Category: Fear

For October 17, 2021
The word “assurance,” conjures ideas of personal and/or organizational safety and well-being. Webster’s¹ offers three definitions of assurance:

1. 1. 1. : The state of being assured: such as
         a: a being certain in the mind
         b: confidence of mind or manner : easy freedom from self-doubt or uncertainty also: excessive self-confidence: brashness, presumption
         c: security
      2. : Something that inspires or tends to inspire confidence
      3. : The act or action of assuring someone or something: such as
         a: pledge, guarantee
         b: the act of conveying real property, also: the instrument by which it is conveyed
         c: chiefly British: Insurance.

For our purposes here, assurance can evoke peace of mind, which increases or diminishes according to the level of confidence we have in the people and/or systems we use to provide our security.

Recent studies have shown a substantial increase in corporate and personal security in recent years. In 2020 for instance, the North America’s Security Service market size was 32 billion US dollars while the global market was 132 billion US dollars.²  To accommodate our increasing need for personal and commercial surveillance systems, smoke and temperature detection, intrusion systems, fear of terrorism, public unrest, personal security devices, cyber/data security, and theft control to protect the people and property we care about.

In addition, the projected collateral costs to operate our local, state, and federal criminal justice system to encompass custody, care, programs and services for prisoners, ex-prisoners, victims, families, children, and communities exceeds a trillion dollars.³

Much of my life has been spent working with those who have been so adjudicated to protect the public from peril or loss. Yet, I have realized that our man-made security measures will never provide ultimate assurance. Because hackers, hijackers, electronic system failures, operator error, internal staff collusion, and “acts of God” can negate or bypass the security protocols causing a breach in the most advanced systems.

Since September 11, 2001, when the Twin Towers were attacked and destroyed, there has been heightened public interest to secure people, data, and property. However, each year there are telling instances of unauthorized exposure of personal information, loss of property, and the unfortunate loss of life as well. Life’s capriciousness and uncertainty render earthly assurance a fleeting illusion.

Thus, only in Jesus Christ can we find ultimate assurance. He gives us lasting security along with His faithful and enduring promises. The Lord warns about our fretting to preserve our earthly treasures in Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV):

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Essentially, there are two views on the Believer’s eternal security that have been debated for years. One point of view espouses that we who believe in Jesus Christ cannot be sure we will endure to the end, and that some will renounce their faith in Christ entirely. This view emphasizes that for many, obtaining eternal life will not happen. However, the opposing view affirms that we who are in Christ will endure to the end. According to this view, our eternal life is both certain and secure.

The fundamental difference between the two points of view is where we place our emphasis. In other words, where we put our faith and confidence determines our point of view.

The emphasis in the former view is on our capricious human will and our finite strength. Here, it is up to us to hold on to Christ the best way we can as we face life’s uncertainties—relying on our human power alone!

The emphasis of the second view is God’s infinite power and providence. Here, it is up to the Lord to hold on to us the best way He can as we face life’s uncertainties—completely dependent on His omnipotent power to sustain us!

Isaiah wrote about how God sustains us with His power in Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV):

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

Our patient endurance is more about the Lord’s omnipotence and faithfulness demonstrated toward His precious children than it is about our finite and uncertain attempts to hold on to Him. Article Eleven entitled: “The Perseverance of the Saints,” of the New Hampshire Confession describes God’s power and providence,

We believe the Scriptures teach that such as are truly regenerate, being born of the Spirit, will not utterly fall away and perish, but will endure to the end; that their persevering attachment to Christ is the grand mark which distinguishes them from superficial professors; that a special Providence watches over their welfare; and that they are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.⁴

We endure because of Christ, the Good Shepherd’s, providence watches over us while His power keeps us forever.

There is a vast difference between those who make a verbal profession of Christ as Savior and those who believe and receive Him as Lord. God provides the ultimate assurance to all those who confess Jesus Christ with their mouths and believe in Him with their hearts,

But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 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. As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:6-13 (NIV)

Those people who profess with their mouths, and do not believe with their hearts are merely going through the motions. They have not experienced the spiritual transformation Christ provides, and they do not have fellowship with God. And when the Lord returns, He will banish them from His presence forever (Matthew 7:21-23). These people will not endure because they are not of Christ, and He never knew them, as John explains:

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 1 John 2:19 (NKJV)

We who profess and believe find hope and will always experience the strength, and victory in Jesus Christ that lends itself to the “Abundant Life” He promises in John 10:10, as we progress along these mundane earthly shores towards the glorious heavenly home awaiting us. This is as Proverbs 4:18 (NKJV) teaches,

“But the path of the just is like the shining sun, That shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”

Won’t you give the Lord your heart today, and experience His ultimate assurance?

What a Wonderful Savior!

For October 9, 2021
When we think of “freedom,” we conjure up notions of unlimited mobility or liberty someone or something has without imposition, hindrance, or restraint. Webster’s defines freedom as,

Not subject to the control or domination of another, exempt, not bound, confined or detained, capable of moving or turning in any direction; to cause to be free, to relieve or rid of what restrains, confines, restricts, or embarrasses.⁵

Human freedom can provide short-term confinement relief, but it is not redemptive because we will always have indiscriminate exploitation and victimization due sin’s presence in all of our hearts. Consequently, I recognize the importance and thank God for the presence of civic and moral law, which helps to guard against the wanton pursuit of personal freedom at the expense of others.

There was a time in our nation’s history when racial segregation deprived many U.S. citizens certain basic freedoms. During that era, we associated freedom with racial justice and equality. So as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others both black and white spoke of freedom, it stirred our hopes for a better tomorrow with access to places and things unavailable to us at that time,

Our freedom was not won a century ago, it is not won today…Today the question is not whether we shall be free but by what course we will win.⁶

In the wake of Dr. King’s assassination, our astronauts landed on the moon. The ‘60s were behind us, and the ‘70s became our long awaited moment to realize “the Dream,”[“The Dream” refers to the “I Have a Dream” speech Dr. MLK, Jr. delivered during the March On Washington on August 28, 1963[/note] and to embark on our brave new world filled with love and peace—together!

But, as Psalm 118:8 relates, it is far better to place our confidence in the Lord than in fallible human beings, even when we are well-meaning. The onset of personal and political materialism, greed, and opportunism, along with “high-profile” moral failures and scandals, and false promises, coupled with the proliferation of sex, drugs, gangs, senseless violence, and more victimization, which subsequently followed should not have surprised us.

Now, fast forward to 2021, and we seem to be reliving our past hopes for a brave new world. However, five things are profoundly clear in retrospect,

1. 1. Creating more laws, delivering eloquent orations, and protesting/demonstrating will not make people love each other, especially when an adversarial relationship exists between them.

1. 2. It is pointless for anyone to expect to obtain the respect or love from another person if he or she does not love or respect themselves (or their own race).

1. 3. Evocative rhetoric will not change a person—whether black or white—when his or her heart is full of malice, hatred, or ill will. The malevolence within a person will eventually reveal itself with painfully tragic results.

1. 4. As long as sin and hatred are parts of our normal, day-to-day world, we will never experience “Heaven” on earth.

1. 5. Only Jesus Christ can transform the very worst of us into forgiven and free citizens of the Kingdom of God. Through Him, we can experience real, lasting peace, justice, and equality now and forever.

Much has improved for many disadvantaged people who took advantage of the opportunities in education and commerce that became available. Incidentally, the freedoms we share as Americans, which we often take for granted, were never intended as licenses to do what we want, when we want, to whomever we want willy-nilly.

The increases in disrespect, hostility, and violence where we should exercise understanding, civility, and courtesy trouble me as well. All of us are free to express our opinions appropriately (i.e., without endangering the health, safety, or welfare of others), without the fear of censorship.

As a civilized people, we are to exercise vigilance and a swift dispatch in our moral responsibility to extend consideration toward our fellow citizens,

The freedom of God is exercised and illustrated in his government of his moral creatures. It has pleased God to create intelligences possessed of moral freedom and to make their ultimate destiny contingent upon the right use of their freedom.⁷

Human freedoms carry with them a sacred duty to preserve public civility, decency, and goodwill especially within our own families and communities. We share the world with others, so it would behoove us to foster a congenial atmosphere, which is in everyone’s best interests. Otherwise, there will be more anarchy, hostility, and senseless violence to jeopardize everyone’s safety.

Human freedom will not provide true lasting peace and fulfillment, and when we rely on it alone, it becomes a broken cistern,

For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water (Jeremiah 2:13 AKJV).

Physical or man-made freedom does not address our spiritual being; to be truly free, we must consider our spiritual dimension as well,

Seek God and discover Him and make Him a power in your life. Without Him all of our efforts turn to ashes and our sunrises into darkest nights. Without Him, life is meaningless drama with the decisive scenes missing. But with Him we are able to rise from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of hope. With Him we are able to rise from the midnight of desperation to the daybreak of joy. St. Augustine was right—we were made for God and we will be restless until we find rest in Him.⁸

Our Lord Jesus Christ presents a more comprehensive view of freedom—beyond civic change—by emphasizing its transcendent dimension,

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free. (John 8:32, 34-36 NLT)

Jesus Christ is the embodiment of truth by which we can know and experience absolute freedom. No longer slaves to sin, we can become new creations with new desires that emerge from our new disposition as 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us.

The Greek word Jesus uses for “free” is eleutheros (Strong-G1658), which conveys the idea of one being unrestrained; to go at pleasure; not enslaved; to be exempt from obligation or liability; to go where ever one pleases.⁹

Derivatives appear in Galatians 5:1 (NKJV), which present a very similar picture (my emphasis),

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

True freedom can only happen when we surrender to Christ completely. His Spirit within us will keep us from bondage. Now we can be forgiven and free followers of Jesus Christ; called to foster and preserve a civil world with a consecrated, Christ-centered life. Won’t you give Jesus Christ your heart and experience true and lasting freedom?

What a Wonderful Savior?

For September 12, 2021
Jesus Disciples’ levels of perplexity, anxiety, and uncertainty must have been extreme as the Lord spoke that evening on their way to Gethsemane. Jesus was fully aware of Judas’ plot to betray Him, the Disciples’ abandonment and denials, the religious leaders’ disgraceful, mock trial, and His humiliating public execution.

The Disciples were oblivious to these facts and were bewildered because their Lord informed them He was leaving and would return later. He also told them about the coming Helper, but they were not sure when He would arrive—or how. They had no idea what would become of their faith movement after Jesus’ departure, or who would lead it.

Then the Lord told them something that must have seemed even more baffling,

I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. John 15:1-5 (NKJV)

Jesus identifies Himself as the True Vine, the authentic and legitimate “real deal.” Before Him, were imitators, and after Him, pretenders. In other words, He is the stalk, and we are fruit-producing branches proceeding from Him. We are rooted in Him, and without Him, we will wither and die.

Jesus alone is the source of our life and purpose. Because of our association, we can have access to all the spiritual, life-giving resources He has at His disposal. He alone is the object of our faith, the essence of our spiritual life, and the realization of all our future hopes and desires,

As God’s natural life is in the vine, Christ, that He may give life to His spiritual branches. The roots of this new vine are planted in Heaven, not on earth; and unto it, the half-withered branches of the old humanity are to be grafted, that they may have life divine. Our Lord does not say, “I am the root.” The branch is not something outside, which has to get nourishment out of the root. It is rather a part of the vine. Not only grounded in Christ as our foundation, but thrusting down root into Him as the deep, rich, all-sustaining soil.¹⁹

Abiding in the True Vine necessitates our complete surrender so that the Helper inside us can foster our consecrated, Christ-likeness,

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 (NIV)

Crucified with Christ may appear strange at first glance, but it’s not. Christ is our identity; we draw our strength from Him. He is our life and power to perform godly activities that honor Him; activities our old nature protests and resists—vehemently.

Our Father’s pruning is required for successful fruit-bearing. The Greek word for pruning is kathairo (Strong-G2508), to cut away the undesirable and unfruitful parts, to cleanse from filth, to prune or eliminate that which is fruitless, or to purify.²⁰

Romans 8:1 tells us that we face no condemnation in Christ as we walk and live surrendered to His Spirit, our Helper.  Our purging is of the Father in the whole process of our “removing temptations and afflictions.”²¹ This is our sanctification.

As we walk in His Spirit, we can experience the “power of Jesus’ resurrection and fellowship in His suffering;” in order to mortify the flesh and conform to His righteousness in living as Philippians 3:10 teaches.

We bear fruit by striving toward spiritual perfection through fasting²², prayer, reading and studying God’s Word (Bible), attending church regularly, and Christian service.

Ultimately, as we yield to the Holy Spirit’s work within us, we conform to the image and likeness of Christ. This was true for the Disciples then, and it is true for us today. Won’t you surrender to Jesus Christ, The Vine and become a fruit bearing branch for His grace, forgiveness, and love today?

What a Wonderful Savior!