“No Shame in the Truth”

Scripture:   Romans 1:14-32

Today we begin a new series – one that is focused on the Book of Romans.  Paul had written this letter to the Christian church in Rome, to let them know that he was planning to visit them to bring some encouragement and strength to these Jewish and Gentile believers.  The book itself has always been recognized as one that takes a powerful stand against the corruption that works its way into faith by worldly means, and makes a faith-filled case for following the way of God that  comes to us  through Christ.

 This series may, or may not, include the entirety of scripture found in this book, but it will be including every great lesson that our lives need to consider in this time of conflict and extremism that is plaguing the Church today.  While we will be focusing on specific lessons each week, it should, by no means, be taken as being a prioritized listing of which issues are more important than any other.  Any deviation from the word of God is a sin, and as sin goes, any single sin is as destructive to our soul as the committing of every single one of them.

 For me, Paul’s overriding theme for this letter is simply this – that the good news of Jesus Christ was never intended to be a burden for us, but rather it should be seen as a gift of hope and glory that comes directly from our one and true God Himself.  Following the Lord’s commands may not be as universally accepted as it should be, and many times, it is seen by our friends as a way that is either silly or downright stupid!  But as we will see, Paul considers the way of God as a hope that he never knew in his entire life of following the strict law of the Pharisees.

 We need to remember that Saul had been a chief persecutor of believers before he met the Risen Christ while traveling the road to Damascus.  It was there that he planned to arrest and destroy anyone who professed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, (Acts 9:1-19), and yet, God had better plans for the man, and in meeting Jesus that day, his entire life was changed to one that no longer hated the word of God, but one who began preaching the truth of God that is found only through faith in the one and true Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

 So let’s begin by opening Paul’s letter at the beginning.

 Read Romans 1:14-17

 He begins this epistle with the thought that he makes no distinction between Jews or gentiles, which was about as unorthodox as he could possible be.  Remember that he was a Pharisee who took his position in Judaism very seriously – that if you didn’t make every attempt to strictly follow the law and all subsequent interpretations and teachings, those laws that they had proclaimed for years, you were in trouble, and if you weren’t a complete Jew, you were already irrevocably condemned.

 Paul had come to see his first obligation as one that brought glory to his Eternal and Almighty God, and the continuation of that obligation was to share the word of God in Jesus with as many people as he possibly could – with no exceptions whatsoever!  In this, he had taken a stand against the policy that the Jerusalem Council had set in place, that the only ones who deserved to come to Jesus were the Jews! 

 And now, Paul was on his way to the center of pagan worship, the center of power and brutality, the center of military might and oppression, the center of governance and religion for the entire empire, to bring encouragement to the church that already existed in the empire’s capital, Rome.  Was he afraid of what might come against him while there?  There’s no indication that he was – rather it appears that he was eager to take that step into the proverbial “lion’s den”.  There was no shame or reluctance in his faith, and he wanted others to be that confident and secure in their conviction that Jesus was the true and only son of God, and that His word could be trusted.

 “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)  Are we that committed to our faith in Jesus?  In Paul’s 2^nd letter to the Corinthians, he makes it very clear that faith in Jesus will never keep us from ever experiencing persecution and oppression – rather that it will almost be a certainty that the most extreme forms of opposition will be forced upon our lives. (2 Corinthians 11:22-29)  He never shied away from any hostility or conflict.  He saw it all as an opportunity to not only share Jesus with others, but to be an example of the grace-filled and righteous life that faith in Jesus would bring.

 Read Romans 1:18-23

 And he wastes no more time, or paper or ink on the generalities of faith, but goes right to the crux of the matter – sinful hearts.  And what is the first issue that he addresses?  Suppression of the truth about Jesus!  He allows no one to have any excuse for their failure to follow the Lord – he says that the qualities and ways of God should be obvious to everyone, even if they have never known the Son of God.  The proof is all around us, and we have far more evidence of God’s work and word than they did.  We have scripture, we have centuries of faithful living and just as many years of failed faith behind us.  And the Church of today is struggling because of this very problem.  There are an unbelievable number of people, both within and outside of the Church, who refuse the full and precious truth of who Jesus is and all that He has done for our salvation.

 The Bible is available to nearly everyone throughout the world, and the number of those don’t have a copy is falling each and every day.  And quite honestly, those who are in the Church have no excuse whatsoever for not knowing what the word of God asks of us.  In verse 21 that we just read, Paul is very blunt when he writes ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Futile and foolish – he might just as well have said their understanding was meaningless and worthless!  Denying God, when you have his truth right at hand, and worshiping the ways of earth instead of the way of God, is about as worthless as this life will ever get!

 Read Romans 1:24-32

 I threw all of this together because these are all examples of a failed existence – that Paul’s condemnation of all of these practices fits into the same few words – “²⁵ They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.”  And because people have chosen to live in a sinful existence, God has given them over to a “depraved mind”.  This doesn’t mean that the Lord put an evil mind into their being – it means that He withdrew his own grace and mercy and truth and authority from their lives, and allows them to make their own way in this world, for whatever worth they can find within it.

 And what are some of the lifestyles that he includes?  He starts with sexual immorality and shameful lusts, and then proceeds on to list “every kind of wickedness, evil, greed … depravity … envy, murder, strife, deceit  …  malice … gossips,  They are ³⁰ slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; ³¹ they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. ³² Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. 

 Think about this list for a moment!  Can you name a single sinful area of our lives that the apostle has overlooked?  I think he ran down through the entire 10 Commandments and has shown us what the people of this world have substituted for each of the 10! (Exodus 20:1-17)  This is what happens when we take the notion that we know far better than God does! 

 Those who have fallen into these sinful ways need to fall on their knees and BEG the Lord for His forgiveness and healing because of all of the evil that they have done against Him and against the deceived people of this world.  And quite honestly, this includes every single one of us, for we all have ventured outside of the word and way of the Lord – not once, not twice, but over and over again.

 When God “gives us over” to our mind and way, that will never be a good thing.  It means that we will lose the only spiritual reference and foundation that we will ever have.  Without a Godly foundation, there will be no limit to the “depravity” that our lives will turn to.  And the Judgment will bring to light all that we have done, and what brought about that break from the divine truth of God.  In Galatians 6:7-8, we read “ ⁸ Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” 

 Its our choice!  Its our heart that decides whether we deny God and Godly truths, or claim them and rejoice in them!  And when we choose the way of this deranged and perverted world and begin living the lies that they readily spread regarding the perfect and glorious ways of the Lord, we are also choosing to be less of a person than God has created us to be.  And unrepentant sin has a way of spilling out of our own lives, and contaminating those who are closest to us, which demeans and degrades us even further.

 If any of us is “ashamed of the gospel”, we are also rejecting the power and salvation that living in the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring to our lives.  And that will be the greatest shame of all.

 Claim Jesus today, and begin living the gospel that He brought into this world.  Exchange the sentence of death that we so deserve, for the promise of eternal life that is offered to all who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior in the fullest way possible.  (Matthew 28:18-20)

 May it be so today!

“The Power of Prayer”

 Scripture:   James 5:13-20

Today is our 10^th lesson from the book of James, which, in a sense, summarizes the previous 9 lessons that we have learned from the apostle.  Each one has presented us with a truth of God, as well as a lie that the world forces upon us.  They have all served to reenforce the hope and power that will come to our lives through the relationship that we develop with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 In chapter 1 we learned that temptation is never a Godly test of our faith – that temptation is an evil that the Devil creates in concert with our own human and worldly desires, in the hope that it will lead us away from our Father God.  (James 1:13-15)  Of course, there is also that sage advice later in that chapter that calls us to faithful living - “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22)

 In chapter 2, we receive the word to reject those discriminatory ways that serve no Godly purpose whatsoever!  James uses the example of showing honor to a wealthy person, while showing contempt to the poor.  He says that this is judgmental and evil; that this is a failure to “Love your neighbor as yourself”; that instead, we should be following the teachings that Jesus Himself brought, not those conjured up by the world! (James 2:8-11)  Faith requires that we live what we know to be true, and to match our works with all that we believe.  Our outward expressions in this life are a perfect reflection of what we truly believe – whether righteous or sinful! (James 2:20-24)

 Chapter 3 gave us pause to reflect on those things that we say – James points out the issues that come from an unbridled tongue.  In James 3:9-10 he writes “⁹ With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.  ¹⁰ Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.”  Reflect on those words – do they have any relationship to your life?

 In chapter 4, James calls us to consider the difference between true Godly wisdom versus worldly ambition.  The Lord’s wisdom leads us in true and faithful ways to honor and follow the word of God that came to us through the life and ministry of Jesus.  On the other hand, ambition only gives us covetousness, quarreling, anger, denial, adultery, arrogance, boasting, and personal pride.  Bishop Will Willamon, in his book “Sinning Like a Christian”, writes that pride may be the greatest sin of all, because it leads to so many of the other sins that we lose track of what God’s true will for our lives is all about!

 In the first part of James chapter5, which we addressed last week, we are reminded of  the passage from 1 Timothy 6:10, in which we read that well remembered passage “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”  James wants us to realize that true wealth doesn’t rest in worldly gifts and resources, but in the blessings that come from God.

 Each of these lessons teach us that staying close to the way and word of our Almighty Savior is the only eternal hope that we will ever have.  And how do we stay that close, how do we stay completely in touch with His will for our lives?  Only through prayer!

 Read James 5:13-16

 Notice that James gives us a good overview of what prayer can be in our lives, and probably more than we would routinely think about!  He tells us that it is for praise, rejoicing, freedom, relief, salvation, healing, safety, forgiveness, and much more! 

 In general, prayer receives its basis, its source and its power from the relationship that we have with our Lord Jesus Christ.  Without a connection through faith in Jesus, how could the Father ever hear our call?  We need to remember that during Jesus’ time of ministry in His hometown of Nazareth, he was not only rejected by the people (Luke 4:14-30), but his ability to accomplish any miracles was severely limited, for the sole reason that the people didn’t believe in Him (Matthew 13:53-58).

 Prayer and faith are inseparable!  Without prayer, the relationship that we may desire with God will be hollow at best, for conversation strengthens the bond between us.  And without faith, prayer has no meaning – after all, if we don’t believe in God, why should we ever expect that He will respond to our needs?

 And subtly, James makes the point that faith in Jesus Christ establishes a relationship with other Christians, who will pray for us, support us, encourage us, grant us accountability and example for what faith can do in our lives.  Later today, during our service of baptism for 7 of our brothers and sisters, each of us will be committing to that kind of relationship with them, as well as with each other.

 In Matthew 7:7-8, Jesus tells us that “⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”  And in Mark 11:23-25, we read “²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” 

 By Jesus’ own words, He has promised that prayer through faith has a power unlike anything else we will ever know during this lifetime. 

 Read James 5:17-20

 For Israel, Elijah was the ultimate prophet (2 Kings 2:1-11), believing that he will be returning to earth in human form during the Tribulation to proclaim the coming of the Risen Christ. (Malachi 4:1-6)  And James is telling us that we, too, can be the kind of person that Elijah was!  Elijah had a relationship with his great Jehovah God that brought power and presence to the ministry he lived until the day he was taken up to heaven in that chariot of fire. 

 And while we may not receive the same gifts that this man of God received, by faith we can receive our own needs of power, strength and purpose in proportion to the faith that we offer back to our Almighty God! 

 And James concludes our passage for today with these words - “Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way  will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.”  Throughout these 10 lessons from James, there have been many warnings and challenges for the Church, many of which we may have had personal experiences in.  But James, who is presumed to be one of Jesus’ brothers, never offers a word of condemnation for a single one – only warnings that the Judgment will be here sooner than anyone expects it to be. 

 But here he gives us a vision of what this life should really be about!  It isn’t that we all should strive for perfection so the Lord will be pleased with us.  It isn’t that we should be on the lookout for Satan and his work of destruction to avoid it so that we will know eternal life.  It isn’t that we must never submit to temptation that comes from the world so that we will receive the blessing of heaven.   The point that James is making throughout this entire book is twofold – that our life’s purpose is, first and foremost, to bring glory to the name and way of our Redeemer and Savior Jesus Christ, and second, that by the life we live and the example that we offer, others will come to the realization that the life they have been living has been taking them away from God’s presence and not toward it.

 And when they make the decision to turn their life around and look to the Lord as their Savior, that will be the topping on the life of righteousness that will then be ours.  Our Christian life is not for our glory, but for God’s and for the blessing that others, who, by our example and by our prayers, will have their eyes and ears and hearts opened to the call of Heaven. 

 May each of us be the kind of servant that God can work through, and the kind of friend that will bring other people into the love and embrace of Jesus Christ.

 Amen!

“Perseverance in the Face of Oppression”

Scripture:   James 5:1-11

As an introduction to today’s 9^th lesson from the writings of James, I would like us to consider the destructive power that resides within 3 related words – 1) envy (the impulsive desire to have something that you don’t have, but which someone else does), 2) arrogance (pride that fills us over all that we have gained), and 3) slander (that which drives us to condemn and hate and harm others who have more than we have).  And these words are all based in one thing – the desire and pride that comes from putting the wealth and glory of earth ahead of all that God is prepared to bring to our lives. 

 

In 1Timothy 6:9-11, we read these words - ⁹ Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. ¹⁰ For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.   ¹¹ But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.  It would seem that the ways of earth stand in direct contradiction to the word of God!

 

As with most of the epistles that we find in the New Testament, these are words meant to encourage and focus anyone, and everyone, who may read them, and to see them not only as words of condemnation and judgment, but as words of blessing.  And as we begin consideration of our lesson from James, it will become even more evident that the temptations that evil brings cascading down upon the people of this world haven’t changed much in the past 2,000 years, and aren’t going to deviate one iota until the glorious Day of our Lord Jesus’ return.

 

Read James 5:1-6

 

James, it seems, isn’t bashful about putting the wealthy of this world on notice, encouraging them to acknowledge their sorrow over the evil ways that they have been living now, and not to wait until it is too late to do anything about them!  The point that he is making is that even when you use your worldly resources for good, it isn’t nearly as important as to how you gained them in the first place!  I’m not suggesting that helping the poor and the disadvantaged isn’t a good thing, but rather that we should evaluate our life’s efforts to see if we caused any individual poverty and needs to begin with!

 

So what is the issue behind all of these problems that James lists?  It’s about a corrupted heart!  It’s about a heart that is focused on the claims and agendas that the world tells us should be our priorities!  It’s about our putting the easy, but evil way, of the devil first in this life, and ignoring all that we have learned from the way of Jesus!  Satan’s desire for our lives is to accept his teaching, that we have not only the authority to “feather our own nest” with whatever means at our disposal, but the responsibility to do it! 

 

And what does the LORD tell us?  In Hosea 10:13, we read “… you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. Because you have depended on your own strength …”  And in 1 Timothy 6:17, we are told “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” 

 

Our  “hope in God” is the only true, eternal, and fulfilling resource that we will ever find.

 

Read James 5:7-9

 

The other issue with the ways of earth is that they have ingrained us with the concept of immediacy and the need for instant gratification!  We see that in news reporting, we see it in “fast food”, we see it in pleasurable relationships, and the old saying “take it slow and easy” has become an anathema to us.  And yet, our God is not a God of quick and thoughtless solutions.  It isn’t that the LORD has to think about what He’s doing – it's just that His plan was established long before the days of creation, and they will never change.  He just wants to give us time to catch up and follow His lead.

 

The reason that we are called to a life in “patience” is so we can think about, and learn about, and grow into God’s grace and mercy!  Godly ways will never be a matter of second nature for any of us – they are something that we have to come to grips with, and strive to appreciate and understand. 

 

Faith in Jesus Christ enables us to gain the power and blessing of the Holy Spirit, who is constantly reminding us of, and nudging us toward, the grace, the glory, the hope of our Almighty God.  And his call to remain patient and firm is meant to be encouragement for those times when the forces of evil pile up and come against all that we know to be true.  And without Godly patience, without a firmness of faith in our hearts, we will, most assuredly, fall to the Tempter’s lies, and that will only lead to a word of Judgment that no one will ever be able to “live” with!

 

Read James 5:10-11

 

Whenever I hear about “patience in the face of suffering”, I’m reminded of the prophet Elijah, who at least in one instance had a bit of up and down trust in God.  Remember the time when he took that stand against the 450 priests of Baal and the 400 priests of Asherah, and proved the power of God over the failure of the false gods?

 

He had seen what his God could, and would, do, but when Queen Jezebel threatened him with death and destruction, he ran away, and tried to hide in a cave on Mount Horeb.  But even there, the LORD came to him - not in mighty ways, but in a gentle whisper.  The prophet once again gained courage and faith to be the man who God had created him to be. (1Kings18:16 - 1Kings 19:18)

 

Even while in the grip of fear and flight, Elijah’s faith allowed him to be led to the mountain where God would reassure and strengthen His prophet for the tasks that still remained ahead of him.

 

James also mentions the trial of Job – a man who was described as “blameless and upright; [who] feared God and shunned evil” (Job1:1)  Even when the flood gates that held evil back from Job were thrown open, there was never a word or thought of distrust within the man.  There would be times when he wondered what had caused him all this grief and pain, but blame would never cross his lips.  And in the last 5 chapters of the book that carries his name, Job would receive his LORD’s blessing and praise for the faithfulness that had sustained him throughout the ordeal.

 

Were both Elijah and Job patient?  Did they wait upon the time of God?  And in their waiting, did faith through all that God had done for them in their lives, sustain them and give them hope for a better day?  Yes, yes, and yes again.  And these same questions will be ours one day.  But the only unknown will be in what the LORD’s answer will be in response to these, our questions of life and faith.  Will it be His great and resounding “Yes”, or will it be far less encouraging for us?

 

Oppression, persecution, suffering, pain and trial are the only certainties that will come our way from the realm of earth.  But all who believe and trust in the hope of Christ will have the strength to endure all that the world can ever throw at us, IF we are patient and perseverant in the glorious promise of God.  The temptations of Satan will always be right around the corner of our days, but so will the word and way of our Almighty God, if we, by faith, stay focused in the One who left His throne in glory to come to this place, to suffer on our behalf and to become our salvation.

 

Trust, Obey, Rejoice in all things, and let Him work to bring about an eternal life of divine glory and presence for each of us, simply because we remained faithful and patient for Him, throughout the rest of our life. 

 

May it be so for us all!

Just Follow and Let God Do the Rest

 Scripture:   James 4:13-17, Luke 12:16-21, John 9:39-41

In this our 8^th lesson from James, we will dispel the worldly attitude that we will only get out of our efforts as much as we put into them.  The point is that all too many believe that any success, or honor, or gain that we achieve in this life is entirely dependent on our own work and wisdom, because we will never be able to count on getting any help from anyone else.

 That’s the world’s attitude – that if you don’t do it, it will never get done right!  But then, they don’t know the One who is always on our side, and Who will work for our good whenever we follow in His steps.  The truth is though, that when we take credit for anything good that comes into our lives, it is actually nothing short of arrogance and theft that is at work within us.  And stealing from God is never a good idea!

 Dishonesty will never get us anywhere – especially when it comes to our relationship with the LORD.  Satan doesn’t want us to give God any of the credit for the accomplishments that come our way, in spite of all that He has already done for us ! 

 We all should realize by now that the Book of James has been carrying that same theme throughout the last 7 messages.  When we walk with Christ in this world, His greatest desire is fulfilled when we take those risky steps at His invitation, especially when we haven’t got a clue as to where He may be leading!

 And with that in mind:

 Read James 4:13-17

 You may be familiar with the poem called “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” - if not, here it is:

 There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, Two days which should be kept free of fear and apprehension.

 One of these days is YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.  YESTERDAY has passed forever beyond our control.  All the money in the world cannot bring back YESTERDAY.  We cannot undo a single act we performed; We cannot erase a single word we said.  YESTERDAY is gone.

 The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW with its possible adversities, its burdens, its larger promise.  TOMORROW is also beyond our immediate control.  TOMORROW, the sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, But it will rise.  Until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW for it is as yet unborn.  This leaves only one day – TODAY.

 Any [one] can fight the battles of just one day.  It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities – YESTERDAY and TOMORROW – that we break down.  It is not the experience of TODAY that drives [people] mad.  It is remorse or bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY and the dread of what TOMORROW may bring.

  Let us, therefore, live but ONE day at a time.

 If we put this into the words that we just read from James, it might sound a little like this – don’t boast or complain about yesterday, and don’t agonize over tomorrow – just do the best you can today, and follow the LORD wherever He may lead you.  Always remember that the ways of earth will never even come close to the glory that is Almighty God’s.

 James offered us the alternative approach to worry and regret - “If it is the LORD’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  James is encouraging us to set our lives firmly upon God’s reality, for when we do, He will care for all of the blunders and failures of yesterday, as well as the uncertainty and fears that we have written for tomorrow.  Remember the lesson of manna, that it will care for each and every day we live, just as the song “One Day at a Time” proclaims.

 Read Luke 12:16-21

 This is, of course, one of the parables that Jesus taught.  The rich man was looking not only toward tomorrow, but to many days beyond.  In His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew6:19-21), Jesus tells us that our plans to secure life in the future is a waste of time.  He encourages us to look to heaven for eternal security and hope, for that is the only certainty we will ever be able to count on. 

 The man in the parable is, apparently, planning to keep the harvest all for his own use, but Jesus would have us understand that since He is the LORD of the harvest, He is calling all who would work in His Field to dedicate the harvest of faith to His glory!

 The problem for this “rich fool” is that his eyes are clouded and he can only see the paltry hopes and dreams and glories of earth – those things that he imagines will always be there, stretching out before him, but is blind to the magnificent and eternal promises that only God can give.  When we shut God out of our life, he gives us the opportunity to find out just how limited our own vision of hope and preparation really is.  And what will we discover is left?  Just us and our stuff – and no true hope whatsoever!

 Read John 9:39-41

 If, in our blindness, we claim that our vision is perfectly clear, where is our truth?  That’s the problem that many, even many in the Church have today.  They claim to know all about God and His ways, while never even coming close to walking the path that He would have us take.  They have no hope of enjoying the beauty of all that God has created, or the glory of His call on their life, or the fulfillment of His promise for tomorrow, or the joy of knowing and receiving divine forgiveness.  Without His word in our lives, we can only revel in the false hope of making our own way, never knowing that we are hopelessly lost until it is too late to change direction.

 Ours is a dead end existence without Jesus.  Literally!  We stumble, we fall, we haven’t got a clue as to how miserable our hopeless condition really is, even while we are still under the misconception that we have finally found the path that leads directly to the love of God.  Unfortunately, it is only a love for the traditions of earth that we honor, and God will be absent until we allow Him to clear our way and open our eyes to the great mistake that has led us in an errant and fruitless direction.

 Jesus Christ has been waiting patiently for us to open our hearts to the vision that He has had for each and every one of us since before time began.  And all that it takes for us to see with the perfect truth of God is to seek the mercy that surrender to the name of Jesus can bring to our lives. 

 If you have never made a first-time commitment to Jesus Christ or desire to renew your relationship with the LORD, I invite you to pray these words with me:

 Precious Jesus, I have been blind to your hope and glory, and I am unworthy to even call you Lord.  But today, I seek your forgiveness for the life I have lived, and pray that your great sacrifice at Calvary will be the fount that will wash me clean of the sinfulness of earth.  Make me whole and right in you, Lord, and I desire that your word would live and reign and guide me throughout the rest of this life and into Yours.  May the hope that faith in You has promised, lead me through each and every day of this existence.  I pray this in the holy and glorious name of Jesus.  Amen

 If, in this very moment, you have opened the door of your heart to Christ, then your sight has been restored, you are now following the way of Christ instead of trying to find your own way in this world, and, at last, you are His and He is yours – now and always!