Speak Up

Luke 18:27 But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Yesterday I disappeared into the hills of Virginia to escape the stresses and strains of this city and lifestyle. I find God’s peace in the hills; some feel it at the sea, I feel it in the wilderness and peace of the woods and fields of the country living that reminds me of how I grew up. Life slows down, anxieties disappear, and I am able to see how God designed and wired me for that lifestyle. I am battling what I define as my mid-life crisis; questioning everything past, present, and future, of what I deemed the midway evaluation. With my open battles of anxiety and depression, Satan has seen this review as a great time to elevate his attacks; he is the “accuser of the brethren,” and he has done great work at pointing out my countless faults for my first almost 50 years. It has been a very rough season.

Any road trip I take, I always listen to blends of the audio Bible, and many sermons on podcasts and radio. Yesterday I listened to many a great message; some powerful expositions on many a tough subject, I listened to how through all of them, God is in control. I reflected so much on what I see today, of how many are being led astray by the false prophets of our day. I see a nation seeking self pleasure (blessings) while not living our lives as humble servants to the One who grants us eternal life. I love the sermons by pastors that preach the offending Truth that liberates the sinner. Their is an exclusivity in Jesus’ Gospel, but there is also an open invitation for all to repent and believe. There is only One way to heaven (John 14:6), and he demands we understand and accept that; Jesus Christ died and rose from the dead to prove it. The gospel of Jesus Christ offends the world, and we live in a nation that seeks to offend nobody. We are seeing the opening doors of persecution in our nation of Bible believing Christians, and we will see many a Christian leader fall when they succumb to what the nations leaders demand, and water down the truth as not to offend.

The parable of the rich young ruler in Luke 18 is a sad story. It is a parable of someone who thought they had everything, and yet had nothing. It was a parable of someone who seemed extravagantly religious, yet his faith was weak and eternally condemned him. We never read of the rich young ruler finding repentance, we never hear of him humbling himself and accepting Jesus Christ as his savior, the story seems to have an eternally sad ending. Luke 27 though is so steep in theology, the complexity of God’s sovereign will on display, many a person are lost in what it means. Many a road have been traveled arguing the saint’s responsibility to evangelize, while others argue God will do what he has already set to do for all of time, before time began. J.I. Packers book, Knowing God, lays out the simplicity of it, of how God created us to draw glory to himself, and we do so by living our lives for him, sharing of him, and letting him decide what to do. How will the sinner ever hear of Jesus’ salvation unless the saint speaks of Him?