Tag: Salvation

Fear

A recent study finds that 52 percent of Americans feel that they are in danger every day, including within their home. And the younger the survey group got, the more fearful they became with 75 percent of those between 25 and 34 living in fear.

As you read through the story, many of us might find ourselves agreeing on one point or another. After all, look around us. Can anyone deny that our nation and our world are becoming more violent, more reckless, and frankly more evil each and every day?

And with the rising fear, how far behind lies hopelessness? As the nations rage, seeing hatred and inequality in every crack and crevice of society, they lash out in anger, fear, and hopelessness though I am certain that most would not want to admit that. They look beneath their feet and believe that the foundations upon which they stand and upon which generations have stood are frail and faulty and they cannot hold up much longer. Their misplaced faith is faltering and the world they know is faltering with it. So “tear it down” is becoming the new silent mantra sweeping across the world. It must be torn down and rebuilt properly, which means in a manner that fits the best with the new, emerging society.

Fearfulness is rampant, and will only get worse, along with nearly everything else in this world. The Bible aptly describes what these last days will look like and believe me, we are in the last throngs of the last days. Hopelessness and fearfulness are right there, driving the world off the cliff. This is a world searching for answers, for stability, fairness, for everything in the bucket list leading to peace and happiness, at least as they see and understand it.

It is a dangerous and terrible ride on which the world is residing. Having largely rejected God and His son, Jesus Christ, they long for someone to come along behind whom they can assemble and follow as this person leads them into a new world. They cry out for someone to restore their hope in this world, erase the fears that they face daily, and usher in stability, peace, and happiness upon which they can finally live their dreams.

And one day, the man of their dreams is going to show up.

Former Belgian Prime Minister and president of the first United Nations General Assembly, Paul-Henri Spaak had this to say on the matter:

We do not want another committee, we have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all the people and to lift us up out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man, and whether he be God or devil, we will receive him.

Paul-Henri Spaak

While the issues driving today’s society on their madcap adventure are more than money and the economy, it is certain that the general consensus would be in agreement with Spaak. “Send us such a person,” is the sentiment, “someone who can right the ship and take my fears away.”

Send us anyone…God or devil…we will vote for him, we will follow him, we will receive him.

When Jesus walked this earth he said that his own people rejected him. He went on to say that there will be another who comes, and him, the people will receive. And that person is out there, peaking over the horizon of our future, getting ready to step out and be received.

But don’t be fooled…

The Lord Jesus Christ said to come unto him, all of you that labor and carry heavy burdens, and he will give you rest. Jesus is the true prince of peace, unlike this dark prince which is about to take center stage. Living in fear is because of misplaced faith. Do not place it in the likes of people, for they can and will disappoint and fail you.

Place your faith in Jesus Christ today. He will never leave you or forsake you. And when you do, he will give you everlasting life. Trust Him today, and let Him take the fear from your lives.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31

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The Great Day of the Lord is Nearly Upon the World

The coming of the tribulation…

Long prophesied…

Yet to be fulfilled…

Coming quickly…

There are few in this world who stand upon the wall, watching as the cloud of judgment draws near. They know the truth of it. They know that the believers in Jesus Christ will be delivered from it in the rapture. They share the truth of faith alone in Christ alone, largely ignored.

The rest of the world continues pretty much as it always has, battered in defeats, reveling in victories, saturated in the offerings of pleasure whenever possible. As economies real under the weight of COVID and inflation, politicians take the stage and plan their recovery. As armies march and cities fall, the world watches and condemns, demanding that more is done as they largely ignore that carnage as they go about in pursuit of their dreams.

Marches fill our streets, outrage, and demands made known as signs and placards wave brazenly in the air. The angry demands of people are everywhere. As crime surges and police are vilified, the political madness continues to flutter through the airwaves. Near to the core of all that is wrong is a struggle with identity, as the world is turned on its head. Through it all, people look for hope and change, the mantra of our former president. They look for an answer, any answer, but always in the wrong place.

So as the world struggles to right itself without any moral compass or standard of righteousness, they push on as best as they can, ignoring the cries coming from the wall, ignoring the calls to repentance, gnashing with their teeth at the very idea of their sinfulness before a Holy and Righteous God.

God has been patient and gracious, giving more time and opportunity for people to turn to Him. But things are about to change, and they will do so in a most dramatic way. But it is not too late for you. It is not necessary for you to face the coming tribulation. You need not endure and suffer during those seven years of wrath and judgment. All you must do is believe.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31

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This is My Story, This is My Song…

Blessed Assurance by Southern Raised

I wonder how many times this timeless classic has been plunked out on an old piano, voices harmonizing as people come together, gathered unto Christ in simple but reverent worship. How many times have congregations cried out, “This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior, all the day long.”

I can never hear the song enough…

I can never sing the song enough…

But perhaps you have never heard the song. Perhaps you have never had the opportunity sing along with others.

Perhaps the words have no meaning for you.

If that is the case, then I ask that you pull up a chair and sit a spell, and perhaps, God willing, as the Holy Spirit works in your life, you too can sing a new song.

Like most stories I suppose, this one, the story of your life and mine, often begins in joy and happiness, that little bundle of a newborn capturing the attention of all those who stand near. The photographs are already in production, and by the time you have grown and started a family of your own, the photo albums are filled with snapshots of your life, your history, and your unfolding story.

But rarely do these pictures reflect the full nature and reality of your life. Because quite frankly, no one wants to open the album and be reminded of all the difficult times, all the failure, all the regret, all the anger, and bitterness.

No life, no matter how perfect it may appear, can escape the reality of who and what we are from the moment we are born. While we are being held, cooed, squeezed, and smelled in our baby pudginess, the truth is that our lives are born into a fallen world, and we too are fallen. Born physically alive unto our mothers and fathers and all of the rest of the family and friends, ‘the cutest thing ever,’ we are born separated from the God who created us. For the nature with which we have been born, passed down through our fathers from the time of the garden and the days of Adam and Eve, is who you are. It is what you are.

You can’t escape your nature…

You can’t escape from yourself…

You can’t hide who you are…

This might take some of you back, wondering what is this guy talking about? For you think you know who you are, and while there may have been a few bumps along the way, life is shaping up rather well. You might be in a new relationship, and your emotions are bubbling over. You might have a new job that is guaranteed to launch your career. Whatever the case and whatever your circumstances, you are just fine, “thank you.”

But what you describe as bumps along the way are often more than that. And those points in your life that are lifting you up and putting a smile on your face are often followed by falls, joys followed by heartache, and happiness with regret.

For this is a fallen world and you are fallen. That is what I meant earlier when I said that you were born separated from God. And friend, as much as this might pain you to hear, you are not perfect, at least not by God’s standards. No one is, and no one can be, not left to our own efforts.

And you are not perfect because you are a sinner.

All of us are sinners because we sin. We sin against a holy and righteous God. We miss the mark of God’s standard. And no amount of practice will ever make us perfect marksmen. Besides, there is that trail of sin behind you. What about those?

Yes, you are a sinner, and I am a sinner, and in fact, everyone who has ever lived is a sinner.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

And because of our sin, none of us are righteous, at least not righteous in light of God, who is perfectly righteous, and His standard.

There is none righteous, no, not one. Romans 3:10

You, on your own, are in trouble with God. Despite any effort to clean up your act, to be a better person, you cannot erase the sins in your life. It is your permanent record. And God says that there is a penalty for your sins, a severe penalty. Death with no eternal hope.

For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23a

The wages of sin—a wage being that which you have earned—is death.

But, what if God came to you and said there is another way? What if God told you there is still hope? And what if God offered it to you freely? And what if I told you that the result changes radically from eternal death to eternal life?

That’s a great deal!

But, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23b

Now we see the contrast in the Bible between wages and gifts. Wages are that which we do, we perform, and in return for our actions, we receive payment. In the matter of sinful actions, we receive the payment of death. In other words, WE EARN death by our sins against a holy and righteous God. A gift on the other hand is not earned by any means. A gift is given freely by the giver and received freely by the recipient. The Gift of God is eternal life (quite a remarkable gift)—freely offered to anyone and everyone.

God offers this gift freely to you as well.

You can receive it…

Freely…

If you want it…

You can receive it by faith—your faith—trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to save you.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31

Should you choose to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will have eternal life in Christ. And you can have the assurance, that Blessed Assurance, that Jesus is yours. This will become your story as it has for millions of people over the years. It will become your song. For the Word of God bears witnesses that this assurance you will soon possess is based on the surety of God’s Word.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13

Praise God!

I hope that you choose eternal life in Christ today.

If you do, scroll back up to the top of this post and start learning that new old song for your life in Christ.

Rollin Miller

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