Only Child

January 10 was my youngest son’s birthday.  It’s hard to think of my baby boy turning 37 years old.  Wow! If he is that old then I must be … well, let’s not go there.  I remember when my dear wife, Kathy, was pregnant with our second child, Phillip.  She said, “I love our daughter Becky so much.  I don’t know if I can love another one too.”  But she did.  When Phillip was born, she loved him too.  Kathy didn’t have to cut her love in half when the second one came along, she just seemed to have more love for him too.  And the third, and the fourth.  Her love for the first one was not diminished; her love just grew for the next one.  Hey, that’s just the way it is with God.  With each sinner born into God’s forever family, His love just grows and grows and grows.  Actually, God loved us WHILE we were sinners BEFORE we were His children.  Every moment of each day, God carefully listens to the prayers of millions of His children all at the same time.  He can, because He is God.  When I pray to God, I feel as if I were God’s only child and He is attentively listening to my each and every word that I say.  And He does.  And God listens to you just the same.  And to you, and you, and you, and …

Remember

Do you remember where you were when the Twin Towers in New York city were burned down?  I do.  I remember working at home and my dear wife calling me from school telling me that I needed to turn on the television.  Actually, I remember where I was when President John F. Kennedy was shot.  I was coming home from high school and my mother met me and my brother at the front door of our home with the news.  I remember the somber cloud grief that hung over our home that evening at supper time.  Can you imagine the doubt and fear that the disciples felt the afternoon that Jesus died?  Jesus had been their powerful leader and close friend for three years.  Then, suddenly, he was arrested, hauled into court, rushed through a mock trial, condemned to death and crucified, all in a matter of twelve hours or so.  I’m sure that they were crushed.  They cowered behind locked doors fearing that they would be next.  But then came Easter Sunday morning!  The ladies went to pack the burial shroud of Jesus with embalming spices early Sunday morning, but came running back with the unbelievable news that Jesus body wasn’t there!  Then Mary Magdalene affirmed that Jesus was alive!  She had actually spoken to Him!  Peter and John visited the tomb and confirmed that the tomb was empty.  The grave shroud was there right where it should have been, but Jesus was not there!  But then that evening, with all of the disciples in the upper room (except Thomas) Jesus Himself appeared to them!  He was alive!  Hey, Jesus IS alive!  And now, I remember where I was the day that I trusted the risen Jesus Christ as my personal Savior.  I was in the basement of Maple View Baptist Church when I was gloriously born again!  Have you been born into God’s forever family?  Message me right now and I can tell you how you can.  And today will be a day for you to remember!

Prophecy

Nearly 75 percent of the population belongs to one of five main religions in the world: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity.  But of all of the holy books of the world religions, only Judaism and Christianity contain prophecy.  That’s because not everyone can predict the future.  Only God can do that.  More than 500 years before Christ, Zechariah prophecies in 12:10 “…and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”  More than 1,000 years before Christ, King David prophecies in Psalm 22:16 “… the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.”  When Zechariah and King David lived, execution was done by stoning, not by crucifixion.  The Romans and Crucifixion were centuries away.  How did Zechariah and King David know that?  Well, actually, they didn’t - but God did.  And God told Zechariah and King David what to write and centuries later it came to pass.  So, what does your future look like?  Are you going to spend eternity in heaven with God?  The choice is up to you.