The Worth of a Human Soul

A member of FredWes, Dale Taylor, has a ministry of writing strong Scripture-based letters to the editors in several of our area newspapers. I wanted to share his latest one with you because presents the Gospel in such a clear, concise and convicting manner. This can serve as a guide for you when you want to share the Gospel with a friend or family member!

If someone were to offer you one million dollars for one of your eyes would you take the money?What if someone offered twenty million dollars for both of your eyes would you then take the money, even if the offer was fifty million dollars?  Some may sell one eye for a million but there is a good chance no one would sell both eyes.  The reason is clear our eyes are precious to us.  If our eyes are that precious to us what must be the worth of a human soul. 

The Bible tells us in Mark 8:36-37 “For  what will  it profit a man if he  gains the whole world and loses his own soul?  Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” 

If you drove by a house and saw it on fire and a child was at one of the windows trying to get out, would you stop and try to rescue that child?  Of course you would.  If a bridge was out wouldn’t you warn people of the danger?  Yes.  This is a message of love warning people the bridge is out.  There is a fire waiting to consume you, and there is something far greater than your eyes.  That something greater is your eternal soul.  With every religion in the world men and women are trying to be good enough by working their way to heaven.  That is except Christianity.  The God of the Bible demands perfection and no one comes close because we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God.  In the Christian faith, God came down to earth in love to save mankind from sin.  Jesus Christ came to earth to suffer and die on a cross for the sins of the whole world.  Jesus became sin for us and we became the righteousness of Christ.  John 3:36 states, “He who believes in the Son of God has everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life,but the wrath of God abide son him.”  God wishes that none should perish but all would come to repentance.  While we were yet sinners Christ dies for us.  Pure unconditional love suffered and died on a cross so all who believe in Him will have eternal life.  He asks us to believe in Him with the faith of a little child.Romans 10:9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved .For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” A prayer from your heart could be something like this, “Jesus I confess I am a sinner and I ask forgiveness.Come into my life and be my Lord and Savior.  I surrender all my heart to You and ask to be filled with Your Holy Spirit of love and power.  Thank You Jesus for saving me.” 

Eyes are precious but receiving Jesus Christ as your savior for the payment of your sins and the salvation of your soul is the greatest gift in all of life.  To save yourself from the burning fires of hell is a free gift of grace by faith in Jesus Christ.  This was written in the love of Jesus so whoever believes and puts their trust in the Son of God will escape the broken bridge that leads down to destruction.  

“Enter by the narrow gate, (Jesus is the gate) for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, there are many who go in by it.  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” Matthew 7:13-14.

The Bible says that angels rejoice in heaven over one sinner coming home.  May there be rejoicing in heaven.   

The Original Loaf of Wonder Bread

"Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him." Matthew 4:1-11

Pride entered the world largely because of a lust for three things (if even to varying degrees); 

power

prestige

possessions

Any one of those alone can tempt you toward pride. The combination of one or two more is deadly.

Lucifer couldn't resist their attraction. Neither could Adam or Eve.

You must kill your pride before it kills you! 

If you are going to kill it you must learn how to resist the powerful lure of those temptations.

The temptation to pride is very strong in all of its forms. But we have a Savior Who is stronger than the temptation to power or prestige or possessions! We know that because we have the Biblical record to prove it!

At the beginning of His earthly ministry Jesus withdrew to a remote wilderness location to fast, pray and prepare for temptation.

Forty days later, when the Tempter showed up, notice what he used to tempt the Savior.

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

What is this temptation?

Is it not the temptation of power?

Jesus had power. A lot of power! He could have spoke the word and the stone would have become the original loaf of "wonder bread"!

But, the lure of the Tempter was the misuse of His power for selfish purposes.

Jesus WAS hungry and He WAS able but He chose NOT to be self-serving with His power. 

To overcome the power of this temptation Jesus leaned on the power of the Scripture, "Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."

You too will be tempted with power. You will be offered power or to misuse your power in exchange for what the devil may offer.

Today, will you follow Jesus' example and resist the temptation to abuse power or to be tempted by power by depending on Scripture?

April 12, 2016

"Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat." Matthew 8:24

Have you ever been so frightened that you physically shook?

I have and it is an awful feeling. It takes a powerful fear to bring that sort of reaction.

From what I see in this story, the disciples might have been shaking with fear.

Interestingly, the Greek word for "fierce" used here is "seismos". You might recognize it in conjunction with "seismology", the study of earthquakes or "seismograph", an intrument for measuring the intensity of earthquakes. So, this was a storm that literally shook the waters! And it got them shaking as well.

Another insightful fact about this word is that it is only used two other times by Matthew in his Gospel.

Once is in Matthew 27:51-54 in reference to Jesus' death on Calvary, "At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people. The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

The other use occurs in Matthew 28:2 - "Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it."

So, God knows how to shake things up! He shook the waters and He shook the earth! People noticed and people changed!

Has God ever shaken your world? Is He shaking it now? What is your response? Is it fear? Maybe He is trying to shake the fear out of you!

The message of the storm is, "Fear not when Jesus is in your boat"! He is stronger than the storm.

The message of Calvary is, "Fear not, Jesus has conquered your sin"! His holiness is stronger than your sin!

The message of the Resurrection is, "Fear not, Jesus has conquered death!" His life is more powerful than death!

God's earth-shaking message is, "Fear not! I have overcome the storm, the sin and the sentence of death!"

So, why should you be shaking? If there is a storm in your life right now, or if something has shaken your world, maybe it is God's "seimos" sent to shake the fear out of you and remind you that Jesus is in your boat! Fear not! Speak to Jesus and let Him speak His power to your fear!

The one who should be shaking is the devil!

The Good Shepherd

^“Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:7-15

Like the sheep in Psalm 23 you should be one satisfied sheep! 

I have spent the better part of this week reminding you of how good your Shepherd is! So, if there is still anxiety or discontent stirring in your soul it could be that you are not following Him as well as you should!

May I share a true story to further illustrate the blessings and benefits of following this Shepherd Who is a personal shepherd and a powerful shepherd and a promising shepherd? 

Here it is:

In 1972, a shepherd had brought his sheep into a walled-off, enclosed area for the night, and he had just gone to sleep when he heard a commotion. He quickly rushed over to where the sound was coming from and to his horror he discovered that a wolf was in the process of dragging off one of his sheep through a hole in the wall. He was mauling this sheep and blood was flying.

The shepherd quickly began hitting the wolf, and the wolf turned on him and began attacking him. He bit him over and over while the shepherd was striking him with his staff, and finally with one final blow of his staff, he killed the wolf as he himself collapsed into a bloody heap.

He managed to crawl over to the half-dead sheep, and began to bandage its wounds.

He gave it some water, and then took it in his own bloody arms, and shepherd and sheep went to sleep together. The next morning the shepherd was found dead, his body literally draped over the sheep to comfort it and keep it warm. The following day the headline in the Jerusalem paper said, 

“Sheep Alive, Covered in Shepherd’s Blood.”

That is the testimony of every sheep and lamb who is under the care of the Good Shepherd. 

Why would you not follow Him closely? 

Why would you not completely trust a Shepherd like that?

Any other shepherd is a hireling who comes to steal, abuse, or kill the sheep. There is no comparison between the Good Shepherd and any other. There is really no comparison between sheep under the care of the Good Shepherd and those who are not. You can tell the difference by looking! There is a noticeable difference!

As the storm clouds gather and the threats increase and the world becomes significantly more dangerous, you cannot afford to be led or cared for by anyone other than the Good Shepherd because no matter how perilous the times that lay ahead - IF THE LORD IS YOUR SHEPHERD, YOUR FUTURE IS YOUR FRIEND!

Hallelujah!

April 10, 2016

"And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:8

If you have ever struggled with pride (and if you haven't it is nothing to be proud of) you know how insidious and ingrained it is within the human nature.

Sin originated from pride. The pride that led to the introduction of sin was a desire to "be like the Most High". Lucifer's haughty spirit decieived him into believing he could actually lift himself above God.

So, if you were going to unravel the power of pride how would you go about it? You would make an anti-pride decision. That's exactly what Jesus did! HE WAS GOD, but he humbled Himself to become a man! In the incarnation God pulled a 180 degree move against the essence of pride!

In this short yet profound verse you can find an effective anti-pride strategy. If you want to defeat the pride problem in your life here is a plan of attack. Here is the attitude for overcoming pride and the activity for destroying pride within the space of a sentence. You could say it is a death sentence within a sentence!

The attitude for defeating pride is obedience. Pride rebels against authority and refuses to yield to the demands of a Sovereign God. The notion that you can sin without any consequences is a powerful deception that is fueled purely by pride.

Lucifer's desire to escape God's authority and avoid accountability were fueled by his pride. If he could become like the "Most High" he could call the shots and no one could call him on it!

It was that same lie Lucifer sold to Adam and Eve in the Garden through the subtleties of a serpent and planted that corrupt notion in the human spirit for all of time. You inherited it so did I.

Answer this, "What would you do if you were sure you could get away with it?"

See what I mean?

No one ever sinned by being obedient to the Word of God or the Spirit of God. They never will!

Obedience delivers you from pride every time it's tried!

So, what is the activity that overcomes pride? It is dying to self and to sin.

"Aren't those the same?" you ask.

Not necessarily!

Sin is the desire to be like like God and to live independently from Him. We have already traced that.

Self can be right in its desires but wrong in its judgment. This distinction is made in this well-known Proverb:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6

So God became man to destroy the power of sin and the power of sin is pride! Jesus not only did it but He shows you how to do it! Employ the anti-pride strategy of obedience to God and death to self!

Give it a try unless you are too proud......

April 9, 2016

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8

This pride thing is powerful! REALLY powerful! You might say that pride is holding the remote control for your life.

You are born into it and unless you do something very radical you will die in it. 

One exercise I am suggesting to help you take the remote control out of pride's hand is to ask yourself three soberly serious questions:

How does pride manifest itself in my life?

How does pride masquerade itself in my life?

And a third question, how long will I allow pride to hold the remote in my life?

Pride is a prison. It shuts you in and shuts God and others out of your life. So, how long do plan to stay in prison imprisoned by your pride? How long? 

Another day?

A week?

A month?

A year?

How long?

Why not break free from the prison of your pride?

Freedom is a decision made possible by the radical humility displayed by Jesus. He gave up the glory of God's perfect paradise and and came to earth as a man just so He could humble Himself to death on a cross.

The One who had every reason to be proud humbled Himself in every way He could in order to break the power of pride in His life and in yours!  He who deserved to be honored and worshiped instead can to be a servant to those who despised Him.

Humility is the anti-pride! Whenever I am tempted to a prideful spirit I immediately begin looking around for a way to humble myself.

God had very right to demand us sinners seek Him and repent of our sins and seek to reconcile with Him. But he didn't wait on you He initiated the reconciliation! He rebuked the paralysis of pride and humbly came as a servant!

Pride says, "Wait on them to apologize to you!" Jesus says, "Don't wait - initiate!" Think about the powerful implications this would have in your relationships!

What if you fought through your prideful emotions and declared your decision to break out of your prison of pride?

What if you stood up to your prideful self and proclaimed:

PRIDE YOU ARE NOT!

• My Master
• My Boss
• My Warden
• My Boyfriend 

What if you told your pride, "Pride, I am not waiting on that person to reconcile with me. I am going to take the initiative to humbly serve that person in hopes that I can reconcile and repair that broken relationship!"

Honestly, you could do that couldn't you?

It wouldn't feel good. It would be hard. But you could do it if you decided you wanted to.

So, why wouldn't you do it?

What are you waiting for?

The Pride Masquerade

"Pride comes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18

Pride is the root of sin and you are born with a sinful nature so pride is as natural to you as breathing.

I am not talking about the pride that is proud of your family or your country or things that motivate and inspire you. I am talking about pride that destroys and divides.

The problem with pride is it closes you in while it closes God and others out.

Like the sin nature itself, unless you kill pride it will kill you!

I am sharing three questions to help you deal with your pride before it does you in.

Honest questions are a good way to bring you to honest revealing insights into your struggles with pride.

The question from yesterday's post was "How does pride manifest itself in you?"

Today's question is similar but goes a layer deeper: 

"How does your pride masquerade itself in you?"

Once you are confronted by the ugliness of your pride you either have to deal with it or disguise it as something more acceptable.

Let me share several ways pride masquerades itself into more acceptable forms.

"Its not pride, its confidence!"

Confidence is a not a bad thing if it is based upon your confidence in God and from your faith. But any confidence that arises out of your talent, or your intelligence, or your level of education, or your success is not actually confidence it is pride.

"It's not pride, its competitiveness!" 

You tell yourself that you're not proud you are simply competitive. But why are you competitive? Is it because you don't want to look bad? Is it because you want to make the other guy look bad? It is because you feel bad when you lose and good when the other guy loses? 

Are those not reflections of pride?

"I'm not proud just because I make comparisons!"

When you compare your personal worth based on the worth of others that is a pride issue.

When you build your self-worth on how your abilities or your success or your IQ compares with another you are probably motivated by pride. 

Again, I ask you, "How does your pride masquerade itself in your life?"

Are you dealing with your sin or are you trying to disguise it?

That's a crucially important question!