Arriving at Your Destination

Arriving at Your Destination

1 John 2:28
"And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming."

   Have you ever arrived at a destination and been disappointed when you got there?  In this verse, John presents that kind of idea.  When we arrive at our eternal destination, how will we feel when we get there?
  When Jesus returns, some people will be afraid because they never really got to know Him.  Some will not be afraid, but instead will “be ashamed before Him at His coming."   They lived worldly, unfruitful lives, and now, seeing Jesus face to face, realize they have not lived for Him.  In one moment, the understanding will come to them that whatever else they accomplished in life; they did not live for Him as they should have.
   In 1 Corinthians 3:15 Paul brings up the idea of people who “barely” get saved.
If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
There are those who, when He appears, will feel disappointment rather than glory.  They will have worked but not done anything to further the Kingdom of God.  Instead of joy and happiness when seeing Christ’s face they will be filled with shame and fear.
   Then there are some I’ve heard say, "As long as I make it to Heaven I’m good!”  That’s easy to say now, but consider how small the difference between "barely saved" and "not saved" is?  Too many in the church have the attitude of, "How little can I do and still make it to heaven?" or "How far can I stray from the Shepherd and still be part of the flock?"  These are pretty dangerous questions to ask.  I once heard a (supposedly true) story about a warehouse supervisor who needed to hire a worker.  He interviewed 3 finalists and explained that he wanted to see how good a driver they were with the forklift.  He wanted them to see how close to the edge of the loading dock they could drive and not drive over the edge. Two tried and both got really close to the edge.  The third refused to try.  He got the job.  The supervisor explained to the other two he didn’t want drivers who could get close to the edge without falling off, he wanted drivers smart enough not to try.
   As I wait for Christ’s return, I don’t want to explore how far I can stray from the Shepherd nor do I want to find out how much I can do and still be forgiven for.  The best way for me to get ready for His return is to obey the directive given in 1 John 2:28.
And now, little children, abide in Him, that when[f] He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
   It won’t matter if you’ve memorized every prophecy passage in the Bible.  It won’t help to retire to a monastery, hiding away from the influence of the world.  What we must do is abide in Him.  According to the dictionary, the first definition of “abide” is: “to remain; continue; stay: Abide with me.”
   Do you have a “way up there in the sky” view of God?  That’s not how it is and is a dangerous view to adopt.  God is not, as a popular song once proclaimed, “watching us from a distance.”  Nor is life a joke as a cartoon Gary Larson did about a “kid” God playing with a galaxy.  God is close and He knows the thoughts and the intents of our hearts.  You can fake a lot of things in life, but He is not fooled by anything you do.  Now is the time to get serious about your final destination so when you get there you won’t be ashamed.

Stephen Cram                            August 28, 2011                     Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

I Want to Know You More, Really!

I Want to Know You More, Really!

Isaiah 6: 1-5 NKJV
 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
3And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
 the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”

One translation renders verse 3 as, “More holy than the holiest holiness is ADONAI-Tzva'ot! (The Lord of Hosts or the Lord Almighty) The whole earth is filled with his glory!"

   I write a lot about spending more time with God in His Presence.  But I know a couple of reasons why it’s not done more.  One reason is laziness.  We live in an instant world so we want an instant relationship with God the Father.  Why spend hours reading and praying and meditating on Him and His Word?  Just punch up a Bible passage on your laptop or tablet, scan it, and your done!  Instant Christianity!
Another reason is that spending quality time with God is a fearsome thing for most of us.  Often when I pray, I have to come face to face with unanswered questions, unresolved hurts, and unconfessed sins.  At times like this, God is not a Holy fascination but a reminder of my own shortcomings.
   I will confess that at times when I pray, I am reminded of loved ones who have passed away.  I prayed for healing for them, but they’re dead anyway.  And sometimes when I pray, I am filled with grief over broken promises and mistakes I’ve made.  Not pleasant things to be reminded of.
   And, continuing to confess here, I sense His Holiness and His Glory and sometimes it fills me with wonder and awe but sometimes it fills me with a sense of, “why am I here?  I don’t belong here!”  Talking to honest Christians I’ve found that this happens to others as well.  As opposed to the Christians who say that everything is “Fine!” all the time.  They could be in a car wreck and have a leg half torn off and if you ask them how they are, they’ll say, “Fine!”  Well, I’m not a “Fine! All the time, Fine!” kind of Christian.  I find myself filled with doubts and remorse in His Presence at times; and it’s not a comfortable feeling.
   But I really do want to know Him more.  So what do I do when my conscience bothers me when I pray?  Our conscience bothers us because we are not products of this world, but belong in another one; a holy one and a pure one, a world with this Holy God as the centerpiece. Yet we live in this world with its cesspool of sin and we get dirty, too and when we pray we know we’re not perfect and yet we’re praying to a perfect God.  It's natural for us to feel like failures as Christians because of that reason.
   If we draw close to God, and deal with the sin in our lives, and let God heal us, and accept that we will not have answers to all our questions, then we will begin to let more of Him into our hearts.  The more of God we let into ourselves, the more we will become like Him and the less we’ll feel like we belong here in this sinful world.
   If we will not meditate on Him and His word, we will never know Him.  Short Bible readings and quick, cookie-cutter prayers will not reveal God to our hearts.  The Bible speaks of Him and leads us to Him, and only through its Words will we come to know Him.  If you have never just prayed for the sake of basking in His presence, if you’ve never just wanted to look into His face, you’ll never know His joy.

Stephen Cram                         August 21, 2011                Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit the blog at http://stephencram.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment.

Worshiping the Wonder of God

Worshiping the Wonder of God

Revelation 4:8-11
8.  Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying:  "Holy, holy, holy  is the Lord God Almighty,  who was, and is, and is to come."
 9.  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,
 10.  the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
11. "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you, and by your will they were created and have their being."

5:11-14
11.  Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.
 12.  In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
 13.  Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!"
14. The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.

   Have you ever thought about this?  How can these beings praise God forever without ceasing?  We peek into eternity through the vision of Revelation.  We see angelic beings and the saints and the strange beings known as Cherubim praising God as though they have no other desire in their existence.  What could empty these beings so that they only have eyes for God and worship Him forever?
   I believe that the angels see Him in His Glory and know Him and therefore they can worship Him continually.  They are so in love with God and see His magnificence and live surrounded by His glory so that nothing else matters but worshipping Him.  Now for the big question.  Is it possible for us to know God so well that we would live to just worship Him?
   If I was to worship for an hour uninterrupted, I would feel very successful as a Christian.  But to worship for 2 hours continually would be a labor and probably tiresome.  I can't sustain that kind of attention - even to God.  Why?
   The problem is that I don't know God that well.  I’ve read the Bible cover to cover more than once and many parts to many times to count, but still do not know God that well.  I pray regularly and worship Him without restraint, but I just don’t know Him well enough.  I want to press in and see God’s glory and I have a real desire to know Him as I have never known anyone.  Until I do, I will continue to serve Him and worship Him but I will never be able to do either wholeheartedly.
   Unfortunately, we do not see God because of the awesomeness and immensity of God.  We find that we are like the six blind men who encountered an elephant for the first time.  The grope with their hands and feel various parts of the elephant, but because of its enormous size they cannot grasp the whole of the beast.  (See the end of this devotional for the complete poem.)
   Some try to know God through books and study.  Like academicians they study dusty manuscripts until with bloodshot eyes but never finding God in the writings.  This is not the way to God. Hear what a learned  theologian said about that approach.
Philippians 3:7 & 8
7. But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.
Loss?  Rubbish?  Had Paul really wasted his whole life?  According to his own testimony, yes.   As Paul found out; like so many others have found out, we can't know God from a distance.  We need to draw close.
   Worship God.  However you choose to worship Him, do so today.  The more time you spend in His presence, the more you will come to know Him.

Stephen Cram                            August 14, 2011                        Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit the blog at http://stephencram.blogspot.com/ and leave a comment.



The Blind Men and the Elephant by John Godfrey Saxe

The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee.
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," quoth he,
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

MORAL.
So oft in theologic wars,
The disputants, I ween,
Rail on in utter ignorance
Of what each other mean,
And prate about an Elephant
Not one of them has seen!

Who Guards the Gates?

Who Guards the Gates?


2 Chronicles 7:13 & 14 NKJV
13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

   If.  If is a little word, just two letter long.  If only takes up a little space on a page, but it can mean so much.  There is a difference between I am going to the store to shop or saying IF I go to the store to shop.  One statement is definite, but one is only potential.  The difference is the word “if.”
   If, in this verse, may bring forgiveness, or it may not.  If may bring healing, or it may not.  It may give hope, or it may not.  And it may bring judgment, or it may not.  Many quote this verse and say that God will forgive our nation and heal our land.  But we need to remember that God’s promise of forgiveness and healing is conditional, and it hinges on this little word “if.”  What God is saying here is a principle - some of His blessings are automatic and come to us because we’re His children, but some blessings are conditional and depend on an action on our part.
   This promise of forgiveness and healing of our land is conditional on actions on our part.  We, as a people, need to become humble, adopt a prayerful attitude seeking God's will, and then turn from our evil ways.  The United States is, at this time, definitely not humble.  Groups meeting in prayer in public are often treated as though they are committing a crime.  And when there is prayer allowed it has to share time with a variety of charlatans uttering prayers or mediations to false gods.  And as for turning from our sinful ways, we make sinners into headline news and the more evil and bizarre the better it is for TV ratings.  
   Sadly, many Christians and others say God won’t judge our nation harshly for our actions.  They tell us that God is a God of love.  And He is, I agree.  But God is also a Holy God and a Just God.  Do not be deceived!
Galatians 6:7
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

   In closing, I would like you to read the following story.  It’s a warning to our nation and a warning to Christians in this country.  This story can be applied to our nation as a whole and it can be applied to the family of Christians here, whatever denomination or non-denomination you belong to.

   Centuries ago, in ancient China, the people wanted security from the barbaric tribes to the north.  So a plan was drawn up and they built the Great Wall of China.
   They took great pride in this massive fortress.  It was so high they knew that no one could climb over it.  It was so thick that nothing could break it down.  It is so big that today it is visible from the space shuttle.
   The people felt safe behind this engineering marvel, and settled in to enjoy their hard won security and raise their children in peace.  Who could challenge them now?
   During the next one hundred years they were invaded three times.  The wall was secure, just like they planned.  It was never successfully climbed or breached.  The barbarians simply bribed the gatekeepers and marched through open gates.
   The Chinese were so secure behind their walls of stone that they forgot to teach integrity to their children.  They forgot to teach them national pride.  They forgot to teach them honor.
   The Great Wall of China speaks a message across the centuries:  Beware of misplaced confidence.  He who guards the gate is greater than he who builds the wall.

   I see a tragic parallel here in America.  We have built a great and strong nation.  We are the world’s one and only super-power.  I would think it is very unlikely that any enemy could conquer American soil through war.  But I fear the American soul has been lost through generations of negligent gatekeepers.  We have let ourselves come under the influence of many groups and ideas.  We no longer put the future of our children first.  We can’t teach them the Pledge of Allegiance and we teach them that the heroes of the American Revolution who built this land were either gay or had mistresses.    

   I see a tragic parallel here in the church in America.  We are built on a true and solid foundation.  We are the world’s most influential source of God’s truth.  The Bible states that no enemy will conquer the church through spiritual warfare.  But I fear the church in America has been lost through generations of negligent gatekeepers.  We have let ourselves come under the influence of many false leaders and unbiblical ideas.  We no longer put the future of our children first.  We don’t teach them the Gospel basics from the Bible and we teach them that the heroes of the Bible were misguided morons who stumbled along groping to find meaning in life.

If.  Will you, or won’t you?

Stephen Cram                            August 7, 2011                      Colossians 2:8

Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.  Colossians 2:8