DEVDAS AND THE GREAT SPIRIT

Many years ago in native America, there was a great Indian chief named Kanuna. He was the husband of a beautiful young woman named Salani. One day the Great Spirit blessed them with a wonderful baby boy. On the seventh day after his birth, Kanuna dedicated the baby to the Great Spirit and called his name Atsadi. His parents were so proud of him. The boy grew up and became a great man that the whole tribe loved, and respected. In adulthood, he became known as Devdas. When chief Kanuna died suddenly, everyone expected Devdas to become chief, but he refused. He chose another great man named Ashwin to take his place as chief. This was not the way of the tribe, but Devdas had known for some time that the Great Spirit had other plans for his life.

Many moons before his father, chief Kanuna died, Atsadi had a dream. In the dream, he saw a man in a white robe walk into his village. The man walked up to him and handed him a small black book and told him that the Great Spirit sent him and wanted Atsadi to share the book with all his people. The very next day, a group of Christians came to the village. They told the tribe about a God who loves everyone and became a man and lived on earth, and sacrificed himself to save the world. When they showed them the Bible, Atsadi knew the Great Spirit had sent the men, and he knew what he had to do. So, instead of preparing to become chief, he chose to follow Jesus and teach his people about him.

Atsadi was baptized in Fox River and became a Christian. He began translating the Bible into his native tongue and teaching his tribe about Jesus. He established a church there and started traveling to neighboring clans preaching and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. In a few short years, he had planted eight churches and introduced thousands to Jesus, including his friend Ashwin, and chief Kanuna.

It’s amazing how God works to spread the gospel across the world and there are many other stories like this one. I heard one story about an evangelist who went to a large city and preached to large crowds of people night after night for a week. At the end of the week, only one young man accepted Jesus and was baptized. The preacher felt like a failure. In the eyes of many, he was a failure on that trip. But God doesn’t measure success or failure by numbers. That young man went on to become an evangelist himself, and over his lifetime, he led thousands to Jesus. We don’t know exactly what God has planned for our lives, but we do know that he has a plan. All we need to do is follow him, and allow him to use us in his plan.

Many times it may mean changing plans we have laid out for ourselves, or even giving up our dreams. We may have to abandon a long line of tradition like Atsadi did. In Bible times, many people even changed their names when they met God like Atsadi did. By the way, Atsadi means fish. Devdas, the name he embraced as an adult, means Servant of God.

Today, when we commit our lives to following God, we get a new name. We become “Christians” which means “Christ-Like”, or “Like Christ.” The name, in and of itself, doesn’t make us anything. Our commitment to God and the new nature he gives us are what count. As born-again believers, we have our names in the Book of Life, and if we endure until the end, we will live forever with him (Matthew 24:13). That will more than makeup for anything we may have to give up or change.

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THE PLAGUE OF SIN

Sin is a plague, and we are all infected. The entire earth is under quarantine, because of this disease. The only antidote is the blood of Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God. He offers this cure to every human being on the planet, free of charge. God has vowed to destroy sin from the universe one day, and he will do that by burning the entire earth, at the second coming. The sad thing is, ALL those who have rejected the antidote, will still be infected at that time. Sadly, they will have to be burned along with sin to wipe out the plague forever.

We don’t have to end up in that cleansing lake of fire. 1 John 4:9 says, “In this, the love of God was manifested toward us because God sent his only begotten Son into the world so we might live through him.” That’s not talking about just living here on earth. It means we can live forever, with Jesus our Lord, and Savior. The one who loves us so much that he suffered and died to save us from the power and the consequences of sin.

Soon, Jesus will return to earth to rescue us from this plague. If we are still holding on to sin, then we will be destroyed along with it. Not because God is mean, or sadistic, but because we have allowed sin to become part of us, and God has set a time to destroy it. Jesus wants to set us free from sin and give us eternal life so we can spend eternity with him. He pleads with every person on earth to turn from sin and be saved. The love that our creator has for us is beyond our understanding. Even though we sin, and reject him over, and over again, he still loves us. When we realize he has that kind of love for us, it causes us to love him. When we truly realize how wretched, vile, and sinful we truly are in God’s sight, then see that he loves us anyway, it’s so amazing.

We have to be holy in God’s eyes to be saved in the end, but there’s no way we can possibly do that on our own. We have to be covered by the blood of Jesus, the holy Son of God. We have to believe in him and ask for his forgiveness, and he will hear us and save us (John 3:16, Romans 1:16). Then he will place a robe of righteousness on us. He becomes our substitute. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Eternal death. We have all earned death. We deserve to die because we have broken God’s law. This is called sin.

For sin to be forgiven, it requires a blood sacrifice. This was symbolized in the Old Testament sacrificial system, where animals were sacrificed for the sins of the people. It sounds archaic now, and maybe a little morbid, but God has a reason for everything he does. The sanctuary services represent the plan of salvation. If you want to understand this plan more fully, just study the sanctuary service in the old testament.

Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus, the pure, holy Lamb of God, left heaven and came to earth, lived a sinless life, suffered, and died. In this, he became the ultimate sacrifice for sin. We don’t sacrifice animals today because the blood of Jesus is all we need. He died for us all. He died in our place. God gave his only Son so you and I would not have to pay for our own sins (Luke 24:46-47). Now, all we need to do to receive forgiveness for those sins is to be sorry and want to stop sinning, then tell him so (Acts 3:19). He will apply his sacrifice to our account, and our debt will be cleared, and God sees us as holy. We are free from the plague of sin and have eternal life. Amazing. Right?

One day soon, the trumpet will sound from heaven (Matt. 24:31, 1 Cor. 15:52). The sky will burn (2 Pet. 3:10-11), and we will see Jesus coming in the clouds (Rev. 1:7, Matt. 24:30, 1 Thes. 4:16-17). What a glorious sight that will be to the ones who have been freed from sin by the shed blood of God’s Son, but for those who have refused his free, cleansing gift of salvation, it will be a day of sadness, and tears.

Malachi 4:1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

Isaiah 13:9-13 says, “Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel, both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.”

In Ezekiel 33:11, God says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked:”

The fact is, hell fire was designed for Satan, who started the sin problem, and his evil angels, not for humans. Hell fire is the method God will use to destroy sin from the universe forever. Again, if we are still holding onto sin, loving sin more than God, then we will be destroyed when he destroys sin. God doesn’t want that, but the choice has to be yours. Let go of sin today. Don’t hold on to it. Don’t let sin destroy you. Accept God’s free gift today, and live forever. 

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I'M NO SAINT

“I’m No Saint, but”.... That’s usually the way the quote goes. Have you ever heard someone say that? Perhaps you’ve said it yourself. I’ve heard it many times over the years, and yes, I’ve said it myself. What does it mean? Well, when most people say it, they mean they are not perfect. Are saints perfect? Do you have to be perfect to be a saint? What exactly is a saint anyway? We’ll see what the Bible says in a minute, but first, let’s do an internet search to see what definition we come up with.

The first search result is from the Oxford Dictionaries  

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SAINT

[sant]

NOUN 

1. a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous, and typically regarded as being in heaven after death.

2. used in titles of religious saints:

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The second search result comes from Dictionary.com. 

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SAINT

[seynt]

NOUN

1. any of certain persons of exceptional holiness of life, formally recognized as such by the Christian Church, especially by canonization.

2. a person of great holiness, virtue, or benevolence.

3. a founder, sponsor, or patron, as of a movement or organization.

4. (in certain religious groups) a designation applied by the members to themselves.

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It seems there are several definitions of the word “saint.” Most of them are along the lines of the sainthood teachings of the Catholic church, but none of them agree with what the Bible says a saint is. Number 4 from Dictionary.com comes close though. It says, “(in certain religious groups) a designation applied by the members to themselves.” Some “religious” people do call themselves saints because that’s what the Bible calls us.

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. 

Psalm 50:5 Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. 

If you have been born again, you are a saint. You have made a covenant with God by sacrifice.

Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  

Ephesians 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; 

That’s awesome! We are the saints of God. That doesn’t mean we are perfect or without flaws. It’s a name God uses to describe us, like the word Christian, which means follower of Christ. The word saint means holy, but it’s God who makes us holy, not we ourselves. It’s all God. 

So the next time you hear someone say, “I’m No Saint,” you’ll know what they probably mean, and you’ll know what the Bible says. The followers of God are called saints.

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AT THE CROSS

This weekend is the anniversary of the death of Jesus, the Messiah, on a Roman cross. This is a song I wrote back in 2003, about the accomplishments of his sacrifice on that cross. I hope you enjoy reading it as a poem.

Have you been to the cross of Jesus?
Have you stood in that place of victory?
If you haven’t knelt there in His presence
Then I invite you to go there with me

At the cross, my sins are forgiven
At the cross, my blinded eyes now see
At the cross, my broken heart is mended
At the cross, I am set free

Have you been to the cross of Jesus?
Have you felt the love that He has for you?
If you haven’t yet felt His forgiveness
That’s one thing that you need to do

At the cross, our sins are forgiven
At the cross, our blinded eyes now see
At the cross, all broken heart is mended
At the cross, we are all set free

At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light
And the burden of my heart rolled away
At the cross, you can have forgiveness
Please go to the cross of Jesus today

At the cross, our sins are forgiven
At the cross, our blinded eyes now see
At the cross, all broken heart is mended
At the cross, we can all be set free

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SELF-PITY

Have you ever heard of something called Self-Pity? Have you ever experienced it? Have you ever had a pity party? Webster’s dictionary says self-pity is “a feeling of pity for yourself because you believe you have suffered more that is fair or reasonable.” *

We don’t realize it when we’re feeling sorry for ourselves, but pity parties are very destructive, not only to ourselves but to everyone around us. Here’s why.

Self-pity drains us of our physical energy. It slows us down, and we lose motivation. It affects us emotionally and often leads to depression. It affects us spiritually as well. We don’t have the energy, or the desire to do the things God wants us to do. When we’re focused on ourselves we’re not thinking about others, so our relationships suffer.

I remember a day, several years ago, I started having pains in my chest. I also had trouble breathing. I didn’t know what was going on so it scared me to death. In a few minutes, I began feeling better and in a little while, it was like it never happened. A few days I experienced the same thing again. I thought I was having heart problems, so I went to the doctor. After a thorough examination and a stress test that I thought was going to kill me, I found out it wasn’t my heart at all. I was having anxiety attacks. When I better understood my condition, I was able to deal with it differently and the attacks became less frightening and easier to handle, and soon they were coming less often. Being informed about something helps us to deal with it more effectively.

Self-pity is something that everyone can and should live without. It’s really a tool of the devil. Not just a tool, but a weapon. The sooner we realize that fact, the sooner we can be on our way to deliverance from the oppression of Satan and his evil forces.

If you ever end up in a situation where you’re feeling sorry for yourself and throwing a pity party, here are a few things that will help get you back on the right track.

Think about Jesus and the sacrifice he made so we could be free from the power of sin and oppression. Don’t allow that sacrifice to be for nothing in your life. Both God, and Satan want our allegiance, and contrary to what some believe, we have to choose one or the other. It’s a daily choice, too, not just a one-time thing. Self-pity takes our minds off this fact and puts it on ourselves. Get your mind back on God.

Change your attitude about self-pity. Ask God to help you to stop feeling sorry for yourself. Ask him to make you sick and tired of it. Ask him to deliver you from it. Recognizing where self-pity leads, and what the end results can be, we must refuse to go down that road.

Refuse to dwell on bad thoughts and feelings. That’s a hard one, but once again, the answer is found in God’s word. Philippines 4:8 tells us to think about things that are true, things are honest, things are just, things that are pure, things are lovely, things that are of good report, and things that are worthwhile and worthy of praise.

When we do this, we will not have time for self-pity. We won’t even be thinking about ourselves and our problems when we give it all to Jesus. Kick self-pity to the curb. You know you need to. Just do it. You’ll be glad you did.

* http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/self-pity

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FATHER'S DAY

Father’s Day is a special day to spend some extra time with your dad. An excuse to give him something you know he’s been needing or wanting. A special day to tell him again how much you love him and appreciate him. Does that sound about right?

I know plenty of people grow up without a dad, but many dads are there for their children and do a lot for them. They sacrifice a lot to make sure the whole family has the things they need. Things like food and clothing, and a roof over their heads. They help mothers to get the kids to school and to church, and to other places they like to go, like sports events, or a friend’s house.

Dad is there when you’re afraid. When you’re sick, when you need answers to life’s problems, or when you just need a hug. Father’s Day, once a year, gives us an opportunity to say “Thank You” to Dad for all the things he does. How did Father’s Day become so popular?

Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a “Father’s Day” in 1909. She wanted a special day to honor her dad, Civil War veteran, William Smart. His wife had died giving birth to her sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the baby and his other five children alone. After Mrs. Dodd was an adult she remembered all the sacrifices her dad had made while raising her and her siblings all by himself.

The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane Washington. Around the same time, in other towns and cities across America, other people were beginning to celebrate “Father’s Day.” In 1924 President Coolidge supported the idea of a NATIONAL Father’s Day. Finally, in 1966, President Johnson signed a proclamation that declared the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day. *

Father’s Day has been around for a while, and it’s a great time for dads, but it shouldn’t be about what we may get from our sons and daughters on our special day. Jesus said, “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.” So Dads, see what you can give your children this Father’s Day. Whether they’re 2 years old, 22, or 42. Give them a hug. Give them some extra time. Play a game. Be sure to give them your undivided attention, not just on this day, but any time they have something to say. That’s very important.

As dads, more often than not, we make mistakes with our children. That’s because we’re human. But our heavenly Father never makes a mistake. He knows what’s best for us. Although we don’t always agree with what He wants for us, we must understand that he still knows what’s best.

On this special day, if your dad is still living, go visit him and spend some time with him. That’s what I did the day I posted this, several years ago. I had no idea that it would be the last Father’s Day I would spend with him. No one lives forever, and the older your dad gets, the greater the chance he may not be here another year. If he lives too far away, be sure to give him a call. Let him know how much you appreciate him. If you don’t have a good relationship with your dad, do all you can to mend it. You’ll be glad you did. Forgiveness is a blessing, and Jesus tells us it’s very important.

The thing is, you don’t have to wait a whole year to do all these nice things for your dad or to get him something or spend time with him. Make time for him all year long. If your dad has passed away, then think about some good times you had with him, then talk to someone about him. Recalling those special times will be a blessing to you and to others as well.

As I said, some people don’t have a dad. Either he was never around, or he has passed away, or maybe you never knew him, but we still have a Father. Our heavenly Father is always there for us. We can have a Father’s Day with him every week. The seventh day Sabbath is a day that God made for us to rest and spend time with him because he loves us and wants to spend time with us.

One last note: In Matthew 23:9, Jesus says, “Do not call any man on earth FATHER because only One is your Father, and he is in heaven.” This is not a popular teaching but it’s the truth. What you do with it is up to you, but always remember your heavenly Father, and be sure to spend the day with him every Sabbath.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father’s_Day_(United_States)

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Updated July 2023

SACRIFICE

I love John 3:16. It has been one of my favorite Bible verses for as long as I can remember. It was the very first scripture I ever committed to memory. It says,

John 3:16
16 Because God loved the world so much, that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

I also like verse 17. It was the second Bible verse I memorized as a child.

John 3:17
17 Because God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.

Actually, this entire chapter is awesome. Here Jesus beautifully explains the plan of salvation to Nicodemus, the Pharisee. He reveals the story of an all-powerful God who loves us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his only Son so he could have us with him for eternity. He desires to spend time with us, just like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before they sinned. Jesus left his home in heaven, became a man, and gave his life on the cross, so we could be free from the power of sin, and live in God’s presence once again. But freedom is never free. To secure freedom of any kind, a sacrifice has to be made by someone.

A few years ago, as I was going door to door offering Bible studies, a lady asked me how much I was charging for them. When I told her they were free, she said, “nothing is free.” After thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that she was right. Nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, at some time, has to pay something for whatever is being offered for free. Someone sacrificed their time to write those study guides. Somebody sacrificed the money it took to print them, and I was sacrificing my time to present them, but they were offered to this lady, at no cost. The Salvation that God offers us cost him everything, but he offers it to us free of charge.

In Romans 6:23 we saw that “the wages of sin is death” but that’s only half of the verse. Here’s what the second half says.

Romans 6:23b
23 …but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

He offers the gift of eternal life to every person on earth. If you have never accepted that gift, it’s yours for the taking. No matter what condition you’re in right now, no matter how bad you’ve sinned, no matter what you’ve ever done in your life, he willingly offers it to you, free of charge. You don’t have to wait until you get your life straightened out, or until you become a better person, or until you get back in church. You can come to Jesus just as you are, anywhere you are, and he will change you into the person you need to be. Look at 2 Corinthians 6:2 and let’s focus on the second half of the verse.

2 Corinthians 6:2b
2 Behold, NOW is the accepted time; Behold, NOW is the day of salvation.

Now is the time. Today is the day. Make the choice, and come to Jesus today, accept his free gift, and be saved so you don’t have to suffer, and die for your sins. We face many choices in life and, unfortunately, we don’t always make the right ones, but whether or not to accept the free gift of salvation is the most important choice any of us will ever make. It literally means the difference between life and death.

Don’t wait. Life is short, and we are not promised tomorrow. The sacrifice has been made. Come to Jesus today, accept his free gift, and be saved so you don’t have to suffer the penalty for your sins.

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