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Showing posts from November, 2020

For You

"He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless spotless Lamb of God. God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you." I Peter 1:19-20 As we opened the front door, we were met by our daughter who was wearing a gigantic grin on her face. A wonderful smell filled the air. We walked into the kitchen which was immaculately clean where the table was set with a nice tablecloth, linen napkins, flowers, and candles with instrumental jazz completing the atmosphere. The meal was delicious and the fellowship sweet. "I just wanted to do something special for you." she said.    As Peter was writing to Jesus followers who were in the fires of persecution, he wanted to remind them of how much God loved them. He was very detailed about it so they wouldn't miss a thing. He's loved you from before the beginning. He spared no expense in covering your d

Watchman

"Now, son of man, I am making you a watchman for the people of Israel. Therefore, listen to what I say and warn them for me." Ezekiel 33   I read a story some time ago about Alexander the Great. One restless night he walked out of his tent to stroll through the camp of his massive army. He came upon one of the soldiers on guard duty who was sound asleep. After being woken up, the man was mortified as the punishment was immediate execution. Alexander looked him in the eyes and demanded his name. "Alexander," the man sheepishly replied. After a brutally painful pause, Alexander the Great said, "It's time for you to live up to your name."   Ezekiel the Prophet had a seriously tough job. Time and again the Lord gave him some of the most difficult and unusual assignments that a prophet had been given in the Bible. In today's chapter, we find Ezekiel given another responsibility -- Watchman. He now carried the extra burden of non-stop guard duty. He was

Sin and Salvation

"...so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him." Hebrews 9   Movie makers have long ago recognized the profitability of sequels. When a movie hits it big, the wheels start spinning. Possible story lines begin to develop that bring back these now loved characters and their adventures. In high school, I was taken in hook, line and sinker with the "Back to the Future" series and "The Raiders of the Lost Ark" series. Secretly, I keep hoping to see Marty McFly and Indiana Jones on the big screen one more time. The Book of Hebrews presents repeatedly the greatest sequel of all times -- the return of Jesus. In chapter nine, the author lays out clearly what Jesus' mission was the first time he came. Defeat sin. He did that on the cross and proved it by raising from the dead. Now, we wait in eager an