When Where You Arrive Is Not Where You Meant to Go

I've been super-busy preparing for the new website and the new blog. Everything will finally be in one place. You'll be able to go directly to the blog without social media links if you want, although those links will still be available. You'll be able to comment on the blog without signing in to Google or going back to a social media site, and I'll be able to easily reply.

There will also be a store with a variety of items for sale. One item I've worked on recently is the James Bible study. When I finished writing it, I posted it as a dropbox file for readers to download to their computers. What I quickly learned was that most of my readers use their phones or tablets to access the blog, not a computer. 

I tried converting to a series of six blog files, as well as to a print version, but neither worked well. Recently, I decided to do what I should've done all along. Make an e-book. 

As part of the preparation for uploading the file, I spent days reworking my document endnotes ("footnotes" placed at the end of the book instead of the bottom of the page). I went through every link to be sure it worked. I reread the text several times to check for errors. I studied James, and was kicked in the repenter again.

Once all that was done, I signed in to Amazon's easy create-a-book site and went to work. I designed a lovely cover, uploaded the photos and file, corrected formatting, and was almost ready to hit "publish" when I noticed something odd. There was nothing about e-books on the web page. 

I fretted with this for an absurdly long time before I realized a critical fact. I was on the site to publish print books, not e-books. 

I had gone to the wrong website and was seconds away from a book I didn't want. Where I meant to go was not where I'd arrived.

I backed out of the print site and went to the e-book prep site. An entirely different bit of formatting needed to be done. Because I work on a MAC, the e-book Table of Contents and internal links all had to be done by hand. It was way past bedtime when I finished last night.

The problem of arriving where I didn't intend to go was quickly solved by opening a new tab on my web browser. The problem of an eternal destination error is not as easily solved, however. 

Just as I had two publication options (print or e-book), we have two eternal destinations. Heaven or hell. We choose our destination in advance and, unlike publication options, once arrived, the choice cannot be undone. 

As James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote, our faith is revealed by our works. Faith that isn't manifested by works is dead. In other words, if our faith doesn't change us and make us more like Jesus, we need to consider whether we have saving faith or not. 

Those are hard words, but they come straight from Scripture. I'd soften them a bit and wrap them in flowery prose. James does not. He'd rather offend and save a soul than cushion someone in comfortable words that usher them straight to hell.

James urged those to whom he wrote to examine their faith. We'd be wise to do the same. To what kind of faith do our works give evidence? Is Christ clearly seen in our words, our actions, our deeds? 

If all we do is sit on a pew once a week, can we, realistically, expect that kind of faith to take us to heaven? According to James, it's life-altering, behavior-changing faith that assures our eternity with Jesus, not attendance at a series of meetings, not matter how well-intended. 

If heaven's where we want to spent eternity, let's be sure that's where we're headed. None of us can enter God's home on our goodness alone. We're all sinners. It takes faith, covered by the grace of God, to enter Heaven.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 niv 
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: The Importance of Mucking Out the Stalls
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

You Don't Have to Understand to Believe

I'm not sure why I tried to explain the internet to Sam, but my effort was a total flop. How do you explain the way an email or a text travels through the mysterious world of digital to land in an inbox on the other side of the globe in a way that makes sense to someone who has never used a computer? 

I can't do it. That's for sure. Maybe my failure to explain cogently is because I don't understand the internet myself. 

The good news is that understanding the internet is not necessary in order to use the internet.

My very flawed explanation was still on my mind when I read John 3. Jesus told Nicodemus that he would have to born again. Nicodemus heard those words and was skeptical. (Leanna paraphrase coming up.)

"Yeah, right. I'm a grown man. How am I going to get back inside my mama and come out again. That is so not happening."

"That's not what I mean, Nick. There's physical birth and spirit birth. You need spirit birth."

"I can't understand this at all. It doesn't make sense. I can't believe this."

"You don't have to. You don't need to understand to believe. You believe in the wind, but you can't see it."

"I don't know about that..."

"Nicodemus, if you can't understand earthly things enough to believe them, how will you believe heavenly things enough to believe them?" 

And then...

Jesus decided to tell Nicodemus a heavenly thing, anyway, and give him a chance to believe.

"God loved the world so much that He sent His only Son to save the world and give them eternal life. And here I am. Right here, Nicodemus. You can see me, and I've come to save you."

It's a heavenly thing that's hard to understand, but it's no less true because of the difficulty. Nicodemus didn't believe that day, but one day, he did the hardest, yet simplest thing of all. He let go of his need to understand and accepted on faith the words of the One he'd struggled to understand.

That's how it is for us, too. We will never understand the ways of God. We're not good as He is good. We don't love as He loves. We don't give as He gives. Our inadequacy doesn't make Him less good, less loving, less giving. 

He's God and we are not.

He gave because we could not.

That's what's hard to understand. It's why belief is a choice we make. 

Do we want to have eternal life or not? Good deeds can't give it to us. Neither can lots of donations, or being kind to strangers, rescuing orphaned children, preaching sermons, or sacrificing everything for another. 

There's only one way to have eternal life, and that's through Jesus. If we want eternal life, we choose to believe in Jesus. It's that hard. It's that simple.

So what about us? Do we want eternal life in heaven? There's one way, and His name is Jesus. Let's be sure we've placed our faith in Him alone to save us.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 
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In case you missed the story of Sam's project, here's the link: Sam's Project: Rubber Boots for Barefoot Rwandan Children
If you'd like to give to help buy boots for the barefoot school children of Rwandan, you can go directly to the project page here: Help Sam's Kids. We're making good progress. More than 300 pairs of boots have been given so far. 10% of the need has already been met!

In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: The Redemption of a Wrecked Reputation
#Jesus #salvation

The Sorry that Can Take You Straight to Hell

Last night at dinner, Sam made a bold statement. "Sorry don't get you saved." 

"Do what?"

"Sorry don't get you saved. I've been thinking about that. It don't matter how sorry you are for what you done. If you don't trust in Jesus Christ to save you, your sorry will take you straight to hell."

It was an unusual statement, but I could see what he meant. It's a little like Rhett Butler's words to Scarlett O'Hara in Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. "You're like the thief who's not at all sorry he stole, but very, very sorry he got caught."

Sinners are like that, and I have to admit I've been that kind of sinner before. More than once. Wanting to continue my sin but wanting forgiveness, too. Sam would say, "It don't work like that." 

Forgiveness comes after repentance. Repentance is not a simple apology. Repentance is a 180 degree turn. It's apology plus relinquishment. Choosing to leave our sin is part of salvation. We can't have it both ways.

To be perfectly clear, Sam is right. If saying sorry were enough to save us, we could save ourselves, but we can't. 

Salvation from the penalty of our sin requires more than an apology to God for what we've done. It requires that we accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. 

I believe that the salvation from sin part is something we can all embrace. It's the Lordship of Jesus, giving up our ways for His, that stops us in our tracks. That's the part of salvation, however, that's not optional. Scripture makes it clear. Salvation requires Jesus. There's no other way.

What about you? Are you counting on sorry to save you? It will never work. Salvation comes through accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior of your life. His gift of eternity requires acceptance of His way of living. There's no other way.

As Peter said of Jesus, speaking before the rulers, elders, and scribes in Jerusalem, "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 nasb
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In case you missed the story of Sam's project, here's the link: Sam's Project: Rubber Boots for Barefoot Rwandan Children
If you'd like to give to help buy boots for the barefoot school children of Rwandan, you can go directly to the project page here: Help Sam's Kids. We're making good progress. More than 300 pairs of boots have been given so far. 10% of the need has already been met!

In case you missed yesterday's post, here's the link: The Secret to Miraculous Transformation and here's the link to this week's guest blogger: I'm Fine and Other Lies
#Jesus #salvation #repentance

The Baptism Excitement

An unexpected thing happened at church a couple of weeks ago. My Sunday School teacher was out of town, and I was supposed to take his place. Since there was only one other person there that day, he decided to go to a different class. 

"It's a good class. Don't you want to go?" 

"No. I think I need to sit here and pray through some things." After he left, I opened my Bible to read and pray. After a few minutes, someone opened the door. A young couple was with a man who said, "Harold met them a few days ago and said they should come to this class." (Harold's the husband of a longtime friend, and he never meets a stranger.)

I invited them in and we had the sweetest time ever talking about salvation and reviewing the story of the Prodigal Son. They didn't have Bibles, so I gave them two of the ones we keep in the front foyer. "You need a Bible. You can have these." 

They used them during church but put them back as they left. "You can have those."

"No. We want Bibles of our own." 

They were back on Wednesday night with beautiful new Bibles they'd bought. 

Harold invited the young husband to accompany him to lunch and to Bible study. Like Harold always does, he talked about Jesus, about being saved, and about being a disciple. 

Wednesday evening, I waved as they walked in the door. "How was your week?"

Their smiles were as bright as floodlights. "Great. We got saved today!"  They told me all about it. As I listened, it was clear. Harold had invited them to accept Jesus, and they'd said yes.

It was the best news imaginable, and they were excited to share it with all who would listen, so they told everyone. We had a party of congratulations as people welcomed them to the family of God and hugged them. 

Pastor Scooter's smile was nearly as big as theirs. "We're having baptism Sunday. You want to be baptized then?" Yes, they did.

The only time I've been more excited about a baptism was my son's. I've thought about it all week long. Imagined that moment when Pastor Scooter asks them, "Who is Jesus to you?" and they answer, "Jesus is my Lord and Savior." 

They weren't living "bad" lives by the world's standards, but they were living "lost" lives by God's standards. In two short weeks, God has turned their lives right side up. It's been exciting to watch their transformation.

They've shown me, in a fresh way, how quickly a life can be changed by the power of Almighty God and the blood of Jesus, as well as the absolute wonder of a heart made clean by the forgiveness of God. They've reminded me of the miracle that happened when my sins were forgiven and my heart was washed white as snow.

The most amazing part of the story is how it began with a smile and a simple conversation as Harold went along his way. People hungry for God responded to someone who knew Him well and was willing to share.

That's how we change the world, body of Christ. One smile at a time. One conversation with a stranger along the way. People we will meet today are hungry for Jesus. They're waiting for someone to introduce them. Let's be that one. 

"And Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" Acts 2:38 nasb
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photo above is of the traditional empty tomb of Christ

In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Jesus Compliance
Here's the link to the prayer guide: The Prayer List 
Here's the link to my Global Outreach page: Leanna Hollis MD
#salvation #evangelism #Jesus

Accepting the Salvation of Surrender

The Babylonian army was at the gates. It wouldn't be long until they were inside the city. King Zedekiah was terrified. 

He was king only because Nebuchadnezzar had captured and replaced the previous king. He knew his time was short. Toward the end of his sham-reign, he was so frightened that he called for Jeremiah, who was imprisoned. The king wanted a secret meeting to find out what the prophet of God recommended. 

Jeremiah had been beaten and imprisoned by the king's men, and was still in prison when the king called for him. I might not have been congenial toward the king, but Jeremiah spoke truth without hesitation. (Leanna paraphrase coming up.)

"What do I do, Jeremiah?"

"Surrender is the only option that will save you."

"I can't do that. I'm too afraid."

"You have two choices. If you surrender, you will live. The city will not be burned. You and your household will survive. If you don't surrender, they will get you anyway. The city will be burned and they will capture your wives and your sons. It won't be good, King Zedekiah. Accept the salvation of surrender."

Zedekiah was consumed by his fear and his pride. He stayed in the palace until the city walls were breached, then attempted to escape by night through his garden. 

Just as Jeremiah had said, the army captured him. They killed every one of his sons while Zedekiah watched, helpless. The last sight he ever saw was the death of his sons. The Chaldeans blinded his eyes afterward and carried him to captivity. On their way out, they burned the city.

Zedekiah must have spent the rest of his life wishing he'd obeyed Jeremiah's words. "Accept the salvation of surrender."

Those words are just as true for us today. The only salvation for this world and for eternity is found in surrender to Christ alone. 

Fear and pride still keep us from the hope that can save us. When we follow Christ, we must first give up our will to have His. We relinquish our right to sin in order to have his righteousness. 

This surrender can be terrifying, until we realize that we are surrendering to a holy, loving God who has plans for good and not evil. Plans for a future and a hope, not for calamity.

The only salvation, the only peace, the only hope are found in Christ alone. When we accept the surrender of salvation, we find the life Christ desires for us... abundant and joy-filled. 

Today, let's consider our relationship to God. Have we yielded to Him? Are there areas in our lives that need fresh surrender? Let's raise our "white flag" and give ourselves fully to the only One worthy of our dedication. 

Christ alone, our only hope.

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12 niv

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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post:The Bad Influence and the Terrible Price

Here's the world-wide prayer guide: The Prayer List 
#Christalone #disciple #salvation

Confessing Jesus Before Men: I AM the Door

"And I say to you, everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God; but he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. (Luke 12:8-9 NASB)

In an attempt to understand what it means to "confess Jesus before men" (or say the same things about Jesus that He says about Himself), we are reviewing the "I AM's".  So far, we've covered I AM the Bread of Life, and I AM the light of the world. 

Another of the I AM's is from John 10, where Jesus describes Himself as the Door: 

"I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture." John 10:9 NASB

A door, of course, allows us to move from one place to another. The implication is that the place beyond the door would be closed to us unless we entered through the door. This "Jesus door" leads us to salvation and to good pasture, and is the only way through which we access eternal salvation. (We will discuss pasture in tomorrow's post.) 

The imagery of opening and going through a door is used more than once in Scripture. The first use of this imagery is used in Genesis. Cain and Abel had presented their offerings to God. Abel brought the first fruits and God accepted his gift, but Cain's gift was not accepted. Cain was angry and seethed in his anger. God came to him and warned him against his attitude. Sin crouched at the door of Cain's heart, longing to overcome him and bring destruction. Cain had a choice. Master the sin and do right, or let sin conquer him. 

"If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it." (Genesis 4:7 
NASB)

In Revelation, Jesus tells us that He is at the door of our hearts, as well. We have the choice to open the door and allow Him entrance. He will come into our lives and dwell there.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and dine with him, and he with Me. (Rev. 3:20 NASB)

Metaphorically, there is a door in our heart. Sin and Righteousness battle at the door. Sin crouches, but Jesus knocks. We have a choice. Will we allow sin to master us, or will we make Jesus our Master and our Friend? The choice we make has eternal consequences, so we must choose well.

In the simplicity of inviting Christ into our hearts, there is incredible complexity, for in opening the door of our hearts to Him, we find that He is the door that leads us to eternal life, to salvation. Is He the only door to salvation? Yes. He tells us that He is the way. The only way.

"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me." (John 14:6 NASB)

Jesus is the only door that leads to eternal life with our Heavenly Father. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, spoke of this very thing.

"And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12 NASB)

There is no other name. There is no other door. Only Jesus is the door that leads us to communion with Him and eternal life. 

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Lord Jesus, I open my heart to you. Come in and be my Master and my Friend. Lead me, through You, to eternal life. Help me to master sin and live to please You. In your name, Amen.

The second day at crisis training

As a child, this young Muslim girl prayed often to Allah. She longed for her god to speak back to her, but he never did. When she was seventeen, she awakened  and heard a voice that said, "This Allah that you worship is not a real God because he doesn't talk to you." She knew that, if Allah was not true, neither was her Muslim faith, and was instantly set free. Her parents were, of course, terribly upset but, amazingly, did not abandon her at that time. She eventually married a Muslim man and they moved to the US to pursue their education. 

Her burning desire became to know truth. She tried many faiths and spent time as a Hindu, Socialist, Buddhist, and New Ager. In her seemingly futile search for truth, she became desperately depressed and suicidal. 

Through a divine orchestration of events and programming, a man on a corner "with the eyes of Christ" handed her a Bible. The fear of going to hell for reading the Bible, ingrained in her as a Muslim child, prevented her from opening it. At the same time, the only program on television every single time she turned on her TV, regardless of the time, was the 700 Club. Every program was filled with people who told their story of transformation as a result of faith in Jesus. She had never heard the name of Jesus before, but she wanted what those  people had. Finally, in desperation, she called the 700 Club and spoke with a counselor who prayed with her. She prayed to receive Christ but "thought nothing happened."

Eventually, she ended up at a New Age camp. Sitting by the lake one day, talking with one of the leaders, the woman looked at her and said, "There is a beam of light coming down from the sky going through you. When you get up from here, you will have so much joy and the things that have bothered you will be past." Even though the woman was not a believer, and had no idea about the light she saw, she spoke the truth of God. This young woman walked away inflamed by Christ, filled with forgiveness, and in love with our Lord. 

Last night, she prayed with me and for me, speaking great truth into my life. Today, she shared her amazing story of redemption and deliverance with me. This beautiful woman is radiantly in love with Christ, redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, and freed from the years of seeking. She has found her King and has dedicated her life to serving Him. 

This former Muslim has a relationship with Christ that those of us who have grown up in the church would do well to emulate. We, who have so many advantages, do not adequately treasure that for which she sought so long. Oh, dear ones, that same Lord who spoke truth to a Muslim teenager, who orchestrated every step along her path to Him, longs to do the same for all of His children. May we relinquish ourselves to Christ with the abandon of our Savior who held nothing back in His quest of redemption, purchasing our pardon with His own dear blood. 

The Journey, part 30: recognition

And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, "Who do the people say that I am?" They answered and said, "John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again." And He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" And Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:18-20 NASB)

In a series that began with the apostles' journey of obedience, the traditional stopping point would be when those apostles returned from their travels and gave their report to Jesus. The miracle of the loaves and fish was included in our study of the journey because of one very important point. That event demonstrated the vital truth that no miracle was possible without the blessing of God, but with His blessing, no miracle was impossible. 

This verse is another natural transition point. The narrative changes here from an account of the miraculous feeding of the multitude to a discussion of whom Jesus was believed to be, and is another point before which the study of the journey of obedience might end. This passage is included because it contains a question we all must answer.

"Who do you say that I am," Jesus asked Peter. It is a question we are compelled to consider. Is He just a religious zealot? Is He a madman with delusions of grandeur? If those are true, then we must not follow Him, for He is not God. If, instead, He IS the Son of God, the Christ, the Promised Messiah, then we dare not follow Him. If His claims that He died as a sacrifice to pay our penalty for sin are true, if He was resurrected to demonstrate His power over sin and death and set us free, then a decision to follow Him is the most important decision we can ever make. If we choose to stake our eternal destiny to the claims of Jesus, then we must also stake our present life to Him as well. 

If, like Peter, we believe that He is the Christ, then we will follow, as the disciples did, in a journey of obedience that changes everything. Decisions must then be based on His will and not our own. Our sin must be relinquished and purification and sanctification must become our goal. If Jesus is who He claims to be, and if we choose to follow Him, then we cannot remain the same. Our following must lead to transformation into the very image of Christ. 

 "But who do you say that I am?"  This is the question we must answer. It is the question on which our lives, our eternity, depend. Consider well, dear ones, and be certain that you have joined your life with the only One who holds the present and the future in His nail-scarred hands.