Eternity is a Long Time

  I know that some people make a big deal about Jesus never saying something to the effect of "I am God" and, therefore, try to argue that Jesus was just some guy who said interesting stuff. There are many examples in the Gospels of Jesus claiming to be God and acting like God when one has even the smallest amount of understanding of the Old Testament and Jewish culture. However, I came across a passage I haven't seen in a long time which show's the divinity of Jesus. In John 12:32, Jesus says: "And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself." The being lifted up is when Jesus is crucified, that part is straightforward. It's the second phrase where you have to think - but just for a little bit. If you or I were to declare that something we would do would draw all people to us - how would that come across today? We'd be considered a kook unless we were trying for hyperbole. Even so, the very idea that we would try to do someth

  I just “happened” to come across a couple of very enlightening passages in the Book of Job yesterday during my quiet time a while ago. The first is Job bemoaning his situation before a just God: Job 9:29-35 New King James Version (NKJV) 29 If I am condemned, Why then do I labor in vain? 30 If I wash myself with snow water, And cleanse my hands with soap, 31 Yet You will plunge me into the pit, And my own clothes will abhor me. 32 “For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together. 33 Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both. 34 Let Him take His rod away from me, And do not let dread of Him terrify me. 35 Then I would speak and not fear Him, But it is not so with me. He speaks for every single person (except Jesus, of course) who has or ever will live. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)! But even in this book of the Old Testament, th

  One of the guys I'm mentoring who is in jail, wrote to tell me he is having some interesting issues regarding reading the Bible. First, he's being led to read the Book of Revelations which is a great book but not the easiest to deal with, especially for a fairly new believer like Clyde. What he says is interesting: "I've been in revelations for a week now I don't know what I'm getting out of it but I've went to other stuff like job and paul and James but something keeps telling me to get back to revelations.... sometimes I feel like I know what it means and sometimes I feel like I'm not getting anything at all ....I'm not going to lie I feel like I'll never learn anything from it" In the next email I received from him he said this: "hey dale sorry to bombard u with all of this but I find myself in the book of Matthew chapter 7 I think that I've been judging god on how I see things and not trusting gods judgment..... I don't k

  People who live at the end of an airfield or next to a railroad track soon get very used to the noise and, eventually, don't even hear it. So too with sin for so many. These people - even professed Christians - allow themselves to get so used to their sin that the voice of the Holy Spirit becomes less and less audible until, unfortunately, it fades into oblivion. The awareness of the silenced sin can be awakened for most if there is some crisis or significant event, but not for all. There's a reason why it says not to grieve the Holy Spirit for you never know if you've gone too far. The key to the Prodigal Son is the son not only awakened to his sin but DID the right thing regarding it which was to humble himself and seek forgiveness. Sadly, too many people do not do the right thing regarding their sins even when they become aware of them. I speak from experience. Twice after I was saved, was I transformed by the hand of God out of specific sins - one that was ruining my