It's Hot

It has been so hot lately.  Today I had to help a friend outdoors, so I got up at 6am to avoid some of the heat.  I worked until 11am, came home, took a shower, and laid down for a half hour.  After lunch, I was back at it at 2pm.  And it was even hotter!  The noonday heat reminded me of the woman of Sychar in John 4 who came out at noon to carry water.  But why would she come to the well at the hottest part of the day?  The only logical reason was that she wanted to avoid the other women of the city.  This woman had been married multiple times and was currently living with a man.  I’m sure she got plenty of cold stares from the other self-righteous ladies.  But Jesus was not deterred.  He cared for her soul.  He asked her all the right questions, gave her all the right answers, and turned her life around.  The woman ended up telling everyone about Jesus.  She said in John 4:29, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?”  Jesus truly is the Christ: The Savior of the world!  This streetwise woman recognized it, and I hope I recognize it too!  And I hope I will share this Good News with other people in my world.  Hey, that’s what I am doing right now!  Hey, why don’t you share it too?!

On a Chain

Homes in Romania are much different than homes here in the United States.  The structure is built right on the street with a solid metal gate leading into a courtyard and on into the back yard (which happens to be the only yard).  The front door is on the side of the house behind the metal gate.  So, when I came to a house and knocked on the gate, the family dog started to bark, and the homeowner knew that someone was at the gate.  I never know how big the dog is; they all sounded big and dangerous behind ta gate.  Pastor Florin’s dog, Rex, was a good-sized dog.  But I didn’t need to be fearful to enter Brother Florin’s gate because Rex was on a chain near the back of the patio beside a path that led to the garden.  To walk into the back yard, I had to stay on the path so as not to get too close to Rex.  Rex would snarl and snap at me, but he was on a chain.  I was afraid of him, but I didn’t need to be afraid of him because he was on a chain.  Hey, that’s exactly how we Christians are with Satan.  Satan deceives us and causes us much pain and suffering.  Satan is a formidable foe, but he is no match for Jesus Christ.  John said in Revelation 20:1&2, “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.”  Just like Rex on a chain, Satan is on a chain and can only go as far as God allows.  God even uses Satan to accomplish His will.  But someday, Satan will be banished to the pit where he deserves to be.  And God will wipe away all tears.  What a day that will be!  So, don’t be afraid of Satan; God has him on a short chain.  But be fearful of Almighty God.  Don’t ever forget: God has Satan under His control.

Genetics

My mother’s father, my Papaw Epperly, was a plumber.  I still have many of his tools.  He was deferred from service in WWII because of a genetic skin disorder.  When his feet got hot or chaffed, they developed painful blisters.  But he still wanted to serve his country, so he moved his wife and two daughters to Richlands, North Carolina and helped to build the Camp Lejune Marine Base.  He passed on the skin disorder to one of his two daughters, my Aunt Ilene.  She passed the disorder on to her daughters and her son.  They passed it on to some of their children, Papaw’s great grandchildren.  But Papaw passed on problems greater than genetic diseases; he passed on his sin nature.  And he got his sin nature form his great great grandfather, Adam.  Paul said in Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”  But how can this sin problem be conquered?  Well, that’s where Jesus Christ comes in.  If we trust in Jesus as our Savior, we can be born again into God’s forever family.  We are accepted into God’s spiritual family, and we receive God’s Spirit - God’s genetics!  And when we get to heaven, we will be perfect in Jesus Christ!  What a day that will be!