Baby It's Cold Outside!

Baby, It’s Cold Outside!
Our thermometer read 23 degrees this morning.
For someone in Alaska that may not seem very cold, but for a Tar Heel that is cold. The weatherman is talking about an arctic blast that came our way and of another that will be here in a day or two. When we moved to North Carolina, we were hoping that we left arctic blasts far behind.
Real cold is uncomfortable. Real heat may seem uncomfortable, but it is not the same as cold. When the temperature dips, the weather begins to hurt. When the temperature begins to rise, the temperature makes us sweat. There is a big difference.
That is not to say that when the temperature goes very, very high, it is more comfortable than when it is low. When we arrived in South Africa the last time, the first Sunday we were there the temperature was about 104 degrees Fahrenheit. It was hot. We didn’t have any air conditioning in our church so, even though the fans helped, it was hot.
It makes me realize how much I don’t want to spend eternity with the heat of a burning fire welcoming each morning, evening, and night. Nobody will turn off the heat and there will be no respite from it. Day after day. Night after night. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. It will all be the same.
What will it be like in heaven? We don’t know many details about the heat or cold, but my assumption is that heaven will have a very even, pleasant temperature. In fact, we may not feel heat or cold. Our bodies will not be like the ones we have now. We won’t feel any pain so it will never be too cold or too hot.
It seems to me that going to heaven or hell is not something to take a chance about. God has promised that all who are His children will go to heaven and spend eternity with Him. There are those who are not sure about God, but He is not someone to ignore. He has promised that all those who ignore Him will spend eternity in that terrible, terrible eternal heat. Don’t risk it. Will it really hurt to take God at His Word and trust Him today?

Whose Day is It?

The sky is grey.
The drizzle has started.
It is one of those kind of days.
What am I supposed to do?
I have several choices.
I can go back in the den, turn on the TV, and mope over my fate to have to live in this day that is gloomy and grey. What happens when I do that? I wind up feeling just like the day and act like I have no reason for living in a day like this.
But, wait a minute. The Bible says, “Rejoice always.” Today is part of the always, isn’t it? The Bible does not make any exception for a grey and gloomy day. But how can I rejoice when the day is so much of a downer.
A good way to start is to remember who made the day. The Bible says, “This is the day the Lord hath made.” That appellation applies to every day that we live. If it is bright or gloomy, it is the day that the Lord hath made. In face, that verse goes on to say, “Rejoice and be glad in it.”
That kind of puts a new perspective on things. That means that we should let the temperature, climate, rain, clouds, sunshine, rainbows, etc. determine what our day will be. We need to live the day knowing that God has made it just the way it is and He knows what is best for His children on this day.
That raises another question. Are you His child? You may think that the answer to that question is, “We are all God’s children. He made us.” It is true that He made us, but something happened that means that we have a common heritage, but we are no longer His children. Because of what happened back in the Garden of Eden, we are all born in sin, and the Bible says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
That makes it hard to rejoice in this day. What does it matter if He made the day, but I am not His child. That makes the day more gloomy than the weather. That is true, but listen to this. God has made it possible for you to become His child. That was the whole purpose of Christmas. God sent His Son into the world to die. Jesus lived a sinless life and He did not die a martyr’s death. He died a sacrificial death. He actually died a death that we all deserve to die, but He did it so we don’t have to do it. In fact, we could not do it. We would have to live a perfect life in order to die for our sins.
That is really something to think about on this gloomy day, or, for that matter, on any kind of day. When we experience that new birth in Christ, we become a child of God and we can say with the psalmist, “This is the day the Lord hath made, I will rejoice in it.”
All of a sudden those grey clouds look pretty good. That drizzle is delightful. We are ready to sing and “rejoice always.” The amazing thing is that for many people, the bright and beautiful days are gloomy because they have no hope. The salvation that Jesus offers is one of hope and joy. It will put a spring in your step that the weather can’t bother. When you come to know Him, you can say with me, “My Father is the King. My riches are eternal. My hope is unlimited. Today is just like any other day. It is the day that the Lord has made. I WILL rejoice.

Who Can Be Saved?

People have trouble in understanding that they are appropriate candidates for God’s salvation. We give many different explanations as to why someone is not the right person to find God and trust Him for their eternal destiny. We think that there people who are not good enough so they can’t get past all the bad things they have done and just believe. We think that some people are too good and don’t understand their need for the Savior. We think that some people have waited too long and have lost the opportunity to believe. Then we think that there are some who are too young to come to know Christ.
The fact of the matter is that it does not matter what we think. What is important is what God thinks. The Bible clearly tells us that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” What does the word “whosoever” mean? Does it mean all those who are good enough or those who are bad enough? Does it mean all those who are young enough or are old enough? It is obvious that the word “whosoever” means “whosoever.”
The Bible describes children coming to Christ. It tells us of the thief on his cross who trusted Christ and Jesus confirms his belief. The book tells us of the rich people who came to Christ. It describes the woman at the well who lived an unholy life, but trusted Christ and brought the Samaritan city out to introduce them to the one who saved her. The Bible describes those who were desperately sick and without hope, but found hope in Christ. The list goes on and on helping us to see the all inclusive nature if whosoever.
Many people become hung up on the word “election,” feeling that we can’t know whom God chooses so we better not ask them to believe. A friend of mine once observed that it is strange how many people become the “elect” when we tell them about the Savior.
I am sure of this: Whatever the word “election” means, if you want to believe, God wants you to believe. The Bible tells us that God loves the world and He would that all men would come to Him. The great salvation verse of John 3:16 suggest that “whosoever” believes will have eternal life.
God’s gracious offer of a new life here and an eternal life with Him is available to whosoever believes. Isn’t that great? This old sin cursed world implants itself on every one of us and tries to keep us from taking that step of belief. The Spirit of God cries out, “Repent, Believe.” There’s a decision to be made. Either we listen to the world or we listen to God.