Having Resurrection Assurance

And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. – (1 John 5.11-13, NIV84)

It's been almost a century (April 15, 1912) since the unsinkable ship sank and over 1,500 passengers died in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history. The Titanic was the largest ship afloat at the time of her maiden voyage and one of three Olympic class ocean liners operated by the White Star Line. It took several years to build her (1909-1911) by the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast. The Titanic carried 2,224 people.

The 100 year anniversary of this tragic event has been garnering a lot of attention recently. There is a 3-D release out now in the theaters of James Cameron’s award-winning Hollywood version. Many prominent publications are running feature stories and there’s a host of television specials all about the Titanic disaster.

Now it really hit home with me as I read the article in this month’s National Geographic Journal and looked at the photo images of the Titanic wreckage remains over 2.5 miles deep down on the bottom of the icy cold North Atlantic Ocean. It just got real when I saw old black and white pictures of the Titanic before her launch and also of some her passengers – real people with real lives. I had read somewhere else about this large wall that had two lists that they posted after the tragedy in the White Star Line's Liverpool, England offices. Here are these anxious relatives waiting to hear the fate of a passenger they loved, and a company representative who comes in occasionally and adds a name to one of two lists: "Known to be Saved" and "Known to be Lost."

The haunting images of that mighty ship going down are just engraved in my mind. But then so are those two lists of souls. Because everyone I know—everyone reading this Footnotes—everyone you know, including you—is  also on one of two lists: "Known to be Saved" "Known to be Lost." Not "rich" or "poor"...not "liberal" or "conservative"...not “young” or “old”… not “good” or “bad” nor “naughty” or “nice”… not even "Religion X" or "Religion Y"—just "saved" or "lost."

God makes it so plain in our key Scripture text found in 1 John 5.11-13… "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life (saved); he who does not have the Son of God does not have life (lost)." Now, if you have Jesus, you are rescued from the death penalty for your sins and you've got the blessed assurance of heaven. And God says if you don't have Jesus, you don't have heaven but an eternity of hell because that rescuing or "saving" came at a very high price that only the Son of God could pay. So, if you don’t have Jesus, you’re outside the lifeboat and you’re lost.

Now you don’t have to remain among those who are lost. Jesus, who had no sin, came to rescue us. He did all the dying for all my sinning and all your sinning. Going through our hell so I, and so you, could go to His heaven. So, if you ever feel that you are so insignificant that God does not care about you or that you’re so bad that He does not want to listen to your prayers, you should be encouraged by what He has done to save us from sin, death and hell and to secure for us forgiveness, life and heaven. “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him Who died for them and was raised again… God made Him Who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” – (2 Corinthians 5.15, 21, NIV84)

“So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose? If God didn't hesitate to put everything on the line for us, embracing our condition and exposing Himself to the worst by sending His own Son, is there anything else He wouldn't gladly and freely do for us?” – (Romans 8.31-32, MSG)

You see here we are assured that our heavenly Father loves us unconditionally, that there was nothing so precious to Him that He would not give it up in order to provide for our rescue and salvation. When the Father gave His precious Son to save us, He proved once for all that His grace is boundless and His love is infinite.

The apostle Paul concluded that if God would not hold back even His own Son in order to provide for our rescue, how would He not willingly and freely give anything else at His disposal in order to save us? Since He sacrificed His very best to give us eternal life, we can rest secure in the knowledge that He also wants to give us abundant life (John 10.10). So, realizing what God did for us at the cross, why should we not approach the throne of grace with boldness, assurance, confidence? Isn’t it awesome to know for sure that God loves us that much?! We can live with confidence and anticipation knowing that almighty God is willing not only to give us eternal life, but also to help us experience it fully!

Well, the great news of Good Friday, the great news of Resurrection Sunday, is that you can change lists! In Jesus' words, "Whoever hears My word and believes Him Who has sent me has eternal life; he has crossed over from death to life" – (John 5.24). I love the definite sounds of those words, “has crossed over from death to life”… "has eternal life." Not “may have” or “might have.” Not “wishes to have” or “hopes to have”—but has! It’s a done deal! We can know for sure, right now, that if we died today, we would go to heaven—eternal life insurance. No fear, or no if, and, but, or maybe about it! That’s what God says in our key Scripture text – “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life… you may know that you have eternal life.”

Maybe you know some folks who are still outside the lifeboat and they are facing a dark, chilling, tragic future. You have nothing more urgent to do than in the Bible's words, "rescue those who are being led away to death" – (Proverbs 24.11).

Now if you're not sure, though, about yourself – that you've ever offered yourself, heart and soul, to Jesus, you have nothing more urgent to do than in the words of the Bible, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit… believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved… the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’... ‘In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” – (Acts 2.38; 16.31; Romans 10.12b-13; 2 Corinthians 6.2). That transaction between you and Him could take place this very day. Why not get this done? Why not get this settled? Why not get in the only lifeboat that can save you?

You see, when you give your life to Jesus… receive Him as the Lord and Savior, you go from one who is "known to be lost" to one who is "known to be saved." Jesus assures us, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” – (John 11.25-26) I’ll tell you it’s absolutely awful to be lost – there’s nothing worse, but it’s totally amazing to be saved – there’s nothing better!

“And if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He Who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, Who lives in you” – (Romans 8.11)

In a nutshell – in the risen Christ,

Web Shepherd

Celebrating Jesus – 24X365

Jesus said, “I'll be with you… day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” – (Matthew 28.20, MSG)

Well, the lights are down, the trees are gone, the decorations are put away for next season.

This past weekend, my wife Kate and I took a drive to look at the Christmas lights on the houses around our area. There were a good number of homes still adorned for the holiday season. But many folks had already put away their decorations. Many more will begin taking down their lights, wreaths, snowman, reindeer, etc. this week.  

But we know there will be those who will not want to take down the festive lights right away – they want to linger in the Christmas spirit. Some people won’t take down their lights at all – it’s too complicated, or maybe it’s just too much work to take them down and then put them up again. And some will want to leave the lights up and on just because they like too. I’ve seen Christmas lights on in February and March, then again in September and October, and a few homes lit up in the middle of summer… Christmas in July?

Perhaps it’s just that some of us don’t want Christmas to be just a day or a season – but every day, all year round! Well, in some ways that’s right. Not necessarily leaving the lights up and on all year but the idea of celebrating Jesus – 24 by 365! You see, some of us think about Jesus mostly on special holidays, like Christmas or Easter. A lot of us think of Him mainly on Sunday during our church gatherings. But He didn't come to be our holiday Jesus or just our church Jesus. He may be the reason for the season – but Jesus is not just a season of the year. The Jesus who is worthy of our celebration every day won’t fit inside our Christmas box or religion box (see Colossians 1.15-19; 2.9; John 1.1-3, 14; Hebrews 1.2-3; Revelation 1.8; 2 Chronicles 6.18). He came here to make possible an intimate love relationship with Him that gives meaning to every day of our lives; not just to be a belief or a religious compartment in our lives.

The event Jesus, the holiday Jesus, the religious Jesus; they're just not enough to forgive your sin, to answer your questions about the meaning of your life, to get you to heaven someday, or to satisfy the deepest longings and yearnings of your soul. You've got to belong to Him every day, not just visit Him occasionally. He told those who belong to Him: "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" – (Hebrews 13.5; Deuteronomy 31.6) And a "never leave you… never forsake you” relationship is the kind of anchor that our soul is hungering and thirsting for.

Every relationship in our life is "loseable." People turn on us, they dump us, they disappoint us, they divorce us, no matter how deep the relationship – ultimately they die on us. That's why we can never really feel safe in this world, until we anchor ourselves to the Savior who said, "He who comes to me I will never cast out" – (John 6.37).

In our key Scripture text found in Matthew 28.20, Jesus made the ironclad promise that He alone has the power to keep, “You can be sure that I am always with you, to the very end” – (NIRV) What’s more, we have the promise that the love of Christ is enduring, unfailing, everlasting – and nothing in all of God’s created universe can separate us from His love – “Who can separate us from Christ's love? Can trouble or hard times or harm or hunger? Can nakedness or danger or war? It is written, ‘Because of you, we face death all day long. We are considered as sheep to be killed.’ No! In all these things we will do even more than win! We owe it all to Christ, who has loved us. I am absolutely sure that not even death or life can separate us from God's love. Not even angels or demons, the present or the future, or any powers can do that. Not even the highest places or the lowest, or anything else in all creation can do that. Nothing at all can ever separate us from God's love because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.” – (Romans 8.35-39; Psalm 44.22, NIRV)

Now, in a world of things and experiences that are never-lasting, Jesus offers the only thing that is ever-lasting. He tells us that, "whoever believes in the Son (that's Jesus, the Son of God) has eternal life" – (John 3.36). You see, you don't have to die to see if you have eternal life. You have it when you put your faith and trust in Jesus. The verse then gives the alternative: "Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on Him." For you and me, eternal life can begin here and now. Jesus said, “This is eternal life – that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” – (John 17.3)

We had no chance with God until Jesus entered our world... until He gave His life on the cross to take the rap for every wrong thing we have ever done. We can't get anywhere near a holy God with our sin. But Jesus took all our sin on Himself that day on the cross, so you could be clean, so you could be forgiven, so you could be with Him forever.

Yes, the Christmas season provides a wonderful time to reflect on God’s love and grace in sending His Son into the world to save us. But Jesus is not just for Christmas, and He didn’t remain as a baby. He’s the Savior and Lord and He loves you – that’s why He came. He wants you to experience His love everyday – forever. Today, why not move beyond a religion about Jesus – to this love relationship with Jesus that can be celebrated 24x365. Move from just believing things about Jesus… from knowing of Jesus – to really belonging to Jesus and enjoying Him … “day after day after day”!

“Day and night they never stop saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come… You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.’ ” – (Revelation 4.8, 11)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

The Small Stuff…

Who despises the day of small things? – (Zechariah 4.10a)

In their book, God Is in the Small Stuff and It All Matters: Stop Worrying and Invite God into the Details of Your Life, authors Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz tackle questions like, “Should we ‘bother’ God by asking Him for little things – like a parking spot?” Bruce and Stan use biblical wisdom and humor to remind us that God cares deeply about every detail in our life, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem to us or to others…

As the apostle Peter says, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about what happens to you.” – (1 Peter 5.7, NLT; see also Matthew 6.25-34; 10.29-30) Knowing this truth about God is a huge blessing and can make a big difference in the way we live!

The world loves the big and spectacular. God has proven that He is certainly capable of the extraordinary (Genesis 1.1), but He never overlooks the ordinary and seemingly insignificant… you know – the small stuff.  In fact, God often chooses to work in and through the small stuff to demonstrate His love and His power.

Throughout history, God's answer to a critical time was to send a baby. Isaac, Moses, Samuel, and John the Baptist were all born as answers to a time of need.

When God delivered the Israelites from the Midianites' oppression, He intentionally used an army of merely three hundred men to defeat a vastly larger army. He had more soldiers available, but He preferred to demonstrate His power in the way He accomplished His purposes.

When Jesus selected His first disciples He could have enlisted a multitude to follow Him, but He chose twelve – ordinary guys. It was not the number of disciples but the quality of their walk with Him that would determine how they affected their world. Later, following Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, we read this testimony regarding two of those twelve…

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” – (Acts 4.13)

When Jesus fed a multitude, five loaves of bread and two fish from a boy's lunch were sufficient in the hands of the Lord. Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a mustard seed (Matthew 13.31-32). The mustard seed was the smallest seed known to the Jews, yet it grew into an enormous tree. He also likened God's kingdom to leaven that is hardly noticeable but raises the entire batch of dough (Matthew 13.33).

When children came to Jesus, His disciples assumed they were an annoyance and chased them off (Matthew 19.13-15). But Jesus said that in order to enter His kingdom, people must approach God as a small child[1]. Now when you think about it, that’s how God ultimately entered our world… as a small child… that’s the most amazing thing of all… our Creator – God…

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. – (John 1.1-3)

For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. – (Colossians 1.16)

…humbled Himself…

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross! – (Philippians 2.6-8)

…and He entered our flesh and blood world at just the right time – through the womb of a young virgin…

“But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” – (Galatians 4.4.-5)

Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. – (Hebrews 2.14-15)

…born in a small, obscure village…

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” – (Micah 5.2, NKJV)

…as a tiny, helpless infant to answer our greatest need… salvation from our sins and an eternal inheritance with Him…

An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." – (Matthew 1.20-21)

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped Him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. – (Luke 2.4-7)

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only Begotten, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. – (John 1.14)

Who would have thought of accomplishing the biggest and greatest work of all time – the redemption and reconciliation of a world of sinners to a holy God – with such small, humble, seemingly insignificant beginnings? Who but God!

Who would have thought that long ago so very far away,
A little child would be born and in a manger laid.
And who would have thought this little child was born the King of Kings,
The son of just a carpenter, but for whom the angels sing.

And who would have thought this little child was who the prophets said,
Will return to judge the world, the living and the dead.

Oh, can’t you see that long ago so very far away,
This little child, our only hope, was born a King that day.

Yet in the midst of this darkness there is a hope, a light that burns.
This little child, the King of Kings some day will return.[2]

Christians often accept the adage “bigger is better.” We often measure success by the number of people involved in our ministry or the size of the attendance at our church gatherings. We seek spectacular displays of God's power. And it's awesome to rejoice in the big things; God wants us to do that. We must certainly not forget to be thankful for the times people are healed from cancer or when a natural disaster strikes without causing injury. But we can't forget about how God works in the little things either… like the times that He heals us from the flu just in time to take our final exam… or when we are so overwhelmed with friendships because God has blessed us with so many friends.

When we think about God, we tend to think of His magnificent power. But, we forget about His attention to intricate detail, which includes all the small stuff. God wants us to rejoice in the big and small; from the vast universe to a baby taking her first steps. We must learn to view success as God does. He is interested in the heart; He is pleased with obedience… to God – that’s the big stuff…

Okay, enough already… just remember, good things (God things) often come in small packages, so don’t overlook or sweat the small stuff, ‘cause a little is never small stuff when it’s in God’s hands… like that small band of ordinary guys Jesus chose as His messengers to the world… they “turned the world upside down.”[3] – (Acts 17.6b, NKJV)

Have a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

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[1] Greek: paidiðon (Paidion, pronounced pahee-dee'-on), meaning a small, young child, a little boy, a little girl, infants.  Thayer and Smith. Greek Lexicon entry for Paidion. The New Testament Greek Lexicon.
http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=3813.

[2] "This Little Child." Words and Music by Scott Wesley Brown, © 1981 Sparrow Song/Cherry River Music Co., BMI

[3] There are probably no bigger opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with others than during the Christmas holiday season – a time devoted by many to the recognition that God’s plan to save humankind had it’s earthly beginnings with a small baby - Emmanuel; and there has probably been no one who’s life and work has been used more to bring the gospel of Christ to more people than the apostle Paul (who’s name means “little”)… the small stuff.

Dealing with Sin’s Threat

You must purge the evil from among you. – (Deuteronomy 21.21b)

On March 28, 1979, America experienced its worst ever nuclear accident – a partial meltdown of the reactor core at the Three Mile Island (TMI) nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania. I was attending college in Philadelphia at the time and was advised to stay as far away from the Middletown vicinity as possible. During the tension-packed week that followed, sketchy reports and conflicting information led to panic, and more than one hundred thousand residents, mostly families with children and pregnant women, fled the greater Harrisburg area. I remember driving from Philadelphia to my parents’ home in central Pennsylvania for the weekend when the TMI disaster first occurred. Traveling through nearby Harrisburg, there was barely another vehicle on any of the roads – it was a bit eerie.

Government and TMI officials did not know for days the full extent of the risks to the public and the government had gone into emergency production of Potassium Iodide (abbreviated "KI") solution to help protect the public. Here’s a quote from the book "Nuclear War Survival Skills", regarding the serious nature of the TMI nuclear meltdown:

“When the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor accident was worsening and it appeared that the reactor's containment structure might rupture and release dangerous amounts of radioactive iodines and other radioactive material into the atmosphere, the Government rushed preparation of small bottles of a saturated solution of potassium iodide. The reactor's containment structure did not rupture. The 237,013 bottles of saturated KI solution that were delivered to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania – mostly too late to have been effective if the Three Mile Island had become an uncontained meltdown – were stored in secret in a warehouse, and were never used.”[1]

Only later did facts of the TMI incident reveal the near catastrophic degree of the TMI meltdown that actually occurred…

According to National Geographic magazine, “more than half the unit's core melted.”

– National Geographic, April, 1989.

“It flowed like hot olive oil,” said the vice president of the company operating Three Mile Island, in reference to TMI's uranium fuel.

– Edward Kintner, executive vice president of GPU Nuclear.

Now imagine if Three Mile Island and government officials had not taken the nuclear reactor accident seriously and suppose the TMI containment vessel had, in fact, ruptured, as it well could have done… and what if corrective actions had been slower… why hundreds of thousands, even millions, of people could have been exposed to the dangerous levels of radioactive iodine and other poisonous radioactive materials within the first week or two. The death and sickness tolls would have been massive.

  

Like radioactive iodines and other hazardous materials that can be released into the atmosphere during a nuclear meltdown, sin poses risk, but of a far greater magnitude – eternal death and destruction. You see it is a dangerous and costly mistake not to take temptation to sin seriously. The sad testimony of many who have succumbed to sin's enticements is that they thought they were strong enough to remain in the midst of temptation to withstand and resist it. We find in our key Scripture text in Deuteronomy 21.21b that God requires that His people remove evil from their midst. One way to do this is to remove anything in your “atmosphere” or environment that may tempt you to sin.

When wickedness surrounds you, you are in danger of becoming desensitized and anesthetized to its destructive potential – that’s the deceptive nature of sin. Never assume that you are immune to succumbing to temptation. Do not underestimate the craftiness of the Evil One – he is by nature a deceiver and “the father of lies” – (John 8.44; see also 2 Corinthians 11.3-4; 2 Thessalonians 2.9-10; Revelation 12.9-10). Sin can be so seductive – that is obviously why there is “temptation”! (See James 1.13-15) Even Jesus, though God incarnate, was tempted in every way – just like us – (Hebrews 2.14-18; 4.14-16).

God does not tolerate evil, for sin even cost the death of His Son Jesus. Like radioactive poisons, sin causes untold pain and destruction to everyone it touches. And, like uncontained toxic, hazardous radioactive materials, so sin spreads, infiltrates, grows and destroys. That’s why the apostle Paul charges the church in Corinth to deal with sin straightaway – “You must remove the old yeast of sin so that you will be entirely pure. Then you will be like a new batch of dough without any yeast, as indeed I know you actually are. For our Passover Festival is ready, now that Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us celebrate our Passover, then, not with bread having the old yeast of sin and wickedness, but with the bread that has no yeast, the bread of purity and truth” – (1 Corinthians 5.7-8, GNT). Treating evil lightly shows foolish disregard for God's righteous character, redemptive work, holy wrath, and ignorance regarding the true nature and consequence of sin – it is absolutely hurtful, injurious, insidious, ruinous, pernicious, deadly (Romans 6.23a; Galatians 6.7-8).

An honest evaluation and inventory of your life will reveal temptations that you should remove, such as some forms of entertainment or ungodly relationships. As the apostle Paul clearly warns – “Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character” – (1 Corinthians 15.33, AMP). When God convicts you of evil in your midst, remove it immediately – don’t mess around! Here’s what Paul wrote to the Christians in Colossae: “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.” – (Colossians 3.5-10) Notice the action words “put to death, rid, taken off.” We are to be vigilant, aggressive, relentless, ruthless, unwavering and unyielding in our dealings with temptation and sin. Sin is to the soul what cancer is to the body and should be addressed in the same manner – with radical measures to eradicate its terminal advances (Mark 9.43-47).

There are times, however, when you are powerless to remove ungodly influences, so you must remove yourself from the temptation. Paul urges us to avoid every kind of evil (I Thessalonians 5.22), and to flee from sexual immorality, idolatry, materialism, and youthful lusts (1 Corinthians 6.18; 10.14; 1 Timothy 6.11; 2 Timothy 2.22). When Joseph was enticed to commit adultery by his master's wife, he fled immediately! – (Genesis 39.12)

Do not lose your abhorrence of sin. Like the threat of contaminating radioactive materials that can prove fatal, take whatever measures necessary to avoid temptation and sin that can prove so destructive. Be diligent to keep any form of temptation out of your home, out of your relationships, out of your mind. You can do this only by maintaining preeminently your love relationship with God, recognizing that you are powerless to resist temptation in your own strength. And remember – God is faithful, He will provide a way of escape – but it is up to us to take it with all haste (1 Corinthians 10.12-13).

You will not be able to walk closely with God unless you see sin as He sees it. “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” – (2 Corinthians 6.14) You see, “If we claim to have fellowship with Him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” – (1 John 1.6) Darkness and light cannot coexist… run from the darkness to the light!

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person – such a man is an idolater – has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.” – (Ephesians 5.3-8)

In a nutshell – in Him,

Web Shepherd

WebShepherd4U@Hotmail.com

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[1] Cresson H. Kearny, Nuclear War Survival Skills, published by Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, Cave Junction, Oregon, 1987. Original Edition published September 1979 by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a facility of the United States Department of Energy.