Open Manholes

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of coffee or tea in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

It happens in an instant. One minute you’re walking and whistling, the next you’re wide-eyed and falling. Satan yanks back the manhole cover, and an innocent afternoon stroll becomes a horror story. Such is the pattern of sudden sin. This demon of hell can penetrate the deepest faith, and desecrate the purest home.

Want to sharpen your defenses a bit? Recognize Satan. Rip off his mask. Look him squarely in the eye and call his bluff. “Get behind me, Satan!” And…accept God’s forgiveness. Romans chapters 7-8 declare the Emancipation Proclamation for those of us who have a tendency to tumble. “Thanks be to God, who delivers us through Jesus Christ our Lord!. . .therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 7:25-8:1 NIV).

Claim the promise. Praise the Lord. And…watch out for open manholes!

From: God Is With You Everyday, by Max Lucado

The Darkness Of Hell

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

                                   " . . . . they shall never see light!"  Psalm  49:19 kjv

     There is a certain horror about absolute darkness that throws a chill over the human soul; for man was made to live in the light!  Heaven is always depicted as a place of eternal brightness where there is "no night.." The psalmist, however, declares that the wicked shall "never see light" ; and Jesus warns that they shall be cast into "outer darkness"!  What a horror of blackness that will be when each doomed soul is curtained off from every other in an eternity of utter loneliness.

     Recently I was in a cave in Kentucky.  When we had gone deep into the bowels of the earth through many winding passageways, the guide suddenly turned off all the lights and said,  "I alone know the way out.  If I were to leave you in this dark chamber, you would probably never make your way to the surface.  Those who have been lost in this cavern have become insane inside of a week from the oppressive loneliness and the maddening, incessant drip of the water from the roof.  Be quiet for a moment and feel the darkness!"  I remember my youngster clutching my arm.  Soon terror began to edge its way into all of our hearts.  After about thirty seconds, someone in the party could endure the ordeal no longer and whimpered piteously,  "Turn on the light!  I'm going crazy NOW!"  The guide laughed, but none of us will ever forget that eerie experience.  I thought of the "outer darkness" of an eternal Hell and shuddered!

     An evangelist once encountered a skeptic who, when asked to receive Christ, said,  "I'm not afraid of Hell - all the Hell we get is here on earth!  The preacher's reply was quick and devastating.  "I'll give you three reasons why this cannot be Hell.  First, I am a Christian, and there are no Christians in Hell!  Secondly, there is a place just around the corner where you can slake your thirst, but there is no water in Hell!  Thirdly, I have been preaching Christ to you, and there is no Gospel in Hell!"  Friend, would you escape the eternal darkness of Hell?  Receive Christ who is the Light!

"Bread For Each Day"

God's Part And Man's Part

Come, sit, and enjoy a cup of tea or coffee in the comfort of the Lord:  "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."  Ephesians  4:31

" . . . take a lamb.
  . . . And ye . . . shall kill it.
And they shall take of the blood.
 . . .  strike the lintel and the two side posts."
                                                    Exodus  12:3,6,7,22

     What a flurry of sudden activity among the slaves of Egypt!  Nine plagues or judgments had fallen upon the Egyptians.  Water into blood, frogs, lice swarms of flies, pestilence among cattle, boils on men and beasts, hail and fire, locusts, and three days darkness.  In all this Israel was safe, though they did nothing to prevent the judgment from touching them.  They just sat still - God did it all for them.  It was not because they were better than the Egyptians, but it was all God's sovereign grace.  It was simply because God had chosen them and put a difference between the Egyptians and the children of Israel.

     Now notice the change in the last and final judgment - the death of the firstborn!  Here it was not a matter of sitting still and letting God do it all.  Now they must do something.  Take a lamb - kill it - take the blood - sprinkle it on the doorposts - stay inside - eat the lamb - and be ready to go.  The first nine judgments speak of sovereign grace.  The last one emphasizes Israel's part - faith.  It all comes down to a matter of faith.  If they did not believe Moses, they would not act, but just sit still as before.  God's grace was their protection, but it must be received by faith.  You can go to Hell by hiding behind the sovereignty of God.  You must believe and act.  We often hear it said, you do nothing to be saved.  The truth is you do nothing to be lost! You are already lost - you do nothing to be lost.  But you must do something about it to be saved.  Not work, but believe.  Listen to Paul in answer to the question:  What must I do to be saved?  "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!"

"Bread For Each Day"