There Was a Crooked Man

There was a crooked man,

And he walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence

Against a crooked stile.

He bought a crooked cat,

Which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together

In a little crooked house.

 

Every fourth week, one day each month, I can be found in a procedure room at Dr. Reeder’s place of practice.  Dr. Reeder is my Chiropractor.  I first met Reeder when I was 21 years of age (just a kid really) and I had insufferable pain in my lower back and all down through my left leg. 

"I'm not always so much so 'on the ball', not always!"

I had insufferable pain, so much so that I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t sit upright (which made the ride to his office quite painful I might add).  I was anti-social, I couldn’t smile, I could barely carry my own weight and I certainly had no desire to “carry a tune”.  I was so miserable at one point I remember distinctly raising my fist to the ceiling and crying out “Why are You doing this to me!?!”  I’m not positive but I may have uttered an expletive or two toward my Creator and Savior.  I was that crooked man. 

Apparently I missed the part in the Bible where it says, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 

I had only been a Christian for two years by this time and by every external standard I was “a Christian above all Christians.”  I say by every external standard, which is to say as things appeared to others, but God looks at the heart and it’s the inner life and response to circumstances that gives evidence to the Life of Christ abiding within.  However, after this glaring chink in my “Spiritual Armor” I began to see other areas in my life that were not as “in check” as I thought they were also, such sins were prevalent in my private life and thoughts that I feel ashamed now to even mention them. 

God revealed some of them to us in a nice 'neat' list in Galatians 5:19, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,” Suffice to say, road rage, which I experienced often seemed to be the least of my problems. My thought life was not what it should have been.  It got to a point where I began to even doubt if I was really “born again” in the first place.  It was a very dark and confusing time for me. I remember praying as Isaiah did, "Woe is me, for I am undone," but instead of a man of unclean lips I said, "for I am a man of unclean thoughts, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean thoughts."  I am so glad that God cleaned up my thought life.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

But Let’s get back to my back for a moment.  So, what was going on and why did I have so much discomfort?  It should be obvious I think, things were out of alignment, they were not the way they were intended to be.  Actually, as a later X-ray would reveal, I had a herniated disk at my fifth lumbar and the bulge was pushing against my sciatic nerve. 

A cortisone shot mixed with Novocain relieved it for a time but when the drug wore off the pain returned.  Physical therapy and exercise only worsened the agony.  Pain “killers” were dealing with the symptoms but no one had yet got to the root of my injury.

When things are out of place there is pain involved, just ask anyone who has had a broken bone or a dislocated joint if you’ve never had the pleasure of that kind of experience.

Now spiritually speaking, things were 'out of place' for me also.  I was following a list of 'do's and don'ts', standards that would ensure that I would be spiritual.  I was not very spiritually minded as is plainly obvious.  I did not love God with all my heart, I loved my own comfort.  I did not obey the heart of things, I was only trying to obey the external motion of things.

If we desire God's best.  If we want Him to increase in our lives.  We must love Him above even our own comfort.  We must love Him with all our hearts.  We need to get a doctorate in theology: I don't mean a college education but I do mean we need to pay attention to doctrine.  We need to know what we believe about our God and why.  Never mind the lists... that'll all fall into place as you learn of Him.  We also need to become a reader... Not Dr. Reeder... we need to read the Word of God.  Read it often, humbly, and with a desire to obey whatever God clearly asks of you.  I say clearly asks because you can't make the Bible say things it doesn't.  "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Do this and He will increase in your life, His presence IN you will be obvious to those around you, They will 'see' less of you and more of God in you.

"He must increase, WE must decrease!"

Far Above Rubies

In Proverbs 31 King Lemuel recounts some things his mother taught him.  She said, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies.”  The answers to that question my friend are both simple and complicated at the same time.  It has taken me the better part of my married life to figure this out, over 15 wonderful years, “Who can find a virtuous woman?”  The simplest answer is this; No one.  Who can?  No one can.  A virtuous woman is a gift from the LORD and if you have a virtuous godly wife by your side it is because God gave her to you.   Proverbs also says “Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD.”  It is a wonderful thing to share your life with a virtuous woman, but you did not find her, you have undeservingly obtained favour of the LORD in this.

But you say, “I asked, I sought, I found!... Didn’t Jesus say,  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”  And perhaps you did just that.  Perhaps you asked God for a godly wife.  You sought for that special someone to stand by your side all the days of your life.  You found the girl of your sanctified dreams.  You found a wife, and the scriptures say that you have found “a good thing, and have obtained favour of the LORD.”

Jesus also said “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.”  Let me ask you something did your search for a wife consume you?  Was it all you could think about at times?  Does it now consume you if you are a single man?  I can tell you from experience, and from the testimony of others, that if this is the case you will labor in vain to find a wife if finding a wife is an all-consuming desire.  I searched and searched for that special someone.  I had a few ‘lady friends’, some of them very godly, but for some reason in my head the match wasn’t right. The problem was not in my head it was in my ‘heart’. Also there were others who I had taken to dinner, or taken shopping or something, and for them it was just a ‘date’, they had no interest in pursuing a deeper relationship.  I wearied myself asking, seeking, and knocking.  Finally in frustration I prayed, “God. I’ve had enough. This is killing me. If YOU want me to be single for my entire life, if that’s Your plan then that will be fine with me.  I will love You. I will serve You. I will do whatever You want, I will do it single if that’s what You want, and I will do it joyfully.”

Jesus said that our Heavenly Father knows what things we have need of.  He said “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”  When I resigned myself to seeking God and His righteousness then, and only then did He open that door to blessing for me.  How it all came about will have to wait for another story.  But like a breath of fresh spring air, like spring showers on a warm spring morning God brought that special someone into my life.

“Who can find a virtuous woman?”  As I said the answer to that question is both simple (No one can.) and complicated.  Here is the complicated answer.  Jesus said that we should seek first Him, His Father, to seek God’s glory alone.  He said if we do this than all we need would be provided.  James wrote “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”  Every good gift is from heaven. 

Now you say “Why is that a complicated answer?”  Well here is the part of the answer that is complicated.  Man looks on the outward appearance and God looks at the heart.  We generally find our interest in someone based on what we men in our shallowness see with our own two eyes.  I’m not talking simply physical appearance; some are shallower about this than others, they only look for a ‘looker’.  But outwardly we look at habits, and hobbies, intellect and personality.  We look at the things we can measure and observe but God looks at what will be, not at what is.

I am thankful that I have a beautiful, thoughtful, virtuous woman to share my life with but I did not ‘find’ her. Virtuous women are not born virtuous, they are ‘made’ virtuous by a work of grace in their hearts.  God through His infinite mercy takes an individual whose sins have separated her from the mercy of God and ‘reaches down’ and redeems them.  

(LINK)

 If any come to Him they come this way.  They must be redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; by Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary’s cross.  God saves them, saves us, and then begins a work of grace in changing us and conforming us into the likeness of Jesus’ holiness and virtue.  “If you have a virtuous godly wife by your side it is because God gave her to you.”

(PROVERBS 31:10-30)

• Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies.
• The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
• She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
• She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
• She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
• She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
• She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
• She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
• She perceiveth that her merchandise [is] good: her candle goeth not out by night.
• She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
• She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
• She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
• She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
• Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
• She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
• Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
• She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Thank God for the wisdom of a godly wife and every kind word that she speaks; “She buildeth up her husband as a wall that needeth repair at times.”  Thank God.

• She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
• Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
• Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
• Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

As I said “I am thankful that I have a beautiful, thoughtful, virtuous woman to share my life with.”  She is a gift from my loving Heavenly Father, a gift I didn’t earn, deserve, or find.  She is knowledgeable, temperate, patient, godly, kind, and loving.  I couldn’t want, don’t want anything, anyone besides.  I have a gift whose price is far above rubies.

Ladies don’t stop with virtue…

• And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
• And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
• And to godliness, brotherly (and sisterly) kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
• For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(2 Peter 1:5-8)

For if these things be in you, and abound
He will increase and you will decrease.

"He must increase, WE must decrease!"

If this post has blessed you in any way will you consider sharing it?  Be a blessing today.

He Must Have Preeminence

There was a man by the name of Diotrephes whose name meant ‘nourished by Zeus’ or foster-child of Zeus.  He professed to be a believer but he also loved the praise of men.  The Apostle John said “I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.” (3 John 1:9)

What was Diotrephes reason for not receiving the Apostle and those with him?  John through the Spirit said that he “loveth to have the preeminence.” It was not that John was guilty of some offense, some sin against the Body. 

No doubt if it were John would repent and gladly go before the church and admit his fault.  It wasn’t because of some misunderstanding surrounding John’s actions.  No doubt if it were John would stand before the church and explain the reasoning behind such actions.  

It wasn't any of these things though,

John had a message for the church.

A word of exhortation and comfort.

But the Apostle was not permitted to have a voice in the church. 

Why? 

It was simply that Diotrephes loved to have the preeminence. 

Even if John had made some mistake in the process of parting company he, in the interest of parting amicably, would have gone back to make things right. 

We all have to be careful in our zeal that we

do not take a stance like Diotrephes. 

Notice too that John wrote unto the church.  He wrote, and then they delivered the mail, but the pony express was sent packing.  He said, “Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.”

The word for preeminence that John used here is not actually just 'preeminence', it encompasses the phrase 'loves to have preeminence', it is  philoprōteuōn (φιλοπρωτεύων), and it is a combining of two Greek words ‘philo - to love’ and ‘protos – first or chief’. The word preeminence as used in John’s text means fond of being first, and striving after first place.  The tendency of Diotrephes to strive after first place was the only reason John gave for their poor reception.

In the King James Bible the word preeminence has two other uses, one in the Old Testament in Ecclesiastes where God says that man and beast are both subject to the curse of death brought on because of sin.  Regarding the death of man and beast He says “that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.”

The other use of the word is in Colossians and its Greek meaning is similar to that of the word used in 3^rd John but it’s not the same use of the word. 

Paul in writing to the church there said by the Spirit that he wanted them filled with the knowledge of God’s will in wisdom and all spiritual understanding. (Col. 1:9)  Sometimes others actions and even the things the Lord asks of us do not make much sense without this “knowledge of God’s will in wisdom and all spiritual understanding.”

Then Paul by the Spirit gives them a list. 

I love these lists.

He says I want you…

1)        walking worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.

2)    being fruitful in every good work.

3)    increasing in the knowledge of God.

4)    Being strengthened with all might.

Not strengthened to strive mind you but “unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; according to His glorious power, in the power of the Spirit.

Then he adds one more thing to the list…

5)    Giving thanks unto the Father.

Paul immediately starts another list explaining the why of the what. Because…

v  God hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.

v  And God hath delivered us from the power of darkness,

v  And translated [us] into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:

His dear Son is, that is to say that Jesus is…

1)    the image of the invisible God.

2)    And the ‘firstborn' of every creature.

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:”

3)    He is before all things.

4)    and by Him all things consist.

5)    He is the head of the body, the church.

6)    He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.

And here Paul brings us to that word again. Preeminence. 

A word that I said was not exactly the same as John’s word but close. 

John used a word that describes striving for or desiring preeminence, loving preeminence. 

The word used here in Colossians is simply

‘protos – first or chief’

without the prefixed ‘philo – to love’. 

What it says is that Jesus Christ alone is First, He holds first place.  

Consider this too: The object of God’s love is us, not His preeminence, not the fact that He is First or Preeminent.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Brethren, listen to me.  Jesus Christ has to be Preeminent in our lives, in our minds, our thought lives, and in our churches.  Don’t allow anyone or anything else to rent space in your head that is for God and God alone.  Diotrephes was trespassing in a place that belonged to God alone.

“that in all [things] he might have the preeminence.” He Must have the Preeminence.  If we do not love God fully and obey Him completely we cannot be Spirit filled and we cannot please God.

“So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” (Romans 8:8)

If we are careful to let Him have His rightful place in our thought life,

if we are mindful to love God

and obey Him being Spirit filled.

He will increase and we will decrease.

“He must increase, WE must decrease!”

Closer to Jesus

So you want to be closer to Jesus?  That’s wonderful because He wants that too.  But we human beings can never be closer to Jesus than our own human ability will allow us, if we are trusting in ourselves alone.  Consider that. It’s very important.                  

God says through His Apostle Paul that “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”  (Romans 5:6) Notice two things here in this verse.  First he says we were without strength.  That is to say our own righteousness our own good deeds were not, are not, strong enough to bring us to God, to cause us to have merit with Him.  You say why? Why will not God accept my goodness, my good deeds?  The second thing I want you to notice answers that question.  Paul said by the Spirit that “Christ died for the ungodly.”  The ungodly.  We all, apart from Gods goodness being born within us, are ungodly. If you believe Jesus died for you too you must surely know this to be true.  Let me explain.

The Bible says by the Spirit through King David that God looks down from heaven to see some things regarding mankind. It says “The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” (Psalm 14:2)

Then He says, “They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” (Psalm 14:3)  This is exactly what Paul tried to explain by the Spirit to the Romans.  He said “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” (Romans 3:10) that is to say that there is no one that is perfect and without sin.  No one.  Then he says, “There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.” (Rom. 3:11)  You may say “but I am seeking God.” “I seek God.”  That may be true now but there was a time when you did not.  Understand this, the only reason you are seeking Him now is because He first reached out to you through one of His children.  Surely you must know also that this is true.

Paul goes on to write “They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.”  What Paul is saying here is that our trusting in our own goodness, our own ‘good deeds’ is not good.  Why?  Because we are trying to merit acceptance with God by our own works apart from the work that He did to provide us His full, and complete, and unmerited acceptance.  It is a ‘slap-in-the-face’ to God Almighty to try to get around the provision that He gave for our forgiveness by suggesting that our ‘works’ will have to be good enough.  God’s salvation is a free gift, a gift of grace, and not from following good deeds or of keeping God’s laws. Paul said in another place “I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” (Galatians 2:21) Again, It is a ‘slap-in-the-face’ to God Almighty to try to get around the provision that He gave through the death of His precious, holy, perfect, Only Begotten Son Who was so undeserving of the punishment that belonged to us.  So what is all this talk of Law, and grace, and forgiveness of sin? What is sin?

The Apostle John said by the Spirit that “sin is defined as the transgression of the law.”  God’s Law.  And Paul in Galatians says that “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."  By grace alone; through faith alone.  So what are these Laws that mankind is guilty of violating?

The Law is the 10 Commandments given to Moses by God and it is recorded in Exodus 20 in the Bible.  In the Law God spells out how He expects us to be toward Him and toward Man; toward others.  When we do not keep this LAW it is called SIN.  They are listed below.  If you don't want to read the whole text just read the bolded words, you'll get the idea.

1. Thou shalt have NO other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)
2. Thou shalt NOT make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (verses 4-6)
3. Thou shalt NOT take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. (verse 7)
4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [is] the sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates: For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. (verses 8-11)
5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. (verse 12)
6. Thou shalt not kill.
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8. Thou shalt not steal. (#6-8 are in Exodus 20:13-15)
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. (NO ‘pass the buck’)

And Finally…

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's.

You are going to have to bear with me for a little bit.  It is very important that you understand the Law.  The word Gospel means ‘glad tidings’ or ‘good news’ and while there is good news in this story, the good news is not going to make any sense to you unless you understand the situation those who break God’s Laws are in.  Please be patient.


Now to elaborate a little bit about the Law Jesus said; …. remember Him? He's the One you said you wanted to be closer to. Jesus said if you 'hate' it's the same as if you had killed.  To Him it's the same.  (Read Matt. 5:21-22 if you need to see it.)

Have you ever hated someone?

Be honest with God,

He already knows the answer.

Think of it, If you say, "I hate you! I hope I never see you again!"  There is only one place that will ever, ever happen.  For those who go to hell, they will never be seen from or heard of again. Ever! So when you say "I hope I never see them again!" you might as well say, "Go to Hell!"  That is how Jesus takes it when you hate.

He also said if you lust then you have already committed adultery in your heart.  He said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.”  He said if you look with lust you’ve done it already?

Have you ever looked with lust?  Again be honest with God; Be honest in yourself.

    Now if you follow God’s reasoning out.  If you have hated it is the same as having killed.  If you have lusted it is the same as having committed sexual sin.  If you follow that principle; then to covet, which is one of the 10, is the same as stealing.  Have you ever wanted something that belonged to someone else enough that you would take it if you could?  Most of us don’t need a nudge on this one because who hasn’t, if only as a child, stolen something in their lifetime?  Have you ever taken something that belonged to someone else?

Now listen to this.  If you have broken any of six through ten then you have also broken five.  Because when we do these things we dishonor our parents.

One and Two are out for most too because we have idols of the mind and we worship ourselves.  Who or What is more important to you than Jesus is? Those things are false gods and our false views of God are ‘graven images’, they are gods we have fabricated in our minds.  Not the true and living God.  We say things like, “I don’t think god would create a place called hell.” That’s a false god, because God did create a place called hell. (Go read "WHO IN HELL CARES" If you want more on that subject.)

“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”  Hell was not created for humans it was created for the rebel angels.  But humans who refuse God cannot be allowed into Heaven.  God only made two eternal homes.

Now if you have stayed with me this far you're doing pretty good, that is to say you must be really serious about wanting to be closer to Jesus.  By now you should be feeling pretty crumby.  That’s what is meant by “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”  If you are not feeling the weight of your sin right this very second then stop here, go try to live out the whole ten commandments for a few hours and come back and finish reading.  I’m not kidding.  If you still think your own goodness is good enough to merit forgiveness then give it some time.  Go out to where there are a lot of other people, 'rub shoulders' with them, go drive in your car in a busy part of town.  If you go somewhere quiet and alone you might 'deceive' yourself into thinking you are a 'pretty good' person, so go where the potential for conflict or temptation exists.  Go. God has begun a work in your heart.  He will not let you rest. See you soon.

Oh yeah.  While you're out there try not to use Jesus name in any other way besides praise, prayer, or telling others about Him.  That is called taking His name in vain.  This is one of the 10 also. 

See you soon.  You say, "What is this?" "Why is it so important that I stop here?"  Well it's just this.  The Bible says that "he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder  to them that diligently seek Him."

There is no greater way, besides the witness of creation that you see with your own two eyes, there is no greater way to know that "God is" then when after hearing, or in this case after reading the Word of God, after hearing or reading that when the Spirit of God opens to your heart and to your mind the truth of what you just read.

Remember I said that God says through His Apostle Paul that “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”  (Rom 5:6) When you come back I want to talk to you about Christ's death on a crude Roman cross,  where He died in the place of a criminal between two thieves.  That criminal He died for was not only Barabbas, that criminal was me, that criminal was you.  We all have broken the Law, our Creator's Laws.  Think about how small our home, our planet, really is and think about how our awesome Creator, the Creator or galaxies, loves you so intensely that He would die for you as a man. When you come back you don't have to read this whole thing all over again, just scroll down to this point.

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You must be familiar with the song Amazing Grace. It goes "Amazing grace! How sweet the sound - That saved a wretch like me! ~~ I once was lost but now am found, Was blind but now I see."  Do you sense or see the lost state we all are in or 'were in' in the case of the believer in Jesus, do you see the lost state we, or more personally now, that you are in?  I hope that you do.  And I hope that you are more than just a little afraid for the health of your soul.

The second stanza in the song goes, "’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, And grace my fears relieved;” Fear is a wonderful thing.  That is to say Fear of God is.  Fear of man is a snare.  The Bible says “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.”  So you are taking your first steps on a path that leads to eternal life and abundant life.  This is the beginning.

Now let's look at that verse “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.”  (Rom 5:6) Let's look at it in it's context and see if it makes more sense to you.  Okay?

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly."

•      For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. [Pause to think about each verse as you read ~ reread it if it helps]
•      But God commendeth (demonstrated) his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. [Pause~think ~ reread ~ think]
•     Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. [Pause ~ think]
•      For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.”

     (This is Romans 5 verses 6 through 10)

    [take your time ~ trust me God is not going anywhere] ~ Notice the words 'enemies' and 'wrath' and 'reconciled', It is most important.

     I have on the inside cover of my Bible a safety sticker that reads, "THINK ~ Carelessness Is Dangerous"  In this situation it is very important that you think and listen to your conscience... that is your 'ear' to God's voice.

     We are talking about God's goodness being born within us, we are talking about a phenomenon called being 'born-again', it can't be rushed.  It takes 9 months normally for a newborn child to develop in the womb of its mother.  Sometimes the delivery process takes hours upon hours. (I'm so sorry about that ladies.) You can't rush this process.  God never does.  Take your time.

Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”  Jesus coined the phrase ‘born again’, it was His idea, not mans.  Now let’s read through those verses in Romans five without my interruptions.  Pay attention to the words.  Take your time and think it through.  Remember the word ‘commendeth’ means ‘demonstrated’

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.

So God demonstrated His love for us; for me and for you.  Not only did He die for your sins He also has prayed for you and is praying for you this very moment before the Father’s throne.  After His ressurection, and after spending time with the men He would send forth to preach, He ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, being there to make intercession for us; for you.

He Loves You. He said “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

So here is the Question: Do you believe Jesus loves you, and that He died for your sins?

He prayed for you. “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come;…    glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

I have manifested thy name unto these men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

So here is the Question again: Do you believe Jesus loves you, and that He died for your sins? Do you believe that He is alive now from the grave to receive you if you should call out to Him? I hope you do because its true...

Will you receive and accept all that I said about your sinful state, the penalty of that sin which is death and hell, the fact that Jesus paid your sin debt on the cross so that you wouldn't have to pay for your sin debt in hell, will you tell Him you believe, thank Him for loving you and dying for you? Here is John 3:16 again...

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Now: Talk to Him, Don't turn Him away like so many have and still do, Tell Him where you're at and ask Him for more understanding if you still do not understand.


And then: Be sure to reciprocate
His love by loving others.