starving for cures because the world is weak and sick and needs cured - spiritually and physically.

The world has fallen and can't get up.

But my question to you is this, "Will you go to the ultimate, completely free, no-insurance-required, no-appointment-required Doctor of doctors - Jesus?"

"Admit I am weak? Never!"

I've read numerous stories of people who knew God was drawing them to Himself. But they were worried about what their friends, co-workers, and family would say if they became a follower of Jesus. So they resisted and fought against God out of fear of appearing weak.

And this fight against God sometimes lasts for years. Some eventually come to Him after much resistance. Many are still resisting God's grace, love and power for their lives out of fear. Many will go to their graves resisting the One that can give them the greatest love and power they'll ever know.

No one should be ashamed to go to the Doctor of the Soul, the Healer of the Heart, the Surgeon of the Spirit.

What about you? Is God moving in your life? Are you resisting Him out of fear, shame, or some other reason? 

Would you care what others thought if you sought treatment for your cancer, or diabetes, or heart condition, or bunions? Probably not.

Your spiritual health is way more important than other people's opinion. It's your life - live it! 

Sink or swim or get in the boat!

Not realizing and not admitting your need for God is nothing new.

¹⁵ While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Him and His disciples, for there were many who followed Him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked His disciples: “Why does He eat with tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷ On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”(Mark 2)

Jesus' words to the self-righteous religious leaders went right over their heads. They thought they were the ones who were "healthy" and had no need of a spiritual physician. Were they right? Let's see. The Apostle Paul, a former self-righteous Pharisee and former hater of Jesus wrote this,

⁹ What then? Are we better than they? No, in no way! For we have before proved that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin. ¹⁰ As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; ¹¹ there is none that understand; there is none that seek after God. ¹² They have all gone from the way; they have together become unprofitable; there is none that do good, no, not one.” (Romans 3)

"I cannot swim."

Well, there you have it. We're all helplessly drowning in the deep waves of the disease of sin and spiritual sickness until we come into the safety of the mega-ship that Jesus captains.

Like Noah's ark was salvation from the flood, the ship called Salvation that Jesus' runs is your only hope to be rescued and healed from sin and its nasty side effects.

There's plenty of room in the boat for you, even if you're massively muscular.

Are you weak?

Maybe you don't think you're weak and need Jesus. Do you suffer from the disease of sin? Well, are you going to die? If so, then you're weak.

None of us have the physical or spiritual strength to sustain our own lives. We're mortal. When our time's up, we're totally powerless to resist death. But let's be honest - there are a lot more signs of our weakness and need than the fact that we're headed toward the grave.

But be encouraged - these weak, sin-ravaged bodies will be raised to new, immortal heights at the resurrection.

⁴² So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: ⁴⁴ It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
(1 Corinthians 15)

You don't just go into the grave and that's it. Just as the awesome redwood tree comes from a tiny seed, your body is planted and will someday come forth as much more than the seed that was planted.

And who do you think is going to raise you? Jesus, the One Who lifted Himself out of death. Yes, you need Him.   

But what can you do now? You need strength now!

King David, the mighty warrior, cried out to God, "Lord, have mercy on me. I’m so weak. Lord, heal me. My body is full of pain" (Psalm 6:2). He realized his weakness and where his healing would come from. And God continually sustained him. He can do the same for you.

Copy and paste David's words into your life.

God chooses the weak

Notice in the story above at Levi's house that the self-righteous Pharisees weren't eating at the table with Jesus and the sinners. They were merely critical observers looking down their noses while the sick enjoyed the company of their Savior.

God works with the weak while being at odds with those who think they are strong and think they have no need of a crutch called Jesus. Paul wrote,

²⁶ Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷ But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸ God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹ so that no one may boast before Him. (1 Corinthians 1)

The Apostle Paul had many weaknesses. And God sustained him through them. Sometimes God doesn't remove the source of our pain, but strengthens us through it with a supernatural level of strength we are unable to get on our own. Paul wrote,

⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰ That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12)

Nobody said life would be easy. But do you want to go through it with the power of Jesus on you or not?

He still makes house calls

Jesus isn't just sitting in His clinic twirling His stethoscope.

"I know you're in there."

He's actively coming to those who are sick and need Him. You don't have to set an appointment to see Dr. Jesus. And He won't fill you full of symptom-masking drugs with life-threatening side effects. He'll actually heal and strengthen you spiritually. He may even heal you physically. But your spiritual health is His main concern.

Some of us won't realize and admit our true weakness and need for The Doctor even on a deathbed, or as life fades away. Many won't see their need for God until the judgment.

It's good to admit you're weak. This relieves you from the stress of trying to be strong when you're not. Letting Jesus strengthen you and lift you up is much easier, because His strength is lasting. When we try to manufacture our own strength, it can cause us to become weaker through the energy it takes and the stress it causes. There's nothing wrong with being weak. We get into trouble when we think we're strong - then we don't seek the One Who is strong.

But all will eventually see their weakness and need.

Let this invitation from Jesus to all people sink deep into your heart - then just do it.

²⁸ “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11)

Isn't it time to lighten your load and connect with the true source of strength - Jesus?

Call out to Jesus now - "Lord, have mercy on me. I’m so weak. Lord, heal me. My body is full of pain."


Sincerely,
Wes

P.S. Share a story of how God has strengthened you.  

Mosh-pit morality

 
Last Friday my sons Levi and Seth invited me to go to a concert to watch 5 metal bands in Iowa City. These metal bands play hard, fast, ultra-aggressive music. No ballads here. All of the bands at this show screamed their lyrics. I didn't know the bands at all, so I literally understood zero words that were sung/screamed.

But the fans, mostly kids, knew the lyrics. And it seemed the lyrics to many of the songs had deep meaning for them.

Overall, I had a good time. Mostly because I was with my boys and their friends. It does an old dog some good to hang with the pups in their world.

The pit of life

One of the main ingredients of concerts with these types of bands is the mosh pit. This is the place on the floor where some of the crowd dance wildly and intentionally collide with each other as they cross the pit from different directions.

This is in contrast with another part of these shows - the circle pit, where some of the crowd run hard in a circle in the same direction. There's still a lot of contact in the circle pit.

I didn't mosh at this concert. I hung up my mosh shoe before all the kids at this show pooped in their first diaper. I say "shoe" (singular) because the last time I moshed was in the early 90's to the band House of Large Sizes, and I blew a shoe. I don't remember if I found it or not.

The mosh pit is sweaty, chaotic, bloody, hard, fun, loaded with B.O., unpredictable. It's a lot like life. Some people stand on the sidelines, some jump in head first and get the biggest bang for their buck while the show's on. Even if it costs them some pain and teeth.

But one thing about the mosh pit stood out to me as I watched the chaos. When someone got knocked down - who was probably a complete stranger - other moshers would immediately stop and pick up their fallen comrade, then quickly resume moshing.

I thought to myself, "The world would be a much better place if we all stopped to pick up those around us who've fallen." This is preferred to what we see too often in life - people trampling over those who are weaker or just in the way.

The Yoder Floater  technique

The screaming ambassadors

2 of the 5 bands, Phinehas and headliner For Today, encouraged the crowd and proclaimed Jesus from the stage. And I thought their messages were very good.

It was so encouraging to see that God's got His ambassadors in every corner of life, boldly proclaiming the name and love of Jesus.



Sincerely,
Wes

P.S.

Girls just wanna have head-crackin' fun

   

"Jesus just stepped on my toes!"

Whether the question "Does man have free will?" is answered with "Yes" or "No," an age-old wild-goose chase is officially entered. I really enjoy eating goose, not chasing it.

I personally have never heard an air-tight defense for either answer to this challenging question. Though I obviously don't know everything, I do know that I don't want to dive into this fruitless debate.

A better question

I think there's a better question we can ask concerning man's will. A question for which we can find an encouraging, faith-building Biblical solution. The question:

"Who's will ultimately prevails - God's or man's?"

The hierarchy of wills

Look around at the world. Or stare into your own mirror. It seems as though man is currently winning the battle of wills with God. Is God letting man win this battle? Or is man more powerful than God? Or is God "the perfect Gentleman," Who will not step on man's tender little toes, even when it would be good for man if He did?

It's vital to remember that God is still working toward His ultimate goals. And it's also important to keep in mind that God is supernaturally patient (2 Peter 3:8-9). To look around and see what's currently going on and assume this is as good as it gets is being shortsighted.

I submit to you that God's will is infinitely higher and more powerful than man's. And God will eventually accomplish all of His good, pleasing, and perfect will.

But you must look into the future with the eyes of faith to see it.

God's will prevails in judgment

God, "the perfect Gentleman," judges humanity against humanity's will.

As Noah was putting the finishing touches on the ark, CNN polled people and asked, "Do you want to drown in the massive flood?". Not surprisingly, 100% of people polled did not want to die in the flood. But they all died, except those in the ark. God stepped on a few toes that day, and His will prevailed in judgment. (Note: He's not done with these people yet.)

Jesus said in John 5,

²⁸ Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear His voice ²⁹ and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment. (Revised Standard Version)

Do you think those who are in the sleep of death will be happy to be raised to face Jesus in the resurrection of judgment? No. But God's will prevails over man's in judgment.

Raise your hand if you want to be cast into the lake of fire at the great white throne judgment. No takers? But an innumerable mass of people will be put into the lake of fire - those who are not found written in the book of life (Revelation 20:15). Again, God's will prevails over man's in judgment.

"So," you ask, "God strong-arms the rebellious into judgment? Does God use His almighty will for anythin' good?"

I'm so very glad you asked.

God's will prevails in salvation

Though sometimes God's judgment is necessary, there is also a time for God's ultimate will - salvation.

[God our Savior] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:4 - King James Version)

Many believe God will save all people and bring them to the truth. Many say God can't do this. Many say God won't do this.

Saul, the hyper-religious Pharisee, hated and persecuted the resurrected Jesus and His followers. With bad intentions, he headed from Jerusalem to Damascus to rough up some Christians.

Jesus met Saul on the way with His own set of intentions - a completely different, good plan for Saul's life. Jesus confronted him, humbled him, temporarily blinded him, and told him he was fighting a losing battle.

Jesus then overwhelmed Saul with grace, faith and love.

Jesus' foremost persecutor, who called himself "the worst of sinners," was changed by Jesus into one of His greatest ambassadors. Saul became Paul and wrote a large portion of the New Testament. God's will prevailed in the salvation of "the worst of sinners."

"Yeah, but Saul was the exception to the rule." Was he? Keep reading.  

Hyper grace

Paul later wrote about his life-changing encounter with Jesus.

13 I, who formerly was a calumniator [blasphemer] and a persecutor and an outrager: but I was shown mercy, seeing that I do it being ignorant, in unbelief.
14 Yet the grace of our Lord overwhelms, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
15 Faithful is the saying, and worthy of all welcome, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, foremost of whom am I.
16 But therefore was I shown mercy, that in me, the foremost, Jesus Christ should be displaying all His patience, for a pattern of those who are about to be believing on Him for life eonian.
(1 Timothy 1:13-16 - Concordant Literal New Testament)

Notice the word overwhelms in verse 14. This is the only occurrence of the Greek word huperpleonazo in the Bible. It's a compound word made of huper (from which we get hyper), meaning over or beyond, and pleonazo, meaning to superabound or to exist in abundance.

So we could say that the grace of Jesus over-superabounded Saul. It seriously overwhelmed him. He couldn't stop Jesus' grace. Definition of grace: Favor given to those who deserve the opposite.

Saul couldn't stop Jesus' undeserved favor, even though he deserved judgment. That's GRACE! And it truly is amazing. God's will prevailed in salvation.

"Yeah, but God had a plan for Saul. Like I said before, he's an exception to the rule."

Verse 16 tells us Saul was the pattern for those who would believe on Jesus, not the exception.

We are all saved by the same general pattern of Saul. We are ignorantly rebellious in unbelief, confronted by the supernaturally-patient Jesus, humbled, shown mercy, overwhelmed by His grace, reconciled to Him. That's how He accomplishes 1 Timothy 2:4.

But wait! There's more!

"Hi! Billy Mays here! You'll not just receive Jesus' undeserved favor, you'll also receive - FREE of charge and with NO shipping and handling costs - faith and love!" 

Notice in verse 14 above that Jesus didn't just overwhelm Saul with grace, but with faith and love.

Jesus gives us the faith that is essential to believe in Him. And the love we need to properly relate to Him. Talk about gifts! Merry Christmas indeed! Four for the price of none - Jesus, grace, faith and love.

It cost Saul absolutely nothing in this transaction (which is always the case when you get a gift). Jesus did all the work. And Saul got this while he was on his way to persecute Jesus' followers. Yeah, Jesus stepped on Saul's toes, and His will prevailed in salvation!

Notice verse 15 - "Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This is part of His enormous, but doable, mission from His Father. ♪♫One sinner at a tiiiiiiiime, sweet Jesus!♫♪

He'll finish this mission. All sinners will be saved, even if billions of toes get bruised in the process.

Lost sheep are found

"Hey Jesus. I've, uh, been looking for You. No, really!"

Jesus said in John 10:11, "I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep."
 
When Jesus goes after a lost sheep, doesn't He realize that maybe Fluffy just wants to be left alone?

Well, Jesus has bigger plans for ignorant little Fluffy. And He's got bigger plans for all of us. Yes, all of us have been ignorantly lost sheep. Jesus has rescued some of us. He will eventually rescue all of us because He "is come to save that which was lost" (Matthew 18:11).

Be encouraged by this story.

Then drew near unto [Jesus] all the publicans [tax collectors] and sinners for to hear Him.
And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners, and eats with them."
And He spoke this parable unto them, saying, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoices more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying unto them, 'Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.'
Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repents, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance."
(Combination of Matthew 18:13-14 and Luke 15:1-7)

Notice what God's will is - "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." Have we not all been little ones? It's God's will that none of us perish.

Can you see from this story the value of every single sheep?

And the lost sheep was passive in his rescue.

Yes, Jesus can save you all by Himself, just like He saved Saul. He doesn't need your help. He'll lay you on His shoulders and get you where you need to be. Then He'll go back out to get the rest of the lost sheep.

That's why He's called "the Great Shepherd of the sheep" (Hebrews 13:20).

"Overruled!"

God's not concerned with being "the perfect Gentleman," Who never violates our wayward wills.

God, as Judge and Savior, will overrule us. He has to. If He didn't, we would remain lost sheep. And that's obviously not His plan for any of us.

God's will will ultimately prevail over man's. And we should be glad it does, because His will is good, pleasing, and perfect (Romans 12:2). He knows what He's doing, and He doesn't care if it makes sense to us right now.

God says in Isaiah 46,

⁹ ... I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me,
¹⁰ Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure."

Rejoice in this!


Sincerely,
Wes

P.S. So, does man have free will? I like Dilbert's final answer.


 

 

Crushing Jesus

Have you ever felt like God's a gazillion miles away? Or that He's not even there at all? I think we've probably all felt this way at one time or another. But what's the reality of God's nearness to us? How far away is He?

Finding the invisible God

I've often imagined what my life would've been like if I'd lived during other times - the early stages of man's existence, or the wild west in America, or the time when Jesus walked the earth. But I didn't have a say in the matter. So here I am, right where God wants me in 2016.

God determined where you, and everyone else, would be born. And He determined what time in history you would live.

There's one major reason why you were plopped into the circumstances of your life. 

Paul, a follower of Jesus, explained this reason to a crowd in Athens who'd never heard of Jesus. 

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the council on Mars Hill and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. ²³ For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you."
²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. ²⁵ And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything. Rather, He Himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. ²⁶ From one man He made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷ God did this so that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from any one of us. ²⁸ ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’... " (Acts 17)

Those words I put in bold, especially the bold italics, were given by God through Paul to give you hope.

"Open your eyes. I'm right here."

God created you exactly when and where He wanted you to be so you "would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him." And this is exactly what will eventually happen for all people. If not in this life, in the next. He'll cause you to find Him, even if He has to grab and crank your distracted, reluctant head.  

God is not far from you!

So why does He sometimes (or maybe all the time) seem so far away? The answer lies in the following story.

Suffering woman seeks, reaches for, and finds God

The purpose of the following uplifting true story is to help us find our God, Who is already near.

As Jesus was on His way, the crowds almost crushed Him.
And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her.
She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.
When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind Him in the crowd and touched His cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed.”  
Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.
He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched My clothes?”
When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against You.”
But Jesus said, “Someone touched Me; I know that power has gone out from Me.”
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
(Combination of Mark 5:26-34 and Luke 8:42-48)

Awesome story.

The frenzied crowds were nearly crushing Jesus. But only one person in the mass seemed to catch His attention. Someone had sought Him, reached out for Him, and found Him as God desires to happen according to Acts 17:26-27.

A life-changing and life-saving connection had been made between the poor woman and Jesus.

Why some connect with Jesus, and some don't

Was power going out of Jesus to other people in the crowd that were bumping into and nearly crushing Him? It doesn't seem so. If you're merely bumping into Jesus but aren't connected to Him and His power, He's basically "an unknown god" to you, as He was to the Athenians in Acts 17.

So what was it about this suffering woman's touching His clothes that was different from all those who were nearly smothering Him? Faith! According to God's desire in Acts 17:27, she

• sought Him
• reached out for Him
• found Him

When you do these expecting to make a genuine connection with God - the invisible God will somehow make Himself known to you. And you'll know that you've connected with Him.

These are three things that ANYONE, ANYWHERE can do to come to know Jesus. I was just an average Joe in my early twenties when I met Jesus in St. Louis Park, Minnesota in the early '90s. Just me and Jesus in my empty one-bedroom apartment. And I haven't been the same since then.

Are you expectantly doing these three things? This is God's desire for you. And He's crafted the circumstances of your life for it to happen. Why not today? Why not right now, right where you are? Don't move a muscle, except the ones you need to call out to Jesus.

If you've already connected with God, that's awesome. Stay with Him.

Power for you

When power went out of Jesus, the woman received it and greatly benefited. (Don't worry, Jesus won't run out of power. There's plenty for everyone.)

But when you don't know Him, you don't experience His power.

When someone comes to Jesus with faith, they receive a unique, supernatural power directly from Jesus. He's got a monopoly on this power. You can't buy it. You can't sell it. Jesus gives it freely to those who seek Him, reach for Him, and find Him. And His power can do amazing things. For this woman it was physical healing. And I'm sure she was healed emotionally also. Wouldn't you love to talk with her and hear her whole story?

This power also connects us to Jesus so that we know He's near us, even when we may not feel that He is. It's like my relationship with my wife. I always know she loves me, but I don't always get a tingly feeling about it (but sometimes my heart does beat a little faster when I think about her). I would rather know that she loves me than be dependent on fickle feelings to prove her love to me. I can always know, but I don't always feel.

"I tried the Jesus thing and it didn't work."

I don't know your exact situation. But I've heard people say they "tried" Jesus and it didn't work. Some of these people merely went into a church building expecting something magical to happen. And nothing happened other than them adding Jesus to their list of things that don't work. They may have very well been in a dead church where Jesus wasn't the focus at all. There could have been other factors that prevented them from connecting with Jesus.

Seek Him, reach for Him, find Him

Notice in the story above that the suffering woman didn't go to the synagogue for healing (though she may have tried this earlier). She'd tried things that had no power for 12 long years, and she grew worse. Finally, she went directly to Jesus, because she knew He was the One with the power she needed. He was her last hope. And she was healed.

Have you gone directly to Jesus? Or have you simply done some religious stuff - where there is zero power - and gave up.

Or maybe you've done religious stuff for many years, and you still don't know Jesus and His power. Notice above in Acts 17:22-23 that the Athenians were "very religious," but they didn't know God.

Where are you placing your hope for healing, power and salvation? Are you trying everything except Jesus? If so, how's that working out? He's still there, not far from you - seek Him, reach out for Him, find Him.

What does Jesus have in store for you when you come to Him? Love, power, grace, forgiveness, relationship, peace, hope, new life, and so much more. I can try to explain it, but you need to experience it.

Sincerely,
Wes

P.S. Never forget this: You are the offspring of the living, loving, almighty God.

"Hitler escapes from Hell!"

In the distant future ...

British Anchorwoman: "This just in: Adolph Hitler, yes that Adolph Hitler, has escaped from Hell. The Twittersphere is exploding with eye-witness reports of the former Führer eating tacos in New Jerusalem. Let's go live to the scene and reporter Mox Malik."

Indian Reporter: "Yes, Jeannine, I'm here at the so-called 'gates of Hell,' and the place seems secure. There are no signs of a break-out. The enormous gates are completely intact. A huge crowd is gathering to see if the reports of Hitler's escape are true. Sir! Excuse me, sir! Did you see what happened here?"

Jewish Witness: "Yes. I saw the whole thing."

"Could you please tell our viewers exactly what you saw?"

"Sure. I walked over to the gates, unlocked them, and let Adolph go free."

"So Adolph Hitler did not escape from Hell?"

"That's right. Jeannine's lead-in and the headline on this blog post are wrong. Mox, those who come here can't escape from their judgment. Didn't you see the size of the lock? Besides, I have the only key."

"OK. But why did you let him go free?"

"He was properly judged and became very humble. He repented and asked me to forgive him. So I did. He's a new man now. You should go talk with him. He's very pleasant and witty. I bet he'll even buy the first round of tacos."

"You forgave him?"

"Yes."

"Sir, don't you know about all the horrible things Mr. Hitler did?"

"Yes Mox, I'm very well aware of his past. Don't you know what I did?"

"Yes! You released one of the worst people who ever lived!"

"True, I did do that. But I also died for Adolph, just as I died for everyone else so they could be set free from sin and death and be made right with God. I change people. I make them new."

"Sir, who are you?"

"I'm Jesus, the Savior of the world. It says so right in the Bible."


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Note: This is a fictional story. I don't know if Hitler even likes tacos. But the general idea of the story is something that will actually happen - the salvation of all people through Jesus, even the very worst of us. He'll do it. And that's great news. I'm excited to see how this plays out in the future.

The following is not fiction:

⁴ [God our Savior] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; ⁶ Who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. (1 Timothy)

And one thing is certain - whether in this life or the next - coming to Jesus is the ONLY way to be saved.

Jesus says unto him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts 4:12)

To learn more about the Savior of the world, read the Bible. For a biblical study of this topic, get the book JESUS and Hitler (slightly less than a buck on Kindle).