Eternity is a Long Time

  During the Christmas season we often have to remember what the real reason for the season is. That is good and as it should be. However, as we do this, we often just stop with the miracle of Jesus being born in the manger. It’s difficult for our mortal brains to come to grips with the tremendous and total impact of Jesus’s role in God’s Plan of Salvation. All of it had to happen in order for the plan to work. Without it, we would have no hope and would rely on ourselves to save us from this fallen world – which, of course, would fail every time. The plan was for Jesus to have a lowly birth. Then He had a sacrificial death on the cross where He died for all the sins of mankind. Without this sacrifice, we could never truly follow Him. Jesus is our bridge to eternity in Heaven. A fter the cross, there had to be the Resurrection or else our faith is in vain. There are only a few Christmas songs/carols which begin touch on the totality of this plan. The one that I love is “W...

  Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) I was going to name this article “Requirements of being a Christian” when I realized there are so many examples of people prior to the incarnation of Jesus who show the faith of true believers that I would be doing them, and God, a great disservice. Plus, there are all those people who have lived and never heard of Jesus. Before we begin to explore this topic, it is important to point out that Jesus is the ultimate judge of whether someone is born again. As He says – John 10:14-16 14  I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,   15  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.   16  And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd...

Every year on July 4, America celebrates its Independence Day. It was on this day the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776, and the United States was born.   The basic premise of the Declaration was that King George III of England had shown himself unfaithful to his subjects. The Declaration goes on to list 27 grievances or accusations against the King stating these are the reasons for separation from England.   But it was more than that. In the beginning of the document, it states:   We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed   The idea is all rights come from God. Governments are only there to ensure the rights given to the people from God are prote...